The Voices of YA Tag

I have been tagged by Lisa @ Inkwell for the Voices of YA tag! (Everyone go say hi to her. She's awesome.) Truth be told, she tagged me a whole Y E A R ago, and here I am, finally getting around to it.

 

The Rules:

• Thank the person who tagged you (thanks again, Lisa, and sorry for my tardiness!)
• Link to the original creator (you can find it from Caitlin Lambert @ Quills and Coffee HERE)
• Answer the ten questions
• Tag at LEAST two other YA writers/bloggers
• Share with the hashtag #VoicesofYA



[graphic from Caitlin Lambert]

1. What draws you to YA?

 

The emotions! Everyone knows teenhood is fraught with them, and so is young adult fiction. Now, I'm not a big fan of melodramatic angst--that can get ridiculous fast--but I am in love with the full range of excitement, confusion, doubt, passion, and fear that can be found in teenaged protagonists.


Of course these things are also present in adult fiction, and even to a certain extent in middle grade fiction . . . but YA is where it really shines. It's the bridge between the carefree days of childhood and the responsibility of adulthood. It's when a person starts to define who he or she is. It's one big cocoon of transformation, and that's what I love about it.

 

I may be older than most YA characters by now, but that doesn't make their struggles any less relevant. If anything, I think teens are just more honest about the hard things, and it's the adults who try to hide behind masks. I hope I always stay young at heart.

 

2. Describe your writing process. Do you like outlines and structures, or seeing where the story takes you?

 

Both! When I started out, I wrote by the seat of my pants, content to see where the story wandered. (Outlining? Pfft, that was for school.) That worked until I started writing actual novels and got very stuck. Then I switched to outlining--the full Roman numeral chapter-by-chapter method--and that worked until the plot and characters took on lives of their own and refused to listen to my plan. I tried bending them to my will, but they clammed up and became wooden and boring.

 

So now I'm a hybrid, neither a pantser nor a plotter. I like a good roadmap with all the important signposts in place, but I want the freedom to figure out the road in between as I go. Whenever the space between signposts (a.k.a. bullet points in a Word doc) is too big and I get lost, I step back and re-evaluate, usually filling in a few more plot points before I keep writing.

 

That's what works for me now, but who knows? That could change one day. Every book is a new adventure, and my process keeps evolving.

3. How long have you been writing? Where are you in your journey?

 

I have been writing in some form or another since I was six or seven, when a love of books and the encouragement of my first grade teacher overflowed into the act of writing my own tales.

 

I have been writing novels since I was twelve, when I started The Prophet's Quest, which, at the time, was a thinly veiled Chronicles of Narnia / Dragons in Our Midst crossover.

 

Since then, I wrote the sequel (The Prophet's Key) and started the third book in the series (untitled). I edited TPQ, the first book, numerous times--first on my own and then with the help of amazing mentors (you know who you are!)--when I was sixteen. That's what really jumpstarted my writing craft. I also started rewriting TPK, the second book.

I wrote four novella-sized retellings of fairy tales in between those edits/rewrites: The Glass Girl (Cinderella), Blood Rose (Beauty and the Beast), The Brightest Thread (Sleeping Beauty), and most recently, Mirrors Never Lie (Snow White). All of these were for contests hosted by Rooglewood Press, and I'm still delighted whenever I think about TBT and MNL placing as finalists.

 

Because I fell irreversibly in love with The Brightest Thread, and because it had so much room for more story, I expanded it into a full novel last summer. After taking a break for college, I'm now editing this special story.

 

But I guess that's my writing history, and the question asked about the journey. So where am I right now? I'm honing my craft, working to sharpen my plotlines and smooth my characters' rough edges. I'm devouring all the education on writing I can, from blogs to books to conferences to conversations with real-life authors. I'm researching the publishing industry. I've been putting my work out there in little ways. And right now, I'm slowly but surely researching literary agents and preparing myself to query in earnest.

 

This author thing is a long road, and I refuse to put timelines on it anymore, but I honestly do feel like I'm a lot closer to publishing than I've ever been.

 

(None of this is supposed to be an "oh, look at me!" statement. Just sharing my journey: where I've been, where I am, and where I dream of going.)

 

4. What do you need to write? Coffee? Music?

 

Neither is a necessity. I like coffee, but most days tea is more appreciated. I love music, but it's been a long time since I wrote to it consistently. All I need is a spot on the couch in the living room, my laptop, maybe a notebook, and relative quiet. (People can be talking, but I can't have a movie playing in the background.)

 

In high school, I would hole up in my room for hours at a time with Narnia soundtracks on loop, and that's how I wrote. But since the adult life takes me away from home a lot more often than the homeschooled-teen life did, these days I like to camp out someplace in the house that's closer to my family. I guess I've gotten used to having distractions people around?

 

5. If you could offer one piece of advice to another writer (other than "don't give up"), what would it be?

 

If you want to publish, you're going to need to be in this for the long haul. Even if you don't want to publish, and your dream is to share your stories with friends and family, you still need to see the long game. Because writing a book is not a fast process. Publishing it is an even longer process.

 

See question #3? I've been writing seriously for ten years, and only now do I have a novel I think might be publishing-worthy. (And it's not even done. Revisions take time.) As a young writer, I dreamt of being a breakout bestseller at age sixteen. All those other authors with stories about hundreds of rejections and years of waiting? Ha, that wouldn't happen to ME. Fast forward to today, and I'm honest-to-goodness glad it's a longer journey than I once thought. Sixteen-year-old me was not ready. That book I was writing at the time wasn't ready. Great gobs of gravy, I'm not sure if I'm 100% ready now, but I'm a lot closer than before. Your journey will look different, but be willing to see the big picture and Take. Your. Time.

 

The thing is, if you're serious about this, you're going to need patience by the truckload. Determination, humility, a willingness to learn, and courage help a lot too. Writing is easy. Writing well takes a lot of practice and a lot of guts. And publishing? Well, I'll let you know how that goes! See the big picture. It will keep you from getting discouraged when you feel stuck.

 

6. What book still has you reeling from its plot twist?

 

It's so hard to pick just one! But since we're talking about YA, I'll point to one of my favorite YA fantasy books, The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen. A number of my Goodreads friends say that they saw the twist coming, but for some reason I did not. Maybe knowing there is a twist makes it easier to see coming?

Anyway, it surprised me! Suddenly the plot clicked in a way it hadn't before, and niggling little things that had bothered me started to make sense. It was epic. Go read it. The rest of the Ascendance Trilogy is a lot of fun too.

 

7. What books are you most anticipating for this year?

 

FAAAAAAAWWWWKKKEESSSSSS.

Ahem. I've only read one book by Nadine Brandes so far, but I am ridiculously excited about her historical fantasy coming out next month! Because hey, it's historical fantasy, and I do not have enough of that wonderfulness in my life. Also it involves the Gunpowder Plot (y'know, Guy Fawkes and blowing up the king and all that jazz?). And it involves masks. And magic. And the cover is gorgeous. And Nadine Brandes wrote it. So I am all the excited.

 

I'm also looking forward to reading A Thousand Perfect Notes, C.G. Drews' recent debut! It's Cait from Paper Fury, people! Our very own queen of the universe! So I'm very happy for her and can't wait to have my heart broken by her book.

 

Some other books that have been out for a while, but are among the "highly anticipated" books on my TBR this year . . .

 

The Scorpio Races and All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater. The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron. Wanted: a Superhero to Save the World by Bryan Davis. Stars Above by Marissa Meyer. By Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson. The Evaporation of Sofi Snow by Mary Weber. (I'd better stop.)

 

8. In your opinion, which YA book/series has the most unique premise?

 

Excuse me? How am I supposed to answer that?

 

Pardon me while I go stare at my Goodreads shelves.

 

. . .

 

Okay. I'm back. The problem is that all my favorites have something unique about them, whether it's fairytales in space (The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer), the non-burning of the Library of Alexandria (The Great Library series by Rachel Caine), or a spiritual journey in the midst of a creepy small town (Solitary Tales by Travis Thrasher).

 

But I honestly can't think of anything quite like the mashup of awesomeness found in the triplet series Dragons in Our Midst / Oracles of Fire / Children of the Bard by Bryan Davis. Where else can you read about dragons, Arthurian legend, Biblical history, and sci-fi technology in one storyworld? These books span Earth across literal millennia, plumb the depths of Hades, ascend to Heaven, and venture into realms straight out of the author's imagination. Rereading them this year has been awesome.

 

9. What is your all-time favorite quote from YA?

 

I'm no good at these "all-time favorite" questions, so I'll cop out and offer you two quotes I like--one amusing and the other deep.

 

First, from Winter by Marissa Meyer:

 

"Did you see any rice in there? Maybe we could fill Cinder's head with it."

 

Everyone stared at him.

 

"You know, to . . . absorb the moisture, or something. Isn't that a thing?"

 

"We're not putting rice in my head."

 

Second, from my current read, Enoch's Ghost by Bryan Davis:

Sapphira held the brick with the red diode close to the photometer. "You can't do this alone, Ashley."

 

She released her hair, leaving a bloody smear. "I couldn't reach Larry. I already tried."

 

"I don't mean Larry." Sapphira's eyes once again blazed. "I think you know exactly what I mean."

 

Ashley looked up at her and stared. "If you mean have faith, that's what I'm trying to do."

 

"I know you're trying." Sapphira laid a hand on Ashley's cheek. A ripple of fire rode along Sapphira's forearm and crept into her hand. "You have been trying all your life."

 

Ashley closed her eyes. Heavenly warmth radiated into her cheek and flowed throughout her body, loosening her muscles and draining her tension.

 

"Relax, Ashley, and let Jehovah work through you. Faith asks that you let his power flow, not your anxiety, not your fears, and not your sweat. His power."

 

10. What books do you most hope will have a movie adaptation?

 

Ooooh, that's a good question. My one caveat with this list is that these movies have to be made really well or not at all. Ha.

 

• The Lunar Chronicles // Marissa Meyer




• If they get the casting right and use top-notch special effects, this could be epic!




• Solitary Tales // Travis Thrasher




• These would be so. stinking. creepy. Especially with a good composer for the soundtrack!




• Rangers Apprentice // John Flanagan




• Again, good casting, please! But how fun would it be to see these adventures on the big screen? I think a TV show would work a lot better than a movie series in this case.




• Illusionarium // Heather Dixon




• Because I just want a steampunk movie.




• The Montmorency books // Eleanor Updale




• Set in Victorian London, with the main character living the dual life of a gentleman and a criminal, this could be a fun set of movies. It's been forever since I read them, but now I want to reread . . .




• My own books!




• Come on, every writer dreams of this, right?

 

Thanks for the tag, Lisa! It rescued me on a day my brain didn't want to cooperate with blogging, and it was fun to boot.

 

I hereby tag:

 

Chloe @ Faeries and Folklore*
Kaitlyn @ Animal Jam Jumble*
Hanna @ Taking My Time
Josiah @ The Steadfast Pen
Savannah @ Inspiring Writes
Victoria Grace Howell @ Wanderer's Pen
You, if you want to steal it!


*You both are YA readers, not necessarily YA writers, but go ahead and tweak the first five questions to suit yourselves. :)

Five Poisoned Apples: A Celebration

The results are in, folks!

So we're going to have a little party to celebrate, because this is the last fairy tale contest Rooglewood Press is going to hold, and it deserves to be commemorated.

The Winners

The Facebook party last Saturday was such fun! This year there were 27 finalists, 13 honorable mentions, and four special unicorns (stories that received perfect scores from the judges). From that lengthy list, the five winners were selected. So many amazing stories were celebrated, and I know there were many more that went unlisted but still possessed such creativity and imagination. I don't envy the judges' job at all!


I was hoping to share the announcement here before it was officially posted on the Rooglewood Press website, but alas, school was rude and didn't let me. So by now you've probably all seen the five winners' names on the cover already. In case you missed it . . .

Isn't it stunning? And look, look--I KNOW ONE OF THE WINNERS. It's our very own Skye Hoffert! And I couldn't be happier for her! You've probably seen Skye in the comments around here. She and I have been blogging buddies and writing pals for years. A few months ago, I had the pleasure of beta reading Falling Snow. Believe me, the grungy circus vibe of her story is the perfect way to open up this anthology.


Next up, Jenelle Hovde's historical fantasy Raven's Heir. It sounds like this one follows the original tale most closely. In Anne Elisabeth Stengl's words, this story carries "that perfect blend of poetry and grit," which sounds like a writing style I'll love.


Then we have Cortney Manning's The Fairest One, a tale with a Middle Eastern flavor and dwarven mythology. It sounds positively delicious! And apparently Cortney entered five stories in this year's contest, earning a place as a winner, a special unicorn, and a twice-over honorable mention.


Following on that tale's heels is Maddie Morrow's vampire spin called Red as Blood. That's one genre these anthologies haven't explored yet, so I'm excited to see what sort of dark and twisty road this story will take me on.


And wrapping it up is Rachael Wallen's Snowbird and the Red Slippers. Involving a scholarship to a prestigious New York dance school, this contemporary tale is peppered with magical realism. It sounds like a sweet and satisfying way to end the book!

The Special Unicorns

These four ladies impressed the judges with their impeccable story skills. To reward them, Anne Elisabeth Stengl created beautiful covers for their entries! I'm unsure if I'm allowed to share them here, but they were each gasp-worthy works of art. The four special unicorns are:

• Sarah Pennington with Blood in the Snow (I believe I've seen Sarah somewhere around the blogosphere, so I feel like I distantly "know" her.)
• Cortney Manning with Yellow Bright (As I mentioned, she's also one of this year's winners.)
• Elizabeth Brown with Heir (You may remember her as one of the Five Glass Slippers winners!)
• Esther Brooksmith with The Blood of Beauty (I've recently gotten to know Esther through the super fun countdown posts she shared on her blog leading up the announcement!)

The Finalists & Honorable Mentions

Rather than list alllll the finalists and honorable mentions, I'll simply direct you again to the list posted on Rooglewood's website HERE. But I do want to take a minute to give a shout-out to my friends and acquaintances who received recognition!


Several finalists' names were familiar to me, but these two in particular are people I've interacted with online more often:

• E.F. Buckles: Moonsilver (Loooove that title! I bump into EFB around here and Goodreads, both great places to chat about books.)
• Sophia White: The Colour of Life (It's a Ukrainian/Russian setting with nesting dolls! Sophia frequents my blog too.)

And I've also interacted with these honorable mentions:

• Meredith Burton: The Princess and the Invisible Apple Tree (I remember Meredith from back when the Tales of Goldstone Wood blog was active; she's very sweet!)
• Claire Banschbach: Threads of Yellow, Blue, and Red (I've just recently started to get to know this indie authoress!)

And . . . well, if you already peeked at the list, then you've stolen my thunder, but . . .

You guys, I am blown away.


Seeing The Brightest Thread among the top ten in the Spindles contest was incredible, but with the way this year's story was going, I did not expect to match that success. Of all four stories I entered in Rooglewood fairy tale contests, Mirrors Never Lie was the one in which I was LEAST confident.


When I submitted to Glass Slippers, I was the kind of writer who doesn't know what she doesn't know.


When I submitted to Enchanted Roses, I loved what I'd written but was missing a few key ingredients.


When I submitted to Magic Spindles, I knew this was one of my strongest works yet. Yet everyone deals with doubt, so making it to the top ten list was a huge boost of confidence.

However, when I submitted to Poisoned Apples, my writing life was in a dry spell and I seriously doubted that novella would make it anywhere. What a thrilling surprise to be proven wrong! And I am deeply grateful for the feedback I received from judges. It nearly made me cry.

Now what are my plans for this story? As you probably know, revising The Brightest Thread is my top writing priority right now. That's what I plan to work on all summer long (and I really, really can't wait!). But that doesn't mean that Mirrors Never Lie is getting shelved forever! In fact, I specifically wrote it in the same world as TBT, years earlier in a different land. Soooo . . . there's the possibility of expanding MNL into a novel sometime. Maybe this will grow into a whole series of standalone fairy tale retellings connected by the same world? But I'm getting way ahead of myself! For now, rest assured that MNL is a story I plan to return to eventually.

Everyone Else

Okay, here's where I brush the confetti off the table and bring out a box of tissues and give hugs to all of the precious writers who submitted to this contest . . . but didn't see their names anywhere. All of us received feedback, so in that sense you're walking away with something! (Along with a completed story that you were brave enough to send out into the world!) But some of that feedback likely stings. In the wake of disappointment, it's easy to fixate on the critiques we received and the insecurities that come clawing back. This story is garbage. I'm not a good writer. Who am I fooling? Will I ever make it? I'm terrible at ____. Thoughts like this--and worse--threaten to black out the truth. So imagine we're sitting across from each other right now, and I'm looking you in the eye and telling you:


It's okay to hurt. When you're hoping against hope that you might get at least an honorable mention, your heart falls as name after name scrolls by, and none of them are yours. I get that. I've been there. Like I mentioned in a recent post about these contests, I've lost more competitions than I've won. And I've received feedback that shredded fragile parts of me and left me sobbing, others that left me sulking under a dark raincloud for days. So allow yourself to lick your wounds. But please, please don't stay there.


One contest does not a writer make. The results do not define you. They are not a measure of your worth as a person or as a writer. Don't let it touch your identity! As my pal Katie Hanna mentioned on a Facebook post, you've fallen off the horse, but get back on. Try again! Keep writing! If writing is something you love, if it's a thing you feel called to do, you owe it to yourself to pursue it.


Use this as a springboard. Let that feedback sheet rest for a while. Put the story away for a bit. But then when you feel up to it, go back and look at it again. All those critiques mentioned? All those areas that received low scores? Those are opportunities. Those are things you can actually learn. Did you get a low score in dialogue? Then pay careful attention to the way characters in your favorite books chat back and forth. Was your plot a mess? Go find some excellent books and blogs that teach story structure. Critiques can hurt, but they have been my best teachers.


And one more thought to help keep your spirits up as you tackle these problem areas: Whichever judge read your story has your best interests in mind. Look for the positives she highlighted and build on them. Also look for the things she didn't mention at all! A doctor may tell you your heart is having issues, but if they don't mention your lungs, I'd guess you're breathing just fine! Meaning the elements that don't get critiqued are probably at a functioning level. All is not lost, my friend.

Some Links

To wrap this party up, I'm sharing links to a few places where fellow writers have shared wonderful posts regarding Five Poisoned Apples!


Skye Hoffert @ Ink Castles // In this post, Skye shares her reaction to winning, as well as pictures of a completely magical party she threw with a friend! Go show her some love, you guys!!!


Esther Brooksmith @ The Pen of a Ready Writer // I'm just giving you a general link to her blog, because she's been posting thoughtful questions to spark discussion in the weeks and months leading up to the announcement. So go take a stroll through her archives, and while you're there, congratulate her on her Special Unicorn status!


Allison Tebo @ Allison's Well // Alli shares about the poison of playing the comparison game and how each of us are on our own journeys. She dug up some amazing, thought-provoking reflections! (This is a post you should all read whether you won, lost, or didn't even enter at all. Go on, shoo.)

Well, folks, these contests have been an adventure! Thanks for putting up with my sentimental self. ;) I send my warmest congrats to the winners, unicorns, finalists, and honorable mentions! Can't wait to read the collection when it releases December 2018!

Lessons Learned from Rooglewood Press Contests

The journey began in 2013.

It was summer when I spotted a pretty novel in the local bookstore. The cover was deep blue, depicting a dragon's face with the image of a young maiden in its eye, the girl gazing thoughtfully into the water. The back of the book looked interesting too. But . . . Aethelbald? The love interest was named Aethelbald? It sounded odd, and being the wary book-buyer I am (or was; I'm getting alarmingly good at purchasing books these days), I resolved to check it out at the library before I invested $20.

That book was Heartless by Anne Elisabeth Stengl. And as often happens with mental notes-to-self that are never committed to paper or phone notes, the promise to seek out the book later quickly slipped through the cracks of my memory. Until one day in late November, I rediscovered Heartless on the library shelf. "Why hello there," I said to myself. "I do believe I forgot about you. Good thing you popped up again."

Very good indeed, I soon found. It was a snowy November Sunday when I first cracked that book open. My family and I were Christmas shopping. The opening tale of young Una and Felix's adventures--the bridge, the sibling dynamics, the talking cat--drew me in so fully I couldn't help but twist around in my seat as we drove along and read funny excerpts to my siblings.

I devoured the story cover to cover. Not since beloved favorites like Chronicles of Narnia or Bryan Davis's Dragons in Our Midst had I been so captivated with a perfect elixir of wonder, magic, tension, and heart-wrenching hope. Heartless was an instant favorite, oddly-named Aethelbald and all.


I don't think I'd even finished the book before I Googled its author, curious to see who she was and what else she'd written. Lo and behold, there was a whole Tales of Goldstone Wood series! Not only that, but Anne Elisabeth had a blog full of interesting archives--and her most recent posts talked about a writing contest called Five Glass Slippers, held by Rooglewood Press. Curious, I investigated and found that entrants were to write creative retellings of Cinderella, five of which would be published in an anthology together.


The wheels started spinning. Apparently, the contest had been announced back in June, and the deadline was December 31st. Just one month away. Accepted story length: 5,000 to 20,000 words. "Well," I said to myself. "That's not that long. I've written a novel much longer than that."


So I made a crazy decision. This young writer, with twelfth grade studies on her plate and writing speedometer typically set somewhere around tortoise mode, decided to give it a go.


I have since entered all four fairy tale contests hosted by Rooglewood Press, and each one has played an important part in my writing journey. So today I'm going to share with you the lessons I've learned.


(Thanks to Esther @ The Pen of a Ready Writer for sparking some of these ruminations!)

Five Glass Slippers - 2013/14

I wrote like mad all that December. I'd never written a retelling of a fairy tale before. I'd never written a novella before, either, just short stories and a couple novels. But digging into the original Cinderella tale was a whole lot of fun! The classic elements--orphan waif, evil stepmother, nasty stepsisters, fairy godmother, glass slipper, and nameless prince--I threw into a bottle with a cup of creativity and a sprinkle of plot twists, then whipped it into a froth.


The result? The Glass Girl, a messy story about a glassmaker's daughter turned into glass herself by her stepmother, an evil Mystere pulling the strings in a power conspiracy.

Blunders Made

Plot holes: Oh, the plot holes! I cringe now to think of the gaps I didn't catch in the rush of getting my story submitted in time.


Insta-love: Yep, Ella met Dominic, a lord's son, and proceeded to fall in love with him that evening. Within twenty-four hours, she was confessing a deep secret, crying on his shoulder, and saving his life Tangled style. Ella and Dom still have my affection, but if I ever rewrite this thing, I'll make sure their affection takes a little longer to develop.

Weak writing: It wasn't bad quality considering where I was as a writer at the time. In fact, I discovered something about my own voice while writing The Glass Girl. (More on that in a minute.) But I've grown since then. And looking back? I'm cringing again. I wasn't even sure at the time if novellas were long enough to merit having chapters (news flash: they are), so I wrote one big, long story split up only by scene breaks!

Lessons Learned

Writing fast: There was only a month to write and edit 20,000 words. Professional authors usually accomplish that many times over in a month, but I'd never worked that fast before. I learned a good lesson in butt-on-chair-fingers-on-keyboard that December!


Cutting words: I ended up going a little bit over the word limit, so in my feverish editing, I had to do some trimming. See, I tend to write long. (Ahem, this post is a case in point.) But this contest provided me with valuable practice in cutting back.


Catching a glimpse of my voice: Writing teachers always talk about that elusive thing called voice, and quite frankly, I had not yet found mine. But Ella's story, framed in a fairy tale, set in a fantasy world, and laced with emotion, provided me with an opportunity to fuse poetry and prose. Was my writing flawed? Of course, but that's how everyone starts: in a mess. I caught a glimpse of what it was like to write the kind of imagery I've always loved.

Conclusion?

I didn't win, but I learned to produce a story in short order, practiced putting myself out there, and had a really fun time doing it. There's enough likable bits of The Glass Girl that it might be worth revisiting in the future.

image via unsplash

Five Enchanted Roses - 2014/15

When the second contest rolled around, I was ready for it! And let me tell you, I was so excited to find out that the chosen fairy tale was Beauty and the Beast, because it has long been one of my favorites. This time, I had the full half a year to ponder the original tale and spin a new twist on it. I decided to step a wee bit out of my fantasy comfort zone and write a contemporary . . . although in the end, it still had a fantastical flavor. (Apparently the fantasy genre won't leave me alone.)


So Blood Rose was born: the tale of a young medical graduate stranded in the secluded mansion of a man who is much older--and deadlier--than he appears.

Blunders Made

Plot holes: The genre mashing of this story meant that my fantasy/sci-fi ideas had to have a real-world medical grounding. I did as much research as I could within the time limits, but in retrospect, I do believe I left a few shaky spots.


Somewhat unbelievable romance: While Emi and Will had much longer than twenty-four hours to get to know each other, I don't think there was quite enough development between them. Emi should have been more reluctant to take shelter in Will's mansion, and Will needed to exhibit a lot more positive character traits in order to outweigh all the red flags he was throwing up. (I mean, he is actually a good person, but that's not always . . . ahem, obvious. He is, after all, the Beast.)

Lessons Learned

Plot holes again: Yes, those dreaded holes were actually a positive as well! See, about two-thirds of the way into the story, I wrote myself into the most difficult corner I had ever encountered. If I didn't find a way out, Emi was going to die, and then Blood Rose wouldn't have an ending. Hemmed in by medical facts that I couldn't change, I had to either find a real-world loophole, or scrap the plot and start over. So I prayed about it. And I prayed some more. And then I went back to researching. You know what happened? I found a little-known medical tidbit that saved Emi's life and the story itself, and was able to write my way out of that corner! So this lesson is two-fold: trusting God with my writing, and persisting through the tough parts.


Friends: I found a lovely group of writers to beta read this story for me as I wrote it. (I guess some people call that alpha reading if it's the first draft, right?) Through our back and forth interaction, I built some amazing online friendships which I still carry with me today! One of my readers, in fact, was also writing a story for the contest, and I got to be her beta reader at the same time. That story was called Burning Thorns. Anybody who peeks into the comments around here can probably tell that the authoress, Christine Smith, became a dear friend, as did several other sweet souls!

Conclusion?

I didn't win Five Enchanted Roses either, but I still felt like a winner anyway. I loved my characters, loved my story, and had a blast sharing it in almost real-time with a group of fantastic betas. I also grew closer to God by realizing again that He really does care about my stories.

image via Pinterest

Five Magic Spindles - 2015/16

Confession: I wasn't over-the-moon thrilled when Rooglewood announced the theme of the next contest was Sleeping Beauty. Maybe that's because I didn't watch the Disney movie as a kid, or maybe it's because nothing could quite compare to my beloved Beauty and the Beast. But the more I pondered the original fairy tale of the princess trapped in an enchanted sleep, the more I got excited about all the possibilities!


The Brightest Thread, the journey of a princess walking the realm of dreams and a faraway prince whose dreams are more real than he knows, ended up being my favorite Rooglewood entry yet.

Blunders Made

Trying to fit a big story into a small space: This was more of a challenge than a serious mistake. Since my idea involved a long rivalry between fairy stewards, one hundred years of history between two nations, a curse and all the rules it entailed, and the development of a romance, I had my work cut out for me. Or rather, I had to literally cut out some of my work. If you've been around the blog long enough, I'm sure you remember me wailing about my first draft being 10,000 words too long!

Lessons Learned

Making every. little. thing. count: On that note, when you need to rip out a third of a story, it feels like you're maiming it. But it's amazing how much leaner a story can be when you're ruthless about weeding out the fluff. Extraneous dialogue? Out. Long-winded descriptions? In the garbage. Unnecessary secondary character? Repurposed. The large-scale result was that every single person, place, or thing in The Brightest Thread absolutely had to be there. On a smaller scale, every word was chosen with purpose.

Writing with abandon: Writing that first draft was a beautiful experience. Sure, it had its ups and downs (especially later on during the editing stage!), but I was so in love with my characters and the world of Iror and Bauglind that spending time with them felt like a dream itself. Years down the road, I have a feeling I'll look back on this story and say, "There. That's when I really discovered my voice." Because that's what it felt like. The story was unapologetically me.

Conclusion?

Was The Brightest Thread perfect? Hardly. Even the expanded version of it I'm working on right now has its issues to be addressed. But the heart of the story, then and now, feels right. And to my surprise and delight, my dear Luci and Hadrian made it to the top ten in the contest! That news, plus the judge's thoughtful feedback, was a confidence booster and served as confirmation that this is a tale worth pursuing. Plus, I have precious memories of sharing the journey of writing TBT with amazing beta readers once again.

image via Pinterest

Five Poisoned Apples - 2017/18

Rooglewood Press postponed the 2016 contest to the following year, so by the time Snow White was announced as the final theme, I was itching to enter again! For a long while, though, I wasn't sure what to do with the Snow White tale. I was busy editing the novel version of TBT, and then I was busy starting business school, and my brain just didn't have a lot of extra space to create a new story.


Eventually, however, Mirrors Never Lie unfolded--a look at what happens when a young woman is ensorcelled by a cursed mirror and puts her surrogate family of seven huntsmen in danger.

Blunders Made

Fragmented writing sessions: Being in college made writing a challenge. Rather than immerse myself in the story like I wanted to, I wrote in short snippets on weekends and evenings whenever homework wasn't looming. That approach got the job done, but the downside was that I felt disconnected to Skadi, my main character, for quite some time.


Misconceptions: I was frustrated with the story and myself because Skadi's outer journey seemed disjointed at first. Her goals take her in one direction for a while, and then she literally turns a 180 and runs off in the exact opposite direction. It wasn't until I realized that Skadi's inner journey formed a satisfying arc that I understood the story.

Lessons Learned

Three act structure: After pulling out my hair over cutting The Brightest Thread down to size, I was determined not to make the same mistakes with Mirrors Never Lie. Thankfully, K.M. Weiland wrote a helpful article over on Helping Writers Become Authors that explained how to break down the three act structure in a way that allows you to calculate your story's length . . . before you ever write a word of it. I used this structure to plot my novella and I think it worked! I barely strayed over the word limit, and having signposts to guide my way helped me write even when I felt disconnected.


No matter how terrible a first draft is, there's always editing: You know what I found? The story wasn't nearly as bad as I first thought it was. There was plenty to edit, but when I looked back over my first draft, I found enough to love. Enough diamond under all the rock to encourage the refining process.

Conclusion?

I love Mirrors Never Lie the way I love memories of scraped knees and stumbles. There is a rawness in that story that makes me flinch--a combination of self-doubt about the writing quality and my own vulnerability laced through the story's theme. Yet something good came out of that experience. Skadi may not be my favorite protagonist ever. But maybe that's because she embodies a part of myself that isn't my favorite, and maybe that's a good thing.


I don't know what the results of Five Poisoned Apples will be. It's bittersweet, knowing this is the last contest. I hope to see familiar names on the cover in fifteen days when the announcement is made on April 2nd!* Whatever happens, I can't wait to read the winning stories!


*I hear tell of an early announcement on Rooglewood's private Facebook page for the contest (March 31st), but since I don't have Facebook, I likely won't hear anything until the official news is posted.

image via Pinterest

Was it Worthwhile?

Was it worth it to spend so much time writing fairy tale novellas when I could have been focusing on my longer works-in-progress?


Yes! It absolutely was. I'm a firm believer in no writing being a waste. I learned something in each contest.


How to write faster.


How to edit with purpose.


How to share my stories with others.


How to write from the heart.


How to write past doubt.


Not to mention these four opportunities to send my writing out into the world! Hitting send is hard. Waiting is hard. Not knowing is hard. But every time it gets a wee bit easier. And I can say with confidence that the motivation the Rooglewood contests provided have made me a stronger writer.

Whew, you made it to the end! Perhaps I should've taken my own advice and cut this post shorter, but I really wanted to share these lessons--almost like a tribute to the opportunities Rooglewood Press has provided. How about you? Have you entered a contest in your field of creativity before? What's something you've learned? (And are you counting down the days until April 2nd as well?!)

The Comp Title Challenge

Brains are busy places, you know. Many things go humming through them, here and there, to and fro, and so it stands to reason that occasionally brains suffer traffic jams. And sometimes brains with too many thoughts to think don't have room to squeeze in one more, and so, occasionally, at times, now and then, it is necessary to choose a simple topic to blog about.

 

Which is my roundabout way of saying that my pal Madeline J. Rose @ Short and Snappy invented another tag this week! And because my brain is busy sorting out some traffic jams, this tag is just the thing to make sure Adventure Awaits doesn't sit cold and forgotten today.

 

introducing the comp title challenge

 

What is a comp title, you ask? It's short for comparison title--you know, when authors, reviewers, and moviemakers throw other names around to try to describe their own creations. Here are some of Madeline's tips for comp titles (paraphrased):

 

• Think about the genre of your story. Where and when does it take place?
• You don't have to use the biggest names out there--in fact, it might be better if you don't.
• Don't worry about describing your story perfectly. If you find something that you think describes it well, then great, but don't stress it. It's just a general idea.

 

And the challenge's guidelines:

• Pick a few (or all!) of your WIPS!
• Give them some comp titles!
• Tag a few peoples if you wish!
• Have fun!

(All following pictures via Pinterest.)

NOVELS

The Brightest Thread // Tales of Goldstone Wood meets Diana Wynne Jones meets the Auralia Thread


Tales of Goldstone Wood series by Anne Elisabeth Stengl: rich fantasy world and lyrical writing style. The latest book, Golden Daughter, works particularly well as a comp title because of the dream world stuff. Diana Wynne Jones: the bits of humor (I've only read Howl's Moving Castle, but still). The Auralia Thread series by Jeffrey Overstreet: the allegory and some of the political subplots.

The Prophet's Quest // Raising Dragons meets Narnia meets The Door Within


So this was my first novel ever, and thinking up comp titles was incredibly easy since my work was heavily influenced by a few certain books. Raising Dragons by Bryan Davis: his human/dragon offspring characters are a lot like my characters turning into dragons. Narnia: hello, new fantasy world! The Door Within by Wayne Thomas Batson: my Captain Dauntless (in charge of the dragon army) sounds an awful lot like Captain Valithor, a general who likes to SHOUT INSULTS IN ALL CAPS.

The Prophet's Key // Narnia meets Mission Impossible meets Storm Siren meets the Dragonkeeper Chronicles


Yes, I am aware that sounds like a strange combination. Narnia: again, there is a world besides our own. Mission Impossible: only because there are chase scenes in various parts of our world, not because of any spy missions or gadgetry. Storm Siren by Mary Weber: elementals. And the Dragonkeeper Chronicles by Donita K. Paul: because Wizard Fenworth was a big inspiration for my crazy wind Shifter named Wimwhile.

NOVELLAS

Mirrors Never Lie // How to Train Your Dragon meets A Time to Die


HTTYD (the movie): Viking/Norse elements. A Time to Die by Nadine Brandes: solely for the intensity of the main character's inner journey. I suppose I could throw Snow White in there with the other titles, but being a Snow White retelling, that should be obvious.

Blood Rose // Illusionarium meets . . . something medical?


Illusionarium by Heather Dixon: No steampunkiness here, but the plague in that book reminds me ever so slightly of the medical aspect of my story. I really can't think of any comp titles that fit this Beauty and the Beast retelling. It's modern day, takes place solely between two characters in a mansion in the woods, and has a light touch of sci-fi/fantasy/something. If songs work as comp titles, I would readily say Salvation by Skillet!

The Glass Girl // Gail Carson Levine meets Dragon Slippers


For this Cinderella retelling, I'm not entirely happy with these comp titles either. Gail Carson Levine: simple, sweet fairy tales. Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George: something about the medieval city setting reminds me of my story.

UNWRITTEN

Welcome to Absurdity // Eyes Wide Open meets The Dark Unwinding meets Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children


You guys have no idea how excited I am to start this novel one day! The idea has been stewing in my head for years. Eyes Wide Open by Ted Dekker: unsuspecting allegory and a mental asylum. The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron: the aesthetic. I don't know how else to say it--it's just the feel of the setting, despite being the wrong time era. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs: unusual characters and creepiness. (Man, I really want to start writing this someday soon . . .)

Untitled // Indiana Jones meets Ranger's Apprentice


Indiana Jones: artefacts and tombs and traps. Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan: good ol' high fantasy and weapons and rollicking adventures. I just really feel like a fantasy Indy would be a ton of fun to write about.

Well, that was fun! And good practice for future querying as well. I think we can conclude that I have a hard time sticking to the traditional two comp titles per story! What about you, if you write? How would you compare your work-in-progress story? Do any of these tales pique your interest? And if you like, consider yourself tagged!

Subplots and Storylines - December 2017 // Year-End Recap

Hello, my friends! December is winding to a close and 2018 is nearly upon us. It has certainly been quite the year, and there's much to talk about today. I'll try to keep the December subplots relatively short in order to save room for a look back on the year as a whole! (Does anybody else feel ridiculously self-centered when dedicating an entire post to themselves and their own life? No? Just me? Okay. Moving on.)

Storylines of Life

It was a simple equation this month. Exams + Christmas = December. But I'll give you a bit more detail than that! My brother, Josiah (who also blogs!), had a birthday. And then I had a week of final exams, during which I buried myself in textbooks and sighed wistfully for Christmas and at last passed first term with very satisfying grades. That means I'm a quarter of the way to graduating, woohoo! I've been on break since then, but between work and family gatherings and a baby shower, it's been a full month. Only in the last few days have I finally slowed down.


Christmas itself was wonderful. I had four days off in a row to spend with family. We went to our church service on Christmas Eve and then opened stockings and swapped ticket gifts. My middle sister Chloe (who is also a fellow blogger!) gave each of us a piece of original artwork. What she drew for me was Hadrian and Luci, the two main characters of my novel The Brightest Thread. I've never received fanart before, so this made my day!

Aren't they the cutest?! (Sorry about the bothersome watermark--I just wanted
to keep her artwork protected.)

On Christmas Day, I slept in and then we gathered around for homemade apple scones and a reading of the Christmas story, followed by our leisurely way of unwrapping gifts--one at a time, captured on video. It was slow and relaxing and so much fun.

Aaaand like the good little bookdragon I am, I'm sharing my bookhaul! My brother gave me The Tournament at Gorlan (hooray for Ranger's Apprentice prequels!). My parents gave me the first three Lunar Chronicles books (been eyeing them at the bookstore for months), Wanted: A Superhero to Save the World (not pictured because it's still in the mail--phooey on Amazon), and Steal Like an Artist (which looks utterly inspiring and is sure to kickstart my new year of writing). I also threw my new Leuchtturm into the picture because it's going to be my 2018 bullet journal! And my first two Funko Pops ever: Frodo Baggins and Captain America. Oh, and one other nerdy gift I received that is also not pictured was a S.T.A.R. Labs sweatshirt--I now feel like I'm part of Team Flash, and that's awesome.

Subplots on the Screen

As far as TV shows go, I picked up Avatar: The Last Airbender with my sisters again and watched two more episodes. I also saw more of season 3 of The Flash (it's getting extremely feelsy, you guys, and I might not survive). I rewatched more of Once Upon a Time season 3 and started season 6 at last!


Wonder Woman


A rewatch with a friend from school, because we needed to give our exam-addled brains a break. Just as amazing as the first time!

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides


Lo and behold, this PotC movie miiiight be my new favorite! I found the plots of the first three excessively complicated in some regards--maybe I just need to rewatch them--but this one was more straightforward. No less chaotic, however; it's Jack Sparrow, after all! I really liked the new character Philip (which has nothing to do with Finnick from the Hunger Games, nope, not at all . . .) even if he was a bit sappy in regards to Syrena. It seems rare for a missionary character like Philip to be painted in a positive light, so I appreciated that!

Cars 3


The Cars franchise has had some ups and downs lately, but I found this one to be a truly solid sequel! It had just the right balance of nostalgic nods to the first movie and new direction to breathe some fresh air into the story. Cruze was a cute addition, and I quite liked the mentor relationship between her and Lightning. One scene in the middle, which I won't spoil for you, had me laughing out loud like a kid.

Storylines on the Page

Hollow City // Ransom Riggs


I read the first book almost exactly a year ago, so I was a bit fuzzy on things going into this sequel. Thankfully there was a character guide at the front, or else it would've taken me even longer to get the eight main peculiar children straight in my head! Once I did, however, the book was pretty interesting.


I liked the new flavor of this one, with a much broader setting, and a very clear and definite goal for the characters. What can I say? Quests are one of my favorite things! Each of the children got to have an important moment in which they helped the group in some way with their abilities, which helped keep this large cast necessary and active. (Ahem, my writer side is showing.) Time loops, gypsies, bombed London, wights, trains, chase scenes . . . it was certainly a unique read, and I look forward to the finale! 4 stars.

The Phantom Tollbooth // Norton Juster (5)


I already gushed over this book in a recent post, but it's officially a 5 star book! Philosophical without being overpowering, equal parts delightful and wise, and simply a joy read. This is a new favorite!

Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King // William Joyce


I loved the movie Rise of the Guardians, and have been wanting to try the Middle-Grade book series for quite some time, so Christmas seemed like the ideal season to start. This book is wildly imaginative, and I do mean wild! There's a lot going on. Ancient spaceships, wizards, the magical haven of Santoff Klaussen, Pitch's nightmare creatures, a robotic djinni, Russian bandits, Santa's origin story, Yetis . . . But that's precisely what would've captured my attention as a kid!


What I loved now as an adult were the fun characters, especially North himself and dear little Katherine. The two make an unlikely and adorable pair. 4 stars.

The Maze Runner // James Dashner


My youngest sister (yes, she ALSO is a blogger--I'm just linking to all my sibs today!) was very eager for me to read this book. I'm actually in the middle of it right now, but I aim to finish it before New Year's! At first, I didn't fully connect with the writing style, but now things are getting exciting, so I'm able to look past it. And I want more Newt, please! Also Minho! (I'm estimating that this will be a 4 star read for me--we'll see!)

Subplots on My Writing Desk

I edited Mirrors Never Lie through two or three drafts this month, and submitted it to Rooglewood Press at last! Hooray! That moment before hitting send is always a little nerve-wracking. I know the story is not 100% perfect . . . but I also know that I did the best I could given the time constraints.


Now that it's officially off my plate, I am free of writing deadlines for a little while! More on that in a future post, probably. I have some thoughts percolating in regards to 2018 and goals and writing and whatnot.

That was December! It was a good month, especially the second half. So much for keeping this post short, though, because here comes the recap . . .

Later on I'll be dedicating a whole post to the books I read in 2017, so for now we'll chat just about the highlights of life and writing and such.

life in 2017

I could look back on 2017 and consider it to have been a busy year, and that would be true. But I kind of hate that word--so instead I choose to see it as a full year. 365 days of adventure, in every risky, messy, exciting, monotonous, challenging, stretching sense of the word. Here's the highlight reel.


I ran a spring break day camp with my classmates at leadership college. That experience was the most stressful and the most rewarding part of college, and it taught me countless lessons about being a leader. Stuff comes out of you under pressure--some of it good, some of it surprising. After three months of preparation, we threw ourselves into that week, and made lasting memories with the kids.


I went to Calgary and Banff, also with my classmates. Beautiful places, fond memories, good food, and a breath of fresh air for my soul.


I graduated leadership college and said goodbye to nine incredible months.


I went to the Realm Makers conference in Reno, Nevada. So many firsts! First time flying, first time traveling internationally by myself, first writing conference, first time meeting some lovely internet friends, first time pitching to agents . . .


I took a vacation with my fam jam at a cozy cabin in the northern U.S. After a whirlwind of activity, that was a much-needed time of relaxation and fun.


I saw the band Skillet in concert. And my ears were ringing for the next twenty-four hours, but it was worth it.


I turned 22.


I completed my first term of business classes at college. I learned some really practical things--and some things I'll never use again--but it will be a steppingstone toward what I want for the future.

writing in 2017

I wrote 17,000 words in a rewrite of The Prophet's Key, book 2 in my multi-world fantasy series. That was all in January, before I put it aside to focus on another project.


I expanded the novella of The Brightest Thread, my reimagining of Sleeping Beauty, into a novel of almost 70,000 words. I edited it a couple of times, pitched it at Realm Makers, and when I came home I sent it out to a group of AMAZING beta readers.


I wrote and edited Mirrors Never Lie for Rooglewood Press's Five Poisoned Apples contest. (Final wordcount was 19,962 for anyone who cares about such stats.) This novella is a loose retelling of Snow White, involving a Nordic fantasy setting, seven huntsmen, and a mirror laced with unkindly magic.


I also wrote two poems--maybe three if you count the post hey dreamer. Definitely didn't do as many writing prompts or poems as last year, due to an intense focus on TBT.


And here on Adventure Awaits, I published 56 posts. One blogging highlight was co-hosting the second annual Silmarillion Awards, which was just as epic as the previous year's. As a whole, I feel like I haven't been able to give you, my followers, the dedication I wanted to this year, but I thank you for understanding the fullness of my season of life. Stick around--there are fun things in store!


(If you made it to the end of this monstrously long post, good on ya, mate.)

2017, you were a year that pushed me past my limits. You were groundbreaking--not in the sensational sense of the word, but in the sense of calloused hands tilling the earth. Breaking new ground. Every time I reached the end of myself and thought I surely couldn't go further, God proved me wrong and provided the strength for just one more step.

A chance to attend Realm Makers was an answer to prayer; so was getting into college this fall, after being told they had no room for me. Sometimes in the daily grind, it's easy to feel like dreams aren't anywhere close to being fulfilled . . . but when I look back, I can see there was never anything to fear.

2018, let's see what you have in store! Dear readers, how was your year?

Subplots and Storylines - November 2017

Wait--November disappeared? I left it right there, turned around for one second, and when I looked back, it was gone!

I suspect many of us are feeling that way, especially all of you who participated in NaNoWriMo! I could use a really long nap right about now. But before I crawl into hibernation, I suppose you're expecting some witty summaries of how November shaped up in my corner of the world, right?

Well, the month opened up with my 22nd birthday.

And what with blueberry bran muffins for breakfast and a rousing game of bingo in the evening, it's been confirmed that I am now an old lady. It was a lovely day, despite school taking up half of it, and a few days later I received a surprise birthday package in the mail from a dear friend (you know who you are!). Later on I also went out for coffee with another good friend whom I hadn't really chatted with in--oops--close to a year, so that was fun too. (You know who you are as well!)

Let's see, what else . . .

My little sis had a birthday too! The end of the year is when half the family's birthdays snowball into Christmas, so there's always lots of shopping involved. Speaking of which, I started Christmas shopping in November too, but still have a ways to go. That, plus putting up the Christmas tree and seeing the glittering hoarfrost all over the trees on my way to work this morning, means the festive feels are rolling in.

I bought a painting from another friend of mine who was selling her artwork at a local craft faire, and the green-and-blue colors match my room quite nicely.

I finally moved a two-foot stack of books--all acquired last summer--off my desk! Had to clear a shelf to make room for them, but at least now they have a home. Any other book dragons out there struggling to fit your hoard into your existing shelves? It's tough.

So basically lots of little happenings this month, because school was intense. All the assignment due dates, quizzes, and studying kind of fell into November, plus the deadline for a group project was (and still is) looming, so much of my spare time was funneled into textbooks. Unfortunately. This is why I'm heading off to hibernate!


P.S. Marvel's Infinity War trailer dropped and I am F R E A K I N G  O U T.

Subplots on the Screen

Yes, yes, I watched more of Once Upon a Time season 3 and The Flash season 3, both of which are still great! And is it just me, or have I been stuck on these seasons for months?!

Wonder Woman

(I actually watched this in October, but somehow forgot to include it in that month's S&S post.) Back when I first heard they were making a Wonder Woman movie, I'll admit I rolled my eyes, expecting two hours of overly-feministic claptrap. The character's appearance in Batman v. Superman didn't impress me much--she seemed like just another beautiful, kick-butt heroine with little personality.

Buuuut then I started hearing great reviews from friends who were watching Wonder Woman, and when I finally saw it myself--well, I realized they were right! It wasn't a perfect movie (and it did bear some amusing resemblances to Captain America: The First Avenger), but it was one of the best DC films I've seen. Diana's strong moral compass and pure view of the world rang true for me. ("But the war is that way!") Seeing her charge into battle, inspiring dozens of men to follow her into the fray, almost brought me to tears. Plus, it was super fun to see an Amazonian women at odds with American WWI society.

The Dark Tower

The preview gave me chills! I've never watched nor read anything by Stephen King, but this one had enough of a fantasy vibe (and less of a horror vibe) to interest me. Unfortunately, the plot lacked the depth I was hoping for, and the boy, Jake, could have had a lot more personality. I did enjoy it, though! Matthew McConaughy was the BEST as the Man in Black. He saved the movie for me. So did Idris Elba as the Gunslinger--both were really cool characters. The score was fantastic too.

Not sure if this is true, but apparently the movie was based off a whole series of books by Stephen King, so maybe that's why it felt like it was missing something. Anyway, I don't regret watching it.

Priceless

Soooo good! This is a movie about human trafficking, so it wasn't an easy watch, but the filmmakers did a good job of conveying the worst parts in a subtle, implied way. Even so, there was lots of emotion, and some characters I wanted to smack really hard--disgustingly hard.

Did you know that Joel Smallbone from For King & Country played the lead role? He did a stellar job. Actually, the whole movie was surprisingly good quality. Sorry, but you never know if a Christian film is going to feel low-budget. Terribly unfortunate, and I have many thoughts on that topic, but that's for another day. This movie was great, though, even if it wrapped up a bit quickly!

Due to the subject matter, I would caution younger viewers to use discernment when deciding whether to see it themselves.

Storylines on the Page

Prodigy Prince // Natasha Sapienza

The author was so sweet and gave me a free e-book copy in exchange for review! (All opinions are my own.) This was a high fantasy novel that kind of toed the line between MG and YA, and the action starts right off the bat with Prince Nuelle's older brother leaving him in the role of Supreme Prince. It was a really creative story, exceedingly colorful in all senses of the word, with things like magenta grass and blue hair and elemental-ish superpowers. My favorite powers are spoilery, however, so I can't talk about them!

A slew of fantasy creatures and battles kept the pace running at high-speed; the Savage Shifters in particular were nifty because they were actually limited in their shapeshifting powers (hallelujah for realistic limits!).

I'm a big sucker for training sequences and heroes banding together in an Avengers-like style, so that was another plus for me. My favorite scene, however, took place in an infirmary, where a certain character with healing powers literally absorbed the wounded people's pain.

My main quibble was that the pace didn't allow me to delve as deeply into the mind of the protagonist or the nuances of the storyworld as much as I wanted to. I posted a longer review on Goodreads HERE. (Just an FYI, I believe Natasha is making some changes to the story before she fully releases it, but if you're interested, definitely add it to your to-read list on GR!) Three stars!

The Tomb of the Sea Witch // Kyle Robert Schultz

Eeep, I loved this one! The Beast of Talesend was really fun, don't get me wrong, but somehow the sequel was just BETTER. I laughed out loud numerous times while the characters went undercover at the Warrengate Academy of Advanced Magic and dealt with threats from the sea (sirens! mermaids! artefacts! oh my!). Full of twists and turns that honestly surprised me, humor on nearly every page, lots of snark, and deliciously fun spins on several different fairy tales at once, this little book was like fluffy chocolate cake. No, make that Black Forest Cake, because the surprises and jokes are like . . . cherries? No? Analogy's not working? Okay, fine. It was a great book, and I'm so glad I bought it straight from the author at Realm Makers last summer!

I caught a few unfortunate typos, but am still giving it five stars!

A Time to Die // Nadine Brandes

Another book I bought at Realm Makers, yay! And OH. MY. GOODNESS. This trilogy gets a lot of hype, at least in my reader circles, and I was desperately hoping it would live up to all those glowing reviews. IT DID. Bless Nadine's heart, it did.

This is one of the most unusual dystopian novels I've read, because it's infused with a lot more faith and hard questions and almost urban fantasy-ish settings than others. One setting in particular almost felt out of place, but I found it so fascinating that I didn't care.

But let's get back to the beginning. PARVIN. She is gold. I related to her so stinking much. In a society where everyone has a Clock counting down the time until they die, she has a year left and yearns to find her purpose, some way to make her last days count. She swings from apathy to passion a few times throughout the course of the novel, which was uncomfortably realistic (but in a good way). And she's something of a writer--well, technically an autobiographer--so that was neat.

Some quickie thoughts on other characters:

• Parvin's mom was hard to like at first, but that was on purpose, and I felt their somewhat rocky relationship was done really well.
• Parvin's twin brother was lovable, except for a few times when he was annoyingly secretive.
• A certain man with a fedora was verrrrry hateable.
• Jude--I have conflicting feelings about this guy even now. At times I hated him too, at other times I adored him. He was flawed, temperamental, but he had his reasons. So my undecided opinion is not a bad thing! Just an observation!
• Hawke--okay, him I like. He had some moments that made me unsure as well, but in other ways he reminded me of the beloved Remko from Rachelle Dekker's Seer trilogy, minus the stutter. I want more Hawke in the next two instalments!
• Willow was precious.
• One minor character had a strong Ecclesiastes ("everything is useless!") vibe going on, which was intriguing.
• The Albinos were despicable and strange and yet some of them had redeeming qualities.

I don't even know how to sum up my thoughts on this book! I've been thinking about it for weeks since finishing it. It brought me close to tears. It resonated with me powerfully. The emotions were palpable, the writing was excellent, and the worldbuilding was fleshed out wonderfully. Low cities and high cities, a humongous wall, tightropes, wilderness, a train, the Dregs, emotigraphs, super cool suits: all of it shone through the pages brilliantly. Nadine writes with truckloads of heart, and consequently, mine was broken in a beautiful way.

Can't wait to read the next two! Five stars!

A Midsummer Night's Dream // Shakespeare

GASP, what is this? Tracey read a classic? A Shakespeare play, no less? Why yes, I'm not a completely uncultured bookdragon. Sometimes the classic bug bites me, and I'm in the mood for old books. That happened this month, so I picked up this wee little play and enjoyed it immensely. All I knew about it going in was that Puck was in it. And I wanted to read about Puck. And I was not disappointed. He was one of my favorite parts--a mischievous imp who, together with Oberon, mess everything up for the play's main characters. This was a comedy of errors indeed. Very amusing.

And essentially we have a love square going on. (Thanks, Shakespeare, for inspiring 98% of all modern YA romances--although it looks like you were really just poking fun at the melodrama.) It's all rather over-the-top and hilarious, but there are also gorgeous descriptions woven throughout, along with musings on the nature of art, love's blindness, and imagination.

"The lunatic, the lover, and the poet

Are of imagination all compact . . ."

Also, Nick Bottom and the other peasant actors are officially the second-best thing ever. Puck is still the best! Another five stars.

In other book news . . .

I won a discount on a PageHabit book box in October, caved in, and subscribed. My box arrived early November, containing two new hardcover YA books--both annotated by the authors--and a small collection of bookish goodies. Quite fun! But it's an American-based company, and so it's not exactly cheap for a Canadian . . . so my plan was to unsubscribe after my first box, at least for now while I'm a student paying tuition fees. Except I forgot to unsubscribe in time, and now my second box is in the mail. Oops! Oh well, it means a couple more new books.

Subplots on My Writing Desk

Hey, remember last month when I told y'all that I was going to edit my Snow White retelling for the Rooglewood contest before the end of November so that I could have a month off writing?

That didn't happen. Instead, school happened.

I think I had exactly four editing sessions the entire month, and the first two were spent reading over the novella and making notes.

But as of now, I did my first pass through chapters 1-4 (out of 9 in total). So . . . I can still finish before the deadline on December 31st. And on the plus side, it's not as much of a mess as I originally thought? So yay? I don't know, I guess I've been dealing with some writer's doubt on this one. But it's starting to shape up a bit--progress!

Oh, guess what! I also have a title AT LAST! No longer must I refer to it as Epically Confused and Possibly Schizophrenic Snow White Retelling (or ECaPSSWR). No, now it is called Mirrors Never Lie. Having something to call it is a relief!

[image via Pinterest; graphic my own]

Hello, final month of 2017!

November was a packed month, so I can't wait to get final exams done and over with so that I can take Christmas break! How did all of you fare this month? Did you survive NaNo? Has it snowed yet wherever you live? Whatcha think of the new novella title? Pour yourself a hot chocolate and let's chat!