Somehow we have made it to the final week of August, which is very confusing because wasn’t August 1st just yesterday??? REGARDLESS. Before the month slips away, I couldn’t help but snag a super fun tag all about the author life!
The beautiful and creative Jameson @ Lovely Whatsoevers created the super fun #AboutTheAuthor tag last year, and has brought it back this year! Technically this is a #bookstagram challenge, buuuut I fail miserably at keeping up with those daily SO I am cheating and turning it into a blog post instead!
The challenge ran from August 1st – 22nd, so now that it’s all wrapped up, I thought it’d be fun to just answer all the questions here!
I will be answering any WIP related questions for The Nether Isle, since that is the book that has consumed my soul since March with rewrites. Though I have newsss regarding it which I will share in the final question because I am evil like that. *cackles*
SO LET’S GET TO IT!
Well, well, well. I’m pretty sure most of you know me. *grins* But for any new faces, I am Christine Smith, an ENFJ, 1w9, Hufflepuff (who is really obsessed with personality types). I’m a 28-year-old who still believes in fairies and am quite put-out over Peter Pan not whisking me away to Neverland before I got so old, sheesh. >.>
Fairy tales and fantasy is my jam, and if you’ve met me for all of 0.7 seconds, I’ve probably screamed about the Howl’s Moving Castle book to you and insisted you read it. Howl’s Moving Castle is the keywords to make me your bestie for life. (Also dragons. Please come talk to me about dragons.)
I write young adult fantasy ranging from eerie fairy tale retellings to epic fantasy to quirky steampunk adventures. And though pink is my favorite color and white and bright and frilly is my trademark, my books are anything but fluff and frills. #whoops My beta-readers always seem surprised at how emotional and intense my stories get. Good times, good times. (I can wear pink and write about murder at the same time thank you.)
About the story:
The Nether Isle is one of those weird steampunk adventure books I mentioned above. It’s about 17-year-old Karis, who gets sent to the Nether Isle—a forsaken isle where only the worst prisoners are sent. Karis expects to come across dangerous terrain, wildlife, and hostile prisoners. Instead she discovers a strange abandoned town, magical items, an island that seems to be alive and trying to kill her, and (in good ol’ YA fashion) a boy her age who is not a hostile in the least.
The story follows Karis and Jonah as they discover the secrets of this magical island, annnd it also explores the mystery of why these two cinnamon roll children were sent as prisoner there in the first place. HMMM????
The tale has a strange mix of being both eerie and dark and yet so, so soft, and though it still needs so much work, I kind of adore it.
(Yeah, no, I’ve yet to make a proper blurb for it so you get my hodge-podge explanation. #sorrynotsorry)
August Goals:
Finishing this first major round of rewrites!
Karis
An ENFP ray of sunshine carrying way too much guilt but still laughs at the most inopportune times. The spontaneous girl keeps me on my toes, I’ll give her that. Also so much energy. So much. And we’re not even going to talk about her love for explosions, my word.
Jonah
ISFJ and an actual cinnamon roll in human form. So soft, so awkward. Is way too quiet and will hardly ever divulge in what he’s actually thinking but is thinking all. the. time. Also doesn’t get enough sleep. Ever. Seriously, Jonah, put down the book and go to sleep.
(Don’t you just love my in depth character introductions? I can’t give too much away, now can I? *smile, smile*)
I don’t know what I’ll be reading when this post goes up, since I’m prewriting it like a week early. But as of typing this I just finished Omega Dragon (Children of the Bard #4), and WOW. What an emotional roller coaster! Bryan Davis’ Dragons in Our Midst and Oracles of Fire series were my LIFE during my teenage years, but I shamefully haven’t read all of the sequel series, Children of the Bard, until now. But at last I’ve done it and…it’s so weird having the stories of my teenagehood at an end. I—I don’t know what to do with myself now. Probably reread them for the 19834th time, let’s be real.
Up next I’ll probably read Masque (Two Monarchies Sequence #3.5) by W.R. Gingell because I just discovered her books this year and I. AM. IN. LOVE. 12/10 recommend.
Well, I inadvertently answered this in the first question.
Definitely YA fantasy. I’ve only ever written YA speculative fiction books, almost always on the heavy fantasy side of things, and like 95% of my reading material is the same. One time I was telling a friend I don’t really have any adult books, and I don’t think she believed me until she saw my bookshelves in person. She was like, “Wow, you really do read a lot of YA.” I mean, at least I know what I like. *grins*
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Though it’s written in third person, Karis is the sole narrator. We’re in her head the whole time, which is a rarity for me because usually a have multiple POVs and fairly large casts. This book is my smallest cast ever.
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It’s set in a 1920s-esque steampunk world, which was a blast to play around with.
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Technically it’s not a mystery, but it’s probably the closest thing to one I’ve ever written. The amount of secrets in this novel is just absurd, honestly.
Oh, HMMM. Well, if I was on the Isle, probably hide in the library in the strange abandoned town and hope nothing kills me.
If not on the Isle, I would love to explore the High City, where Karis is from. It’s the largest city in the continent and brimming with life and all sorts of 1920s steampunk goodness. I would love to walk the streets or cruise around in an automobile or hitch a ride in one of the airships.
HA. That’s funny, because The Nether Isle just so happens to have two of my most favorite kinds: the happy-go-lucky, energetic girl and the Soft Boy™ I don’t know why I love writing those so much, but they crop up in my stories a lot.
But I also really love the super shy, awkward types. OR, on the flipside, the sass-masters. I usually have to have at least one (1) snarky, devil-may-care guy causing trouble somewhere. Super important.
I don’t research things nearly enough, and worldbuilding is a big struggle. I have to work really, really hard to make an immersive, unique setting. I tend to accidentally fall back on pretty cliché settings—standard European medieval stuff. But I’m trying to work on that, and my last few books have had much more unique settings (I hope).
I’m pretty good at coming up with big, complex plots…and usually not even on purpose. Books I try to make simple absolutely explode into convoluted nonsense with probably way too many subplots and twists. I mean, I love complicated books but SHEESH. Sometimes I wish mine would calm themselves. >.>
I thiiink I do well with character creation as well. People and personality typing is my jam, so creating characters is what I LIVE FOR.
Research worldbuilding? Naaah. Research random psychological facts? OH YES.
What is this “outside of writing” thing you speak of? There is no outside. Just writing.
In all truthfulness, once I got serious about writing, so many things fell to the wayside. I used to be super passionate about piano playing, loved video games, was even part of 4-H sewing club for a year or two, but then I realized just how much I loved writing and kind of…stopped all those things to pursue it. Even the few hobby-like things I do now (bookstagram, blogging, etc.) are still writing related. XD
I found what I really, truly love, what sets my heart ablaze, and have been chasing it ever since. #noregrets
Gonna be real, I love the Drama Queens/Kings. The ones with flare. You know the type: wears all black and a cape and walks like they’re on a runway 24/7. Because, I mean, if you’re going to be evil, you may as well do it with S T Y L E.
Also snark. The devil-may-care, snarky boys I was talking about? Yeah, bonus points if they’re a villain/anti-hero.
2020 has been many unpleasant things, but not in the reading department. This has been one of my BEST reading years! I’ve read so many good books, guys!
But my two favorites so far are definitely The Icarus Aftermath by Arielle Baily (Stars Wars meets Greek mythology) and Spindle by W.R. Gingell (a whacky, magical Sleeping Beauty retelling written in the same vein as Howls Moving Castle OH YES). Helloooo new favorite books of all time!
You can find The Nether Isle’s playlist HERE.
It’s a bit of a different playlist from most of my stories, but this novel is quite different from really anything I’ve ever read, so it works! The Last of Us especially has just the right FEEL for TNI. I almost consider it TNI’s theme song.
My favorite type of question!
The Aesthetics
Gnarled trees | abandoned buildings | twisting vines | crunching leaves | morning sunlight filtering through the hazy woods | creaking cages | the soft breeze | lost things | found things | old cogs and screws | rippling water | butterflies | secrets | dusty books | rusty fire escapes | quiet tears | moss on old cracked steps | fog | whispers in the night | photographs | dark truths | old diaries | loyalty | friendship | seeking purpose wherever you are
The colors are all grayish blues and greens. My pinterest board encompasses it the best, I think.
Social Media: Instagram | Twitter | GoodReads | Pinterest
Here on my blog and my Instagram are my main hubs.
Book Links: Alas, I have no books published. BUT you can find my flash fiction piece, At Your Service, in Havok’s Rebirth Anthology. Shapeshifting cats and disaster dinner parties ensue. *grins*
As mentioned, The Nether Isle is my smallest cast to date. Karis and Jonah are the main players. But there is a character you see bits and pieces of that was just a delight to write, and I may or may not have accidentally based him off the Tenth Doctor from Doctor Who, but you didn’t hear that from me. *whistles innocently*
Ah. *clutches heart* So many things. I think just the sheer creativity and wonder. Creating entire people, full worlds, crazy plots, all of it, is such a blessing. Stories are in my soul, and being able to let them out is such a gift. Being allowed to explore all sorts of people groups and personalities, to walk through an infinite possibility of worlds, to experience innumerable incredible, dangerous, wondrous things, with the expanse of imagination steering me along across infinite ideas. It makes my heart soar.
No matter where writing takes me, published or not, I can never stop creating stories. They are a part of me, and I am so grateful to God for giving me this passion and joy to be a co-creator alongside Him. It is the true meaning if magic.
YA speculative fiction is where my heart is, and I’ve dabbled in quite a bit of it, from fairy tales to epic fantasy to steampunk to dystopian to time travel and even a bit of contemporary fantasy (though that poor book only got like 2 chapters before being abandoned).
What I haven’t done is magical realism. The idea of our world having just a slight taste of magic really awakens my imagination, and I’d love to try something along those lines one day.
What a fun question! But goodness, so hard. It would be a dream to share the stage with so many authors. GAH.
Okay, okay. Let’s go with…
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Nadine Brandes – Because she’s such a sunbeam even though she writes emotionally devastating books. (And I love them all.)
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Jill Williamson – Because her YA spec-fic books are epic and she’s so passionate about everything she does and just the friendliest soul.
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Mary Weber – She also writes epic books and is just brimming with love and wisdom.
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Bryan Davis – I mean, his books have been favorites of mine for YEARS. And he writes the type of huge casts/convoluted plots I so love.
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Shannon Dittemore – She has such a lyrical way of speaking truth and is so personable. I would love to meet her in person one day.
UGH. THAT WAS HARD. There are like a dozen others I could mention! I’ll just take ALL the authors pleaseandthankyou.
Oh, wow. This took some thought because I think I grow as an author every single day. Like life, it’s truly a never-ending learning experience and I’m constantly changing and growing and learning something new and experimenting.
2020 has certainly been an…interesting year. And though it’s been hard. Really, really hard. It’s also been a year of growth.
Through these months of hardships and working on TNI rewrites, I’ve really been learning my limits. I’m a workaholic, and tend to just push myself past the healthy limit and let my to-do lists enslave me. And it was really bad during March, April, and May. Because, hey, I’m home all day, may as well be SUPER PRODUCTIVE. But the thing is, being home all day can drain me (hi, extrovert here). As writers, we NEED life experiences; to get out of our rooms and see things, talk with people, live. It’s how we bring life to our tales. But being stuck at home 24/7 has drained pretty much all the creative energy out of me. And I knew I needed to change something.
Yes, I’m still stuck at home, but after those grueling few months, I started trying to make more time for fun things. To actually start paying attention to my exhaustion levels and step away from the computer when I needed to. I realized just because I have time to be productive doesn’t mean I should. Rest is so important to God, and I’ve been failing at it miserably.
But really in just these past couple of months I’ve been finding ways to take more time for rest, to let myself recharge, to balance work and play. And it’s helped. A lot. I am in such a better place mentally now than a couple of months ago. Life is still hard, and the future is still unknown, but I am learning to find rest and peace in the storms.
But, funnily enough, the thing I want to improve on is the same: Finding balance.
Because even though I’m getting better at it, I still fail miserably on a constant basis. I want to be more spontaneous with my writing. To allow myself to write for fun, to enjoy the process, instead of following a rigid day-by-day to-do list. I think there’s such a thing as being too organized. I’m so set on having everything in its place, and only working on one project at a time, and following a very specific weekly schedule, I don’t just let myself randomly jot down snatches of stories on a spare piece of paper or spontaneously start a story idea or decide I’m too tired to follow my day’s to-do list and put things off for another day. And it hurts me, and my stories.
Yes, it’s good having balance and lists and an organized schedule. But I also want myself to throw it all out the window and just be creatively messy when the mood strikes. I need to stop being so rigid and instead be adaptable. To stop being grumpy when my day doesn’t go exactly as I planned it that morning, and just live in the moment and let my creativity guide me instead of my schedule.
So I guess I have improved in a balanced writing life, but hope to continuously make it better.
(Wow, that was almost a blog post in and of itself. MOVING ON.)
And here we at last come to my news regarding The Nether Isle. (Finally.) At the start, I said my goal for August was to finish this round of rewrites.
I have been working on this 2nd draft pretty consistently since March. It is been my quarantine project and, being as how the first draft was a disaster, has been quite the project. Lots of headaches, lots of questioning everything, and looots of caffeine.
But, as of August 13th, the 2nd draft of The Nether Isle is DONE.
NOW. This is by nooo means the end. This was only the first round of edits. There is still so, so much to do with this novel. But it feels absolutely amazing to have the first pass over with. It’s been quite the undertaking, but it was so worth it, and I couldn’t be happier.
I hope to do a proper post with more details soon, but for now I just wanted to update you all that this round of rewrites is, in fact, finished. And say THANK YOU. I’ve received so much encouragement in the past few months as I’ve pushed on with this project. I’m not sure I could have made it to the end without my dear writing friends. Thank you all for the encouraging messages, the prayers, and the reminders to take a nap now and again. *winks* I am so blessed to have each and every one of you. *ALL THE HUGS*
ALRIGHTY. Now that this post is some 298 miles long, let’s close off with a snippet!
“Do you not like to read?” Jonah asked.
Karis paused, the can opener resting atop the lid. “No?” she squeaked, peering up at him guiltily.
He stared for several awkward seconds. Then a smile crept up his face and mischief gleamed in his eyes. “Karis, Karis. We’re going to have to work on that.”
She straightened. Did he just tease her? She couldn’t recall him ever doing that before. A grin pushed against her lips and she couldn’t seem to stop it. “You’ve found me out. I’m not a book lover.”
He shook his head, tsking. “So we have another mystery on our hands, it seems. Why does Karis not love to read? It’s going to be a hard one to crack.”
“I fear I’m a hopeless case. They bore me to tears.” She leaned forward, dropping her voice to a whisper. “It’s my dark, terrible secret.”
“So that’s your secret, hm?”
She jiggled the can opener, struggling to pop the lid open. “That’s the one.”
“The only one?”
His quiet words brought her gaze back up to him, and her smile dropped. The playful glint in his eyes had faded. Instead he watched her intently, that questioning gaze from before returning. He said no words, but she knew.
What was her dark, terrible secret? Her real one?
Why was she on the Isle?
Whew boy. If you made it through all that, ALL the cookies for you!
A huge thanks to Jameson for making such a fun tag. Do give her blog and instagram a follow. She produces so many lovely things!
And before I sign off, one quick reminder…
The Silmaril Awards begins next week!
YEP. Monday, August 31st, the Silmaril Awards begins, in which you get to nominate all your favorite literary fantasy characters to win a coveted Silmaril. And if you have no idea what this is all about, NO FEARS. I’ll have all the details come next Monday. But for now, start thinking up your favorite characters. We’re gonna have a good time!
LET’S TALK!
I think I’ve talked plenty about myself. So let’s discuss YOU GUYS. What is your favorite kind of character to read or write? I’d love to know! And whether you’re a writer or reader, what is your favorite thing about stories? What is it about fictional tales that makes your heart soar?
“The Nether Isle” sounds absolutely AMAZING. I love creepy islands and that aesthetic just makes me *heart eyes*
OH MY GOSH YES. Villains with style are just on point. The book I’m currently revising has a Evil Drama Queen antagonist and I just LOVE writing her.
Oh my goodness, I am so ridiculously honored you think so! That gives me just the motivation I need to keep working on this thing. (‘Cause it still has a long way to go. *nervous laughter*)
Aaaahhhh that sounds like the BEST! YES. Those Drama Queens are way too fun to write. Gotta love ’em. XD
Woo hoo!! You did it!! You finished Round 2!!! Also…the Nether Isle sounds like SO much fun (I love all the sadness and pain XD….). So much fun to read through the questions!
Steampunk isn’t usually my genre, though I suspect that’s mostly because I haven’t found many titles that speak to me. But I LOVE the sound of The Nether Isle!
I did!!! ^_^ It still has a long ways to go, but it feels great having this first revision knocked out! D’AWWW! That makes me so very happy that it sounds fun to you! (Pain and all. *cackles*) Thanks so much!
What an honor! Thank you!!! And, truthfully, the steampunk-ness isn’t super heavy, since it’s mostly about the creepy isle. So hopefully even non-steampunk-lovers will enjoy it! But yeah, there is a sad lack of just REALLY good steampunk novels out there. I have read some that I loved, but they are few and far between. We need more!
AHH THAT SNIPPET! I SHIP IT!! They are adorable, I love that she doesn’t read, just yes!
You definitely excel at character creation, I can’t think of a character of yours that I haven’t just fallen in love with good or evil. You also have fantastic villain taste.
I can’t not believe you have a character based off the 10th doctor!! Just ack my heart! <333
I need that! I have a feeling The Nether Isle has potential to be my next Howl’s Moving Castle level favorite.
(I have a bone to pick with Peter Pan too, as a soon to be 26 year old. He better hurry up)
XD
AJSJDLFH:KSJDLJ. THANK YOU, SKYE! I…I don’t even know what to say to all this niceness! I mean, next HMC level favorite? *collapses* That is the highest honor I have EVER received, and makes me all that much more motivated to keep whipping this thing into shape. YOU ARE SO SWEET!!! And yeah, the 10th Doctor-esque character was kind of an accident. Sadly, he doesn’t play a huge role, but he just kind of appeared and as I was writing him I was like, “Wait, did I literally just describe the 10th Doctor?” LOL. Gotta love writing. XD
(Peter needs to get with it! We’re getting way too old over here. >.>)
Your story sounds absolutely amazing! YA fantasy is definitely one of my personal favorite genres as well, along with YA sci-fi *looks at overflowing bookshelf*.
OMG, you just described me perfectly. People are always surprised at how……intense my stories are, since I wear frills and pink a lot. They’re even more surprised when I say that I play sports [yes, I’m in a pink ball gown, and, yes, I do taekwondo].
Do you mind if I steal this tag? It looks fun.
Aaahhhhh sounds like we’re such twins! YA spec-fic and pink frills and intense stories FTW! ;D Although I am a stereotypical pink-wearing girl that DOESN’T play sports. Alas, I fail at pretty much anything that involves coordination and physical activity. XD That’s so fun you do taekwondo!
Go right ahead! That’d be so fun if you do it! I would suggest linking to Jameson’s blog (https://www.jamesoncsmith.com/) since she created it, but otherwise consider yourself tagged! 😀
Yess, intense stories are just the best.
Well, uh, it took me awhile. Maybe I can transfer some of my athleticism to you, and you can transfer some of your piano-playing skills to me?
Yeah, it is fun. Or, at least I did, before COVID.
Ooh, yay, this is such a great tag.
I had so much fun reading through this! Great post ^.^
Awwww, I am honored! Thank you!!!
I’ve been so desperate to read TNI ever since you first started writing it and posts like these aren’t helping! That snippet though 😍
I really enjoyed this post though, particularly your thoughts on rest. So good. I might do this tag on my own blog before August is out.
GIIIIIRL. You make me smile so big! Thank you so much!!! <3 Maybe one day it will be readable… One can hope. *nervous laughter*
So glad you enjoyed it! And YES. You should totally do this one! I had a ton of fun answering the questions. Jameson came up with great ones!
Oh my goooooodness. The more I hear about The Nether Isle the more I NEED IT. AND CONGRATULATIONS ON FINISHING YOUR REVISIONS! *throws confetti*
SOFT BOY SOFT BOY SOFT BOY *heart eyes*
Oooh, yes, Masque is a good one. (Which reminds me that is another series that I really must catch up on, now that there’s a new book out.) I can’t wait to hear what you think of it!
Totally with you on the worldbuilding. IT’S SO HARD. Like, I can see it in my head and everything makes sense there but trying to make it vivid and sensible on paper is a whole other thing. O_o
“Research worldbuilding? Naaah. Research random psychological facts? OH YES.” Girl, IT ME.
Stylish, dramatic, snarky villains are the BEST. I feel like that’s how I know when I’ve really clicked with a WIP’s villain when I can finally picture them in their Big Dramatic Scene.
TNI’s aesthetics *heart eyes*
That would be an amazing author panel!
This year has definitely been…something, but I’m glad to hear it’s been getting better for you! *hugs* Even though I’m *extremely* introverted, it’s had its trying times for sure.
THAT. SNIPPET.
Thanks for joining #AbouttheAuthorAugust! I loved seeing your answers! (I may have to consider making a tag version of this for next year! ^_^)
*SQUEALS AND FLAILS AND BLUSHES* GIIIIRL. You’re making me grin so big! THANK YOU!!! That just motivates me SO MUCH to keep working on getting it fully finished! <3
SOFT BOIS YES. SOMEONE UNDERSTANDS. Soft fictional boys are my WEAKNESS.
I started Masque last night and am already IN LOVE! Goodness gracious, I just love this series so much! I can’t believe it took me so long to start it. I am officially addicted!
YES. That is exactly me! I’ll sometimes picture these big epic things and places, but figuring out how to incorporate them into the story and DESCRIBE them??? I fail miserably. *collapses*
Gotta love psychology! *high-fives* 😀
P r e c i s e l y. Yes, yes, yes! Those Big Dramatic Bad Guy Scenes are the ones I live for to write. Not sure what that says about me… But, man, are they fun! XD
AWK. This whole comment is making me day! Thank you SO much for putting together this challenge…even if I cheated with how I used it. *sheepish grin* But I LOVED it! Such fun prompts! <3
I love the idea of this as a tag!! I might have to steal your idea…
Researching world building<psychology? So me!! I’m terrible at world building (a fact I’m currently working on improving). But ask me to research random stuff about how our brains operate? Yes, please!
Also, you used to be in a 4-H sewing club?! I did too!!!
Congrats on finishing your round of edits!!! That’s so exciting for you!!!
DO IIIITTTT! That’d be so much fun! 😀
YES. Psychology is just so fascinating. I never get tired of learning about people and personalities. I literally read articles on MBTI types and stuff during my downtime because I find it so fun. XDD But yeeeah, worldbuilding is a different story. :-/ I love how we’re such twins!
Aaahhhhh really? SO COOL. Yes, I had SUCH fun times in that class. My bestie’s mom ran it and we had an absolute blast. Even though sewing isn’t my favorite… Eheh. But it was still so much fun! 4-H clubs were great! I did a photography one as well, and have such fond memories from it. ^_^
EEP. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! I’m excited!
The really crazy thing is that Karis is… a… whole lot like me. I’m 17, ENFP, and sometimes struggle with guilt. I have a lot of energy and sometimes surprise people. Ok, I surprise people a lot. AND I have thought about naming a character Karis. So.
This post was so fun!! I enjoyed it a lot.
Oh, and Jonah sound a lot like a boy I’d like to meet. 😉
Oh my goodness, you and Karis are such twins!!! Karis and Kendra–that would honestly be adorable twin names. That’s so fun you’re a lot like her. She is one of my favorite protagonists to write! ENFPs are the BEST! <3
Awww, thank you! So glad you enjoyed all my many babbles. Hehe.
Okay but same though, if we’re being totally honest here. *grins*
First of all, this post was so fun to read!! <3
Second.. The Nether Isle just sounds so incredibly epic, the characters, just everything you’ve shared about it makes me want to hack(or steal) your computer and read it within a day, because GOODNESS I just know when it’s published it’ll end up on my favorite list, seriously.
W-wait, you never finished Children of the Bard till NOW? How. XD (Also out of the three series, which one’s your favorite and what’s your favorite book within each one?)
also I’m just in awe in your ability to write SO MUCH. Whenever you share your Camp Nano results I just look at them in shock and awe XD
(also the chiefs kiss to the aesthetics!)
Aaaahhhh I’m so glad you thought so! Thank you!!!
Oh my gracious goodness alive. *collapses from all the niceness* I don’t even know what to SAY! I just…I hope it won’t disappoint. But your words also motivate me SO MUCH to keep working on getting it publish-ready. THANK YOU SO MUCH. SO SO MUCH! <3
I KNOOOOW. I used to read EVERY one of his books as they came out, but then I got older and busier and distracted by some 23984 other books, and somehow I never read the last tow Children of the Bard books until THIS YEAR. It’s just SHAMEFUL. But I have read them now, and loved them! And ooooh, FUN QUESTION. Let me think… I honestly don’t know if I like Dragons in Our Midst or Oracles of Fire better. I’ve always seen them as one big series and have a hard time separating them. But they’re definitely my favorites. I enjoyed COTB, but I will forever be nostalgic over the originals. <3 As far as my favorites in each series: Circles of Seven, Eye of the Oracle, and The Seventh Door. Hands down. Circles of Seven and Eye of the Oracle are some of my favorite books EVER. THEY’RE SO GOOD. What about you?? Which ones are your favorites?
Oh goodness. You’re so sweet. I feel like most of my fast writing is just word puke that has to then be heavily edited, to be honest. XD My drafting process is MESSY.
EEP. THANK YOU!!! I’m kind fond of the aesthetic myself. ^_^
Cool. I love dragons too (I have a little one; her name is Singe. Totally did not come up with that on my own… I miiight have taken the idea from a kid’s book 😉
And on Prompt #18:
I too can’t stop creating stories!! They are always swirling around in my head. It’s such a wonderful and beautiful gift from God (and I couldn’t have said it better myself. I think you summed it up perfectly!) Also, my favorite part of a story is the journey alongside the MC and growing and learning with them. 🙂
And Congrats on finishing your second draft! *throws confetti*
I’m also curious. I’ve noticed that YA is extremely popular, especially among the Christian/Homeschool Author circles (I’m actually an MG writer). So, my question is, why do you love YA? What first drew you to that genre and inspired you to write it? (oops, actually that ended up being two questions *grins sheepishly*)
DRAGONNNNSSSS! I’m a little obsessed, if you can’t tell. ;D That’s so fun you have a little one. And Singe if a fabulous dragon name!
“A wonderful and beautiful gift from God” <—YES. I couldn’t agree more. It’s just such a privilege to be able to take the things from our heads and form them into words. It feels like real magic!
Oh yes! Growing and learning right along with the MC is such a joy. Reading AND writing has really shaped me, because there is so much to get out of it.
Awww, thank you! I’m excited! ^_^
Oooh, such a great question! Goodness, there’s so many things. For one, I find a lot of YA has more unique tales. Adult stories tend to be pretty standard, but YA (and MG for that matter!) bring such a sense of wonder and originality to the fictional world. I also really love stories about finding who you are; the becoming of age types of tales, which is, to a point, what I think MOST YA is really about, at its core. I’ve always had a passion for helping teenage girls–that’s just my comfort place, even here at 28. And writing YA fiction is a way to hone in on that passion. The teenage years are so vital, that transition from a child to an adult, and I love exploring it with characters. YA is just…where my heart lies. Adult fiction hardly ever does it for me, for some reason.
But I LOVE that you write MG!!! Some friends and I were literally JUST talking about how the world needs some more really good MG fiction, so that’s really exciting! 😀
That’s great that you have a passion to help teenage girls.
And yes, YA and MG seem to have a broader range of original ideas.
Thanks so much! That’s so funny that you and your friends were just talking about MG. I think the world needs both really good YA and MG.
Follow your passions, and best wishes in your writing! 🙂
Thank you so much, Lily! You as well! <333
WOW! “The Nether Isle” sounds fantastic! And that snippit has me thoroughly intrigued.
Congrats on finishing your second draft!
Cinnamon rolls in human form are some of the BEST characters! Karis and Jonah sound amazing and I REALLY need to know the rest of their story and how they got on the Isle in the first place.
Fellow dragon lover here! Have you read “The Inheritance Cycle” by Christopher Paolini? Awesome dragons in there and Saphira is the best!
I can totally relate to finding balance between work and fun/rest, so I’m glad you found something that works for you 😀
Looking forward to the Silmaril Awards!
Um… I didn’t mean to have that picture at the bottom… oops
Oh my goodness. *blushes* Thank you!!! It means so much that it intrigues you. That really inspires me!
YES. Cinnamon roll characters are my FAVE. They’re just so precious. I really had fun with Karis and Jonah…even if they probably didn’t have fun having me as an author. *cackles*
YAAAAY!!! *high-fives* You can never go wrong with dragons! I read the first two of The Inheritance Cycle ages ago, but I shamefully never finished. D: I need to give them a reread and finish it! I do remember Saphira being spectacular!
Aww, thank you! It is such a hard balance to find, isn’t it? I feel like I will forever be searching for it, but I’m trying to do better. Even if I fail a lot. *guilty laugh*
I’m so glad you’re looking forward to it! I AM TOOOOO. We’re almost there! 😀
(No problem about the picture! It’s probably this widget I use for the comments section. It has some weird features.)
I do recommend reading The Inheritance Cycle again, he has another book out that takes place after the fourth book and oh my goodness it was good! Even if it was on the small side ;p If you like audiobooks, I also recommend that form as well, Gerard Doyle was an amazing narrator for the whole series.
And I’m pretty new to the whole commenting thing, so the picture was probably a mistake on my end, I’ll get the hang of it eventually ;D
This will actually be my first Silmaril Awards since I didn’t know about it in time for last year, so I’m really excited to see what goes on!
I don’t think I realized he had another book out. How exciting! I really need to try them again. It’s been so long, I barely remember anything from the story!
No problem at all! I’m honored you took the time to comment on my blog! ^_^
OH OH. This is your first Silmaril Awards? SO EXCITING!!! We always have such a grand time!
^_^
On an unrelated note, do you have any blogs to reccomend? I’m a writer and usually follow other writers, but I’m willing to branch out. I’ve found a few blogs on my own but you’ve been blogging for a while now, so I wondered if you could help me?
I LOVE your blog, by the way!!!
Oh my goodness, you are just making my day up and down. THANK YOU!!! I’m so honored you found my little space on the internet!
As for blogs to recommend, I’d be happy to!
Some of my favorite I follow are:
http://theonesthatreallymatter.blogspot.com/
http://thesplendorfalls.blogspot.com/
http://thefloridsword.blogspot.com/
http://storitorigrace.blogspot.com/
https://goteenwriters.com/ (<– One of my FAVORITES for writing advice, even though I’m not a teen.)
https://traceydyck.com/
https://deborahocarroll.wordpress.com/
https://thepagedreamer.wordpress.com/
https://smudgedthoughts.wordpress.com/
http://allisonswell.website/
https://www.jenelleschmidt.com/
http://faithwhitewrites.com/
And that’s just a few of my favorites. I, uh, follow a lot of blogs. Lol! Every single one of them are writers, too! I LOVE following fellow writer’s blogs!
Oh, wow! Thank you!
I’m not a teen either but I will definitely check them out!
I love following other writers too, it makes me feel less alone on this ‘writing journey’ and the more the merrier!
Again, thank you SO much for taking the time to help me!
Have a blessed night!<3
You are most welcome! It was absolutely my pleasure!
AND YES. I couldn’t agree more. It’s always such a blessing having fellow writers there alongside the process. Writing should never have to be a lone venture. Some of my dearest writing friends were made through blogging. ^_^
Blessings to you!
I just finished checking out all the blogs you so kindly recommended, and they are GREAT! Thank you again for taking the time to help this newbie out<3
Also, I've been reading some of your old posts and found out you're a Kingdom Hearts fan. I LOVE those games! Who's your favorite character? Mine is Kairi for girl character and Riku for boy, and also, Sora is pure Cinnamon Roll!!! *ahem* Reigning in the fangirl now. XD
*reining*
spell-check is my eternal undoing…
Awww, you are so welcome!!! Those are some of my dearest friends. They are precious people!
OH MY WORD. ANOTHER KINGDOM HEARTS FAN. AAAAAHHHHHH!!!! *glomps you* I have been playing those games since the first one was new. I am so obsessed! Oh man, I love all the characters so much. Honestly, Sora is probably my top favorite. He is the most cinnamon rollest of cinnamon rolls. I adore him. I also love Aqua…and Namine…and Kairi…and Riku…AXEL. Axel is amazing. Yeah, I just love them all! <3 I’m so excited to find another fan! Fangirl ALL you want. I will happily fangirl with you! (Though I’ve, sadly, yet to beat Kingdom Hearts 3. I got really behind with playing them. o.o But otherwise I’ve played them all!)
AAAAHHH!!! *glomps you back* I have played all the games too, the only one I haven’t beaten is Birth by Sleep for the ps4, REALLY hard boss at the end…
I honestly love all the characters and it was hard choosing favorites! You are mad at Peter for not taking you to Neverland, I’m mad at Riku for not taking me to Destiny Islands! XD
The third one was amazing! I won’t say more for SPOILERS *zips lips*
Yeah, Axel is the best! I just love his wit and humor and how he will always be there to bring his friends back. One of my favorite quotes of his is, “Why do I always get the icky jobs?”
I’ve been playing the games almost as long as you and my love for them is well known among my family. I’ve recieved quite a few of the games as birthday and Christmas gifts!
It’s SO nice meeting a fellow fan!!! I haven’t really come across any besides my siblings 😀
(I feel silly for asking, but what exactly does ‘glomp’ mean? Is it like a tackle hug over the internet?)
Ooooh, Birth by Sleep was so, so good! It was fascinating getting an inside look at some other characters and part of the story. The KH story is just… *clutches heart* So mindblowing!
HA! YESSSS. That is so true. I’d happily be taken to Destiny Islands too. ;D And hey, if we go to Destiny Islands, THEN maybe we can go to Neverland with Sora, right? *grins*
I actually started the 3rd one (FINALLY) just a month or two ago. My progress is slow but oh my goodness. IT’S SO GOOD. Sora is even more precious than usual in this one. I love it!
Axel cracks me up every single time. I just love him so much. XD
Aaahhhh yay! That’s so great! I seriously just never get tired of these games!
I know what you mean! I haven’t found many others who have played them either, so I was ECSTATIC to learn you’re a fan!
(That’s not silly at all! But you nailed it. That’s exactly it: an internet tackle hug. I have no clue where such a term even came from, but I love using it. XD)
Haha! *glomps you again for good measure* Kingdom Hearts is AEWSOME!!! I will honestly be playing them until I’m an old, gray-haired lady and never ever get tired of them!
Yes, it was so amazing getting the BBS story and finding out how Riku and Sora got their keyblades, and seeing them as adorable kiddos!!!<3
You'll have to tell me your thoughts on the third on when you finish 😀 *sighs dramatically and clutches heart*
Sora WAS extra cinnamon roll-y. What world are you at and which ones have you been to? Which one is your favorite so far?
YES!!! Sora can take us to Neverland!!!
D’awww! *glomps you back* SAME, SAME. I can’t imagine ever getting tired of them.
YES. It was so cool!
Oh, let’s see. I’m in the Pirates of the Caribbean world right now (there’s so much to do and explore in this world, my goodness. o.o). And so far I’ve done Olympus, Toy Story, Tangled, Frozen, Monsters Inc., and…I feel like another one? But maybe that’s all, I can’t remember. Haha. The Toy Story one was my favorite to play so far. It was just SO FUN. But I also adored the Tangled world because Tangled is my FAVORITE animated movie of ever. Being able to experience the story WITH SORA was one of the greatest moments of my life. XDD I’m such a nerd.
THAT. WOULD. BE. THE. BEST. *dreamy sigh*
Tangled was one of my favorites too! Along with Frozen XD
Toy Story was GREAT! I loved what Woody did at the end! *being vague for spoiler free reading ;)*
What happened with the doors in Monster’s Inc was hands down one of the funniest things!
Experiencing the story with Sora was the best!!!
I am also a nerd so you’re in good company XD
Pirates of the Caribbean was one of the prettiest worlds in the game, I just loved it!
Aaaahhhh yes! It was ALL so great! I love how they’re incorporating the original stories into the KH story. It’s always so much fun! This one is rapidly becoming one of my favorite KH games. KH2 has always been my top favorite, but this one may surpass it. o.o I DON’T KNOW. I love them both!
KH2 has been my top favorite too! I’m right there with you on loving both 2 & 3!
Just wait until you get to the end o.o
Funny story is I played KH1 and then KH2 because in *normal* games and stuff the second is the second… so I had NO clue who Roxas was or all the guys in black coats. On the plus side, I was just as confused as Sora and got to experience the game with the exact same knowledge as him XD Sora was adorable in his outgrown clothes!!!
Oh man, I’m both super excited and super nervous for the ending!
OH NO!!! I’ve actually heard other people do that too, because the order of things is so confusing. Because, yeah, one would think you would just go from KH1 to KH2. It’s kind of hard how they put sooo much of the important stuff in the other little random games because not everyone wants to play those. The story confuses me enough, so I can only imagine how dizzying it was jumping into KH2 without playing the other games! You poor thing!
Lol, the story is confusing!!! I just have to hold all the information lightly in my head and when something new is added it doesn’t throw me for quite so far a loop XD
It actually wasn’t that bad playing it in that order, I was just REALLY glad once we got Re:Coded and Days and things started making a little more sense. I can only imagine the poor people who play 1, 2, & 3 in that order without any side-games. O.o
Playing KH is like what Ansem said at the end of KH1, “You have come so far and still you understand nothing.” Uhmm, yeah, can we have detailed timelines and plot explanations, that would help greatly XD
P.S. Guess who started a blog yesterday? I would be thrilled to bits if you would come see it!!! Just… *passes a hardhat and safety glasses* beware construction tools, I’m still working on the set up ^_^
“You have come so far and still you understand nothing.” <— THAT IS SO ACCURATE. Oh my goodness, that explains it all. XDD Before I started KH3, I watched a ton of videos giving summaries and timelines of the story to catch myself up because, man, I couldn’t remember it all. Those help a lot! Lol.
OH MY GOODNESS. You started a blog??? AAAAHHHHH!!!! That is thrilling! I would be delighted to follow it! Do you have a link?
https://livingoutsidethelinesfindingthewritelife.wordpress.com/
I hope you like it<3^_^
AHHHHH CONGRATS CHRISTINE!!! This is such an awesome milestone!! What are your plans next, writing-wise? Are you planning to let TNI sit for a while and then do another round of edits? Send it off to betas anytime soon? Or just dive into another project altogether? Regardless, congratulations!!
P.S. KARIS DOESN’T LIKE TO READ????????
THANK YOU SO MUCH, ELEANOR!!! I’m really excited!
Ah, great question. My plan for now is to definitely let it sit. It’s got a long ways to go still, and I have some decisions to make with it, so I think I need some time away from it for now to ponder things. SO. I’m going to let it sit for now, then do NaNo, then come next year dive into the next round of edits. I had hoped to have it ready for beta-reading by this fall but ahahahahaha! It needs more work than I thought. XD But maybe sometime next year!
NO SHE DOES NOT. Although Jonah is trying to fix that travesty. ;D
EEEEEEEEP. AND THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I CAME BACK TO BLOGGING. I absolutely ADORE hearing you write about your WIP and writing and just everything book related in general! I missed this community *cries* idk HOW I ever left it for so long!! THAT SNIPPET THOUGH. OH MY HEART. Where can I sign up to be a beta reader *puppy eyes* you’re so inspiring Christine <333 (I too am very upset that Peter hasn’t taken any of us to Neverland.. it’s very disappointing. I can’t even hang out with him at Disneyland anymore :((( but anyway haha Peter’s got a lot of explaining to do!)
OH. MY. GOODNESS. I am grinning so big right now! YOU ARE SO SWEEEEET!!!! *tackle-glomps you* Welcome back to the blogging community!!!!
I seriously can’t stop grinning. Your enthusiasm over TNI is making me SO motivated and inspired to keep at it with this story. Thank you so very much!!! It still has a long way to go before it’s ready for beta-readers, at least another round of edits…or two. But AWK. Your interest just makes my so happyyyyy!
Peter definitely has a lot of ‘splainin to do. How dare he let us all get so old. >.>
THIS POST. I LOVE YOUR WIPS AND YOU AND EVERYTHING ELSE AACCCCKKKKK
YOU ARE SO PRECIOUS. THANK YOU, M’DEAR!!! <333
Amanda Bynes show right? 😉 I love the concept of this book. The Last of Us has a great soundtrack! Also I didn’t know you sewed! That’s so cool! Also praying for you for this year. I’m an introvert and I’ve been going crazy even though I’ve taken a few visits to see family. Congrats on your second draft! *HUGSES*
(Random but what comments system do you use? I really like it and may use it for my new blog haha.)
ALMOST! That one was from All That, which came a little bit before The Amanda Show. I loved those ridiculous skit shows when I was little. Lol. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me that someone else knows what The Amanda Show is. XD
Awwww, thank you!!! And I actually think I discovered the Last of Us music from your ScribeTunes playlists, so thank you for that! 😀
Well, I used to sew a smidge. I never got very far with it, shamefully. But it was fun at the time! ^_^ I probably should have kept it up eheh.
The prayers mean SO MUCH. Thank you!!! *hugs back*
Glad you like the comment system I use! I’m pretty happy with it myself. It’s called wpDiscuz and has a lot of great options. I would definitely recommend giving it a try!
Ohhhhhhh! I saw bits and pieces of it so long ago haha!
So cool! 😀 I’m glad I could help with that!
It’s a skill I want to get good at eventually!
Perfect! Thank you!
Congratulations on finishing this round of edits!!!
I didn’t know you played piano! That’s so cool! Do you ever just sit down and play? Or have you totally abandoned it?
Every post you make about The Nether Isle makes me want to read it more and more!
I love complex plots and epic plot twists with “ah ha!” moments. I love heart wrenching tragedy, but also happy endings. 😉 I absolutely love the snarky characters! And the cinnamon rolls! And the bubbly, talkative ones! And you can’t forget the dark and brooding ones. 😀 I love fascinating, unique worlds. I adore stories with strong familial bonds and close friendships. And stories about truth; light overcoming the darkness. I love mysteries too!
Some of my favorite books for complex plots would be by Charles Dickens. He is a master at managing a huge cast of characters and crazy intricate plots! They just take awhile to read… ‘:D
Thank you so much, Hannah!!! You’re always such a wonderful support system and cheerleader! <3
Shamefully, I haven’t really sat and played the piano in a very long time… I really need to just sit and play it. I miss it! I just never make time for it. *shakes head*
OH. MY. GOODNESS. I knew you were a girl of my own heart. You basically just listed ALL of my favorite story things! Heart wrenching tragedy WITH happy endings, SNARKY CHARACTERS, cinnamon rolls and bubbly ones, and of course the broody ones. And YES to light overcoming darkness. I feel like every story I write ends up having that theme. Not even on purpose it just…happens. It’s very important to me. But ANYWAYS. YES TO ALL OF THIS. ALL OF IT. <333
Oooh, Charles Dickens! He did know how to make some crazy plots, didn’t he? Sadly, I’ve not read much of his works because I’m terrible about not getting around to classics. But he did have some great stories!