Allegiance

Well, editing has officially begun on Allegiance. I've finished the first draft and have it printed out in this huge binder through which I'm steadily plowing and marking everything I want to change/revise/cut. I'm actually cutting a lot more from Allegiance than I did from Legacy -- I guess my first draft of Legacy was so bare bones to the plot that I ended up adding more than I ever cut! Anyway, cover art is also in the works, and this is probably the first place (no definite promises, of course) that it'll be revealed. Hope you're as excited as I am!!

I'm trying to think if there are any other updates I should share, but I'm drawing a blank... I've been a little slow in answering emails this past week, so if you sent me one and haven't heard back yet, don't worry -- I'm on the way to catching up. So... yeah. Thanks for visiting!

Cayla

Poll Results

Hey, everybody, the real update is the post below, but here are the results from this past month's poll: Where does Narian's true allegiance lie?

62% Hytanica, of course
0% Cokyri
37% Whichever gives him the better advantage

Thanks to everyone who voted, and next months poll (Does Steldor have the potential to become a good man like his father?) is up!

My Playlist

Hi everybody! I was asked this question a while back, and I thought it was interesting, so I decided to write a post about it -- do I listen to music when I write, and if so, what kind?

First off, I actually don't typically listen to music while I write. I guess I'm not much of a multi-tasker in that respect; I always end up singing along and watching music videos instead of getting anything done. :D That's not to say, however, that I don't absolutely love music, or that there aren't exceptions to the rule. Sometimes I pick a song to play that really sets the mood for a section I'm about to write (I played Holly Conlan's You Are Goodbye over and over during a particularly sad part of Allegiance, and now I totally cry everytime I listen to it).

Anyway, I opted to list the top ten songs I listen to most (in order according to my iTunes account), so here they are!

1. Better in Time - Leona Lewis
2. Bleeding Love - Leona Lewis
3. Always Be My Baby - David Cook (his version from American Idol)
4. No Air - Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown Duet
5. Timeless - Justin Guarini & Kelly Clarkson Duet
6. You Are Goodbye - Holly Conlan
7. My Immortal - Evanescence
8. Five Minutes to Midnight - Boys Like Girls
9. Billie Jean - David Cook
10. Iris - Goo Goo Dolls

I'm also a huge fan of the Beatles, the Eagles, Kelly Clarkson, and I love listening to movie/musical soundtracks like Wicked, Children of Eden, Les Miserables (yay!), Hairspray, Newsies (who didn't love that movie?), and let's see... Oh! I love Aerosmith, some Daughtry stuff, some Carrie Underwood stuff, Simon and Garfunkel, a bunch of Lennon and McCartney's solo stuff, Michael Buble, and I can't believe I almost forgot Queen! And I really enjoy those powerhouse songs from the likes of Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, and Jennifer Hudson.

So that about sums up my musical taste, I think. It's kind of sporadic and varied, but I like to keep an open mind about new stuff. If anyone has any song suggestions for me, feel free to drop them, and I'll be sure to check them out!

Thanks for stopping by,

Cayla

(Oh, and poll results will be up very shortly.)

American Idols Live!!! (Among Other Things)

So, this is going to be a somewhat random post because a lot of random un-book-related things have been happening in my life lately, including... going to the American Idols Live concert in Minneapolis on August 31st!

The concert was fantastic, of course, featuring the top 10 contestants. Syesha in particular blew me away with her rendition of Listen, Michael Johns was a standout, David Archuleta was adorable and fantastic, Carly rocked, and David Cook was David Cook (which is, in my opinion, the highest form of praise that can be given :D).

But the real treat was when we showed up early to the Target Center (the venue) and caught a bunch of the Idols getting off the buses. I met and got autographs from and pictures of David Cook, David Archuleta, Jason Castro, and Kristy Lee Cook. It was ridiculously fun and amazing (they were all so nice and sweet), and, contrary to what my good friend John predicted, I didn't even faint! If I can figure out how, I'll post the picture of me and my sister with David Cook at the bottom of this entry.

So, that's about it for my life at the moment... still working on Allegiance (I'm almost done!), and I seem to have developed an addiction to the new Doctor Who series starring David Tennant (what is it with Davids, I wonder?). Anyway, it's a great tv show, so if you're looking for something to check out, I'd recommend it.

Oh, and I heard that Stephenie Meyer has decided not to finish Midnight Sun. She has good reason, I suppose, but it's still a sad day for Twilight fans across the globe. Anyway, thanks for visiting!

Cayla

(And here's the pic... I'm on the left, with my hair in my face.)