Final Day

It's the final day for a lot of things. It's the final day of September. It's the final Sunday of the month. It's the final day before the NaNo site rolls over (hopefully).

It's the final day to get Evolution Volume 2 for 50% off (Coupon code CK67H. I'd hate for you to miss out on that awesome price. And if you read it really quickly and posted a review to Amazon, that would be really awesome, too.).

It's also my final weekend lacking the privilege to legally get liquored up. That's what we're really talking about, here. Not my birthday, no (Although I will be accepting, as I do most years, Kaluha and chocolate, if you're so inclined. Rum too.). We're talking about liquor in YA fiction.

it can be a touchy subject, especially for the younger crowd. I've touched on it lightly in a previous post, but never in depth. If you're not old enough to look back on high school, then this is kind of how it's going to go. If you are, let's take a journey.

You're hanging out with some friends. These aren't your bad crowd friends that Mommy says to stay away from, these are your close friends, the ones that you trust and your parents may or may not consider to be part of the family.

It gets a little darker, and somebody pulls out a bottle of beer, or a bottle of bitch beer, or, if your experience was like mine, a bottle of butterscotch schnapps (Yum.). Okay, maybe you were a good little boy or girl in high school and you didn't drink. Kudos. Not even sarcastically--I commend you. I suppose that's an option in other towns. But, for the most part, everyone in my high school drank socially. It's what we did.

But that first time can set the tone, and it's the same way with your characters. Unless you're writing in a setting where underage drinking isn't illegal (Which is completely possible. I'm not using that as a low probability thing.), or the family accepts it, there's something special to that first drink, and that first night of drinking. If you're under the legal age, there's a sense of risk and excitement, and you're just not sure what to do. This is a new experience. Why is the ground shaking? Where's my drink? No, that's your drink. No, I don't want your drink. Fine, give it to me.

(Let's make it clear. I'm not promoting underage drinking. But it's a reality.)

Now, twenty-one is still in the acceptable range for a young adult main character. Especially if they're turning twenty-one. That's another rite of passage, an exciting thing. You don't have to sneak around, paying your older sister to buy liquor for you or sneaking your dad's gin out of his bedroom (I didn't actually do either of those, but my friends did.). You can walk into the liquor store, grab a bottle, and say 'Hey, screw off, I'm twenty-one. Hahahahaha!' Okay, maybe you shouldn't do that. The clerk might not like it.

So, just as a thought: maybe that liquor is worth drinking. Think about it this way: when a mixologist puts together a cocktail, the rule is balance. To make the most money through the night, they have to keep the sweet, tart, and alcohol flavors in balance. Too alcoholic, the customer gets too drunk and doesn't buy more. Too tart and they sit there nursing the same drink all night, since it doesn't taste very good. Too sweet and it's too heavy, and they don't get more.

I'm not saying you have to include drinking in your YA, or any fiction. But it's not a bad idea, sometimes. It can get some real emotional content into the book. If your hero or heroine isn't opening up enough, try slipping a little tequila in his coffee or something. Couldn't hurt.

Voss

The Big Fat Update

So, I have a blog post up at the Prizm Books Blog today. Maybe you should stop by and check it out.

In other news, my writing has been put on hold for a little while. I pulled some muscles in my hands and arms yesterday, to the point that the pain woke me up at one AM today. I'm down to pen and paper right now. Oh well. All the better to plan my new trilogy.

Oh, I forgot to mention. I'm going to start writing a trilogy this November. But I'm keeping it under wraps, for the most part. It's exciting, though. Or, I'm excited about it. Either way.

Beyond that, I've got nothing to say. Well, besides have a wonderful, blessed day,

Voss

Stolen: The Next Big Thing

Since I did kind of steal it from her blog, I figure I owe Jaleta Clegg at least a link.

How does it go? I answer ten questions about my current WIP (otherwise known as procrastinating) and you suffer through reading them (or skim them and run away. Your choice.).

1. What's the working title of your book? Knightshade
2. Where did the idea for your book come from? I was watching anime, and it got me thinking about a certain aspect of a certain anime (I'm doing my best not to say the name.). Eventually, I arrived at a world where I would have an order of knights with magical weapons and greater skill than average fighters. Then I had to make a world and story to fit that.
3. What genre does your book fall under? I'm going to say high fantasy.
4. Which actors would you choose to portray your characters in a movie? The only one I've put any thought into is Erykah Badu. But I think she's too short (if you can believe that).
5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? In the fight for his freedom, a hunter must face the price for that freedom.
6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? I don't know, but I'd like it to go through a house (without an agent).
7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? Twenty-three days.
8. What other book would you compare this story to within your genre? I try not to do that. At least not until the book is finished.
9. Who or what inspired you to write this book? The idea was worth writing.
10. What else about your book might pique reader interest? Well, it's a young adult story with a gay main character. I'd like to think that's somewhat original. I hope.

And, while I have your attention, here's the fresh and new Voss Foster Facebook Page. You should check it out. I hear it's pretty nifty.

Happy belated Mabon, my lovelies, and blessed be,

Voss

Who Doesn't Like a Sale?

I know I do.

Evolution 2 is currently on sale at Smashwords. Just follow that link over and snag a copy. I mean, it's hard to beat 50% off, right?

Use coupon code CK67H at checkout, but remember, it expires on September 30th.

In other news, I'm actually going to finish reading LOTR this time. Fourth time I've tried, and I finally (FINALLY) made it past the Council of Elrond. That's a breakthrough, for me. I've never made it that far.

Here's hoping,
Voss

Demons! Oh My!

If you've ever looked at my W.I.P. page on here, you'll have seen a single thing there from the beginning: Tartaros. It was the first book I ever wrote, and it was a nasty hunk of disgusting when I first printed it off. I mean, so bad that I trashed about the first quarter. Literally: I took those pages and threw them in the trash. I never thought I would be able to send those demons (it's about demons, so those references make sense, I promise) out into the world.

I have been proven wrong, most joyously and happily. I just signed the contract for it with a publisher over the weekend. I won't say who (yet), but it is out there.

Excitement? Yep.

Voss

Evolution Volume 2! Yippee!

Well, what do you know? I've evolved.

Kind of. my story, 'The Drying,' is in the new release from Evolved Publishing. Yes, Evolution: Volume 2 releases today! Now is the time to squeal excitedly.

And just look at that cover? It just ribbits 'Buy me! Buy me!"

Table of Contents:
Sixteen Down by Brian Panowich
The Million Dollar Club by David Ballard
Tunnel Vision by Lane Diamond
The Drying by Voss Foster
The Living by Ranee Dillon
Walk Knock by Conda V. Douglas
Ursus Americanus by John Anthony Allen
Beneath the Skin by Ioana Visan
En Plein Air by Erin Ryan
Behind Family Lines by Stevie Mikayne

There are some great authors in here, and some great stories (and did I mention that beautiful cover yet?). I know you're just chomping at the bit to buy it: I'm here to help. You can go through Amazon, Smashwords, and BookieJar, with Kobo, iBooks, and Barnes and Noble editions coming soon.

If you want a taste of the book, both Smashwords and BookieJar offer the first 30% free. Cue celebratory balloons!

I'm going to go finish evolving, now. I'm hoping for poisonous skin, like a dart frog. Plus I'd look so pretty in that shade of blue.

Voss