SCBWI NY WINTER CONFERENCE

I’m getting ready to go to New York to the SCBWI winter conference. This is the second year I’ve gone. But this year I’ll be going with my husband instead of my sister. It’ll be better in some ways and worse in others. My sister and I, not having lived in a big city, didn’t feel comfortable going out after dark. So at least with him we’ll do that. That part will be better. It’ll be worse because my husband isn’t a writer, so I’ll be going to the conference itself by myself.

I am actually quite outgoing, but I remember that last year I felt like a fish out of water. I write because I love it. I’ve never claimed to be an English major, or have the slightest inkling what the publishing world does. Hence why I go to the conferences.

Last year I took way too much stuff. I brought five copies of my first fifty pages, several queries, and countless first chapters. I even ordered five hundred business cards. I think I gave out 2.

I can’t even make myself feel better about using them this year. I’ve changed my email and started a website since then.

This year I’ll bring less stuff, just a journal and maybe a few (new) business cards.

But one thing will be the same. Hope. I hope someone loves my characters as much as I do. I hope I meet the person who will publish my book.

I hope.

NANOWRIMO

November is NANOWRIMO month. It involves writing a 50,000 word novel in the course of one month, November. At first I wasn’t sure I was going to participate, my family and I are going on vacation for nine days smack dab in the middle of the month.

But I decided why not.

So instead of thirty, I'll only have twenty-one days. Twenty-one days to write a novel. Sounds like a challenge to me. I doubt it will be readable when I’m done. I usually go over my work again and again, tweaking it, making it just what I want. I doubt I can do that in twenty-one days. A rough draft? Maybe.

This is the first year I’ll be participating. I'm just finishing up my third novel in The Newstead Trilogy, and have been doing research for a fourth, a prequel. I wonder if that’s against the rules, researching before November first? I don’t know.

 Have any of you done it before?

Any advice?

I will be posting on this blog every day, Monday thru Friday keeping you updated on my progress, word count, etc. The only exception to this will be when I’m on vacation.

Take care and good luck to anyone else who is participating. If you would like more information on how it works, the web site is: nanowrimo.org

Jezebel

My third novel, ACQUISITION gets more into this topic than the other two. But it was inevitable. One of my main characters was a Nazarite, and where there is a Nazarite there is always a Jezebel.

It is difficult to know which comes first. It the Nazarite created to counter a Jezebel? Or is the Jezebel sent to destroy the Nazarite?

The Jezebel’s always use the same tools: seduction. Even after Delilah betrayed Samson over and over again he kept taking her back. Why? He wanted her, he lusted for her. She had her hooks in so deep he couldn’t imagine wanting anyone else.

Until she destroyed him.

That’s what my third novel is loosely based on. The seduction. The fall.

Being a Psychiatric Nurse in today’s society, I didn’t need the story of Samson and Delilah to inspire me. The world around is enough of an inspiration.

Nazarites

Nazarites.

This is different than just someone from Nazarith. I’m also not talking about someone taking a Nazarene Vow. That was started with them. I’m talking about something started with God, before the child was even born; usually before he was even conceived.

This topic has been of interest to me for some time, because for many years I suffered from infertility. So I’d study the Bible and find solace in woman like myself whose wombs remained empty. During that time I came across an interesting concept, one that was repeated twice. The long infertile woman was told that they were going to have a baby. Yeh! But more importantly that child would be set aside for God. They could not drink any fermented beverages the entire duration of their pregnancy.

I’m sure they thought: No problem, as long as I get to hold a baby of my own.

The two babies I’m referring to grew up to be Samson, and John the Baptist. While the Bible doesn’t mention the abstaining from alcohol part in regards to Elijah, there are enough similarities between him and the other two that he is often considered a Nazarite, as well. The long hair that was never cut, the wandering in the wilderness, wearing camel’s hair. And the fact that there was a Jezebel. Where ever there is a Nazarite, there is a Jezebel. Samson had his Delilah, John the Baptist his Herodias, And Elijah his Jezebel. Next week I will focus on that topic.

Nephilim = Rephaites/Rephaim

This has more to do with my second novel, Rephaim. During my research for the first novel , I came across the verse in Deut. 2:11 that suggested that the Nephilim had a pecking order. That they had leaders, the Rephaim. Joshua 12:4 only confirmed this as it speaks of Og, king of Bashan, one of the last of the Rephaites. It was here that Mount Hermon was mentioned, which also is very important in my second novel. According to The Book of Enoch, chapter 6, Mount Hermon is where the original Watchers came down to create the Nephilim, before the Flood. They Rephaites, or Rephaim were descended from Rapha, the leader of the Nephilim at that time.

Usually, due to the brute force that the Nephilim had, they were automatically elevated to leadership roles, anyhow. So to be a leader of the leaders speaks of particular savagery. The people of the time treated them like gods to begin with, imagine how their leaders were treated.

I go back to the story of David and Goliath, though. Goliath was huge and David was just a teenager. But he was enough. He was enough to kill him and all the remaining Nephilim alive on the earth at that time.

Nephilim had been created just once, before the flood as an act of defiance. Their seed survived through Ham’s wife’s DNA, allowing a resurgence of them briefly after. Until David. The man after God’s own heart that slaughtered them all.

I close here on the topic of Nephilim with one remaining thought. Genesis 6:4 said another thing about the Nephilim. That they were on the earth at that time-and also after-. I hope you have good dreams tonight with this thought going through your head:

They’re coming back.

Nephilim = Cannibals

Probably the most terrifying thing about the Nephilim is the fact that they were cannibals. Many legends have their origins in truth, and this one is no exception. The giants of old used to eat people. Picture it, seeing one of them. They are huge. They are strong. There is no way you can win. And the last thought that goes through your mind as their mouth closes around your leg is that you will be alive to watch most of the feast.

 Psalm 22:12, 13 and Numbers 13; 32b-33, as well as The Book of Enoch Chapter 7 indicate that their hungers are insatiable. They devour whatever they can get their hands on, mankind included. Next writing will focus once again on the Rephaim, then we will move onto another topic: Nazarenes.

Nephilim = Giants

As a result of the enhanced DNA that the angel father’s brought to the genetic picture, their sons had certain traits described again and again. Mainly that they were huge, and very strong. Full grown it wasn’t unusual to have one be over nine feet tall, and occasionally they had extra fingers and toes. We all remember the story of David and Goliath, right? He was nine foot nine. His armor weighed over five thousand shekels (125 pounds) Not to mention his spear weighed an additional six hundred sheckels (17 pounds).  Og king of Bashan was another Nephilim, a ruler of the Nephilim, a Rephaim. His bed was over thirteen feet long , and six feet wide.  I will discuss the ruling class of the Nephilim at the next post. It actually has a lot to do with my second novel, Rephaim, where Joel comes in contact some of the ruling class of his kind. Until next time -Mel