This tag is part of Honor's release giveaway and is worth three points if you fill it out on your blog. If you don't have a blog, though, you are allowed to fill it out in the comments below for two points. When your post is live, make sure that you leave a link to it in the comments below so that I can find it.
Don't forget to check out the main post for all of the other awesome ways that you can earn entries, including:
Preorder the book and email me your receipt to receive ten whole points!
Now to the tag:
For the record, each and every one of these questions are RELEVANT.
1. Have you read any of the Bookania Quests yet? If so, what is your favorite thing about them? If not, why are you excited to read them?
2. What is your favorite fairy tale that no one else seems to know about?
3. Sword or Bow?
4. What is your favorite Fairy Tale mash-up universe?
5. What is your favorite fictional sword?
6. Name a Rebellious Princess that you felt to be particularly well-developed and compelling.
7. What is your favorite representation of Robin Hood?
8. Who is your favorite fictional mother?
9. If you could learn any language in the world instantaneously, which would you choose?
10. Who is someone in your life that you couldn't bear to lose?
And remember, you can also gain points by writing blog posts that review the other Bookania Quests or Robin Hood retellings - just make sure that you are shouting out the release and linking back here to my blog.
Hi, I'm just over here, linking up for Jenelle's tag for "February is Fantasy" month. 1. Your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. The cast of the most recent fantasy book you read comes to your assistance… who are they? Will they be helpful?
That would be the characters of Kendra Kandlestar and the Secret of Arazeen. Given that they're all wee folk, and largely unused to technology, they are probably unhelpful. I mean, Kendra's and her uncle Griffinstitch are powerful wizards, and the raccoon would have a heyday trying to mess with the machinery ... but I think they'd all do more harm than good.
2. You go to bed one evening and wake up in the lair of the villain of the last fairy tale you read, where are you and how do you plan to get out?
I am in Rapunzel's tower. And, unfortunately, as my hair is not yet even to my knees (though it is long enough to sit on), its use as a ladder is out of the question. But I find that the tower isn't as bad as I feared and has excellent wifi and free food, so I think I'm going to stay here.
3. You are transported into a fantasy realm and given a mythical creature as a companion and best friend… which mythical creature do you get?
Probably a dragon. Dragons are awesome.
4. In a strange series of coincidences, you end up needing to take the place of your favorite fantasy hero or heroine. Who are you?
Imma gonna go with Kyrin from Ilyon.
5. To go along with question #4, now that you are that character, is there anything you would do differently than that character, now that you are running the show?
... I really don't know. Because I like her because she's smart and makes good decisions. (Also has an awesome memory, and I'm just fascinated with memories.) I mean, the only thing I probably wouldn't do is get into a relationship with Jace, but that's because I personally don't feel that way about him. I do TOTALLY ship the two of them, though, so I wouldn't want to not have them in a relationship.
6. If you were yourself in a fantasy novel, what role do you think you would play in the story?
Probably the comic relief sidekick who keeps things from getting too solemn and dreary.
7. One morning, as you are going about your daily business, you pick up an everyday item and a voice booms in your head with prophetic words about your future. What object is it, and what is your prophecy?
I pick up my phone to turn off my alarm for the fifteenth time that morning.
Verily and forsooth, thou shalt be late for work again.
8. You are transported into a magical realm and turned into a mythical beast… what beast/fantasy creature do you want to be?
I'm a dragon!
9. If you could read your way into any fantasy realm, but the catch is that you can never leave, would you? Which realm would you choose?
I'd probably go to my own Rizkaland, because they know that people wander in from other worlds and they'd welcome me with open arms. It'd be awesome.
10. As you are going about your normal day, you discover that you have a magical power. What is it?
The power to make my imagination visual. That'd be awesome.
Okay, first off and heads-up, I've extended the Overhaul giveaway through to the end of October, as I've realized that it's going to take me that long to get through ALL of the edits.
So today, I'm issuing a tag for you guys to fill out. You can do it either in the comments below, or you can take it to your own blog. Comments is worth four points, while doing it on your own blog is five.
1. How long have you been following Knitted By God's Plan and how did you find me? 2. If you've read any of my books, which? And which are your favorites? If you haven't read any, which are you most interested in? 3. If you could redesign any of my covers, how would it look? Feel free to photoshop something, or just describe it. 4. Of my WIP's, which are you most eager for me to finish and publish? 5. Which of my Pinterest Storyboards do you find the most intriguing? 6. Pick a fairy tale and tell me how you would like to rewrite it. 7. Recommend a book for me to read. 8. If you and I were stranded together on a desert island, how long do you think that we would survive? 9. What is a project that you're working on that you can't wait to release into the world? 10. What is a burning question that you have for me?
If you fill this out on your own blog, post a link to the post in the comments.
It's been FAR too long since I last did a proper tag (I mean, suuuuure I did the snippet tag back on Christmas, but that was MONTHS ago), so I've stolen this one from Mirriam and Arielle, and let's see how it goes.
1. WHAT GENRES, STYLES, AND TOPICS DO YOU WRITE ABOUT?
Genres?
Anything high concept, but mostly fantasy. So far, all of my published works have been fantasy, from Fairy Tale mashups, to imaginative allegories, to epic portal fantasy. I do have a Superhero Dystopia in my drafts (need to finish that), and I've been plotting a Sci-Fi retelling of Peter Pan in my sister's Mikada series.
Styles?
Typically, Multiple Deep Third, past tense. I like to crack down deep into a person's head, but I don't like to stay in ONE head. I've done first person, when it makes sense for the book.
Topics?
Let's see ... the big ones:
Trusting in God and His Plan.
Accepting the talents that God gave you.
Commitment.
TRUE love. (As opposed to "True" love.)
Interpersonal relationships
Sibling relationships.
TWINS.
2. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING?
I've been 'writing' ever since I figured out that was what you were SUPPOSED to do with your pencils (rather than using them as puppets and acting out the stories with them). I wasn't serious until I was ten or so, though, and decided to write a 'better' Narnia movie.
3. WHY DO YOU WRITE?
Because it's the most socially acceptable thing to do with the stories in my head. It's frowned upon to kidnap people and make them act out my stories on pain of death.
4. WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO WRITE?
I do about 90% after midnight because I have a BAD habit of procrastination. BAD.
5. PARTS OF WRITING YOU LOVE VS PARTS YOU HATE?
Love: Brainstorming, plotting, acting scenes out in advance, rewriting, editing.
Hate: FIRST DRAFTS. I mean, they can be fun ... but on the whole? Torture. I mean, having to to actually turn the movie in my head into words? NOT FUN. *Not to mention the fact that I'm a perfectionist, and even though I KNOW I'm going to rewrite the book, I still have to get everything perfect. Yeah.
6. HOW DO YOU OVERCOME WRITERS BLOCK?
It depends on how pressed I am to finish the book. If my schedule is lax, then I usually take Writer's Block as my cue to step away from the story for a bit. If it's NaNo ... well, then I'll sit myself down and force myself through the scene. It may not be pretty, but the important part is to get something written.
7. ARE YOU WORKING ON SOMETHING AT THE MOMENT?
I am writing book 3.5 of my Bookania Quests for Camp NaNo. I hit 11,000 of my goal of 15,000 last night. It's been taking a slightly different direction than I'd intended, and I'm now expecting closer to 20,000 from the story, to take into consideration this new plot.
SNIPPET!!
“Just what do you
think that you’re doing, Pearis?”
Pearis turned to see Robin standing behind her. She arched
an eyebrow, snapping the fan shut as she examined her cousin’s wife. “Just what
do you think that you’re wearing?”
Honestly, Robin had
always been utterly unfashionable when it came to her apparel, but she usually
bothered to look nice at balls. At least
she wasn’t wearing the leather that she usually did, but a princess
shouldn’t wear pants to a ball. Princesses shouldn’t wear pants, period, but
that had been a lost battle with Robin.
“My mother’s no longer in charge of my wardrobe,” said
Robin, folding her arms over her chest. “Don’t worry, I’ll have a dress at the
wedding, as it’s a formal event.”
“And this isn’t?”
Robin gave her head a toss. “That’s why I’m wearing this new
outfit that my brother brought me when he arrived this week,” she answered. “Besides,
I don’t intend to dance, nor am I here to ensnare the attention of a prince –
as you seem determined to do.”
Pearis narrowed her eyes. “Just what does Eric see in you?”
She tried very hard to not
notice the exquisite embroidery on Robin’s sleeves and pant legs. The outfit did look very good on her, could even be
considered stylish if one squinted hard. If they didn’t notice that she was
wearing pants. Bodice and pants were both rich pink, just a few shades softer
than her wedding dress had been, with delicate white stitching. The pants were
flared at the knee, cut open to reveal pleated white fabric on the sides of her
legs. The sword on her belt only served to tie the outfit together.
But, no, Pearis was determined to not notice this. To not notice the confidence, the air that seemed
to judge everyone else for their skirts.
“Something, clearly,” Robin returned. “Given that he married
me, that’s good enough for me. Now, just what are you doing with that fan?”
“It’s a warm evening,” Pearis pointed out, opening the fan
again and giving it a few flutters. She wasn’t about to stand there and explain
herself to Robin.
“Don’t fool with me,”
said Robin, shaking her head. “I may not be a master of the art myself, but I
know that a fan is for flirting."
I'm also working on writing Love and Memory and Worth of a King. T
8. WRITING GOALS THIS YEAR?
I actually wrote these down the other week. Hopefully, I'll get most of these done.
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!
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 ...
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.
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.
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.
What's a Knitted By God's Plan party without the tag? Boring, that's right!
Tag! Everyone's it. Now take the questions below, answer them on your blog, and you'll get three points towards all of those ebooks.
1. How long have you been blogging and why did you start?
2. How long have you been following my blog and how did you find me?
3. Which of the books on my WIP list sound the most interesting to you?
4. What are three of your favorite fairy tale?
5. What is the strangest fairy tale you've ever read?
6. What are some things that you're looking forward to/hope will happen in future Bookania Quests? (Or, if you haven't read the Bookania Quests yet, in the series in general, or, you know, you could just delete this question and pretend it never existed...)
7. Recommend a book for me to read. (You can check my Goodreads shelf to see what I've already read/my interests)
8. What, to you, are the essential elements of a good story?
9. What is your favorite fairy tale retelling, whether film or book, and why?
10. Tell me about a project (preferably a book, but I'll understand if you're not a writer), that you're incredibly excited about.
There we go. Quick, easy, and I can't wait to read your answers. Just leave the link to your post in the comments below.
And, if you don't have copies already, I'd like to point out that Sew, it's a Questand "The Prior Quest" are both free for Kindle today, so scoot over to Amazon and pick up your copies!
Welcome to day two of the party! Today will also be a bit light, as I was not able to do as much pre-work yesterday as I'd hoped, and today I have a long day of work followed by round 3 of Christmas.
Today, I'm posting a tag that you can take and fill out on your own blogs and then come back here and post a link in the comments. If you do that, it will earn you 3 points for the giveaway!
1. Have you read Water Princess, Fire Prince yet?
2. If so, what is your favorite part? If not, what are you looking forward to the most?
3. It's Christmas time! What's the best Christmas present you've ever received?
4. What are your favorite fantasy worlds?
5. Who are your favorite fictional couples?
6. Do you have any projects (writing or otherwise) that you've been working on for ten years?
7. Fantasy weapon of choice?
8. Name your element!
9. What are you hoping to see in future volumes of the Rizkaland Legends?
10. What is your favorite Christian allegory?
Don't forget to participate in the Character Encounters, too. (And if you do participate, don't forget to add your link to the linkup!) I can't credit your points until you link up. Similarly, don't forget to email me with links to any and every review you've posted of Water Princess, Fire Prince!
If you're planning to send me fanart or fanfiction, I need them by tomorrow night! Can't wait to see what you come up with! And Monday night is the deadline for sending me pictures of you dressed as a character. So far, I only have one!
And yesterday's free promotion of Water Princess, Fire Princewas a smashing success with over a hundred downloads! I decided to extend it another day, so you guys have extra time to share it with all of your friends and convince them to try it!
Greetings Everyone and welcome to the Holiday season. Today I'm doing a Christmas tag issued by Kathryn over at Hidden Orchards
1. What's your
favorite part about Christmas?
The decorations. I don't know why, but seeing all the pretty lights, the majestic trees, the little details just makes it smell like Christmas. Shish-ka-bobs. I'm the person who has Christmas ornaments taped to my ceiling all year round.
Also: Nutcrackers. I have this weird obsession with the Nutcracker (have I mentioned this before?) and it's actually acceptable at Christmas time.
2.
Does your family have any special Christmas traditions? If so, which is your favorite?
We try to ... my favorite of the mostly consistent ones is oo-ing and ah-ing. We pick a night and pile in a car and drive down roads looking at lights. It's gorgeous. Unfortunately, Christmas season is also basketball season, and my dad refs, so ... it doesn't always happen.
3. Everyone knows
that music is best part of Christmas.
What's your favorite Christmas carol?
Favorite carol ... Oh, wow. I have a list. Right now, first place goes to Mary Did You Know, if only because of this gorgeous version of it.
4. What's your
favorite Christmas song (i.e. non-sacred carol).
I'm drawing a blank, because most of the Christmas Music I sing is about the Reason for the Season. (I.e. Jesus). In fact, if it isn't, I have been known to rewrite it so that it does. Case in point:
I need to get these two songs (especially the first one) up on YouTube ... because I'd like them to spread.
5. What's your
favorite Christmas story or novel?
The Nutcracker.
(I'm a trifle obsessed, have I mentioned.)
6. What's your
favorite Christmas cookie?
Do gingerbread houses count? Because I do enjoy making them ... and eating them.
If they don't count, Spritz cookies, because they're fun to make and work really well with our press.
Now I want to go make cookies.
7. Do you shop at
Christmastime? Where's your favorite
place to do Christmas shopping?
Not really, and this year I'm broke. If I wasn't broke, it'd be Amazon, because I have prime, and it's awesome.
8. What's your
favorite Christmas treat?
By treat I'm assuming not cookies ... hum ... oh! I love the candy cane Hershey kisses. I'm not a chocolate person, but these are white chocolate, and peppermint and awesome. I had some last year ... but I'm out. I'm going to have to resupply.
9. Do you watch
Christmas movies? What's your favorite
one?
I watch the Nutcracker. My favorite version is The Story of Clara, which is actually about a ballerina who used to dance Clara. It makes me cry.
Second place goes to this version, because in my opinion it's the most accurate to the book.
10. We all know how
much fun setting up the Christmas tree can be.
Of course, there are always those ornaments that you made in first grade
that you would rather forget but they go on the tree anyway. Do you have a favorite ornament? What's the story behind it?
My favorite ornament is a blown-glass baby ballerina giraffe. She's gorgeous, is mine, and doesn't get put away at the end of Christmas. When she isn't hanging from the tree, she's tucked safely inside my giraffe collection.
And now it's time for round three of Beautiful Books. Editing edition. I honestly considered doing Kingdom with this link-up, since I was in the middle of editing. (By the way, if you've reviewed Sew and Take, then you're eligible to beta read the book.) But then I finished last night and sent it off to editors instead. Besides which, these questions are more suited for the beginning stages of editing.
So I'm doing Water Princess, Fire Prince instead. It's not quite finished yet (as you can see on the sidebar), but it's getting close, and I can still answer the questions on what has been finished.
You guys aren't tired of hearing about this story yet, are you? 'Cause I'm only going to talk about it more once Kingdom is published. Since I haven't finished the book yet, I can't talk release dates, but I'm considering late summer. The absolute latest this book will be out will be October, I'll tell you that. And I'm absolutely excited. Rizkaland is one of my favorite worlds, and I can't wait to share it with all of you. 1. On a scale of 1 (worst) to 10 (best) how well do you think this book turned out?
About a 7. I'm happy with it, but it's still going to take a lot of polishing, mostly because I've challenged myself to write it without going back and editing.
2. Have you ever rewritten or editing one of your books before? If so, what do you do to prepare yourself? If not, what’s your plan?
I love rewriting. In fact, I think I've done more of that in my writing journey than actual writing, and this book was, itself a rewrite.
I have developed something of a system for editing. First, I let it rest for at least a month while I work on something else. Then I'll pick it back up and read it as though I've never even heard of the book before.
Then, I go through the book and add any scenes or snippets of conversation that needs added, and changing any scenes that demands it. This is when I address the notes I sometimes leave myself in NaNo, and expand the play-by-plays I sometimes fall back on.
Next is a line edit, where I send it to my kindle and see how many notes I can leave myself, with spelling, misused names, grammar issues. Sometimes I'll add notes to expand a conversation or two, as it strikes my fancy. Then I'll pull up the document on the computer and actually apply all of the changes.
And then I'll send it out to beta readers to get their opinions.
3. What’s your final wordcount? Do you plan to lengthen or trim your book?
I'm sitting at a hundred thousand words, but I still have a bit of part four to finish, and all of part five. I'm considering upping the wordgoal meter on my sidebar again, but I'm going to wait a few more thousand words so I can get a feel for exactly how many I have left. I'm a putter-inner when I edit, and there are a few scenes that I know I need to add in part two. So, yeah, this is going to be a long book.
I'm actually a bit nervous that the next two books won't quite measure up. I mean, the last time I wrote book two, it was a mere 25,000 words. I'm not sure how long the first "draft" of book three is, but it's short, too.
4. What’s are you most proud of? Plot, characters, or pacing?
I love the plot, but the characters in this book are absolute darlings. For me, this book has always been about the characters, and this draft was no exception.
5. What’s your favourite bit of prose or line from this novel?
This book is over 100,000 words (and growing as we speak). You expect me to find one favorite out of all of that.
Okay, I guess I'll go look for something.
“I guess so,” said the Fire Prince, shrugging slightly. “At
least you’re not biting off heads at the moment.”
“I don’t bite,” she countered. “It’s disgusting. I have far
more dignified methods of dealing with my foe.”
6. What aspect of your book needs the most work?
I do need to deepen Andrew's character a bit more in part 2. I know what I want to do, I'm just waiting until 100-4-100 is over. (And I'd like to finish the book first)
7. What aspect of your book is your favourite?
The relationships. I have so many dynamic characters in this book, and everyone just bounces off of everyone else so nicely.
8. How are your characters? Well-rounded, or do they still need to be fleshed-out?
They're darlings, that's what they are. Some of them need a little bit of work, that's a given, but they're stronger than in the last draft, that's for certain.
9. If you had to do it over again, what would you change about the whole process?
I think I would have skipped getting sick the last week of NaNo. I went down with a bad respiratory infection, and all the words just seeped out of me. I think I would have been done with the book by now if it weren't for that, because I was seriously on a roll.
10. Did anything happen in your book that completely surprised you? Have any scenes or characters turned out differently to what you planned? Good or bad?
I can't say that anything has surprised me, but Clara and Andrew's relationship shaped up differently than it did last draft. Part of it was the fact that this is a rewrite, and I found myself reluctant to place them entirely back at square one. But the main reason was the fact that I'd actually taken the time to develop Andrew's character on his own this draft. I knew him better, and he wasn't content to just stand there and watch her blow around this time.
I can't say that this was a bad thing, because I do like how they've turned out, but it did throw me for a loop plotwise. I have Clara's emotions twisted to the proper pitch now, however, and I'm back on track.
11. What was the theme and message? Do you think it came across? If not, is there anything you could do to bring it out more?
There are many themes in WPFP, some of which I handled pretty well, some of which still need a bit of work. For instance:
Trusting on God's timing. Klarand had to wait fifteen years for the Water Princess and Fire Prince to show up and get rid of the Lady Dragon. This is something that really annoys Clara, because from what she can tell, they've basically done nothing during this time. (This isn't true, as with David and the temple, everyone has been preparing for the battle, so that once Clara and Andrew show up, things will just fall into place.) Klarand had to wait for the Water Princess and Fire Prince because only they could get rid of the Dragon, and for anyone else to attempt it would have been a disaster.
Do I good job of showing this? I'll give myself an eight. It still needs work, but I like where I'm going with it. Of course, as I said, there are many themes, many of which I've done really well, but we'd be here all day if I chose to talk about all of them.
12. Do you like writing with a deadline (like NaNoWriMo) or do you prefer to write-as-it-comes?
I need a deadline. I have at least fifteen books in various stages of writing, and when I do write-as-it-comes, this usually translates into me writing a sentence on one book, a paragraph on another, editing two chapters on a third, and generally me not making much progress on any of them. NaNo's my favorite month of the year.
13. Comparative title time! What published books, movies, or TV shows are like your book? (Ex: Inkheart meets X-Men, etc.)
Well, the series was inspired by Narnia, and it has a lot of Narnian elements, but it's a lot more mature than Narnia. (And longer. Did you know that LWW is actually shorter than Sew by a couple thousand words? I forget exactly how long it was, but Sew is only 38,000 words.)
14. How do you celebrate a finished novel?!
Depends, but it usually involves blasting all of my social media sites about it. I've got a candy bar saved for when I finish this book, though. It's going to be awesome.
15. When people are done reading your book, what feeling do you want them to come away with?
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.
There's this tag that's been going around, and I find it amusing since I don't talk about what I read nearly as much as I ought, so I thought I'd do it. I stole it from Cait over at the Book Chewers, since she said anyone could.
1. Greed. What's your most inexpensive book? What's your most expensive book?
I'm a cheepstake when it comes to my reading. Most of my kindle collection was free, (Because I've bought maybe 30 books, rounding up, and I have over a thousand on my kindle at the moment.) And much of my physical collection I've picked up at my library's yearly books sales when I can get children's books and paperbacks for a quarter apiece.
So epensive? I don't know, since I didn't buy any of them. I have a few, though, that I suspect were pricey when they were bought, but I wasn't the one who shelled out the cash for them, so I wouldn't know. I do know that I've never spend more that ten bucks on a single book.
2. Wrath. What author do you have a love/hate relationship with?
Oh ... tough question here. I think I'll go with Piers Anthony. On one hand, I love the puns of his Xanth series, but on the other, he likes to more ... spicy stuff than I like to read. Xanth is his tame series, and even there, it's borderline what I read.
3. Gluttony. What book have you devoured over and over again with no shame?
That's a list. I've got a number of books on my shelf that I wander over to whenever I'm bored and just ... read.
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (because it's a genius retelling of Cinderella) Chronicles of Narnia (for obvious reasons, and I recently picked up a single volume of the entire series for a dollar) Lord of the Rings (And my copy is again, single volume, as Tolkien intended) The Moorchild by Eloise McGraw (I don't know why I love this book so much, but I do. Mebbe it's the accents) Or Give me Death by Ann Rinaldi (A historical fiction about Patrick Henry's family. It is ... tear-jerking.) The Claidi Collection by Tanith Lee. (Because epic world building. Also, a single volume, I love single volumes)
Fairy Tale Collections (And I own SEVERAL) Elsie Dinsmore by Martha Finley (I have the entire series - not single volume, though - plus Mildreth's series) Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. (Because it's funny, and again, lovely worldbuilding)
And there are more, but I think I shall stop now. Basically, I highly recommend any of these books, and I read them frequently
Wait, I forgot a few:
The Ankulen
Sew, It's a Quest
Do You Take This Quest?
Water Princess, Fire Prince (notebook edition)
Yes, I'm the author, no I have no shame.
4. Sloth. What book have you neglected due to laziness?
Um, well ... that's a list equally long. Books on my shelf are in one of two states. Either I've read them a million times, or I've barely picked them up. I've spot read at these books, but I've never taken the plunge and actually devoured them. They include:
Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. (I own the whole series except Brisngr, which happens to be the book I've read the most of. I ... uh ... snuck into my mother's closet and read at it while she had it out from the library several years ago.) After the Twelfth Night by A. G. Werff. (I have it on my shelf. I bought it. I loved the first part when I edited it ... but I just can't seem to pick it up and finish it.) Only a Novel by Amy Dashwood. (Again, on my shelf, and I loved the first few chapters that I read on Amazon look inside, but I can't seem to finish it!) Second Son by Janelle Leanne Schmidt. (I won it in a giveaway. I loved the first book in the series. But unfortunately, the book focuses on a character that I was perhaps the least interested in - don't shoot me Brant fans, he's a great guy, but with his secrets and all that in the first book, he and I just didn't form a good relationship.) Kestrel's Midnight Song by J.R. Parker. (Again, won it in a giveaway, and I love the concept, but I just can't get into it!) Ben Hur by Lew Wallace. (I recently moved it down from currently reading to to-read on goodreads. I own a really nice copy, but I just can't get any further in the book. Incidently, I'm stuck at the same point in both book and movie)
Again, there are more, terribly good books that are having trouble cracking into me. I've doubt that one day I'll pick them up hit a point in the story, and then I'll be useless the rest of the day, but that just hasn't happened.
5. Pride. What book do you talk about most in order to sound like an intellectual reader?
Mostly classics, including David Copperfield, Pride and Prejudiced, and The Lord of the Rings. 6. Lust. What attributes do you find attractive in male characters?
I require a snappy voice, or brains, or both. He needs to be open and talkative, especially if he's the POV. If he's a POV and is keeping secrets from me ... that's an automatic on my bad list (actually, this is true for any POV character, but we're talking about guys right now). I like some heroics, and if he can save the girl, that's great (though I prefer it if it's a joint effort.) Accents are a must. I melt for accents.
But oddly enough, I don't really find myself attracted to guys in the books I read, not permanently, at least. Unless of course, they happen to be the rightful ruler of the land of sweets and is going to kill a mouse king. Yeah ... have I brought up my undying love for the Nutcracker before?
7. Envy. What book would you most like to receive as a gift?
Last Christmas, I could have answered this one easily. But between Christmas last year, and the fact that I've had money this year, I've managed to acquire pretty much every book I've been wanting to own. Besides this, my bookshelves are very full. I need to replace one of them with a taller one before I can go about expanding my collection some more. Maybe the Lunar series, because they're a pretty awesome spin on Fairy Tales. Or ... I only have two of the five Borrower books, I need the other three ... and, now that you mention it, my copy of Pollyanna is only abridged, and lacks a few of my favorite lines. I a full edition - and the sequel, because it's amazing.
And now, because we're talking about the books I own, my shelves.
This is the shelf that greets you as you enter my room. It starts with my Great Illustrated Classics, which, though they're abridged, have such wonderful illustrations, I love them. Then I have it organized as a proper library from there. ALE (for Lloyd Alexander) through JUS (for Norton Juster) on this shelf.
As you can see, it's taken up mostly by my Elsie Dinsmores. I'm quite proud of my complete set. It is gorgeous.
And then we have my other bookshelf, which is a bit busier. LEV (for Gail Carson Levine) through to WIL (for Laura Ingalls Wilder) here, and then we have my picture books, which are arranged by author (if I remember right) and then on the bottom shelf is Nonfiction. I need more shelf space for my nonfiction.
As you can see here, I also have a largish collection of Boxcar Children. Not a complete set by any stretch of the imagination, and I actually lack the first one. Need to get it, but haven't run across one for sale.
And, yes, those are furby feet you see at the top of the shelf. Her name is Ta-ta. I have a second, Toe-lou, but I'm not sure where he went. They both have dead batteries, so I haven't played with them in a while.
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.
