The Notebook Sisters just moved to WordPress. And since Mime isn't going with them, they're changing their name to Paper Fury. So they've issued a tag. Shall we commence?
1. Why did you start blogging?
Because my mom was doing it and I thought it'd be a great way to become famous. It's been ... coming, slowly.
2. What’s the story behind your blog’s name?
I was really into knitting at the time, and my mom insisted that I chose a title that reflected my Christian walk (because I think that's what I was ... supposed to be writing about). Had I known it would become a writing blog, I possibly would have chosen something a bit more appropriate, but it is what it is.
3. How many designs have you been through since you started blogging? (Pictures! We demand pictures!)
I have no idea, as I change it up at least every six months, and I always change it for parties. I've always just used the free options that come with blogger, though I think I've tried every one that have except for the dynamics.
Sorry, no pictures. I'm not quite a screenshot person. I do have the headers that I've used, though.
4. Have you ever switched blog platforms? What made you move? If you haven’t ever changed…why?
Knitted by God's Plan has always been and probably always shall be blogger hosted. Why? Because I don't want to wander off to places where my readers can't find me. I have experimented with wordpress, though, trying to make a website of sorts for the Bookania Quests. I ... need to finish it. It's rather incomplete. I'm actually waiting for a friend to give me some coats of arms he drew up for the various countries of Bookania. He says he's done, but I have to clean my room to get them. (Sigh.)
5. How long does it take you to write a post? What’s your postly process like?
Oh, a few minutes to a couple years. It depends on what they are. If they're an interview or cover reveal for someone else, I can plug all the information in and be done with it within fifteen minutes. (Maybe longer if I decide to raid their pinterest board for a picture). However, I have a few drafts that have been in my posts since I started the blog almost. Normally, however, they usually only take an hour.
And I have so many different kinds of posts, it's hard to say that I have any one process. I get an idea, or find a tag, or someone asks if they might appear on my blog, and I proceed as necessary.
6. Have you ever been super nervous about a post? Why?! What was it?
I'm a bold person, very rarely nervous. However, there have been some posts that I've done with I was at low points, where I decided to be open about it, and I really didn't want to. (I mean, who doesn't want to admit that they aren't at the top of the world, everything going their way or doesn't matter?) Also, I'm sometimes nervous about posting stuff about future books. Such as the CE's with Petra or Maryanne. Their books aren't in my publishing queue yet, but they insisted on encountering me.
7. Do you have a blogging schedule?
Sometimes. When I feel like it. My second or third year of blogging, I tried to adhere to one (expand my backposts, it was obvious from the titles). Right now, I'm just trying to post regularly, and if possible, every other post is a Author's Commentary for Sew, It's a Quest. So far, I'm succeeding. I avoid blogging on Sundays. I mean, I have, but I don't get good views that day, and it just feels wrong, so I avoid it. I prefer week days.
8. Do you tell people In-Real-Life about your blog? Their reactions?
I'm also an author, and IRL is one of the ways I have to promote. So yes, if I tell someone about my books, I'll also tell them about my blog, so they can come here and read more. Usually they're so thrilled about meeting a real author (I have the physical books to prove it) that they're more than interested in the blog.
10. If you could change/improve things about your blog, what would they be?
Honestly? I have considered changing the name to something more writing related (Yarns and Words .... Knitted Stories ... I'd keep the knitting, but add words to it) but since knittedbygodsplan is the url everyone knows me as, and it's the one on the back of my books. I suppose I could just change the name and leave the URL as it is ... but that always strikes me as tacky. I've been Knitted By God's Plan for five years. It's unique to me. It's who I am. It reminds me that I need to find God's plan for myself no matter how much I'd rather go my own way. So I'm keeping it. (Though I've added the catchphrase you see at the top of the page. Knitting books and Writing Scarves indeed ...)
I would like upgrade my design to something professional ... but then again, I like being able to change it every few months, and doing that with professional design could get pricey (unless I use stock, and then ... no.)
I'm happy with my blog the way it is, I guess. Maybe I'd have more followers who'd comment every day without fail (and buy my books) ... yeah ... that'd be nice.
I'm linking up to the Beautiful Books hosted by Cait and Skye (see image).
The book is Water Princess, Fire Prince, the story of two teens, Clara and Andrew who fall into another world and (surprise, surprise) become the Water Princess and Fire Prince and that they'll have to fight Amber, the Lady Dragon.
I am going rebel this year, so I had 30,000 (exactly) already when NaNo started, and it's also a rewrite of a book that took me five years to write and I finally finished this summer.
1. Be honest: how is your writing going?
Not bad. If you'll on my sidebar, you'll see a meter that says I'm at 41,000 words. So that means that I'm at 11,000 total that I've written for NaNo - and I haven't even started accumulating for today!
(And just for the record, I am trying to stay ahead this NaNo, since I believe that the last day I'll have a chance to Validate will be the 27th, so I'll need to have 50,000 by then.)
I have hit a slower part of the story, but I'll get into this in a later question. 2. What’s your first sentence/paragraph? I'm going to share the first conversation from both part one and part two, since they introduce the two main characters: Part 1 (Which was written back in July):
“It is a fact universally acknowledged that a short girl, in
the procession of something above her head must be in want of some young man to
get it down for her,” Clara stated, as she and her two best friends headed to
the pool. “And no matter how far from the case it may be, if it just so happens
that her mom has told her to get something that just so happens to be on a
shelf above her head, and some guy just so happens to be walking by and sees
her, he's going to offer his help."
“Is that so?” Rhoda asked. "You know, you could just
let them help you. It would save you a lot of time."
Clara rolled her eyes. "I had it handled. I didn't even
need to be on tiptoe to get it. He only offered to help me so that he could be
a dashing hero."
"Maybe he was just trying to be nice?" Rhoda
suggested.
"You're a pretty girl," Kath added. ''And we know
that you're against the thought of boys liking you and all that, but they don't
know, so…"
Clara tossed Kath a glare. “I’m not against boys liking me,
it’s just that …”
“Was he a redhead?” Kath continued, seemingly oblivious.
“Because I do know that you are especially against them if they’re not.”
“Redheads have nothing to do with it,” Clara insisted, with
a roll of her eyes. “I’m only fifteen, and I’m not ready to be thinking about
things like that, and he was being an unnecessary dashing hero. That’s what I
don’t like.”
“That and the fact that he probably wasn’t a redhead.”
Rhoda rolled her
eyes, “What is its with you and redheads when it comes to Clara?” And Part 2 (written this month):
“Yes Kyle, you may take Josh and Parker for a hike before we
leave,” said Andrew, without looking up from the map he was examining. “Just
don’t push them off of any cliffs. We don’t have time to call 911 right now.”
“That wasn’t what I was going to ask, Andrew,” said Kyle,
with a groan. “I –”
“Well, it happens to be what I just gave you permission to
do, unless you want to stay and help me pack up the tent. On second thought …”
“I’ll take them hiking,” Kyle quickly amended, before Andrew
could finish the thought.
“Good. Make sure they’re both wearing proper climbing gear.”
“We’re not babies anymore, Andrew!” protested Josh, who was
apparently in earshot. “We know how to prepare for a hike.”
“Good, then do so.”
3. Do you have a book cover, and/or pictures that reflect your book? I have a mock cover (Three versions of it, actually) but I don't have a picture of it on my computer, besides which I'm considering taking my idea a different direction. Something along the lines of this picture I found on Pinterest:
5. What scene are you most excited to write?
The scene where Clara and Andrew finally meet, which happens in part 3. Because they have some of the best conversations, and I can't write those conversations until they've met.
Sigh. So I want to get to that point as soon as possible, but I probably have somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 words before I get there. 6. Share a snippet or a scene that you really enjoyed writing.
Surveys 41,000 words' worth of delicious scenes. Maybe I should narrow this down to the 11,000 I wrote this month? Let's go with the scene where Andrew arrives in Klarand, I enjoyed that.
Just when he was about to lose all hope, he felt a hand grab
his arm, and he was pulled out of the fire. His skin collided with icy cold,
and his eyes flew open.
The fire was gone. He knelt in a strange pink substance that
felt like snow, though there was still heat coming from behind him.
“Are you all right, Fire Prince?”
Andrew looked up from the strange snow to find a bearded man
standing over him – his rescuer? The man was dressed in a strange green outfit,
with a knife in his belt and a bow strapped to his back.
Closing his eyes and shaking his head in an attempt to clear
it, Andrew pushed himself to his feet before his legs and hands could freeze.
Had he somehow ended up at a renascence festival? ‘Cause that was certainly
what the man looked like he was dressed for.
“Where am I?” he asked.
“Three feet from the Firefall in Lower Klarand,” the man
replied.
“Right.” Andrew didn’t recognize those names at all. “So …
do you mind if I could use your cell phone. I should probably call my dad and
let him know I’m all right and where I am. He must have seen that fire from
where he was.”
“My … cell phone, Fire Prince?”
“You know, the phone you use when you’re not at home,”
Andrew explained, feeling very annoyed. “I know you’re in character and all
that, but I need to let my dad know I’m okay. I need to get back to them!”
But the look on the man’s face was as innocent and confused
as though he had never heard of a cell phone before in his life.
“What is a phone?”
“A telephone. You use it to talk to people from far away,”
Andrew explained. Frustrated, he turned away from the man and tried to take in
his surroundings. It was apparently winter here … and it had been summer just a
few minutes ago. Not only was there pink snow on the ground, but most of the
trees were bare. Those that weren’t were … purple? And that one was blue.
He shook his head again, trying to convince himself that he
was seeing things. He opened his eyes again, and they fell on the source of the
heat – a rushing river made of fire.
Heart hammering against his chest, he knelt down to get a
closer look. It certainly wasn’t water – it was smoke, not steam that rose off
of it. And it wasn’t lava either. Andrew had seen lava – and many forms of it.
His dad was a scientist who studied many things, and took their family pretty
much everywhere. There wasn’t much in the natural world that Andrew hadn’t
seen.
But red snow, blue trees, and fire that flowed like water
were new to him.
“Are you all right, Fire Prince?”
Andrew pushed himself to his feet and spun back around to
face the man. “My name’s Andrew.”
The expression on the man’s face didn’t change. “Yes.”
“Andrew Stevenson,” he added.
“Yes. You are the Fire Prince.”
“But …”
“Fire Prince, if you are trying to tell me your true name, I
don’t think it’ll work,” the man informed him. “The prophecy states that we
shall only ever know you by your title.”
The words swirled around in Andrew’s head and frustrated him
all the more. His eyes traveled back to the river of fire, traveled to its
source. He and the man stood at the foot of a cliff made of black rock, and the
fire spewed from a hole in it about three hundred feet up.
“The Firefall, you said this was?” Andrew asked.
“Yes, Fire Prince.”
“Stop calling me that!” Today was crazy enough without
adding a man from his history books insisting on calling him this strange name.
He needed to find a way home!
“It is who you are, you cannot deny it,” said the man,
calmly. “The fact that you tried to tell me your real name and I still heard
only your title confirms it.”
“I don’t care – stop calling me it!” He gestured wildly
towards the fire river. “This isn’t scientifically possible.”
“Perhaps not in your world, but you’re in Rizkaland now.”
“I thought you said something about Lower Klarand.”
“Klarand is one of the islands,” the man explained. “And
you’re in the lower part of it. If it makes you feel any better, this is the
only place in all of Klarand where fire flows like this.”
7. Now that you're writing, have any of the plot details, or the process itself, turned out different from what you planned or imagined?
I usually keep a loose hand on my plot idea, willing to let it weave and dip wherever it goes, even when rewriting, which is what I'm doing. So yes the crystallized words across the page form differently than the cloudy thoughts within my head, but I've come to expect that as I write, and I cannot give any specific example. 8. Is there a character or aspect of your plot that's difficult to write?
(Please refer to question 1 where I mentioned that I hit a slow spot, I will now explain.)
Part 2 has no girls in it. Nil. Nada. Well, Laura has shown up once, for a few paragraphs so that she could send Andrew into Rizkaland, but for the most part, the cast is decidedly male.
And I'm not a guy. Nor do I really know very many guys. So it's been harder to push through Andrew's scenes. However, I've still been able to manage at least a thousand words a day, so I've been surviving, but it's been difficult. I've actually been focusing on worldbuilding though, since my men are out in nature, and Andrew, being the son of a scientist, is one to ask questions. 9. What’s your favorite aspect of this novel so far? Favorite character?
My favorite part is the world of Rizkaland. I love worldbuilding, and Rizkaland is my favorite world of all I've built. But even as much as I know about the world, I'm still being surprised at every turn!
As for favorite character? Let's see ...
Clara/Andrew/Jasmine/Jill Anna/Karlos/Leaf Princess/Laura/Jakob/I can't decide! 10. Have you drawn off of any life experiences or people you know to create your novel and your characters?
Contrary to popular belief, I've never actually fallen into another world and be asked to get rid of some sort of scary evil oppressor, so in truth, the book doesn't really resemble my own life. Unlike the characters, I've never touched a real sword in my life, and I've only ever messed with a kid's bow.
Except for the fact that I gave Amber my own physical description and one of my weaknesses, so ... yeah. That's me for you. 11. Do you have a playlist or certain song for your novel and/or characters?
Usually I'll plead innocent on music-related questions, but I actually have one for Clara and Andrew: King and Lionheart.
It just really describes their relationship once they decide to work together in part 5. He's very much a King, while she's the one with the heart of a lion. They're beautiful together. 12. Let’s have some fun for a moment: imagine you are somehow transported into your book’s world. Which character are you most likely to be found hanging out with?
I'd probably hang out with Jasmine or Karlos, since I get along with kids really well and I love these two. 13. How do you keep yourself motivated to finish your daily wordcount? (Pinterest? Internet breaks? Chocolate?)
At the moment, my chief motivation is my calculator. Yeah, I'm interesting like that. 14. What inspiring quote keeps you writing?
I don't know if there's any one particular quote, but here's one that describes me right now:
Except that I'm typing this book. It's the sequel that's being written by hand at the moment. 15. How does this book make you feel so far? Are you laughing? Crying? Frustrated?
I'm excited. Honestly, the energy buzz that I'm getting off of this book is almost frightening.
1. How many books did you write this year? (Estimate your overall wordcount for us too!) I only wrote one full book this year, The Ankulen's second draft, and it ended up at 70,000+ words. But I also worked on most of my other books. Just Another Sci-Fi Novel 50,000 The New Division 16,000 Half-Hidden 10,000 Behind the Rainbow 2,000 Water Princess, Fire Prince 50 notebook pages, which turns into 12,500 words at my average squish (how many words I can fit onto one page, my record's nearly 350 words, but it's usually closer to 250) My Kingdom for a Quest 45 notebook pages, 11,000 words Worth of a King 3 chapters at 1,400 words, 1,200 words, and 1,600 words.
And I've worked on some short stories which rack up another 3,000, 2,500, 1,500, and 1,400 words. Which all together is over 184,000 words, since I was rounding down, which is pretty epic all things considered. I think I shall attempt to double that for next year ... 2. Which was your favourite to write? Shish-kabobs. Quaggleshump. Jump-rope. Popcorn. You're making me CHOOSE! Well, if I have to make this difficult decision, I think I shall have to go with Water Princess, Fire Prince, simply because I've been working on it the longest, and because I love its plot and characters. 3. Which was the hardest to write? My Kingdom for a Quest. Ugh. That book is constantly getting itself stuck. I'm breezing through it fine right now, however! 4. Tell us about you favourite Male Character you wrote this year! Derek from The Ankulen. Having grown up with very few peers of the opposite gender, I often struggle with writing them as characters. But both my Grandma and Aunt Viv (who both grew up as only daughters with two brothers, and Grandma raised three boys) say that I pulled Derek off pretty well. Derek had a very bad childhood, including, but not limited to, his parents divorcing and his mother adamantly not wanting him. He wants a family, but has been burned so badly, he's wary of anyone who tries to get close to him. In the first draft of the book, he was a complete jerk, but in the second draft ... eep. He's a great guy, despite how annoying he can be, and he makes a great big brother. 5. And how about your favourite Female Character? This one's even worse, because I love all of my gals. But since I have to choose, I'll go with Analyssa Stardrana from Half-Hidden, the titular half-hidden. She's one of my rebellious princesses, but she's not in-your-face about it. Her mother's people hunt wyrmen and ride dragons, so she spends much of her time doing that. But when she's at home with her father's people, she's as proper a princess as you could ask for ... though she can be quite haughty when in the presence of a potential suitor. 6. Can you introduce us to some awesome sidekick(s)? Tisha and Chris from The Ankulen, and the short story "The Adventure of the Sun Jewel" where they are even more sidekicky than in the main novel (despite the fact that Jenny declares it Chris's adventure). They are figments of Jen's imagination, but because she has an Ankulen, she was able to bring them to life as a child. Sir Chrisofer is her personal protector, and Fair Maiden Letitia is her best friend. At least, they were until they managed to get out of her imaginary world and install themselves as Jen's brother and sister ... a stunt that Jen was not impressed with. 7. Any romances in your writing? Which couple didn't go together as expected? Plenty of romances. A and M in Just Another SciFi; Clara and Andrew, the titular Water Princess and Fire Prince; Obsidia and Delaney in Worth of a King; Jyson and Stardrana in Half-Hidden. A romance between two side characters in The Ankulen. Oh, and everyone in My Kingdom for a Quest. That's complicated. But as for anyone not coming together as expected, that didn't happen, unless you count the fact that Clara has finally decided that Andrew isn't half-bad after all much sooner than I had initially intended. I realized that I needed to have them working together before the climatic battle, you see. 8. What's your favourite Pinterest Board for one of your books? Can we see some pics for the book they inspire?
I think that would be the board for the Rizkaland Legends, to which Water Princess, Fire Prince belongs.
9. What challenges did you compete in this year? (NaNos? Personal goals? Challenges run by other blogs?) And how did you go? I did and won NaNo. I attempted and gave up on July's NaNo (Where I got most of Half-Hidden's word count), I did and completed the first 100-for-100 over at Go Teen Writers, and I attempted the second, but realized that it was intruding on projects that were much more important. I did Actually Finishing Something In July hosted by Whisperings of the Pen, though I didn't do as good as I wanted to. As for personal goals, I published The Ankulen and Do You Take This Quest. The latter was supposed to be out last December, but ... anyways. Ankulen got out on the day I intended! 10. Show us the full cast in pictures from one of your books. Most of my books have these epicly huge casts that I can barely keep up with (but have tons of fun doing so), and if I were to do any of them, we'd be here all day. But The Ankulen actually had a pretty small, self contained cast, and I've hunted down pictures of almost everyone, so I'll do it.
Jen, the main character, narrator, and possessor of the ultimate case of writer's block. This girl actually needs more freckles, but everything else about her is pretty good.
Via Pinterest
Jen as a child ... back when she was called Jenny, and right after she developed her Writer's Block. And there is an important plot reason for her being in black and white.
Sir Christofer, Jen's valiant protector. He was trapped in Jen's imagination after she discovered the whole getting out and becoming a sibling mess, so he's still a kid. Which was pretty interesting.
Megan, the girl Jen's parents were supposed to adopt. She's so sweet and innocent, despite being fifteen. She provided such a nice balance for the grudge-holding Jen once she entered the story.
Derek, the boy Jen's parents were supposed to adopt, and Megan's complete opposite. He was so cynical and jaded ... but I've talked about him earlier, so I won't say anything more.
11. Epic quote(s) you wrote?
Arthur carefully selected an arrow and fitted it to his bowstring. He drew back, carefully aimed, then let it fly.
It missed the target by a good three feet.
"You're improving!"
Arthur turned to see his cousin, Robert, who was endevoring to teach him archery. "I was closer the last time."
"Yes, but your form is better this time." Robert claimed the bow from Arthur, selected an arrow from his quiver, fitted it to the string, and fired. The arrow flew straight to the target and sank soundly in the bull's eye. "No one masters archery in a day. You've only been at it two weeks. Give it time."
"How long did it take you?"
Robert slid the bow onto his back and gathered up the arrows and trust them into the quiver. "A week and a half."
- My Kingdom for a Quest
“What
dost thou plan to do?”
“Oh,
read Fibonacci’s
Rabbits for
the one thousand and fiftieth time, discover the one hundredth
twenty-third place in pi, roam the garter, talk with my birds, and,
if I can squeeze it in, boredly watch as quinces try to rescue me.”
“Ah,
thou dost have a busy day ahead of thee! I hope that thou mayest get
it all done!”
Doranna sighed. “Well, if I get started at once, I just might!”
She glanced at the mirror for a moment, trying to perfect her
expression of complete and utter boredom, but instead burst into
laughter. Maria soon joined her, shaking her head in amusement.
“Any
other princess,” said Maria, as their mirth died down, “wouldst
be in tears after spending … how long has it been? Fifty? Sixty?
Seventy years trapped in a castle caught in time. But thou, Princess
Doranna, thou art a wonder.”
“Seventy-seven years and three
hundred and three days,” said Doranna, automatically. She sighed.
“Verily, it hast been far too long. I tire of my confidence, yet my
only other opinion is unsinkable.”
- "Woodcutter Quince"
“Hey,
Jy,” continued Samul. “Do you think there's any chance we might
see a dragon on our way there? Because that would be seriously cool.”
“It
would only be seriously cool if it stays well away from us. Those
beasts breath fire, if you'll remember. That's seriously hot.”
“What's
this!” exclaimed Samul in an incredulous voice. “Jyson cracking a
joke? The world must be coming to an end!”
- Half-Hidden
I glanced around
myself and feigned a sigh of disappointment. “You’re right. We
landed high and dry. Oh, I hope this isn’t a desert! What if
there’s no water at all! We’ll die of thirst!”
V was now on the
ground and glaring up at me. “Cut. It. Out.”
“Fine, Vienna
Sausages,” I said, rumpling her hair, causing her to squeak. “Let’s
just see if we can find that rainbow. You know what they say, where
there’s a rainbow, there’s bound to be water!”
“Kendra!”
“That's my name –
don't wear it out!”
- Behind the Rainbow
And I think that's all I'll share for now.
12. Last word from your manuscript(s)! Go! The Ankulen: note Just Another Sci-Fi Novel: Door The New Division: Grandmother Half-Hidden: gone Behind the Rainbow: already Water Princess, Fire Prince: day My Kingdom for a Quest: honeymoon Worth of a King: anxious
"Woodcutter Quince": guess
"Gift Exchange": think
"CinderEddy": was
"The Sun Jewel Adventure": asked
That's quite an interesting collection... 13. First sentences from your manuscript(s)! The Ankulen: I have no imagination Just Another Sci-Fi Novel: In our day and age, competition among authors has grown
fierce. The New Division: During
the Great Depression, it was not an unusual thing for a small baby to
be left on the doorstep of an orphanage by parents unable to provide
for the tiny life. Half-Hidden: In his dreams, Jyson
could always fly. Behind the Rainbow: I hear that my
sister is being all dramatic and all that up there, with the present
tense and stuff like that. (This is actually the first sentence of the second chapter, by my sister wrote the first chapter) Water Princess, Fire Prince: Clara sat at the top of a big slide with three of her friends. (Actually, that line's around five years old. I've been working on this story that long!) My Kingdom for a Quest: Once upon a time, in a land called Bookania, two servants were locked in a dungeon for the mere crime of not knowing where their prince was. Worth of a King: “Milady, please,
put down the book, I need to do your hair.”
"Woodcutter Quince": Once upon a time, in a land called Bookania, there lived a woodcutter
and his wife in the middle of a large and fearsome wood called Black
Forest.
"Gift Exchange": Once
upon a time in a land called Bookania, a small party was camped
beside the main road, but was in no hurry to continue their journey,
at least not that day, for it was a very special day.
"CinderEddy": Once upon a time there was a valiant knight whose
kindness and bravery were known throughout the land.
"The Sun Jewel Adventure": Jenny Brown was eight years old. 14. Show us your favourite funny scene! Ooh. This one's tough, partly because I have a lot of funny scenes (many of the punny variety,) and partly because most of those funny scenes are only funny in context. But I'll look ...
Without
thinking, I began slowly walking in the direction I was being pulled.
I heard Tisha and Chris fall into step behind me, but I kept my eyes
shut. We walked like this for some time, but then I ran into a tree.
Yes,
you read that right. I ran into a tree.
Well,
actually, I walked
into
that tree, but, still. The tree and my face had a collision.
Instantly,
my eyes flew open and I jumped backwards. As I pulled off my glasses
to make sure they were still intact, I heard giggling behind me, so I
threw a glare over my shoulder. “Yes?”
“Were
– were you walking with your eyes closed?” questioned Tisha, who
was, to her credit, trying
not
to laugh.
“What
does it matter if I was?” I answered, turning my attention back to
my glasses. Well, at least they didn't seem to be harmed. With
grudging satisfaction, I slid them back onto my nose and turned to
face the pair.
- The Ankulen
15. Show us a snippet of dialogue you're proud of. Again, difficult. I'm a dialogue-driven author (in case you haven't noticed from the above snippets), so to single out one snippet (that, again, makes sense out of context) is tricky. But I'll look!
Robert
sighed and shook his head. "Well, I'm her brother, and I say she
can't sleep in any longer." With that, he stood up and marched
over to the girl's tent and pulled back the flap. "Robin! If you
sleep any longer, you'll miss the party."
No
response.
"Robin!"
he said, louder. "Wake up. It is morning."
"Go
away," Robin growled. "I'm asleep."
"Fine
then. You'll miss the party." Robert turned to go, intending to
get some pine cones or something that he could throw at his sister to
wake her up.
"What
party?"
Robert
turned to see that Robin had actually opened her eyes and propped
herself up on one elbow. He grinned. "Well, Eric's here, so it
must be a party."
"Go
away."
- "Gift Exchange"
16. Tell us about some funny typos or writer-bloopers you've had this year! Um, during NaNo I wrote that that the ceilings in engineering were taller than in other humans ... instead of other rooms. Also writing the words "The flippant" turned into "Theippant" somehow. 17. What has writing taught you about yourself this year? Patience. You have to be very patient when it comes to writing. Very, very patient. 18. Best piece of writing advice you learnt this year? Don't insist that the first draft be perfect. I didn't used to, and then I did, and now I don't anymore. I love rough drafting, but actually, my favorite part of writing is rewriting. 19. Anything big on the horizons for next year? Plans to query? Publish? Edit? I hope to publish a short story collection and at least one more installment of the Bookania Quests. I 20. Tell us a bit about a book you're super excited to write in 2014! Hopefully I will (finally!) finish with Water Princess, Fire Prince's first draft, and I'm looking forward to tearing it apart and rebuilding it. Maybe I'll have it out by June 2015! (I can dream, right?) I'm also looking forward to writing book two of the Rizkaland Legends. This is one of my oldest stories, and it'll be its fifth draft. Very fun! A bit about the two? Well, the series is inspired by Narnia, and as a result, it involves a lot of world traveling. Book one (WP,FP) is about two teens, Clara and Andrew, who become a Water Princess and Fire Prince and are forced to work together and save the island of Klarand. And that sounds really cheesy, doesn't it? (And the reason I didn't share any snippets from that book was the fact that I'm so close to finished, almost everything would spoil the plot)
Cait and Mime, over at the Notebook Sisters, are hosting a linkup about reading and writing, things that both of them are interested in. And know what? So am I! I'm definitely taking part. Today, I'm answering the reading questions, since I still need to hunt down some snippets for the writing one. I'll try to have it up within a few days though!
1. What was your overall favourite book this year? (Yes. Pick one.)
I'm staring at all of the books I gave five stars on goodreads and I have to say that, out of all of them, no, not that one. Eep - that one was good ... oh, that one, too!
Eh, I think I'll go with Everburn. That was a really good book. Started slow, and I took forever to get into it, and there were rough spots, but in the end, it was such a beautiful story, and I loved all of the characters.
2. Favourite debut(s)? (Author must have been first published in 2013.) The Foundlings, by J. Mark Miller. (I think he had a few short stories before that, but they seem to have disappeared from his amazon list) The Princess and the Sage, by Anne-Girl.
Can I count Haphazardly Implausible, by Miss Jack and Annabeth's War, by Jessica Greyson? I know they were 2012, but it was November and December, so it was almost 2013. 3. Which books did you reread this year? I don't reread books. I did pull the Lord of the Rings off my shelf and skim through it a few times, however. Oh, and I just picked up a free kindle version of The Nutcracker, and while I've read it before, I full intend to read it again somewhere over the hecticness of the holidays. It's not an intense book, and I love the story so much. (And I'm planning on writing some form of a sequel to it, so I need to brush up on the plot) 4. Favourite cover(s) this year! Um ... All of them? Okay, Okay, I'll show you a few.
Delicious looking, aren't they? Actually, I love almost every cover of every book I've read. This is just a few. 5. Worst cover(s)? As I said above, I've loved almost every cover I've read. But If I have to go with a worst cover, I'll go with The Soldier's Cross by Abigail Hartman. Not that it's a bad cover, but something about it strikes me as unprofessional, and it's a traditional publisher, so I can afford to be a bit less forgiving. (Though maybe if I were to see a physical copy, this opinion might change) This doesn't mean I didn't love the book, though! Once I got into it, I devoured it! 6. What self-published books did you read this year? Um ... you really want a list? At least half of the books I read are self-published (me being a self-published author myself, I like to support my peers). And frankly, I can't, off the top of my head, say which ones were self-published, and which ones weren't. And just looking at the covers isn't any help. You see the great covers I have above? Eight of them I know for a fact to be self-published. But since you want me to, I'll make a list ... Destiny of a Few, and Destiny of a Galaxy, by Sarah Holman Everburn by Robert Bunch (I think ... it looks and feels like a self published) Red Rain by Aubrey Hansen The Heart of Acrea and The Fate of Acrea by Nancy Sager Duty,Wren, and Exchange by Rachel Rossano (that's three books there) The Foundlings by J. Mark Miller Annabeth's War by Jessica Greyson Haphazardly Implausible, its short story collection and Abolished Impracticality, by Miss Jack Lewis Baillot The Princess and the Sage by Anneliese Blackeney Champion in the Darkness by Tyrean Martinson Firmament: Radialloy by J. Grace Pennington Supervillain of the Day by Katie Lynn Daniels Snow White and Rose Red: The Curse of the Huntsman by Lilly Fang The Storykeepers by Mir Foote No Ordinary Hero by Joyce A. Scott A School for Villians by Ardyth DeBruyn Beauty and the Beast by Jenni James Coralina by Anita Valle King's Warrior by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt Shortcuts by Stewart J.W. Reynolds Living with Ogres by Mitt Ray Egg Hunt by Pamela Daniels Isabel by Karen Rosario A few others are possible self published, but I think that's all of them! 7. Which book(s) gave you a massive hangover? The Foundlings. (See above). I usually recover quickly, even from cliff-hangers, but this one had a cliff that was just plain evil. There was no warning at all, just a character being captured, two secrets being revealed (both of which I had been partially suspecting for a while) and no explanations. And yes, if a sequel is ever published.... I will be reading it. I hate the fact that it didn't have a proper climax, but I do want to know what happens next. 8. Best standalone you read? Most of the books I read were series, but I really enjoyed What Came from the Stars, by Gary D. Schmidt. It was an interesting blend of Fantasy and Sci-fi, and the writing was almost poetical. I had to refer often to the index at the back at the book, but for the most part, it flowed well. 9. Biggest book(s) you've read this year? I honestly have no idea. I read mostly on my kindle, so I don't always get a real feel for how long they are. I know Everburn was pretty thick, as was Eye of the Oracle, and I read Dune, by Frank Herbert. 10. Book(s) you followed the hype for and then loved! I don't really follow hype, but I did keep half an eye on Mark of Athena, and quite enjoyed it when it got out. 11. Most disappointing book(s) you read this year? Spirit Fighter, by Jerel Law. I found it on the shelf at the library, and from the description on the back, thought it might be a Christian version of Percy Jackson. And that's basically what it was. But without the snappy writing, great plot, and Percy's amazing voice. And I didn't quite like the theology, so it didn't sit well with me. 12. Favourite leading-female character? Ela, the titular character from Prophet by R. J. Larson. This probably has a lot to do with the fact that I only just finished reading the book, but she was so well done. She was the first woman prophet in her world, but despite breaking gender roles, it didn't come off as feministic. She was so sweet and humble, and a lovely character to spend time with. 13. Favourite leading-male character? Prince Moss from No Ordinary Hero. Yes, he was a frog, and yes he did more than his fair share of complaining. But he grew up so much, in the figurative sense. And he had an interesting sense of humor. 14. Best romance(s)? I do not, as a rule like romances in my books, but either I've softened to the genre, or I've been running across some pretty good ones!
For instance, Brielle and Tomas in Duty were amazing. Theirs was a politically arranged marriage, but they made it work, and it was beautiful. I also loved Wren and her love interest (whose name I forgot) in Wren. It wasn't an arranged marriage, but I liked the way it played out.
And I loved Maria and her love interest (who, for spoiler reasons, will remain nameless) in the Destiny Trilogy. Very sweet, and while it may have disappointed a few readers, I was perfectly content with it.
And then there was Annabeth and Ransom in Annabeth's War. Again, very sweet.
Oh, and Renny and the main character (whose name I have also forgotten) in Heart of Acrea. Their "proposal" seen was epic. (Best way to sell me on a romance is to have an epic proposal, preferably in an unexpected setting such as a battle.)
Lord McDougal and Lady Mercy in Loresmen. Very sweet, and definitely not the most important part of the series, but definitely a crowing glory.
Billy and Bonnie, Ashley and Walter, Sapphira and Elam, and several others in Bryan Davis's series.
Oh, and there's a pair that I ship in the Haphazardly Implausible series ... but I'm not quite on speaking terms with them at the moment for ... reasons.
And there are others, but I can't call them off the top of my head. 15. What book(s) hit the DNF list? (Did not finish.) There's quite a list of those ... but with most, I do intend to, at some point, get back to them. They were just too intense for my tired brain at the moment. 16. What book(s) did you read out of your comfort-zone? I read a whole slew of sci-fi's in October, which, if you had told me that I would be reading them two years ago, I would have asked you to get your head checked. I didn't like it, you see, being a hard-core Fantasy and Historical Fiction fan. But I was introduced to non-alien sci-fi through the Destiny Trilogy and Red Rain. And my sister has become a Trekkie in the last two years, so I've slowly come over. I still love Fantasy more, but I can admit that I like it about as much as HiFi. (And truthfully, I don't mind aliens, since one of my favorite all-time series is Lewis's Space Trilogy) I've also been slowly reading a Christian Contemporary Ninja novel ... It's an intriguing book, my only complaint is that the characterization and description such is a bit choppy. 17. Which author did you read the most from? It's a tie between Bryan Davis and Suzanne Collins, from whom I've read five books each. Of these two authors, Bryan Davis is my favorite. 18. Top 5 books you'd recommend from all the books you've read this year? Can I cheat and do series? Please?
I'm going to pretend that I can.
1. Acrean Conquest by Nicole Sager. I haven't read the last book yet, but the first two are breathtaking.
2. Destiny Trilogy by Sarah Holman. An king story in space.
3. Dragons in our Midst by Bryan Davis. Amazing spin on dragons. Also, it's sequel series, Oracles of Fire.
4. Annabeth's War by Jessica Greyson
5. The Princess and the Sage 19. How many books did you read this year all up? My Outread Aubrey shelf on Goodreads says 75 books, but I happen to know of two or three more that I couldn't find on goodreads or just didn't want people to know I read. 20. What's a book you're hugely excited for coming out in 2014?!
Oh ... grr ... what is a book I'm looking forward to ...
How about a sequel to The Foundlings? I don't know that it'd be coming out in 2014, but I'd like it to. I'm dying to know if the girl gets rescued! And how she can possibly be that certain person's granddaughter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
