The LAAAAAST Beautiful People

Linking up with Cait and Sky's LAST Beautiful People. *sheds a few tears* I've never been quite consistent with these, unless they have a specific theme (Your NaNo novel, a villain, love interests), but I'm still sad to see it go. It seems that all the great linkups have died away. (Sidewise glance at Character Encounters ... of which I've not done one since the last Indie e-Con.)

So, anyway. Some of these questions are general to my writing, and some are specific to a book/character. So, for the specific questions, I'm going with my upcoming release, The Worth of a King, cycling through its characters.

1. Favorite genre to write in?
   Fantasy. Hands down and without a doubt.
2. What book (a real actual published book!) do you think your character would benefit from reading?
   I'm debating between giving Obsidia the Bible and giving Delaney the Constitution. Each for reasons that I don't feel like disclosing.
3. Favorite piece of dialogue you’ve written?
   I have no particular favorite ... because I love a LOT of my dialogue - but this is a bit that I especially love:
   
   
   WELL then, my dear Sidi,” said Delaney, dropping a stack of books onto the table in front of Obsidia and winking. “I know that your girls are no doubt itching to catch us doing something scandalous, but such is not our way.”
   Obsidia fought a blush as she picked up the top book from the stack. “The Life of Queen Katina,” she read, and a grin pulled at her lips. “Oh, Del, you know me too well.”
   “Queen Katina’s situation was not unlike your own,” Delaney remarked, taking the next book from the stack and sitting down in the chair opposite her. “She was also the daughter of an assassinated king and chose to marry the son of the man who’d killed her father. She later ruled as regent for her son after her husband’s death.”
   “It is often speculated that she poisoned him,” Obsidia mentioned, as she opened her book.
   “Indeed, you’ve mentioned that fact before,” said Delaney, cracking open his book, a massive tome of law that made Obsidia shudder. He glanced up with a raised eyebrow. “Is this a subtle hint that I should worry for my own life?”
   She shook her head, smiling playfully. “If I killed you, who would handle the politics? I’m in charge of history, you have law. Remember?”
   Delaney gave a laugh. “Ah, good. I can now sleep easy at night knowing that I am so essential to you.”
   Obsidia shrugged. “I hate politics.”
4. What did your character want to be when they grew up, and what did they actually become?
   Adrian wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and become the village printer ... but then he found out on his eighteenth birthday that he was actually the son of the late king and had to go win back his rightful throne. Does he succeed or not? Well, that's kiiiinda the point of the book.
5. Favorite character name(s)?
   Um, apparently Richard and William. And Richard William. I have an embarrassingly high number of characters by those names spread across. Fortunately, there aren't any by those names in Worth. Well ... except ... spoiler.
6. What makes your character feel loved, and who was the last person to make them feel that way?
   Obsidia feels loved when she feels safe. Unfortunately, it's been a long time since she's last felt that way. Delaney tries, and she appreciates that, but he has his father hanging over him.
7. Favorite character you’ve ever written?
   Maryanne of my Bookania Quests. But Laura the Doorkeeper gives her a run for her money. She might win out, save for the fact that Maryanne is jealous of the position and has ways to get her way....
8. If your character were permanently leaving town, what would they easily throw out? What would they refuse to part with? (Why?)
   Well, when Nadilynn skips town, she only takes with her a necklace that had belonged to her mother. Her mother had died at her birth, she's insecure about that, and it's the only thing she has connecting her to her mother.
9. Favorite tropes to write!
   Rebellious Princesses (I love giving swords to my ladies), reverse-rebellious princesses (I love giving swords to the ladies who don't want them), arranged marriages, prophecies, chosen ones, and a number of others that I'm not calling off the top of my head.
10. Which story has your heart and won’t let go?
    At the moment, it's The Worth of a King, though Honor: A Quest In, the fourth volume of my Bookania Quests, is also making a desperate vie.
11. Favorite relationship between characters you’ve written?
    Ooooooh, boy. Relationships are my favorite part of writing, and even just in The Worth of a King, I can't pick any one relationship out. Let's just go with Reuben and Petra of the Rizkaland Legends. They're best friends first and then a couple, and they have a telepathic link that has been such fun to explore.
12. Toni Morrison once said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” What are the books that you want to see more of, and what “holes” do you think need filling in the literary world?Ooh. Good question. I'm not a "this is a hole, let me fill it" sort of person. I'm more "this is an idea that excites me, let me make it happen." I'm always down for a good fairy tale retelling ... how about retellings for the obscure tales? I love pulling out old gems and showing them off.
13. Favourite pinterest board / aesthetic for a book?I have a lot of boards. Lots of gorgeous boards. But right now I'm going to go with the character aesthetic board that I have for Laura. She's the only individual character to have a board all to herself. Something that Maryanne is jealous of, but Maryanne didn't overgrow her series. Anywho.
14. Favourite time periods & settings to work with?
    I gravitate towards Medieval. But, honestly, I like my settings high-concept and unique.
15. When people are done reading your book, what feeling do you want them to come away with?
    I want them to come away encouraged by the scope of God's power, and the depth of His love. 

Lookit my Goooooorgeous Writing

Okay, first all - I'm taking part in the Christian Indie Authors Black Friday Sale again this year - and we're looking for bloggers. Bloggers to help share the awesome news about this awesome sale. Bloggers who will each get FIVE awesome ebooks of their choice (well, we'll have a list, but they'll get to choose FROM that list).

Wanna peek at all of the Awesome Authors who will be featuring awesome discounts this year?

So, you're probably thinking to yourself ... How can I get to be one of those awesome Bloggers?

WELL. 

It's easy. All you have to do is go fill out this quick and easy form right here. 

Now, onto the regularly scheduled programming.

Beautiful Books, writing edition. Hosted by Cait and Skye.

I'm doing The Worth of a King for NaNo this year. Yes, feel free to go add it to your Goodreads bookshelves.


Overall, how is your mental state, and how is your novel going?

Well, I am still alive even though I've already hit 30,000 words. Finished part 2 last night. I have twenty-one chapters left to write. And maybe an epilogue. I'm still debating on whether or not I'll include the scene that bridges it to Rizkaland. 

What’s your first sentence (or paragraph)?

Of the book?

A Queen sat on a balcony in her castle, various instruments for measurement scattered about her, mixed in with the notes she was taking.

Of what I'm writing for NaNo?

Obsidia cried herself to sleep as they flew through the night.

Who’s your current favorite character in your novel?

At the moment, that prize goes to Nadilynn, Delaney's younger sister, who's the most reckless ray of sunshine you ever met. However, Laura's showing up in a few chapters ... and Laura's one of my favorite characters period, so...

What do you love about your novel so far?

Pretty much everything about it. Well, except the fact that Jack had to drop out of the cowrite ... but, hey, that means I get to write the whole thing My Way. But - twisty plot, dynamic characters, epic worldbuilding, this book has everything I love in it.

And we have a pre-evil Amber and a pre-mopey Granite. My dear babies.

Have you made any hilarious typos or other mistakes?

I found a really weird one two days ago ... but I forget where it was. I let you know when I get to the editing stage in January.

What is your favorite to write: beginning, middle, or end — and why?

You asked us this one last year. I'm not answering it again. I like writing the post-book snippets best. HOWABOUTTHAT.

What are your writing habits? Is there a specific snack you eat? Do you listen to music? What time of day do you write best? Feel free to show us a picture of your writing space!

Writing habits? Um, I've been writing for twelve years, and I've as yet to figure out what that word means, apart from my habit of making characters disappear and everyone forget them - WHICH DOESN'T HAPPEN IN THIS BOOK, I PROMISE. (it's just a recurring theme that has cropped up in three of my books so far.)

How private are you about your novel while you’re writing? Do you need a cheer squad or do you work alone (like, ahem, Batman)?

I definitely need a cheer squad. Here, have a snippet and cheer me on - 

True to Christa’s word, though, the next morning, the print shop door swung open and the two girls walked in. Christa was all smiles. Zidi was as reserved as always.

“Zidi admitted this morning that she’s not been by, not once since she came to live with you guys,” Christa announced, loudly, as she skirted around and inched up to Adrian’s side. “What are you working on today?”

“Important notices that Lord Havink has issued,” Adrian admitted, as he arranged the pieces of movable type in the frame. “Nothing half so exciting as a new book, but sometimes you have to take the less exciting jobs. Besides, it’s only one page, so it won’t take but a few hours, and most of that is waiting for the ink to dry.”

“What’s the notices for?” Christa further prompted. “Are any of them at all exciting?”

“Reminders to pay taxes, notes of three desperate criminals on the loose, and then some bits about the spring festival,” Adrian admitted. “Apparently, Lord Havink is going all out this year. Then again, I believe he does every year, so it’s nothing new.”

“Why are all of the letters and words backwards?”

Adrian almost jumped out of his skin as he realized that Zidi had snuck up and was standing on his other side. He held his dignity, however, and managed a small smile. “Because if they were the right way around, then the letters and words would all be backwards when we put them on the paper.”

“Oh.” She tilted her head to the side a moment as she stared at the type, then gave a small nod. “That does make sense. Woodcuts are always backwards when you print them, after all.”

“And the printing press is just a flexible woodcut,” Adrian agreed, giving her a small smile as he continued to slide the movable type into place.

“How do you know that you have the letters in the right place?” Zidi asked.

Adrian pointed to the hand-written letter that he’d laid out on the desk beside him. “Also, I can read backwards almost as well as forward, anymore.”

What keeps you writing even when it’s hard?

The knowledge that people are going to read what I write and love it. They can't love it if it says in my head, you know.

What are your top 3 pieces of writing advice?

Sit down. Pick up your pen. Make words. 

And am I the only one who's just a liiiiiiitle bit annoyed that they're just asking the same questions year after year for these things? It'd not be bad if the questions were mostly about the SPECIFIC BOOK that I'm writing, but half of these are about my WRITING PROCESS, and that doesn't change THAT much from year to year. 

Seriously, the editing questions need have some interesting ones among them, or I'm not participating. *humphsothere* The first year or two of Beautiful books, they had good questions ABOUT MY BOOK. Not generalities about my writing. Anywho.

My Beautiful Writing Process

Hello! Just popping in to link up with Cait and Skye's Beautiful People this month.

And, for those of you wondering why I've suddenly become so posty this month after a couple months of near-silence ... it's cause I'm a week from my blogoversary and (now) only three posts away from my 1000th post, and I'm trying VERY hard to make it so I can have my 1000th post ON my blogoversary. If this happens, there will be a giveaway. Of a sort. Feel free to suggest prizes, because I'm not sure yet what I want to giveaway.

1. How do you decide which project to work on?
   It's frequently whim and whichever project is talking to me at a given moment ... but as a published author, I'll admit that "whatever needs to be published next" is also a huge influence on my decision.
2. How long does it usually take you to finish a project?
   It depends on the project's length, my inspiration, and how distracted I might be. So anywhere from a few months to eleven years.
3. Do you have any routines to put you in the writing mood?
   Um, I don't think so. It either happens or I make it happen.
4. What time of day do you write best?
   Typically night. I'll write anytime or anywhere, though. Just put a pencil or other writing implement in my hand.
5. Are there any authors you think you have a similar style to?
   I have no idea. I just ran a number of my first chapters of my currents WIP's through the "I Write Like" website, though, and consistently got Agatha Christie. And The two times I didn't, it was Anne Rice. So ... draw what you will. (Is this a sign that my writing style is solidifying? Because the last time I did a first chapter spin with that site, I never got the same author twice.)
6. Why did you start writing, and why do you keep writing?
   I started writing because it's the Socially Acceptable Thing To Do when you have stories in your head. And I keep writing for much the same reason. It's just now I have a reputation to keep up. You know, being published and all.
   
   
7. What’s the hardest thing you’ve written?
   I'm ... actually drawing a bit of a blank on this one. I have this thing where I delete all recollection of painful writing experiences, much like any woman after they give birth. It was probably also a mundane low-emotion scene because those are torture to write.
   
   
8. Is there a project you want to tackle someday but you don’t feel ready yet?I have hundreds of these. Yeah, someday I shall write my historical fantasy retelling of the Sleeping Beauty. The one where Henry II is the prince. (I think it's Henry II. The dad of Richard the Lionheart and Prince John, at any rate. He had a mistress named Rosamond.)
9. What writing goals did you make for 2017 and how are they going?
   Going back to my first post of the year, I find:"Mostly Worth and LaM, as I need to finish both this books this year. I'd been hoping to be able to publish Worth this year, but it's not going to happen. Now I'm hoping for early next year. LaM is going to need two drafts (although it's turning out to not be as messy as I'd wanted it to be, so maybe not ...), and I'm hoping for a September/October publication following Worth. (Worth will come first, any way we slice it.)
   
   I also plan to finish three short stories and get them published - "Poison Kiss," "Gift Exchange," and "Saffron's Even Bigger Plan."
   
   Oh, and I have two new co-author plans on my plate, both involving Laura. No details on either, as we speak, but stay tuned."
   
   So far, it looks like I will finish Worth, but LaM isn't going to happen. Worth will likely be my fall release of 2018. One of the three short stories will be released next month, but the other two might still not get written. I have instead decided to focus on polishing all of my old books, and I'll be releasing revisions of Take and Kingdom instead. 
   
10. Describe your writing process in 3 words or a gif!
    
    

Beautiful Books: All According to Plan...

So Round 2 of Beautiful Books questions have been issued, so answer them I shall. Mwahaha.

(It's hosted by Cait and Skye, by the by, if you want to go link up.)

(Oh, and in case you were wondering, I'm writing ROCKS, the first volume of my Superhero Dystopia trilogy.)

1. Overall, how is your mental state, and how is your novel going?

Boing, boing, boing... Um, I'm not as exhausted as I was the first few days, so that's good.  The hardest part is that we've had to send my sister to our grandparents' house for an undetermined amount of time and I've been having to do her chores as well as my own. It's going to get interesting.

I started NaNo with 7,500 words already written, and I've added almost 10,000 as of right now. Yesterday was my best day thus far with 3,500 words, while Wednesday was my worst with less than a thousand. (But I did get to do some driving practice and I put in a job application, so it wasn't an unsuccessful day)

Also, I might have decided to completely rearrange the series and take out Lavalight's story and add a third book at the end instead. We'll see.

What’s your first sentence (or paragraph)?

You can read the opening chapter here if you'd like. It needs a serious rewrite, though.

Who’s your current favourite character in your novel?

Probably Myr, Roxanne's Electrokinetic, blue-haired roommate. Who is currently explaining to Roxanne why she can't use Diamondz - a comic book hero that William, Roxanne's best friend from back home, created - as her villainous persona. And why she needs to wear black armor.

What do you love about your novel so far?

All the fun characters with all the fun powers. The concept of heroes and villains being forced into their roles by an oppressive school/government, rather than them choosing for themselves. 

Have you made any hilarious typos or other mistakes?

Me? Make typos? What ludicrousy is that? Apart from me consistently misspelling "lose" as "loose."

What is your favourite to write: beginning, middle, or end — and why?

Endings. Because then you're done. I've written a lot of beginnings, with all their pressure to get them just right, and I've gotten stuck on a lot of middles. Endings are a special treat of doneness that I rarely get to savor.

What are your writing habits? Is there a specific snack you eat? Do you listen to music? What time of day do you write best? Feel free to show us a picture of your writing space!

My brain is crazy and tries to focus on everything except writing. I like to take frequent breaks to run around the yard like a crazy person. I don't often eat while writing, or listen to music. Most of my writing is done in the evening as I crunch it out before midnight. Sorry, no pictures. 

How private are you about your novel while you’re writing? Do you need a cheer squad or do you work alone (like, ahem, Batman)?

I'm not terribly private at all. Here - have a snippet.

   Tournaments were on Saturday, and lasted the whole day. It was, simply put, a war. The principle was the same as their daily afternoon practices, and was in the same room – the heroes had the room to practice in the mornings – but on a much larger scale because there were twice the people and the heroes brought completely different powers to the table.

   Susan refused to listen to listen to Roxanne and send her after Riley. Nor did she take the other logical option of having Roxanne build fortifications with her rock powers. Nope, she had Roxanne guarding prisoners. Roxanne made a steel box for them and sat on it.

   Her brother, it appeared, had been put in charge of building the other team’s forts, and Roxanne knew, from looking at the wooden buildings he was putting together, that the other villains weren’t going to get in easily. Yodel knocked a few down with his the yodels he took his name from, but Riley quickly learned and started adding extra fortification.

   He had limited materials, though. While there were some plotted plants scattered about whose growth he accelerated, most of the structures were made out of a large supply of wooden planks.

   Roxanne, on the other hand … well, they were in a mountain. Simply put, she had access to all the rock in the world. If Susan had played her cards right, she could have a fortress that would have put any and all that Riley was building to shame – especially given how well Roxanne was doing in the school, and how many bonuses she had won as a result.

  And it wasn’t even as though she had a lot of prisoners to guard. One smallish first-year girl whose power was turning into a bird, and who had been caught by a fourth-year whose power was flight.

And I need a cheer squad, definitely.

What keeps you writing even when it’s hard?

My cheer squad.

What are your top 3 pieces of writing advice?

Get a cheer squad.

Have a plot.

Have a character whose head you don't mind being in.

Beautiful Books - My Devious Plans

Whelp. You guys voted, and the results were quite clear. clocking in with half of the votes, ROCKS won by a landslide. I think I'll go rebel on it and just keep going from where I am, because I just started a new chapter and it'll be easy to go from there.

So I'm going to do the Beautiful Books tag run by Cait and Skye.

What inspired the idea for your novel, and how long have you had the idea?
Once upon a time, I was a bit obsessed with roleplaying on the NaNo forums ... and one of the roleplays I participated in was a Superhero boarding school where the students were arbitrarily sorted into hero and villain, paired up with sidekicks, and they just had to lump with what they got. I had Maryanne and her younger brother in as my characters ... but the roleplay fizzled out and I kinda forgot about it.

Except that I had created some backstory for Maryanne's parents, moving the story of Sew, it's a Quest into a superhero world. And I liked that backstory. I'd been looking forward to sharing it, but hadn't been able to because of the roleplay fizzling out.

One Sunday - I distinctly remember it being a Sunday - the idea was being particularly annoying, just rolling over, and over in my head. I wanted to write that backstory. Only problem was, if I was going to write is a completely new book, it'd need new names for the characters. Robin and Robert became Roxanne and Riley. Eric became William. Rosamond became ... well, I'm still bouncing through ideas on her, though I think I've finally settled on Lily. Or Fern.

Anywho. This plot idea has been rolling around in my head for ... almost five years, I think.

Describe what your novel is about!

It's about a girl with rock-manipulation superpowers who has to go to HaV Academy, where she is typed into villain because her hobby is building torture chambers for her dad. She ain't happy about it - not that she wanted to be a hero, too much limelight - but has no choice but to plot and scheme and fight her brother - her assigned hero. And she's good at plotting and scheming.

Superhero boarding school dystopia.

What is your book’s aesthetic? Use words or photos or whatever you like!

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Have ... have I really pinned nothing bright for this story? There's some stuff for the next two books...

But it's not all dark, I promise you. Nothing can be completely dark with Riley around...

Just ... Roxanne is a very black and white person to me, and it bleeds through to the pictures I pin for her story.

Introduce us to each of your characters!

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Roxanne is titular main character and sole POV (to my knowledge, thus far, at least. I don't foresee Riley demanding POV, but both William and Fern/Lily are making noise about wanting some voice. We'll see how it goes.) Her "official" power is rock manipulation (though to be more accurate, she controls anything non-organic), and she very much resembles the cold stone she controls. Her hair is black, her skin is pale, and her eyes are gray. She's cold and calculating, and only opens up to a few of her closest friends, and even then ...

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Riley is Roxanne's twin brother. His official power is plant manipulation, though truthfully, he can control anything organic - plantlife is just easier for him. (He can heal, for instance, but depending on the extremity of the injury, it's very draining on him.) Most people give a second glance when they find out that he and Roxanne are siblings - they're both element controllers, and their powers override their DNA when it comes to their appearance. He has brown hair, a perpetual tan, and leaf-green eyes. He's open and carefree, the life of the party - and a dashing hero known as the Plant Master who doens't mind a bit of well-earned praise.

I ... I can't seem to find a picture for Willaim, Roxanne's childhood best friend. He's one of the few people she trusts unconditionally ... but since he's a civilian and she's a superhero ... it kinda puts a strain on her ability to tell him everything. But he's a quiet, creative young man who never knew his father and whose mother ... is a few marbles short. His dream is to become a comic writer, and he works at the library.

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I've not actually had the opportunity to work with Riley's love interest yet. I'm still bouncing back and forth on her NAME for crying out loud! I do know that she's a sweet, practical girl who catches Riley's eye early on .... though nothing would probably have come of it if Roxanne hadn't taken notice and started targeting her during her attacks.

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And finally, Myr. Oh, Myr. This picture isn't quite accurate, as her hair should be a bit shorter and unevenly cut. She's ... an electric powered villain who loves her job. And Roxanne's roommate in the Academy. And her on-off partner in crime. Myr is the other reason why this story cannot be too dark.


How do you prepare to write? (Outline, research, stocking up on chocolate, howling, etc.?)
After I've mulled over a story for a sufficient amount of time and am confident that the plot is there enough, I'll pull out a document, format it properly, and start writing. There may be a bit of prewriting ahead of time to get a feel for the characters' voices, but nothing drastic.

But that formatting is crucial. I can't write on my computer if the document isn't formatted just right. Times New Roman. Size 11 or 12. Half-inch indents. Chapter titles centered. Book title and my name at the top of the document.

If it's in a notebook, it's only slightly better.

What are you most looking forward to about this novel?
I'm looking forward to the final act when Roxanne kidnaps William, puts him in her dungeon, and refuses to let him go. Won't say, why, though a wedding is involved. And if you've read Sew, you might can guess whose.

List 3 things about your novel’s setting.
1. It's set about 300 years in the future after a third world war gave rise to super heroes.
2. It's a dystopia, but it doesn't feel dystopic. The people don't know the amount of control they're under. The only control they're aware of is family size, and most don't see fit to balk at being limited to two kids.
3. Roxanne's lair. I can't wait until Roxanne gets her own lair.

What’s your character’s goal and who (or what) stands in the way?
Hurt as few people as she can without blatantly rebelling against the Academy. And she stands in her own way as she doens't like being controled.

How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel?
She'll become more comfortable with herself. As for anything else ... I can't say.

What are your book’s themes? How do you want readers to feel when the story is over?
Freedom, choice, being yourself, trusting others, secrets.

And I want my readers to feel like they need the next book RIGHT NOW. Even though the next book will be a prequel and won't tell a thing about what happens next. Because I'm awful. Kendra out.

Beautiful People - Shira

So apparently no one was willing to let me hijack their blog today for interviewing purposes, nor was anyone willing to risk Shira on their blog, so I'm going to interview her myself using the Beautiful People link-up.

(And for those of you who are coming here from the link-up, welcome! I happen to be throwing a party celebrating my blogoversary and my first book's fifth birthday. Feel free to roam around the blog, dropping comments, and you could win a full collection of my ebooks, details here, but don't feel obligated.)

Shira is answering questions herself, and the interview is set right after the main story of My Kingdom for a Quest. She's the strongest person in the world, thanks to her Fairy Godmother mixing her gift up with her brother's.

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1. Do you want to get married and/or have children? Why or why not?
   I am currently preparing for my wedding to Prince Arthur. As for children, it will be my duty to produce an heir. I ... I know not if I am particularily looking foward to parenthood, but it is a matter of course that I should not worry over.
2. What is their weapon of choice? (It doesn’t necessarily have to be a physical weapon.)
   My strength. I'm the strongest person in the world, and when that's true, pretty much anything can become a weapon.
3. What's the nicest thing they've done for someone else, and why did they do it?
   I ... I  know not. I try to help others as often as I can, make use of my gift constructively. I cannot think of any one time in particular, though. Well, I did let Arthur continue being crown prince/soon-be-king on the condition that I married him isntead of throwing him and the rest of the Britons in the dugeons where they belonged. I suppose that was nice of me.
4. Have they ever been physically violent with someone, and what instigated it?
   I admit I have. I have very great strength and I have a temper. I don't always act as a proper princess should.
5. Are they a rule-follower or a rebel?
   Perhaps a bit of both. I don't go out of my way to openly rebel - I get into trouble enough as it is - but nor do I like to follow all of the rules either. If I feel that I can take a liberty and bend the rules, I will, but I won't go out of my way to do it.
6. Are they organized or messy?
   I shall admit that I am not the neatest person in the world - that would have been my elder sister, Dylana. Nor am I the messiest either, though. That would be my twin brother, Samson.
7. What makes them feel loved, and who was the last person to make them feel that way?
   For someone to accept me for who I am, to not judge me for my gift. I don't look like I should be the strongest person in the world. The last person? Arthur. He's a dear thing.
8. What do they eat for breakfast? 
   Whatever is searved for breakfast. I am not a picky eater, though I do prefer meats. I ... well, it is assumed that it is a side effect of my gift, but I have a ravenous appetite. Given my size, most people are shocked by what I eat.
9. Have they ever lost someone close to them? What happened?
   I've lost several people now. My parents due to our castle being attacked, and my elder sister and my original betrothed thanks to attending Rosamond's sixteenth birthday party - Rosamond was cursed, you see. cursed to sleep a hundred years, and the rest of the castle with her. My sister didn't attend, since she'd just had her first son and didn't feel up to the trip, and Maxie ... well, Maxie was immune to magic and the curse couldn't affect him.
10. What’s their treat of choice? (Or, if not food, how else do they reward themselves?)
    Food's good, especially if it happens to be meat.. As I said, I have a ravenous appetite so something to eat is always nice.

So, that was Shira. Anyway, as I said, no interviews on anyone else's blogs, but check out the free books!

https://www.amazon.com/Prior-Quest-Bookania-Short-Stories-ebook/dp/B008HVZCWA? July 25th - July 29th

https://www.amazon.com/Woodcutter-Quince-Bookania-Short-Stories-ebook/dp/B00OYGVHP8? July 27th - July 31st

https://www.amazon.com/Take-This-Quest-Bookania-Quests-ebook/dp/B00CFDHFT4? July 28th - August 1st

Hello 2016

My calendar tells me that we just entered a new year. I wasn't done with the last one yet. Give it back!!!!

This last year has been a mixed bag. On one hand, I did publish My Kingdom for a Quest and Water Princess, Fire Prince, which have been my best books thus far, but on the other hand, I didn't accomplish that much else.

I'm going to first link up with the Beautiful People link up that Cait and Skye have issued, themed on my writing goals for 2016.


What were your writing achievements last year?

I published two books! I believe I mentioned that before. I didn't get a whole lot of writing done, apart from parts 1-3 of Lady Dragon, Tela Du, but I'm mostly satisfied with that. I also had a job. Jobs steal your time.

Tell us about your top priority writing project for this year?

Finishing Lady Dragon, Tela Du and getting it published sometime in October. This means that I need to finish writing it by my birthday next month. Can I do this? If I focus. I'm also going to try to have the Beta Reader call up by that point, and part 1 mostly edited. 

List 5 areas you’d like to work the hardest to improve this year.

1. Focusing - Dug from Up is my spirit animal. I am SO easily distracted. This year, I'm going to to work on staying on task.

2. Multitasking smarter - As extension of being easily distracted, I love piling projects on top of myself and subsequently drowning. I'm going to try to smarter about this in 2016 so that I don't drown.

3. Meeting Goals - I'm a published author with a fanbase clamoring for sequels. This means I need to get them their sequels in a timely fashion. 

4. Staying accountable - I don't like admitting the real truth about why I don't meet my goals. "I'm sorry this post didn't go up ... work ... brain broke ..." while in honesty, it didn't get done because I was goofing off playing a computer game. I played a really fun Hidden Object Adventure based on Snow White the other week. That was fun.

5. Promotion. I doubled - nearly tripled my fanbase last year, but if I'm going to become independent off of my writing, I need a larger fanbase. So this year, I'm going to get serious and actually shell out money to promote myself. I'm also going to get serious contacting reviewers to see if they want to read Water Princess, Fire Prince.

Are you participating in any writing challenges?

NaNo for certain - I've already nearly settled on Sing, Aling for this year, my Sci-fi retelling of Peter Pan. I'm not sure whether or not I'm going to do Camp NaNo. If I do, it will be with either book 3 or The New Division.

Five Something Something. I didn't get Poison Kiss done in time this year, so I'm going to try again this year. If they do Little Mermaid (which is my #1 guess ... either that or Rapunzel), I have something picked out. Otherwise, we'll see what I come up with when I see the cover. 

What's your critique partner/beta reader situation like and do you have plans to expand this year?

I have a few girls who are reading LDTD by the part as I write it, but I'll be issuing a call for betas sometime next month, hopefully. Beta readers of book 1 will be contacted directly. It'll be a bit more tricky for newcomers, but not impossible.

Do you have plans to read any writer-related books this year? Or are there specific books you want to read for research?

Not really. Well, I have a small slew of writing/publishing/promotion how-to books on my kindle. Maybe I should read them.

Pick one character you want to get to know better, and how are you going to achieve this?

Aling of Sing, Aling. She's the Tinkerbell character, and is half-elf and half-fairy, and loves tinkering. I'm going to write her book. It will be awesome.

Do you plan to edit or query, and what’s your plan of attack?

I'm going to edit. You'd better bet I'm going to edit. Querying isn't in my plans, though, not until I have a book ready that I'd be willing to let a publishing company control.

Plan of attack ... uh ... same as I always edit. Without mercy.

Toni Morrison once said, “If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” What are the books that you want to see more of, and what “holes” do you think need filling in the literary world?

There is a severe shortage of books by Kendra E. Ardnek. Only SEVEN!! I need to rectify that.

What do you hope to have achieved by the end of 2016?

LDTD published, Poison Kiss published. New Division written and ready for revision and publication 2017, Sing, Aling written, and put together a series of children's books about essential oils. This is a new project that I was discussing with my aunt the other week, but basically ... I'm going to personify the various oils, and write stories that will help kids learn about their various uses.

I would also like to get the Bookania collection finished ... but I'm not sure that's going to happen. Maybe next year. I don't want to abandon Bookania, but right now, Rizkaland and its surrounding novels have me captured, heart and soul. It might not be until I have RL Book 3 out before I can focus on the Bookanian characters again. I need to prioritize, after all.

Also, I'm coming up on Sew's fifth birthday this summer, as well as my 7th blogoversary. There will be a party. It's too soon for me to know the details, but it will be awesome. I do know that this is when I plan to publish Poison Kiss.

Beautiful Books: This is what I Am Doing

Hi! I'm finally linking up with Beautiful Books, hosted by Cait and Skye.

My book is Lady Dragon, Tela Du, the second volume of my Rizkaland Legends. It's currently sitting at 59,000 total, 37,000 of that written during NaNo. I'm a bit behind, but I plan to rectify that tonight. This is a book that I've been working on for nearly ten years now, and I'm on what shall be the final draft of ... at least seven. It's been fun.

1. Is the book turning out how you thought it would be, or is it defying your expectations?

It has certainly been very different from all of the previous drafts. I knew this draft would be a major overhaul, though, so I hadn't pinned down any specific expectations. I'm liking how Reuben and Petra's relationship is coming together. I thought I'd have a bit more trouble with Petra, to be honest, but I think, because I changed her from and INFJ to an INTJ, she's been handling things a bit more pragmatically.

2. What’s your first sentence (or paragraph)?

Of the book?: 

“I allowed the Fire Prince and Water Princess their victory,” Amber mentioned over supper.

Of what I've written for NaNo? (Incidentally, the first line of part two):

“Two years,” said Petra, setting a plate of pancakes on the table. “Hard to believe that it’s been two years since Ashley barged into our life unannounced.”

3. Are you a plotter or a pantser? Have you ever tried both methods and how did it turn out?

I'm a planster. If I do too much planning, it will kill my inspiration, but I can't just show up to a piece of paper and write without a goal. I plan, extensively, but it's all mental. I can't start a book without knowing where it will end, and at least a few mid-goals along the way, but I keep a loose hand on the plot, and allow it to surprise me as it will.

4. What do you reward yourself with after meeting a goal?

I, um, have words written? I'm terrible at self-motivation. USUALLY, having words written and a story to read is reward enough for me. If not, I can't bribe myself to write. It just don't work. I should probably be stricter on myself ...

5. What do you look for in a name? Do you have themes and where do you find your names?

I look for names that suit the characters. There are two themes in Rizkaland: Names I make up for elves, and names that actually exist for humans. Sometimes I will literally stop all writing just to hunt down a perfect name for a character, because it's almost impossible for me to change a name once I set it in stone.

Where do the names actually come from ... um ...

Petra: She was initially inspired by Peter from Narnia, so I just found the female version of the name.

Summer: She was initially inspired by Susan, also the girl who was going to play her back when this was a script liked season names.

Reuben: This is what my grandmother always wanted to name a son.

Amber: She was inspired by Jadis, the White Witch, but was a dragon, so I wanted a fiery gem.

Most of the other names for main characters I made up, and I have no idea where those come from.

6. What is your favourite to write: beginning, middle, or end — and why?

I've written more beginnings than anything else, but they're hard to write.

Middles are where all the meat is, but they can also get boggy, and I frequently loose my way.

Endings have a lot of adrenaline, but it can be so hard to let go. 

Honestly, I don't have a favorite part.

7. Who’s your current favourite character in your novel?

There are a lot of BIG personalities in this book, lots of characters that I've really enjoyed working with.

But, to be honest, at the moment I think I'll go with Rintaya. She's ... interesting.

8. What kind of things have you researched for this project, and how do you go about researching? (What’s the weirdest thing you’ve researched?!)

I did research marriage customs for Cherokee Indians the other day by ... looking it up online. 

9. Do you write better alone or with others? Do you share your work or prefer to keep it to yourself?

The reason I do NaNo is so that I can know I'm not alone. And YES! I love sharing my work. Here, let me share a snippet with you right now!

  She turned and retraced her steps. It was true that she’d been on a mission, an important one at that – she never stepped foot in the Hall of Blood without good reason – but gaining information about her was more important than anything else.

  “Why is it called that?” asked the young man.

  “Hmm?”

  “This Hall, why is it called … that.”

  “Oh, yes,” said Amber. “It’s not a pretty story, I must admit. In former times, almost every door you see leading off of this hall leads to what was either a prison or a torture chamber. I don’t use them for that purpose any more, unless I have to. But they aren’t the reason for its name.”

  “Then what is?” asked the girl.

  “If you follow this Hall to its ultimate end, you will find a large room that I shudder to call to mind,” Amber explained. “It was in that room that each one of my ancestors met their end, and there, someday, shall I meet mine. That is why this is called the Hall of Blood.”

  “Oh.” The girl’s voice was hollow. She was properly horrified, very good.

10. What are your writing habits? Is there a specific snack you eat? Do you listen to music? What time of day do you write best? Feel free to show us a picture of your writing space!

Habits ... um, unless you count the fact that I randomly barrel out of out of the house in heated moments, no not really. No specific snacks, I eat whatever I have on hand, if I eat anything at all, and I usually write in silence. I write best when I have my seat firmly planted in my chair and my attention on the story, rather than the internet.

At the moment, my writing cave is too dark for pictures. Also it's a mess, so I'd rather not share.

Beautiful Books: This is What I Shall Do

NaNo time is almost upon us, and therefore all the good little writers are busy plotting away at the novels they're going to write this year. Am I doing the same? OF COURSE I AM!!

And of course I'm going to link up with the Beautiful Books thing that Cait and Sky host!

Also, for those of you who are on NaNo, my username is Kendra E. Ardnek. Feel free to befriend me. I'll probably friend you back when I get the chance.

1.How did you come up with the idea for your novel, and how long have you had the idea?

The first version of this story was born of a desire to write a better version of the Narnia movies. I've been working on it for nearly ten years, as such.  (And yes, I will be throwing a party come the ten-year-mark, everyone will be invited. There will be cake. And Pommela Cider)

2. Why are you excited to write this novel?

Because this is the novel I've been working on for TEN STINKIN' YEARS!! I'm ready to be done with it and have it in the hands of my readers.
3. What is your novel about, and what is the title?

In case you didn't notice from the fact that this is the book I've been working on for TEN YEARS!!!, and the mentions of my plans that I have posted around the internet, yes I'm doing Lady Dragon, Tela Du this year. Yes, it's a rewrite, and yes, this draft is already 10% of the way done (and I'm hoping to have it pushed to 20% by the time NaNo starts), but I need this book written, and I can't spare the NaNo oomph to any other story at the moment.

What's it about? It's about the Lady Dragon, also known as Amber, who is bent on world domination, and the Tela Du, also known as Petra, who is the girl prophesied to bring Amber down, and who wants nothing to do with her fate. 

This is a fancover that one of the readers of WPFP made. Gorgeous, isn't it?

4. Sum up your characters in one word each. (Feel free to add pictures!)

I have a lot of characters. This may take a while.
 

via Pintrest

Petra(She needs glasses, though): Perfectionist

Amber: Entitled

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Reuben: Adventure

Granite: Steady

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Laura: Journey

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Summer: Free-spirit

Tyler: Hardworking

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Ashna/Ashley: Alone

And there are other characters, but that's a fair enough representation for now.

5. Which character(s) do you think will be your favourite to write? Tell us about them!

I can already say from experience that there are a lot of fun characters to write with in this book. But I'm going to go with Laura, because, as a friend and I were discussing last night, she can make any scene awesome.

6. What is your protagonist’s goal, and what stands in the way?
Petra's goal is not to defeat Amber. Petra's goal is to find her sisters that disappeared with no trace except her memory and Reuben's. Also, to have a normal life. She thinks that this whole adventure into Rizkaland and quest to kill a Dragon is what stands in her way. Actually, it's more of her own stubbornness. 

7. Where is your novel set? (Show us pictures if you have them!)

The main setting is Rizkaland, Rizkaland proper this time, in Loray Castle, though we will be spending time back at the Kastle, getting to meet the many-greats-granddaughter of everyone's favorite Water Princess and Fire Prince. Also, in Amber's castle, which can become a frightful maze of passageways and traps. (I'm rather looking forward to writing part 4...)

On earth, the setting is mainly an old house that I probably ought to name, but haven't yet. It was Arden Orphanage for a long time, but it's no longer an orphanage. Anyways, it's an old house that also has a lot of passageways and hidden rooms, and is also a lot of fun to explore.

8. What is the most important relationship your character has?
Petra has a number of incredibly important relationships in this book: with Laura (which is, granted, one of the most important relationships in the series), with Ashna, with Amber herself...

But I'd say the most important one in this book is with Reuben. He's been her best friend her whole life, and he's also her love interest. Something she's not happy about because does not think of him like that at all. He loves her though, and even asked her to marry him when they were five and seven. She told him to wait until they were older (she's incredibly romantic like that. Not.) Now that Rizkaland has taken over their lives, they are caught by the same Rizkan law that required the Union of Clara and Andrew in the first book.

But, as annoyed as she is with the change in their relationship, he's still the sanity in her life, he's still the person she goes to when she thinks everything is falling apart.

Also, they gain really cool telepathic powers over the course of the book, and watching them use them to strengthen their relationship is going to be fun to write.

9. How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel?

She'll learn that sometimes life doesn't happen the way you want it to, and that's okay, because oftentimes, it's better that way.

10. What themes are in your book? How do you want your readers to feel when the story is over?

There are a lot of themes in this book, some of the most important being unconditional love, forgiveness, courage, dedication, letting go and trusting in God.

And I know I'm going to be emotionally exhausted when I finally finish writing this book, and it'd be nice if my readers felt the same. ;)

11. BONUS! Tell us your 3 best pieces of advice for others trying to write a book in a month.

1. Keep putting words on the paper, and don't stop.

2. But make them your best words. Otherwise things aren't going to look pretty once NaNo ends. (You want to be able to salvage your work, after all)

3. Don't get distracted by the forums.

Beautiful Siblings - Riley and Roxanne

Beautiful People time again, hosted by Cait and Skye.

This month's theme is siblings, which should be easy because I love writing about siblings ... but as I scanned though my current focus WIP's ... I realized that there are actually pretty few. For instance, in Water Princess, Fire Prince, siblings are either non-existent, absent, or spoilers. So, instead, I'm going to do the twins in book one of HaV Academy. Roxanne (the titular ROCKS) and her brother Riley (Or, as he's better known, the Plant Master.)

1. What is the first memory they have of each other?

They're twins, so they've pretty much always been in each other's lives. However, a specific early memory would be the day Riley's powers surfaced. They were about four years old, playing in their backyard when he got mad about not getting his own way (you know how kids are) in the game they were playing (they can't remember exactly what it was) and suddenly the grass started growing really fast and they were quickly lost in what was to them a jungle of weeds.

Their mom found them quickly enough, and soon after that, their dad kidnapped them for the first time and took them to his lair where they focused on control training for about a week (and her rock abilities surfaced when she started causing earthquakes.)

2. Describe their relationship in 3 words.

A common secret.

3. What kind of things do they like to do together?

Build. She loves designing and creating buildings, and he likes to fill in the details where she needs him to and watch her vision come to life. For the most part, her skills are limited to the building of lairs, especially her own, and as kids, their dad's. (She redesigned it about fifteen times before they were summoned by the academy.

As kids, they also enjoyed practice fighting each other. However, as they've gotten older, and the fights are now mandatory, they don't enjoy it as much.

4. What was their biggest fight?

Do you mean their stated fights as superhero and supervillain, or verbal fights over an actual issue? Do you mean one that takes place prior to the book, or during? Because like most twins who have everything and nothing in common, they've always had friction between them. As kids, most of their relationship was petty bickering over unimportant things, which neither of them actually took seriously. Once in a while, one would go too far and the other wouldn't talk to them for a week (or a month sometimes in Roxanne's case, since she's better at holding grudges), but for the most part, they got along, under their teasing. In fact, it's the absence of their bickering (and the fact that Roxanne's smile is now completely gone) that disturbs William when they get home from the Academy after graduation.

However, in book, I would say that their biggest fight is when Roxanne starts playing matchmaker for him (part of a villain's job - find a love interest for the hero, and then start kidnapping her, or in rare cases, him, as often as you can without completely breaking the victim). It's not so much that he minds the girl, because she really is perfect for him, but it's the principle of the thing, you know? Also, he wants her to loosen up and entertain the idea of romance for herself, which is something she's completely closed down (because it is rare for villains to marry, and even rarer if they're girls.)

And ... on that note, I'm having trouble deciding what to name the girl Roxanne picks out. Initially, I was going to do Rose, but that's now a different character in book 3. For a long time, it was Willow, but it's a bit too close to William for me to be comfortable with it. Other ideas: Fern, Iris, Ivy, and ... there was another one, but I'm not calling it off the top of my head. I want something to do with plants, but that's about all I know.

5. How far would they go to save each other?

If the other was truly in danger, they would risk everything, including revealing their true identities as hero/villain. Which is, for attendees of HaV Academy, a fate worse than death, because its grounds for getting your power removed. (And it's not a pretty sight. Depending on the power, it leaves the former super either dead, physically disabled, or mentally retarded.)

6. What are their pet peeves about each other?

Mostly little things. His constant teasing frequently gets on her nerves, while it annoys him how much she always takes things so seriously. That sort of thing.

7. What are their favorite things about each other?

She likes the fact that he'll usually do anything she suggests (because she really is the better planner of the two), And he loves the intricacy of her imagination.

8. What traits do they share? Mannerisms, clothing, quirks, looks, etc?

Parents ... they both have a superpower ...

But, really, they're polar opposites. She's an intense INTJ, while he's an outgoing, somewhat laid-back ESFP. She has black hair, gray eyes, and pale skin, and wears a lot of metallic colors, and sometimes jewelry. He had brown hair, green eyes, darker skin, and wears brighter colors, especially greens. He laughs a lot and is the life of the party, she rarely smiles (unless it's a carefully practiced diabolical grin as ROCKS), and usually just sits in the corner judging people. He has a lot of good friends, she has two or three best friends. (Riley, William, and she can't quite decide on Myr, her roommate at the acadamy, and sorta-kinda sidekick.)

9. Who has the strongest personality?

Roxanne, hands down. Maybe he's the more outgowing and loud, but she's far more intense than she is. She very much dominates the relationship/

10. How does their relationship change throughout your story?

They're never the closest of siblings. Indeed, if it weren't for the shared secret of their superpowers and the fact that they must keep them hidden, I don't know if they'd even be friends. In the beginning, they have their bickering, which is what leads to the Academy pairing them together as hero and villain, and then their lives going dual where they save all of their issues for when they're in mask and costume and get along almost perfectly in their normal clothes because they can't stand to be fighting if they don't have to be, then to emotions rising as the whole romance issue boils to the surface.

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