"Nothing's ever promised tomorrow, today."

"You are today where your thoughts have brought you. You will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you. What do you think?"

"The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me."

The Websites:

Do you like steampunk? You might like my most recent published novel, The Queen of England: Coronation.

Join the new venture for my upcoming adult works, to be published under the pen name, Ann Benjamin. Books published for Ann include Room 702 and Life After Joe.

I've joined Tumblr and started a blog dedicated to marching arts photography. Would love a follow!

The e-books of The Line series, Confessions of a Teenage Band Geek, and Major Pain are only $2.99 (or less) each on Amazon! (Plus, the Kindle app is a free download).

I'm on Twitter and Instagram.

The Artwork (I welcome and encourage any and all artwork inspired by my writing - this is a sample):

The Trampoline scene from Keeping in Line!

A scene from Chapter 4 of Rough Seas - shirtless Zuko!!

Strong Enough - from the short story with the same name

Halloween - from the short story with the same name

Judge Bowling with Julia McCoy (from Crossing the Line)

The Line uniform designs

The Videos:

My youtube account (all videos, reviews, and trailers for my work)

My vimeo account

The Vitals:

AIM: CBrandtwright

Location: Dubai, UAE - it's hot! (it's about 8,000 miles away from the continental US)

Family: Hubs and a very old cat

Favorite fictional characters: Max Fisher (Rushmore), Elizabeth Warrington Ray (Betsy from Maud Hart Lovelace's series)

What I do? Call me a Jill of All Trades.

Finally, I DO OWN The Line, A Fine Line, Keeping in Line, The Line Up, Crossing the Line (now titled and published as Confessions of a Teenage Band Geek), Major Pain and Take One! at Mulholland Creek (with Susie). All of my stories/concepts have been officially registered with the WGAw. So, if you would like to post any of the story on your website, etc. just be sure to give me credit. I'm flattered at the response of my characters and stories, but I do work hard to produce them. Obviously, if you have ANY connection to a literary agent or publisher, help an author out!

The Books (in case you want to read them in order):

0.5 Mistletoe

1. The Line

2. A Fine Line/Bachata

3. Tie

4. Keeping in Line / Untitled

5. Going it Alone (by Nobody's Lenore)

6. The Guard (by Nobody's Lenore)

7. Halloween

7.5 Joyeux Noel

8. Bittersweet Seventeen/Walking Away (this is exactly the necklace referenced!!)

8.5 Strong Enough

9. The Line Up/Line Up Alts 23 and 26/Correspondence

10. The Art of Sound (co-written with Somewei and featuring Vanessa from Want)

11. Rock Show

12. The Art of Music (co-written with Somewei and featuring Vanessa from Want, on extended hiatus)

13. Crossing the Line (not technically in the BHS world...but there are a few crossovers - working with a new title, Confessions of a Teenage Band Geek)

14. Major Pain

(works in bold are in progress - Drabbles, 30 Kisses, Quarter Notes, and Quotes are ongoing projects)

How do I Ship?

Zutara forever!! Inuyahsa/Kagome, Mina/Kunzite, Kara/Lee, Elena/Damon, Reylo

I am in serious need of a beta/editor/idea person for my non-marching band stories. If you have any interest in helping me finish Through the Looking Glass or want to make Rough Seas or The Greatest Generation better, let me know!

Genres I would still like to attempt: Samurai Champloo, the world of Tamora Pierce, BSG, Hunger Games, Inception

Character vitals: in case you want to use them for anything... (a work in progress)

(L) Lucy (Elizabeth) Karate - the queen bee and my fictional self (or, at least how I wanted to be circa about ten years ago). Lucy stands 5'3" with brown hair and green eyes. She is petite, but muscular (all those push ups and running around on the field) and loyal to a fault. Her family consists of two parents, a younger brother, Craig, and a pug, Pam. In addition to playing bass drum (her junior and senior years), she has played oboe since she was in 6th grade, and is first chair in the top band. Lucy has a weird sense of humor, is fiercely loyal, and kind of a smart ass. Once in college, she finds her calling as a bar/club manager. Her relationships vary (Nevada, Sam, Wes, and Joe), and it isn't until Jerm's reappearance in her life that Lucy finds someone she wants to hang around for. Lucy's growth isn't as pronounced as Bronwyn's because she has a good sense of who she is, and doesn't change too much from when you meet her as a 16 year old. Lucy appears in: The Line, A Fine Line, Keeping in Line, The Line Up, and has a cameo of sorts in Confessions of a Teenage Band Geek.

I recently created a Polyvore clothing set for her - just so you can see Lucy's fashion sense.

Favorite song: Stone, DMB, second only to her favorite cadence

If I were a casting agent, I would want Ellen Page to play Lucy.

(C) Bronwyn (Margaret) Flueger - two words: talented percussionist. Every instrument she picks up - she is almost an instant pro at. Bronwyn is 5'1" with scarlet slightly curly hair, freckles, and blue gray eyes, and definitely doesn't look like a typical drummer. Her favorite marching instrument is snare drum, and it is where she feels the most comfortable. While Lucy has other attributes she defines herself through, Bronwyn is happy to be classified as a percussionist. She cannot imagine a life without music, and time and time again, it's what keeps her sane. She experiences a lot of growth from when we first meet her in A Fine Line, to the young woman she becomes in The Art of Music. There are nuances in her personality that should make it easy to understand what year or phase of her life she's in, and it should be noted when Tony speaks with her, he almost exclusively refers to her as "Flueger." Unlike Lucy, when Bronwyn falls for someone, she falls deeply, and almost completely. A relationship is something she takes very seriously. Bronwyn appears in A Fine Line, Keeping in Line, The Line Up, The Art of Sound, The Art of Music, Want, and Chasing Victory.

Personal quote: "Butterflies and flowers look delicate, but are surprisingly strong"

This is exactly how I picture Bronwyn when she's older...

Bronwyn's Polyvore set.

Julia McCoy - the flirtatious drum set player. The SoCal blonde junior is fashion aware and not afraid to let you know how she feels. Desperate to be in a successful rock band, Julia spends a lot of her time promoting her band, Beans and Cornbread. She is a talented quint player, but content to keep her balance on and off the field. She is a bit flaky, but infatuated with all things marching band. Denny is currently the light of her life and also her first long term relationship. Julia is an only child. After watching Hayley from the real band Paramore, I often think of her when I'm writing Julia. I think they would be good friends in real life. Julia is taller than the Line girls - 5'7" - and is closer to Lucy's build. One thing to note is her 'voice' is in present tense (or, at least, it should be).

Song lyric: "Oh, I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair."

Julia's Polyvore set.

(DM) Rigby (Eleanor) Sullivan - the dedicated senior. Twin to Jude, Rigby is 5'8" with a softball player's physique. A former bass drummer, Rigby didn't realize her calling until recently, and is now the proud drum major of the Parktown Pirates. Currently, she is torn between love and duty... She can't deny the feelings she has for her band's instructor, Ned "North" Buchanan, but also is worried about what or how the relationship would impact her position. Previous to her attraction to North, she dated Everett (another senior) starting her freshman year. (I'm still getting to know Rigby, so this is a bit of a work in progress). Appears in Major Pain and Flip Flop.

Random fact: Jude is older by 7 minutes.

Antony "Tony" (Paul) Clarke - tall with dark hair, Tony is everything opposite to the tiny Bronwyn. Of course, they weren't always so different. In A Fine Line, the two freshmen were probably close to the same size, but between the next two books, and ending in The Line Up, Tony reaches his full height of 5'11." Tony is like Bronwyn in that they are both dedicated to being the best drummer they can be. He has a difficult time admitting when he is wrong, and more than once his mouth has gotten him into trouble. He's outwardly cocky, but inside he is sometime conflicted with who people perceive him to be. Like Bronwyn, Tony's development between his first appearance in A Fine Line until his later self, most especially in The Line Up is intense. It takes him the better part of four years, but eventually he does turn out okay. Much of Tony and Bronwyn's friendship is developed during their junior year, which has not been written yet, or is being discussed in the drabbles.

Random fact: Tony hasn't missed a day of school since third grade.

Wesley "Wes" Mallinson - a younger David Beckham with the skills to match. Wes is a bit confused at what being an American high school senior means, but quickly finds out. On both sides of the pond, he has never met anyone quite like love interest Lucy Karate. Post-A Fine Line, he heads back across the Atlantic to try his luck at Premier League Football. Wes is intelligent, a bit reserved, but caring and compassionate. Appears in A Fine Line, is mentioned in Keeping in Line.

Random fact: Wes plays the 'striker' position on the soccer team.

(L) (Mark) Thomas "Tom" Finnegan - Lucy's best male friend. He is similar in looks to her, so much so that people have mistaken them for brother and sister (except Tom has darker brown hair and brown eyes). The pair's unlikely friendship started when they were both in Pit in 9th grade. Lucy had never met anyone like Tom, and Tom thought Lucy was cute. They have inside jokes that no one else gets, and he has always been her steady companion. There is NO romantic element to their feelings. Tom is a classic procrastinator and holds a C average. He has a sense of humor like Dane Cook. I actually debated whether or not to make him gay!

If I was casting - this guy is my perfect Tom!!

Personal quote: Everyone loves a clown.

(DM) Andrew "Drew" (Bartholomew) O'Malley - the consummate drum major. Drew is everything you think about when you think about a drum major. He is a natural leader, a decent horn player, tall, commanding, and at the heart of many an underclassmen in the marching band. With shaggy blonde hair, and sparkling blue eyes, it's not difficult to see why. Drew is a freshman when Lucy is a sophomore, and a senior when Bronwyn is a sophomore. He has an older brother Joe (Joseph) who ends up being a paramour of Lucy when she is at college.

Random fact: Considered joining the Marines before he decided on college.

(C, I) Samuel "Sam" (Benton) Powell - Captain of the South Washington HS Drum Line. Sam is a senior when Lucy is a junior, and is at about the same technical skill as one time friend and former rival Jerm. He follows the same trend as Jerm, and returns to instruct his former Line.

(C, I) (Spence) Jeremiah "Jerm" Stanford - Captain of the Forrest Hills Drum Line, Spence is in the same class as Sam. He is a senior when Lucy is a junior, and Bronwyn is in 8th grade. Besides playing snare drum, and dating Mandy for a time during the Line, Spence returns to his former high school as an Instructor, and ends up taking the group to PASIC when Bronwyn is a senior.

Song lyric: "It goes to show you never can tell."

(I) Ned "North" Buchanan

(L) Dennis "Denny" Napoleon - as Julia describes him he bears a resemblance to Chris Carraba, and has different colored eyes. He has the build of an athlete and used to play football in middle school. In Crossing the Line he is a tenor drummer, and the section leader. He has an older brother. Saw this guy on DA and thought he was a close fit to how I picture Denny. Thoughts?

(C) Myron McDaniel - Myron actually shows up in both The Art of Sound and The Line Up, before taking a lead role in Crossing the Line. He is a junior while Bronwyn and Tony are seniors (circa The Line Up). He is probably the most competitive of all of my characters and takes discipline very seriously and goes exclusively by his last name. He is a snare drummer.

(L) (Brent) Nevada Petersen - this is EXACTLY what I think he looks like!

(C) Jackson Noble Giordano III - Captain of the South Washington drum line during Bronwyn's senior year, The Line Up

C- Captain
L - Lieutenant
DM - Drum Major
I - Instructor

If you've read this far - good for you. Besides writing, the other thing I love to do is jump! I encourage you to do the same. :)

C