Rayen

Something in the Rain is a Korean romance series that is fun, realistic, and has the best older woman/younger man relationship story I've seen in a long time (I'm only halfway through the episodes, but the actors and the story are amazing.) It's available to watch for free on Netflix in the US, and has English subtitles, so if you're looking for something different to sigh over, this is the one to watch.

Along with finishing up a project for work I've been making more progress on the next NA novel; I'm about 30K into the story. My female protagonist is a blast to write, and I'm finally able to use what I learned from all those ballet lessons my mother made me take when I was a kid. This is also the book that includes Always Never , the song I wrote in English and Korean, in the story. Book 1 was a bit of an angst fest, and I want this story to be happier and more about first love. I've still set up huge obstacles for both characters, of course; in some ways they have to overcome even more than Book 1's protagonists had to. Emotional rather than situational conflict is also hard for me to write, as complex romantic entanglements are not my experience. Still, I don't want to take the easy route. Neither protagonist in Book 2 believes they can have a successful relationship, and they're both very focused on their careers, so falling in love is actually...

The strawberries in our little kitchen garden are almost ripe. Now I'm thinking about planting some lavender. If nothing else, the scent will take me back to France. :) Image by Ioannis Ioannidis from Pixabay

I have never actually written a song before, so after putting together Always Never I went looking for a lyrics generator to see what an AI program might generate for the concept to compare. I found Keywords to Lyrics and put in the keywords always, never, watching and wanting. This is what it generated: I could be your alway Never watching wanting you to me It's like a high speed train Spitting on the wind And I could be your favourite song Your alway I don't wanna play with you but Nobody wants to play with you They want you to be their toy Don't want you hanging around With people like you You're so dangerous Touching so right So baby, let's put it down Give me your red hand I'll be your alway Oh baby, let's put it down If I say I'm pretty and your lullaby (hoo!) I want you to know that I got something to give you I've got no time for frontin' I'm just need your body So baby, come get me I don't wanna play with you but No...

One of the running threads through my NA series is Kwan's addiction to snacks. I can swing describing the American snacks he likes, but I have never tried any Korean snacks (or food, for that matter.) By the time I get to Kwan's novel, which will be the last one of the series, I really need to know at least what some of them taste like. This is for scenes where Annabelle (the American female protagonist) and Kwan initially bond over meals and snacks. I'm starting to make some of the simpler dishes as far as the food goes, but snacks are tough. The only Korean market in the area is about an hour away in the city. Fortunately you can order just about anything online, so I got some samples of what I think Kwan would like best based on research, trends in South Korean and so forth. Apparently these honey butter potato chips are so popular (and scarce) in South Korea that there's a black market for them. I keep my sugar intake to under 10g per day for health rea...

When it comes to romantic stories I've always been a big fan of having opposites attract, probably because that's been my life experience. My guy and I are complete polar opposites in almost everything except upbringing and values. It makes us good problem solvers because we tackle things from different angles -- he's operates on experience and is very methodical and conservative; I'm more intuitive and creative, and I'm willing to take risks. Every relationship is different, such as the one in NA #2 between the protagonists. I started out with a vague Cinderella-in-toe-shoes idea but then it morphed on me as I put these two characters together on the page to see what happened. Unlike the protags in book one they're two sides of the same personality -- or maybe not. I'm not sure, as it's continuing to change and grow as I write the story. I'm just along for the ride now. Should be interesting to see what I end up with for the second b...

This is a Korean remake of The Lakehouse with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. It's really well done, too. You can watch it on Youtube here.

It will be a while before I decide once and for all if I want to dip my toe into self-publication, but I'm starting to play with images to figure out what I want for cover art if I do: I like the idea of using a visual metaphor rather than some cartoon figures (which seem to be popular in this genre) or a reference to anything in the story. So I came up with this as the first idea. I like these colors, but it also would work in white, gold and rose pink, which would probably have more appeal for the readers. I also like the idea of using a non-clinch single model cover like this one. Although it's not as abstract, it's still a decent visual metaphor for my female protagonist Victoria. There are three different sleeping scenes in the story, too. Doing the artwork in black and white would also tie in with our hero without going for the obvious more white tiger symbolism. One more, combining the single model concept with a little black and white thrown in: He...

This is the final draft of a song I wrote for my new novel series in English and (probably very bad) Korean. :) Always Never (항상 결코) I see you in the light (나는 빛에서 당신을 볼 수) your pretty eyes watching me (나를 보는 예쁜 눈) wondering, wishing, wanting (궁금하고, 소원하고, 원하고,) don't look at me, baby (날 쳐다보지 마라, 아기) close your eyes and just feel (눈을 감고 그냥 느낄 수 있습니다) I can make true your dreams (나는 당신의 꿈을 실현 할 수 있습니다) I'm the night that never ends (나는 결코 끝나지 않는 밤입니다) but with me you're always alone. (하지만 나와 함께 당신은 항상 혼자.) You see me in the shadows (당신은 그림자에서 나를 참조하십시오) my body on fire for yours (내 몸은 당신의 몸을 위해 불타는) longing, needing, burning (갈망, 필요, 굽기) don't want love from you (나는 당신에게서 사랑을 원하지 않는다) run before I hurt you (내가 너를 다치게 하기 전에 도망가다) you're the sun on my face (당신은 내 얼굴에 태양입니다) you're the dream I can't have (너는 내가 가질 수 없는 꿈이야) with you I'm never alone. (당신과 함께 나는 결코 혼자가 아니에요.) Always and never (항상 그리고 결코...

Last year I finished a book I've been writing in my spare time. It's a very strong story, and possibly what I could do if my day job wraps up in the near future. I've had this debate with myself ever since I quit my last job. I never wanted to self-publish; I just want to write. But if I want to do a book series from start to finish entirely on my own, and make all the decisions without compromising, I have to. Of course I can learn how to from all the online tutorials there are now. I think (with some help from friends on the technical side if I get stuck) I could do a good job of it. Mainly I want to do it on my own. I'd like to have an entire series written before I try, though, so this might end up sitting on the back burner for a while. I want to write a six-book series for this idea, and I already have almost 30K of the second novel written. So maybe another seven or eight months of work before I even attempt to publish it. An...

Happy to be here. :)