Recently, I've been slightly stressed about many things. Some of it was writing and some not. I basically let things get to me to the point that I wasn't quite as cool-headed as I would be normally. Things like planning for my wedding, a long trip to the States, etc. all just added up. I'm already going over what needs to be done for the ceremony and the banquet (and thinking about the budget too!) and what to do about our hamsters while we're gone, etc. Oh and let's not forget my wondering what directions I want to take with my WIPs, my family pressure (it's the wedding; my mom's already demanding to know when she can expect her first grandchild), several people insisting on XYZ for my wedding, etc.

Hero Material and May basically kept me sane during the insane time. Jill also helped me see that I'm not alone and that I just need to take a deep breath and communicate. My uber-agent of course was absolutely delightful (and helpful!), and I felt 100% better about everything after speaking with her.

So I want to thank you all for your support and kindness! :wub:

Check out my author interview and leave a comment for your chance to win a copy of Devil Falls!

FYI — I published Devil Falls under another name. :)

Took some time off late this afternoon to select the wedding gown and banquet dress for my upcoming wedding. I can't believe this, but it took me two hours. Thankfully the staff at the rental store was very nice and didn't mind working with my less than perfect Japanese. K-san was uber-helpful, and I was able to choose accessories, etc. to go with my dresses.

May got to see the pictures, and she really likes the wedding gown, although the banquet dress seems “meh” to her. I had a choice between a frou-frou red dress and a less frou-frou spaghetti strap white/sky-blue one, and chose the latter. I really can't do frou-frou well. I may if the rental shop allows me to revisit the banquet dress issue. Hmm.

Oh, and since May said I look “tiny, slender and pretty” in the pictures despite the fact that I only had powder and pale pink lipstick on my face, she's now officially my favorite person.

BTW — in case anyone's wondering why I'm not just buying a wedding gown — it costs over $1k to rent one in Japan. Now figure out how much it's going to cost to buy one.

Remember my hiatus? Well…I lied. :oops:

Or more like…I decided to put up an update and news. (In case you're wondering, I'm about 50% done with the current draft, and Agent has the first three chapters.)

First, fellow Divas just signed with agents. I know it's so discouraging, esp. with the recession and all, but hang in there. If you believe in your writing, don't give up! (BTW — the newly agented ladies are Madelynne Ellis and Jeannie Lin. Please go congratulate them. :) )

Second, my alter ego Angelle Trieste‘s Devil Falls received another great review. Romance Junkies' Noelle wrote:

An entertaining cast of secondary characters, an inspiring story of personal growth, several surprising revelations, and an ending that will bring tears to your eyes round out this excellent story of perseverance, second chances, and a love that can conquer anything.

You can read the full review here.

I will not be blogging until I'm done with All the King's Women revision. Currently I have too many things to do and not enough time.

See you later! :)

As I was revising All the King's Women, I had this feeling that maybe I needed to put more thought into the culture. I'm creating this world where one's status is paramount, but nothing in their language seems to suggest it. Everyone in my book speaks English. By that I mean their language does not reflect their culture and mindset.

For example, in Asian languages, you have honorifics and levels of politeness and formality, and you must choose the correct combination to use. Failing to do so usually means one of two things:

1. You're ignorant / uneducated.
2. You're deliberately trying to insult the other person.

In Korea, if your speech is too formal and polite for the other person, you're being sarcastic and/or insulting. If it's too informal, you're being insulting or showing your lack of social grace. Furthermore, each level of politeness / formality shows the speaker's relationship to the person she's talking to and the situation. So one person may use one type of speech, while his conversation partner may another. And the same people can use different levels if the situation changes, i.e. work v. social. (It can get very confusing for foreigners…!)

But it makes sense given Korea's history. Social status, occupation, age, gender, etc. were all very important.

So when I looked at my own world, I had to consider its history and what mattered to these people (other than power and sex). They care a lot about social status, proper protocols and the type of relationships they have with one another. So their language needs to reflect this.

Took me about an hour, but I came up with six different levels for my people. The fun part is incorporating them into the story and seeing how my characters can learn so much about the situation and people around them, even strangers, by the way they speak. I just love how things come together.

P.S. No, I didn't invent a new language. It would be cruel and unusual to expect my readers to learn six new dialects to read my story.