A Novel in the Works

This is what I’ve been doing instead of blogging. Haha.

I submitted this story into the Fictional class I really wanted to take, but I’ve submitted it too late (not past the due date, though). It was kind of a first come, first serve deal, and I took too much luxury of the time to make it perfect as possible. However, I did get into the class — I just have to wait for some bastard to drop it.

Anyways, if you’d like to read it, I posted it on Figment.com. It’s a little short because I could only limit myself to 15 pages for the application (this was very hard to obey, believe it or not!). I haven’t got too many views or reviews, and I’m starting to think that this website isn’t the best place to have my fiction read (I think the site might be a little too young for me). But feel free to email me suggestions and edits, it’s much appreciated – mmolly@charter.net.

So I hope to finish this book up in a year or two, I have it all down in my head. After going through edits of draft after draft, I might just sell it online as an ebook through Lulu. But I’m thinking too far ahead of things, so don’t take my word on that.

Here’s my summary thus far. The title of the novel is going to make much more sense when I complete the novel (the only people who know how it’s going to end is the fictional writing professor, my best friend and my mother):

Maxine Martin isn’t your average 17-year-old — she’s actually a mortician at her family’s funeral home in a small town of Susanville, California. She enjoys primping corpses for funerals and pulling off their skin, and she’s easily entertained by how much it frightens people. However, Maxine is frustrated that there aren’t any guys that respect her for who she is, until she meets handsome and mysterious 22-year-old Jeremiah Haley.

Maxine falls deep for Jeremiah because he’s the first guy that doesn’t mind having her morgue hands all over him. But she’s too gullible to know that he’s hiding multiple secrets from her; he’s holding hostage of a 7-year-old girl, and could be a clue to his missing family. Maxine knows there’s something suspicious about Jeremiah, but decides to keep it to herself. But little does she know that danger is near, and it’s too late; in following week, Jeremiah and the child are missing.

It’s up to Maxine to find Jeremiah by herself. Throughout her journey, Maxine will realize that Jeremiah’s disappearance put her through many threatening impacts to her life, but she doesn’t give up. Maxine needs to make up for her foolishness of falling in love with a dangerous man, and she might have to commit a serious crime just to do so — with not a soul knowing.

Read a sample/preview here: http://figment.com/books/623962-Casket-Full-of-Lies-novel-preview-

Podcast // Episode 2: Campus Carry, Death Threats at the Capitol

First podcast on my campus carry story! You can also read it here: http://www.foxreno.com/news/news/local/emotions-run-high-both-sides-campus-carry-debate/nXCkx/

by ALEX POMPLIANO

On today’s Weekly Round-Up, we learn more about the emotionally-charged debate over the campus carry bill from Wednesday, as well as the death threats aimed toward Assemblywoman Lucy Flores on Thursday following her statements regarding the abortion she had as a teenager. This episode features Nevada Media Alliance reporter Molly J. Moser and senior editor Jeri Chadwell, with additional audio contributions by Stephanie Glantz.

For related coverage, check out: Emotions Run High on Both Sides of Campus Carry Debate and Assemblywoman Receives Death Threats After Opening Up About Her Abortion.

Listen to more NV Meda Alliance Radio

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My Three New Projects

…this doesn’t mean I’m going to stop blogging. At. All. I know I’m horrible at keeping up at it, but I got some cool things to show you within this upcoming month:

Television Productions 

So I went to Carson City with on Thursday my partner Stephanie. We usually go up to Carson on Wednesdays, but we had to interview Assemblywoman Marilyn Dondero-Loop (D) of District No. 5 (Las Vegas) about SB 182, which allows an all-day kindergarten to take place in Nevada schools. And yes, as I forgot to mention, this is our big story that will turn into a TV package for KNPB Channel 5! Mrs. Dondero-Loop is a Chairman in Health and Human services of Nevada, as well as focusing on major issues on education.

Yesterday, Stephanie and I shot some b-roll at a kindergarten nearby UNR campus, along with interviewing a teacher at one of Reno’s prestigious elementary schools. And then, on Monday, we will be live on UNR’s television program Wolf Pack Week, and discuss the basics about the story we’re reporting. It should be a pretty exciting month, our KNPB package should air sometime in April and I’ll be sure to attach the live interview from WPW when it comes out (it’s on Ustream). After we wrap up our KNPB tv package, Stephanie and I are going to focus on our “enterprise”, a subject we will focus on in the legislature that will have in-depth reporting and audio clips.

My team continues to write wonderful articles as well, and it would be great if you could check out our site and like our Facebook page!

Novel Writing 

For the past couple of years, I’ve been dying to take a fictional writing class. I need to anyway because it’s my minor after all! I was never able to apply because I just didn’t have the time. But now that I do, I can finally work on a project and submit and application.

I have to write a 5 – 15 pages short story on anything! I would love to share my story but I’m incredibly paranoid that somebody will steal my idea. I don’t mean to go off topic, but I a while ago, I was planning to write a novel about a girl during the zombie apocalypse. She would find a zombie that acted unusual than the others; he had feelings and eventually fell in love with her, but she she feared that falling in love with him back would mess up nature’s course of the apocalypse. I waited too long to write that story, and somebody beat me to the theaters with it, called Warm Bodies (which came out to be a really good film). I very much doubt the writer of this movie found my idea, but my point is that I waited too long — and, I don’t want to risk of sharing my idea just yet! 🙂

So, I have to complete this short story of mine before April 17. Wish me luck!

Investigative Feature Story 

For my data journalism class, I’m required to write about any kind of story that involves in-depth reporting, and reporting that makes sense. I have 6 weeks to work on this one. My professor said we could do a series of blog posts for our big project, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do! I haven’t decided if I want to create a new blog specifically for the project or create a new tab on JOURNALISchick (I think that sounds more fun). Anyway, here’s what I’m going to cover:

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) of Nevada is going to allow hydraulic fracturing (aka fracking) in the city of Wells, Nevada (which is about 400 miles away from Las Vegas). Although fracking plays an important role to help develop oil and gas in the United States, it’s caused many health hazards in people and animals. To learn more about fracking, I highly recommend checking out this site: http://www.dangersoffracking.com/

Out here in Nevada, wild mustangs roam the mountains. They’re usually found in eastern and southern Nevada. However, the BLM wants to remove these mustangs from their land and take them to a smaller and managed land in Carson City because “the desert dehydrates them”. This isn’t the case, really. The BLM is coming up with excuses to evacuate these horses from their land so they can start the fracking. Mustangs belong in the desert and I hate to see that they’re messing with nature’s course.

CarsonNow.org has a great collection of articles about this issue: http://carsonnow.org/topics/wild-horses

 

It’s definite that I will be graduating in December, so I’m going to be running around for a while (what else is new?). But this is what I’ll be producing in the meantime.

‘Nother one. 🙂

by PAUL GEORGE & MOLLY MOSER

During the State of the University address on Feb. 7, University of Nevada, Reno President Marc Johnson spoke about Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval’s recommendation for $10 million dollars to be committed for the state’s proposed Knowledge Fund.

The fund would be used to underwrite research at Nevada’s three research institutions — UNR, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the Desert Research Institute. Johnson said the Nevada state government also proposed $800,000 to go toward a Student Achievement Center at UNR, which is expected to be open sometime in late 2015. During the Assembly Ways and Means Committee meeting on Feb. 11, Steve Hill, director of the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development, says that the Knowledge Fund is currently one of the state’s highest priority projects.

The Nevada Legislature passed Assembly Bill 449 in 2011; the Knowledge Fund was a part of that…

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Another story by me and my partner, Stephanie!

by STEPHANIE GLANTZ & MOLLY MOSER

On Wednesday, the Assembly Committee on Health and Human Services discussed Assembly Bill 28, a bill to revise the definition of sentinel events relating to the health and safety of patients.

State Health Officer and Medical Director for Mental Health and Developmental Services, Dr. Tracey Green, testified on the bill with Nevada State Statistician, Jake Kvam and Health Program Manager to the Office of Public Health Informatics, Julia Peek. The current definition of a sentinel event is any unexpected occurrence involving a hospital or healthcare facility in which a patient dies, acquires an infection, or serious physical or psychological injury. Green says AB28 requests a change in definition because terms used in the bill such as “unexpected occurrence” and “risk thereof” are two issues created by the current definition.

“These terms are ambiguous,” Green says. “They are not statutorily defined, therefore, individual facilities and the…

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I loved getting to know this woman — she was very kind and I think she there are a lot of good things ahead for her.

I kinda wish I could do a profile on each lawmaker. But…ain’t nobody got time for that! 😉

by MOLLY MOSER

After a long day of taking care of business as an assemblywoman, 42-year-old Lesley Cohen sometimes likes to pull out her yoga band and stretch her back in her office. Yoga is one of Cohen’s favorite pastimes — it relaxes her and gives her comfort — though she has less time to commit to it, now that she’s arrived in Carson City.

Cohen was appointed to her seat by the Clark County Commission in Dec. 2012 to replace former Assemblywoman April Mastroluca. Prior to that, Cohen says she’d never given thought to pursuing a significant position within the Nevada Legislature.

“Because I was appointed, I didn’t come in here with a list of goals,” Cohen says. “It’s more [like] I’m going to go in and be a good legislator. I want to be a part of the process and be active on the committees.”

As the 2013 legislative…

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The last two weeks have been quite busy and I’ve finally found some action to report on! Here’s a story my NVMA teammate Paul and I wrote on Monday. We’ll be posting a video later.

Visit Paul’s blog: http://renosignal.com/

by MOLLY MOSER & PAUL GEORGE

American Indians from all across Nevada gathered in front of the Legislature building in Carson City on Monday to offer their support for Senate Bill 82, which would prohibit bear hunting in Nevada.

About 50 people participated in the protest— dancing, singing and burning incense around the skull of a black bear. As cars passed the event on South Carson St., drivers honked their horns in support of banners that read: “Stop Killing our Bears” and “Save our Bears.”

Raquel Arthur, President of the Northern Nevada chapter of the American Indian Movement (AIM), says the demonstrators were there to give a voice to the bears. Many American Indians consider the bear to be a sacred animal.

“We’re here to support the bill in hopes that the lawmakers will look out their window and actually see us,” Arthur says.

According to the AIM, the bear is a sacred animal…

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Here is my very first article with the Nevada Media Alliance! I actually wrote this article before I attended the event. Funny thing is, this was also my very first time attending a state legislature event.

When I went yesterday with my partners Paul, Jeri, Riley and Lindsay, I was expecting a whole bunch of people gathered outside of the legislature. The party was actually inside the building.

I felt a little nervous interviewing some people. I studied some faces on the legislature site the night prior, thinking to ask them basic questions like “How’s your first day going?” “How do you think the legislature will turn out for you this year?”

And the answers I get: “I’m not allowed to answer that” or “Optimistic. Hey, one question, one answer!”

I guess it wasn’t the day to do it! I still have some learning to do.

There were a ton of prayers, sing-a-longs, oaths, and colorful flowers and families lighting up the room. It was definitely a day to celebrate than to work. I had to leave for class after the committee reported to Governor Sandoval that the legislature was ready to rock the 77th session.

Can’t wait for this experience to get rolling! I have more to post later today. 🙂

-Molly

by MOLLY MOSER

Attending the opening day of the Nevada Legislature is similar to starting the first day at a new school: there are rules that need to be followed—recesses, meeting and greeting new people, proud family members in awe of your accomplishments, and going over what’s going to happen during the session. Additionally, there are some important and specific details to know before you make an appearance at the first day of the 77^th session, so you have a better understanding of what’s going on. With the help of viewpoints from local reporters who have years of experience covering the legislature, we’ve identified four things that a person should expect when they attend the first day of the Nevada Legislature on February 4.

THE BASICS

The ceremony begins at 11 a.m. inside the legislative building at 401 Carson Street in Carson City.  Make sure to dress formally, because…

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Nevada Legislature is firing up

Last Friday, my media alliance and I got the chance to tour our newsrooms in Carson City and Legislative buildings! I’m so happy that I’m going to be learning about local politics, since it’s something my brain desperately needs to learn (I know that sounds super dramatic, but it’s true!). It’s such a great and new fresh start to my journalism career, and I think this project will be much better organized. I can already feel the guilt and nasty spirits from last semester slowly (but surely) departing from my body.

For the past week, we’ve been preparing ourselves to become superstar legislative reporters. I believe tomorrow we’re going to figure out mini groups to go to Carson together, so we all have a chance to cover something each week. We just launched our website Monday and some of us have assigned stories already, like me.

I’m hoping to (and still trying to) cover Assembly bill no. 42 by the end of this week. AB42 establishes the Nevada Cyber Institute throughout the Nevada System of Higher Education. The NCI will provide courses that is going to practice techniques of cyber security. If this bill passes, this institute will be offered throughout most universities, community and state colleges in Nevada.

Since it’s uncertain that this bill is going to pass and since the Nevada Legislature is getting ready to start on February 4th, everybody in the State offices are running around like nuts (or, more appropiately, traveling to cities back and fourth and preapring as well). Therefore, it’s very difficult to get a hold of people for interviews, on top of classes which one of them requires me to read a 39 chapter book by Kate Chopin before Monday. However, my data journalism class is my perfect companion for this project since I’ll be learning how to hardcore stalk and access information. My first assignment a few weeks ago was to acess personal information about a local public figure (our professor purchased an Intelius report for each student in the class!).

So I’m feeling a bit down in the dumps right now, possibly feeling a hint of failure because I was unable to speak to my sources before the end of this week. However, I will put a band-aid on this temporary fail, and see what the hell I can do about it tomorrow.

Since I’m back into the swing of things with writing essays and serious objective articles, my mind is trying to resist to use my voice in my writing since it’s, like, FORBIDDEN in most school work…

I’m just sitting here on the thrid floor of the library, taking glances at my phone, hoping  somebody will at least return one of my calls. I’m sitting in between two people who are studying, possibly annoying them with my loud typing skills. So with the weekend coming up, I have so many plans and so many things to complete and cover. Eventually, I get where I want to be with this blog. No way am I giving up!

-Molly