How Low Can You Go - Part 1????

On today's episode (giggle) I'm making fun of my Budget Tightened Booty.

Coming from a large family that had little income, I was taught how to stretch a dollar to the maximize limit. I was married at 19, so I had to fight for every dime that I could get my grubby hands on. My dad is to blame for the worst of it as his voice chirps around in  my head if I indulge in anything of monetary value.

It's terrible how bad I can be.

My hubby has a prepared statement for when we go shopping. He loves that I'm budget conscious but not to the point of my guilt trips over buying my favorite brand of underwear. Yes, it's true. He enjoys the fact that I am too money savvy to charge up the limit on my credit card, as many have done that to the point of financial ruin. The fact that I shop at thrift stores and clearance racks is a blessing to our meager paychecks, especially as that amount decreased with my externship hours.

Just the other day, I actually indulged in some new makeup (as mine was almost dust) but I snickered at the coupon that I zipped out at the register :-) I'm out of control, almost, with my need to get things for as cheap a price as I can swindle. If I were to go into a store and pay full price for an ensemble in a window, then you better have someone perform CPR on my guy. CLEAR!!!!!!

If you want to hear about my list of Guilty Pleasures (Yes, a nod to my writing heroine Laurell K. Hamilton), then feel free to ask cuz there is plenty to go around. I could make this a monthly item, if you need someone to laugh at. OR you could tell me if you're in the realm of Lincoln Torture as you try to squeeze a penny from a dime. SMH. I may never change and maybe I shouldn't ;-).

)))Corset Hugs(((

Ginny Lynn

Wench Writer

 

Can I be haunting?

Can I be haunting?

I’ve debated trying my hand at gothic and/or ghost stories. I’m intrigued by the mystery of them but I'd do them without doing an actual mystery, as in Agatha Christie. I wanna do something that’s a touch of Hitchcock with the flair of Nora Roberts and a dash of Stephen King. Does that make sense? I want dark, sexy, and compelling. 

Gothic romance

Gothic romance, type of novel that flourished in the late 18th and early 19th cent. in England. Gothic romances were mysteries, often involving the supernatural and heavily tinged with horror, and they were usually set against dark backgrounds of medieval ruins and haunted castles. The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole was the forerunner of the type, which included the works of Ann Radcliffe, Matthew Gregory Lewis, and Charles R. Maturin, and the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Jane Austen's novel Northanger Abbey satirizes Gothic romances. The influence of the genre can be found in some works of Coleridge, Le Fanu, Poe, and the Brontës. During the 1960s so-called Gothic novels became enormously popular in England and the United States. Seemingly modeled on Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre and Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, these novels usually concern spirited young women, either governesses or new brides, who go to live in large gloomy mansions populated by peculiar servants and precocious children and presided over by darkly handsome men with mysterious pasts. Popular practitioners of this genre are Mary Stewart, Victoria Holt, Catherine Cookson, and Dorothy Eden.  http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/entertainment/gothic-romance.html

As I write primarily paranormal romantic suspense, I have an edge that can be transformed but can I do it successfully? I’m going to start researching authors and see what they have out there, like I do for my own genre. I think that I’ll challenge myself into doing my version (after I graduate from college). I’ll need to research settings, darkness levels, amount of wit (as I’m a believer in wonderful one liners), and where I would have to morph my voice into something that isn’t humor based. 

After I accomplish some of this needed research, I have a couple of ideas to feed and see if they’ll go anywhere but I believe that I need to read a few before I finish out my plot outline.

Suddenly, I realized that I already had a few examples of gothic romance. Bram Stoker's Dracula and Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire, so at least I have something to go by.

I'm interested in reading:

Dark Lily by Nina Navarre  

The Singing Stone by Phyllis Whitney

Blood Wine Series by Freda Warrington

The Prince of Darkness by Barbara Michaels

Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews  

I also came across this website that had a few tidbits for me to glance over. 

http://www.virtualsalt.com/gothic.htm

http://english.answers.com/history-of-literature/elements-of-gothic-literature-the-beginnings-of-the-horror-genre

http://www.ebscohost.com/novelist/novelist-special/gone-but-not-forgotten-...-gothic-romances

This is going to be learning experience for me as I see what I can come up with for you guys.

Is there any tools/literature/books/movies that you'd suggest? Please let a wench know.

)))Corset Hugs(((

Ginny Lynn

Wench Writer

I think that I want to be an editor in my next life

I've been reading since I was old enough to understand a non Sesame Street plot. I wrote my first novel at 17 and have been serious about it the last five years.

I didn't have a very good experience with education so I didn't go into college until I was reaching 40. At that point, I needed to take an english course to achieve my medical assistant diploma. I have improved some of my issues with proper english writing but I’m still weak in certain areas. If it wasn't for being my age (and the fact that I’d only be using it for my writing), I’d go back for more education in that realm. If I did that, then I could happily be paid to edit books for the rest of my cognitive years. I mean really, getting paid to read books all day? That’s a win/win situation in my eyes. Sure, I could get drained as most jobs can do to a person but it’d be fun as I got to play in the imagination of others as I helped them improve what they share with the public. Sigh, just dreamy. Especially if I could get into a house that let me go through all my favorite genres. EEEkkkk! So fun that it could end up like being paid to have fun. Who wouldn't want that? 

As I've thought this over (a half million times), I have now placed this on the back burner where if my MA diploma doesn't get me where I want to be, then I can start taking online classes again to pursue this as my retiring career. It’d be difficult for me as I’d have to completely retrain myself but it’d be worth it as it would fit a dual purpose in improving my own manuscripts. I just hope that I could still indulge my muse as I did all of this. It’d be terrible if I lost the love of writing because I was too embedded in the writing of others, but I’ll chance it.

)))Corset Hugs(((

Ginny Lynn

Wench Writer

Second Week Snippets - From Just to be Left Alone - Chap One Tease

Today, I'm going to share some snippets from the novel that I wrote when I was 17. As it was my first, it's a bit different than my debut novel, Andromeda. 

Chapter One

At the restaurant, Jason had a difficult time finding a good parking spot, loudly cursing when someone on a motorcycle pulled into a spot Jason had his eye on. It took him a minute to compose himself, but he forced a smile at me as he found another spot before he roughly helped me out of his S.U.V. He kept his arm tight around my waist as we walked in and got our table.

“You look nice, but didn’t I mention for you to wear the blue dress for me tonight?” He pouted.

“I thought you were joking, besides, it’s dirty,” I replied, baffled.

“I just had a picture of you in the blue dress in my mind all week, so I guess I got a little worked up. I’m sorry to be a grouch. My week’s been so bad that I could just shake someone until their bones rattled.” His hands fisted and teeth clenched to the point of grinding.

Once we were seated, the waiter walked up to take our orders. Jason got snippy when the waiter repeated my request.

“Excuse me, can you stop flirting with my woman long enough to take my order?”

The waiter apologized and quickly finished.

“Jason, there was nothing going on. He was just making eye contact as he memorized my order. You’ve been acting strangely for a couple of weeks now and it seems to be getting worse. What’s going on with you?”

“Nothing’s the matter with me and I didn’t appreciate how he was leering at you. You’re mine and he was being disrespectful.” He snapped his napkin open before dropping it in his lap.

“He was taking my order, not my phone number.”

I kept my voice low as the hostess sat a tall motorcyclist behind Jason. I hoped they hadn’t heard us. I looked back at Jason, who had a strange look in his eyes before reaching across to take my hands.

“I’m sorry for being such an ass. You’re right. I’ll give him a huge tip to make up for my behavior, okay?”

“Okay, but please try to lighten up.”

Halfway through the meal, Jason was on his third drink and I could feel his mood shifting again. He slipped his hand under the table and across my leg. I wasn’t expecting it, dropping my fork with a loud clank. He smiled deviously at me then let his hand push my skirt up as he attempted to slide his hand under it. I gasped and slapped my hand over his before he could get any further.

“What’s wrong? Why did you stop me?”

“I’m trying to eat. You surprised me.”

I kept my hand on his.

“Well, maybe it’s time we took things a little further since we’ve been steadily dating for several months. I thought things were working in that direction. Am I wrong?”

He was squeezing my leg above my knee. I pushed at his hand as hard as I could, except it didn’t budge.

“Jason, please let go of my leg and calm down. You’re going way too fast for me. Maybe it’s the drinks you’ve had or the bad week, but something’s going on. Let’s just finish dinner and get out of here, okay?” I pleaded softly.

He slowly let go of my leg. I could feel marks left by his hand. I knew I’d have a bruise by the end of the night.

***

What do you think of this opening?

)))Corset Hugs(((

Ginny Lynn

Wench Writer

Firsts - A Wench without a ship

This is a newer first for me. Some of you know that I've been working at the Georgia Renaissance Festival for the last four seasons. I'd loved the place so much that it even pushed me into being the Wench Writer as I branded myself with the corsets that I make as my uniform there. 

I started off in the ticket booth and then moved to the all powerful Pirate Ship that was then run by Captain Matt. I loved that ship and it was a treat to be welcomed aboard as one of their beloved pirate wenches. 

Now, the ship has been sold back to the owner from ten years ago and I'm no longer working for them. This doesn't mean that I'm not a pirate wench, it just means that I'm able to sail about as I see fit. My heart misses the ship but the horizon always has a new location in store for those willing to seek it. 

I'm working at the front gate as I get to greet all of the wonderful people who journey to the gates of Newcastle. The cast and employees have embraced me as if I'd been there all along. I aspire to be as talented in making my fictional characters as wonderful as the live ones they portray for us those eight weekends of faire.

This last week was week 6 of the season (Memorial weekend) and I worked all three days. I was complimented by several people on how my personality is not only warm to them but I should even try to make a character for myself and audition with it next year. I don't know if I have what it takes to be one of the amazing talents that they hire or whether I'm better suited welcoming people into the gates of the castle. It's a compliment, either way.

Here are pics that I've gathered from shots I took of the wonderful faces from my memories the last two years. If you have time, come by and enjoy one of the last two festival days that we have left.

***

And a few from a photographer Ashleigh Emerson

)))Corset Hugs(((

Ginny Lynn

Wench Writer