Marguerite Labbe's Blog, page 7

 Wow, this might be the last Make Me Whole story picture Monday since I'm going to be submitting this week. I'm going to kind of miss these two. They were a pain at times, but I really grew to love them.

So the first character is Galen Kanellis. In my original plot Nick wasn't supposed to show up until the very end as the reincarnation of Dexios. So Galen was the first to occupy my thoughts. I don't normally like blond's all that much, but I loved this guys cheekbones, the sweep of his hair and that sensual mouth. I actually had this picture from the beginning. He's a little too unapproachable pretty.

Then a couple weeks ago a friend sent me this picture and I loved it for Galen. It's a more vulnerable look and suits Galen where I see him now when the story starts. I think the previous picture suits him more when he was in his destructive partying days.

Thank goodness for friends with a large photo library!

Galen came into a large trust fund and he sunk the majority of it into renovating the old firehouse for his museum. His life has become the museum, until he uncovers the Dexios Collection and his whole world is shaken up.

Now below is Nick. I've been in love with this actor from the few episodes of Lost that I actually saw. I liked his mix of vulnerability and brashness. And he's got dimples. Who doesn't like dimples?

So this is my reincarnated Greek warrior who believes he's doomed to have his heart broken again by the one man he's never been able to get out of his thoughts.

Nick dreamed of going into Art History, but his dad's practicality put a damper in his plans and he ended up as an HR manager for a bank. He still loves Art History though and whenever he has a chance, he goes wreck diving to look for the Dexios Collection.

So I finished the 3rd draft on Saturday and now I’m working on finishing up the synopsis and blurb and doing a final read through before it’s due on Thursday. So I thought I’d celebrate by sharing the first two paragraphs of the first chapter.  Enjoy!* * * * *Galen Kanellis stared at the four huge unmarked packing crates that filled the museum’s small storage room to the point where he had just enough space between each crate to slip through to open them. He scratched his head, frowned and tried to remember what he’d ordered that would take up so much room. They were good on supplies for the studio, and the gallery gift shop had more than enough stock. Besides, nothing he ordered would’ve come in crates about to fall apart.“Suzane,” he called out to his personal assistant as he grabbed a crowbar. “I thought we weren’t going to have the pieces for the new exhibit shipped until Ella had a chance to do the mural. Are any of the boys still here? I’m going to need some help.”* * * * *I’ve kind of missed blogging more often. It had been fun. When I’m editing it is very consuming, add in the day job, and mommy/wife things and the first thing to go is the website. But now that it’s done, I’m free to inflict myself upon here for awhile. :-D

I'm sorry I've been quiet the last couple of weeks. Work has been very hectic. One of the other legal secretary went off to explore the Maldives. (She has the most amazing adventures. I keep telling her that she needs to write a juicy memoir about all the things that she's done, and she always laughs at me.) But since she was gone, I had my attorneys and her attorneys and they've kept me hopping. Yay for some overtime and extra money, but it certainly wore me out. And when I got home, I tried to cram in what writing and editing I could. So it's been crazy.

But, now that it's calmed down, how about an update? First off, I wrote 10k, in less than two weeks on my Gothic Romance. I almost never write that fast. It's definitely a rough and needs some fleshing out, but I'm happy with what I have so far. I'm also considering changing the title from Dark Things to Mists on the Seine. As soon as my little heart was settled on Dark Things I noticed a promotion for a new book titled Darker Things and that put a damper on things. I don't want to trod on toes. What do you all think?

I also wrote 2k in my baseball novella titled Wild Pitch. Both of those are on hold until I finish the edits I got back from my two lovely beta readers, C.M. Torrens and Adara O'Hare, for the reincarnation story Make Me Whole. I've hit the halfway point and I'm really happy with how it's all coming together. I hope to get another reader in before I finish it off and submit. It's due to Dreamspinner on the 28th of March so we'll see.

This Sunday, I'm doing a book signing at BookNuts in White Plains, MD. It's at 4469 Crain Highway
White Plains, MD 20695, from 11-3. So if you're in the area, stop on by.

I'm also on the quest to lose a little weight this year. Amy DiMartino has been such an inpsiration. And my work is paying for Weight Watchers to come to us for 14 weeks. You can't beat that. The first week I lost 0.4 and the second I gained 0.8. So this week I'm going to measure everything instead of eyeballing. Clearly, what I consider a tablespoon of Irish Cream creamer, is not really what a tablespoon is. Lol, this should be an interesting journey.

So that's what I've been up to in a nutshell. I hope to have things calmer by the weekend so I can start blogging a little more.  Take care.

Love,

Margie

So I’m looking for pictures of the Château des Ombres. When I originally came up with the idea for the Gothic story it was set in London. It’s been rattling around in the back of my mind for about two years now. Someone on the Nanowrimo forums had made a wallpaper calendar with a creepy, old rambling house. I loved that place and had it on my desktop at work long after the calendar was useful. That’s the house I’d planned on using for my new Dark Things. 

So I’ve been googling images and found a couple that made me go ooohh. But if anybody comes across some that they think are moody I’d love it if you send it my way. I like to do storyboards when I’m working.
The story is going pretty good so far. I hope I can keep up this progress.  I like the darker stone in the first picture and since a fog plays a big part in the story, I love the way this château is shrouded in it. This picture here is lighter, but I like it because there are parts of the château that are covered in ivy, so it definitely goes on the storyboard. As for the last one, it's just atmospheric isn't it?

So I started two new stories this week, the first one is a novel tentatively titled Dark Things. I’ve had the idea rattling around my head for awhile, but it was a call from Amber Quill Press for a Gothic Romance that made it finally gel in my mind. These sentences are from the first chapter where Michel-Léon’s valet expresses his concern over Michel-Léon’s duties as a Chevalier de Rouen.
* * * * *
Janvier frowned as he stared at the envelope. “If I may… I never involved myself in your father’s affairs out of both respect and fear. He sought dark things and those things ate his soul raw. I watched him die two deaths and could nothing to stop either.” He looked at Michel-Léon, his blue eyes clouded with age and worry. “I will not lose you the same way, Michel-Léon, not on that same dark path.”

Oh my look at this one. As soon as I saw it I went ooohh. It kind of fits the Gothic story I'm working on, metaphorically. There's the dark old house on his arm, and Michel-Léon has made himself a virtual prisoner. Blinding and muting himself to what's going on outside.

Chris finds me the neatest pictures.  What do you think of this one?

I have been a busy, busy bee lately. My boys were sick over the weekend so they occupied a lot of my attention. This was the first time my son ever had the stomach flu and I'm pretty sure he was convinced that he dying. (He's a tad on the dramatic side.) And at work one of the other legal secretaries is out exploring the Maldives for the next two weeks, so I have her attorneys to support as well. It's been hectic, so hectic.


"Make Me Whole" is out with beta readers and I expect to get the notes back within a week. I'm excited to get Galen and Nick submitted. In the meantime I've started two new stories, both of them have been on my mind for a number of years. One of them is a Gothic Romance, set outside late 19th century Paris. The second is a novella all about baseball and the boys who love it. This one involves two men who had once been teammates, then rivals, and now that they're retired, they're looking at becoming something more to each other.

This weekend I'm going to be at the Virginia ComicCon with my husband. So if you're in the Richmond area on Sunday stop on by. I believe it's free to get in. The details are under the Upcoming Appearances-Events tab on the webpage.

I'm sorry for the couple days of quiet. I am trying to be better about blogging more often.

Margie

I have to admit, this short story is one of my favorites that I wrote with Fae. I’d always hoped we’d do more with Ricky and Charlie, but we got caught up in other projects. And the soundtrack for this one was so much fun to do. * * * * * They marched for peace, but found hope for the future in each other’s arms...Set against the backdrop of the infamous March on the Pentagon in the fall of 1967, Fortunate Son follows Ricky Anderson and his lover, Charlie Irvine, as they and thousands of other idealistic anti-war protesters strive to make their voices heard.Haunted by the death of his older brother on the front lines in Vietnam, Ricky’s stake in the protests is personal and painful. Charlie, Ricky’s peace-loving hippie lover, has taught Ricky about rallies, poetry and love. But a secret Charlie’s hidden from Ricky since day one is about to come to light and threaten their relationship as well as their beliefs. * * * * * Charlie nodded, urging Ricky to sit, too. “Yeah, let me get a look at that lip.”Ricky held still as Charlie probed, his slim, elegant fingers brushing the swollen, injured side of his lower lip. Ricky examined Charlie’s face, so close to his own, as his lover took a small packet of alcohol wipes from his backpack. Leave it to Charlie to be prepared. Ricky wondered if he’d been a Boy Scout when he was little.“Thank you.”Golden eyes lifted to meet his own and Charlie tipped his head with a curious smile. “For what?”Ricky shrugged, gesturing to his lip, then toward the building. “For everything. For getting me in. For taking care of me now. You’re my guiding light, Charlie.” He was the one person who seemed able to reach Ricky through the haze of anger and hurt that sometimes took over. The only one who had tried to see past the corn-fed Midwestern farmer to the rebel inside. The only person who had told Ricky it was okay to let that rebel out. Ricky owed Charlie for a lot.Charlie blushed and shook his head. He finished cleaning Ricky’s lip and put away the supplies. “It was nothing. Anybody would’ve—”Ricky cut him off, covering Charlie’s mouth and meeting wide eyes. “No, anybody wouldn’t have. You did. Thank you.” He raised his brows. “This is the part where you say ‘you’re welcome.’”When he lifted his hand, Charlie said nothing, although he looked like he wanted to say something, even opened his mouth to do so, then shook his head and focused on zipping up his pack.“It’s a good thing we brought the blankets and food. I heard a bunch of people saying we’re camping out here tonight and then marching to the White House at dawn to wake Johnson.”Ricky nodded, not sure why, but a little uncertain for a second. Then Charlie looked up at him with a smile, and Ricky forgot anything but that. “Maybe we can get thrown down the steps of the White House, too.”Ricky bit his lip, then flinched.“Stop that,” Charlie chided, brushing his fingers overRicky’s jaw. “You’re going to break it open again.” His eyes warmed and he grinned. “Though you look sexy with your lip all swollen. It makes me think dirty thoughts.”Ricky chuckled, the momentary intuition that something was off between them disappearing at the suggestion of Charlie connected in any way with dirty thoughts. “Why don’t you share some of these thoughts?”“I could sing you a bad song, or recite you some atrocious poetry about it, but you’ve been saved. My guitar has suffered a disastrous fate.”Ricky’s eyes widened as he realized Charlie wasn’t carrying his guitar. Charlie took it everywhere with him. The only thing left was the handmade, multicolored strap over his shoulder. “What happened?” Ricky jumped to his feet, searching the milling crowd for some sign of it.Charlie shrugged and took Ricky’s hand again. “Taking it on a Pentagon raid was a bad idea. It didn’t survive the tumble down the stairs.” He smiled. “It’s okay. I’ll save up for another one, and you can enjoy your reprieve in the meantime. Or we can dip into the ’shrooms and pot again tonight and I’m sure you’ll hear music.”Ricky felt bad—Charlie loved that stupid guitar. There was nothing he could do, though, so he let Charlie pull him back down beside him. He cast a sidelong glance at his lover and smiled, nudging him with his shoulder.“Your poetry isn’t bad. I love your poetry.” He leaned in and brushed a kiss across Charlie’s cheek. “I love that you write poetry about me. Nobody ever wrote me songs or odes before. It’s sweet.” And if they sometimes didn’t make sense, well, that was what getting high was for. Charlie’s poetry was brilliant when they were high.Charlie smiled and laid his head on Ricky’s shoulder. It was a soft, sweet, subconscious gesture. Ricky brushed a lock of dark hair back from Charlie’s cheek and exhaled, looking around at the now-dwindling protest. “Maybe tomorrow.”Charlie lifted his head, and Ricky knew he understood what Ricky meant. Maybe tomorrow they’d be heard. Maybe tomorrow they’d make a difference. Maybe the war would end and no one else’s brother wouldn’t come home.Charlie nodded. “Yeah, maybe tomorrow.”

This particular picture is brought to you courtesy of my husband.  I love the pose, the look on his face and the environment. This is definitely the kind of picture that makes a person come up with plots for stories.

Whoohoo, I finished the 2nd draft of "Make Me Whole" today and sent it off to beta readers. Which means I suppose that I need to finish the synopsis and work on the blurb. While I'm waiting to get back some feedback on the draft I'm going to start doing some research on my next project. Amber Allure has a call out for Gothic Romance and I've had an idea percolating in the back of my mind for a couple of years now. I can't wait to dive into this one.