A Novel Idea: Facts & Figures

Hello all! I'm here to give you another ANI post! I know, I have not been as regular with these as I wanted too, but please forgive me because I'm trying to edit two books and get one of them off to alpha/beta-readers by tonight. *takes deep breath*

So, blog posts may be a bit scarcer. :) Still working on my book reviews people. *hides* I know, I know, it's baaaaaaaaaaad.

Check out Ashley or Sky's blogs if you're interested in joining this fabulous link-up...for any writer out there!! ^_^

The Prompt:

This week, make a list of 20 things about your character. They can be as simple or unique as you want, but hopefully it will help you learn at least something new about your character and their backstory.

Again, I have a hard time picking one character when something like this comes up, so I'm going to do something a little different and give you all six "main" characters (I say main...but they aren't really ALL main characters. Don't have a heart attack) from "Ocean Mist". Which SOME of you may have been reading recently. *coughs emphatically* However, since I'm doing six characters in one post, I'm only going to give you ten facts on each, instead of twenty. Just so you don't get too bored. ;)

Facts on Nicole Daniels:
1: Pastor's daughter/twin (duh!)
2: Hates anything with more than four legs (although there are a few things she dislikes that have four legs or less)
3: Redhead *cue cheering*
4: Loves drawing anything, and is pretty good at it all things considered
5: Shameless coffee fanatic
6: Mostly quiet, but can speak her mind
7: Loves accessorizing (jewelry, scarves, sunglasses, etc.)
8: Has a remarkable memory of people she's met and places she's been
9: Dislikes being hugged, but will hug other people...if they're people she loves/trusts
10: An ice cream connoisseur (yes, that's TOTALLY a thing...and don't ask me how many times I misspelled it before giving up and looking it up in the dictionary. >.<)

Facts on Shawn Daniels:
1: Pastor's son/twin
2: Wears glasses
3: Dislikes uncleanliness (so, in other words, he's a Neat Freak)
4: Fastidious about his appearance (points for cool word ;)
5: Book nerd of the highest caliber
6: Reclusive and sarcastic
7: Easily irritable when stressed
8: Likes clothes shopping
9: Chews only mint gum
10: Stores the strangest assortment of facts in his brain and pulls them out to impress people

Facts on Ray Daniels:
1: Pastor's son
2: Naturally athletic
3: Obsesses over learning about and playing any and all sports
4: Appreciates music of all kinds (except of course the bad stuff)
5: Hates dancing (with a vengeance)
6: Fascinated by God's creation
7: Plays the guitar...sort of
8: Makes friends easily
9: Thinks karate is the coolest thing EVER
10: Major outdoorsy person

Facts on Dillon Blake:
1: Only child
2: Easy going, relaxed, rarely stresses out (these are all words that describe the same thing... sorry, just had to put in that Studio C quote)
3: Loves surprises
4: Fascinated by cars and how they're put together
5: Hopes to become a mechanic after college
6: Enjoys meeting new people
7: Plays mindless video games when bored
8: Wants to own a Ford Mustang someday
9: Tends to say whatever first comes to his mind without thinking about it first
10: Spontaneous, cheerful, and did I mention friendly?

Facts on Mark Darrel:
1: Youngest son in a family of five (he has two brothers ages 34 and 29)
2: 6'4" tall
3: Tends to be both careless and carefree
4: Very good at basketball and hopes to continue getting even better
5: Will stick his nose in other people's business
6: Hates being left out of anything, especially social events
7: Avid football fan, even though he doesn't play it himself
8: Confident, enthusiastic, and friendly to the point of creepiness
9: Has a high opinion of himself, but also the people around him
10: Jokes around a lot and loves to tease

Facts on Steven Brown:
1: Has one sister whom he affectionately calls "Bossy Bridget"
2: The owner of flaming red hair and a very hyper pug
3: An African American
4: Very shy, but does open up some to those closest to him
5: Secretly writes poetry, but would die before admitting it to his friends
6: Plays the guitar, banjo, and ukulele surprisingly well
7: Loves country music and rap
8: Dislikes being the center of attention
9: Despises crocodiles and alligators
10: Fascinated by sharks

Are you similar to any of my characters? If so, which one(s)? I'm probably closest to Nicole, although I'm far more outgoing than her. :) So more of a mixture between her and Ray.

I look forward to hearing your feedback! Comments thrill the socks off my feet.

When I'm wearing them.

Which is like...never.

Rephrase: Comments make me V. E. R. Y.  H. A. P. P. Y. So do me a favor and leave one below! ^_^

A Novel Idea: Character Pictures (Actually Yes, I Mean PICTURES This Time)

Yo homies! 'Sup?

Ooookaaaaay. I have no idea where that came from. *shakes head* My mind does the WEIRDEST things sometimes.

Ahem.

How's your Saturday been so far? I've been enjoying the aftereffects of being able to sleep in for the first time since the beginning of this month. Our church's VBS was this Monday through Friday, so I've been being kept on my toes trying to get all my writing/reading/sleep in every day. Most times I have to pick two of those three and be happy with that. ;)

But now, without further ado: here's the next ANI post!

The Prompt:

This week, choose some pictures that describe one of your characters. You can use pictures of your character or pictures that describe him/her (or both!). Have fun with this – don’t overthink it! Hopefully it’ll be a nice break from actually writing and help you learn more about your character at the same time!

Again, I couldn't chose just ONE character (horrors!) so I settled on my personal top ten favorite characters... AND an antagonist. Just because. :) Bonus points for those who like the bad guy characters. ;)


Megan (from "The Princess & I")





















 



Nicole (from "Ocean Mist")

 

Kyrin (from "Beyond the Galaxy")

the below pictures were based off of the above 
rough sketch I drew myself some time ago
when I first started writing this book

 



 

Malcolm (from "The Princess & I")

 

 

 

Chrystal (from "The Princess & I")

 

 

 

 

 

William (from "The Princess &I")

This picture is so perfect for his character I really didn't have to bother finding any more. ;)

Dillon (from "Ocean Mist")

 

 

Laeli (from "Beyond the Galaxy")

the below pictures were based off of the above 
rough sketch I drew myself some time ago
when I first started writing this book
 

 



 

Alice (from "Alice & Alyssa")

 

 

 

 

Alyssa (from "Alice & Alyssa")

Annnd...the bad guy. :)

Neil Ferrick (from "Beyond the Galaxy")

With a beard or without? What do you think?

Hope those pictures helped give you a better idea of what my mind thinks my characters look like.
Do you think any of them fit the character really well? Do you think some of them don't? What do YOU think my characters look like?
(Send me a link in the comment if you can find a perfect picture to "describe" any of the above characters...I'm always on the lookout for more!)






And, for those of you concerned, the poll has closed for which book I'm reviewing this month and the decision was made. I will be reviewing "The Tinkerer's Daughter" by Jamie Sedgwick.
Keep an eye open for that post! :)

A Novel Idea: How It All Began

Hey all! Time for my weekly ANI post! Hope you're enjoying reading these as much as I've enjoyed writing them! Nothing like an awesomely random subject to get those creative juices bubbling. ;)

The Prompt:

 



This week, tell us about some of your first stories. When did you start writing it, and why? Do you remember the characters’ names? Are you still writing it? If not, do you think you’ll ever rewrite it? What did you learn while writing it?

My first very first story was "The Adventures of Dan & Kathryn". I started writing it when I was seven, and finished when I was eight. I remember the characters very well, actually, I still have the first draft on printed paper in my drawer up in my room. When I'm disgusted at how my current story is going, I go and look at that first book to remind myself that IT COULD BE A LOT WORSE. XD The main characters' names were Dan and Kathryn (I know, who would have guessed?? ;) and their siblings were Sally, Ted, and Martha. They had two dogs, Sam and Gertrude (shortened to Gerty), and later when the two dogs have puppies, they keep one of them in addition to the two they had and name her Kate. Later in the story, Kathryn is given three horses (the author's wishful thinking played a big part in that) and she names them Lightening, Ginger, and Sugar.

No, I'm not still writing it. It's so hopeless, I doubt I'll ever even try to make it better. However, it was a good exercise in writing when I was younger, and I'm proud I wrote it. Maybe, at some point when I'm a really famous, best-selling author *cough* it'll be put into print and I'll get a ton of money from it. Highly unlikely, but hey, one can dream, right? ;) Here's a short excerpt from it:

            Everything was a hubbub in the Forester home. A missionary family was visiting them from China!
           Sally cleaned the bathrooms, Ted vacuumed, Martha washed the windows, and Dan and Kathryn dusted.
           Finally, Mr. Wilder drove himself and his family into the Forester's driveway and was welcomed warmly by the hospitable family.
            Sally and Kathryn made an immediate friendship with Lily, Ted played cowboys and Indians outside with the boys while Martha busied herself with Sara and Nathan. She showed Sara where the dolls were and Nathan where the balls were.
                  Soon enough, Mrs. Forester called Dan and Kathryn in to set the tables for calzones and salad.
            After they had eaten, Mr. Wilder told them many stories about their exciting trip to and from China and how the Lord had provided for all their needs.
                  After that, the boys played some board games and the girls played "house" while the parents talked.
           Soon it was time for the Wilders to leave, so the children picked up their mess and with a "hope to see you all again soon" the Wilders climbed into their van and rode away.
                With a sigh, all the tired kids, parents, and dog went to bed. For once, grateful for sleep, they went to sleep immediately.

           The next day, life went on. Kathryn helped Dan with taking care of the dog. Breakfast came and went with the usual routine. Chores were finished, school work accomplished. Lunch and what follows arrived. Kitchen clean up was completed. More chores, and of course quiet time were ticked off in record time. Dinner was eaten, devotions were made, and bed came again.
               So, although the Foresters had no guests for awhile, life still went on as usual. 

As you can see from reading that, my early writings (doesn't THAT make me sound professional? XD) were heavily influenced by my life as a PK. ;) Hopefully you can also tell that my writing has come a LONG WAY from that first story. :P
I did learn one very valuable lesson from the writing of "The Adventures of Dan & Kathryn": it is possible to have too many characters. :) It started with two main characters, but then you add three siblings, plus a family of eight who are friends with your characters and show up a lot in the story, plus a villain and his family of four...not to mention the parents and the pets...it gets very confusing and a lot of characters start acting the same. From then on, I stuck to five characters or less in order to be able to focus on unique personalities and avoid falling into stereotypes.

************************************

The first story I really considered worth the time I took writing it was "The Mysterious Five and the Search for the Lost Dinosaur Bone". I started that book when I was eight, and finished it when I was ten. I also have a typed and printed copy of that story, and although you can definitely tell I wasn't very experienced when I wrote it first, I think it has some potential, and I probably will end up editing it and publishing it as a short story.

The main characters were seventeen-year-old Seth (the narrator, or as I call them "the 'I' person") and his four siblings Rachel (15), Amy (14), Adam (11), and Kenneth (10). Here's a short snippet (edited for easier reading)of what I wrote when I was eight:

             Early in the morning, I awoke to Rachel violently shaking me by the shoulder.

            “Seth!” she whispered urgently, trying not to wake the other two boys next to me. “Wake up; I have something important to say.” Having had all the grogginess shaken from me, I sat bolt upright, nearly upsetting the cot which I shared with the other boys.

            “What is it?” I replied as Rachel gasped for breath. (I could tell she had been running.)     

            “Seth,” she finally gasped out, “our triceratops leg bone is GONE!” She gave especial emphasis on her last word, and made me jump. Kenneth and Adam stirred in their sleep, and Adam grunted before his breath evened out again.

            “Have you told Uncle?” I asked once I had sufficiently recovered my composure after the shock.

            Rachel shook her head.“No, I haven’t, He hasn’t come into the museum yet. Remember, today the museum doesn’t open, it’s Saturday.”

           I looked at her in disbelief. “I can’t believe it! Have you told the other kids?” Again Rachel shook her head. “Good, let’s keep it that way until breakfast. I’ll tell them all then. Wake up Amy and the boys, and let me have some quiet time to think. Thanks.” After Rachel woke the boys, (With much groaning and lamentations from Adam), I sat and stewed in thought.

            Soon, a little too soon, Rachel came in to say that breakfast was ready, so I left my musings reluctantly, and went to the table rehearsing my speech in my mind, over and over.

            It took a while for the noise and chatter to die down some, but it did at last, and I stood from my chair. All eyes were riveted to me; I did not usually stand in the middle of a meal. I cleared my throat and began:

            “Brothers and sisters, I have just this morning heard the dreadful news that our prized triceratops leg bone has mysteriously disappeared. Thankfully it’s Saturday, because I will need all of your help to return it to our museum. I hope that we will be able to find it before our Uncle sees it missing. I’m afraid that would kill him. Are you willing to help me in the search?” All heads nodded, though Rachel looked a little unsure. I continued, “Wonderful! So here’s our next plan of action. Kenneth, you are going to come with me after breakfast, to help me look for clues. Rachel, you are to stay here with Adam and Amy. Are your orders understood?”

            All my siblings nodded again, although Adam looked a bit disappointed at being left out of the action. I sat down again, and breakfast continued. Kenneth sat with his eyes on his plate. A look of puzzlement was on his face. Smiling inside, for his expression was rather comical; I asked him what was bothering him.

           He looked up, startled, from his musings.“Oh, I’m just puzzled about this robbery. Why did they take something from our museum, I mean, there are so many others...why ours?” This question I could not answer.

            “That is what I want to find out next, let’s hurry up and go.”

             Kenneth gave me a quick nod, and gulping down his breakfast in a manner that was so unlike his usual that I was almost worried for his health; pushed his chair back from the table, and pulled on his boots.

            In no time at all, we were hurrying across the back yard lawn, still wet with dew. Kenneth pushed open the double doors; the squeaky hinge seemed deafening in the still morning air. Almost stealthily, we tiptoed through the museum, the hollow thump, thump, thump, of our feet adding to the eeriness.

            Suddenly, Kenneth froze in his tracks. I followed his example and stopped.

            “What?” I whispered.

            “Someone’s in this museum and is coming our way,” was his reply.

            “I don’t hear anything. Perhaps you were mistaken,” I said, speaking with much more confidence than I felt.

             Kenneth shook his head.“No, I am positive I heard footsteps coming our way. Listen close, then you might hear it too.” 

            Since he insisted, I tilted my head in a way to catch all possible sounds, and held my breath, listening. Yes, now I could hear it to, faintly.

            “It’s just our echo I think,” I said.

             Kenneth looked at me reproachfully. “If it was our echo, it would have stopped by now.”

             Embarrassed, I felt my ears turn red.“I-it might be Uncle Devon,” I stuttered, trying to think of another possibility.

             Again, Kenneth shook his head.“If it was Uncle Devon, the footfalls would be heavy. These footfalls are light; perhaps belonging to a girl.”

            “What! A girl!?” I replied in a loud whisper, “Impossible! The only girls that possess a key to the museum are Rachel and Amy, and they are at home exactly where I told them to be.” I paused. “You don’t think they’d disobey me would they?”  Kenneth assured me that they would not disobey me. “Then what on earth would a girl be doing here?” I declared triumphantly. Kenneth shrugged, motioning me to be a little bit quieter. I was louder with that statement then I had intended originally to be.

            “Let’s hide anyhow and see who it is, maybe this is the clue we’re looking for. Come on, let’s hide behind this.” I followed Kenneth, and we managed to wedge ourselves between the wall of the museum and a suit of armor before the person came.

What did I learn while writing it? You can't edit a book enough. ;) Sorry all you aspiring authors out there. No matter HOW MANY TIME YOU EDIT A BOOK, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE MISTAKES. Granted, the more you edit it, the less mistakes there will be, but there's no way to get out all the mistakes. Even your beloved alpha and beta readers won't catch everything. They aren't God. For which I'm sure they're very grateful. ;)

A Novel Idea: "Coffee Courtship"

 

Hey all! Another Novel Idea post! Hope you all are enjoying these as much as I have while writing them!

 

The Prompt:

This week, we want to challenge you to write a scene about the following photo. Anything goes, as long as it relates to the picture in some way. Let your imagination run wild–we can’t wait to see what you come up with!

They gave me this photo:

But I asked them if I could take a few liberties and switch to this photo:

They said I could, so I now present you with:

Coffee Courtship:
A Short Story Written by Rebekah Eddy

     I am Café, a proud American and Caffeine Goodness Deliverer for over ten years. I’m one of what you humans call “coffee mugs”. My friends call me Cay for short, so I will give you the liberty of calling me that. I’m not those weird mugs with quotes on them that think they’re so wise, nor the cheep, disposable cups that will sell themselves for a dime a dozen. Literally. I’m a kind of ordinary guy. Sure, I’m not drop-dead handsome, but I’m not completely plain either. I’ve got a nice brown stripe around the inside of my rim and around my base. Simplicity is usually best.

     I’ll stop boring you with details now and get on to the story I know you want to read. Which is why I dictated it to my dear friend, Penny…she writes the most beautiful cursive in blue ink when she’s inside her master’s hand. Sadly, with no ink inside myself, just coffee, the only way I can create art is in brown circles, and that only when my master or mistress accidentally spills my contents into puddles around my base. Boy, those times make my day.

     More details. I’m sorry. I get easily distracted these days. But it’s important for you to get some background. We coffee mugs participate in the weirdest things you humans do. We see the worst of you (in the morning when you grab us, fill us with caffeinated goodness, and try to wake up) and the best of times (when a guy takes a girl out for a date at the nearest coffee shop and both dress to impress). I’ve seen it all since my home is in an open-air café (hence my name…my mother wasn’t very creative.) Especially the dates. Boy, I tell you!  I’ve seen awkward dates, adorable dates, weird dates, creepy dates, business dates, happy dates, sad dates, mad dates, sweet dates, funny dates, flirtatious dates…which usually end up being awkward for us coffee mugs…you name it, I’ve seen it happen. Right under their noses.

     But I’m getting ahead of myself. I’m here to tell you a story and Penny is sending me glares that tell me she’s going to strike unless I get on to it. So I will.

     It all started when I was busy chatting with one of my coffee mug friends, Mocha…you know, just passing the time of day.  We were in a booth together in the hands of two people. The meeting was getting boring for the two of us, you know, mostly business matters, politics, and the stock market roller coaster. We pretty much ignored them and talked to each other, breaking only when we had to travel up and deliver our caffeinated goodness you humans call “coffee”. Minding our own business while the humans took care of theirs. We were in the height of our existence…

     Then she walked by.

     Ok, so she was in the hand of a human and the human walked by. It’s amazing what small details Penny catches.

     But I digress. Where was I? Ah, yes, the human walked by with her. Thank you Penny, what would I do without you?

     Anyways, she walked by and immediately had my attention. It’s not every day that a teacup makes it into a coffee mug’s life. The waitress placed the teacup down on the table and began her recital of stuff that, after ten years at the café, completely went in one ear (metaphorically, since we coffee mugs have no ears) and out the other.

    While the humans bantered over the price of potatoes in Idaho or some outlandish place like that, I watched the teacup’s face. She was absolutely stunning. Flowers curled around her body, even into the cup itself, and she proudly wore a golden handle. We coffee mugs felt incredibly plain beside this vision of loveliness. Mocha and I looked at each other briefly, but it was enough to see that Mocha was going to set me up. Ever since he had happily paired with a pretty travel mug on his shelf, he’d been trying to get me to meet a girl and settle down. I had been his best mug for the ceremony we held after closing hours almost a year ago, and I guess he felt he had to repay me somehow. 

     I had evaded his efforts so far, but I knew I couldn’t hold out forever. Coffee mugs were meant to be in pairs. At least, that’s what Mocha had always told me.

     Suddenly she saw us, and when her eyes met mine, I thought I might melt into a puddle of caffeinated goodness right then and there. Maybe settling down and growing a family wouldn’t be as bad as I first thought as a confirmed bachelor. My resolve was fading quickly.

    “Good day, sirs,” she said in a honey-sweet voice. And, my goodness, her accent. Was nothing ugly about her? I had always thought the American accent crude…but her English one was absolutely gorgeous.

    “Hi,” I replied, inwardly kicking myself. HI?? That was the best I could do??

     “I’m Mocha, and this is my friend Café.” Mocha spoke up for the first time. He always had a way with the ladies, which is partially why he was married and I wasn't, that I could never pull off. Me, I always ended up doing something stupid.

    “Yep, that’s me,” I said without thinking. As I was saying… something stupid. Like that.

    “What’s your name?” my friend asked.

    “I’m Adderley,” she responded. “But my friends call me Addy, so I suppose you may do the same.”

     “That’s a very pretty name,” I said. Without thinking. Again. Would I ever learn?

     She turned to me with a sparkling smile, and, maybe it was my imagination…it has done crazier things…but I thought that maybe one of her roses turned a darker shade of pink, which was a teacups way they blushed. “Thank you,” she replied softly.

     If I had roses decorating myself, I knew I would be blushing at this point. Thank goodness I didn’t. One of the pros of being a coffee mug. “Y-you’re welcome,” I stuttered. For once in my life I think I said the right thing to a female beverage deliverer. I cherished the rare moment.

    “He’s shy,” Mocha said, stating the obvious and ignoring the glare I shot him.  

      Adderley gave an airy laugh. “I can tell,” she replied. “But from my experience, shy mugs are the most humble and therefore make the best friends because they never try to outshine others around them.”

     “Well, that’s certainly true in Cay’s case,” Mocha agreed. “He’s the most humble mug I’ve ever met, not to mention a great friend.”

     I felt like melting into the floor again…but now for a different reason. Mocha was determined to make me sound like the finest thing since sliced bread, which simply wasn’t true.

    “Really?” Adderley asked with a smile. “I assume Cay must be his nickname.”

    “Yep. Although, his name was so short it didn’t really need a nickname.”

     I finally had enough. “Guys! I’m right here! You can stop pretending I’m invisible.”

     Addy’s laugh didn’t soften the look I gave Mocha.

     Briefly, a waitress came and cleared some of the dishes away, interrupting our conversation, and I was secretly pleased to see Mocha’s master swallow the last portion of caffeinated goodness he carried before placing him on the tray last minute. When Adderley wasn’t watching I gave him a smugly triumphant look. I had evaded his efforts yet again.

     “Well, that was awkward,” Addy mentioned suddenly, bringing my attention back to her.

     “No kidding,” I growled darkly. “He’s like that every time…well, he’s been trying to set me up.” Thank goodness she couldn’t tell I was embarrassed.

     “Set you up?” She sounded honestly confused.

     “He thinks I need to settle down and have a family,” I explained.

     “Oh. I see.”

     Talk about a conversation stopper. An awkward silence ensued, and I almost wished that Mocha had stayed. Almost.

   “Whom has he tried to set you up with?” she asked abruptly.

     I sighed, mentally checking my list, “A travel mug, the cousin of his wife, three different coffee mugs, two glasses, and four cups. You’re the first teacup he’s tried.”

    Addy giggled. “That’s quite the collection.”

    “It is,” I sighed again. “And every single time was just as awkward. But still he refuses to ‘give up’ on me as he put it.”

   “You think you’re a lost cause?” Addy asked.

   “Pretty much,” I replied sadly. “I mean, who would want to marry me, a super boring, ordinary coffee mug?”

    There was a moment of silence before Addy answered, “I would.”

    And that, my friends, is how I met my beautiful wife. We’ve been living on our own shelf in the coffee shop ever since. We both still work there during the day, but still find time to spend together after the café closes.

   Mocha won’t let me forget how he was the instigator of our relationship, but I let him be my best mug…so I’m pretty sure we’re dead even now.

*********************************

This story started out to make fun of Romance books, but it was so fun writing from a coffee mug's perspective, that it quickly went on from there. Besides, I doubt any one else doing the link-up thought to write from that perspective...and I love being original. ;)

What did you think?

A Novel Idea: Story Summeries

Again, if you are interested in joining the link-up, go HERE for more information.

And now (drum-roll please)

*drum roll*

Thank you.

The Prompt:

What would the back cover of your novel say? Try to make it as intriguing as possible. Remember, this is all readers have when trying to decide if they’re going to read your book or not. Do the best you can to convince a hypothetical reader to pick up your book.

 

Actually, this prompt was a hard one for me. I have a hard time coming up with summaries. You may or may not have noticed that. ;) And again, I had a tough time narrowing down just WHICH book/story I would give you a summery of. So I ended up choosing three of my personal favorites that I'm working on right now.

 

Beyond the Galaxy:

Earth was a mess. After a nuclear World War III, the nations have finally united together under one ruler, but the population has dwindled down to mere thousands. However, the President of the United World had an idea. An idea to send hundreds of teens from around the world to planets who can support life. He and his space program ISEC (Intergalactic Space Exploration and Colonization) found enough planets to begin the idea and tests are taken to find teens who will keep the human race alive. These teens are called The Chosen.
Kyrin, a nineteen-year-old boy genius who has a head for figures and a natural leader to boot is one of The Chosen.
Laeli, a compassionate eighteen-year-old girl whose dream is to become a doctor and help everyone have better lives is also chosen.
Ovril, a fourteen-year-old girl who has a natural creative bend and loves making things beautiful and spicing up life with her crazy ideas is thrilled to be among The Chosen.
Destin and Fovil, brothers and boys who are used to having life on easy street, are not so thrilled to be chosen. Well, Destin isn't.
But, despite their various personalities and backgrounds, these teens are thrown together and have to learn how to live, work, and even fight together as they face an enemy to great for any one to take on alone.
And their enemy isn't going to make it easy.
 

Ocean Mist:
Pastor's rarely are able to take time away from their congregation. Even rarer are they able to take their family with them. So when Nicole, Shawn, and Ray are able to join their dad and mom on a vacation to the ocean, they're thrilled.
But more than they reckoned for awaits. Vacations are supposed to be a time of rest, a time to relax and enjoy family time, right? Well, not if you're a pastor's family.
When a boy makes unwanted advances towards Nicole, they begin to suspect that this vacation is going to be anything but relaxing.
An old congregation member is dying, the gospel is taking a long time to make its way into someone's heart, and a brand new friend comes to them in a panic for their help.
All within one week. There's no way they'll be able to do it all. But how can they say no?
 

The Princess & I:
When Megan is asked by her brother if she would be willing to be the new lady-in-waiting for Princess Chrystal*, she jumps on the opportunity. At first, everything about her new job is fun and interesting. She teaches archery to Chrystal* while learning the art of swordsmanship from an excellent teacher. But soon a stubborn--not to mention devious--duke declares he will no longer pay tribute to his sovereign and King Frederick is forced to march against him. With the war taking her brother and comforter, not to mention last living relative, from her for an indefinite amount of time, Megan realizes she must stand strong or break from the pressure. When the princess is kidnapped from under her watchful care, Megan knows she has to smuggle her back from her captors or else the king will loose his war and possibly his kingdom.
Suddenly her job is no longer quite so easy.
And she doesn't know if she has what it takes to make everything fine in the end.
And she knows she can't do it alone.

*I'll probably be changing her name to Christine to be more historically accurate.

So...what do you think? Which one sounded the most interesting to you? Any way I could have made my summaries more tense? Or maybe a little LESS tense? Did the plots make sense? Was it all complete nonsense to you?
Hmm....maybe I don't want you to answer that last one. ;)

Have a great day! Thanks for stopping by my blog! ^_^

 

A Novel Idea: Character "Pictures"

To look at my first part, or to get more information about the link-up, go HERE.

The Prompt:  

This week we are asking you to describe your character without using a picture. What do they look like? What do they wear? What is their personality like? Help us get to know your character without using any pictures at all!

So first, when I saw this prompt, I was like, "Wait, WHICH character??" Then, after actually thinking about it, I was like, "Ok, so it probably doesn't matter which one..." Next, a gleam came into my eyes and I thought, "In fact, I bet I could do more than one..."

And so I'm going to give you five characters, favorites of mine, from different stories I've written. Three protagonists, one animal, and one villain. Sound good?

Let's get started! ^_^

My First Protagonist: Megan (from "The Princess & I")
>>What does she look like?
Megan is a lady from Medieval England during the reign of King Frederick, she has waist-long auburn hair, sparkling blue eyes, and tends to freckle during the hotter months of summer. (Much to her personal dismay and her brother's amusement.) She has a dimple in one cheek. She's a few inches over five feet, and wishes she was taller...since her brother has lorded over the fact that he was taller then her by the age of twelve. It would be rude to tell you how much she weighs, but for posterity I'll tell you she's not fat, nor is she thin...sort of in-the-middle-there. ;)
>>What does she wear?
Typical Medieval England stuff?? So mostly long dresses, leather shoes or boots, a cloak if it's cold outside, and sometimes a headdress. Megan prefers simple dresses that are more neutral colors because she hates being the center of attention. Brown, dark green, dark blue, and all shades of gray are some of her favorite colors to dress in. She prefers boots over shoes, even though they are less ladylike, because she believes they are easier to run in. Megan rarely wears jewelry or fancy headdresses, first off because they feel uncomfortable, and secondly because its really just not her style.
>>What is her personality?

She's an ISFJ to the core. To learn more about her personality type and what that entails, go HERE.

My Animal Character: Thistle (from "Thistle the Dragon" and "Thistle & Friends")
>>What does he look like?
Thistle is a red hermit dragon and looks much like dragons you might see pictured in a "Medieval Legends" book. His looks are a bit deceptive though, as you will find out when I get to his personality, and he's really a gentle creature...he lives on a strict diet of mountain goats and sheep (sheep are a Sunday delicacy only). His wingspan is a good thirty feet long, and his body is twenty feet long from his muzzle to where it tapers into a round square inch at the end of his tail. He weighs over a ton, but it's all muscle. His eyes are blue, and he loves basking in the sunlight outside his hermit cave in the middle of his hot valley.
>>What does he wear?
Scales? He's a dragon...so yeah, he doesn't WEAR clothes. He doesn't need to.
>>What is his personality?
He's an INFJ. To learn about this personality and why I think it's his, go HERE.

My Second Protagonist: Fovil (from "Beyond the Galaxy")
>>What does he look like?
Fovil is about six feet tall, and has brown hair that is in a constant state of semi-chaos because brushing it is too much work. He has blue eyes, two dimples, and loves to smile. He weighs about 130 pounds, and is a total computer and food nerd.
>>What does he wear?
He's definitely a jeans and tee-shirt person, though he sometimes adds a hoodie to the mix if it's cold outside. Fovil hates to "dress-up", preferring casual wear. His favorite shoe choice is sneakers, or sometimes flip-flops during summer months.
>>What is his personality?

Fovil is an ENFP and it certainly shows. If you're interested in finding more about his personality type, go HERE.

My Villain: Neil Ferric (from "Beyond the Galaxy")
>>What does he look like?
Neil is an older man, in his mid-forties, and though his hair was dark brown, it's now graying around the edges which gives him a distinguished air that can be a bit deceiving. He has green eyes which sometimes betray his deeper thoughts to others. Neil is a few inches over six feet, but he has ways of making people taller than him still feel small and insignificant. When up close, he can be very intimidating. He weighs almost 150 pounds, but wears it about him well and uses it to his advantage. Neil Ferric rarely smiles, but frequently frowns, so he has a permanent line between his somewhat bushy eyebrows.
>>What does he wear?
Neil is very conscientious about his appearance and makes sure he dresses perfectly for whatever role he fancies himself playing. Whether a distinguished ambassador between Earth's various nations, or as Civilization Authority on the planet Tridiom, he dresses for success: which ends up mostly being carefully groomed  and tailored suits with black dress shoes.
>What is his personality?

Neil is an ENTJ. Want to know more about how that makes him a good villain? Go HERE.


My Third (and last) Protagonist: Nicole (from "Ocean Mist")
>>What does she look like?
Nicole has shoulder-length strawberry blonde hair that never seems to behave itself. She has gray/green eyes and some freckles (as all red-heads do). She's about five feet, four inches, but both her brothers have her beat height-wise, which she's totally fine with. She's a little over 130 pounds, but both her brothers have her beat there too, which she also doesn't care about.
>>What does she wear?
She likes to dress comfortably and practically without drawing attention to herself. This usually meant either a jean skirt or pants, tee-shirts or plain blouses, simply designed skirts and nothing flashy.
>>What is her personality?
Funnily enough, Nicole has almost the same personality as Megan: an ISFJ-a, which is a close but not exact version of Megan's personality. I guess I like my girl characters to have that personality. ;) If you want to learn more about her personality type, you can check out the link to Megan's personality.

So...there's my characters. Which one is your favorite? Why? Would you be interested in more? Maybe voting for your favorite character that I didn't mention on here?

A Novel Idea Link-Up

I saw Lydia do this on her blog, and I thought it looked fun! The hosts' blogs are HERE (Ashley) and HERE (Sky) if you want to check out their blogs and join us in the link-up! 
But now...without further ado, here's the prompt they gave:

My Writing Style:
Hmm...I would say I have a very casual writing style. This is partially why it's hard for me to write historical fiction. I hate it when I open a book that's historical fiction only to realize "Wait, actual people in that era would NEVER act or talk like that", and so I tend to try avoiding being a hypocrite and writing characters who act like teens in the 20teens when they're SUPPOSED to act like teens in the 19 or 18 hundreds. I have to do a lot of research if I do end up writing historical fiction.
Some of you know I'm currently working on a Medieval historical fiction novel "The Princess & I". This is the perfect example of what I'm talking about. I've had to do a lot of research as well as asking myself every time a character says something "Would a person in that time period ACTUALLY say something like that?" or "How would a REAL princess act in that situation?" etc. It's hard work writing historical fiction and requires a LOT of research...like a totally insane amount. But the finished product is totally worth it. ;)

What I Like to Write:
I enjoy writing pretty much anything. In fact, since I homeschool, my mom finally declared that reading and writing no longer counted as school subjects because I would constantly use the excuse "but it's SCHOOL work" to get out of having to do math or science. English and Literature were the two easiest, most fun "school work" in all my school years.
I'm going to let you in on a secret: I actually enjoy writing essays. I know, crazy, right? Well, it can be fun depending on the subject. Some essay subjects can be depressing and sad to write about, but since my sister helped give me the prompts, I had way more fun ones than sad ones.
Non-fiction can be tedious at times, but you learn a lot while writing it. Though, considering most of the stuff I write on this blog is "non-fiction" I write it a lot. :)
Fiction: Ok, this stuff is easy. I could crank out fiction 24/7 and never run out of steam by simply working on different stories at different times. However, there are a few categories within fiction that are favorites of mine:
Fantasy: This is definitely number one on the list of stuff I write most often. Over half the stories I've written, whether short stories, novellas, or novels, are fantasy. Its fun, fascinating, and totally out of the imagination. No research needed folks! However, there are some drawbacks. Fiction tends to be inconsistent and authors can fall into ruts pretty easily. I speak, sadly, from experience. It's a problem. Yet I still enjoy writing it, and thanks to patient editors and family members, I'm slowly getting better and polishing my work.
Sci-Fi: Though I haven't written as much of this, I enjoy what I have written. Like fantasy, it's an easy genre to write because it's almost entirely out of your imagination. There is a bit more science involved behind sci-fi, but still it's fairly easy to build a story using the background of galaxies and space travel.
Historical Fiction: Like I mentioned above, this is probably the hardest genre for me to write. It takes patience, a lot of books from the library, and a ton of Googling. But after you see the finished project, and all that research pays off, it's totally worth every agonizing hour you spend trying to figure out how to tie in all the loose ends and straighten the bird's nest of plot details.
Modern: I'm not sure what the actual name for this genre is, but when I say "modern writing" or "modern fiction", I mean writing about people who could have lived today. Every day people with everyday lives who talk like us, act like us, and think like us. Up there with fantasy, it's an easy (at least for me) genre to write about. It's so much easier to write about people who wear the same things you do and live in the same place you live. It is. It just is.


So...do you want to join the link-up? If so, go ahead and click the links to Ashley and Sky's blog to learn how you can participate.

What are your favorite genres to write/read about?