Evolution WIP ~ Lissa Kasey ~ Saturday Snark

Little bit of snark from my work in progress Evolution. Rockstar wannabe accidentally hits vampire Kerstrande Petterson with his car. Kerstrande's response:

“You weren’t going fast enough to squash a bug. What the hell kind of idiot drives on the sidewalk? Were you trying to kill someone? Would you like to get back in your car and back over me a few times?”

A little OCD and Anxiety Never Hurt a Character

So if you've never experienced OCD you've probably seen it on TV. It's not always as simple as washing your hands 20 times an hour or turning off light switches. It's an internal paranoia that something needs to be done. For me it's that the oven is off. The funny thing is that I rarely cook, so I check the dials all the time, even though I never had it on to begin with.

For those who know me pretty well, they are aware of my anxiety issues. We call them issues because it puts them in a pretty box that people can put on a shelf and say "not mine problem." I think a lot of people look down as me as being weak because I have issues. I'll admit I have panic attacks in the middle of a grocery store. Not a pleasant experience by the way. I usually need someone to talk me out of it, even though there is no reason for the attack, my head believes otherwise.

The other part of having an OCD and Anxiety disorder is paranoia. Now I wish I could say it was a paranormal issue I had to deal with everyday. That would be kind of fun. The paranonoia not so much. In public places I always think people are looking at me, judging me, whispering about me. And while I'm sure there is a little of that, it's probably not near the level my subconsciousness claims it is.

Of course having these issues means it's hard to be in public, because that's all the more condemning eyes. As I've gotten older it's gotten harder to control, and yes I'm on medication for it. I can go to the grocery store most days and not have any issues. Sometimes it just builds up though.

That's the worst.

You'll get through a couple of really great weeks, things are good, and then the weekend comes. I don't want to go anywhere be around anyone. I need that time to recharge my strength. Because I know come Monday I'm stuck in a room with a bunch of people I barely know, making calls to people I'll never meet.

I think these things translate to how we write as well. I know some very out going people who write very outgoing characters, where the problems are few and often external. I also know some very internal people who write about characters with more emotional troubles. This is also the direction that I go, simply because it's a "write what I know" deal.

Recently, I finished writing about a book about one of my side characters, Kelly. I found him terribly hard perspective-wise to write from, as he is a very outgoing guy. The book also features Jamie, Kelly's love interest, but Jamie is more reserved and more internal. So who do I relate to better you think?

The idea of course of writing what you know is really about writing what you can discover, rather than what you were born to know. Just cause you're a white female in her thirties doesn't mean you can't write about an Asian-American male in his twenties. Seiran, from Inheritance and Reclamation, and I relate well. Would we get along? Probably not. He's too needy for me. And i'm too dominate for him.

That is the fun of discovering the ins and outs of the character. He has anxiety and OCD, and though different from mine, I think it comes out well in his character. I can be outspoken at times and dominate, and that's where Kelly comes from. So what do you use to bring the internal to your writing?

The Ins and Outs of Drama

When most people think of drama, they think of shows like Jerry Springer and Jersey Shore. But what is drama really? According to dictionary.com it means: any situation or series of events having vivid, emotional, conflicting, or striking interest or results.

So when we think of drama in writing we all know it's important. The question remains is how to create it and make it believable. My first indicator is to look at reality TV. This stuff is made up of endless hours of video taping, which is then edited to create a story. Anything that can create a change in emotion is drama. A fight of course, a battle with a super demon, or a break up with a lover. But little things are drama too. Someone losses their keys, or can't decide what to wear.

There are two types of drama:

1. Internal
2. External

These things are drama because they cause emotion for someone, maybe not everyone, but someone out there will feel something. So how do you know what the good ones are to use to move your story forward?

Ask your characters.

Just like people, characters have personalities. They have likes, dislikes, interests and annoyances. What creates drama in a story about them, should be what makes them feel emotion.

For example in the book Inheritance, which is released Sept 14, my main character Seiran has a lot of little quirks that cause him emotional trouble. He has to have a clean kitchen, no crumbs or stains on the counter or dishes left in the sink. He has to have clean sheets even if they haven't been slept in. While these things may not bother most of us, the are such an intense part of his character that his lover knows he has comply. His drama is internal and that affects how external drama can change his story.

Some characters can be really laid back, and not care so much about little things. Those characters have drama come at them mostly from external, or outside sources. We see a lot of police fiction with external drama. The guys are cops so yeah there's rules, however, there's a criminal to fight, or a case to solve. Those are external dramas.

Now that's not to say that characters can't have them both. In fact, the most well written characters have both internal and external drama. It's their reaction to these things that makes them original and builds a story to a realistic ending. We learn about the character in the beginning, maybe see a glimpse of a bigger external drama, but throughout the book we see their little internal issues coming to live and building to easier or harder for them to reach a conclusion with the external drama.

Why is internal drama so important? Think of reality TV and our real lives in general. When we are conflicted about something, it's usually something in our personal lives. A argument with a family member, or a missing bit of money in our checkbook. When something big happens like a car crash that kills a friend, that's important too, but how you react is carved out by the little things you do, how well you knew the friend and how involved you may or may not have been in the crash.

So think of this as an exercise of thought for the day. The next time you feel joy, sadness, fear, anger, jealousy, irritation, ask yourself is it internal or external? Why does this feel so real and important to me? Then maybe you can use that little trouble for your next character. After all, a little drama never hurt anyone.

The art of customer service

I've spent a lot of my life working in the customer service industry. Years cashiering helped me realize how little people care about each other. When I worked at the bookstore people looked down on me for working there, yet it was my second job, and I worked there because I wanted to. I always found it interesting when people would give you attitude, and yet I was always polite and gave good customer service.

I distinctly remember one Christmas a lady coming in and asking for book on Alaska. I asked her if she wanted a travel book or a picture book or what, since there were 42,000 books on Alaska, most not in our store. She yelled at me, "What's wrong with you! I just want a book on Alaska." She went to another store, that later called us asking for a certain book on Alaskan fishing (cause yeah she was so specific, not) and we didn't have it. I asked the other CSR if it was the lady and they said it was. I wished them my condolences.

Now I've experienced some bad customer service in my life. Just recently I was waiting at the cutting counter at Joann's and there were two women at the counter. One who was working, cutting material for a customer, the other talking on the company phone to her boyfriend.

I guess not everyone understands that customer service is an art form and it applies to all aspects of life, not just standing at a counter. As a writer I know it's very important to treat all my readers as valued customers. Listen to what they say, but take it with a grain of salt since you can't please everyone. Really there are some basics of customer service:

1. The customer is always right. Even if they are stupid and obnoxious. Eventually they will leave the store and you will have nicer people to deal with.
2. Be ready to serve. Don't stand there talking to your friend and ignoring a customer. There is nothing that will piss of a person faster. And that's not good if you want them to come back.
3. You attract more flies with honey than vinegar. Be nice, even if they are asinine. As much as you might like to tell them how wrong they are, just smile and say okay. Again they will be gone soon enough.
4. Realize that you only matter as much as you make yourself matter. If you talk to every customer, offer them a smile, a welcome, they are more likely to leave in a good mood and less likely to snap at someone else.
5. Be strong in who you are, but understand when you put on your customer service hat you're serving others first.


In all honesty, customer service is one of the hardest jobs in the world. You have to deal with people. And we all know how moody, stupid, angry, annoying, insert word, people can be. If you can't do the above, stay away from customer service.

Treat Others as You'd like to be Treated yourself

My new job gives me a lot of inspiration, I guess. Not always in a good way. This morning I took the elevator down (should have taken the stairs) and the was a group of co-workers chatting about the bosses in a not good way. As a new employee that stuff is hard to hear cause I want to like my job, I want to like my boss.

So like my normal turtle self I stayed quiet, ignored the conversation. The elevator gets to the ground floor and there is said boss. I walk out feeling a little guilty for not saying anything to stop the conversation, but knowing it's really not my problem.

Once everyone had walked away from the boss they all started laughing and talking smack again. I hurried ahead, more intent on getting to my break than usual.

Now don't go cringing, but I consider myself a Christian. I was going to become a pastor years ago, however it was the way the church treated people that made me leave. It was the way the world treated people. Not the way I believe God or Jesus or whatever divine power would treat people. It reminds me of the whole treat others as you'd like to be treated yourself.

I'd like to be left alone, so I leave others alone. I'm polite when I need to be, but I avoid people so they avoid me. It's a happy medium. I can't help but wonder if those folks talking in the elevator like when people talk crap about them. I guess if that's how you act, then that's what you're gonna get. And I just have one word to say to that. Amen.

Decadence Release

all right, all, new and last free read until after the Sept 14th release of Inheritance from DSP. So get your Gabe and Sei fix while you can.



For vampire Gabriel “Gabe” Santini, being in love with the only trained male witch in a female dominant society is not an easy thing. Seiran Rou has more issues than just a phobia of commitment. A recent rash of attacks and harassment at school has left him withdrawn and edgy.

Making a cake for his mother was never really about making Tanaka Rou happy, and Seiran wears his heart on his sleeve as he tries, yet again, to please her. But Gabe has an idea how to put a much needed smile on Sei’s sweet face. Starting with “helping” make the frosting and showing Sei that pastry can be more than a little decadent...

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Feeling Lucky

So the past few weeks have been rough. I quit my job of six years to take a new position at a job I thought I'd like more. And we all know how day jobs are. They get us the money we need to survive. However, I went from weekly paychecks to bi-monthly, so I'm struggling. Took a lot out of my savings. And am staring at my stack of bills thinking oh God, how will I get this done?

A girl from work walked with me down to the breakroom and said, "Hey, you know my sister, she's been living with us for a while, not working, not looking for work. Just there?"

I'm like, "Yeah." We both have these relatives in our lives.

My co-worker says, "She told me she was feeling lucky yesterday while we were at the gas station and asked me for $20. So I gave it to her. And she bought a lottery ticket."

I was like okay.

"She won $100,000."

Holy crap! Talk about fortune. I asked my co-worker if she was asking for any of the money since it was her $20 that paid for the ticket, and she said no. Talk about generocity.

I had to wonder how I'd react to such a windfall. Or if my sister got such a lucky break from something I'd given her. I don't think I'd demand anything back from it other than gratitute. She needs it more than me, since she's not working and has four kids.

Everyday we look at our own lives and grumble about the crappy hands we're dealt. But what about the small things that we are blessed with? How often do we look at those things and think "I'm feeling lucky"?

In truth I'm very lucky. I can afford to pay my bills and my rent and for food. Sometimes it's a struggle, but I have a beautiful home, I do hobbies freely. I don't have to work two jobs. I'm not sleeping under a bridge or starving every night. I will be a published author soon as I'm just proofing the galley for my first novella Inheritance. And I have a lot of great friends I've made over the years that support me and all my weird ideas.

If someone were to ask me today, do I feel lucky? I'd have to say yes. I feel damn lucky. I hope the rest of you can say so as well, because I'm so lucky to have you. :)