Post #109

Sunday, January 9, 2005

Written by Kodi Wolf at 12:00 AM

Sorry, not a story update. I've just been messing around with redoing my website again, and here it is. The main change is reorganization. I've removed some pages and combined others. For example, there's no longer a separate Printer Friendly Version page. I've moved that info to the Help/FAQ page, along with some of the info from the Policies page, which also no longer exists because I decided to separate out the content and give the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy sections their own pages. Hopefully, this will make it easier for you to find what you're looking for.

Here's a list of what I've been working on storywise:

The Vampire Hunter series - At the suggestion of a reader, I've added several more new scenes to The Vampire Hunter (which I've now subtitled Blood Bound) in order to flesh out Blake's character a little better (the new scenes are still not posted, so don't go looking for them). I've also been working on the rewrite of Bloodlines and have been organizing my timeline, so that Blood Moon will match up with the previous two books.

The Trine - I decided to make a few more revisions again, so I'm still stuck working on the first chapter. It's just detail work, though, so hopefully I'll be able to move on soon.

The Kindari Academy - Still working on the revisions for the first book in the series.

Well, that's it. I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays.

Post #110

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Written by Kodi Wolf at 12:00 AM

I know you're probably getting tired of reading this, but I still don't have any story updates. I've just received a few e-mails from concerned readers wondering how I am, so I figured I should let the rest of you guys know, too.

If you've been following my previous updates (particularly November 2004), then you know I've been having some medical problems. Unfortunately, after my last post in January, I ended up getting a bacterial infection in my colon called clostridium difficile which gave me colitis for about a month. I probably caught it when I was in the hospital, which just pisses me off, but anyway, the medication (Metronidazole - brand name Flagyl) I had to take to get rid of the infection made me nauseous to the point that I wished someone would just kill me. So, I started taking Promethazine (brand name Phenergan) for the nausea, which basically knocked me out for a week and a half, which was much better than being awake. Anyway, between the colitis and only eating to take the pills, I lost another 25 pounds.

However, my last test results came back negative for the bacteria, so hopefully, I'm done with all this medical shit. I've finally started to maintain my weight, and over the past week or so, I've actually put on a couple pounds, so I'm hoping I can start to exercise soon (my muscle mass is non-existent at this point). At least I've been able to be a little more active around the house (vacuuming, doing a few dishes), but taking a shower is still a workout for me.

I have been writing, though. Well, actually, it's more to do with research, reading a lot and taking notes, that kind of thing, but that's a part of the whole writing gig, so I say it counts, so there. :P

Anyway, that's why I haven't posted any updates these past few months. Any energy I've had I've been trying to channel into my writing or getting well, so I aopologize for the silence. It wasn't intentional. I was just too tired. But I'm getting better, so maybe I'll have something new to post before the end of the year. :)

Here's what I've been working on storywise:

The Vampire Hunter series - I'm still working on the rewrite of Bloodlines and have also been writing a little on Blood Moon.

Fallen Angel - This is probably going to annoy people (or at the very least it annoys my wife, but she loves me anyway :)), but I've decided to rewrite Assassin to make it a science fiction story. I'm not going to take Assassin down, so you don't need to worry about that. That story will stand as it is. That's why I'm changing the title of the story and the names of the characters (as well as certain scenes and the overall setting of course), so that anyone who has read the original can hopefully let go of that story and enjoy Fallen Angel as a different story, or maybe a sort of sequel (though it's not).

It's just that Assassin isn't a story I would ever personally seek out to read if it had been written by someone else, and since I write for me, I feel a need to make this story something I would look for. And that means making it science fiction. That's my genre, and one of my goals with my writing is to fill a niche I think is lacking, namely lesbian sci-fi.

From what I've seen online, there seems to be plenty of published lesbian fiction exploring the trials and tribulations of coming out and what it's like to be a lesbian in contemporary society, but I grew up on stories like Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card), Split Infinity (Piers Anthony), Star Rebel (F.M. Busby), The Stainless Steel Rat (Harry Harrison), City (Clifford D. Simak), A Wrinkle In Time (Madeleine L'Engle), and The Forgotten Door (Alexander Key). (By the way, I recommend reading all of these books, including their sequels.)

Unfortunately, those books all deal with heterosexual male protagonists, and I happen to be a lesbian female. I enjoyed the adventures, the storylines, the questions those sci-fi stories always brought up and explored, but I want to do that with lesbian protagonists. I think Assassin is a great story, but I've had this issue with it from the beginning, when I wanted to do stuff, but I couldn't because I'd set the story in contemporary times. So, I'm going to play with it and see what I can come up with.

The Enchanted Queendom - I've finished with the outline for Cinderella and have moved on to Beauty and the Beast. I think I'm about halfway through, and then I can start on the last story of the series, Sleeping Beauty.

Prisoner of War - I've looked at this story and written a couple sentences, but I'm still stuck on the sex scene. Maybe as I start getting my strength back and feeling better, I'll be able to work on it more.

The Trine - I'm still working on those first few chapters. My focus kind of got pulled into the research for Blood Moon because of when I have to have a certain book back to the library (it's an interlibrary loan book, so it's different from a regularly checked out book), but I'm just about done with that particular book, so I should be able to get back to this story in the next few weeks.

Well, I think that's it. I hope everyone is doing well. And I'll try to keep you guys more up-to-date on what's going on with me in the future.

Take care, everyone.

Post #111

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Written by Kodi Wolf at 12:00 AM

So, three more months have gone by and still no story updates. Wanna know why? Go check out:

The Renaissance Bedroom by Kodi & Corene

To sum it all up, we've been doing renovations on the bedroom, including painting faux wood paneling (which was a bitch) and getting new carpet installed, etc. I think it's been good for me physically. I think I've actually put on a couple pounds of muscle, but I'm still not back to normal yet. I have to take frequent breaks during the work, which Corene has been good enough to remind me to do; otherwise, I get so focused, I don't pay attention to my body screaming at me to go eat and sit down, and that's bad.

The renovations have also been extremely stressful, particularly when there are strange men in the house (installing the carpet, delivering the bed, etc.). That just wigs me and I have to go away and find someplace safe - usually playing Dr. Mario on my old Super Nintendo; it keeps my mind occupied so I don't dwell and go into a full-blown panic attack.

There's still plenty left to do, but it's getting there. At least we've finally gotten the bed (if you do nothing else, you have to check out the bed). It's gorgeous. Corene and I still can't believe it's in our house and actually ours; neither of us ever thought we'd own anything so nice.

At any rate, I have been writing, even if I don't have anything to show for it just yet. The stress has gotten in the way a bit, but with my strength returning, I've had more energy, so I've actually done a couple all-nighters of just writing, which it feels like I haven't done that in ages (probably about a year now), so I've felt more like myself than I have in a long time. I don't think I even realized how out of whack I felt until I spent a whole night writing and went, "Oh yeah, I remember that feeling. Like everything's flowing and that sense of accomplishment. Nice. Gotta remember to do that again."

So anyway, here's what I've been working on storywise:

The Vampire Hunter series - I need to get back to work on the rewrite of Bloodlines, but my muse struck and forced me to work on Blood Moon instead. I haven't written a lot-lot, but I am making progress.

Fallen Angel - As I wrote in my last update, I've decided to rewrite Assassin to make it a science fiction story (but don't worry, I'm not removing the original version). I've gone through and written a somewhat detailed outline based on the original version, but changing key events to tighten up the story and also setting everything way in the future. I had been a little stuck at first because I knew I wanted to change the opening Senator assassination scene, but I wasn't sure how to do it. However, I've finally figured it out and have the first few pages written. If the rest of the story flows as smoothly, I might actually get this done before the next millennium. :)

Prisoner of War - I think I've finally gotten past my block with the sex scene (it probably helps that I've had more energy lately, so I've actually been horny :)). I've got a good beginning to the scene, so I just have to finish it. Maybe a few more months? (Now that I've said that, it'll probably be a year.)

The Trine - I've worked on this one a little bit, but I seem to be stressing about it. Maybe it's transference from all the stress of the renovations, since that's the story I was working on when we started the painting and all that. I was also working on it pretty heavily before, and I think I need a break from it to get a fresh perspective (or maybe just a little distance so I can be more objective).

The Kindari Academy - I've actually done quite a bit of editing on this book. I still don't know whether it's any good, and I'm nowhere near ready to send it to BetaWolf for their opinions (I'm feeling delicate and vulnerable, and that's not the right time to ask people to potentially crush you), but it had been so long since I'd worked on it that it was nice to get back to it.

I think I've taken a look at a few other stories (New Gaia, for one), but I haven't actually written anything on them.

Well, I think that's it.

Take care, everyone.