C. Rae D'Arc's Blog, page 6

As always, if you haven’t read the book up to chapter 14 yet, please do so now! If you don’t own “Don’t Date the Haunted,” here’s a link to get it!

>>>

I attended a total of four high school dances (two of them were girl’s choice, and the last was stag). However, I went to countless Stake Dances. These were dances set up by church congregations for ages 14-18 (though it was mostly 14-16, because most people older than 16 went on real dates). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a tradition of “no dating until age 16.” That meant that these Stake Dances (where everyone comes wearing their Sunday best without dates) were the primary places to learn to flirt and dance. I was terrible at both.
Queue the awkwardness.

Despite the ballet, gymnastics, and multiple dance classes I took as a kid, my best dance moves were the Shopping Cart, the shuffle, and alternating finger exercises.

Pansy’s experience at the masquerade is very much like those I’ve experienced myself. Well, okay, most of the dances I attended were without a date, and I spent them either swaying by myself near the wall, or standing with my limited friends in a circle wondering why we weren’t dancing together.

We’re at a dance. We might as well dance.

Very Terrible First Draft of “Don’t Date the Haunted”

I modeled Pansy’s experience after my very first high school dance–Homecoming. I had recently turned seventeen as a Senior, and I was asked by a boy I kind of liked (little did I know that I was his third choice for the dance). No matter, he did ballroom dance, so even though I wasn’t a great dancer, he was a good leader and I was a decent follower.
The following quote is based off a personal experience:

I sensed his steps as he took them, and moved with him to keep us from stumbling. This way, Theo led me into twists and turns, directing me through crowds so we miraculously didn’t bump into others.

“Don’t Date the Haunted,” chapter fourteen

There’s actually a deleted scene in here when I tried to add something suspicious to the masquerade (before it all goes to horror anyway). Theo left Pansy alone to grab some drinks, and the reader got an early glimpse of the Haunting.

Something pinched the back of my knee.  I jerked around, but of the crowds around me, no one was straightening from the low pinch.  I stepped away from any possible creepers, toward Emma and Hank on the edge of the crowd.
“Hey, Emma!” I shouted.
“Ouch!” she cried back, flinching at me.  “Pansy!  Have you been pinching me?”
“What?  No, someone pinched me too.”
. . . . .
A light touch slid across my back that sent chills up my spine.  I turned with a smile, then stumbled.  The man standing beside me was not Theo with his white horse mask.  A stranger with a black hood and soul reaper mask stared at me with dark eyes.
I stepped back and grabbed for my emergency pack.  Condemn this dress, I couldn’t reach into my pack without lifting a dozen layers of skirt.  Before I could begin such a struggle, the reaper’s eyes met mine.  They were the only visible part of his face behind his glittery white mask.
Glitter.  Right.  No real soul reaper would shimmer that much.  Also, the man’s eyes were familiar.  Did I know him from school?
“Are you here stag?” he asked.  His voice was like a mutated memory.
“I-I guess,” I stammered, glancing for Theo.
The peculiar man’s eyes crinkled with a sensual smirk. “Well, then you can call me Mr. Hunter.  I’d say, if you’re the game I’ve been searching for, you’ve already sent me on a marvelous chase.”
I stammered for a reply as Theo returned with two drinks.
“Excuse me,” he said, his eyes openly curious about the soul reaper.  “Was that a horrendous pick-up line, or an actual attempt to become better acquainted?”
The reaper’s eyes narrowed at the challenge. “That would depend on who you are.”
I silently pleaded to Theo for an excuse away from this creeper.  Theo caught my message with a glance then wrapped an arm around my shoulders.  “I am Lord Fromm of Margen and this woman’s escort.  Now, you are?”
The soul reaper’s mask quirked to the side though his challenging eyes remained the same.  “Mr. Hunter,” he said, “and it seems the hunt has only begun.”
He stepped back and became lost in the crowd.
. . . . .
“Did you know Mr. Hunter?”
“I don’t think so,” I said.  “Thanks for being my creeper repellent.”
“Of course,” he smirked.  “I will happily rescue my flower from strangers with black auras.”
“His aura was black?”
“Indeed, whatever that means,” he said.  “How long do you request that I uphold the charade as your date?”
I looked up at him and struggled to restrain my timid smile. “Does it have to be a charade?”
Theo’s smile bloomed from behind the folds of his mask.  My heartbeat stuttered.

I ultimately deleted this scene when changing Pansy’s morning of terror to relaxation and bonding. If she had any indication the masquerade was Haunted, she would have left.

Hey, Look! A Distraction!

Mr. E and his dead cold hands are actually based off of my own hands. In high school, I joked that I was a vampire because my hands were always freezing and–because “Twilight” was rampant–I had yellow-tinted eyes and sparkly lotion.

By the way, yes, Theo’s quote of “As you wish,” is a reference to “The Princess Bride.” Classic.

Mr. E’s accusation and Pansy’s excuse has always been a pivotal moment. I needed Pansy and Theo to have a struggle in their relationship (as Emma mentions in chapter twelve). At this point, Pansy’s just annoyed by Mr. E. He interrupted her dance with Theo, refuses to believe in Supernaturals and Hauntings, and wouldn’t believe the truth even if she told it to him. So, SPOILER ALERT: she lies.

Unfortunately, Theo overhears. They go to the balcony to talk, and it’s a good thing Pansy doesn’t kiss him then because the poor guy would have been so confused.

When the power goes off, Theo has a different reaction than everyone else. He grew up with fairy lights and torches – no power outages. However,

“It is just a power outage.” He breathed with surprising relief and his arm relaxed beneath my grip. “This is not my brother’s Night Shade ability. The lights should return soon.”

“Don’t Date the Haunted,” chapter fourteen

Theo’s youngest biological brother is Dunstan the Night Shade, currently known as Dunstan the Night Terror. He has the ability to seemingly create darkness. In D&D terms, it’s basically the Darkness spell (I actually didn’t make that connection until now). You can look forward to learning more about Dunstan and his ability in “Don’t Marry the Cursed,” coming out April 2, 2021!

__ATA.cmd.push(function() { __ATA.initDynamicSlot({ id: 'atatags-26942-602fc7519ec42', location: 120, formFactor: '001', label: { text: 'Advertisements', }, creative: { reportAd: { text: 'Report this ad', }, privacySettings: { text: 'Privacy', } } }); });

It’s Friday the twelfth, but let’s go over chapter thirteen! Thirteen is actually my lucky number (my anniversary’s on a thirteenth), and almost every number in “Don’t Date the Haunted” adds up to thirteen. The trailer homes mentioned in chapter one for instance:
14008: 1+4+0+0+8=13
15025: 1+5+0+2+5=13
The time of Sean’s death: 1:48pm: 1+4+8=13
Plus, 1pm is the 13th hour, and that’s when Pansy meets Theo at the library.
The Horror Emigration Law, Section 13.06.3: 1+3+0+6+3=13

Pansy’s apartment number 201 doesn’t add to 13 because Pansy might have moved if it had. Also, 201 was my apartment number freshman year at university.

About this chapter, I get the privilege of talking with my older sister on a regular basis. She’s been one of my biggest supporters since “Don’t Date the Haunted” was published, buying it before anyone else in the family and sharing it with her book club friends.
During her first read through, she said she would read a little before going to bed. I asked her where she was in the book and she said, “Chapter thirteen.” Yeah, she stayed up way too late, because there’s no stopping point after chapter thirteen.

The masquerade was today… The dreaded day was here.

Chapter 13 of “Don’t Date the Haunted”

Quick reminder, if you don’t know what masquerade I’m talking about, go read “Don’t Date the Haunted!” Here’s a link, just in case. >>>

As I mentioned in chapter five, the screaming plumbing in the walls was based on a real-life experience. It was also only included here, at the beginning of chapter 13. I doubled up on the scene to give Pansy a rough introduction to Romance, and also alert the reader: things are about to get scary.

Initially, I had a few more queues to indicate a shift in the story, including a bloody shower (not fruit punch) that’s only in Pansy’s mind, receiving the second threatening letter, and Heather’s dolls temporarily possessed to laugh at her.

I changed it to the way it is now because the book was very split. The first half was all romance, and the second half was all horror. I needed to blend them.
Also, the main reason for all the scares one-right-after-another was to scare Pansy into going to the masquerade. An editor suggested that I instead coax Pansy into safety to develop her character into allowing herself to relax…before everything goes crazy.

So, I moved the final letter threat to the scene with Mr. E at the masquerade, and replaced the screaming pipes, bloody shower, and laughing dolls with dress-up time with Emma and Heather. If you’re curious, I’ll include segments of the deleted scenes below.

But first, a song!

Do you remember in chapter two, when I mentioned the theme song for that chapter that also inspired Pansy’s rap in the shower? It’s Twenty-One Pilots’ “Ode to Sleep.”

Song that inspired Pansy’s shower rap:
I’m pleading, please, oh please
On my knees repeatedly asking
Why it’s got to be like this
Is this living free?
I don’t wanna be the one to have the sun’s blood on my hands
I’ll tell the moon
Take this weapon, forged in darkness
Some see a pen, I see harpoon
I’ll stay awake
‘Cause the dark’s not taking prisoners tonight

For those who are curious, here’s the FULL song/rap that I wrote:

I slay monsters and demons, Hauntings and Horrors Slaughtering laughter from abhorring torturers But I'm also a Horror backed in a corner Innocence gone, am I also a murderer? One 'I'm not scared' in the morning I hear my ghosts, they're still mourning I musta killed their friend This just might be my end The night takes no prisoners, leaves no survivors No no survivors, even the fighters We fight for our lives down like spirals, screwdrivers Divers in fire, heat's rising higher The heart keeps on beating and bleeding out drier Two 'prickly haired' in the morning I hear my ghosts, they're still mourning I musta killed their friend This just might be my end Three 'I'm prepared' in the morning I hear my ghosts, they're still mourning I musta killed their friend But I will never bend.

Though the previous drafts didn’t have Pansy’s song, they continued this way:

Ahhh . . . I needed this.  The warm water fell on my head, seeped to my skull, and tumbled down my back, allowing me to close my eyes and relax. 
Sure, that evening I’d probably have a full blown anxiety attack about being alone, but at that moment, it was all a wash.
I let the shampoo sit in my hair while I loaded a sponge with soap.  After scrubbing myself all over, I put my whole body back under the faucet for rinsing.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t nearly as relaxing the second time.  I checked myself for remaining soap suds and choked on my song, stumbling on my own two feet.
Blood washed off me and down the drain.  It was more than if I’d cut myself while shaving; I was drenched in it.  I checked the faucet for red juice powder.  Out came pure water, but as soon as it touched my skin it thickened red.  Instead of sweet fruit, the water smelled metallic.  This wasn’t a college prank.  This was a Haunting sign.
I reached to turn off the faucet knob, but my hands shook.  The shaking spread through me, and my legs wobbled.  The water/blood felt cold on my skin.  Maybe the hot water ran out?  No, steam still rose.  I vomited.
I shook even harder from the heaving.  My sense of stability weakened as my puke mixed with the thick red substance.  A sick memory threatened my mental constitution.  The steamed smell of my regurgitation didn’t help.  I threw up again.
Someone knocked on my shower stall, “Pansy, is that you?  Are you okay?”
It sounded like Emma.  She had to shout over the static of the fan and shower.
“Y-yeah,” I stuttered.  I eventually gripped the knob and turned off the water.  What was I supposed to say?  Yes, everything is fine, I threw up for the fun of it?  No, I’m covered in blood and this shower is condemned?  Both statements were equally unbelievable.  I imagined her reaction if I drew back the curtain and revealed my naked, bloody self.  I probably looked like an insane killer Haunting who bathed in the blood of her enemies.  No, the best way to keep a Haunting from involving others was to keep others from interacting with the Haunting.
“I-I don’t feel well,” I stammered.
“I guess it’s a good thing you’re not coming tonight then,” she said.
I stood in the shower, trying to swipe the blood off of my body with my hands.  How would I keep my roommates from asking questions about the Haunting if my bathroom towel was drenched in blood?  I reached for my towel and touched the corner with my red fingertips.  The blood didn’t spread.  It dried clear like water.

The next deleted scene was Ruby barging in with Pansy’s third threat. Ruby and Heather were excited, thinking it was someone asking her to the dance, and only Pansy knew it was a threat.
The transition here was a bit rough as I needed Pansy to dress up. In these earlier drafts, she dressed up out of boredom.

So this was insanity: a borderline to boredom.  I pulled another clump through the iron.  There was no way I’d spend every morning to do this.
A laugh broke out and I nearly burnt myself with the curling iron.  I checked behind myself, sure that Emma or Heather had walked in on my bizarre attempt to dress up.  The door was still closed and the laughter came from beside me.  I followed the noise to stare at Heather’s bed.
No one was there except her collection of freaky dolls.
There was something eerily familiar about that laugh too.  It was a man’s laugh, and I couldn’t place it, but it reminded me of better times.  I searched through the dolls for the source, but couldn’t find any hidden recorder or a specific demonic doll.
Then, another doll joined.  I stepped back, afraid of whatever it was.  Another doll with the same laugh, and then another.  Soon, they were all laughing as a crowd.
I grabbed the curling iron like a baton, ready to smash every last one of Heather’s “prized possessions.”  Except the laughter was no longer pinpointed to the dolls.  It was also behind me, a group of laughter that grew louder.  Glad I wore my running shoes, I burst from my bedroom, jerking the iron’s chord from the electrical socket.  The laughter from the dolls became distant, but the second group came nearer.  They were closer than the thundering wind outside.  They laughed just around the corner, in the kitchen.
The Haunting was in my dorm and coming closer.  I lifted the still-hot curling iron like a baseball bat.  I would not go down without a fight.

The chapter ended there and chapter fourteen picked up with her running into Heather, Emma, their dates, and Theo. All dressed up for the dance.
To be continued next week!

__ATA.cmd.push(function() { __ATA.initDynamicSlot({ id: 'atatags-26942-6026937b56ba2', location: 120, formFactor: '001', label: { text: 'Advertisements', }, creative: { reportAd: { text: 'Report this ad', }, privacySettings: { text: 'Privacy', } } }); });

Before we get into the fun masks created by Pansy and her friends, I should briefly mention that yes, the Sci-Fian take-out was inspired by foods from science fiction. Moon potatoes are from Andy Weir’s “The Martian,” sentient cow is from “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” by Douglas Adams, and the special spice is a reference to Frank Herbert’s “Dune.”

Also, because this is chapter twelve, it’s only courteous for me to alert anyone who hasn’t read “Don’t Date the Haunted” up to this point that they should READ THE BOOK FIRST. I mean, the whole book is only 255 pages, and it’s not like a textbook or anything. If you don’t have it, here’s a quick link to remedy that.>>>

Alright, onto the masks!
I’ve hand-crafted at least three masks for school. That’s what I get for taking art classes. I put paper mache all over my face, let it dry, then painted it according to the assignment (usually: “What defines you?”). I created a couple more masks while at university, but I used face-paint for those. (No need to clutter my limited living space with creepy eye-less masks).

As for Pansy and her roommates, I basically asked the same question, “What defines her?” Tiffany’s in charge of the masquerade, so she’s all about going with the theme of “Who dunnit?” crimes. So she made a fake nose and glasses mask.

The idea behind Tiffany’s mask Brooke’s mask would have eventually turned out like one of these.Marcellette’s cat mask was periwinkle to match her dress.Heather’s mask is something like thisGive this some pink and a pillbox hat, and you get Emma’s maskGive it a splash of red feathers and white highlight feathers, and this is pretty much Pansy’s mask.Make it white, and this is Theo’s mask.

I know, we don’t see Theo’s mask until the end of chapter thirteen, but I wanted to include it while we’re talking about them.

The mask making is interrupted by someone asking Asher to the dance (BTW: I did not name her simply to spell her name with the periodic table – as I did with Ben. However, I refused to change her name because it could be spelled with elements from the periodic table). Then Brooke’s phone rings.

One of my editors was a little put off by Brooke because we spend the beginning part of the book thinking that she’s going to be Pansy’s new best friend…then she’s removed from the story halfway. Here’s why; Pansy needed someone to talk to in the beginning. She needed another tough girl like herself who was culturally aware. Brooke introduced her to Theo and started the game night. Pansy trusted her before anyone else in Romance.
However, Brooke would have been too sensible during the masquerade.
As a steampunk Sci-Fian, her reactions to the masquerade problems would have been redundant to Pansy’s. I needed Pansy to be the only level-headed person who knew how to handle the Haunting. So, I sent her home.
It’s also a common concept to take away the protagonist’s resources one by one. Brooke had to leave because she was too good.

For those who want to see more of Brooke (and meet the “super dangerous mutant who killed dozens of people and destroyed a whole town”), you can look forward to “Don’t Marry the Cursed,” coming out April, 2021!

The last section of this chapter deals with a sensitive issue. To be frank, this was one reason why I wanted to write horror. Horror is one of the few genres where morals are openly instructed. Someone abuses drugs or others? They’ll die. Someone’s unfaithful to their marriage? They’ll die. Someone’s just trying to do the right thing? They’ll live, or die a hero.
As an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I live by strict moral standards. The most famous one is that we don’t drink alcohol. We also teach fidelity by saving sexual intercourse within marriage.

I didn’t want to write about a church book, but I wanted my main character to have similar standards. So, Pansy’s a Horror who lives by the code of survival. She lives by her brother’s strict moral code not because of faith or a religion, but because she believes it’s the only way to survive.
When Emma breaks that code, naturally, she freaks out. Heather joins the freak out because she’s simply old fashioned. I’m not saying old fashioned is bad (I’m old fashioned with my own standards), just different from today’s fashions.
I wanted to present the different opinions as a way to contrast the differences between Contemporary and Regency Romances and also Horror.

When Pansy goes to apologize and talk with Emma, they talk about life when it’s too easy. This is my way of poking fun of the typical story plotline. Working at a bookstore, I need to be familiar with lots of books without the time to read them all. To get the basic idea of any romance novel, I would read the back blurb, then skip to the middle–where they have their first kiss (if it’s a contemporary), or recognize their attraction for one another (if it’s a regency/proper/historical). I continue reading from that point because RIGHT AFTER is where they almost always hit a major snag (they need to leave town, their secrets come out, something from their past catches up to them). I can’t say this happens EVERY time, but it’s more common than not.
And this is why Pansy and Theo have problems that I’ll cover in two weeks.

In case you missed the title of this post, this is chapter eleven. If you haven’t read “Don’t Date the Haunted” up to this point, please remedy that before you read this blog! If you haven’t purchased it yet, I’ll make it easy and provide the amazon link.

<<<

Moving on.
Chapter eleven is divided into two parts. That’s because the first section (Pansy and Theo’s discussion about the meaning of his auras) wasn’t added until nearly the final draft. It was added due to a friend suggesting that they needed to spend more time together and have more “moments” to increase their relationship.
Side note: whenever I picture Pansy’s keychain of religious symbols, I flash to “The Mummy” (1999) as Beni first encounters the monster.
(I wanted to add a clip, but the embed didn’t cut the segment).

As for Pansy’s experience at the Heartford University Library (AKA: HUL), I used my own experiences of a date/study at a university library. Initially, I modeled the HUL after the Harold B. Lee Library of Brigham Young University, Provo. It’s a large building that only had two entry/exits, and they were 25-ish feet across each other in the same room. Not only were the entry/exits crowded with the usual students coming and leaving the library, but between those doors was the grand staircase that either took you down to the basement archives and auditorium, or upstairs to the main building of campus computers, a quiet zone, study rooms, and other typical library resources.
Oh, another reason the pathway between those two doors was always crowded: it was cold and often snowy outside. So, rather than walk the extra 25-ish feet to go around, many students cut through the building to enjoy ten seconds of warmth during the long walks across campus.

Personalized apps quickly became popular while I attended school, and one such app was “Where in the HBLL are you?” This was extra funny at a private school where most of the students preferred to say “H-E-double hockey sticks” or Heck. Still, HUL worked in that phrase, so I included it as a little inside joke.

In case you’re wondering (since it wasn’t explained in this book), yes, there is an exact reason why Pansy’s aura lengthens and shortens during their conversation. You can read about it in “Don’t Marry the Cursed,” (coming this April). Same goes for what happened to Lady Greenwood.
Before adding this scene, I originally had Theo’s backstory with Lady Greenwood on the balcony in chapter fourteen. I moved it to give earlier sympathy and understanding of Theo’s character and also to help keep the pace of that pivotal moment on the Tower’s balcony.

Masquerade! Painted faces on parade!

“Phantom of the Opera”

You know the prank to tell someone it’s a “costume party,” when it’s not? Yeah, that wouldn’t have worked on my roommates and me.

Ready for the movies!

On more than one occasion, my roommates and I dressed above and beyond the dress code for events. On purpose. We dressed up as zombies to see “Warm Bodies” (2013) in the theater–not on opening night. For a community party at a ice rink, we went as Jack Frost, the Winter Queen, and a snow princess. Our apartment complex once did a contest of short films, and we dressed for the red carpet at the premier event.

As frequently mentioned in “Alcatraz Vs. the Evil Librarians,” “Writers are evil.” We create main characters and plots based around two questions. We start with “How can I make the reader feel for this character?” Then, after we’ve established sympathy, we ask, “What can I do to make this character suffer?”
Well, putting Pansy in a masquerade seemed like the ultimate way to make her suffer. It went against every rule of survival and was perfectly normal for Romantics (both from Regency and Contemporary).

As for the fun (and ridiculous) ways to ask people to a dance, those came from life experiences of my high school culture. I once asked a guy to a dance by shoving glowsticks into his front lawn (the dance was neon themed). One that was used on my sister–and I wanted to include–involved a bowl of flour with a note that said, “Sift through the flour to find out who wants to take you to the ‘such-and-such’ dance.” After a couple of minutes, a bouquet of flowers would arrive with another note saying the name and “Wrong ‘flour.'”

I might have used that for Theo’s request to Pansy if he thought Pansy would enjoy the ridiculousness. As it is…poor Theo gets rejected…again. I added the pansy necklace the same time as adding the study date at the library. A beta reader wanted more interactions to fall in love with Theo as Pansy did, so I took a leaf from Gary Chapman’s Five Love Languages.

GiftsTheo gives her a necklacePhysical Touch (Emma’s love language)Up to chapter eleven, Theo caught her in his arms, held her hand, kissed her hand, and put his arm around her.Service (Heather’s love language)Pansy serves Theo by helping him discover the meaning of his auras.Time (Pansy’s love language)They meet weekly to discuss his aurasWords of Affirmation (Theo’s love language)Their discussion after the movie is heavy with encouragement and validation.

I’ve been analyzing this topic particularly because of an upcoming panel for the Life, The Universe, and Everything Symposium! This will be my second time as a panelist, and it’s all virtual this year! I could go on about my favorite conference/convention for Sci-Fi/Fantasy writers/artists/gamers, but I need to get back to chapter 11. Just know that it’s awesome, and I’m super excited and honored to be included.

Theo’s comment about life being a constant Adventure is something that I relate to. Someday, I want to hang this quote above my desk:

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.

Hellen Keller

This was one of my many mottos in high school and university, laughing that every U-turn and trip to the grocery store was an adventure. This attitude is how Theo stays positive despite being a second-eldest son who can’t fight and has a “useless” ability. Seriously, life is an adventure. Go make it a good one, and next week I’ll tell you about the masks!

__ATA.cmd.push(function() { __ATA.initDynamicSlot({ id: 'atatags-26942-601420a9961a3', location: 120, formFactor: '001', label: { text: 'Advertisements', }, creative: { reportAd: { text: 'Report this ad', }, privacySettings: { text: 'Privacy', } } }); });

Shaela Kay’s an author who solidly publishes in the Romance genre, though this is her first contemporary!

Now, I’ll be honest; I know Shaela. She’s in my writing group, and she’s my cover artist. (Super talented lady–check out her work on bluewaterbooks.com). That said, I’ll continue to be honest with this review.

Knowing Mrs. Kay to be a people-pleaser (like myself), she did a really good job of characterizing Amie. Amie is a people-pleaser, like Maggie from “Runaway Bride” (1999). She thinks she’s found Mr. Right, but then he dumps her only weeks before their wedding! So, like any sensible and sensitive woman, she takes a break from the city that reminds her of her ex and spends the summer with her family.

Jason is the childhood friend who was only ever a friend. He has problems like Jack from “While You Were Sleeping” (1995), but has goals like Bobby McFlay. I had a little trouble at first not portraying my own “only ever friend” onto him, but he quickly became his own character.

There’s an incident referenced in the story (which I can’t mention because that would give spoilers) that I wanted to say was unrealistic. Then I remembered my own guy friends in high school and realized, “Yep, that is exactly what a high school boy would do.”

Funny enough, when I mentioned this to Mrs. Kay, she said the “book is actually FULL of real life scenarios,” including Ebenezer the cat, dumping a muffin mix on someone’s head, and even the crazy bird lady.

I had extra fun with this story because it’s set in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Spokane, Washington. I’ve lived within two hours-driving distance from both of these cities. Saying they’re very different is kind of a no-brainer because I don’t know any other city that’s quite like Vegas.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

To whom it may concern: “Only Ever Friends” is written in present tense (like this blog post). This may throw some readers off because most stories are written in past tense. Present tense can be tricky, but Mrs. Kay does it well.

__ATA.cmd.push(function() { __ATA.initDynamicSlot({ id: 'atatags-26942-6011798f702b2', location: 120, formFactor: '001', label: { text: 'Advertisements', }, creative: { reportAd: { text: 'Report this ad', }, privacySettings: { text: 'Privacy', } } }); });

Can you believe we’re halfway through the book? I scheduled these blog posts out so we should finish the book about the time that the sequel is released. (Clever, right?) That said, PLEASE READ at least up to chapter ten of “Don’t Date the Haunted” before reading this blog post! In case you haven’t, I’ll make it easy and attach the Amazon link>>>

This chapter was full of fun comparisons and contrasts between genres. I had a lot of fun mixing and matching the emotions and physical responses to Hauntings and Romances.

…My heart raced like the adrenaline rush of a Haunting.  I felt alive and anxious for each moment.  My mind whirled at different possibilities and analyzed every detail, yet connected nothing.  The same questions raced through my consciousness:  Why was this happening to me?  What did I do to deserve this?
Every other time I’d felt this way, I’d also felt terrified for my life.  Everything flipped upside down.  For the first time, I wondered why something so nice would happen to me.

“Don’t Date the Haunted,” chapter 10

Funny enough, not a lot changed in this chapter from my first draft to my last . . . Except one major point:

Theo’s ability and what it means

I always planned on Theo’s ability to be seemingly useless. Again, I was reading the “Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians” series while writing this book, and I really liked the concept of a superpower that seemed pointless, but had hidden possibilities for awesomeness.
I played with a couple different ideas in the beginning. Some lasted longer than others. The options I considered for Theo’s ability were:

to turn invisible (but his clothes remained visible)to have anything he touched automatically bluntedmaking him particularly annoying to blacksmiths and swordmasters of Fantasy.to know when others lied to himthe inability to lieI even wrote the scene of him proving his inability to lie to Pansy by telling her that he initially thought she was a witch. Don’t worry, this conversation has been revised and included in chapter one of “Don’t Marry the Cursed.”

All of these ideas were based on the idea that he was titled “The Trusted.” There were no runner-ups or second thoughts on his title.

Even when I settled on his ability to see auras, I still struggled to determine their exact meanings.

Okay, if you haven’t finished the book, SKIP to the next section on Girl Talk. Spoilers ahead! Ye be warned!
Now, supposing you’ve finished the book, you know that Theo’s ability isn’t useless. The lightness and darkness of the auras he sees show when a person’s in danger. This wasn’t always the case. There was a possibility of his auras showing which people he could personally trust. (But this became too complicated by the varying definitions of “trust.”) For the first draft, it was the lengths (not the shades) that demonstrated a person’s state of danger.

Then, the very basic reason why they still don’t know the meaning of the aura lengths was because I didn’t know either. At least until I finished book 3, and rewrote my third revision of book 2.
As for the meaning of the lengths . . . well, you’ll have to wait till “Don’t Marry the Cursed” is released in April, 2021.

Let’s Talk Girl Talk!

I know a few guys who read “Twilight” just to understand girls better. Honestly, that makes me cringe, and there are other girls like me who don’t want to be associated to the “Twilight” way of thinking. Instead, let me refer you to the “girl talk” between Pansy, Emma, and Heather. I’ve had many compliments on these scenes, saying;

“I really liked the melodramatic episodes between different roommates and the boys. It was a very funny and safe way to think about culture clash and misunderstanding. Those parts were probably the strongest written!”

Kendra

“It was super fun to see your humor in the conversations and quips. I absolutely loved the different sections and the things that set them all apart.”

Jenny

“Were you imitating our family?”

Cheryl

Tips on understanding or writing girl dialogue (from personal experience–but not hard rules):We frequently change topics.Did you notice that their one conversation changes topic within topics? They go from broad impressions about the hangout, to Heather sharing Jake’s interest in her, to Emma prodding for more info, to chocolates and the explanation of the “roommate boyfriend agreement,” to Heather accusing Emma of excessive cuddling, to Pansy confessing that she held hands with Theo . . . all within ten exchanges.My roommates and I had the boyfriend agreement, but they went as follows: candy for first time holding hands, ice cream for first kiss, pizza for first make-out, and fancy dinner for engagements. I nixed the make-out for simplicity and to avoid all the different definitions between kissing and making out.Speaking of changing topics and kissing, this chapter has Heather’s quote, “You only need two tries to determine whether or not someone’s a good kisser… [any] more before marriage is asking for trouble.” This is real advice I heard from a religious leader. I don’t know anyone who actually followed this advice.We relate things to ourselves as a way to show that we understand.We DO talk in code (whether we know it or not) as we often use slang and words with personal connotations.Such as saying someone is going to be “trouble,” or using acronyms like the Dr. (AKA: DTR), or VL.PS. I originally included the acronym and explanation of NCMO for “non-committal make-out,” but ended up simplifying the very “Utah” term).For some of us (particularly in my family – or other families with lots of girls), we talk over each other because it’s the only way to make ourselves heard.Also, we tend to ramble or leave sentences hanging because we’re used to being interrupted.I knew a woman who answered the simple question of “What’s your name?” by beginning with “When I was born…” She then went into her full life-story about every single time she changed her name (which was at least three times more than the average person).

PS. When writing the first draft, I threw out a bunch of random names and titles that sounded impressive for Theo’s brothers;
“My brothers are Orem the Fire Breather, Gregory the Wind Rider, and Emmanuel the Night Shade.  But what am I?  The Trusted.” – Very terrible first draft.
Then, I wrote the sequel, and those brothers actually became important. So I changed their names and listed them from oldest to youngest:
“My brothers are Greggory the Wind Master, Dunstan the Night Shade, and Oswald the Fire Breather.”
Remember those names. They’ll be important in April.

__ATA.cmd.push(function() { __ATA.initDynamicSlot({ id: 'atatags-26942-600adaf876a70', location: 120, formFactor: '001', label: { text: 'Advertisements', }, creative: { reportAd: { text: 'Report this ad', }, privacySettings: { text: 'Privacy', } } }); });

Ah, movie nights. If my roommates and I weren’t doing homework, or playing pranks and games (as told in Chapter 5 and Chapter 6), we were watching movies.

While at university, I made a many discoveries, including; first, I missed my parents and their large collections of VHS and DVDs. Second, I could spend money however I wanted. Third, Amazon sold lots of movies for under $5 year-round. So, I bought movies like “Twister” (1996), “The Mummy” (1999), and “Sherlock Holmes” (2009). You know, action films that have “dark romantic comedy” elements. My roommates had similar discoveries. We once had a Nacho Night of making nachos and watching “Nacho Libre” (2006) . . . Honestly, it was just an excuse to invite guys over. Movie nights without guys were often spent watching either “Hitch” (2005) or “She’s the Man” (2006) with a half-gallon of mint-chocolate-chip ice cream or Totinos pizzas.

One more memorable movie night, we convinced an apartment of guys to pull their couches from their living room to watch a movie projected onto the outside wall of our apartment building. I’m pretty sure the temperatures were below freezing…

With such memories, of course I had to give Pansy and her roommates a movie night.

Before I get into the details, please note; this is chapter NINE. If you haven’t read “Don’t Date the Haunted” up to this point, please remedy that before reading further. If you don’t have it, here’s the Amazon link>>>

For those who have read it and are curious why Pansy makes phone calls while she showers, it’s partially because I knew a guy who called his girlfriend while he showered. Not because he was paranoid or for safety reasons. While I imagined Pansy and Sean talking to each other over speaker phone, this guy would put his phone into a plastic bag to have it with him. So . . . at least Pansy’s not that weird.

When exploring the possibility of the prologue, I developed a background for the poltergeist that killed Sean. I deleted it because it was unnecessary information that cluttered the beginning of the story and didn’t fit anywhere else. His name was Ulysses Dethrage: Latin version of Odysseus, Greek meaning “to hate.” Dethrage is an actual last name that I came across while imprinting it on a set of scriptures. They were lovely people, but tell me there isn’t a more perfect name for a villain. I’m still working on the short-story prequel that will expand the story of Sean’s last Haunting.

As mentioned in previous posts, I’ve lived with, listened to, and witnessed other people go on a lot of dates. Some of the tidbits from Emma and Heather in this chapter are little gems I’ve harvested through these second-hand experiences. There’s the “girl code” rule about not dating the same boy as your roommate, so I tried to make the switch clear between Pansy and Heather with Theo and Jake. No poaching.

Whenever a guy’s interested in what a girl’s saying it’s because he’s interested in the girl.

Emma, from “Don’t Date the Haunted,” chapter nine

This statement was actually something I overheard between my brother and his guy friends. They were high school boys at the time, so . . . that’s why I included Pansy’s side of reason, “That can’t be the rule every time for every guy.” However, these same boys taught me the lesson of making a move, then waiting for them to make the next move as the ball was in their court.

Unfortunately, I didn’t study as well as Pansy until my later years at university. I was a queen of procrastination. I’d joke that “do” and “due” meant the same thing, and shout, “Procrastinators Unite! Tomorrow!” It was sometimes followed by “Misspellers Untie!” Since then, I’ve discovered ways to procrastinate . . . productively. Such as right now, I should be writing new words in my novels. Instead, I’m writing this blog post two weeks earlier than its scheduled post date.

I like to add “Procrastinate” on my To Do list. That way, I can check off at least one thing.

From my drafted presentation on procrastinating productively

That said, Pansy didn’t get the chance to procrastinate. We meet Marcellette’s fiancé, Lord Rochershire (who is, indeed, named after Rocher chocolates). Unlike the “historical texts” referenced in “Don’t Date the Haunted” (our classic novels), the movie that they watch, “Nearly Dead Newlywed,” is a product of my own imagination. Sounds like a fun “dark romantic comedy” though. I took a few sayings I’d collected through the years to add as supposed movie quotes.
In case you didn’t catch the inflection of the written word, when Theo says “You are beautiful,” Pansy’s response is like a statement with an after-thought, saying “You are too…kind.” Like, “You are also…[oh, wait, that’s awkward]…you’re kind.”

Surprisingly, I didn’t have any real second thoughts about Theo’s title. He was always The Trusted. The harder part was deciding why he was trusted, but I’ll explain that in Chapter Ten.

As for this chapter, this is the turning point in Pansy and Theo’s relationship. If you haven’t finished the book, please stop here because I’m about to spoil parts of the romantic plot.
Alright, if you’ve finished the book, then you know that Theo experienced Love at First Sight for Pansy. But it was one sided. At first, he thought it was just a mistake (“What if we introduce ourselves again?”). During the game night, he was simply and thoroughly confused. At the cathedral, he tried to be casual and hoped to gain her interest with his natural charm. By the end of the movie, he felt like he did everything he could, but thought he only pushed her away. When Emma and Marcellette mocked his title and Pansy tapped on his shoulder, he expected her to join the teasing. He was on the verge of giving up on Pansy and rationalizing away his feelings.
Then, Pansy surprised him. Good thing she did, or this book would have been a true tragedy.

__ATA.cmd.push(function() { __ATA.initDynamicSlot({ id: 'atatags-26942-6001a9fb13986', location: 120, formFactor: '001', label: { text: 'Advertisements', }, creative: { reportAd: { text: 'Report this ad', }, privacySettings: { text: 'Privacy', } } }); });

I didn’t know what to say. Sorry, your customs confuse me? Sorry I’m such a terrible date? Sorry, this is my first date since my fiancé died? Yeah, that would kick the distress level up a notch.

“Don’t Date the Haunted,” chapter 8

Before we get into the awkwardness of Pansy’s first date since her fiancé died, I should warn you that this is CHAPTER EIGHT. If you don’t know who Pansy is, how her fiancé died, and why she’s going on a blind date, go read “Don’t Date the Haunted!”
I’ll even make it easy and give you the Amazon link >>>

Alright, supposing you’ve read at least up to chapter eight, let’s move on.

As mentioned in the Behind the Scenes of Chapter Six, I didn’t date a lot. I think I went on a total of eleven first dates (four of which were blind), and only four boys went for a second date. However, I’ve lived with people who dated a lot. Two of my siblings went on three dates (with 3 different people) in a single day. My roommates were asked on dates by people they didn’t even know, and one made an insane goal to go on one-hundred dates in one year. I joked that even my mom’s dating life was more active than mine.
Whatever, I’m married now and never going back. Sorry, Luv, but you’re stuck with me.

Happy New Year! Let’s celebrate a brighter future by starting with lucky 7! Chapter 7, I mean, as this chapter is where things pick up a bit more with Mr. E.

Oh, Mr. E. How much fun I had with you.

Before we get started, please be aware that this is CHAPTER SEVEN. If you haven’t read the book, “Don’t Date the Haunted,” I highly suggest you do that BEFORE reading this post. Spoilers ahead! Ye have been warned!

Alright, now where were we?

Mr. E

I love his name. All of his names. It’s so messed up and perfect for him.

I modeled Mr. E after the classic Noir Mystery Private Investigator. In fact, it wasn’t until my final draft that I solidified his real reason for interviewing Pansy. In the earlier drafts, he was simply (and persistently) curious about Sean’s death. He suspected there were details left out of his report and that Pansy knew the answers. But he also didn’t believe in Hauntings or the Supernatural.

For a fun idea, I’ve considered including Mr. E (by one name or another) in all of my novels. I enjoy looking for Hoid in Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere books, and thought if any character in “Don’t Date the Haunted,” could “world hop,” it would be Mr. E. So far, I already wrote him into books 2 and 3 of this trilogy, and have ideas where to include him in my series of dreaming princesses, and another series with a dying body-switcher.

As for the interview/interrogation itself, I chose Sean’s death as March 15th as an allusion to Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar.”

Beware, the Ides of March

I have it marked in my calendar along with other nerdy days of note, such as March 14th (Pi Day), and any 13th that lands on a Friday. As for March Madness, I have no idea when that takes place…April? Just kidding, I know it’s in February.

Anyway, Theo comes along and recognizes Mr. E as Mr. John, because that’s the name he goes by while in Fantasy. Theo’s dad (AKA: Duke Konrad Fromm, The Horse, of Margen) has hired Mr. “John” in the past, so that’s how they know each other.

When Pansy runs away from the conversation, both men look at her like they want to chase her. In case you finished the book and didn’t have it figured out (you have finished the book, right? If not, this paragraph would be considered a Spoiler–especially by my husband, who hates spoilers), Mr. E wants to follow her because he’s her Watcher, and he has more questions about Sean’s death. Theo wants to chase after her “for reasons [she] couldn’t tell.” Those reasons are because he’s curious about her variable aura, and he experienced love at first sight with her, and really wants to figure out how that’ll work since she obviously didn’t feel it in return. Poor Theo.

Aaaand the date preparations! Pansy’s not really the type of girl to spend a lot of time preparing for a date. Even when she dated Sean, their relationship was very casual. They mostly went to the local dojo to exercise or study (for school, from the medical textbooks of Sean’s dead parents, or from the survival book of Pansy’s dead brother). The only “date” they had was when Sean proposed, unless you want to count the times they fought a werewolf together, or when they went camping for a few horrifying days.

The rest of this chapter actually didn’t change very much between edits. Actually, the biggest change was Pansy’s curse words. I went through a couple rounds of ideas before deciding on the final set. See if you can pick out the theme of her expletives from my very first draft:

The cart slowed as we approached our destination.  Theo jumped out first, then turned to help Heather down.  I was next closest to the door, and Theo held his hand up to help me out of the coach.  I resisted the urge to wave his hand away.  I can exit a Horsefly buggy by my-
My thoughts were interrupted as I stumbled over the threshold.  I fell forward with a shout of, “Agra Vation Beetle!”  I didn’t fall far with Theo right there.  He caught me in his arms as my face pummeled into his chest.  Thorn Bug, he’s strong….

Very first terrible draft of “Don’t Date the Haunted”

Yep. To my shame, she used bug names to curse.
I personally don’t like to use the typical swears. They don’t offend me (even when watching “Zombieland”), but I think they’re crude and, honestly . . . boring. I couldn’t have Pansy swear by the moon or curse with monster names like “werewolf!” or “blood sucker!” because there is a trope in Horror: if you swear by it, it’ll come after you. There’s a British folktale about a woman who often said “Let God open the earth and have it swallow me, if what I tell you isn’t the truth.” Of course, when she lied about stealing, God did just that.
So, no swears like that from Haunting-conscious Pansy. I’m not sure how I landed on bug names of all things, but it might have been influenced by my reading of “Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians” at the time. Just like the Grandpa’s cursing with sci-fi/fantasy authors, I never repeated the same curse twice, and I tried to make them applicable to the situation she was in.
(horsefly, because they were in a horse-drawn carriage; agra vation beetle, because she was aggravated; and thorn bug, because they’re one of the strongest insects.) You wouldn’t believe the random bug trivia I know because of that research.
P.S. When Heather mimicked Pansy’s cursing in chapter sixteen, she initially said “Butterflies!” and “Ladybugs!”

My next round of curses from Pansy involved anatomy. I figured that was more appropriate to her medical-studying character. That stage didn’t last long enough to be saved in a draft. I finally concluded with simple replacement words that work as follows:

Heck =HorrorDarn / Dang =CondemnationPoop =CrapGosh =SupernaturalsPansy’s swears

Much simpler, but appropriate for Pansy’s character. Personally, I think replacement words are more fun and colorful. My own vocabulary includes words like “dang,” “snap,” “oh my goodness,” and “curses.” Yep, it’s only dropped once in this book, but I gave one of my favorite “curse” words to Theo. Being from Fantasy–where people can be literally cursed–I thought it was appropriate for him.

__ATA.cmd.push(function() {
__ATA.initDynamicSlot({
id: 'atatags-26942-5fef33637317a',
location: 120,
formFactor: '001',
label: {
text: 'Advertisements',
},
creative: {
reportAd: {
text: 'Report this ad',
},
privacySettings: {
text: 'Privacy',

}
}
});
});

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you’re all with your families, stuffing your faces with delicious foods, opening a present or two, and sharing the true love of Christ!
If you’re not Christian, Happy Holidays! I still wish you the best of love and charity!

My gift to all of you is a simple one, but I want you to have it all the same. I want to share some Christmas secrets about the making of my book, “Don’t Date the Haunted!”

Though, to be honest, about now is the time that if you haven’t read the book, then I don’t suggest you read this blog post. Or any following “Behind the Scenes” chapters. Without reading the first five chapters, I can’t expect anyone to have a grasp of the world, its characters, and their issues.
Or how those issues came to be.
To begin, this chapter didn’t change very much from its very first draft. My most common compliment from my Alpha readers was how fun and natural the conversations were between Pansy and her roommates.
This scene could have come from one of those writing exercises to take three very different characters, stick them in a room, and see what happens.

As a direct continuation from chapter 5, I gave Pansy a church-going personality because it seemed appropriate for someone trying to stay as far away from Hauntings as possible. This was actually one of the reasons I wrote her story. Horror is one of the few genres that can blatantly teach morals with severe consequences. Someone’s unfaithful to their spouse? They’ll die. Someone’s an evil maniac? They’ll die. Someone’s just trying to do the right thing? They’ll live or die a hero.
As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have some high standards and wanted to write a character with similar morals without being preachy. Pansy’s still pretty blatant about her standards and expectations of others, but instead of religion as her cause, it’s because of her culture, upbringing, and experiences.

In chapter five, we see Pansy’s first real bonding moment with her roommates Emma and Heather. As a “discovery writer” (AKA: Pantser), I really came to know their characters in this chapter. Heather’s a Regency Romantic, but she’s also forward minded for seeking an education. Then Emma floats in from experiencing love at first sight with Hank.

As an introvert who’s very good at pretending she’s an extrovert among friends, I’ve been pulled into similar double-dates via the influence of my friends. One of my very first dates was a triple date with the younger brother of my older brother’s fiancée. My older brother and his fiancée joined us. Who was the third couple? Their married friends. Thankfully, it didn’t turn out as awkward as I feared. Like Pansy, I didn’t have an active dating life, but I was surrounded by others who did. Somehow, I became a listening guru because they all talked to me about their relationships and would ask for my advice.

Then came the pranks. Though we never did the fruit-punch-in-the-shower prank (as Pansy almost had), I had a prank war with my roommates. Ours were simple pranks like moving kitchen supplies to other drawers, plastic-wrapping beds, and leaving messages to be found. They were usually marked with Red John’s bloody smile, from “The Mentalist,” or dinosaurs. We even had a white board to keep count of how many days we had without a dinosaur incident…
It usually stayed at 0.

This was a small prank I pulled on two of my roommates. I drew the Red John smile and quoted “She’s the Man,” and William Blake. Then I simply pulled out their bed curtains over their beds. They were so scared to check under the curtains when there was nothing underneath.

I have so much to say about Mr. E that I’ll save him for Chapter 7’s post.
I’ll end this one with a quick note about the scene breaks:

I created this on a whim during the final frantic hours of formatting my manuscript for paperback (when I was supposed to be packing for our week-long family reunion that began the next morning with a ten-hour drive). I wanted a small picture that embellished both horror and romance. So, using only Paint tools, I drew two scythes, then connected them with my favorite flourish. (Yes, I have a favorite flourish. Don’t you?)

__ATA.cmd.push(function() {
__ATA.initDynamicSlot({
id: 'atatags-26942-5fe5f83c2cffc',
location: 120,
formFactor: '001',
label: {
text: 'Advertisements',
},
creative: {
reportAd: {
text: 'Report this ad',
},
privacySettings: {
text: 'Privacy',

}
}
});
});