Hey Everyone! I hope you enjoyed Chapter 9. A little update on the status of the story: I'm on Chapter 16 right now, so hopefully, I'll be able to get the chapters up quicker. Between Chapter 10 and Chapter 16, there's a really really emotional scene between Jake and Bella, and two really exceptionally hot scenes between Edward and Bella, so all the folks anxious for Jake to disappear, you'll be getting your wish soon. Anyway, thanks for reading.
Here's the teaser for Chapter 10. Enjoy.
"I sat out there for what seemed like hours, pushing the swing back and forth and back and forth. It was freezing, of course, and there was about two feet of snow on the ground, but the cold felt refreshing. It was eye opening, reminding me that this was, in fact, reality and California was still three weeks away. I was lost in my own thoughts, staring at the spot where Jake had been leaning against the porch.
"Hey," came a voice from the sidewalk. I looked up at Rose, holding a bottle of Jack Daniels and my coat. She'd pulled her hair back into a ponytail and thrown on her pajamas and boots before heading over. "You're gonna catch pneumonia," she chastised.
"Does it matter?"
She shrugged and took another step closer, pulling her coat a little tighter around her body and offering mine with her extended arm. "Alone on Christmas Eve?"
I nodded.
"Me too." She looked over to Emmett's house and sighed. "Emmett had some things to do before his mom came to visit tomorrow, so -- he went home."
I nodded again, returning my attention to the empty spot in front of me.
"My parents are in Boca," she explained, taking two steps up onto my porch. "Wanna get drunk?"
Pursing my lips, I looked up at her and smiled. "Ya know, Rose -- I'd say I loved too, but I don't think that would quite cut it."
She nodded her head to the inside of my house and opened the door to walk in. "C'mon. You and I got some talking to do."
Playlist
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Awesome new banner
So I was cruising my friend, Maimu's, site yesterday and came across this awesome Manip that I feel represents LVN. So, I asked if I could have it. And because Maimu is so kick ass, she let me use it. So -- here it is:
Huh? Whatcha think? Anyways, I love it. Look forward to chapter 9 soon. Right now, I'm trying to get Spy Games done. I'm super super close to that as well. Hope things are good.
Huh? Whatcha think? Anyways, I love it. Look forward to chapter 9 soon. Right now, I'm trying to get Spy Games done. I'm super super close to that as well. Hope things are good.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Chapter 9 Teaser
I hope you enjoyed chapter 8, and here's a little taste of Chapter 9. The song for next chapter is "Your Love" by The Outfield.
"We would pretend you were our rescuers, our knights, and one day, you were going to break us free from the prison of her bedroom on the second floor," I admitted. I could feel the faint burn of a blush gracing my cheeks.
"Wow, little girls are creepy."
"Yeah well, we would do that until Rose's mom started babysitting Jake. Then, he made himself the king and insisted I needed no rescuer. That the King would protect me and save me."
"That little shit," Edward added playfully.
"I know, right?" I laughed and looked out the window at the passing car next to me.
"In the land of trapped Princesses, the Kings are the evil step fathers," Edward teased, using a tone that sarcastically suggested it was very common knowledge.
"Yeah, eight year old Jake ruined everything," I joked.
"And a full decade later, nothing much's changed," Edward snorted.
"We would pretend you were our rescuers, our knights, and one day, you were going to break us free from the prison of her bedroom on the second floor," I admitted. I could feel the faint burn of a blush gracing my cheeks.
"Wow, little girls are creepy."
"Yeah well, we would do that until Rose's mom started babysitting Jake. Then, he made himself the king and insisted I needed no rescuer. That the King would protect me and save me."
"That little shit," Edward added playfully.
"I know, right?" I laughed and looked out the window at the passing car next to me.
"In the land of trapped Princesses, the Kings are the evil step fathers," Edward teased, using a tone that sarcastically suggested it was very common knowledge.
"Yeah, eight year old Jake ruined everything," I joked.
"And a full decade later, nothing much's changed," Edward snorted.
Chapter 8 Teaser "The Night That Shall Not Be Spoken Of."
That's when I saw him - across the room, against the staircase. That bronze hair had been gelled back and he was decked out in an expensive looking tuxedo. I was instantly curious. But then I realized what was going on. He was hitting on some stupid tramp dressed up in a playboy bunny costume. She was hot, I could see why he was into her, but that didn't excuse the fact that he'd been avoiding me for a whole month.
"I'll be right back," I murmured to Garrett before taking off in Edward's direction. About halfway there, he met eyes with me, looked down and then leaned into kiss the bunny tramp. I didn't deter from my course. I walked right up to him and pushed him away from her. "What the hell's going on?" I shouted.
"Hey, he told me he didn't have a girlfriend," Bunny-slut interjected.
"I'm not his girlfriend," I bellowed at the same time that Edward yelled, "She's not my girlfriend."
Bunny-slut laughed and looked back and forth between the two of us. "Okay, I'll just give you two a minute," she said before taking off upstairs.
"Great! Real fucking great. Let me know if you plan to cockblock me for the whole night, that way I can go home now," he hissed before taking off toward the front door.
"I'll be right back," I murmured to Garrett before taking off in Edward's direction. About halfway there, he met eyes with me, looked down and then leaned into kiss the bunny tramp. I didn't deter from my course. I walked right up to him and pushed him away from her. "What the hell's going on?" I shouted.
"Hey, he told me he didn't have a girlfriend," Bunny-slut interjected.
"I'm not his girlfriend," I bellowed at the same time that Edward yelled, "She's not my girlfriend."
Bunny-slut laughed and looked back and forth between the two of us. "Okay, I'll just give you two a minute," she said before taking off upstairs.
"Great! Real fucking great. Let me know if you plan to cockblock me for the whole night, that way I can go home now," he hissed before taking off toward the front door.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
LVN Chapter 7 Teaser
Edward butted his cigarette out and stood, stretching out his hand for me to take. Pulling one side of my mouth into a suspicious smile, I grabbed it and stood. He instantly pulled me into him, wrapping his arms around my waist in the process. The sudden closeness made something tighten in my stomach, a surge of current flowing to straight where I wanted the most. I instantly got wet.
"Edward," I murmured, my voice shaky and drench in a tone that suggested he should stop. My mouth was saying one thing, but my body was silently screaming something completely different.
Maybe he knew that because he didn't listen anyway. Our eyes met and he leaned in closer, preparing to kiss me, and God, how I wanted him too. This was something long overdue between the two of us. I literally ached for him, for that electric static between us to fall upon my lips once again. That first time was an accident, meant more to push our significant others closer to the edge.
"No one should have to unkissed on their 18th birthday," he whispered.
"Edward," I murmured, my voice shaky and drench in a tone that suggested he should stop. My mouth was saying one thing, but my body was silently screaming something completely different.
Maybe he knew that because he didn't listen anyway. Our eyes met and he leaned in closer, preparing to kiss me, and God, how I wanted him too. This was something long overdue between the two of us. I literally ached for him, for that electric static between us to fall upon my lips once again. That first time was an accident, meant more to push our significant others closer to the edge.
"No one should have to unkissed on their 18th birthday," he whispered.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Inspiration and Meaning of Summary
LVN started as an idea I had about courtly love, and how no one really writes about it anymore. Sure you have your romance novels with the big, brooding, hunky hero who falls effortlessly in love with his heroine, but Courtly Love seems like it has become a thing of the past, and not even the most recent past. It seems to have drifted into the archaic history of literature in general.
Let me elaborate.
According to wikipedia, "Courtly love was a medieval European conception of nobly and chivalrously expressing love and admiration. Generally, courtly love was secret and between members of the nobility. It was also generally not practiced between husband and wife."
Imagine Guinevere and Lancelot -- the real Guinevere and Lancelot -- not the Richard Gere and Julia Ormond version.
He probably doted on her from afar, perhaps wrote her poems or fancied a dance at the occasional banquet. He may have even thought himself in love with her, regardless of whether he was married or not.
(The Lady of Shallot probably even had her own suitors who doted upon her as well.)
Guinevere might have even given him a scarf or some sort of ornament to hang on the end of his lance with he rode into battle, or the joust, or whatever it was that knightly fellows did. Whether they loved or didn't love each other isn't really the point. The fact remains that there was a connection between them, this unspoken, secret affection. She enjoyed his company, and he, hers. King Arthur probably even knew about it, but as King, what did he have to be worried about? Guinevere wasn't stupid after all. And as a good, probably catholic woman, she would have considered herself a sinner had she constituted an extra-martial affair with Lancelot.
No, their love was completely platonic and has fallen victim to eons of telephone-game history and the overdramatization that Hollywood naturally brings to any good story.
Lancelot may look and dote and adore, but he was never, never to touch.
And even if he did, as Hollywood and several historical authors would have us believe, it was never spoke of again. For there was no way in hell Guinevere could or would give up her post as queen.
To say this only happened one time in history is a severe underestimation. Chaucer, Rossetti, Dante, Fitzgerald, etc, etc, etc. All of these great writers have expressed some form of courtly devotion in their work, whether it be about a knight and a lady, or a childhood friend, or that one that simply got away.
You can't really call it unrequited love, for that is a different concept all together. It implies the love/affection is one sided. Courtly love is quite the opposite. Both parties feel that sweet sting of lust, that obsessive compulsive affection, that stifling yearn for the opposite sex. Both parties know they want it. The point of courtly love is that, for one reason or another, you simply can NOT have it.
Which leads me to La Vita Nuova, named for the famous writings of Dante, who in turn, had his own courtly affair with a beautiful woman named Beatrice. Her untimely death at the age of twenty three left Dante grief stricken and terribly depressed, some argue for the rest of his life. La Vita Nuova is a set of poems, ballads and sonnets written to his beloved and some to her family. They were never lovers, they were never anything more than friends really. But he adored her from the time he first saw her to the time she died, and even afterward.
The title, La Vita Nuova, means The New Life and refers to the life we supposedly assume after death. It was chosen as the title for my story because of the significance of Dante's work within the story itself. It's the cause for this eruption of emotion between the two main characters, who have been the best of friends since they were nine.
In the summary of LVN, I mention two dates: 1997 - 2027. For this is the retelling of Edward and Bella's courtly love, and how it affected them during this time in their life.
If you're looking for a smut filled story where Edward and Bella fuck every other chapter, you may be barking up the wrong tree. Expect UST, expect some angst, expect some heart ache. But above all, expect to riding the roller coaster of life with Bella as she desperately seeks something she simply can not have for one reason or another.
(Sorry for all you youngsters out there that missed out on the X-Files Phenom.)
But let us assume for a second that the stories are true, that Guinevere and Lancelot did do the dirty-dirty behind a curtain at the feast of all feasts when, it is said, Arthur learned the truth. What happened? The king condemned the queen to die and Lancelot took off to god knows where. Then, the battle commences. Arthur goes after him, they duke it out for male dominance, and what? Arthur dies and Guinevere retreats to a convent. She meets with Lancelot only once for the rest of her life. So, even if we take this example and argue that it's not courtly love because the two protagonists end up fucking, we must admit that, according to this version, they do not end up together. They do not get their happily ever after. All because they wanted what they simply could not have.
"We're all going to hell. The people that listen to our music, they're going to hell too. God gave us a great big apple seed, and he said don't touch it. He didn't say touch it every once in a while, he didn't say take a nibble when you're hungry, he said DON'T TOUCH IT! Don't think about touching it, don't sing about touching it, don't think about singing about touching it."
So, after all of my ramblings, you might still be asking -- JENN! Just tell me WTF courtly love is so I can understand your damn story already!
Well -- there's a lot more too it than I can really get into. If, after reading this post, you still don't know, take a gander at "A Knights Tale" by Geoffrey Chaucer. Yes, the language is a bit old and, gosh, is it hard to understand. But you'll get the hang of it. (As much as I love Heath Ledger, god rest his soul, the movie was nothing like the story.) But, if I had to short hand, courtly love can be summed up with a few simple adjectives.
Forbidden Fruit -- most definitely.
Lust -- absolutely.
UST -- you betcha.
But it was more about the romance and affection behind all of this than it was about the sex itself. Sure, that was the main motivator, but times were different back then. A man couldn't just come up to girl and go, "Let me buy you a drink," and expect to get laid.
Back in the day, a guy was lucky if he got a kiss for all of his troubles. (Which leads me to question whether men have gotten lazy or if women have gotten slutty. But I digress.)
No, no, no, there was wooing involved. There was a certain sanctity and respect that came along with courting (wonder where we got that saying, huh? Huh?) a female. A lot of fiction today has gotten away from that.
Which is why we all fell in love with Twilight to begin with, wasn't it? Edward's old fashioned nature and willingness to hold out on the sex until he and Bella were married. What if Bella was already married? Or promised to another? What if her and Jake were already together at the beginning? Would Edward and Bella's love have been any different? Would they have felt something less intense?
I doubt it.
Because, when push comes to shove, when two people are just made for each other, nothing will keep that at bay. Not a marriage, or a boyfriend, or society or whatever other distractions you can think of.
So, that's why I started writing LVN. I had an idea and I went with it. I will tell you that the characters we've come to know and love are OOC, and some of the events are based on my real life. Parties that took place, events that happened, people I knew (know), etc.
Even Edward. Though he may share some traits of canon EC, he is built around my own personal courtly love. The one that got away, the one that -- for whatever reason -- just wasn't meant to be. The one that doted on me, took time to get to know me, was my best friend through and through. But there was never time for us. Things never worked out the way I wanted them too.
Though I loved him madly, and still hold a little flame for him today, he was something I simply couldn't have.
I do encourage you to check out the playlist. I spent a great deal of time working on it, and the songs have definitely influenced the way the story has progressed so far.
In addition, let me know what you think about the banner. I spent a LOT of time working on that too. One of the reasons the next Spy Games chapter took me so long to write was because I was trying to get the banner perfect with the right pictures in it.
One of Edward's hobbies in LVN is photography, and it will DEFINITELY come into play later -- in a big way. The pictures that I chose were not random. They all have some significance to the plot line somehow.
Well, I think that's all I had to say about Courtly Love and it's influence on my writing. There are currently six chapters posted of LVN, and believe it or not, I have six more chapters written. I'm working on chapter 13 as we speak. I did promise to finish Spy Games before publishing any more LVN chappies, so that's my main focus right now -- besides writing this blog, that is.
I hope you've enjoyed my ramblings. Take care of yourself and of your love ones.
Jenn
Let me elaborate.
According to wikipedia, "Courtly love was a medieval European conception of nobly and chivalrously expressing love and admiration. Generally, courtly love was secret and between members of the nobility. It was also generally not practiced between husband and wife."
Imagine Guinevere and Lancelot -- the real Guinevere and Lancelot -- not the Richard Gere and Julia Ormond version.
He probably doted on her from afar, perhaps wrote her poems or fancied a dance at the occasional banquet. He may have even thought himself in love with her, regardless of whether he was married or not.
(The Lady of Shallot probably even had her own suitors who doted upon her as well.)
Guinevere might have even given him a scarf or some sort of ornament to hang on the end of his lance with he rode into battle, or the joust, or whatever it was that knightly fellows did. Whether they loved or didn't love each other isn't really the point. The fact remains that there was a connection between them, this unspoken, secret affection. She enjoyed his company, and he, hers. King Arthur probably even knew about it, but as King, what did he have to be worried about? Guinevere wasn't stupid after all. And as a good, probably catholic woman, she would have considered herself a sinner had she constituted an extra-martial affair with Lancelot.
No, their love was completely platonic and has fallen victim to eons of telephone-game history and the overdramatization that Hollywood naturally brings to any good story.
Lancelot may look and dote and adore, but he was never, never to touch.
And even if he did, as Hollywood and several historical authors would have us believe, it was never spoke of again. For there was no way in hell Guinevere could or would give up her post as queen.
To say this only happened one time in history is a severe underestimation. Chaucer, Rossetti, Dante, Fitzgerald, etc, etc, etc. All of these great writers have expressed some form of courtly devotion in their work, whether it be about a knight and a lady, or a childhood friend, or that one that simply got away.
You can't really call it unrequited love, for that is a different concept all together. It implies the love/affection is one sided. Courtly love is quite the opposite. Both parties feel that sweet sting of lust, that obsessive compulsive affection, that stifling yearn for the opposite sex. Both parties know they want it. The point of courtly love is that, for one reason or another, you simply can NOT have it.
Which leads me to La Vita Nuova, named for the famous writings of Dante, who in turn, had his own courtly affair with a beautiful woman named Beatrice. Her untimely death at the age of twenty three left Dante grief stricken and terribly depressed, some argue for the rest of his life. La Vita Nuova is a set of poems, ballads and sonnets written to his beloved and some to her family. They were never lovers, they were never anything more than friends really. But he adored her from the time he first saw her to the time she died, and even afterward.
The title, La Vita Nuova, means The New Life and refers to the life we supposedly assume after death. It was chosen as the title for my story because of the significance of Dante's work within the story itself. It's the cause for this eruption of emotion between the two main characters, who have been the best of friends since they were nine.
In the summary of LVN, I mention two dates: 1997 - 2027. For this is the retelling of Edward and Bella's courtly love, and how it affected them during this time in their life.
If you're looking for a smut filled story where Edward and Bella fuck every other chapter, you may be barking up the wrong tree. Expect UST, expect some angst, expect some heart ache. But above all, expect to riding the roller coaster of life with Bella as she desperately seeks something she simply can not have for one reason or another.
(Sorry for all you youngsters out there that missed out on the X-Files Phenom.)
But let us assume for a second that the stories are true, that Guinevere and Lancelot did do the dirty-dirty behind a curtain at the feast of all feasts when, it is said, Arthur learned the truth. What happened? The king condemned the queen to die and Lancelot took off to god knows where. Then, the battle commences. Arthur goes after him, they duke it out for male dominance, and what? Arthur dies and Guinevere retreats to a convent. She meets with Lancelot only once for the rest of her life. So, even if we take this example and argue that it's not courtly love because the two protagonists end up fucking, we must admit that, according to this version, they do not end up together. They do not get their happily ever after. All because they wanted what they simply could not have.
"We're all going to hell. The people that listen to our music, they're going to hell too. God gave us a great big apple seed, and he said don't touch it. He didn't say touch it every once in a while, he didn't say take a nibble when you're hungry, he said DON'T TOUCH IT! Don't think about touching it, don't sing about touching it, don't think about singing about touching it."
So, after all of my ramblings, you might still be asking -- JENN! Just tell me WTF courtly love is so I can understand your damn story already!
Well -- there's a lot more too it than I can really get into. If, after reading this post, you still don't know, take a gander at "A Knights Tale" by Geoffrey Chaucer. Yes, the language is a bit old and, gosh, is it hard to understand. But you'll get the hang of it. (As much as I love Heath Ledger, god rest his soul, the movie was nothing like the story.) But, if I had to short hand, courtly love can be summed up with a few simple adjectives.
Forbidden Fruit -- most definitely.
Lust -- absolutely.
UST -- you betcha.
But it was more about the romance and affection behind all of this than it was about the sex itself. Sure, that was the main motivator, but times were different back then. A man couldn't just come up to girl and go, "Let me buy you a drink," and expect to get laid.
Back in the day, a guy was lucky if he got a kiss for all of his troubles. (Which leads me to question whether men have gotten lazy or if women have gotten slutty. But I digress.)
No, no, no, there was wooing involved. There was a certain sanctity and respect that came along with courting (wonder where we got that saying, huh? Huh?) a female. A lot of fiction today has gotten away from that.
Which is why we all fell in love with Twilight to begin with, wasn't it? Edward's old fashioned nature and willingness to hold out on the sex until he and Bella were married. What if Bella was already married? Or promised to another? What if her and Jake were already together at the beginning? Would Edward and Bella's love have been any different? Would they have felt something less intense?
I doubt it.
Because, when push comes to shove, when two people are just made for each other, nothing will keep that at bay. Not a marriage, or a boyfriend, or society or whatever other distractions you can think of.
So, that's why I started writing LVN. I had an idea and I went with it. I will tell you that the characters we've come to know and love are OOC, and some of the events are based on my real life. Parties that took place, events that happened, people I knew (know), etc.
Even Edward. Though he may share some traits of canon EC, he is built around my own personal courtly love. The one that got away, the one that -- for whatever reason -- just wasn't meant to be. The one that doted on me, took time to get to know me, was my best friend through and through. But there was never time for us. Things never worked out the way I wanted them too.
Though I loved him madly, and still hold a little flame for him today, he was something I simply couldn't have.
I do encourage you to check out the playlist. I spent a great deal of time working on it, and the songs have definitely influenced the way the story has progressed so far.
In addition, let me know what you think about the banner. I spent a LOT of time working on that too. One of the reasons the next Spy Games chapter took me so long to write was because I was trying to get the banner perfect with the right pictures in it.
One of Edward's hobbies in LVN is photography, and it will DEFINITELY come into play later -- in a big way. The pictures that I chose were not random. They all have some significance to the plot line somehow.
Well, I think that's all I had to say about Courtly Love and it's influence on my writing. There are currently six chapters posted of LVN, and believe it or not, I have six more chapters written. I'm working on chapter 13 as we speak. I did promise to finish Spy Games before publishing any more LVN chappies, so that's my main focus right now -- besides writing this blog, that is.
I hope you've enjoyed my ramblings. Take care of yourself and of your love ones.
Jenn
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