Hello lovelies,

So in line with my Mama's Writer's Club, I wanted to share my prep work. Since it is a sequel to a previous story, you would think it was easy right? And you would be wrong... It has taken 2 months. I have dozens of pages of notes.

It is like I am my own Ghostwriter... LOL

Annie's Five Rules for Ghostwriting

#1 Read everything your writer ever wrote first.

#2 Authenticity comes from doing your own research, know the details.

#3 Think in their voice for the duration of the 'read', you are just a magic pencil.

#4 Write everything in their voice as if you are 'reading' from one of their works.

#5 Remember : You are not the writer, You are just another reader.

To get back in the mindset, I have been going through and adjusting/editing Ghost with Cats. The main part of this story will happen off Earth, which required building a culture, designing a planet, and even coming up with a "menu" since Eloh is very different from Earth. I have done a 30-day #CharacterChaos Challenge (see below) and a bunch of research (Rule #2). I expanded my who's who and plot path-ed two entire page in one liners. It is going to be a wild write.

Here are some of my notes:

Tiered class system of the Eloh

All Pets (genetically engineered worker/soldier clones) are 51-99

Tier 1 – king and queen mother or queen

T 2 – five Regents

T 3 - twelve defenders - Admants

T 4 – 30 'judges'

From below 4th, tier ranks overlap with 'job' classifications

T 5 – Burcrat – politician/ businessman of wealth

T 6 – 11 healers/ doctors

T 12 – Cyphers/ archivist / educators

T 18- Farmers/ manufacturers/ researchers

T 22 – Sentinel / Pilots

T 27- food producers/ technicians

T 30 – seneschal/ house manager

T 36- vangard / farmer harvesters

T 40 – shop keepers

~~~~~~~~

The below are questions I answered for the #CharacterChaos challenge hosted on Twitter. You answer as your character... It is like a character interview and I find this method helps "flesh out" my MC's and SC's and gives perspective on how they interact with others.

Q1 I'm Annie Winters-Dove, and my writer is prepping for , she wants me to talk to everyone, which isn't easy because I'm barely recovering from PTSD-induced Agoraphobia I have had to push aside to save the world & fight against a secret alien invasion

D2

Annie - I know this will sound weird but my 'favorite' holiday destination is my cabin on Great-grandfather's land in Cuchara, CO, because it is the place of my favorite memories & my last memory of my late parents

D3

Annie - My hobbies are flying and writing, both turned into jobs. I ghostwrite for Pops and I fly for the Maritime Ocean & Atmosphere Research Assoc. as a hurricane hunter, rescue pilot, and a water bomber pilot Annie: Well, Tobias, I try to sleep as little as possible. Between Chasing storms, fire storms, and illegal use of alien technology powered by the Pandora energy, I only write for one client now. I miss my quiet life as a reclusive ghostwriter when I never had to leave the house. Annie : There's no time for crazy in my life. I am trying to keep those using Pandora powered tech from blowing up our planet, or causing another disaster like the India and Japan tsunamis.

D4

Annie: I would want to die in my sleep. I have come close a few painful times and if I get to choose then I want to die in my sleep, warm in a soft bed, without pain or fear. I just want to drift away into the light

D5

Annie : My best friend and agent, Sharon. She doesn't care that I'm a half-crazy geek, she doesn't care when I freak out, and she makes sure I have happy moments. She made me her twins' godmother & that's love.

D6

Annie : Christmas was my and my Mom's favorite holiday and my birthday. I was due on Dec. 27th but Mom said I was impatient for my Christmas morning presents. Now, my favorite present is giving the perfect gifts

D7

Annie : My favorite place to hang out on Earth is Hidden Spring because hot springs pool in a cave! Nuf said! And on Eloh, the royal library because 10,000 years of books!

D8

Annie : My favorite drink is coffee. There isn't coffee on Eloh but they have lovely teas with many nutritional qualities. Every food and drink are only for nutrition. They only have chocolate for the antioxidants.

Annie : Oh Tobias, you have no idea. When I helped 3 Eloh escape confinement, while we waited for their rescue ship, one almost died from eating Peanut Butter. He did not realize that he couldn't put a giant spoonful in his mouth without risking choking, but he loved the flavor.

To eat for just the pleasure of the taste was as foreign to them as the idea of sex for more than procreation, equal rights among the caste, and motherhood.

D9

Annie: My best friend is Sharon. We shared our grief ( me for my parents, her for her Shmael). She got me my first ghostwriting job. She puts up with my crazy and made me the godmother of her twins, now that's love

D10

Annie : I like to read, a real book with paper pages and the smell of ink. Books on my are fine when I am traveling but there is something about the feel of , a soft throw, and a warm cuppa.

D11

Annie : "How long have you worked for the Eloh or used illegal alien technology to commit a crime?" Oh wait, my favorite question to ask people, not the one I asked most often. "Where's the coffee? Where's my cat?"

Here's pictures of Bear, don't let him fool you. He is mischief incarnate and thinks he is a parrot, always wanting to be on someone's shoulder but at least he is the color of my favorite drink.

Annie : That is so sad that he was all alone. Bries found Bear in a ditch, then it followed me to a rental. Cats always follow me around or show up wherever I am. My dad used to call me the Cat Whisperer. On Eloh, the felines are all feral but they love me, who don't know why... I love cats but I never had any of my own until Bries got two, then he had to go home so I inherited them. Don't have any picts but Pandie is a tuxedo shorthair, he is very old, and Bear was a stray kitten, he is a chocolate brown persian?

D12

Annie: Science and all the Maths! I also liked the A's : Astronomy, Archeology, Anthropology, Astrophysics. Math always makes sense! I loved and hated college because of the bullies. I was 4 years younger with eidetic memory so I graduated early

D13

Annie: My favorite is Tortilla soup, Chili rellenos, and salsa rice I am mostly vegetarian. My standby is Rice & Vegetables but I do eat eggs & cheese,also rarely poached fish and grilled chicken breast

D14

MY FAV POSSESSION

Annie: My Bastet neclace. My mother bought me the lapis carved cat charm when we visited Egypt before I started college. I was 15.

D16

Annie: Cats. I love them,they love me.Until 2 years ago, I never owned a cat, they just visited me.The Eloh Felines live like feral cats but they love me too,it freaks the Eloh that I can pet them. LOL.

D17

Annie: My favorite color is a rich red maroon and no, I have very dark brown hair and coloring doesn't work unless I decolorize it which I will never ever attempt to do again.

D18

Annie: That's easy, violin or cello and I would play Vivaldi and Pachelbel until my arms fell off.

D19

Annie: Time to kill? Is this a myth thing like naps and unicorns? Just kidding, I love to read. I was seriously pissed when I ended up on Eloh without my Kindle. But the King has a nice library so...

D20

Annie: Hot, sunny Matagorda or Haifa beach weather. I hate being cold. I know I have a cabin in the Colorado & visit every Christmas, plus one in Alaska, but seriously, I do not like cold, icy weather.

D21

Annie: Yes, tall, dark, & to die for. Both times I've let myself fall for my type, it's almost gotten me killed. One was a terrorist. The other was Prime Adamant Vanth of the Eloh First Fleet. Shoot me!

D22

Annie: Uhhh, all my favorite celebrities/most respected are all writers. Because I was a ghostwriter, I'd rather not type their names least someone assumes I wrote for them and tries to disparage them.

D23

Annie: My favorite sport is race flying, as in souped up single engine planes, usually involves a set course cross country but I also love the air tanker bomber games. I haven't won one yet but someday

D24

Annie : I like loose, comfortable, and covered. My bestie Sharon loves high end fashion and $$$ shoes. She is always trying to dress me up. On Eloh, I hate the gowns females are expected to wear.

D25

Annie: A good book, a long bubble bath, and a rich mocha latte. If I switched with Sharon... Hmmm... I did one New Year's Eve and woke up three days later with a tattoo and a stalker I didn't remember.

D26

Annie: I hate cities, I tolerated NYC & Haifa for Sharon's sake. On Eloh, the whole equatorial region is one giant city, even over the oceans. Aequari is the only city on the planet. It's my nightmare.

D27

Annie: Oh my, there's too many, I love books. Sharon was a publishing agent so she was always sending me new favs and hates. On Eloh, they don't have fiction media beyond historical myths. NONE!

D28

Annie: Plummegranates; they are AMAZING!!! And watermelon plums, so succulent. Ben Dor Fruits in Galilee has the most amazing selection and ever since Sharon sent me a basket for Hanukkah,I was hooked

D29

Annie: I dream of being like Mom, career, charity, loving husband & daughter. Of being a loving parent like she was. I would still be a ghostwriter and teach my daughter to fly. But I'm with MOARA now.

D30 GUILTY PLEASURE

Annie: Oh that's easy. Coffee and warm chocolate cake for breakfast. But I am stuck Eloh were food is for nutritional value only. It has taken me months to figure out cake and they don't have coffee.

~~~~~~~~

Here is the Plot Path - so many stepping stones but we will see how many my characters follow and how many are hopped over or if they just run off into my mind meadow after my hummingbird muse...

Plot Path

Pandora used for piracy – Annie uses siren device she and DJ shot

Winning and deceiving – Annie and DJ win pool and lie about relationships

Building southern array -mining disaster caused by Eloh raiders

Fire Pixie- - Annie and Derick fly air tanker runs while DJ ferries supplies and spoke jumpers

Reverse Engineering – Jenna and Jared Marshton make strides in reverse engineering captures Eloh Teck

LA destroyed – oceanic methane cloud – dale bents dies

Thief of children (4 mo later) Portos de Santos Brazil- Brak exporting human females

----- Annie kills him by shooting resurection crystal he tries to use, then has breakdown

Eloh tech caused wildfire in amazon rain forest(3 mo after Brazil)

Annie kidnapped when her plane crashed

DJ calls Eloh from new secret Peru array, confronts Tal

Annie meets Sentinel Larro and Garro

Hounds to Hunters evasion - the house of Astarte tries to stop Annie from reaching Eloh

Fleeing Serpus Assassins through the One City

King and companions - Reunited with Tal and Vorn

Traitors to the crown – Annie volunteers as to help discover traitors

Being bait for the enemy – Annie challenges Kahli's sister Baali

Royal decree – females no longer allowed to kill males and must mate with them.

- some females protest but Annie threatens them with bring invitro doctors from Earth to force pregnancies. You are just incubators, no more than an oven to bake bread.

- Chloetho accept Ink of Larro, preg w/ dtr making him safe from future lotteries

A single city – city around equator Echadel, the One City – temperate zones are farms- artic mines

Joined – queen mother announces Annie is honorary citizen and joined to Tal as his INKED ONE

The Sword of the first fleet – Tal takes Annie to space to keep her safe

Groomed worlds – colonies: whole planets groomed – nothing that serves no specific purpose

Lady of Vanth – Bries dies to save Annie from viper, Annie's cat Bear and feral feline kills it

Annie miscarries after having venom spit on her

House of Vanth – Annie on Edahn, teaches pets secretly against Tal's wishes, Fluffy has kittens

The Jhinne swarms – fleets race to stop the deepest encroachment of mini-robots that swarm

Battle lost – Tal loses his first battle EVER due to 8th fleet malfunction/negligence

The failing of the 8th fleet – lack of power and munition Sword of 8th founders in battle

Children/pets of the 8th - are in terrible condition, lack of everything

– Annie takes aid to crippled Sword and is appalled at conditions

Finds lack of atmosphere, and food to the point parts of ship are sealed off and the pets are fed the dead

Annie's Retribution – attacks lady __?_ of 8th, Prime Regent Allueh removes fleet and gives to Finara

Royal birth anniversary – return for royal birthday, Annie ask Tal to start school for 8th pets at Edhan estate, they don't even have language training – he refuses but lets warriors train them

SOS - DJ sends distress call after Eloh group attacks city

Allies and ambassador –Vorn goes to earth Eloh renegades were killing humans

Tal sends her to Eloh after finding her teaching Pets

Library of elders – Adon takes Annie to research Ink and Earth connection – gassed with lottery drug

Roof rescue – Annie and Adon climb out skylight, skimmer almost shot down.

Fleet fight – Annie goes to tell Tal she is pregnant, and he thinks it is about school and dismisses her

Disolved – Annie ( and other admants) think Tal dissolved their union, Adon and Allueh are shocked

Go Home – Tal told her to go home so Garro and Larro take her home

Empty house – Tal realizes too late what he did and Annie's Cypher has gone into seclusion

General of fools – Admant Provst calls out Tal for rejecting Annie

– mates and dtrs are most valuable and you foolishly threw away both in a fit

Too many pieces – Vorn realizes Tal's new cypher betrayed them, Tal devastated

No place like home – Annie arrives back on earth, pet Cord wants to stay with her.

Hidden in Alaska- Annie contacts Pops, then goes back to MOARA under new alias

South pacific Annie and Cord move to Alofi to manage installation of new array

Typhoon DJ flying supplies to stranded MOARA staff on island he gets there for Eve's birth,

feels betrayed Annie didn't tell him she was back

Daughter of the House of Vanth – Eve is born

Eloh hunter – DJ becomes spiteful in his need to protect Annie and Eve

Ink kills – DJ and Annie have an interlude but when she kisses him the next day he suffers anaphylaxis

Marked – Dr. Renee reveals Tal's ink is more than mark,

----it prevents Annie from having sex with any other male until Tal dies

Not your usual little girl – Tal's daughter grows much faster than human child,

like Gabriel and Angela did

Dark tidings Regent Allueh visits with worrisome news – civil war threatens,

----wants Annie and Eve to return from earth - Christmas pageant

Multi Ink – dr Renee tells Allueh INK is reason for infertility and insanity among females,

----ink of dead males makes dots that act as hormone toxin

----only single ink carriers can birth female offspring Tal's mother had ink of another who died.

Repentant – Tal begs Annie to forgive him, but she has almost fallen out of love with him;

----she can't be with DJ or he could die because of Tal's INK

Fleet – the earth fleet of cloned eloh tech takes flight

Return - Annie and DJ go to Eloh, much to Tal's displeasure. Vexx returns to be Annie's Cypher

Triplets – Chloe figured out there was a third Royal Male Azeal

- finds noted on fertility experiment on Queen Mother

Civil war – Adon and Allueh 's youngest brother betrays them with Lady Hecati

Bombing – royal palace destroyed queen mother killed

Captured – the highest ranked are held by Azeal

Azeal reveals his obsession with Annie and later she tells Tal about INK toxin

Blood and brotherhood – Azeal hurts Annie and makes Allueh and Adon then watch kills Adon,

Annie kisses Azeal once the Ink had made her toxic to him and he dies

Allueh heals Annie instead of Adon

New kingdom – Allueh becomes king, Annie agrees to stay as ambassador –

Mutually assured benefits – females from earth with traces of Eloh DNA volunteer to come be surrogates
in exchange for Eloh tech

Five years later... Epilogue

~~~~~~~

Thanks for strolling along through my mind meadow, let the writing begin!

Here is the link to Ghost with Ink

wattpad.com/800720702-ghost-with-ink-nanowrimo2019-nanowrimo-prep

Happy #NaNoWriMo 2019 Everyone.