Final Fantasy Friday: I've Finally Started FFXV!


On the last Friday of the year, I finally get to say that I've started playing Final Fantasy XV!


If you could hear the music! Anyway, I'm probably only 10 minutes into the actual storyline, lol. Unlike the other FF games, you can do side quests right out the gate in this one, so I've been doing those to level up my characters.

The game opens with a highly perilous looking encounter in the future. Noctis, the main character, looks to be in his 50s, and Gladiolus, Ignis, and Prompto are still by his side protecting him. Then, it lurches to the present, where Noctis's dad King Regis is sending him off to get married. I need to know how we get to that highly perilous scene!

But I'm nowhere near there yet, lol.

If you've ever played a Need for Speed game, that's the vibe I'm getting from this installment. The first screen that comes up states FFXV is for new and old fans, and I didn't play the first Need for Speed Underground to have to play the 2nd. There's a storyline, but you can basically do whatever you want until you're ready to follow it. I like that freedom. I need to make sure I keep looking at the tutorial and training for the fighting techniques, though. I don't want to forget while I'm dilly-dallying.

Here is a clip of me sneaking past something...big.


I really hope I don't have to fight this thing in the future. Did you see its TAIL!?

Tuesday Tales on a Thursday: Cyan Takes Over


So, this is confusing.

I wanted to move Tuesday Tales to Thursday, but I decided not to. One, I'm too lazy to try to redo the logo. Two, I like the alliteration, and even though I know it will change eventually whenever I start working full force on my next project outside of the Fractured Princess, I want to hold onto it for as long as possible.

But, I did want to stop in to see what else Cyan likes to do with his time when he's not chasing Ghuli* around the forest, and he's willing to talk for once! So, welcome back, Cyan!

Thank you.

Well, I have said before that I love to read. I like history. The races on Teorre are very different from each other, so reading about them has also helped me adjust to the world around me. There is only one hulktroll to every twelve Sprites and ten Humans on the Isle Continent. Most have only moved here because they've wed a Sprite. I suppose the rest just like the Isle.

I also like photography. Sir Aleksandyr gave me an old camera for my tenth birthday, and when I have the time, I like to capture nature. Many outside of the Isle have never seen our willow trees, so perhaps one day I will display my photographs...I just need to build myself up to it.

...That's it.
--------------------------------------

Ever the shy one, this Troll.

Next year, I should be back in full swing with my scheduled posts. Next Friday, I might even have a little feedback about that Final Fantasy XV game I've been raving about all month. Stay tuned!

Have a Happy Chanukah and a Merry Christmas!






*This post occurred before I changed Ghuli's name to Jonnie*

Final Fantasy Friday: FFXV Finally Arrived!



Happy Friday!

While 2016 remains to be a garbage rollercoaster (anyone else shocked and heartbroken by Alan Thicke, because he was one of my TV dads!), I received notification on the 13th that my package arrived containing the Day One Edition of Final Fantasy XV!

I'm extremely excited and doing my best to not buy a PS4 right away, but there's a deal on Gamestop right now for an Uncharted 4 Bundle AND a $25 e-gift card, and that's SO tempting, so by the time this posts, I'll probably have bought it. I'm not even sure what Uncharted is and am not the biggest fan of first person shooters, but the premise looks cool.

Now, my cousin says that FFXV is better than FFX, which is my favorite game in the franchise, so I will certainly be the judge of that.

Have a great weekend!

IWSG: Suddenly Seeking Something Else

Brought to us by Alex. J Cavanaugh
Happy December!

The Insecure Writer's Support Group was designed by Alex J. Cavanuagh, the Great Ninja in the Sky...oh wait. haha. But it was designed by him for us writers to have a chance to express our insecurities and sometimes share our successes!

So, the general consensus was that 2016 was garbage. It certainly was for me. I thought having a full time job would make things a little better, but I don't like my job. Working in a hospital as an admin is way too interactive for me. I talk to way too many people too many times a day, which gives me a little anxiety and I spend a lot of time preparing myself to call or talk to people. My manager also doesn't want me to have a shred of downtime.

In hindsight, had I found another part-time job, my boss wouldn't have cared if I adjusted my hours, but I also needed health insurance I didn't need to pay out of pocket, and having benefits helps with sick days and vacations. I liked my old job because I DIDN'T have to talk to people as much, and I did a lot more with data entry and editing. So that said, I have a job interview tomorrow afternoon that is more geared to that type of administrative assistance, and I'm going to keep looking for jobs that tailor more to writing. Why I didn't do that right out of college, I wish I knew. My mind just didn't think of it. Wish me luck!

Now for this month's question: In terms of your writing career, where do you see yourself five years from now, and what’s your plan to get there?

God willing, I certainly hope I'm published with another book on the way. I had a lot of likes during October's DVPit and am still waiting to hear from some of the agents I queried. A couple from my wishlist haven't responded yet, but we're now in the holiday season, so I'm trying to not to count them out until maybe the end of January.

Final Fantasy...Tuesday!?


Yes, indeed! Final Fantasy XV comes out today, and despite Conan's hate of the game, I still love him and pre-ordered the game last night so I can also acquire a bonus weapon and a prequel game!

Now, I just need a PS4.

Yes, I'm that crazy.

How was everyone's Thanksgiving?

Wednesday Words: Am Reading: Whereafter



A little dusk-time book sharing today!

I'm so glad to get back into a little reading, and I've been waiting to open this book up for months!


This is the third book in Terri Bruce's Afterlife Series, of which I've been a fan since the release of the first book the first time. Here is the book blurb:

How far would you go to get your life back?

Stuck in the afterlife on an island encircled by fire and hunted by shadows bent on trapping them there forever, Irene and Andras struggle to hold onto the last vestiges of their physical selves, without which they can never return to the land of the living. But it’s not just external forces they’ll have to fight as the pair grow to realize they have different goals. Irene still clings to the hope that she can somehow return to her old life—the one she had before she died—while Andras would be only too glad to embrace oblivion.

Meanwhile, Jonah, worried about Irene, desperately searches for a way to cross over to the other side, even if doing so means his death. His crossing over, however, is the one thing that could destroy Irene’s chances of returning home.

Too many obstacles, too many people to save, and the thing Irene most desperately wants—to return to her old life—seems farther away than ever. Only one thing is clear: moving on will require making a terrible sacrifice.


I haven't gotten too far into yet, because I started a sensitivity read of a book I can't wait to rave about when it comes out! I wish I could say more! But anyway, now that I'm finally sharing a book for Wednesday Words, let's take a sneak peek into the book. Random.org chose page 56.

Andras was on his hands and knees, gasping for breath. Instantly, she dropped to his side, steadying him as his body tried to vomit up the water he imagined he had swallowed.

I cannot wait to there!

What are you guys reading right now? How is NaNoWriMo going?

To You, Who Thought America Was Different

(I posted this on Facebook, so I wanted to share it here as well.)

I’ve actually held back on saying something in a conversation I jumped into a couple of days ago. A friend of a friend, upon seeing the posts of white racists/supremacists, said the following:




“This just isn't what America is.. the violence from both sides needs to stop.. the beating of the people needs to stop.. this has just got out of hand.. yes I voted Trump but because I voted him. Doesn't mean I agree with what the other Trump people are doing.. this all has went to far. And if it keeps going on there will be no coming back from it.. we all really need to start praying because this is just the beginning.”

Two or three thoughts on that, but I just turned off notifications for the post so I could move on. But again: two or three thoughts. 1) She doesn’t have black or brown friends. She can’t possibly. 1b or 2) If she does, she unfollowed them the moment they started yelling “Black lives matter” because to her all lives do, and she doesn’t get why they’re singling out just black lives. 3) She had no need to listen to any minority’s accounts of racism or discrimination and feels any talk about it is divisive.

So to her, America has been sunshine and moonbeams, and seeing all these racist whites now attacking minorities after her candidate won the Electoral Vote, she doesn’t get it. It’s not America to her.

Okay, so just in case, here’s what America is:

America was landed upon by white settlers escaping religious persecution (the US portion, but lets not forget the white Spaniards landing further south and spreading murder and disease to the “Indians”). Upon landing here, they immediately pushed out and/or killed the people already inhabiting the land and claimed it as their own. They brought/bought/or kidnapped Africans to settle the land and take care of their children, marking them as 2/3 of a person and property. They also pushed the Mexican people from their land to the west and drew a line that said, “This is now America.” Then, when people finally decided, maybe it’s time to not have slaves anymore, half of the country tried to pull a Brexit so they could keep enslaving black people. And then propaganda articles demeaning black people popped up, and Jim Crow laws, and the Ku Klux Klan were born, and black men being hanged for a white woman saying they whistled at her, the death of Black Wall Street, and whites only clubs, restaurants, bathrooms, water fountains, pools, white people attacking black men and women who dared sit at the counter at their diners, firemen hosing black people with full power fire hoses, police dogs attacking, black children in integrated schools being yelled at by white adults, church bombings, churches being set on fire, and police brutality, and more police brutality, and a white boy walking into a Bible Study of a historically black church and shooting the churchgoers, and there’s so much more.

And you voted for Trump because--with all his plans to build a wall, and saying illegal immigrants are rapists, and Muslims need to be registered or thrown out, that black people have horrible schools, neighborhoods, and don’t have jobs, so what do they have to lose in voting for him--somehow you thought America wasn’t going to show itself for what it really was no matter the outcome? You somehow think people are going to be able to come together after your candidate just threatened to tear us apart? And did you feel these same people, who are now attacking minorities not ONE day after Trump became president-elect, weren’t the same people calling President Obama the n-word and a Muslim, and making dolls and pictures about hanging him, and that they should have come together with the rest of the country? Were you saying “Come together” 8 years ago? Because I don’t see anyone who would vote for Trump would have if they had believed in President Obama.

But good luck to you in thinking your candidate can bring us together.

Tuesday Tales: Brodie Explains Governments

Good morning.

I am here today to tell you a little about the governments on Teorre. As you may be aware already, we have three living races, and they all have different governmental systems. I will also divulge the history of the fourth, now defunct, as they are practically extinct.

I'll start with them, actually: the Crystal Bearers. They had the most simple of monarchies. Centuries ago, the people chose the most powerful to rule over them, and leadership was passed down by heir. If the king were to die, the oldest prince or princess became king or queen and so on. If the king had no children, the throne transferred to the next of kin.

The Sprites also have a monarchy, the current king being King Loren, Laris's father. Their system is slightly different than the Bearers' system in that the next heir is simply the next oldest of kin. If King Loren had a younger brother, he would be Prince and Laris Grand Duke. As King Loren had no siblings, Laris is next for the crown, then his brother, Grand Duke Ariel. This may also be why their monarchy is so laid back. There's no real pressure or need to fight over the throne.

The Trollics have an oligarchy and are run by The Council, 70 men and women chosen by their people to oversee the land. 12 of those are the High Council, and they often oversee the other 58. There is often a set time each Council member can sit, often 5 years, unless the people vote them back in for their good works. They can choose to leave at the end of the 5 years as well. Grey, Head of the Council, has been so for three terms now. He is well known for securing peace between Trollics and Sprites after centuries of war by marrying a Sprityn nursemaid.

The Humans and any of the other two races who live on the Life Continent have a slightly similar government but with more leaders based on region. Their leaders have a smaller group of leaders over them, and those have one more smaller group over them. This is called The Parliament. They essentially make the decisions based on the majority votes beneath them, for a 3-tiered system delegated by the people. It is very rare they go against the votes, but if any tier has an objection, there is a long and lengthy process to decide what is best for the continent. They also have a set term: 4 years for up to 3 consecutive terms, but they may also petition to serve again after 2 consecutive terms as a normal citizen or in a lower tier. That may seem confusing, but they must hold a lower seat of power for a time. If they are not elected to a lower tier after their 3 terms, then they return to normal citizenry.

And so, there you have it. I hope this information is useful to you in some way.
_____________________________________________

Thanks for the information, Brodie!

Please exercise your right to vote today!

IWSG: Being A Writer

Brought to us by Alex J. Cavanaugh-sensei
and the Insecure Writer's Support Group.
Happy Wednesday! I can't believe November is happening right now. Where is the time going?!

Anyway, the Insecure Writer's Support Group is today, the first Wednesday of the month, and all of us insecure writers have a chance to, well, be insecure, unless we have good news or advice we'd also like to impart. I don't have much in the way of that this month, but do wish me continued luck with my submissions currently out with agents after last month's #DVPit. I'm still agonizing over my manuscript and checking off rejections in Query Tracker, but it's also only been a month (not even, really), so I continue to figuratively bite my nails in anticipation.

Well, I guess I do have slightly good news, as getting so many agent likes during a pitch contest was a first, and then one of the agent's assistants asked to see the full after seeing a sample. A HUGE FIRST. I did accidentally reply without switching out e-mail addresses, but they were kind enough to ask me to send it again. Spazz.

Now for this month's IWSG question: What is your favorite aspect of being a writer?

I love that everywhere I turn, everyone I run across, and even every dream I have and remember is a potential story. We always have so many thoughts brewing in ours heads trying to come together to make a book. Not a lot of people have the imagination, drive, or patience to do what we do! (I also like the idea of one day being a professional daydreamer. *wink*)

See you around the 'sphere!

Final Fantasy & Fast Five Friday! Movie Edition

TGIF!
  
I'm so ready for this weekend. I have a bit of a busy one again, but God is still good. I'm still loving my new blogging schedule because I'm so ready to get to another day where I can post, especially a Friday post! And today, I get to return to Final Fantasy Friday!
 

 
Last night, my cousin brought over his laptop, and I was finally able to watch Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV. This is a prequel to the highly awaited game which should be coming out next month. The trailer is below.


(SPOILER ALERT: Sean Bean is the English voice actor for King Lucis. If you understand Sean Bean characters, you'll know why this is a spoiler alert.)

In this movie, we follow Nyx, a highly respected soldier in the King's army as betrayal and sabotage destroy the kingdom. Half of the time, I was just in awe of how real some of the people looked! At one point, I almost said, "That monster looks so fake," but then remembered I was watching a fully animated movie! It's so beautifully done, and Square thinks they're slick, but I totally saw a nod to some of the older games, a few being:

Ardyn Izunia's one super-long sleeve resembling Sephiroth's one wing
Niflheim's demon looking like a very specific FFVII Weapon
ULTROS!
YOJIMBO!
 
It looks like I'm just speaking gibberish at this point, but I'm not. lol Anyway, I can't wait for this game to come out! I hope it's amazing! All this prep work for it, it just needs to be.
 
 

And now: a couple of this month's Fast Five questions from the Cover Girls, Dani and Jackie! Join in if you like. This is a particularly good one, for Halloween!

Oct. 7th - 5 horror movies you love to watch this time of year
Scream
The Shining
Carrie
The Haunting
Poltergeist

 Oct 21st - Name 5 sci-fi/horror books/movies that scared the crap out of you
 
Dead Silence
Orphan
Final Destination
Scream 2
Insidious
 
 
I used to read a whole bunch of Christopher Pike when I was a teenager, but I don't think any ever scared me, and the Stephen King's books I've read so far horrified me more than scared me, lol.
 
What about you guys?

Tuesday Tales: Homelands with Andyrsn


Happy Tuesday!

Journeying through the minds of my characters, I've found Writeworld, a site filled with lists of character questions. Using one of the roleplay lists, let's see what my characters remember or know of their homelands. We haven't heard from Andyrsn in a while, so let's start with him.

Where is your homeland?
What are its people like?

Did you miss me?

I was born on Viveno Island. It's just off the southeast coast of the Life Continent. It's always warm there, and it's surrounded by beaches on every side, so there's a lot of surfing and fishing throughout the day. We have some fun tournaments, too. There's the baobab tree race, where we see who can climb up and get the most baobabs the fastest. Obviously, we have surfing tournaments--what good beach bums don't? The kids do sand castle contests. Everyone's laid back and friendly. We're all pretty low maintenance. You get the occasional angry old man, but that can't be helped.

How about you guys?

(Hey, come back. What's a baobab?)

Huh? Man, you guys don't have those?

(Not in our country.)

Oh, man. Well, so, they're this really popular fruit on my island. The outside is fuzzy and kinda yellow. When you crack it open, you've got a bunch of tough red fibers covering up the good stuff. The pulp is dry and can be eaten straight or ground into a powder and put in just about everything. I know some ladies who even use the oil from the tree in their hair.

(That's how I use it!)

Nice! The trees they come from are fat and tall with short branches hanging around the top, so everyone has to climb to get the fruit. Hope you get to taste it one day!

(Thanks for coming back!)

No problem!

Wednesday Words: NaNoReMo?



So, I joked about doing "NaNoReadMo" a couple of posts back, but at this point, I realize it might be a good idea!

If you remember April for me, my Pastor died at the beginning of the month, and I was hired for a new job at the end of the month. Since then, my reading has gone kaput, and I was nowhere near reaching my original Goodreads goal for the month. I cut it down, given the circumstances, but I could still do better.

Most on the writing blogosphere already know November is National Novel Writing Month (that's right, right?), the time most writers set a goal of writing 1,000 words a day to have a 30,000-word manuscript done at the end of the month. This has been shortened to the adorable NaNoWriMo.

So using that same model, I would like to try to reach my reading goal by the end of November, or at least have a buffer that I can breeze through in December. So for me, November will be National Novel Reading Month, NaNoReMo! If I can read a book a week, I'll be happy. It's going to take some hard work!

What about you? Participating in NaNoWriMo this year? Would you like to join me in NaNoReMo? I want to know!

Tuesday Tales: Worst Qualities


I'm back with another question for one of my characters! This past week has been quite wild for me, and as I schedule these posts, I'm barely awake (it's barely 10pm), so I hope to get this done so you'll be looking at it in the morning!

This time around, I used Writeworld to find a question for my main character Ghuli*. There are some great questions there, so I chose one that struck me as a good one for Ghuli to answer.


7. What does your character think is his or her worst quality?

Hello again.

My worst quality? Oh my. Well, to be honest, I am a bit impulsive. If I want to do something or go somewhere, I tend to follow my feelings. I am certain this frustrates Cyan, howbeit. In fact, I know it does. I would also say at times, I am clumsy, and to be both impulsive and clumsy is not the best of things. Cyan has had to patch me up many times after falling from the trees around our home.

(Let me sneak question 8 into this as well: What do other people think your character’s worst quality is?) Cyan?


Well, what did she say?

The clumsiness I could deal with. The impulsiveness is indeed the problem, especially when you tie it in with her affinity for not listening. I will give her an order, and she follows it for, perhaps, two minutes. The next thing I know, she's out of range of earshot, getting herself tangled in willow switches or limping back home because a branch gave way. 'Tis exhausting beyond measure. I imagine it will get better as she gets older. One can only hope.
------------

Poor Cyan. My worst quality is that I get angry or annoyed really quickly. What's yours?




*This post occurred before I changed Ghuli's name to Jonnie*

IWSG: New Schedule Progress and DVPit Day!


Brought to us by Alex J. Cavanaugh-sensei
and the Insecure Writer's Support Group.

Happy Hump Day!

I can't believe October is here. Anyone else failing on their Goodreads challenge this year? I feel like if I buckle down during November, I can catch up. Maybe do NaNoReadMo' lol. I'm so corny.

Anyway, I changed my blogging schedule last month, and I'm really enjoying it. I was even thinking to myself, "Do I post a blog yet? Do I do it now? Yay, I get to post what I'm reading!" And that's what I needed: to be excited about blogging again.

Today also is the second go-round for the DVPit contest for marginalized voices! I hope I'll have a chance to throw a couple of pitches out there. I read a very inspiring article about my hero, Issa Rae, and she said one of her goals is to show black people just being ordinary, and I love that. That's one of my goals, too. People need to see black people and other marginalized groups just plain living in stories, and that is what I plan to do in my books.

Now, the IWSG question for the month: When do you know if your story is ready?

Oh man, are WE supposed to know that? lol Um...well, I guess for most, when you have beta readers and critique partners tell you. For those of us not that lucky with maintaining either, I feel like it might be hit or miss. Overall, I'm relying mostly on myself, which is tough, but that's life sometimes.

Final Friday: Express Yourself & Fast Five Questions


I can't believe it's already the last Friday in September! And with my new schedule that means it's time for some questions from Dani and Jackie! Feel free to join in on these. I'm answering a bunch of questions.
 

September 5-9: My spirit cartoons are definitely Jane from Daria and Ruby from Steven Universe.

September 12-16: I would lose smell, because mine is already not that great. I won't miss it.

September 19-23: Oh God. Um...1. my sister. 2. Chris Pine and Tom Hardy (giggle) 3. a pizza, The Game of Life, and a stereo

September 26-30: That's blasphemy.

 
I'll just answer a couple of these:

Sept 2 - List your top 5 beverages.
Dr. Pepper
Caramel Macchiato
Caramel Frappuccino
Rum & Coke
Margarita

Sept 23 - Top 5 music artists you're attracted to.
James Bay
Chris Stapleton
Blake Shelton
Adam Levine
Tyrese

Tuesday Tales: At The Market (live beta read (sort of)!)


So this is a little bit of a different Tuesday Tales, as it's technically a Wednesday Words because I'm going to share a new scene I wrote for my first chapter. No matter what version or draft I'm in, the consistent general consensus is, "I don't really know why I need to care about Ghuli yet." So I decided to look at what was missing. The action/inciting incident is in the first chapter, but I've always technically started with it. Ghuli's in the woods, Ghuli goes home, bam, army attacks (not a spoiler). I decided to show more of Ghuli, Cyan, and Laris being normal before their worlds get turned upside down.

So, this is a chance for anyone who reads to beta this scene and tell me your thoughts in the comments. I need to know if the scene makes you at least feel sympathetic towards Ghuli as an MC. So (I say "so" too much), away we go.
______________________________________________________

Only ten or so Humans and hillsprites roamed the market that evening. The Oculus stood at the edge of the path, its crimson light tinting everyone near it. A handcrafted sign with a poem carved onto it hung from a small hook welded into the Oculus:

“Crimson means the army’s far
Gold means the army’s near
If ever blue, do run and hide
For’t means the army’s here”

There wasn’t a moment where I forgot that the Oculus was built out of dismantled parts of the metal army. I shuddered, and Cyan squeezed my shoulders, pressing away fear and memories as we entered the market.
“1st Lt. Cyan, 2nd Lt. Laris,” the butcher John greeted my watchmen. His thick, black beard rose as he smiled down at me. “’Tis not often we see the little lady out. How are you this evening?”
“I’m well, thank you,” I said.
“I hear you’re the one who eats the most elksmeat in the manor now, but that can’t be true.”
“It can, and it is.”
He laughed and began stacking packs for us. Cyan wrote his information in The Watch’s payment book as Laris transferred the meats to our sack. John slipped me a strip of candied bacon in wax paper and winked. I smiled and thanked him before we moved on. Laris crossed the square to pick up vegetables, and Cyan told me not to go too far as he stopped to collect sheep’s milk. A Human couple stood speaking to a hillsprite by her cart of trinkets two vendors away, so I walked over casually to look at the wares.
“There I was, cleaning out my cellar,” the hillsprite said, her large emerald eyes wide and pointed ears perked. “I believed I was done, and then I found a hidden door going further into the ground! ’Twas filled with these old valuables.”
“You live off the road to the old palace, right?” the man said. His eyes scanned the jewelry and odds and ends, but he pursed his lips in distaste. His wife picked at items as though they had thorns.
“I do. It must be an old Crystal keep. The Bearers were strange. Who needs a cellar within a cellar?”
“Haughty as they were, I’m not surprised.”
I glanced at him from the corner of my eye but returned my attention to a Crystal Soldier figurine holding a glass sword made to look like a crystal one. I picked him up and looked at his small, brown face and dark blue eyes, the tiny glass gems set into his hands.
“At any rate, shall I sell you anything?” the Sprite asked.
“I don’t want any of their things in our house,” the woman said, wiping her hands on her coat.
I held the little soldier closer. Had I not worn my linen wraps everywhere, she wouldn’t want to stand by me, either.
“Well, all right,” the man said, albeit reluctantly. “Sorry we got your hopes up.”
“’Tis no trouble.” The hillsprite waved as they walked away. Then, she turned towards me and jumped. “Oh, I didn’t see you, my lady. Do you like the little soldier? I believe there are a few more here.” She climbed into her cart and returned a few seconds later, two fair faced soldiers and another brown one in her hands. “They look to be a set. Which men are they?” She brought one soldier’s shield close to her face, and I looked at the tiny arrow facing the northwest on the shield of the man I held. “Ah, of course. They are of Prince Deleon’s battalion. I say the Bearers were strange; howbeit I love learning little things about them. This was Prince Deleon’s island before his brother, King Daviel, gave it away. Did you know that?” I shook my head. “You are very quiet. ’Tis why I didn’t notice you.”
“’Tis a rarity, trust me,” Cyan said from behind me. “We’ll take the set, thank you.”
“Wonderful!”
The Sprite handed Cyan her payment book for The Watch and then took the soldier from me to wrap him with the others. He glanced at me before he set the book on the edge of the cart.
“Are you all right?”
I shrugged. Being in the manor for long periods, I always forgot that I hated going out to the market. Cyan patted my head and thanked the hillsprite as she handed him the small package.
“Let’s go home,” he said. “Laris should be done hording.”
“I heard that, my brother,” Laris said, approaching us with our sack now bulging with foods. He handed me a smaller sack with the bags of milk.
We walked northward up the path to the Forest of Weeping Willows. Once we were far enough away from people, I sighed.
“Does anyone on Teorre speak of my people well?”
“Did someone say something to you?” Cyan asked.
“Not directly.”
“Don’t fret of it, Princess,” Laris said softly. “Those who can only speak ill of the dead will have the same words lain over their graves. ’Tis what my father says. At any rate, no one truly understood why the Bearers all migrated to the northern continent, then locked themselves away, but ’twas shortly after the Crystal War. Perhaps King Daviel wanted to restore harmony among his people.” Laris looked away wistfully. “I cannot imagine how it felt to be a child king. I am glad I don’t have to.”
“Do we have a book on the Crystal War?”
“Somewhere. I shall find it for you.”



*This post occurred before I changed Ghuli's name to Jonnie*

Wednesday Words: A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing



Lord, when did you last see me on a Wednesday that wasn't the first one?


Friday, I began to read Eimear McBride's A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing. I had put this on my Goodreads quite some time ago after reading a bunch of reviews by people who trashed it for the disjointed writing style. I got really defensive for Eimear and thought, "I'm going to read this, so there!" Like any of them heard me, but people like to hate things they don't understand. So, I'm finally getting to it to give it a chance. (Also, it won a prize in 2014, so someone got it.)

Through this book, we're in the mind of a woman. When it starts, she's trying to cope with her brother's brain tumor. I'm pretty sure I passed a head injury in there, too, and I feel like this could also be the purpose of this writing style.

So, let me see what's happening on (hit Random.org generator) page 99 to share with you all.

It's stupid game. It is. It is. Is it not life and death. We roll about the floor. Getting awful kick from this. I'm above I am not. Not tonight. Together. You. I.

I'm almost sure that's NSFW.

Hey, is anyone hitting their Goodreads goal this year? I'm most likely not. lol

Tuesday Tales: Around the House with Laris


All righty, I am back and on my new blogging schedule. The first and third Tuesday after IWSG Wednesday, I am bringing you all into Teorre, the world of my manuscript, now titled Fractured Princess!

Quick summary: I did a Twitter poll, and the people loved it. I knew I should have renamed my manuscript that, but for some reason, I listened to my sister and didn't for a couple of years. In fact, Fractured Princess was the title I had in place for the sequel, so I didn't want to give it up for a reason.

But anyway, using the Gotham Character Questionnaire, I've been asking my characters the following question. The last one was quite some time ago it feels, but I never got around to Laris, and I want to know what he has to say about it. So, let's see.

What is in your character's refrigerator right now? On [his] bedroom floor? On [his] nightstand? In [his] garbage can?


Oh my. Well, I suppose I must answer, but 'tis a tad embarrassing. Though I am a prince, do not let that fool you. I am quite messy. The refrigerator is not my doing, howbeit. The nursemaids have a lot of mouths to feed in the manor, and thus you cannot see the bottom for all of the meats and bags of sheep's milk and broths. The primary cuisine of the northern regions of the Isle Continent are stews, and Ghulien* eats quite often. This order shall last us nearly...nine days.

My room is indeed my doing. I have a habit of disrobing and leaving my clothes where I stood. I know Cyan believes clean floors make for a living watch--is that how he says it? Howbeit, I am half his size and a Sprite; therefore I am much nimbler than he. I can easily step over my things and get to my door in less than four seconds. I stack my practice bolts in my window sill. A bird flew in earlier and knocked them over, thus half of those now reside on my floor. Ghuli is currently laughing at my room for attracting animals.

My nightstand and trash bin may be the cleaner portions of my room.  A picture of my wife sits atop a stack of letters from her and my son. They are all that occupy my nightstand. I just emptied my trash of broken bolts and...feathers. My lady is quite literally in tears laughing at me now.



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*This post occurred before I changed Ghuli's name to Jonnie*

IWSG: Readjusting

Brought to us by Alex J. Cavanaugh-sensei
and the Insecure Writer's Support Group.

I'm writing this two weeks ahead, but it will give me time to wrap my mind around actually doing what I'm planning.

I haven't had a full time job in 3 or 4 years, and even in the last two jobs I had (temp, casual-seasonal admin), I had so much free time that I spent it writing my blogs, reading, and editing my MS...and playing games on the sites that weren't blocked. Being an administrative assistant at the hospital, I have so much more to do, and also, I don't want to get caught doing other things online, because I know people get written up for that stuff here. I've been saying for weeks now that I would schedule my posts, but I'm HORRIBLE at that. haha

Also, I want to write, and it's been a while since I've sat down at my computer without feeling like it's a chore, and sadly, that's what blogging is becoming to me. I know it's not for everyone, but I do enjoy it sometimes.

So, I have to readjust in a different way, and that is to scale back my blog posts. I struggle to post two or three times a week, so I'm going to see how posting once a week feels, twice on IWSG week. It would just be a matter of when. Maybe alternating Tuesdays and Fridays. I have Tuesday Tales and Fast Five Fridays. It wouldn't make much sense to do them on other days.

Well, we'll see. Wish me productivity.

By the way, the last IWSG post was my 100th Post on The Write Mage! I missed it!


This month's IWSG question: How do you find the time to write in your busy day?

Well, see the above. lol I used to be able to write every day, and now my mind is so cluttered, but I'm about to change that, so I can get back to what I love.

Fast Five Friday: To Be Read

Brought to us by Dani and Jax, the Cover Girls!

Happy Friday!

This was one of those weeks that didn't seem to want to end. But it's almost over, and after next week, I get to use my first PTO hours! And have a three day work week! It's the little things, people.

Anyway, on most Fridays I try to participate in Dani and Jackie's Fast Five Friday, a quick 5-answer list based on a question they provide. This one is easy, because I just have to look at my Goodreads (I could also look in my moon chair and on my bed, but I'll use Goodreads).

5 books on your TBR list to read before we hit 2017

Whereaftter by Terri Bruce
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
A Girl if A Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride

Pick up the pace, Deb!

What about you guys?

Tuesday Tales: Around the House with Cyan


Let me try to get this out really quickly. I need to remember to schedule these Monday night, but I decided to look at my mom, then watch Too Close to Home lol.

Using the Gotham Character Questionnaire, I've been asking my characters the following question, which I will now ask Cyan.

What is in your character's refrigerator right now? On [his] bedroom floor? On [his] nightstand? In [his] garbage can?



We now have only half as many pounds of elk's meat that Ghuli* mentioned before. The seaduck is also gone. She's tiny, but she eats about as much as I do. We still have a bushel of apples and some sweet leaves left. The nursemaids will replenish our stock in a day or so. There is enough sheep's milk for another Athwart Stew, howbeit, so I shouldn't hear much from Ghuli...Shouldn't.

Sir Aleksandyr used to tell me a spotless floor made for a living watch, so I have nothing on it. As Ghuli is still alive, I will not apologize.

On my nighstand is a wrinkled photograph of my parents. I look like my dad, but his eyes are dark brown. My mom had blue eyes. I don't remember much of them, but this photograph helps me at times. There is also a small vial of white paint, as well as some paint splatters. Ghuli was painting a wooden doll or something of that sort in here.

My garbage can is a bit of an embarrassment. I oft forget to change it. 'Tis currently filled with a number of bandages--Ghuli almost always damages herself falling from trees--apple cores, a pair of my old boots, and an old t-shirt I believe Ghuli used to "protect" my nightstand while she was painting on it. Why I let her do these things I will never know.







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*This post occurred before I changed Ghuli's name to Jonnie*

Fast Five Friday: Flashback!

Happy Friday!

The Cover GirlsDani and Jax, created Fast Five Fridays for us to list our 5 favorites of the week's topic if we like.Today, I'm actually jumping back to July, because I've been slacking on reading blogs and missed a couple questions I could have answered. So let's do the time warp!




July 5th - 5 Top Soundtracks:
Spice World (don't judge me)
Purple Rain
Forrest Gump
Beauty & The Beast (I listened to that thing so much when I was a kid)
Grease


July 19th - 5 Things You Want To Accomplish Before The Year Is Up:
Getting an agent
Getting a book deal
Buying Final Fantasy XV
Buying a PS4 to play FF XV lol
Get to my goal weight


How about you?

Tuesday Tales: Around the House with Brodie


Howdy!

I forgot I was in the middle of a question before I asked a different question last week. Using the Gotham Character Questionnaire, I asked Ghuli* and Andyrsn what was around their homes, and now I'll ask Brodie.

What is in your character's refrigerator right now? On her bedroom floor? On her nightstand? In her garbage can?



Refrigerator...Oh. The others are so silly. An icebox. It refrigerates things. They didn't think about it. It is late Spring here, so I have a lot of white peaches I need to slice, capon, leafy greens, mushrooms. I have a little bit of cream. I should go get more. I also have marbled bread. It lasts longer when it is cold. Eastward is humid most of the time.

I have several shell casings on my bedroom floor, and a pile of gun cloths I keep forgetting to pick up. I am just so sleepy when I return from practicing, and when I wake up, I have to be in the temple. Blah.

A picture of my parents is on my nightstand...I also have small hair bands and pins, and a sketch my eldest sister drew me when I was younger. It is of the Northern Crystal Palace. She composed it from a group of old photographs in my mother's belongings.

I just emptied my garbage, but I believe it was nothing but ruined pages from my current history book. We had a heavy storm, and there was a leak in the roof the other night, right over my desk. I had two months of events I needed to record all over again. Fortunately, I have a photographic memory, but it was such a waste of time.









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*This post occurred before I changed Ghuli's name to Jonnie*

Wednesday Words: Three Parts Dead


Happy Wednesday!

I can't remember a Wednesday where I wasn't reading On Writing, but finally here we are! This week, I am reading Max Gladstone's Three Parts Dead. The cover intrigued me. Rarely do I see a cover with a black woman on it that isn't in the African American Literature section of the bookstore. This was in my library in the Science Fiction/Fantasy section.


So, I'm really enjoying this book so far and don't want to spoil anything for myself. Therefore, I'm glad when I put the page numbers in Random.org, they gave me page 15. Let's see what's there for me to share with you.

They were buried without coffins, so the soil would reclaim their bodies faster and leech the poison magic from them. Tara hadn't even needed to bring a crowbar. Pulling the corpses out of the hole was harder than she expected, though.

Yeah, that was an interesting page. lol

What are you reading?

Tuesday Tales: Hair & Eyes

Happy Tuesday!

Using the Gotham Character Questionnaire that I've been using the past couple of weeks, we're going to dive right in to this supposedly simple question: What is your character's hair color? Eye color?

Brodie: I believe our hair colors are pretty standard. Dark brown.

Andyrsn: Yeah, nothing out of the ordinary here, dark brown hair and eyes on me. Though we don't have a lot of redheads on the island, so Laris would get a lot of attention.

Laris: That is odd. Many Sprites from the trees and bays have red hair.

Ghuli*: I have always liked your eyes, Laris.

L: Why, thank you, my lady.

B: Sprites' eyes are unique. They are a rich, emerald green.

L: Scholars of old believed 'tis the color of the healing energy of Teorre, which we possess as Sprites. Thus, our eyes are this color.

A: You can tell who a lot of Brodie's family is by their eyes.

G: Brodie's eyes are a beautiful light brown, nearly golden.

L: You do have lovely eyes, Madame Brodie.

B: Thank you. Ghuli's eyes are an interesting shade of hazel. Crystal Bearers all had dark eyes and hair, even the fair ones. Ghuli may have the lightest of eye shades, even as dark as her eyes are.

A: Yeah, you don't notice they aren't brown unless you're really close enough...Which I try not to be. Cyan sees all.

G: Speaking of Cyan...

Cyan: I was hoping no one would bring me into this.

G: Stop it. It was tradition in Cyan's family to wait until their babies' eye colors developed to name them, and they would name them accordingly. Cyan's eyes are bright blue.

A: Paired with his pale hair and snow tan, they do stand out.

C: Stop looking at my eyes, Andyrsn.





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*This post occurred before I changed Ghuli's name to Jonnie*

Fast Five Friday

Brought to you by Dani and Jax, the Cover Girls!


I didn't do Fast Five last Friday, so I'm going to go ahead and do it now. Woot! Dani and Jackie would like to know "5 things you wish you knew how to do."

A back-flip
Drive like they do in Tokyo Drift
A front stroke
Sew better
Writer faster


In other news: Dover Comic Con starts tonight, and I can't wait! I wanted to dress up as Zoe from Firefly/Serenity, but I didn't have time to get that all together. Really, I just need a wine-colored button-down shirt, gun holster, fake gun, and a wig, but...Ah well. lol Maybe next year.

IWSG: Conversations

Brought to us by Alex J. Cavanaugh,
sensei and founder of the Insecure Writer's Support Group.

Just want to share the conversation I had Sunday evening, because I know I'm not the only one whose had it. Scene: friend from school/church comes to visit and is getting an update on our goals (K). Other participants, cousin (C) and sister (A).

K: So, how is your writing? When is the book coming out?

C: Right, everyone forgets Deborah's been writing a book for like the last 10 years!

Me: Well, I started writing it on my break before college.

C: And how long ago was that?

Me: ...Well, 12 years.

A: Wait, you've been writing it for 12 years!?

Me: Well, as I was saying, I started it before college, WENT to college, and then finished writing right after, but when you have beta readers and editors look at it, it still needs work.

A: She's probably editing it to death and doesn't need to.

C: Right.

Me: But anyway, I'm entering it into a Twitter contest this week, because that's the thing nowadays, but I also want to query it to agents who will help find a publisher.

C or K (not sure anymore): You should probably just submit it straight to a publisher.

C or K: Eliminate the middle man.

-_-

So anyway, the IWSG question this month is: What was your very first piece of writing? Where is it now? Collecting dust or has it been published?

My first piece of writing was in a plain white book they gave us in the first grade. They told us we could write about anything. I wrote about my big sister and did some awful illustrations lol. I have zero idea where that little book is now.

I hope to get around to some other blogs this week, so see you soon. :)

Tuesday Tales: Around the House with Andyrsn



Hello! I'm late, but work is hectic right now (I had wild dreams about putting together binders last night). I'm continuing with the Gotham Character questionnaire, and so today, we'll check with Andyrsn to see what all is in his house.

What is in your character's refrigerator right now? On [his] bedroom floor? On [his] nightstand? In [his] garbage can?


Hi again. Ghuli* said a refrigerator is an ice box, so on Viveno Island, we actually don't have those. We hunt and cook our foods fresh. About an hour or two is spent on this just before sunrise. We do have a bunch of fruit in a slotted crate, though.

On my bedroom floor right now are wet clothes I need to hang out to dry. My brothers, sis-in-law, and I just got back from surfing with the girls (my nieces). There's a box cutter on the floor, too. I always end up with one in here. They're supposed to stay at the storage market. Gotta take that back.

On my nightstand are a bunch of clay knick knacks the girls made me. I have a box of those in the corner. They always bring me back something from their crafts class. Persephone is a better sculptor, but Penelope paints better, so they make their trinkets together. Saves space at least.

In the trash are a bunch of bloody tissues and gauze. One of the waves took us all out, and our boards cut us up pretty bad on the crash. Good times.




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*This post occurred before I changed Ghuli's name to Jonnie*