“I found this book fascinating because it was about an old world that had a lot of history. [...] Ms Santiago’s characters are strong, well-defined and determined to do the right thing. They have conflicts, there is jealousy, there is hate, and there is love. [...] The ending in this one will leave you yearning for the next book.” - Aloe, 4 Suns, Aurora Reviews

This, along with the fact that I’m coming off of a nasty writing slump has been music to my soul. I’ve been rereading my YA fantasy and falling in love with it, despite my exhaustion (I’m putting my condo on the market and trying to buy a house! Man, is it draining!).

I have been posting regularly over at Hollow Tree. I hope you guys will swing by and see me. Have a great weekend.

Read the rest of the review here! Or check out an excerpt of Zerah’s Chosen for yourself, right over here.

Given that I wrote novels set in the 50s, I was allowed to do a guest excerpt post and interview!

Check it out! If you comment you could even win a free print copy of my book, Cinematic Royalty and Dark Hollywood Nights!

http://unusualhistoricals.blogspot.com/2010/05/guest-author-isabelle-santiago.html

But what do you do when you’ve run out of room? When you fail to be creative because you’re exhausted or your brain is overrun with other thoughts or you’ve got that cold that just won’t quit? It’s not quite writer’s block, in the traditional sense of the word, but it’s more a lack of inspiration due to the unavoidable. Life.

This is when I find that sucking inspiration from the already inspired really helps. For instance, music. I’ve read in a lot of places that authors often use playlists while writing their books.  This helps them concentrate on a scene, or keep a specific mood, or even set a particular pace (like action or leisurely). But did you know that you can use music to draw particular images for your book? Let me tell you how.

For starters, put together a playlist based on the ‘feel’ of the book. Is there certain kind of music that better fits your world? Are you writing dark and gritty or light and funny? Is it sexy or innocent? Historical or futuristic? These will all ‘sound’ different. Think of a movie soundtrack or score. That sets the feel of the world you’re about to immerse yourself in. That’s the first and possibly most important part of your playlist.

Then you can start to personalize the songs. Is there a song that just screams your character? Or a song that seems to be written specifically for the tortured love affair between hero and heroine? Add those to the playlist in the order you feel they might appear in your book. For instance, the romantic, longing song will go before the dark, pounding, black moment song on your playlist. You’re telling the story through music.

Finally, you will step away from your story, strap your MP3 player to your hip, and blast the music. The best time is while you’re doing things that require minimal mental effort. Like washing dishes. Or scrubbing bathtubs. Or folding laundry. Just space out, think of your characters as you see them in your head, and play out the story as its written or will be written on the page, but do it in your head. Let the words become pictures and let the pictures become movies. Eventually, you’ll start to see your world, to smell it, to feel it as the music sets the scene. You’ll watch as the characters move, speak, fall in love and break hearts. The music will create the images you were lacking, because you’ve pulled the magic and inspiration that the song originally contained and you’ve harnessed it for yourself.

Neat, huh?

I must warn you though, if you use songs you’re very familiar with, songs you know all the lyrics to, or songs that mean something specific to you (anniversary, couple song, etc), it’ll lose its poignancy. Its already been assigned to an emotion, an image, a memory, and it will not create the new images as easily. So go looking for new music! You can never have enough of that anyway, right? Try places like last.fm. Be bold and click on those, if you like this author then try this, links that sometimes appear on the iTunes pages. In the long run, when your book is playing like a feature film in your head, you’ll be really glad you did.

Hey readers!

I wanted to just drop in from the madness that is MayNoWriMo (good madness, as I’ve written over 3k so far, but madness none the less), and remind you all of the panel I’ll be taking part in this weekend, as part of Coyote Con!

Here are the deets:

Young Adult Spec. Fic.

Join young adult author and librarian Heather S. Ingemar and author Isabelle Santiago as they discuss writing young adult speculative fiction, the current popularity of the category, and the future of YA.

Panel: Heather S. Ingemar, Isabelle Santiago
Moderator: Deena Fisher
Conference Room: Sun Wukong
Scheduled: 11PM EST May 15, 2010

Of course, all of us here share a love for YA fiction, so if you have any questions, book suggestions, or topics you’d like discussed in this arena please feel free to post below so I can incorporate it into my panel on Saturday!  I’d love to hear what you have to say on the matter, as I find myself often falling behind. The YA spec fiction and fantasy genres are growing by leaps and bounds, becoming more insightful and creative with each writer introduced and I just can’t keep up!

Either way, I really hope a few of you will try and make it, despite the late hour (omg, I’m getting old). It’s going to be a really fun time.

Having started the first few paragraphs of Zerah’s third and final book, I thought what better way to celebrate/inspire myself, than to take part in the awesome Excerpt Monday, where authors of all genres take a little time to share the writing love and impart luscious reading goodies for their devoted and amazing readers (YOU!).

Curious? Read on!

Once a month, a bunch of authors get together and post excerpts from published
books, contracted work or works in progress, and link to each other. You don’t
have to be published to participate–just an writer with an excerpt you’d like to
share. For more info on how to participate, head over to the Excerpt Monday
site! or click on the banner above.

Excerpt Monday:

Copyright © Isabelle Santiago, 2009

All Rights Reserved, Drollerie Press

It was wrong to stare. She knew that. She just couldn’t help herself. Some irrational part of her thought if she looked hard enough she’d see something new. She was wrong. Everything about Kieran remained exactly the same, as closely guarded as the very first day he arrived.

She thought she’d gotten through to him out in the courtyard a few weeks back. She’d felt the little crack, caught the smile he’d tried so hard to suppress. But just as quickly, he‟d built his walls back up. Now, it was nearly impossible to get through the thick emotional armor he hid behind.

Kieran shifted uncomfortably. Amaya looked away. He must have felt her prying eyes. She turned the page of the book in front of her. The words looked foreign. She had no idea what it was about.

Taking a chance, she peered at him from over the cover. He hadn’t moved. He still sat all alone, his eyes focused on something outside the library window. The longing etched on his face was almost too painful to bear. Amaya bit her lip, anxious to think of something to say.

He sighed. She didn’t have to open her empathic connection to know just how unhappy he was. She could hear it. Her stomach clenched. She hated how helpless she felt. Wasn’t there anything she could do or say to make him feel at home? Or at the very least, to put a more permanent smile on his face?

“Are you done examining me?”

Amaya’s eyes widened. “What?”

“You’re staring at me.”

“Oh!” Her cheeks burned hot. Nervous fingers pushed hair behind her ears. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

“What is it?”

“Nothing. I’m sorry, I… I just…” she slammed the book on her lap shut. “I was just thinking.”

“Why don’t you just ask me?”

“Ask you what?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged, “Whatever it is that has your eyes looking at me as though I were some sort of specimen. Go ahead. Get rid of some of the curiosity. Maybe you can go report back to the rest of the group.”

“I didn‟t mean to be rude…”

He scratched the back of his neck. “Neither did I.”

Amaya took it as the apology she knew he meant it to be. Unable to help herself, she crossed to the nearest chair and sat down. “You did really well in training today.” A moment passed. Then another. She got the point. He wasn’t going to answer. “I’ve noticed how much control you have over your power. I’m jealous. Master Iagan is constantly chiding me about my control. I suppose I do all right, most of the time, but it requires me to remain emotionally unattached. Objective. Otherwise, my own emotions magnify the ones I feel from other people, in a kind of loop. They can be so overpowering, it feels as though I might explode.” She laughed, a tense mixture of nervous giggle and self-deprecating humor. “I’m a bit of a walking disaster.”

He didn’t respond. She swallowed the last bit of laughter. The silence was stifling. She could take a hint. He obviously wanted to be alone. She just couldn’t bring herself to leave. He stared out the window. Enki and Phoenix wrestled in the courtyard. Amaya watched them carefully, trying to see what Kieran did when he looked at them.

“Can you really take souls into Arezh?” she asked, unable to contain the question any longer. Master Iagan said he could, but she had to hear it for herself.

“Yes.”

No word ever carried more shame, visible in the weight Kieran bore on his shoulders, a weight too heavy for him to handle alone. Compassion moved her closer. Without warning, her mind opened to him, smoothed his rocky soul with strong, warm waves of empathy.

“Don’t do that.”

She blinked, startled back to reality.

“I told you. I’m dangerous.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“It isn’t my concern whether or not you believe me. Either way, it’s true.” He leaned forward, glared at her with a look that would have sent Hana out of the room crying. “Do. Not. Do. That. Ever. Again.”

“You know what I think?” she asked, her voice tight, “I think that you tell yourself that to excuse your separation from us. I think you use it as a barrier to keep others away. You can’t do that here, Kieran, we’re family…”

“You are NOT my family.”

His voice echoed against the high library walls. It rang like thunder, caused the ground to feel unsteady beneath her feet. She kept her hands close to her side, pushed away his burning anger. The pain felt so raw. Tears welled in her throat. Even without an open connection she felt him. His emotional vibrations changed the entire metaphysical structure of the room.

“I’m sorry. I realize you have other family. We all do. But within the Temple walls, these,” she took his tattooed wrists in her hands, “these unite us in a bond as thick as blood. You, Kieran, are my family.”

He looked up from his wrists into her eyes. The intensity of his gaze unnerved her. She forced herself to remain steady, to keep contact.

“Why aren’t you afraid of me?”

She heard what remained unsaid. Like everyone else. Sympathy curled her lips into a smile. Could she really explain what she felt in him? He had so much self-loathing. She doubted he saw the good he still possessed.

“I’ve felt part of the struggle you carry within you. Your feelings, even the darkest ones that frighten you, stem from a very pure feeling: love.”

His dark brows scrunched in deep thought. She watched his face register confusion, epiphany, and then understanding. Her smile grew wider. There was something incredibly innocent about his face when he wasn’t brooding.

In one swift, fluid movement, he twisted his wrists until hers were in his hands. His fingers grazed the tattooed mark on the skin of her left arm, from her wrist up toward her shoulder. She shivered. The touch, so soft from such coarse fingers, felt strangely electrifying. The intricate bends and twists of her branding felt hot. On fire. Amaya’s smile faded.

“You want so badly to see the good in me,” Kieran whispered, his gaze pinned her. The depth of its darkness fascinated her. She leaned forward. His breath felt warm against her face. “You can’t seem to grasp the fact that I could kill you just by thinking about it.”

“But you wouldn’t.”

He sighed. The puff of air blew stray hair off of her face.

“Don’t be blinded by what you want to believe, Amaya. I’m not like you or any of the others. I never will be.”

His hands fell limp at his sides. Without another word, he stood and walked away from her. The blazing touch of his fingers left a cold frost in their absence.

“Links to other Excerpt Monday writers

Note: I have not personally screened these excerpts. Please heed the ratings and
be aware that the links may contain material that is not typical of my site.

I really love doing multiple author panels/signings. It’s fun to talk about craft, about ideas, about inspiration. Writing can be such a lonely business, and it truly is a kick in the pants to see how others are succeeding. It’s that ‘you can do this’ push you need. And I’m grateful for it everytime I get together with these lovely, talented ladies.

As with most signings, there were lots of goodies. Cookies, chocolates, and even frappuccinos! Unfortunately, I was unable to have ANY. *sniff, sniff* I started the Biggest Loser Club about two weeks ago. I finally got fed up with this excess baby weight, which despite having breastfed (TMI, maybe?) and running after a very energetic toddler, seems to have gotten stuck on my hips, butt and thighs. It was time to say GOODBYE. Summer is coming and I refuse to hit the beach looking like a whale. So, I took charge and joined the Club. I’ve lost 2.5 lbs so far, and I’m eating healthier than ever before. Plus, it forces me to work out on a nearly daily basis, which despite feeling like I hardly have the time, I squeeze in much to my benefit. I feel great. I have much more energy and I’m anxiously looking forward to reaching my goal weight! So, I’ll be posting about that occasionally, and maybe you guys can cheer me along? Pretty please?I can use the support. Especially when being stared down my yummy, sodium full chinese food. I think that might be more my weakness than chocolate. *sigh*

On a completely unrelated note, I am SO excited to be a part of the upcoming Coyote Con, hosted by Drollerie Press, and part of MayNoWriMo, hosted by Joely Sue Burkhart. I’ll be doing guest blog posts, and taking part in panels about digital lit, YA fiction, fairy tales in fiction, and more. It’s going to be such a blast. I really hope you’ll take the time to check it out! It’ll be well worth your time, I guarantee it!

Check out the info below!

All in all, I haven’t been just wasting my days away with housework and diapers (though it often feels that way). I have been very productive in terms of writing and work. I took on an at home job involving lots of computer work and I’ve started spending my late nights, the last 2 hours of baby being awake, as time to write, while dada gives him his bath and his snack. It helps me get my wordcount up, despite the slow, sluggish, foggy feeling in my brain.

I did hand in Zerah Book 2, which I’m thrilled is now sitting with my editor. I’ll let you know further on that when I know. I also got a shiny new cover for Surfacing, which can be found to your right, in the book sidebar:  ——->

Other than that, I regret to say things have been pretty average and uneventful. I’m catching up on my TBR pile and finding some interesting gems. It’s always wonderful to find a new author who just takes you away. I still hold to the fact that some of the most wonderful, talented, visionary authors are hidden in the YA genre. It’s awesome.

I know a lot of people are still wary about trying ebooks and I don’t blame them. It’s difficult to get away from the comfort of a good book, the smell of the paper, the magic of cuddling under the covers at some unreasonable hour of the morning to finish that last chapter before bed. I know that feeling. I’ve lived it and I love it. But what I’ve discovered is that I get the same rush from a great story, no matter the format. I’ve sat with my PDF reader on my phone and read until my eyes crossed because I couldn’t get to bed until I knew how the story would end. That’s the magic of the written word. And I guarantee that the magic remains through the electronic format.

So if you’ve been hesitant about trying an ebook, now is a great time to try! Do it honor of Ebook Week!

To help you get started, I’ll direct you to my publisher, (and my constant go to when it comes to great books) Drollerie Press! Right now, everything in the store is 20% off, and they have an impressive selection of free stories in the bookstore. In addition, they’ll be posting a free download every day on the blog. People who log in and download a book there will also have the chance to win a copy of one of the upcoming releases!

So try it out. I assure you, you won’t be disappointed!