What's so amusing about muses?

Let's talk about muses. Why? Because I'm having a bit of a Renaissance with mine at the moment and I'd like to sing some praises while the mood so strikes :)

I've recently discovered a few very interesting things about my muse -- aside from the love/hate relationship we've been having lately. Fortunately, I think we've patched things up and are relishing in a little make-up love, which is leaving my writing hand damn sore.

But before I go there, let's get intellectual. Muses originated in Greek mythology as the 'women or spirits who inspire the creation of literature and art,' according to Wikipedia. There is actually a pretty fascinating history and lore behind the myth -- sorry, I meant conception! -- of the muses. Here's the Wiki excerpt on each of the 9:

"Calliope (epic poetry) carries a writing tablet; Clio (history) carries a scroll and books; Erato (lyrical poetry) is often seen with a lyre and a crown of roses; Euterpe (music) carries a flute, the aulos; Melpomene (tragedy) is often seen with a tragic mask; Polyhymnia (sacred poetry) often is seen with a pensive expression; Terpsichore (dance) is often seen dancing and carrying a lyre; Thalia (comedy) often is seen with a comic mask; and Urania (astronomy) carries a pair of compasses and the celestial globe."

My muse -- or, muses -- don't exist within this seemingly extensive list of inspirations. My muses whisper in my ear as my conciousness is slipping off to dreamland. And I dream every single night in full 3-D Technicolor, complete with plotlines, narration, sensation ... the whole 9 yards. Many of my best ideas began as nighttime synapses placed there by my lucky muses.

When I do finally take pen to paper, I, like pretty much every writer I know, look to well known faces to be the embodiment of my characters. I think in terms of who would be best suited to star in movie adaptations of my stories, and from there I can visualize them interacting on my own planes of imagination.

And, the funnest part is that there are no rules. A dear friend of mine calls himself 'Mrs. Flanigan' after his perpetual muse Joe Flanigan, who has an up-front, starring role in every book he's written ... as far as I know.

Mine? Well, I actually have more than one. My favorite female muse is Zooey Deschanel (Left). Her innocence is twisted and jagged, which leads to branching avenues of saassiness, hidden strength and witty banter that just keep me turning the pages. I also absolutely adore Yohanna House (right), who won ANTM a while back. She's just, well, feirce ... and I don't think I've ever seen more beautiful physical features. Oh, and how adorable was Kenley from 'Project Runway' fame? :)

As far as male muses ... well, that list is a bit more extensive. But, I'll offer another three jsut for space's sake. First and foremost, I would hand-pick Ian Somerhalder (left) for pretty much any male role I've ever written. He's perfect, the king of my muses, if you will. And that smirk --gah! Next up and current star of my sequel is Billie Joe Armstrong (right) ... whose name I've changed to Faolan Vale. The darkness and, again, strange innocence leaves me feeling mischevious and coy. Then, we've got Alexandar Skarsgard. I don't actually find him particulalry attractive, but the way his eyes brood, and the sheer size of the man leave me kinda breathless.

So, why all about my muses? Well, I'm glad they came back.

I've been completely hijacked from my normal relaxation time by this new story I'm tentatively calling 'Perfection.' I expect it'll be novella-length -- about a girl who goes looking for the perfect man and ends up finding a geek instead. Think 'LOST' scene, mixed with 'Jurassic Park' science, and toss in some original sc-fi brilliance and, of course, gaming.

Off to write some more and cuddle with my muses while they whisper in my ear. Talk to you all later!

Cleverly disguised as an editor, waiting to throw off the cloak

I've got a hot cup of Hawaiian Hazelnut with a few shots of espresso to give it some perk; I've got a not-busy day at work filling in a spotlight of International Business Tips (which I wrote); and I've got plenty of new inspiration to type a few hundred words, at least, so let's get to it!

Last night I was settling into my memory foam mattress, on my memory foam pillow, while my noisemaker made it sound like I was living under a tin roof in a rainstorm -- and that's when the muse decided to take a walk into Chapter 9 of GLOW. I only let him/her get a few steps in -- I was honestly too tired and too comfortable to scrawl in the minimal light a few ideas. So, I rolled onto my belly and let the ideas fill my dreams.

I've had a lot of wonderful dreams lately -- and I mean real dreams, not the scenarios I concoct in my waking hours about being interviewed about my latest best-seller. These dreams have filled pages in my writing notebook with a homage to William Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' that I'm currently calling 'A Midsummer's Nightmare' -- at least until something cooler strikes my fancy. It stars a few ghosts, a few ghosthunters, some jilted dead lovers with an eye for vengeance and, of course, Nym, a mischievous overseers just trying to do the right thing.

I've got a mysterious scene tumbling around where I wake up at a police station in London with no idea how I got there -- but it's not really a police station, but a cover for an underground organization that takes me in to help me find out why I came to be there in the first place. It's kind-of awesome, actually ... I have the whole story and an ending that will leave you out of breath and smiling, but I'm not telling yet :)

But, best of all, I had a dream the other night that I've since translated into the opening chapter of MANAS II, the sequel to my first novel that is out with an agent right now under exclusivity for possible representation. Bodyparts crossed, please. I'm calling the book NERO (as MANAS means 'knowledge,' NERO means 'power'), and I've met a few new characters, including a brother-and-sister-in-crime Faolan and Lynly Vale, who would like to join in for a little fun.

So, creatively, things are really moving forward. I'm in a great place, with a ton of great ideas ... and I'm enjoying myself, which is hard to do once you start viewing your writing as a business venture rather than an awesome hobby that you're good at.

My coffee is getting cold, and my fingers are itching to transcribe the muse from last night's untimely interruption. Have a wonderful day, and buy a Kindle, will you? hehehee

PS -- The new AmberPlante.com website design is *stellar*! The timeline was set back a little, as my web designer was buying a house and the deal fell through (due to the moronic sellers who need a punch in the face), but the design is really lovely, sleek, professional and still manages to have my personality :)

PPS -- Hair appointment today to refresh and brighten up all my pink! So excited, and it's really bringing me more in tune with Zellie, who in the sequel will again have some pretty awesome hair! I'm thinking ... bright bubblegum at the roots, fading through fuchsia (her/my signature color) and into a candy-apple at the tips. Fierce! I'm gunna try it out today on me first! :)