I might as well share my secret here...Goddess knows I have few enough readers that by the time I finally get this book on the market, people will forget Catriona Cassidy's true identity and who really wrote Broken Road.

A few years ago, I started work on a little piece that was only meant for my consumption, featuring Jamie-as-Raiden and me as a Priestess named Mariamne. (I think Jamie/Raiden is pretty hot when he's made the changeover to bleach-blond mortal, in case I've never mentioned that.) The story grew and grew until I decided to make it into a novel and publish it. And in order to publish it and not run into the same problems I had with Meet Ophelia, I had to start changing names. So that was how The Blessing Way was born.

Around November (2011), I found myself motivation blocked on Breathless (which I've discussed endlessly on here before). I knew what I wanted to write next, I just had trouble making myself do it. (Partially because I went from almost-ready-to-start-chapter-seventeen mode to jump-several-chapters-back-revise-and-rewrite mode, I'm sure.) Despite all the thought and work I've put into Breathless, my mind drifts toward The Blessing Way from time to time. And when I found myself motivation blocked last fall, that's precisely what happened. Only instead of expanding the novel, I ended up expanding the universe--I began to wonder why Amihan (Raiden) would fall in love with a mortal so easily and deeply, decided he had a soulmate (known as an Aŋpaŋa), and Mariamne was it. So the short story trio--which isn't looking very short at this point--known as Broken Road was born.

The first part of Broken Road--appropriately titled Aŋpaŋa--begins in 1225, when Amihan is seventeen. He has been avoiding his father, Léi Shēng, (Shinook, following the canon set out in the second movie) since his mother took him away shortly after he was born, but the announcement of his brother's (Beniru/Shao Khan) successful betrothal proves too much and he finally catches up with Léi Shēng at the Temple of the Elder Gods. Léi Shēng reminds Amihan that everyone in his family has been betrothed at fourteen and married at seventeen for generations and that he is therefore overdue. The Thunder God concedes and says he will marry the daughter of the Elder Goddess of Earth¹, but it is too late...Lindele's daughter died during the birth of her third child only months before. Amihan's only option is to marry Aĺakána, a hermit that hasn't been seen in at least five years. Before he can find Aĺakána, however, he (literally) runs into Krystállina, the daughter of a Greek olive farmer.

I won't go into detail (because that would ruin it), but Aŋpaŋa involves love, marriage and the ultimate price for following your heart. (And Aĺakána actually does make an appearance...it just takes a long time.)

The second part, Awakenings I, takes place two hundred and twenty-one years after the end of Aŋpaŋa. Amihan has been "underground" (or "asleep", if you prefer) and he wakes to find that the world is not as he left it. (I haven't started it yet, but I expect A1 to be mercifully short.)

The final part, Awakenings II, provides a completely different version of the movies. Mileena sits this one out (she's replaced by Beniru's natural, 768 year old daughter, Kejahatan, who commits suicide a short way in); Kitana is now Kōbaiiro, a demigoddess whose father is Beniru and who has known Amihan since she was fourteen (he was the one who instructed her in tessenjutsu²) and at the end of the war, Amihan charges Dăo Yintóu (Liu Kang) with the mission of finding his Aŋpaŋa.

I think Broken Road has been a lot harder on me than Meet Ophelia (and all the other novels I've tried to write) because it involves a lot of historical stuff. MO mainly took place in unspecified locations in Manhattan and involved no historical figures. In Aŋpaŋa, however, I've included several historical figures, inciting the need to research their families and--to some extent--their lives. I've also included quite a few real locations, so I've had to look into what they were called back in the thirteenth century, what was going on there at that time and--for the sake of my historical notes--what they're called now. I'm thankful that A1/2 delves back into the realms of pure fiction because, interesting though research may be, it gets tiring after a while, having to look up every little thing.

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¹ For some reason, Earth is the lone unrepresented element in MK2. I figure that if Air and Fire were male and that the writers conceded that Water was female, Earth therefore must be female, too. (IMDb reports no names for Fire and Water, by the way...they're just listed as "Elder God #1" and "Elder God #2".)

² Kitana/Kōbaiiro's fans are properly called tessen and the practice of fighting with those fans is known as tessenjutsu.

My name is Dayanara and I have been a unionist from birth. I grew up under the care of the United Auto Workers (through my father, who is a General Motors retiree), I am a member of I Support Michigan Unions on Facebook and I plan on joining the National Writers Union upon the worldwide publication of my second novel. I am writing to announce that I am extending my hand in support of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, which is embroiled in its third war with the Screen Actors Guild.

By petitioning to block AFTRA from merging with the SAG, the thirty-six plaintiffs are essentially declaring a class war, which is an example of egocentrism at its best. These plaintiffs are effectively telling the members of AFTRA that they are not good enough to join their ranks; that working in radio and television is lowly in comparison with movies and to admit AFTRA to the SAG is to pollute the ranks of all those who worked so hard to get there. It is clear that the plaintiffs have forgotten that many of them got their start in television—whether through shows or commercials—and therefore, blocking the merger is hypocritical.

Furthermore, many of the plaintiffs still work in television periodically or have appeared on television at least once in the last decade. To block the SAG/AFTRA merger is to slap each and every one of their (non-SAG) costars in the face and a very nice “thank you” to every show that has had them on as a guest star. To affix one’s name to the petition is to tell these costars, past and present, “It was very nice working with you, but I think you’re a piece of shit in comparison to me, so you don’t deserve the same benefits and opportunities I receive from my union.” It is a rude, underhanded and boneheaded move and every single one of those three dozen plaintiffs should be completely and utterly ashamed of themselves.

To the members of American Federation of Television and Radio Actors: I wish all of you well and I want you to know that I pray for you every night. We will get through this fight together, class warfare or no.

Yours sincerely,

Dayanara S. Ryelle

Bet you never thought you'd hear me say this in a sentence: I am sick with rage. And it's all James Remar's fault.

Yup, that's right...one of my famous rants is headed your way, ladies and gentlemen, and my sweetheart is the target. Step back, sit down and buckle up!

If you're the sort of person who keeps an ear to the Hollywood ground (or just follows Seamus Dever [of Castle]), you might be aware of the fact that the Screen Actors' Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists are looking at merging. But have you heard this? http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118050595

That's right...my "boyfriend" and a bunch of his Hollywood buddies are trying to stop the vote to merge SAG and AFTRA.

How does this affect me? My friend Keely, a sometime actress and voiceover artist (and disciple of David H. Lawrence XVII--the creepy puppemaster from Heroes) is in AFTRA. And I was really excited at the prospect of her joining SAG, because I knew that would open tons of doors for her and greatly affect her livelihood. So my sweetheart is (indirectly) attacking people like Keely...and that feels like an attack on me.

Seamus said that it's because a lot of the actors have never worked in television, so they have no idea how a SAG/AFTRA merger might affect AFTRA members.

My response?

If it's truly an issue of "they don't work in TV and don't know any better" then James Remar has no fucking business signing on the dotted line. I know he started in movies, but his primary source of income is now in television. He should be thinking about the consequences of his actions on his coworkers.

I tried to convince myself that he decided to join the lawsuit after thinking about it a long time and coming to a well-reasoned conclusion. But now I'm not so sure.

Isn't it a nice little gift to his Dexter buddies that might not be in the Screen Actors' Guild? How about what a great "thank you" it must be to all the people he's worked with every time he's guest starred on a show? And what kind of example is he making for his children, especially Jason, who has stuck his toe into the pools of both acting and modeling?

Okay, so maybe my ardor has cooled a little since I first heard the news around 2:30. But I'm still pissed at Jamie and want to put my foot in his ass for making such a boneheaded decision.

Watching Sex and the City 2 for the second time brought to mind an idea I had for an SatC fan fiction that never went anywhere. (Probably because there wasn't actually a plot to it...it was just a concept, and kind of a skewed/weird one at that.)

The original concept had Richard Wright building a casino somewhere near metro New York and Samantha sees signs for it everywhere, which drives her nuts. Finally, even though she knows she's playing with fire, Sam decides to go see Richard to offer PR services...or whatever he needs.

When she arrives in his office, Sam discovers a young woman who is bending over Richard's desk, working on something with him. Her tie is loose and the top of her blouse is open, revealing a golden necklace. Her sleeves are rolled up as well, revealing a pair of golden bracelets. When Richard notices Sam, he dismisses the girl--but not before reminding her to button her collar and roll down her sleeves. Sam, however, catches on instantly--these aren't just "bracelets" and a "necklace", they're cuffs and a collar! Richard is in a Master/slave relationship and it freaks. Samantha. OUT!

Richard explains that the girl's name is Mira Ame and she's a blackjack dealer for his new casino. He agrees that Mira is his slave and I think in one or two versions of the story, Richard and Mira have been engaged anywhere from three to five months. Which--of course--shocks the hell out of Sam, because she thought he was never going to settle down.

(Mira's name is a joke, by the way. I decided her name should be Mira and then decided on "Ame" for a surname, because "mira a me" is Spanish for "look at me!" Which is precisely what I want Sam--and every man with a heartbeat--to do. )

I never got much beyond that central idea. I know I'd planned for a part where Sam catches Mira in a gold bikini (and cuffs and collar) giving Richard a lap dance, but I don't know if I ever decided whether that scene was supposed to be a nightmare or if Sam actually caught them doing it.

Now I'm thinking that if there's a third movie (like it's been suggested there might be), they should bring Richard back and give Samantha one last crisis--one that sends her over the edge. I'm thinking a real mindfuck...taking her back, screwing her, acting like they're finally going to settle down...and then really ripping her apart by saying that he doesn't love her after all...that he's been seeing a twenty-seven year old on the side (Mira) and they have a Master/slave relationship in the bedroom and he's already proposed to her. (Or maybe that he's really close to proposing to her...close enough that he can drive a dagger through Sam's heart by showing her the ring.)

I don't know why I want to pull Samantha down so badly. I guess it's just jealousy over Kim and Jamie getting to cuddle and mess around (however fictional) and it makes me want to stick it to Samantha in retaliation.

(Honestly, though, there's no reason to be jealous. You can plainly see in 4.13 that he's not "interested" in her. And I genuinely think that Kim would be happy for us, if the gods brought Jamie and I together.)

I was just having one of those moments where I realized I'm tweeting so much, I might as well blog. So here I go.

In case you didn't know it, Sex and the City started as a book. A really terrible book. I got about three chapters in and couldn't finish it. (Of course, it didn't help that I kept flipping through, looking for signs of Richard Wright, either.) I read the reviews on Amazon after I gave up and it seemed like most people agreed with me, adding that the creators/writers/etc. must have been geniuses to have turned out such a show. (I couldn't agree more. I mean, have you seen Michael Patrick King's new show, Two Broke Girls? It's my new favorite...hilarious!) (I love you, Kat Dennings!)

Since then, Candace Bushnell has written a bunch of other books, including two prequels to SatC--The Carrie Diaries and Summer and the City. Believe me, I would have loved to have read them in order, but the latter came from the library on Cedar and the other one is still coming from the library in Frankenmuth. *sigh*

Anyway, SuatC starts with Carrie fresh out of high school. She's landed a spot in one of The New School's¹ summer writing seminars and it goes on about her struggles with writing (which get better), men, friends who think she's become an egotistical bitch, parties and whether to actually go home and then attend Brown in the fall. It was a pretty interesting read, involving Carrie moving in with Samantha (whom she knows through [Sam's] cousin), meeting and befriending Miranda and--at the very end--meeting Charlotte. Very early hints of the show we know, to be certain. (Turns out that a guy that shows up in season one--possibly even in the pilot--Carrie went to school with. And lost her virginity to.)

Of course, I couldn't help thinking about Richard Wright and what he would have been doing at the time. (The book didn't specify what year it was, just that it was "the eighties".) If Richard is about the same age as Samantha, and Sam was about 24/25...well, it just makes me wonder if he was "finding himself" in the same sort of way the girls were (Sam was in advertising, after all) or if, by that age, he was already halfway to being a hotel tycoon.

"Watching" Carrie work so frantically on her play made me reflect on my writing. Carrie wrote for hours, hardly stopping to go to bed sometimes. Of course, she didn't have to battle medicine-induced fatigue and work her writing around the blare of the television. (It helped that Samantha was in Los Angeles for the entire time she was working on the play.) Nor did she have to worry about taking time out of her writing for homework--writing was her homework. And she didn't have to worry about running out of words, either. After all, Carrie Bradshaw is a fictional character...they can write twelve hours straight without running out of words, because that's the way they were written.

Right now, I have a mental gap between what just happened and the denouement of my book. (Look! I just used "denouement" in a sentence!) I could just tighten up my timeline again (we're currently in mid-May 1228 and the denouement isn't supposed to occur until 1230...it was originally supposed to occur in 1232), but I still feel like I have to have one last scene between the leads before their world comes crashing down. Not like there's any rush, but I'm getting excited--not only to get to the pivotal scene, but to finally move on from part one and write part two.

I definitely have to stop blogging, though...the words are getting jumbled up as they come out of my fingertips.

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¹ If you've never heard of The New School, it's a college in Manhattan, which (I assume) caters to the extremely smart, the extremely talented...and possibly the wealthy. (The girlfriend of a third generation Carradine [G3 = about 1960-1991] graduated from TNS, if that tells you anything.)