Happy Birthday to Myself!

Yes my little batlings, today is my birthday. The big one eight at that! Unfortunately I will not be dancing at a Goth club tonight, buying my first pack of clove cigarettes, or anything of that manner. I do not yet have my I.D. So tonight I shall be spending some time with friends and family and hope everyone gets along. . .

December Updates

It's finally snowing here in Michigan, and I'm happy it is. Something about snow makes me very hyper and creative. I'm in a very internal creative place at the moment, probably do to the loving support of my boyfriend. I'm back to working on my new series that I generally refer to as "the witch story" within my group of friends. I'm writing a very pivotal piece in the story. It is the journal of condemned Salem witch, Elizabeth Howe, and is featured in the story as being given to my heroine by a mysterious spirit guide who haunts her school grounds. When the piece is finished I will post it here in it's PDF version and will be the first excerpt from the story.

As for THE BURNING SEASON, I'm hoping to have a new except up this week. But who knows what will happen.

My birthday is Thursday, my anniversry with my boyfriend friday, and then on to the Holidays.

As always,
Blessed Be,
Ella Sterling

Halloween Updates

Hey monsters and ghouls! Sorry for the silence!

Not much going on lately. I've made great head way on a currently untitled story that I'd like to start tossing out updates for starting in January. I've also got a working plot line for the third book in the Tepes Chronicles series, the 1st of which, Finding Sky, will be released sometime early next year. The Burning Season is also coming together well, and new excerpts should be up soon. I'll have more information for ya'll soon.

Happy Haunting my little darklings!

A New Series

THE BURNING SEASON

A LONG FORGOTTEN BREED OF HUMANOIDS WITH THE POWERS AND APPEARANCE OF GODS, THE WATCHERS KEEP THE PEACE BETWEEN THEIR SPECIES AND HUMANS. WHEN A YOUNG GIRL UNKNOWINGLY THREATENS THAT PEACE, THEY MUST EITHER COAX HER TO THEIR SIDE, OR ELIMINATE HER. BUT WHEN ONE OF THEM MAKES IT THEIR MISSION TO PROTECT HER AT ALL COSTS. . THINGS COULD GET INTERESTING.

Coming 2011

Read excepts at http://the-burning-season.blogspot.com

Back-to-school Again

For me, the back-to-school season officially started today. I got my back-to-school package, ick, paper work. But it's the last year of filling out the wimpy amount of paperwork my High School dishes out every August, and I know this spring I'll have to deal with crazy college paperwork. But I'm still toying around with the idea of taking a year off. My parents are kinda into that idea because I always over stress myself with school. They think it would be good for me mentally. And of course would give me a chance to do some serious writing! But I think I've decided to just take a laid back year at the community college, maybe one or two classes a sememster, and then transfer the next year to somewhere like U of M, or Tulane. But I still have about 4 months to think it out, so I'm taking all the time I can.

Finding Sky will be out a bit later than I planned, I've had a few set backs. :( But it shouldn't be more than a month later. It will be out this year though.

Well, that's about all there is as far as updates.

Happy Lughnasadh! (and updates)

Hey ya'll! I'm trying to get better at this blog thing again. I want to try to either post weekly, or monthly, but we'll see what happens. I'm working on a new novel, and working on editing/revising Finding Sky, which I plan to release to the public sometime in September, I'll let you know a more precise date as the work goes on. I'm also working on a few ideas for paintings which are going to be really cool. I also plan to have my next piece in my Goddess Portraits series finished in the next few weeks!

As most readers know, I practice pagan spirituality, and for those that don't know, it's Irish in nature. What does that mean? Well, for starters it means one of my favorite holidays (and the beginning of Autumn) are this Sunday. Lughnasadh (also know as Lammas and Harvest Home) is the beginning of Autumn and the Harvest Season in the Celtic Calender, and is the first of three harvest festivals in Wiccan/neopagan religions. The holiday celebrates the grain harvest and the god Lugh, who is often compared to Apollo. This season always sends me into a creative haze. To many masterpieces to create, and not enough Autumn to do it in! Also, this means the Michigan Renaissance Festival is right around the corner! It's going to be a busy August!

P.S. What do you think of the new background?

random updates

hey guys and girls, don't worry. I'm still alive and sometimes well. I've been working on several projects and hopefully you'll be able to see them soon. I'll be in Bay City, Michigan in a few weeks for a big fireworks display and carnival. then hopefully heading down to N'awlins for some good ole Cajun food and some amazing Zydeco music. and of course some sight seeing. New Orleans cemeteries are a must see! And then come August it's back to the Michigan Renaissance Festival to cause some chaos with the rennies. Finding Sky should make it's way to the public in August or September and I should be posting a excerpt from my new series soon. it's going to be a crazy ass summer ya'll!

oh, and I now have a fanpage on Facebook, so check it out!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ashley-Howd/345372108526

you learn something new everyday

For those who may not know, I'm vegan most days (becoming alot stronger as the days go by) and I've had alot of trouble finding vegan makeup. It's easy to find vegan shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, etc. but my greatest dilemma was where to find black vegan lipstick! I didn't know how I was going to be vegan and also stay true to my gothic lifestyle. Today upon doing some random research on another company, I found out Manic Panic's vegan! I knew they didn't test on animals, but I had no idea they were vegan! Turns out my fave goth lipstick was already vegan! :)

Ciao!

Wow, it's been awhile! There's been waaaay to much going on to update on everything. So I'll tell about the last week or so I guess. Well, I've been real sick lately, so I've missed a ton of school and am way behind and getting yelled at like crazy by my teachers. I've been re-inspired by the Gothic Subculture (World Goth Day is May 22 btw), and when book shopping last night. I got Witch-Hunt by Marc Aronson, Bad Blood by Mari Mancusi, Gothic Charm School by Jillian Venters, The Goth Bible by Nancy Kilpatrick, and The Witch Book by Raymond Buckland. So I'm relatively happy about that. But I still have a crap load of homework to do before tomorrow. um, going to see Beauty and the Beast (live) tonight with my Grams. Then I have to take my chem test tomorrow, as well as my Govt. test. and tuesday I have to get my work for most of the week. Wednesday I have surgery, and so will most-likely miss school thursday as well as friday. Thursday I may or may not be seeing Hairspray (also live) with my Grams depending on how my recovery is going. And whether I'll be at school Friday is anyone's guess. And there goes the rest of my sick days for the semester. :(

venting

I’m not even sure if this is my life anymore. I have no control what so ever in it. I only have the power to watch my world fall apart. The very ground beneath my feet is falling in! All communication has failed. My own relationship makes no sense. I have no idea why my boyfriend is even dating me. I don’t know what he’s getting out of this relationship. Even if it was just for sex it wouldn’t make sense, he has beautiful girls falling all over him wherever he goes! And I’m not even good looking. I’m fat, ugly, and acne ridden. So what the fuck??? He’s never held my hand. Never kissed me. Never hugged me. Yet he tells his family I’m his girlfriend. I’ve no idea if he’s told his friends I’m dating him. I wouldn’t if I was him. But on the other hand, he’s already told his “son” about me, then he told me I’m the mother! He beats the crap out of my sisters boyfriend for accidentally kicking me. And when this boy got accused of making a move on me, the poor kid got spazzed on by my boyfriend! I feel like we’re just going through the motion. That “girlfriend” is just a meaningless title. But what do I do? I care more about this guy than almost any other guy I’ve gone out with before. I don’t want to loose him. But I have this sick feeling in my stomach because I think my sister and her boyfriend (who’s best friend with mine) forced my boyfriend into this. Yes, I said it. I think my boyfriend didn’t get a choice in dating me! On top of all this, my parents’ marriage problems are getting blamed on the poor guy, so I’m pretty sure he’s not allowed over anymore. And now he’s grounded. I’m not even sure if he has my phone number because he’s at my house so much usually I’ve never had to call him! The amount of chaos that can happen in one day is fucking insane!

A novel idea. . .

Check out my new story!
http://the-burning-season.blogspot.com/

An Idea

I've talked a bit about Finding Sky, my currently unpuplished novel (because publishers don't seem to think teens can write interesting enough novels despite the rise is successful teen authors. go figure) on here before. Most recently with the idea of making it available to the public by christmas. Well that was a bust because it's in the middle of some truly amazing editing, which may take awhile, because I am, for the moment, also working on the sequel along with 2 other novels. I honestly have more stories going on in my head than I have started on paper, and anyone whose ever seen my writing folder will tell you that's saying something. (it's a portable file folder, litterly stuffed with story ideas, half written novels, and one page synopsises). My mind is ever busy! Anywho, I've recently gotten an idea from a friend, it's totally inspired by a blog she's started. And I want to do something similar, but I'm not sure if I want to do in respect to Schuyler, Alanna, and the rest of the gang, or a whole new story line! Here's the link to my friends blog if you want to see what she's done: http://theforgottengoddess.blogspot.com/

and Here's a link to the official Finding Sky homepage if you need a refresher of the story's fundamentals: http://www.freewebs.com/bradhadairsworld/thetepeschronicles.htm

And for those wondering about when Finding Sky will become available, it should be available to the public sometime this summer. The keyword being should. I'm actually hoping to find a publisher that will take it, so I need to finish the new manuscript! (Which is really much better than the original, and the sequel, when it's finished, will literally blow everyone away.)

Love Bites by Ellen Shreiber

As some of you many know, Ellen Shreiber's teen series, Vampire Kisses, is one of my faves. I have all the books, and when they came out with new covers last spring, I bought them all again so I could have a matching set! Anywho, the new book will be out on May 18th, so to celebrate the New Year, here's the cover and synopsis:




"As a mortal girl dating a vampire, Raven knows that love isn't always easy. Now that Alexander's parents have returned to Romania, Raven and her dreamy vampire boyfriend are happy to resume to their cryptic romance.

But soon another visitor comes knocking: Sebastian, Alexander's best friend, arrives for a stay at the mansion. At first Raven is wary, and then thrilled - this is the perfect chance to learn more about her darkly handsome boyfriend and his past. Raven has been wondering whether Alexander will ever biter her and make their love immortal, and Sebastian could be her guide to the love habits of Alexander and his kind. But when Sebastian falls for a particular Dullsvillian, will another mortal beat Raven to the bite?"

To find out more about the series, check out Ellen's wonderful website:
http://www.ellenschreiber.com/ or her myspace: http://www.myspace.com/ellenschreiber

Or hit up Raven's RPG page: http://www.myspace.com/ravensterling