The Shared WIP Tag || {Week 4: Side Characters}

Well would you look at that, Ceci is on time with this post! Miracles really do happen.

Now let's get to know these side-characters!

If you had to go on a mission with any of your SCs, which one(s) would you pick?

Hm...I would pick Gervase (Adelina's brother), Markus (Adelina's human guard), Samsun (Adelina's human guard), and Captain Gradeth (a faerie captain). These are all really hard-working and strong people so you know they will help you get the job done. If anything, I would be the weak link in this team.

Which of your side characters attempts to steal attention from the MC the most? 

If you mean in the actual story, then it would definitely be Joanna and her brood. If you mean that I'm really tempted to write more of them than my MCs, there actually isn't any this time.

Which SC would annoy you the most and which one would you bond with the most?

I feel like Joanna or Muriel would annoy me the most, and I would probably bond most with Gervase or Umfrey.

Which SC would you be most attracted to, romantically or platonically?

Not gonna lie, it would probably be Gervase or Asa that I would be interested romantically lol

Would you fit in with your SCs collectively, or would they not be your type of friend group?

I think I would fit in with some of my SCs more than others. Like I would totally be at ease with Adelina and her family, but really uncomfortable with Joanna and her brood.

If your SCs are not all friends, what would result if you were to thrust them together as a group and assign them an activity?

They are definitely not all friends xD And I think that there would be a lot of arguing at first before someone organized them and got them to get the job done.

Which SC would fit into our world the most?

I think Sabelina (Adelina's sister) would fit into our world pretty well. Especially after seeing pianos and listening to piano recordings.

Which SC makes you laugh the most?

None of my SCs are really hilarious, but Amara definitely gave me the most chuckles when I was writing her.

Which SC could probably get removed without affecting much of the story?

THERE ARE HONESTLY TOO MANY OF THESE PEOPLE. But I'm going to go with Aeretha. I mean for her to be like a second mother to Adelina and her siblings, but then I only wrote her in one scene and never mentioned her again. 

Which SC could never get removed because of how important their role is?

I'm going to have to go with either Umfrey (Leo's human brother) or Lady Nesta (Adelina's mother). Umfrey becomes like a father to Adelina and her helps her out. He's also super close to Leo. And Lady Nest is Adelina's mother, so she is kinda important.

I hope you enjoyed this week's post! Make sure to come back next week (our final week) (*dies*) for a post full of snippets. In the meantime, check out these other amazing people.

Sarah

Snapper

Lily Cat

Lila

Julian

Nicki

Almost done Nano! What has been the best/worst part of it so far? 

The Shared WIP Tag || {Week 3: Main Characters and Antagonists}

Ahhh, this was supposed to go out last Friday, but life y'all.

Life.

Anyways, really sorry about that. *shammmeeee*

But let's get to these questions about my MC and antagonists! I don't really have an antagonist that is like, one person. So I'll try to be as clear and vague as I can :P

Would you be friends with your MC? Why or why not?

I have two main characters, but my main main character is Adelina. And I would definitely be friends with her. She is a very hard-working person and she doesn't do anything by halves. She's also short like me. In fact, she is two inches shorter than I am (I'm about 5'2"). So I would be the tall friend *dabs*. But yeah, I would really like to be friends with her.

What would an ordinary day look like in the shoes of your MC?

Hm, well, Adelina's "ordinary" days changed drastically after a certain point, but I'll just tell y'all what a normal day would look like in the beginning. I'll split it into three sections: Morning, Afternoon, and Evening

Morning: Adelina would probably be up at the crack of dawn (can't relate) and grab a small bite to eat. Then she and her brother Gervase would probably go down to one of the barns and split up the work for the day and take stock of the grain and other things they have. Then Adelina would most likely go to one of the fields and work there till noon.

Afternoon: Adelina would go back inside, wash up, and have lunch with her mother and sisters. Her mother is very adamant that Adelina not work all the time, and do at least an hour a day of things that she would be doing (embroidery, painting, etc.) if House Monfort was as rich as other Houses. After that, she would do other things around the place.

Evening: Gervase, Adelina, and their mother would be balancing their accounts late into the night. They would have a light supper and continue working. Then she would go to bed.

And so that is a normal day in her life. 

You’re walking down the sidewalk when the villain approaches you and tells you he needs your help. What do you do?

Walk away.

What would be your first impression of your MC upon meeting them?

My first impression of Adelina would be that she was very gracious. Not very talkative, but not silent in a cold way. Like she was really trying to get to know you.

What would be your first impression of your villain upon meeting them?

Pompous jerks.

What would happen if you were stuck in an elevator with your villain for five (or worse, ten) minutes?

Goodness gracious me. I think that my villain may leave said elevator with a new scar or two. Or I would leave very angry.

What makes your MC most like you and least like you?

Well, we're both short and have dark-ish skin. Um, we're both quiet upon first meeting someone, but the longer we know them the more we open up. I would say that we differ in work ethic. I would consider myself a driven person, but Adelina is WAYY more driven than me.

What song or selection of words best describes your villain?

Hm....I found two quotes that I think describe my villains okay.

"The power-hungry individual follows a path to his own destruction - Adler"

"Those who have true power share it, while those who hunger power abuse it - Royalton Ambrose"

If your MC was teleported to your front porch, what would be their reaction (and what would be yours)?

I think our first reaction would be to blink at each other. Then Adelina would ask me a ton of question and I would answer them, wondering how in the hecc one of my characters got here.

If the antagonist had a dream come true, what would it be? (no spoilers!)

Well, the answer IS a spoiler. But, um, yeah. It would be power-based :P

Ahh, so sorry for getting this out almost a week late. But be sure to come back later for tomorrow's post on side characters. Here are the other participants' names and links!

Sarah

Snapper

Lily Cat

Lila

Julian

Nicki

How is Nano going for you all so far? TEN MORE DAYSSS WE GOT THIS!!!

The Shared WIP Tag || {Week Two: Worldbuilding}

Welcome to this next week of the Shared WIP Tag! As you can see from the title, this week is all about worldbuilding. My world in Faerie Queen is called Landis (I had another name for the world, but forgot it and then came up with this one and then remembered the other one after i started writing rip) and I am pretty excited about this!

Les go

What aspect of this world would make you want to leave immediately?

Hm...I think that some of the more ruthless and power hungry Houses would want to make me leave. Tbh, there isn't anything very DANGEROUS in Landis, it's pretty well civilized and there are no wars. But some of the Great Houses really like that power and might be willing to do away with people who get in the way of that.

If you lived in this world, what would be your job/working environment?

I think I would actually really like to live in the lands of House Ophediac. Their main occupation is the making of all types of cloths as well as some other things. Silks, wools, cottons, and so many more. They also have some very impressive needlepoint and I would like to work there because I really enjoy doing embroider.

What would you most likely be wearing if you were dropped into this world?

What I would be wearing would be leggings, an over-sized t-shirt, and my hoodie (because that's my uniform lol). But what I would CHANGE into would be maybe one of the dresses Adelina wears.

SNIPPETT TIMMEEE

*music*

"She smiled and checked her reflection one last time. She wore a blue linen dress that had golden suns embroidered all over it. The neckline and sleeves were trimmed in gold lace and the sleeves opened just above her elbow, lined with fur. She wore a long-sleeved, red under-dress. A gold belt clasped around her small waist. Amara had finally mastered the hair-style that was a braid crown that sat on the back of her head, the rest of her hair falling past her waist in dark curls.  Adelina carefully picked up a diadem that had a golden sun in the middle and placed in on her head." 

And here is the picture of the dress I imagined her wearing:



Idk how well a job I did describing it but that was my inspiration xD

What aspects stands out to you as different from our world? What is very similar to ours?

Well, let me point out the easy things first. Um, there are faeries. Obviously we don't have those here. And some Houses are more powerful than others depending on if one of their daughters was a First Wife. I think that some of the similarities is that the House lands are kinda like states. They each are ruled under the House leaders, and then they respond to the king.

Which part of your world would you most enjoy visiting?

I really want to visit House Monfort, House Amarius, and House Exclamae. They are more of the seaside Houses and man, I think it's beautiful there. Especially House Monfort, which is also known as the House of Sunshine. Very sunny and very pretty there. 

Which part of your world would you avoid at all costs?

I can't think of any places that I would want to avoid. Like, yes, some Houses are power hungry but they aren't downright evil.

Maybe I wouldn't really want to visit House Tamaris, because they seem kinda cold, but I wouldn't go out of my way NOT to go there.

Would you enjoy the types of food or common dishes eaten in your world?

I'm going to focus on House Monfort for this question, just because the common dishes vary from House to House. But the answer is yes. A lot of House Monfort's food is seafood and grain based (since that is what they do) and I love seafood and bread xD

What does the culture of this world revolve around and would you enjoy participating in it?

The culture for each House revolves around what their main thing is. So, House Monfort is very sunshine, grain, and sea based. House Winidale is very focused on the wind and bricks. House Peladarat is very based on jewels. House Netarae is very flower based.

So it really depends on the House, and yes, I think I would enjoy participating in it.

What’s your favorite thing about the story world?

My favorite thing is how different each House is. And how they all operate. I especially love House Monfort, since I've spent more time there, but I can't wait to dive into King's Court.

Provide a few pictures that help depict your story world.

I hope y'all enjoyed this week of the Shared WIP Tag! Make sure to come back next week for questions on my mc's and antagonist! In the meantime, make sure to check out the other participants posts!

Sarah

Snapper

Lily Cat

Lila

Julian

Nicki

How is your Nano going? I am still (somehow) on track! I'm so excited about this y'all xD

The Shared WIP Tag || {Week One: Introduction}

Hey y'all! I am so excited to do the Shared WIP Tag again! As y'all probably know, the posts usually go out on Friday. I was out of town last Friday so that is why y'all are getting this on Sunday.

I hope you guys enjoy learning more about Faerie Queen!

If you have a book cover, torture your readers by making them scroll forever to see it. If you do not have a book cover, describe your dream cover.

*laughs evilly*

I hope you enjoy scrolling lol

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okay dats enough

Provide a blurb

Adelina would do anything to save her House lands, even marry the Faerie prince. But she is not the only one who would marry the immortal prince to keep their House in power and many are more ruthless than she is. Adelina realizes that the costs of saving her House may come at a bigger price than she originally thought.

Leofwin knows that he cannot fall in love with his First Wife, he will long outlive her. But Adelina’s quiet resolve and strong will draw him in and he wonders if an eternity without her is worth it.

Share some aesthetics

Adelina

I will save my house

Leofwin

I don't believe that loving someone is a weakness

Leo & Adelina

How long did it take you to flesh out the story enough to feel prepared to use it for NaNo?

Well I got the idea when I read an Enchantment of Ravens, which was maybe in the beginning of October? So it took maybe a month to feel prepared enough to start Nano. But is anything truly prepared enough for Nano *sobs* but I'll still continue to jot down details as I go along.

Is it a standalone or part of a series?

This is a stand-alone. I'm pretty excited because I haven't really worked on a stand-alone novel in a while and it's gonna feel SO nice to have everything wrapped up in one novel.

How did you get the idea for this story?

I first got it reading an Enchantment of Ravens. I liked the idea of the fairy court and wanted to explore it more but in a slightly different manner in my own writing.

What song or selection of lyrics best describes the general aesthetic of your story?

Ooof, these questions are always really hard for me because I NEVER KNOWWWW. But I think Fall On Me by Andrea Bocelli kinda sums it up.

What made you decide to write this book for NaNo?

Hm, that's a good question. I already had a novel picked out before I got the idea for Faerie Queen. I think I just loved the story idea so much I didn't want to wait till after Nano to start it and I knew that Nano would force me to work on it :P

What are your publishing plans for this book?

I would like to self-publish this book. I hope to do some editing in December if I finish it, and then maybe send out a call for beta reads? We shall see.

I hope you enjoyed this round of the Shared WIP Tag! Make sure to come back on Friday for questions on Worldbuilding! In the meantime, make sure to check out the rest of the amazing posts~

Sarah

Snapper

Lily Cat

Lila

Julian

Nicki

How have the first few days of Nano gone? I'm surprisingly on track and yeah. The beginning of a new story is always rough but I think I'm getting the flow of things now.

Hope's Highest Mountain {Book Review}

On her way to deliver vaccines to a mining town in the Montana Territory, Ingrid Chastain never anticipated a terrible accident would leave her alone and badly injured in the wilderness. When rescue comes in the form of a mysterious mountain man, she's hesitant to trust him, but the journey ahead will change their lives more than they could have known.

Liked: I really enjoyed these characters! All of them were very well fleshed out, even those who were only there for a little bit. Their backstories and flaws, as well as their attributes, were all very believable and they were a very enjoyable cast of people. Something funny that I enjoyed was that Micah called his daughter "Ducky" which is what I call my baby sister. And Handsome was a nice addition and I love that name for a dog. I liked how Beller didn't make Samuel too annoying. I find that some authors tend to make their younger characters a bit too childish, too annoying, or too grown-up. Samuel was a nice balance of what a young child actually is like.

Liked: Something that really bothers me in some stories is when one character goes through extreme heartbreak and pain and the other doesn't, making that other character rather unsympathetic to the first character's pain and thus making it very dislikeable to read. The fact that both main characters had suffered and could sympathize with each other made this story ten times better.

Liked: For some reason, I really enjoy those types of stories where the characters have to survive against all odds in the wilderness. Maybe it's just because I probably spend too much time inside (bugs and me no thanks), but when they are well done it is just a real page-turner and this was very well done.

Liked: I actually like insta-love (when done well) but this romance was a mix of slow and yet fast love? If that makes sense? Anyways, it was very well done and very believable.

Liked: I really liked how Ingrid wasn't very pushy of her faith on Micah, she let him re-discover God on his own time. She was still an amazing witness to the faith, and her faith was visible through her actions and words. Micah's coming to accept Christ again was also very well done.

Disliked: They ONLY thing that bothered me was the overuse of the phrases, "Oh Micah" and "Oh Ingrid". It's kinda annoying how much it was used. 

- people are severely injured
-past mentions of death

I'm giving this one a solid 4 stars and I would recommend it for people 13+

I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest opinion.

How are y'all? Ready for Nano?? Have you read this? Do you want to? What have you been reading lately? 

Dark Ambitions {Book Review}

Former Army Night Stalker Rick Jordan usually has his camp for foster children to himself during the winter months. But someone has visited recently--leaving a trail of blood. One of the two clues left behind tips Rick off to the identity of his visitor, who soon turns up dead. The police deem it an accident, but Rick isn't convinced. With the help of private investigator Heather Shields, he sets out to decipher the remaining clue. Except someone doesn't want them to succeed--and will stop at nothing to keep them from finding the truth.

With her trademark psychological suspense ratcheting up the tension on every page, bestselling and award-winning author Irene Hannon takes you on a search for a cold-blooded killer with an ambitious goal and deadly intent.

Liked: One of my favorite genres of all time is mystery. Give me some Sherlock Holmes or Fr. Brown and I'll be really happy. I had the privilege to read the book before this one, and I remember liking it, it was a great introduction into this sub-genre of modern-day mysteries, if you will. The last book was solid on the mystery and this one was too. It took me a little to get into, but once I finally got into it, man it was hard to put this book down. Hannon had me turning pages like my life depended on it.

Liked: I really enjoyed this cast of characters. Rick was very honorable, and I really liked Heather. The rest of the characters were very complex, and no secondary characters acted like secondary characters! I especially liked how some of the more shady characters had shades of gray instead of being purely evil or purely good. And then, of course, I love the Treehouse Gang. I was very happy to see the main characters of the last book!

Disliked: I remember one of my main gripes with Hidden Peril was some of the content, and this kinda is true for this one too. While I'm not totally opposed to insta-love, this one was a little much for me. I'll get into more of the content issues in a different section.

Liked/Disliked: Okay, so, the villain was a LITTLE predictable after a while, but what really surprised me is when one person turned out to be a villain and the other didn't. So while I disliked the predictability, I was really happy when I wasn't totally right. And like I mentioned before, none of the bad-guys were totally bad, which really causes you to sympathize with them.

I really liked how the theme of "your past actions can have an effect on your present life" was stressed. How we should always behave righteously in our actions even when we think no one is looking. Like my mom says, integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking. And while these things may not be explicitly stated, I gleaned that from this and I enjoyed that lesson.

Another thing that I think people can get from the actions of the antagonists is that the ends don't justify the means. Their actions may have had a good cause at the end, but they used bad means. Does the end ever justify the means? No, it doesn't. Because by using dubious means, you've tainted the ends.

-pretty heavy on the physical attraction, to the point of being uncomfortable
-mention of past marriage affairs
-murders
-mentions of people getting shot
-past memories of child abuse
-references to sex (not very detailed or explicit, but you get their meanings)

I liked this one, but not especially and it wasn't a new favorite. So I'm giving this 3 stars

I would recommend this book for people 16+, maybe even older.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion from Revell Reads. 

How are y'all doing? Sorry I haven't been posting a lot, school and Nano prep have been keeping me busy. Hopefully there will be another post this week. There will be another book review next week, and I'm doing the Shared WIP Tag again this year, which I'm super stoked about!! What did y'all think? Want to read this?