Friday, June 22, 2012

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun! Blog Hop


My NA sisters, Jaycee and Victoria, are at it again! Remember the Oh, My Hero! Blog Hop? Well, now it’s the heroines’ turn!

Instructions:
  • Interview a heroine of your manuscript, novel, or WIP by a fellow female counterpart also from your written work.  Your featured heroine can be interviewed by her best friend, a heroine from another one of your written works, a sister, the opportunities are endless!
  • Have your heroine answer at least 3 of the questions recommended below or make up your own!
  • Post a picture of your heroine, the interviewer, or both!
  • Post a song for the theme of the interview or a song that reflects your featured heroine's personality situation.✓
  • Follow Jaycee and Victoria on their blogs
  • Post our hop button! (Though not required, feel free to repost on your blog about the hop!)
  • Post your entries on June 22, 2012 and hop around the other blogs through the linky!

For this hop, the interview will have more of a "girls chatting" type feel because after all, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!  So feel free to write it like a short scene in a book!

Here are the recommended questions for it:

1. How would you describe your hero?
2. What's your biggest date horror story?
3. What turns you off from a guy the most?
4. What's the best date you ever had?
5. Kiss on the first date?
6. What gets a guy a second date?

7. Boxers or briefs on your guy?

8. What is one thing you believe can tell a lot about a person?

9. What attracts you to a guy the most?

Okay, I’m using two characters from STRENGTH: Rena Collins (MC) and her best friend/roommate Gabby Hernandez. This is just a silly flash fiction for the blog hop. It’s not in the actual novel, I promise. :) 

...And if you want to read the actual novel, it'll be out 03/07/13. ;)

[Rena’s POV]

As soon as I open the door to our dorm room, I regret it. 

Gabby spins around in her desk chair, eyes wide and exasperated. “’Bout time! I’ve got the thingy all hooked up.” She jerks her chin toward the crooked webcam clipped to her laptop. “You said you’d be out of class at three.”

I let my backpack slide off my shoulder and onto the floor. “Yeah? It’s 3:07. My teleporter’s in the shop.”

She shakes her head and sends her spiral curls flying. “Girl, don’t you take that sarcastic tone with me. We gotta be loveable in a minute.”

Wait. Loveable? Webcam? “What the hell are we doing?”

“We’re makin’ a video for the Internet!” she hisses and slaps the chair beside her. “Have you seen how that shit takes off? We’re gonna go viral.”

My arms fly over my chest before I can stop them. “Have you lost your mind?”

Her eyes roll back toward the ceiling. “Not like that, Ree. What kind of girl do you think I am, anyway?” 

Before I can answer, she hits the record button. “We’ll edit this stuff out later. The important thing is that you feel comfortable in this environment. It translates to the audience, and—”

“What audience?” I interrupt, crossing the room to peek over her shoulder. “You still haven’t told me what this is!”

“This”—she reaches back, tugs on my arm, and forces me into my desk chair—“is a web talk show.” 

...God help us all.

Her face lights up like Christmas morning, and she smoothes a hand back over her hair. “Hey, hey! This is Five Minutes of Gab with your host, Gabriela Hernandez. Today we have a special guest on the show. She’s my best friend and college roommate: Rena Collins!” She claps while I stare at the blinking red light.

A second ticks by, and then another. Finally, she elbows me in the ribs. 

“Ow! I mean, hi.”

Gabby grabs a note card off her desk and turns toward me, creepy smile plastered in place. “Tell us, Rena, do you prefer guys in boxers or briefs?”

I blink. “What does that have to do with—”

“Boxers or briefs!” she repeats in a louder voice, lowering her brows for emphasis.

“Boxers, I guess, but—”

“Interesting.” She shoots the webcam a conspiring look, and then turns back to me. “What’s one thing you believe can tell a lot about a person?”

“I don’t know.” I slump back in my seat. “Their eyes?”

She leans in. “What about their eyes?”

“Uh…” Stupid blinking light. I can’t think!

“Rena.” She snaps her fingers to draw my focus. “What can you tell about a guy by looking into his eyes?”

No sooner than the words leave her lips, do a pair of very specific eyes come to mind. Intense, cerulean, and the slightest bit wary. “E-Eyes are the windows to the soul,” I mumble.

“Okay?” She waves her hand for me to continue.

“Well, say you know a guy who’s really—you know—intimidating. Sometimes, when it’s just the two of you, he lets his guard down. His gaze softens. It’s like you’re seeing him for the first time.”

“Sounds like you’re thinking of someone specific,” she replies, her mouth curving into a wicked grin. “Anyone I know?”

My cheeks burn a guilty verdict, but I do my best to play it off. “What? No, I was just… you don’t… he’s not…”

“Uh huh,” she snickers. “Okay, on an unrelated note, how would you describe Wallace Blake?”

“Whoa.” I’m on my feet in a flash. “What does he have to do with anything?”

She adjusts the camera, and I catch sight of my face on the screen. “See that folks? Her face is red. I bet she’s thinking of ‘Ace in his boxers!”

...The next thirty seconds are a blur. She runs; I tear after her. She shrieks; I shout obscenities. She feints right; I get hit in the face with a pillow. And that’s not even the worst part.

The video does go viral.
#
*Grins* And as for Rena’s theme song:

“Beautiful Disaster (Live)” by Kelly Clarkson


Beautiful Disaster [Live] by Kelly Clarkson on Grooveshark

I know, I know! I would normally give Rena a more kick-a theme, but the lyrics really suit her circumstances. ;) Thanks for stopping by!

Question of the Week: Can you describe your heroine in one word?

67 comments:

Jennifer Joyce said...

Slowly making my way around the blog hop.

Great idea having the interview on the webcam. I can imagine how embarrassed poor Rena is, being put on the spot like that. And for everyone to see too.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Hilarious! That's a very unique take.
And my teleporter is in the shop as well. What's up with that?

Suzi said...

Makes me glad I didn't have a room mate my freshman year in college. Of course web cams weren't around then... unless you were probably some big company with lots of money. But not the average person.

JeffO said...

Haha, great fun, Carrie.

Kyra Lennon said...

Hee hee, brilliant! These girls sound like loads of fun!

Dani said...

Super funny! I have a Rena in the hop as well! I like these girls!

Charity Bradford said...

I loved your piece and why isn't it in the book? LOL. It was fun and told me a lot about your characters without "telling" me. ;)

And my one word for my heroine is:
Determined

Tara Tyler said...

loved how Gabby drew out he truth from shy Rena, nice work!

Cassie Mae said...

Oh I love this! So funny and perfect roommate relationship. When does your book come out???

Victoria Smith said...

Very nice Carrie! I loved Gabby from your MS (at the time ;D) and she's awesome! Reminds me of my girl Ariel's bestie!!! This is stellar :)

jaybird said...

I used the same line in mine! "Eyes are the window to the soul" love it. Looking forward to your book release.

Emily R. King said...

LOL! You're voice is so wonderful, Carrie. I know I'm going to love your books.

E. Arroyo said...

A great post. My character...disturbed. =)

Tara said...

Very cute & funny and the writing was great! Makes me excited to read your book!

Hmm one word to describe my heroine (ugh, which one? Lol)...tenacious. I think ;-)

Jennifer said...

Aww, I love how Rena got all shy when she thought about Ace! One word to describe my heroine - idealistic :)

Jaycee DeLorenzo said...

Hahah - my teleporter's in the shop! I loved it!

Great interview! Thanks for participating!

Ink in the Book said...

What a surprise! Webcam-ing without prior knowledge. I would have been freaking out - I'm too particular about my hair:)

Jennifer Hillier said...

Ah! Friends! I can't imagine what college would have been like for me had there been the internet, webcams, Facebook - even cell phones (back then, we all had pagers... okay, just totally dated myself). Great story! Totally made me laugh!

Summer Lane said...

Omg, I loved this! It was very, very fun to read. Hilarious, too! And one word to describe my heroine? Fiery. That sums everything up. :)

Juliana Haygert said...

OOOOOOOO, getting to know more of the character of your book before it's published, nice! Loved it. And I love the song too ;)

Carrie Butler said...

Same here! Plnety of fun stories floating around today. :)

Thank you! Oh, you bet. I'm sure the scene would've turned violent, had it kept going. Rena has a short fuse. *Grins*

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Alex! :D

Oh, don't you just hate that? Those things are anything but reliable!

Carrie Butler said...

Thankfully, none of my roommates had one! That I know of... LOL

Thanks for stopping by, Suzi! :)

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Jeff! :)

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Kyra! Sometime it's hard to reign them in! *Grins*

Carrie Butler said...

You, my friend, have excellent taste in names. *Grins* Thanks for stopping by!

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks! Don't worry. There are plenty of Rena's and Gabby's antics in Strength. *Grins*

Oo, nice one!

Carrie Butler said...

Gabby loves to meddle. *Grins* Thanks, Tara!

Carrie Butler said...

Why thank you, Cassiopeia! STRENGTH comes out March 07, 2013!

...257 days. Squeeee! :D

Leigh Covington said...

Oh my goodness! Carrie you are brilliant! I love it!

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Victoria! Gabby is such a fun character to write. She has a subtle complexity to her that I can't wait to explore in later books. :D

Carrie Butler said...

You know what they say about great minds, Jaybird! *Grins* Thank you!

Carrie Butler said...

Thank you, Empress King! :D I really, really hope so!

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Elizabeth! :) Disturbed, hm? I'm intrigued already!

Carrie Butler said...

Thank you, Tara! :D I'm excited that you're excited!

Oo, that's a good one! It's hard to decide, isn't it?

Melissa said...

ROFL!!! That was great! :D

Carrie Butler said...

Rena kills me. She's a spitfire when it comes to everything but her feelings. :)

Nice! You guys are coming up with such great words to describe your heroines. I'm jealous!

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Jaycee! :D It was a lot of fun!

Carrie Butler said...

There would've been a Carrie-shaped hole in the wall where I ran out cartoon style. Haha!

Nancy Thompson said...

You are too good, Carrie! Very funny! I love Gabby!

Carrie Butler said...

Hey, there's nothing wrong with pagers! I mean, they weren't as cool as the giant cell phone Zack Morris used to carry, but you know... *Grins*

Thank you!

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Summer! :D Oo, fiery is a good one. I like it!

Carrie Butler said...

Rena & Gabby have an interesting dynamic. It was fun using them in a flash fiction piece! :D Thank you!

Carrie Butler said...

Thank you, Leigh! :D I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Carrie Butler said...

Thank you, Melissa! :D

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Nancy! :) I gotta tell ya, this made me want to jump back into their world and write!

Bailey M.K. Knight said...

I like the relationship between Gabby and Rena, and the ensuing chaos at the end. I can picture that dorm room fight perfectly. :)

Hildred Billings said...

This...sounds a lot like the radio shows I used to run in uni. nothing like surprise-bombing somebody and asking them ridiculous, inappropriate questions for the entire world (yeah, we broadcasted worldwide on the internet) to hear.

I think I like Gab. I could've used a kindred spirit like her in my uni!

Donna K. Weaver said...

What a fun theme for a blog hop.

Sylvia said...

they are such fun characters! Well done and very funny at times!

Clare said...

I loved this scene. Rena and Gabby have an excellent rapport, and both have strong voices. Even from this short snippet, I already like them both, and you've gotten me interested in the story, and what's the deal with Wallace Blake. Thanks for sharing.

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

I'm up to my eyeballs in remodelling, dust, chalk and wood chips everywhere! That's why your excerpt was so fun. A great diversion. Happy hopping, Carrie. Hope you have fun and meet lots of new authors. One word to describe Brendell... fierce.

L. G. Kelso said...

nice job, Carrie!

ilima said...

Haha. Fantastic!

Andrew Leon said...

Thanks for stopping by and supporting me today in the Star Wars thing!

Your story looks pretty good, although I only had time to skim it. Trying to get around to everyone with thank yous. I'll try to remember to come back later and give it a closer look.

Aldrea Alien said...

Hehe. Poor Rena. I think I'd throttle Gabby if she'd tried that on me.

Carrie Butler said...

Gabby has a lot of misguided enthusiasm. *Grins* Thanks for stopping by, Aldrea!

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Bailey! Gabby and Rena have a fun (and slightly volatile) dynamic. *Grins*

Carrie Butler said...

Oh man! I'm glad I didn't attend your uni... *Grins*

I think you'll like Gabby in Strength. She's quite mischievous. ;)

Carrie Butler said...

I thought so, too! :) Jaycee & Victoria rock!

Carrie Butler said...

Thank you, Sylvia! :D

Carrie Butler said...

Thank you, Clare! :D I love, love, love your comment! It made my day.

Carrie Butler said...

Yikes! Well, at least you're making progress. :)

Thank you! :) Oo, fierce is a good one. It brings an immediate image to mind.

Carrie Butler said...

Thank you, L.G.! :)

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Ilima! :)

Carrie Butler said...

No problem, Andrew! I was glad to help.

Oh, that's perfectly understandable. :) Thank you for stopping by!

Carrie Butler said...

Thank you, Anon! :)