Writer's OTP Challenge

So I stole this from MK who stole this from The Splendor Falls On Castle Walls. I have no shame, apparently.

Here are the guidelines: You can fill this out with any of your WIPs, published books, or ideas-to-be-written.

I will be using characters from The Red War, Char ne Rayft, and Heritage of Kings. I will not say which books the characters are from in hopes that that will keep spoilers to a lower rate. :)

The first OTP you wrote

Shahima and Lars. First book I ever finished (they had different names then). Shahima was trained to be an Evonian Knight, and is fierce and independent and headstrong. Lars, a Forester, is just as stubborn and ready-to-fight, only he has a sense of humor. Together they help...well...spoilers...but basically, they didn't fall in love at first sight, but became friends simply when the war threw them together and they had to save the missing king.

Your cliché OTP from an early work that you still love

HAHAHA. Drew and Georgie. Second book I wrote. Drew was 100% based off Anakin Skywalker - hot temper, impatient, long wavy red hair, even had the scar. Georgie was the typical "girls can do everything better than boys and don't even give me a hand up I can get up myself thank you very much" kinda gal. They hated each other. Then tolerated each other. Then fell in love. I'm honestly surprised my beginning-writer-self managed to tie in their love story fairly neatly and realistically.

A hate-to-love OTP you’ve written. (Or your favorite, if you’ve written several)

Rashida and Coden. They were betrothed by their parents. Rashida hated Coden from the start, he tried his best to tolerate her though she frankly annoyed him to no end. Throw in some adventures (like scryrens, mysterious runes, and the end of the world) and they soon learned how to get along.

Your OTP with the craziest relationship

Gerim and Vanyar. Like, wow. Vanyar speaks several languages, has no social skills or filter, claims to be an historian, and has an extremely good sense of smell. Gerim is a wood right by trade, doesn't know what danger is, and is 100% down for any insane plan anyone has. I'm surprised they are both still alive.

Your best dressed OTP

Probably Cade and Jewel. She's super artsy and also makes a lot of their clothes herself, so she always makes sure their clothes are looking nice. Especially as they're both royalty (though middle children, so not in line for any thrones).

Star-crossed love: your forbidden love OTP

Hmmm. Actually don't really have one? Rashida was in love with another guy when she was betrothed to Coden, but I didn't ship her with that person. I also believe Georgie's parents weren't too thrilled about her getting engaged to a Kalt (Drew), but once they met him, they were fine with it.

Your funniest OTP

Joshi and Vop. Technically Joshi is a little teen boy and Vop is a strudel (though anything passed on as edible in the Shep Kingdom is liable to be suspect), but they were inseparable for an entire book, so I'm counting them as a funny OTP.

Your OTP with the healthiest relationship

Probably Rhun and Rabe. They have the most brain cells out of anyone in the entire series. He's a born leader, and she is sweet, and they just work together really well. They know how to put up with each other.

Your sweetest, most adorable OTP

Marra and Nato. Like, she's a princess with anger issues who was exiled from her home for many years, and Nato? Umm....his brother is someone important, and Nato just kind of went along on the trip for some excitement, and next thing you know he's been captured by slavers along with the sister of the Wolf Lord and the pirates for some reason think they're married and that the random orphan that was hanging around is apparently their son??

The OTP who snuck up on you, the one you didn't expect to love

Um...Riley and Lianna. She technically isn't in the series, but I wanted to find how what happened to Riley after the books ended, and wrote my own little fanfic novella thing, and Lianna showed up and at first she thought he was weird and he was kind of a little wary of her but wow they continued being awkward but it's all cool.

Your moodiest OTP

Rodian. The moody third-wheel (because I'm running out of OTPs and don't want to double-up). He gets to stand around and be grumpy while everyone else is spending time with their true love. Thinks he knows better than everyone, and would probably rather live in the woods by himself but he happens to like his friends (though he may not admit that to their face).

A class-crossed OTP you’ve written

Cadren and Tanneran. He's one of the Dreman Mountain Kings, and she was born a slave. And also tried to kill him a few times. They're both super awkward and shy and sweet, I love them to bits.

An OTP you wrote that most people don’t ship

So not many people have read my books, oddly enough...but I originally wrote Marywyn's ending in a way that she married a guy named Nahale. In the meantime, I totally shipped her with Duren. And finally Sarah looked at me and said "You're the author, you can change that." So I did.

Your very favorite OTP you'll love for the rest of your days

Marywyn and Duren. After all they've been through, it's only fair to let them continue looking out for each other. She comforts him and he encourages her. And I could ramble on and on about them but I won't. :)

Feel free to steal this tag, y'all! Let's share our favorite OTPs!!

Me in Book Characters Tag

So here's the first tag of this year...thanks to Ben from Showers of Blessings. :) I had never heard of or seen this tag before, so this was pretty interesting.

Here are the rules:

1. Thank the creators of the tag. (No idea who, tbh)

2. Thank whoever tagged you. (Ben)

3. List 5 book characters who you are most like and explain why.

4. Tag your friends!

So, for fun, I asked my siblings to do this for me. If I did it myself, I might end up picking characters I wished I was like, instead of being painfully honest...

Here's what they came up with (with my comments in bold)...

One - Janner from The Wingfeather Saga

Because I'm the eldest, the one who's gotta deal with all the misbehaving siblings. I may struggle with how it seems like I never get what I want because it goes to my siblings or how I have to give up things to they can do what they want, but ultimately, I love them and would die for them.

Yeah, that'd be convenient for you if I died in your place, but does anyone ask what I think about it? No....

Honestly, though, I relate to Janner soooooooo much.

Two - Valentine from Ender's Saga

Does it bother anyone else when the books in a series aren't all the same edition/version??

The kind one, the too-emotional-but-that's-a-good-thing one, the one who keeps my siblings under control.

What does that say about y'all, my siblings?

Three - Lina from The Books of Ember

Talk about mismatched.... *sighs*

She has her own goals from the start, though it might not seem like it. Actually fairly organized, though it might not seem like it.

Okay, didn't really see that coming. But she was my favorite character. I loved how she took care of her granny and her little sister and then got a horse in the end. :)

Four - Rinna from Forest Born

Ah, yes, any excuse to show off my hand-painted edges...

Country, down-to-earth, forest born for sure. Quiet, so people may not always notice me.

I have always loved Rin. While I can relate to the other characters (Isi, Enna, Dasha, even Razo) I especially loved Rin's story. How she felt invisible, how she knows she can use her words to get her own way, how she loves playing with children, and just enjoys being at home in the woods.

Five - Leia from Star Wars

(Hey, they're books, too.) *everyone is panicking* Julian: somebody's gotta save our skins! *proceeds to back the flatbed load of round bales down the driveway*

*laughs* Okay, that's pretty funny. I've always seen Leia as kinda bossy, but I guess...yeah, I can be bossy, too. Very "well, somebody has gotta do it, guess it's gonna be me".

Hope y'all enjoyed that...I won't tag anyone, but if you enjoyed the post and want to try to that yourself, please, be my guest!

Know the Novel - Ships, Secrets, and Survivors Part 3

Apparently I'm not done posting for 2019.

So basically, I thought I had already done this post, but after a quick check in my blogger archives I had this moment of "the archives are incomplete" which lead me to realize "if it's not in the archives, it doesn't exist, which must mean I never made the post" and so here you go.

Firstly, how did writing this novel go all around? Firstly, that was last month, so I don't remember (this post is bound to be interesting). Um...I remember I went on a family vacation during the first week or so, and I got behind on the original schedule to finish in 2 weeks. But I still finished.

Did it turn out like you expected or completely different? And how do you feel about the outcome? I finished later then I wanted. But other then that, everything went well.

What aspect of the story did you love writing about the most? I loved writing the ships. Not the romance ones, but the wood and sails and freedom kind of ships. Also, switching from two POVs was fun. Haven't written multiple POVs in a long while.

How about your least favorite part? Having to do research on certain injuries, french revolution weapons, and what are the parts of a ship. I'd much rather be drafting, mate.

What do you feel like needs the most work? Um, honestly, the RPG bit that Sarah and I did before I finished it myself for NaNo. But NaNo draft wise, I would say the ship parts...

How do you feel about your characters now that the novel is done? Who’s your favorite? Least favorite? Anyone surprise you? Give us all the details! I think I did a fairly good job with the characters, including the ones who were originally Sarah's. They all got a chance to shine and grow a little. But I'm especially in love with Ravin (shy, awkward ex-assassin) and Adi (knife-wielding feisty princess).

What’s your next plan of action with this novel? Um. Edits, basically.

If you could have your greatest dream realized for this novel, what would it be? Mate, I want this turned into a movie/tv series. All the pirates, pirate hunters, agents, sea dragons, monsters, ships, islands...it would be so cool!!

Share some of your favorite snippets! Just check out my Shared WIP Tag post available here and the Know the Novel Part 2 post here. And enjoy the snippets!

Did you glean any new writing and/or life lessons from writing this novel? Well...I just figured out how to work with Google Docs, so that's cool. Editing this book will be an adventure for sure!

Anyways, so my next post really will be in 2020...

Know the Novel - Ships, Secrets, and Survivors Part 2

Well, November is coming to an end and I suppose I'd better get this post finished and published...

How’s the writing going overall?

Pretty good. I finished November 21st, which is a little late for me, but I did end up taking a trip to IN the first full week of Nov., and basically wrote nothing but like, 4 or 5 days. And then I struggled to get into the characters heads for a long time.

Apparently the last time I drafted something was last NaNo??? And I've been editing all year? So it was really hard to get back into the drafting headspace. I finally "got into" it about 30K in...

What’s been the most fun aspect about writing this novel so far?

Getting to explore the characters and write the ships (literal ships, not the romances). :)

What do you think of your characters at this point? Who’s your favorite to write about?

I'm pretty happy with how they've turned out. Ravin is still my favorite, but Adi has come very close to my heart. She's got a neat way of viewing the world and she's braver and more determined then I am, which is cool.

Has your novel surprised you in any way?

Um, yes. Because Sarah and I had already written about 30K, I was sure that the draft would end before I reached 50K for NaNo, and I would have to write some flash fiction or something to get my word count up.

But, wonder of wonders, I hit 50K and still had story left!

Have you come across any problem areas?

Well, there are a lot of characters, and I think we'll either have to pick up some loose ends in editing, or else cut a few folks. And I changed a few things (arcs, personalities) halfway through, but those are simple edits, y'know? No huge plot points to change or anything.

What’s been your biggest victory with writing this novel at this point?

Getting into the groove around 35K and realizing that the draft was going to be more than 50K.

If you were transported into your novel and became any one of the characters, which one do you think you’d be? Would you take any different actions than they have?

I'd like to be Heather. She's all calm and steady and keeps the crew in line and cooks amazing meals and doesn't take crap from anyone.

Give us the first sentence or paragraph then 2 (or 3!) more favorite snippets!

Beginning sentence of the NaNo draft (not where the actual book begins):
Two people have died.

(Like, what a fun way to begin!!)

The officials looked at Ravin’s—or rather, Justin’s—papers, squinting and flipping the paper over. “We can’t read this,” they said at last.
“Sorry. We sail, uh…here two days of Andolin. I speak a little your tongue. I help you talk.” She pointed at Ravin, as if offering to be a translator.
Adi did her best to look Andolin (whatever that would be like), and tried to pretend she couldn’t understand a word that was said.
“Ah, just leave them.” The younger man tossed the paper back. “I can’t stand sailors.”
“Good day at you,” Ash quipped, offering a kind of salute, and then hurried away, giving Adi and Ravin a pointed look to stay close. Ravin rambled on in Andolese, and Adi laughed, praying that no one actually understood what was being said. Ash interrupted Ravin, pointing at a funny looking house, and the two engaged in some sort of conversation for a few more minutes until the officers were out of sight.
“Ravin, what on earth?” Ash spat, the moment they felt safe. “I think I need to cut off my ears or something.”
“Sorry,” he blushed.
“The only Andolese you know is one of the most grammatically incorrect and crude poems ever written by that half-mad Andolese poet Sachrin? Is that really all you know?”
“I used to speak it, barely. But I wanted to speak naturally, without pausing to figure out what to say next. So I just rattled off something I’d memorized.”
“Of all the beautiful Andolese poems, you chose to rattle off Ode to a Rusty Scythe?”
“I was a kid. And I thought it was funny. At the time, of course.”
“Who even let their kid read Sachrin? Let alone memorize him…”


~~*~~

“We need to keep the fire going at all times.” Justin sat cross-legged in front of his handiwork. “And make sure it doesn’t burn down the island.”
“That happens in all the stories. The survivors get angry at each other and burn the island and kill each other.” Hawthorn poked a branch into the fire. “They could get rescued if they just worked together, but they just fight.”
“If we ever starting picking people off, I know who’d be one of the first ones to go.” Shade glanced at Hawthorn, his eyes narrowed.
“What? I’ve been helping! When I was younger, I used to imagine what it would be like to get trapped on a deserted island. I made all these plans for what I would do if it ever happened, but I never got to go sailing until now. And look! Stuck on an island on my first time! This is great!”
“Is it too early to start the whole ‘getting angry and killing each other off’ thing?”
Justin turned to Heather in despair. “We’re never getting off this island.”

~~*~~

There are some awesome snippets I would love to share, but can't because of SPOILERS. :)

Share an interesting tidbit about the writing process so far!

A friend surprised me by making a mock cover for my book!!

I also wrote while watching the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, which is what inspired the pirate hunters, so many years ago.

Take us on a tour of what a normal writing day for this novel looks like. Where do you write? What time of day? Alone or with others? Is a lot of coffee (or some other drink) consumed? Do you light candles? Play music? Get distracted by social media (*cough, cough*)? Tell all!

Usually I write right before bed. Dinner is cleaned up, the animals have all been fed and bedded down for the night, and I've changed into my PJs. I curl up on the bed with pillows and blankets and write for an hour before heading to bed. Occasionally I'll make some tea. Lately I've been listening to Riverdance and the local horse auction live cam while writing, or else not listening to anything. The last few days I also wrote during lunch break at work, just because I was sick and tired of taking so long.

But there you have it. NaNo2019.

Know the Novel - Ships, Secrets, and Survivors

Hello...just jumping in for Christine's Know the Novel linkup! Hope you enjoy this little sneak peak into my NaNo Novel (and the subject of the Shared WIP Tag coming up in November).

What first sparked the idea for this novel?

Well, it kinda started back in...maybe 2010, I think? Maybe '11. But back when I was writing most of my WIPs in notebooks. And basically, I watched the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie for the first time. And tried to write a pirate story. And failed.

Then fast-forward to the end of '18 (or maybe the beginning of '19), where Sarah and I are thinking of doing a story together. She pulls out her fave thing to write (about people having to work as a team) and I pull out my pirate story.

And we shoved it all together.

Share a blurb!

I'm gonna make y'all wait a little longer...it's coming for the Shared WIP Tag!

Where does the story take place? What are some of your favorite aspects about the setting?

It takes place in a made-up fantasy world. It has kind of a French Revolution feel, with some scary ocean creatures and pirates and stuff thrown in.

I love how it's not a typical "medieval setting" fantasy story. :)

Tell us about your protagonist(s).

The main characters are Ralivaen del Mankayl and Adima Radi Kashinda.

Ravin is a sailor who would prefer just to be ignored and live his life on the ship and never set foot on land again. But his name is called as one of the selectees for the Scaera Dumeda, and he's planning to put about as little effort into this as possible...

Adi is a princess, who would rather be out fighting and helping people, instead of living a pampered life. So she is thrilled when she's selected and this long-awaited chance arrives. She's not going to mess this up.

Who (or what) is the antagonist?

The main villain is Captain Rev Martin, one of the most feared pirates, who happens to have a grudge against some of our main characters...

What excites you the most about this novel?

-Writing something with Sarah

-Evan is doing cool illustrations for it

-Pirates

-The characters

-Sea creatures

-The Scaera Dumeda

Is this going to be a series? standalone? something else?

For the moment, it's just a standalone novel. I suppose it could continue, but I think in a sense, stories could "always" continue. It just depends on if the author is willing to dig into the story world and see what happens next or if it should be left for the readers to uncover in fanfiction.

Are you plotting? pantsing? plansting?

Sarah and I did some vague plotting back when we started it. Basically covered the first third of the book, and we figured we'd find out what happened next once we got past bringing everyone together.

And that's where I'm going to pick up the book for NaNo. *cracks knuckles* Good thing I'm a pantster.

Name a few things that makes this story unique.

Um...something cool that I don't wanna give away. Plus, the aspect of the Scaera Dumeda is kinda cool. And really, I think it's just a neat little story with lots of neat little aspects.

Share a fun “extra” of the story.

For your enjoyment...the first page of the hand-written original, from long, long ago. Plus two character sheets from characters that have made the cut from the old version to this new NaNo ones!

I'll be back Friday to kick off the Shared WIP Tag!!

The 20 Book Questions Game // #awesomebloggeraward

So I got tagged by Ariel at Scribes and Archers....before Camp NaNo.  And so I just kinda put this on the backburner...and anyway, yeah, finally got around to this one.  But it's cool.

Rules:

Thank the person who nominated you.

Tag your post with #awesomebloggeraward.

Answer the questions you were asked.

Nominate at least 5 bloggers and inform them of their nominations.

Give them 10 new questions to answer.

What’s your favorite book by your favorite author?

I hate this question soooooooo much.  It's like someone asking what your favorite child is or something.  So I'm kinda gonna just...

The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien.

I love endings so much.  And really, it's such a beautiful bittersweet ending to an amazing trilogy.

What’s a book you couldn’t finish?

I usually finish every book I start.  Though last year I almost gave up on Promise's Prayer.  It was just...I didn't love the writing style at all and just found it a little boring, honestly.  But I pushed through.

Do you have any books you associate with songs, or vice versa?

Weeeeell.

I think of I See Fire whenever someone mentions the Hobbit. #thissongismyjam

What new release are you most excited for this year?

My brain suddenly died.  Right after it went AVENGERS: ENDGAME

(You didn't specify book so we're just gonna count that as a legal answer.)

What was the last book someone recommended to you?

*stares at massive TBR*

Honestly, I have no idea.

Buy or borrow?

Buy.  GIMMIE ALL THE BOOKS

E-book or audiobook?

E-book.  It's like being able to carry an entire library in my purse.  Plus, I read faster than an audio reader.

Paperback or hardback?

Paperback.  I have a bad habit of destroying books, and I don't feel so guilty about ripping hardback covers.  Plus, they're heavier, and when I carry multiple books in my purse, the less weight the better.

What’s your favorite book-to-movie adaptation?

The Black Stallion/The Black Stallion Returns

Apparently I was 3 years old when I watched The Black Stallion, and since then I've had a thing for galloping, bareback, and black horses.

What book-to-movie adaptation could you rant about for hours?

Hehehe The Hobbit.  The good bits, the bad bits....there's a lot of material to cover.  Especially since it's three movies and one book...

The Re-Tag

Sarah @ Pen of a Ready Writer

Snaps @ Snapper

Rakayle @ A Story Detective

Keturah @ Keturah's Korner

Ben @ Showers of Blessing

The Questions

A book you've had for a long time but still haven't read.

A book you read right after buying it.

A book you regret buying.

A series that you wish you'd bought the entirety of while you were at the store but instead you just got the first one and now you have to wait to get the others.

A book you wish they'd make into a movie.

A book you'd love to step into and never return.

A book you convinced your siblings to read and they thought they wouldn't like it but they actually did.

Computer or notebook for writing down story ideas/notes?

If you could have extra time to write some fanfiction for fun, what story would you delve into?  Would you add new characters or just use the original ones?

A book you can't wait to read.

Bonus Question: Have you seen Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse?  If so, thoughts?  (I happened to be listening to it as I type this post, so...yeah.  But anyway, go forth and have fun!)

Forging the Fellowship

Julia over at Lit Aflame created this tag, which sounds kinda neat!  (Okay, I lied...I actually stressed over these questions and stared at my bookshelf and flipped open books and panicked and then just grabbed some random characters and said this is my fellowship and we're all going to die.)(So thanks Julia, thanks a lot for that.)

 

The Rules

 

Include the tag banner in your post

Link back to the creator of the tag

Thank and link back to the person who tagged you

Forge your Fellowship Out of book characters by answering the given questions!

Tag three bloggers to pass the ring to.

The Questions

[The Ring Bearer]: If you could choose, which of the four races would you be: Elf, Dwarf, Human, or Hobbit?

Umm...honestly, I'd love to live in Rohan. (so um...human??)  All those horses (and more horses)!!!  Edoras has always been a favorite place in the books and movies.  So maybe I'd be a gal from Rohan who travels a lot, maybe has friends among the rangers and visits Rivendell?  :)

[Gandalf the Grey]: A wise/powerful elder/mentor character.

Prof. Hamilton!  Like...who doesn't want him as a mentor??

[Aragorn]: A character with good survival skills.

Leith, hands down.  Have you seen some of the stunts he pulls??  Like riding into the dessert alone...yeah, this guy is a survivor.  (Plus I just want him in my little Fellowship, okay??)

[Boromir]: A character who makes mistakes, but has a good heart.

Parvin, from the Out of Time Trilogy.  Yeah, she makes mistakes, but she's trying.  She may not always have the right idea, but we all know she's got a good heart.

[Gimli]: A stubborn character.

Enna.  Love her, but she's feisty and thick-headed and opinionated and good ol' Finn just puts up with her and they're adorable.

[Legolas]: A character who is talented.

Ahhhhh does wrestling gators, failing at Feechiesings, and causing panic at a play count???  Then I'm going with Dobro Turtlebane, the best part of the entire Wilderking Trilogy.

[Peregrin Took]: A character who at first seems useless, but ends up surprising you.

The first character that came to mind is actually from Sarah Rodecker's story The Herbalist's War, but I don't want to drop any spoilers and get into trouble...

[Meriadoc Brandybuck]: A character who is small/not very strong, but has great courage.

Brandi, from The Blades of Acktar.  She may be just a little girl, but she's brave and courageous (and maybe a tad bit reckless). 

[Samwise Gamgee]: A character who is extremely loyal and doesn’t give up.

Um, the first character that jumped to mind was Cullen from The Silver Branch.  He's a little fellow, but very loyal.  Maybe a tiny bit foolish.  But still fiercely brave.

 

I tag...

 

Someone who knows at least two of these characters...

Someone who might consider wrestling a gator...if it's a baby one

Someone who would gladly live at Rohan