Tis the season to be baking!
So, in honor of the Procrastibaking Queen @paperfury herself, here’s A Thousand Perfect Notes with some freshly made chocolate chip pumpkin muffins (gluten free)!
Now back to writing.
Challenges:
#StoriesWithStephNov19 – Book Munchies: book + snack | what’s fueling your writing? – Snacks aren’t actually as important to my writing as the coffee. I like to have a drink while I’m writing – often in this wonderful mug I got in a @pixie_dust_official box! My rep code HOPE10 will get you a discount on a subscription!
#BHPFallFictionChallenge – Homemade Bread Day
#WildAdventuresNov19 – Illea: beautiful covers
#MoodReadersNov19 – P is for Paperbacks
#ReadGushNov19 – #shelfie color code or not? – Not. I organize by a) authors, b) favorites, c) space.
#TheSwanPrincessNov19 – Zelda: female villain – The Maestro!
#BookishConLifeNov19 – Dennis Nedry: betrayal – It’s not a plot twist betrayal, but anytime there’s abusive home life, that’s total betrayal.
#BookQueensNov19 – Friends to Lover or Enemies to Lover – Haha, I’m not sure what to qualify this one. Both? Enemies to lovers is more interesting to read, but friends to lovers is ideal.
#BookBookOwlNovemberNumbers – Book with a number in the title – a THOUSAND perfect notes
#AllTheBooksNov19 – #ShelfieSunday – Every day’s a shelfie day.
#BookRavensNov19 – Morally Grey Characters – Joey, in the most adorable way.
#NarnianNovember – Always Winter Never Christmas: book in winter – Sometimes in the book, but mostly counting the wintry Narnian mug! …
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#AThousandPerfectNotes
#CGDrews
#WritingCommunity
How many books do you tend to read at one time?
I usually have four or five going at once, but only two I’m giving my main attention to. Especially now that I’m into audiobooks, I usually have one audiobook going alongside one other main book. And it’s NaNoWriMo, so I’m giving much more focus to my own book, too. Yay!
So here’s a stack of the books I’m reading right now (including a sneaky journal to represent my writing). And because I’m crazy, I’ve got three audiobooks and three book-books going.
For my audiobooks, I’m rereading The Horse and His Boy, and I just finished Muse of Nightmares this morning and started New Spring (which finally came in at my digital library!). For my book-books, I’m slowly but surely working through Amber Eyes, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Golden Son.
Yes, even I think this is too much. Aptly topping this tower of terror is my “Writer on Fire” candle from @goscribbler. Depending on the day, that description can be cup half full or half empty…
Challenges:
#StoriesWithStephNov19 – Readathon | Writing Party: #amreading | #amwriting
#SaraEllaMermaid – Journals + Books: #NaNoWriMo
#BHPFallFictionChallenge – Pumpkin Patch/ Fall Décor
#WildAdventuresNov19 – Ravka: high fantasy #stacksaturday
#TheSwanPrincessNov19 – Clavius: power-hungry character – Oof, several in this stack! Are we talking positively about this ambitiousness or negatively?
#AmpersandNov19 – P is for… Pumpkins! …
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#PierceBrown
#LainiTaylor
#TheChroniclesOfNarnia
Do you cast characters in books you read or write?
My brother and I went through a season where it was our favorite game to go for a walk and cast character roles from books we were reading together or the plays we were doing. I’m about 10 years older than him, and we had several years in a row where I co-directed his school plays. So, even more fun than finding celebrities to fill roles, we loved casting his schoolmates into book or tv roles. 😄
As a writer, I don’t actually have a list of actors I picture as specific characters. I’ve rarely seen anyone who looks exactly like my characters. But what I do enjoy is collecting pictures that spark a familiarity to me (swipe for peek at my Character Inspirations board). No one picture is “exactly” one of my characters, but something about them reminds me of someone and helps me if I’m needing visual inspiration.
Challenges:
#StoriesWithStephNov19 – Casting: cast the hero of the book you’re reading | writing – When I think of René, the first actor who comes to mind is Aaron Tveit. He would need to have black-brown contacts, brown-black hair, a significant tan, and a cherry wine stain on half his face, and then maybe, maybe.
#SaraEllaMermaid – Disney’s The Little Mermaid in theaters on this day, 1989 – I chose the @shelflovecrate BLUE cover for Romanov!
#BHPFallFictionChallenge – Fuzzy Reading Companion – Aww, see yesterday’s post!
#ReadGushNov19 – Gold Details
#TheSwanPrincessNov19 – Rothbart: book that cast you under its spell – “AJNIN!”
#FantasyOnFriday – Favorite Tropes – Is loving your enemies a trope? Probably not, but I’m going with it!
#NarnianNovember – Don’t Run From Who You Are: character growth …
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#Romanov
#NadineBrandes
#ShelfloveCrate
Do you have a favorite cover?
This edition of Heart of Betrayal by @maryepearson is one of my all-time favorite covers. I love the way it echoes the heart of the story without over-narrating. I love the rich colors that set the mood and draw in the eye. It has a simple focus, but rather than feeling minimalist or abstract, it feels like it’s giving a peek into the story and saying, “Come have this adventure with me!” (Not saying I don’t like minimalist covers, but especially for epic fantasy – which is my genre of choice – this style feels most right to me.) Challenges:
#StoriesWithStephNov19 – Cover Love: a favorite cover | how do you imagine your WIP’s cover? – Oof! I don’t know. The idea of my story being contained in one cover feels impossible. I’ve designed covers in my head for it that I like, but they always feel like they call out only one aspect of the story, which feels like it undercuts the depth of the rest of the story elements. So grateful to one day work with a professional cover designer who will put their genius to work! But I would definitely submit this cover as one of my comp ideas.
#SaraEllaMermaid – Survivor: characters who overcome
#BHPFallFictionChallenge – Autumn-colored Books
#WildAdventuresNov19 – Scadrial: book that surprised you – This whole trilogy was a pleasant surprise to me. I remember being turned off by the books the first time I saw them. I’m not the target audience for titles like “Kiss of Deception” and “Beauty of Darkness” and I wasn’t initially sure how I felt about the sickly green, love-triangle-y cover of book one. Etc. But someone recommended it to me, and I gave it a try, and I enjoyed each book more than the last. I love the epic fantasy with grand-scale and intimate politics, and Lia has great character growth.
#BookQueensNov19 – People or Nature on the Cover
#NarnianNovember – Queen Lucy: valiant character(s) …
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#TheHeartOfBetrayal
#TheRemnantChronicles
#MaryEPearson
“NO MATING.” * * * *
Couldn’t help it. My cat was glaring like he wanted to scold someone, so I let Pattern speak for him.
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Challenges:
#StoriesWithStephNov19 – Pet Support: book + pet | any animals in your story? – Yes! René has two dogs who are intelligent, loyal, and super mildly magical – his “oldest friends.” Pepin is a collector of misfit kitties, and René and Elise both have their special horses.
#SaraEllaMermaid – Part of Your World: books you want to live in – Please, please, can I be a worldhopper and live in the Cosmere? That would be epic.
#BHPFallFictionChallenge – Hibernation Prep …should include some of your favorite books and a cat to snuggle with in the cold season.
#ReadGushNov19 – Orange, Yellow, Brown
#TheSwanPrincessNov19 – Queen Uberta: dramatic character – bahaha, Pattern
#AmpersandNov19 – M is for… Mating. Which is inappropriate. Like dividing by zero.
#BookQueensNov19 – Magic Hidden or Magic Known – Magic known but not always understood.
#AllTheBooksNov19 – Books + Leaves
#NarnianNovember – King Edmund: just character(s) – Dalinar!
#BurntSilverRelease – Release Day! The Boys Are Back in Town (favorite squad) – Bridge Four!! Happy Release Day, @hatitus! …
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#BrandonSanderson
#Oathbringer
#TheStormlightArchive
“This story is dedicated to anyone who has ever encouraged, or listened, or understood. And to anyone who needs encouragement. Or to be heard. Or to be understood. This one is for you.” This beautiful book with depths of heart releases today. I’m so proud of and excited for @saraellawrites and for YOU who get to read this unique Little Mermaid story.
Under the sea, in a society where blending in is key, Coral has always stood out from her mermaid sisters. She fears she’s been afflicted with the dreaded human Disease – emotions. Her sister had the Disease, and Red Tide took her away. Will it come for Coral next?
Above the sea, Brooke has nothing left to give. Depression and anxiety have left her feeling isolated. Forgotten. The only thing she can rely on is the numbness she finds within the cool and comforting ocean waves. If only she weren’t stuck at a new group-therapy home that promises a second chance at life. But what’s the point of living if her soul is destined to bleed?
Merrick may be San Francisco’s golden boy, but he wants nothing more than to escape his controlling father. When his younger sister’s suicide attempt sends Merrick to his breaking point, escape becomes the only option. If he can find their mom, everything will be made right again—right? When their worlds collide, all three will do whatever it takes to survive. But what—and who—must they leave behind for life to finally begin?
Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved—yet tragic—fairy tale “The Little Mermaid,” Coral explores mental health and what it means to be human in a world where humanity often seems lost.
Challenges:
#StoriesWithStephNov19 – Dedication (20k): beautiful dedication | Who are you dedicating your novel to? – I haven’t decided yet.
#SaraEllaMermaid – CORAL release day! #CoralMermaidBook
#TheSwanPrincessNov19 – King William: loving family – Merrick + Maya!
#BookishConLifeNov19 – Ellie Sattler: #tobesttheboystuesday Strong Female – Brave Sara Ella!
#NarnianNovember – Queen Susan: gentle character – Merrick’s gentleness with the weakness of others
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#SaraElla
#Coral
#TheLittleMermaid
