I See Me: Author-Read-Along: Chapters Four and Five

*SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS*

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CHAPTER FOUR – thoughts/notes/quotes:

  • A debilitating hallucination triggers thoughts of her every first one. So we catch a rare glimpse into Rochelle’s background in foster care (etc) in this chapter. Rochelle isn’t one to dwell hence the rare notation above.
  • Hints into Blackwell’s background – who did he steal the amulet from? Hint: note all the golden/gold decor.

Favourite Quotes

It had been many years since I’d asked why. Since I’d questioned why and what I hallucinated. But tonight, in my drugged sleep, I hoped. I wished. – I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter 4

I managed to sit at the table in the dinette area, only to realize I was brushing my hands across my cheeks and through my hair as if attempting to sweep away the clinging hazy bits of the hallucination. Just like a crazy person … like the crazy person I was … No. – I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter 4

I was crazy – pure and simple – according to the professionals. Well, they didn’t put it quite like that, but that’s what I heard and that’s what I lived with. – I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter 4

No one was going to yank me out of the RV, label me, and then shove pills down my throat. Happy nineteenth birthday to me. – I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter 4

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CHAPTER FIVE – thoughts/notes/quotes:

BEAU!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is the scene that started it all. The reason this book and characters exist. This scene haunted me. There are way too many things to quote in this chapter. I’ll have to narrow down to my favs below.

Notes

Insta-love complaints: One of the biggest ‘complaints’ I get about I See Me is a perceived “insta-love” element. Obviously this works for me – otherwise I wouldn’t have written it – but it doesn’t work for everyone. I’ve already had my say on this subject – I wrote the book – but I firmly believe that the reaction that occurs between R&B – whether a reader perceives that to be simply a  chemical reaction or ‘love at first sight’ – is setup and supported by their backgrounds. They come from nowhere and are heading nowhere, until they meet each other. I firmly believe that you can form a bond with a stranger within a matter of minutes, just based on your shared histories/beliefs/desire/fears.

But then, I believe in true love. I’ve felt it and I’m living it. 😀 I’m damn lucky.

Sex-too-early complaints: Again, I think I’ve covered my thoughts on this above. But I will say that Beau’s background and motivations will be exceedingly important to the plot of Oracle 2.

Favourite Quotes (TO MANY!!!)

I felt a terribly weird impulse to pull my sleeves down over my hands and dry the rain from his face – I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter 5

“Are you crazy?” I resisted the urge to tug the sleeves of my hoodie down over my arms for a completely different reason now. “Because I have enough crazy already going on in my head. I don’t need yours.” – I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter 5

No need to explain that I was cold. Cold in a way that made it seem I’d never be warm. Cold in my core, and afraid if I stayed alone, I’d sleep. – I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter 5

Then he reached across the table and – barely touching me – turned my left hand over until the back rested on the table. With a touch so light that I felt only the shiver of its passing, he brushed his fingers across the black butterfly I had tattooed on the inside of my wrist. – I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter 5

I See Me (Oracle 1) read-a-long

Chapter One

Chapter Two & Three

Chapters Four  & Five (above)

Chapters Six & Seven

What were your thoughts, comments, and/or questions on Chapter Four and Five?

I See Me (Oracle 1): Chapter 2 and 3 – Author-Read-Along

*SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS*

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CHAPTER TWO – thoughts/notes/quotes:

Social worker scene – setting up how terribly alone Rochelle is, devoid of true human contact, her orphan status and ‘mental illness’ have segregated her from the world. No matter how strong she wants to be, everyone needs someone …

BTW, the scene with the jeweller is one of Michael’s favourite scenes in the book.

Notes

  • Necklace – broken, tarnished, and with a roughly-hewn antique-white diamond (so slightly darker/cloudier than the one pictured below). A piece of Rochelle’s past surfacing right before she begins her new chapter.

Rochelle's necklace

Favourite Quotes

It was nice that she cared, though. I’d just had more than enough of nice in my life. I wanted more than nice, but didn’t believe that more existed. So I’d take nothing – and no one – on my own terms every day, starting today. Nice just didn’t work for me anymore. – I See Me (Oracle 1), Chapter Two

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CHAPTER THREE – thoughts/notes/quotes:

THE BRAVE!! “It was absolutely hideous. I loved every inch of it.”  – Rochelle’s retreat, her ‘coccoon’. [I was going to insert a picture here – but am blogging on my iPad right now. Will come back to do so tomorrow.]

Notes

  • Gary/Tess -N.B. ‘dinner smells’ – make Rochelle’s stomach rumble though food means little to her in other situations.

Favourite Quotes

Keeping my mouth shut was my best defence against life.  – I See Me, Oracle 1, Chapter Three

I See Me (Oracle 1) read-a-long

Chapter One

Chapter Two & Three (above)

Chapters Four and Five

What were your thoughts, comments, and/or questions on Chapter Two and Three?

I See Me (Oracle 1): Chapter 1 – Author-Read-Along

Okay – as I mentioned here – I’m rereading I See Me, Oracle 1 in preparation for writing Oracle 2. I’ve written and released Dowser 4 as well as written Dowser 5 since having Rochelle and Beau in my head, so I wanted to acquaint myself with their voices before really digging into the next book (though I already know the plot, the players, and the locations). I’m going to pin this post for awhile and link all the read-a-long posts at the bottom for easier navigation. Please feel free to comment, ask questions, discuss things with each other, etc. below.

*SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS* *SPOILERS*

I See Me (Oracle 1) is an origin story. I adore writing origin stories. But it’s also a love story. The scene where Rochelle and Beau first meet haunted me for over a year before I gave in and wrote their story. I’d taken a lot of notes and sketched out a few scenes, but it wasn’t until I was halfway through the first draft of Dowser 4 that I See Me demanded to be written, needed to be written then – for timeline reasons – so I set Dowser 4 aside and devoted a few months to R&B. So … an Origin story. I loved the idea of an adept growing up not know anything about magic – how would that be possible? Under what circumstances? What would the ‘human’ world think magic was? Who would be the first to understand/find/interact with that person? And … a pure romance. Under what circumstances could two people come together and bond so completely that they began to believe in ‘true love’ and ‘love at first sight’? Ideas that almost anyone who hasn’t experienced the phenomena sneers at these days. Anyway, more on that later. IMG_0336 CHAPTER ONE – thoughts/notes/quotes: Opening line: I wanted the book to immediately begin with a hint of the conflict to come. In the first draft of I See Me every chapter began with dialogue, each scene opened somewhere in the middle of the action to continually drive the plot and story forward. In later drafts I tweaked that setup somewhat for clarity and grounding (adding setting, etc, upfront). I worried about the possible slow start and build of this book for readers who were coming into this universe for the first time through this book (and didn’t understand that magic was at play). But I hoped that readers of the Dowser Series would figure out pretty quickly who the ‘bad guys’ were and be intrigued by their interaction with Rochelle in these early chapters. Notes

  • Colours, shades of grey, and black/white. Rochelle views the world in a VERY specific way – for her almost everything is perceived as some shade of grey. It’s important to note what she sees in colour, and what she renders in B&W.
  • Names: only people of some importance have actual names. This is another way Rochelle keeps herself distanced from people.

Favourite Quotes

Other people wanted to be haunted by my imaginary friends so much that they willing paid hundreds of dollars per sketch. My shrink would point that out as a silver-lining, but I’d prefer working at McDonald’s over delusions, any day. – I See Me (Oracle 1), Chapter One Today was my birthday. Today I would be free … well, as free as my mind would let me be. If I could just render the shading of the blade’s edge perfectly. – I See Me (Oracle 1), Chapter One

I See Me (Oracle 1) read-a-long

Chapter One (above)

Chapter Two & Three

Chapter Four and Five

Chapter Six and Seven

What were your thoughts, comments, and/or questions on Chapter One?

Two very different to-do lists

Every morning Michael and I have a ‘decisive meeting’ in the garden. This gives the chickens a bit of time to free range and us a moment to chat about our upcoming day. Being foodies, we talk about meals mostly, then share our to-do lists. Usually both of these lists are filled with work related duties, but every now and then Michael does something (errands/chores/etc) to keep our life in order and I try not to feel guilty about focusing on writing while he does so.

Michael’s to-do list:

  1. mow 8 acres of wild grass
  2. clean chicken coop(s)
  3. build a new compost and dig out the old one

My to-do list:

  1. read I See Me, Oracle 1
  2. make notes on Oracle 1 and blog for Author Read-A-Long
  3. plant tomatoes
  4. test taste two new chocolate bars so I can finish Dowser 5 and get it off to the editor

Michael sweetly – and not at all laughing his ass off that I had added it to my things to-do – offered to take over #4 for me, since his list only has three ‘light duty’ chores on it and it’s a terrible hardship that I have to eat TWO chocolate bars just so I can finish my work.

Kind of him, yes?

The next three chocolates in the queue for testing. Will two of them be worthy of a place in Dowser 5?
The next three chocolates in the queue for testing. Will two of them be worthy of a place in Dowser 5?

Misprint giveaway #4

GIVEAWAY CLOSED. WINNERS: Cori from Texas, Deb from the UK, and Janine from Pennsylvania! Congrats!

To recap a third time. I had fifteen misprinted paperbacks. The covers of the paperbacks were all oddly tinted to various degrees with pink and red. And, in a few, the top and bottom margins shift down or up around the halfway point. Since I’m a fan of decluttering, I thought I should give these ‘rarities’ away.

box of misprints
Remember these?

I given away eleven so far.

I’ll autograph and label the books as misprints. I’ll even throw in an I See Me postcard and some butterfly tattoos.

Would you like one of THREE chances to own one of these misprinted, but still pretty, Oracle 1 paperbacks?

I See Me misprinted paperbacks
You would?

Then #1. Comment on this blog post with your favourite quote from I See Me (Oracle 1).

And #2. Tell me why it’s your favourite quote.

Remembering #3. To include your email address in the comment form so I can contact you.

OPEN INTERNATIONALLY. Giveaway closes 9 a.m. PDT Saturday, April 18, 2015. Each entry will be assigned a number, and THREE winners will be selected by random number generator.

May the random number generator be in your favour!

Dowser 4 – giveaway #4 – I See Me paperback and an eARC

GIVEAWAY CLOSED. And the winner is Susan from CA, USA!

Welcome to the fourth of five days of giveaways leading up to the release of Shadows, Maps, and Other Ancient Magic (Dowser 4).

Giveaway #4 – an autographed copy of I See Me and an eARC of Dowser 4

ISeeMe_paperback_forblog

I would be happy to personalize the inscription 🙂

ENTRY QUESTION: What does Jade think Rochelle’s magic tastes like?

Comment on this blog post to be entered to win. Contest closed Feb 25, 2015 7 a.m PST

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General Notes: OPEN INTERNATIONALLY. Each giveaway will be open for 24 hours. The winner will be selected by skill-testing question and random number generator. I will announce the correct answer and the winner after 8 a.m. PST.

To enter: comment on the giveaway post with the answer to the question. IMPORTANT: make sure to put your email address in the email section of the comment form.

Each comment will be assigned a number according to time of entry and the correct answer to the question. Hints will be provided if necessary. Each giveaway consists of a prize and an eARC of Dowser 4. The prize will be mailed to the winners, and a coupon code will be provided for the eARC. One entry per person. One prize per person.

I See Me – paperback proof

 

Guess what arrived in today’s mail a week and a half earlier than expected? The paperback proof for I See Me (Oracle 1).

It’s so gorgeous I can barely contain myself!! I chose a matte finish for the cover and I love, love, love it.

I See Me paperback proof frontThe artwork is by Irene Langholm. The cover design is by Elizabeth Mackey.

I See Me paperback PROOF backAnd – for the first time ever – the inside is also a thing of beauty. Mark over at 52novels designed the interior layout. I absolutely adore the butterfly tattoo page breaks.

I See Me paperback proof interior

Reading actual paper is expensive, but if you’re so inclined, you can get your hands on this beauty over on Createspace right now. From where – FYI – I, and all other indie authors, receive the largest royalty. Or it will be available on Amazon and B&N in a couple of days.

I have a feeling I’ll be ordering a few myself … for giveaways, of course. Not to just stare at and pet. 😀

I See Me, Oracle 1 – giveaway

I wanted to take the opportunity with the launch of my newest novel, I See Me, to thank all my lovely readers who read and review my books. Your support means the world to me. A number of you are already inclined to review, so why not make everyone who wants to be a winner, a winner?

The giveaway item?

Rochelle’s butterfly tattoo! Along with a postcard and personal note from me, but that isn’t as fun as the tattoos!

tattoo_closeup_onwrist

How to enter:

1. leave an HONEST review of I See Me, Oracle 1 at your point of purchase, or on your blog, or wherever you’re inclined to post your review online. No minimum length and any star rating. If you hated the book but still want a tattoo, I will still mail it to you and hope you like my next book.

2. email me a link to your review along with your mailing address. Let me know if I can share your review on Facebook/Twitter. My email is: info [at] madebymeghan.ca

3. done!

This giveaway is OPEN INTERNATIONALLY and runs for as long as I have postcards and tattoos.

tattoosandpostcards_fullshot

I have tattoos, postcards, envelopes, labels, and stamps. I just need your mailing address to get this giveaway going 😀 Fun! Fun!

ETA: I won’t be keeping anyone’s email addresses or mailing address, BTW. So if you want to be on the new release mailing list you have to sign up separately.

I See Me, Oracle 1 – an excerpt and a giveaway

Oracle_1_eBook“There’s that guy again.” Sprawled facedown over the black vinyl chair, I had a perfect view of West Broadway through the storefront window of Get Inked.

“What guy?” Tyler muttered as he hunched over my bare shoulder with his two-coil tattoo machine. Someone had to come up with a better name for that, other than ‘tattoo gun.’ Most ink artists hated calling it that.

“That guy … from the pizza place two days ago. The guy who tried to buy me a slice of pepperoni, like I eat meat.” I didn’t point. I wasn’t stupid enough to move my shoulder and risk ruining the ink.

All Tyler had to do was look up and he’d see the guy drinking a venti Starbucks and leaning against the pockmarked concrete wall of the convenience store across the street. A tall, skinny guy wearing black jeans and a knit hat in an attempt to look like a hipster, but really just hiding stringy, dirty blond hair. I was serious about the ‘dirty’ part, as in actual dirt. If the guy let his teeth yellow any worse, they’d match his hair. At least he hadn’t actually smelled when he sidled up to me a couple of days ago.

“The daisy would look so much cooler with some color,” Tyler muttered. He wasn’t easy to distract once he had the two-coil in hand. Normally I liked that about him.

“Red … pink?”

“It’s a peony.”

“What?”

“A peony. And daisies aren’t red.”

“Fine. I’ll stick with the boring black, as usual.” Tyler snapped a used cartridge out of his tattoo machine and plugged in a new one. Then he started filling in the edges of my newest design.

I’d copied my peony sketch onto transfer paper about two hours ago, and Tyler and I had argued over its placement for another hour. It had taken me three months to get the flower design exactly right — as perfect as I’d seen it in my head — and ready for its permanent place on my shoulder.

I had a tattoo of barbed wire with various things snagged in the spikes running up my left arm. The ‘things’ were eclectic — keys, spiders … even a black-and-white Canadian flag. With the addition of the peony, I was getting Tyler to extend the tattoo over my shoulder now. Eventually, it would meet and intermingle about two-thirds of the way across my back with the ivy leaf pattern that ran up my right arm.

“I don’t like him,” I said. The guy across the street was playing with something, rolling something silver around in his hand. Pedestrians were steadily passing by him in either direction, but he hadn’t once bothered to glance up from his phone.

West Broadway was a major artery through this part of the city. It ran all the way from Burnaby up to the University of British Columbia, which was pretty much as west as it got without running into the Pacific Ocean. As was typical for January in Vancouver, the day was gray.

Despite the cloud cover, I kept catching flashes of silver when the light hit whatever the guy was fooling around with. It was probably some creepy magic trick with coins or something.

“He tried to talk to me.”

“He must be insane then. Who would want to talk to you?” Tyler was joking, but it wasn’t that far from the truth. I could count my friends on one hand. If I included my social-worker-of-the-day, I’d have to use my thumb.

 – I See Me (Oracle 1), Chapter 1

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(tentative) Release Day: Thursday, November 6, 2014 – but only if I have it available everywhere

Want to be the first to know? Make sure you’ve signed up for the new release mailing list.

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GIVEAWAY

First person to answer the following question correctly wins an advanced ebook copy of I See Me (Oracle 1). Leave me your answer in the comments below (and make sure to fill in your email address, so I can contact you).

Warning: this is probably only winnable by people who have read the Dowser books fairly recently or someone with a wicked memory.

Who is the creepy guy that Rochelle sees across the street?

Answer (supplied by Becky first): HOYT

I See Me, Oracle 1 – Synopsis

Oracle_1_eBookThe day I turned nineteen, I expected to gain what little freedom I could within the restrictions of my bank account and the hallucinations that had haunted me for the last six years. I expected to drive away from a life that had been dictated by the tragedy of others and shaped by the care of strangers. I expected to be alone.

Actually, I relished the idea of being alone.

Instead, I found fear I thought I’d overcome. Uncertainty I thought I’d painstakingly planned away. And terror that was more real than anything I’d ever hallucinated before.

I’d seen terrible, fantastical, and utterly impossible things … but not love. Not until I saw him.

(tentative) Release Day: Thursday, October 30, 2014

Want to be the first to know? Make sure you’ve signed up for the new release mailing list.