Wings - Chapters 10,11, and 12!!!

As Posted at www.charleevale.blogspot.com on: August 5th, 2009

Okay, so I was only supposed to two chapters today, but as the story truly kicks into gear, I'm having a much hared time STOPPING reading after my assigned chapters. So before I could stop myself I found myself reading a third chapter. I had to rip the book out of my own hands before I read a fourth! Needless to say, with today's chapters the story takes off.

Laurel shows up at David's house the morning after her freak-out to apologize. You can tell he wants to be mad at her, he really does. But he's a sucker. :) After a couple minutes of her begging he caves. They almost kiss. (You know its coming any time now, because if writer's hold that aspect of the relationship off too long, their readers will rebel) They talk briefly about their relationship, and what Laurel can handle. David expresses his willingness to just be her friend for as long as she needs it.

David has a brilliant idea, why not test some of Laurel's cells to see if she really is a plant? Makes sense -- David is the science geek with a microscope in his room, plus he's the only one who knows her secret. A whole parade of experiments follow. The cells from the inside of her cheeks (like on CSI!) = plant cells. A blood sample is next, though Laurel is absolutely terrified of needles. *David, being totally into Laurel the way he is, is really sneaky here* He has her sit behind him, and out her arms around him so that he can prick her finger without seeing the needle. Very sneaky indeed.

As now expected, Laurel doesn't have 'blood'. Have you ever crushed a flower and seen that strange clear fluid that comes out? Yeah. That's the stuff that comes out of Laurel's finger. David then checks her pulse at neck, wrist and on her chest. Can you guess what the result of that test? You guessed it! She has no pulse.

She breaks down again, of course so would I. This chick has had so much thrown at her in the past couple of weeks anyway in their right mind would have a breakdown. She basically thinks she is dead or going to die. Conveniently, David is there to comfort her.

Now before I write this next part, I must explain something. Any normal girl gets a kick of adrenaline like a syringe to the heart when she reads a well written romantic/kiss scene. This one is no exception. Though David comes to his senses before they can get too carried away. Laurel is not unhappy, but she still doesn't know if she can handle a relationship.

The great majority of the rest of this chapter is scientific conversation housed in different scenes. They discuss Laurel's diet, whether or not she really needs to breathe, if she can photosynthesize through her skin etc. She also does some research about Faeries on the internet, but she can't find anything, not even a myth that suggests that faeries would be plants.

A new dynamic enters here, David asks Laurel to go to the costume dance with him as a Faerie, using her actual 'wings' as a costume. She's not to sure about it, but she gets caught into it by another friend Chelsea. Better to go to the dance than to tell her secret!

Now do you see why I had to read another chapter? No way was I waiting to find out what happened at the dance! The story gets around that David is making Laurel's wings for the dance. She provides the dress, and he with a little sparkly garland and tinsel makes it look like the flower is nothing more than a costume. With a touch of glitter to her face and hair, she is perfect. Its almost like prom with the amount of pictures their parents take!

Everybody is fooled and loves the costume. Laurel even begins to believe and enjoy the fact that she is a faerie! Everything is great. She and David dance, and it seems for once that maybe everything is turning out fine. Until a petal falls off. Laurel begins shedding petals like crazy, and by the time she reaches home, there are only 5 left on her back. With a mysterious kiss to her forehead, David is gone, and we are at the end of another chapter.

This post has been extraordinarily long due to my weakness! Sorry! I'll try to be good and stick to one or two chapters per post.

Question for the comments: So of you have expressed that you really like your reviews. Do they encourage you to read the book yourself? or are reading these a replacement for it.

Talk to you soon!
CV

Comments:

Jannette Johnson Says:

August 5, 2009 6:59 PM

Wow, you're just flying through those chapters. Good for you! I wish I was that fast.

Wings - Chapters 8,9

As Posted at www.charleevale.blogspot.com on: August 3rd, 2009

"Hold onto your seats everyone, it's going to be a bumpy ride!" That's easily what I could say about chapter 8 of wings. This chapter explodes all the weirdness we've seen into outright mania, and yet somehow it all makes sense.

Laurel goes back to her old home with her parents, to clean it up and check on it. (Maybe the visit from the strange realtor had something to do with it? Anyway, not to jazzed about cleaning, Laurel wanders off with her guitar to a familiar stream. She lets the petals free on her back, since the get sore from being tied down. As she sitting there playing Sarah Mclachlan (Good choice!), this is where it gets really interesting.

Someone rustles in the bushes, and falls out of the foliage near her. The stranger, whose name is Tamani, is gorgeous. Brilliant green eyes, black hair with matching green roots, perfect tan, prefect body. He knows Laurel, and she knows him. It tickles at her mind, though she can't really say why.

He tells her to come with him, and grabs her hand. This is where Laurel loses her senses, she goes with him. Not a smart idea. However, I think that his physical touch had something to do with the persuasion, since once he lets her go her wits come back. As any normal girl would, being alone in the woods with a stranger, she freaks out and tries to leave. Her lures her back with the promise of answers.

***MAJOR SPOILERS***
If you want to suprised when you read this book, you should probably not read the rest of this post.





Ok...Are you ready for this? -- He tells her she's a plant. Not just a plant, but the most highly evolved form of plant. A Faerie.

A FAERIE!!!!!! What??? Are you crazy?

That's pretty much the reaction Laurel has and she runs away as fast as she can. (smart girl)

The next day David can tell somethings up, but Laurel manages to avoid him at school until biology. Tears are a big factor here. She promises to tell him later as they start to come, and since Laurel doesn't cry much, he doesn't push the point. David takes her back to where they had their first 'date', the twisted tree.

At this point, Laurel is in full on meltdown mode. And seriously, who wouldn't be with all the crap that's been going on? She's plagued by the memory of Tamani, and refuses to believe that she is a Faerie, or a plant. David simply adds fuel to the fire by saying that it makes a lot of sense. (Which it does, having to be outside, vegan, overly obsessed with nature, can't swim in salt water) She freaks out on him too, and in a deja-vu like repeat of the day before she runs away.

Chapter 9 finishes with Laurel asking her father if she had been different as a child. Though he gives her placating answers, I think the parents may have more of a clue than they're letting on.

More to come soon. Is two chapters to much for one post? I would like to finish the book before I leave for school and this seemed about the only way to do it.

CV

P.S. Any ideas for future book reviews or blog posts are welcome! E-mail me a charleevale@post.com

The Strange and Nebulous Phenomenon of Writer's Block

As Posted at www.charleevale.blogspot.com on: July 30th, 2009

So, since this is a writer's blog, I thought I might want to actually have some posts about writing. ;)

I am currently suffering from the thing that is most dreaded in the writer's world, (Besides carpal tunnel syndrome) and that is Writer's Block.

I've hit 140,000 words on the first draft of my novel only to hit a wall that is seemingly a mile thick. Even after a five hours brainstorm session with my 'idea bouncer' Jessica, we didn't seem to be able to tunnel through it. I've explored many possible paths, but nothing seems to be able move the plot along naturally. I've even found the exact spot where the problem lies. To no avail. Now the waiting game begins until the correct step falls into my head.

Now, until that happens, I've decided to examine writer's block. Why is it that our brain suddenly stops? I've been working on this story for almost a year, so why do I lose the thread only a couple thousand words before the conclusion? It is definitely unexplainable.

I've been told many things: 'Writer's block doesn't exist', 'It's all a matter of willpower', and 'Your just procrastinating because you don't want to finish' (ha!). I don't believe any of these things, because I haven't written anything that benefits my plot in almost three weeks. Some theorists say that using writing prompts or starting on another story might help, but I can't motivate myself to do that...it feels like I'm almost abandoning my characters.

I don't think we'll ever figure writer's block out! What do you guys think? Leave a comment and tell me what you do to fix writers block!

CV

P.S. Don't forget to fan me on Facebook for exclusive updates! Click here.

Comments:

Jannette Johnson Says:

July 31, 2009 9:01 AM

I believe that everything happens for a reason. If we have 'writer's block' then there has to be a reason why. Perhaps you were working too fast and got ahead of your muse?

A writer friend of mine was having a problem with a series of shorts. He was stuck in the middle of one, and couldn't find a way out. His mind kept jumping forward to another story, completely distracting him from his current WIP. I suggested he had written them out of order, and that his muse was trying to set him straight.

I think this is what writers block is; our muse or creativity letting us know we've gotten ahead of ourselves, and for what ever reason, we need to slow down, or take a breather. Maybe there is something to learn before we can continue.

Amber Says:

July 31, 2009 12:45 PM

I find writer's block is the time when my characters and I aren't speaking to each other. There can any number of reasons for this, the most recent having been that I locked one of my active, chatty characters in the back room of a tavern and she was too busy panicking and trying to get out of this place she didn't want to be to care to give me any insight.

The problem simply was that she didn't want to be there. So I had two choices: bully my other active character in the scene to talk to me, or else else what I had written and get the poor girl out of the back room. I ended up bullying him, and it worked out nicely this time. Will it next time? Probably not.

In general, I find it works out differently with everyone. I have a friend very like myself who just finished the first novel in her series and is looking to start another, but her muse is telling her to write it from another character's perspective. Usually the muse will poke us until we figure out what's wrong. You're close to the conclusion, yes? Maybe you've missed a piece....

Jodi MacArthur Says:

August 1, 2009 11:57 PM

When I hit writer's block, it's because I've been moving in one direction for too long. It means it's time to mix it up alittle with something I haven't done before. Try poetry, writing dribble, check out six sentences website and try to tell a whole story in 6 sentences. Pretty dang tough. Or just sit back and read a good book.

Best wishes to you for kicking the block aside and carrying on.

Wings - Chapters 5,6,7

As Posted at www.charleevale.blogspot.com on: July 30th, 2009

Hello Readers!

I am so sorry that I haven't been online lately, but certain things, including my mother getting spine surgery this Friday, have kept me busy. But in order to make up for that, I'm going to post on the next THREE chapters of 'Wings' to make up for the time I've lost!

When we last saw Laurel she had the zit of a lifetime on her back. Now she wakes up Saturday morning, and the bump is gone. Gone! Not that something hasn't replaced it....

A huge flower is growing out of her back. You heard me -- Flower. Purple blue and white, its beautiful, and by no means painful...but honestly, how would you react if you woke up one morning and had a huge flower growing out of your back? *Freaking out!*

She decides to tell her science geek and blossoming romance buddy David. After *painfully* cutting off a piece of one of the petals and taking it to him, he determines that it is indeed a piece of plant. After much internal battling with herself, she tells him her secret. He is completely blindsided, but otherwise supportive.

This three chapter run concludes with a mysterious and slightly creepy visit from a realtor interested in buying a piece of the Sewell's property. The next day Laurel announces they are driving back to the property again, her mother is having second thoughts. She invites David, but he is unavailable. Something tells me a mystery more than just the mysterious wing like growths is shaping up. We'll have to wait and see!

P.S. Please comment and tell me what you think of the new layout!

CV

I need a good subject for another blog post besides my book reviews... Have any ideas? e-mail me at CharleeVale@post.com

Comments:

Amber Says:

July 30, 2009 9:49 PM

Hello Charlee!

I'm a new follower to the blog. Found you through a comment on Nathan Bransford's blog and already I can tell that I will be watching you closely. Your update on Wings drew me in!

Have a great night1

Amber Says:

July 30, 2009 10:22 PM

As a side note, I only just noticed your comment on my blog. Thankee-sai!

Fifi Says:

August 1, 2009 10:21 AM

As I said, I love your chapter by chapter reveiws; keep it coming! About your blog layout, i love it. Great job.

Wings - Chapter 4

As Posted at www.charleevale.blogspot.com on: July 15, 2009

Time for the 4th installment in my review of 'Wings' by Aprilynne Pike!

This chapter is the longest so far, a nice refresher. And it revolves around the bane of teenage existence: The Zit. Our heroine Laurel gets one on her back.

After some slightly awkward conversation about puberty and the things that come with it, we move on. (Thank God!)

Laurel heads over to David's house for a 'study' session. He happens to be outside when she gets there, mowing the lawn - with no shirt. Believe me when I say that the in-detail descriptions of how his muscles look are intended to make the female readers drool. (It almost worked. ;))

Laurel passes the biology test for which she has studied, but the bump on her back is getting bigger. I think its safe to say its not a zit. What is it? A tumor? A hunchback in the making? Laurel's preoccupation with what could be wrong with her causes some strain in her relationships, especially the one with David.

I can't help but notice the way Aprilynne continually describes stuff in regards to Laurel. Her entire being revolves around the natural. She feels the need to be outside whenever possible, especially when faced with school inside. She takes a walk every morning to enjoy the air. And now in this chapter the thought of swimming in salt water makes her sick. She claims that it feels like the salt 'seeped into her pores and made her exhausted for days afterward'. Is something up with her? Or is she just extremely weak and picky.

By the end of the chapter, the bump is now the size of a softball. That's HUGE! I would be freaking out too! I guess we'll find out what it is soon enough.

CV

Send your questions to CharleeVale@post.com

Comments:

Louise Curtis Says:

July 22, 2009 3:35 AM

Sounds fascinating.

Fifi Says:

July 24, 2009 7:40 PM

I want to know more. please keep the reviews coming.

... Paige Says:

July 27, 2009 6:37 PM

And?