May and Beautiful People

May was a month for stepping back, planning, and reigniting the flames of creativity. Work is slowly moving forward on the Endless Sands, and there is hope that life may one day return to a semi-normal routine. One day. Okay, scratch that last part–who am I kidding?

What I read this month:

• Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin (Oooooh my word. So good.)
• The Hunters (Brotherband #3) by John Flanagan
• Bedknob and Broomstick by Mary Norton (where did Disney even get their storyline? Not from this.)
• Beauty by Robin McKinley (loved it clear up to the very abrupt ending, and then it got downgraded to okay)
• Slaves of Socorro (Brotherband #4) by John Flanagan
• For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund (!!!! READ IT!! Post-apocalyptic retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion. So. Amazing.)
• Many Waters by Madeleine L’Engle (I keep trying her books in the hopes that I’ll love one of them as much as I did A Wrinkle in Time, but they seem to be getting progressively worse.)

Wow. That was all this month? I really need to stop checking books out from the library until I finish reading the ones that I own . . .

I’ve also been reading some great blogs. Reader Rayna introduced me to the Beautiful People Meme, hosted by Cait @ PaperFury and Sky @ Further Up and Further In. Even though it’s not May anymore (barely!), I had to participate in the Parental Edition, because I’ve been delving into one character’s super complicated relationship with his parents, and it just looked too fun. So here it is!

1. Overall, how good is their relationship with their parents?
   Not. Tom’s mom refuses to tell him anything about how his father died, and she’s been moving them from place to place his entire life. He loves her, but in a very frustrated and resentful sort of way.
2. Do they know both their biological parents? If not, how do they cope with this loss/absence, and how has it affected their life?
   No. He lives with his mother, but doesn’t remember his father. He gets in fights here and there at school, but the strain has built up to the point that he goes against his mom in a reckless move that could end their tenuous safety.
3. How did their parents meet?
   She was an aspiring journalist. He was the owner of a highly successful startup. He gave her an interview over dinner, used his contacts to get her more high-profile stories, and gave her a ring after three months.
4. How would they feel if they were told “you’re turning out like your parent(s)”?
   Every now and again, his mother tells Tom he reminds her of his father. Given that she refuses to talk about her husband, those little hints are all that Tom knows about his father. He remembers and analyzes every instance that his mom compares him to his father.
5. What were your character’s parents doing when they were your character’s age?
   Mom was a mouthy feminist with straight A’s, busy picking verbal fights with her teachers. Dad kept his head down at school and practically lived at the university library where his mother worked, reading everything from Maya Angelou to Kant.
6. Is there something they adamantly disagree on?
   Ha. You bet.
7. What did the parent(s) find hardest about raising your character?
   The moments when Tom reminds her of his father.
8. What’s their most vivid memory with their parental figure(s)?
   The day his mom bought him a lime-green soccer ball. They didn’t have a lot of money for presents, and his mom often worked two or three part-time jobs to keep them going. That ball is a physical reminder that his mom does love him, in spite of their rocky relationship.
9. What was your character like as a baby/toddler?
   Intense. Always moving. Always climbing. Curious in a very driven sort of way.
10. Why and how did the parents choose your character’s name?
    Mom wanted to name him after Dad, but Dad hated his first name. So they chose Mom’s father’s first name (Benton) and Dad’s middle name (Thomas).

What are you reading these days? Any exciting writing news?