It’s Twinepathy’s Birthday!!!! (Cake, Characters, and the IDIA Fan Creations Contest)

Hullo, everyone! I’m so thrilled to tell you that today is Twinepathy’s 1st birthday! It’s been exactly one year since I published the book, and I can’t believe it’s been out so long! So enjoy today’s celebration post, and the launch of the IDIA Fan Creations Contest!

It had been a long week, and all I wanted to do was sleep. My desk had somehow filled with hundreds of papers, and I was afraid that if I moved one, the whole pile would come crashing down. Benedict had tried to keep up with it all, but even he couldn’t keep it all in line.

I glanced at the time on my laptop. Only a minute until midnight. If I’d had my wish, I would’ve been in bed several hours ago, but I had yet to finish the section I’d planned out for today. Maybe I shouldn’t use sleep as a reward for writing, but it seems to work. I sigh as the clock hits midnight.

“SURPRISE!!!!!”

The scream in my ear makes me jump out of my chair, but I trip over my own foot and send the hundreds of papers on my desk flying into the air. Blaze appears next to me, grinning. “Hey, you brought confetti, Bri!”

“Blaze!” I half yell, half moan as I flop into my chair. “How in the world am I going to take care of all these papers?”

He shrugs. “Maybe you should put a speedster in book 3. You’re plotting that, so there’s room there.”

I tug on my ponytail. “Blaze, why are you here?”

Blaze slaps his forehead. “Ah, I forgot to bring in the others. I’ll go get them.” He pauses. “Wait, you really don’t remember? It’s our birthday!”

Honestly, I did forget. With all of the editing and other craziness going on, I hadn’t thought about Twinepathy at all. How in the world had it already been a year since it had been published? “Yeah, I kind of forgot,” I admit.

“How could you forget, Bri?” Blaze laughs, but then he sobers. “But if you don’t have anything planned, what are we going to do to make it special? I just planned for cake.”

An idea flashes into my head, and I grin. “I know just what to do. Let’s let the fans take over!”

Blaze scratches his head. “What do you mean?”

I stand up, pacing. “Let’s have a fan contest! You can host it, Blaze. They can make fanart or fanfiction and win prizes…”

He grins. “I like that idea. When do we start.”

I point at my computer. “Right now!”

Well, hello, wonderful fan people! I’m Blaze, and I’m going to be hosting the first ever IDIA Fan Creations Contest! I mean, I’m the obvious choice, right? To start off, I’ll tell you that anywhere you see words in this color, it’s C.B. speaking. She’s also supervising me for unknown reasons, and insists that this has to start out organized.

Here’s how the contest will work! We’ll be open for submission (any kind) up until July 31st. After that, C.B. will spend a day or two (or as many as needed, since the beginning of August is going to be crazy for me) gathering everything together, and then all of you will be able to vote on who wins! One first place winner will be chosen, and everyone who participates will receive a short story featuring Denver and me! And just so you know, that was my idea. You’re welcome. Below is a basic summary C.B. put together, and you can comment below if you have any questions! You can also ask for me to answer them, specifically, and we’ll hope C.B. lets me.

Oh, and before I go, there are these cool things going on right now called the Silmarillion Awards, and I got nominated for the Most Epic Hero Award. So if you wouldn’t mind going over there and seconding that… After you finish this post, of course. Blaze out!

Contest Rules & Guidelines

1. This contest is open to an IDIA-themed creation! Fanfiction, drawings, digital art (that includes quote pictures), costumes, pictures of the book, fanmade covers or book trailers… pretty much anything! If you want to know if something counts, just comment below and ask me. 🙂
2. The number of submissions is unlimited! You are welcome to submit as many different creations as you want.
3. Please keep all submissions clean! No cussing, inappropriate romance, etc. When in doubt, leave it out or ask!
4. You must submit your creation by July 31st. I’ll do my best to post reminders in between now and then, but I am human. 🙂
5. Submit your creation using the form below. If you are not posting your creation online anywhere, just put “None” in the link section, and I’ll send you a reply email asking for your submission. Also, make sure and check whether or not you want your artwork to be displayed on a special fan creations page!
6. First place will win either a signed paperback copy of Twinepathy or a $10 Amazon gift card if they already have the book. (Note: Prizes may change, and more categories may be added depending on the number of submissions received.)

Name(required)

Email(required)

Website

Type of Submission

Fanart Fanfiction Picture Other (Write in the comment box)

Submission Link (Enter "None" if you're not posting your submission anywhere)(required)

Yes, I want my submission on the fan page! (Not required to enter)

Comments, Questions, Suggestions, or Concerns?

Submit

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I’m super excited about this, guys! Are you? Do you have any ideas yet? Any questions? Comment below and chat with Blaze!

Some More Big News (Antarctica Size!)

First off, Happy 4th of July! For those of you who don’t live in America, you can help us celebrate Captain America’s birthday! That’s right, as cheesy as it is, our favorite super soldier’s birthday is today, too! (July 4, 1918, if you’d like to know the date.)

And so is Twinepathy’s, in a way. That’s what this Antarctica-Sized news is…

TWINEPATHY HAS BEEN RELEASED!!!!!

That’s right!!!! You can now buy Twinepathy for Kindle here! It’s been a long time coming, but it’s here now! If you’ve been waiting for this book to release, it’s here!

If you’d like to participate in a book tour soon, comment below! Plus, on Friday, I’ll open up a post for character questions, which will be answered on the release day of the print book. Discuss! Enjoy! Be awesome! And go check out Twinepathy (and don’t forget about Paralyzed Dreams, too)!

Avengers Prank War: How Thor Joined Steve’s Side And Pepper’s Thoughts

Hullo, everyone! I hope you’re having a wonderful Independence Day, celebrating our freedom and remembering those who fought to get and keep it. Make sure to give everyone hugs today! *throws red, white, and blue confetti* And as many of you know, today is also Captain America’s birthday, so what better way to celebrate than with a prank war snippet? Enjoy! Want to see how it all got started? Click here.

Pepper rubbed her eyes and sat up. The sound that had woken her up came again – Tony yelping. She sighed. He had gone to bed way earlier than usual the night before, so she had been pretty sure something was up. Of course, she had warned Steve of the possibility of an early morning prank.

Pepper put on her robe and headed over to the door. When she stepped into the hallway, she was nearly run over by Tony as  he raced frantically down the hallway.

“Tony…” she called, then sighed. It would probably be a while before she got her answers.

There was the sound of heavier footsteps approaching. Thor rushed into view and slid to a stop in front of Pepper. He gave her a slight head not and a smile of greeting. “Good morning, Pepper. Where–”

Pepper pointed in the direction Tony had gone, and Thor dashed away. She headed in they had come from, and soon another sound emerged: hysterical laughter. She entered the kitchen to find Clint doubled over laughing, Banner hiding a grin, and Steve ignoring both of them as he poured himself a bowl of Lucky Charms.

Pepper put her hands on her hips. “What happened?” She looked at Steve, who was clearly the most sand of the three at the moment.

He shrugged, looking for the milk in the fridge. “Don’t ask me. I walked in on this madness.”

Banner stirred his Coco Puffs. “Well, let’s see. Tony switched out the salt with the sugar, as a prank on Steve, of course, but he clearly forgot that today is Steve’s Lucky Charms day, not his scrambled egg day.”

Pepper rubbed her forehead. “And Thor was the first to find out.”

Banner nodded. “After he dumped half a gallon of what he thought was sugar onto his Frosted Flakes. Thor wouldn’t have known who did it if Tony hadn’t started laughing his head off,” he pointed out, scooping cereal into his mouth. Steve poured his milk and sat down to his cereal.

Clint’s face was cheery red when he finally stopped laughing and caught his breath. “Steve’s gained an ally,” he said, grinning. “At least now it’s two against two.”

Steve began picking out the rainbow charms one by one and eating them. Pepper noticed he was attempting to hide a smile. “Yeah.”

Pepper sat down at the table and poured herself some Cheerios. Clint finally sat down, too, eyeing Banner. “You’re not going to take sides, right?” he asked cautiously.

Banner held up a hand. “I am not getting involved in this. Too risky. And don’t you dare try to get me involved.”

Clint turned his gaze to Pepper, and she leveled her spoon in his direction. “I am the referee. I do not take sides.” She moved her spoon towards her bowl but stopped. “Where’s Natasha?”

Clint shrugged. “Who knows? But she hasn’t taken sides yet, so you don’t have to worry.”

Again, Pepper noticed Steve hiding a grin. She frowned at him, remembering that Natasha had joined his side, but as  soon as he caught her gaze he gave her a quick shake of the head. Pepper decided that if neutrality was not an option, she would definitely be on Steve’s side. She did not want to be going against Natasha.

Clint sighed. “I’d better head to my room. I want to get started at the target range early this morning.” He pushed back his chair and headed off down the hall.

The instant he was out of sight, there was a grating noise overhead. Natasha dropped down from an overhead vent.

“Is the deed done?” Steve asked ominously.

Banner sighed. “How did I know?”

Natasha nodded. “I set up a camera, too. Blackmail.”

“He’s heading there now,” Steve said.

Somewhere else in the tower, there was a high-pitched shriek. Pepper groaned. “Do I even want to know?”

“You know the classic prank with a bucket of water over a door?” Natasha asked. “It’s just that. Except with silly string and water guns.”

Pepper could only sigh.

Tales From The Writer’s Desk: Blogiversary Bash

Warning: Craziness follows. For more information about characters, click the links provided. 😉 Enjoy!!!

“So… why are we here?” Slade asks. He leans back in the chair, arms behind his head.

I gape at him. “What?”

“Why was I dragged here?” Slade says, raising an eyebrow.

“We didn’t drag you here,” Wilson says, plopping down in another chair nearby. “We said, ‘Come on, there’s going to be cake,’ and you came.”

“And I haven’t seen any cake.” Slade leaned forward. “You didn’t lie to me, did you?”

Iris leans against my desk. “Bri said there would be cake,” she says. All eyes turn to me.

“Um.” This is a tough position. “I think all of you might have misunderstood. While there will most likely be birthday cake, as long as Adelyn doesn’t make… er, attempt to make… it, I-I wasn’t talking about cake the food. I was talking about Cake the person.”

Silence. “You–” Ellis stutters. “There’s a person named Cake?”

“Blame Adelyn,” I grumble. “She’s the one who gave him the nickname when he wouldn’t tell her his name.”

“I’m more concerned about the apparent lack of food cake,” Slade says, looking very upset.

Haven stands up. “I can take care of that.”

I give her a grateful smile and she ducks her head shyly before turning to leave the room. Benedict comes in, and I point towards a seat. “Sit,” I command. “You don’t need to work. This is a party. Everyone can show themselves in here.”

He sits down reluctantly, and Iris leans forward, eyes sparkling. “So, this Cake guy. Does he have a real name?”

I make a face. “He says he does, but he won’t tell me, so sometimes I wonder.”

The door opens and Adelyn walks in, followed by Cake, Jet, and Chase, her story companions. “I can’t believe you’ve been around for a whole year,” Adelyn says, giving me a present.

“Uh, it’s not my birthday,” I say, face turning red.

“Yeah, but it’s the blog’s, and it’s pretty much the same thing,” Adelyn insists. “Besides, I burned the cake.” She looks around the room at everyone. “Well, this is our first time here. I can’t believe it! It’s so cool. I meant to talk to you about an interview, Bri,” she hints.

I clear my throat, but I’m interrupted as the door opens again. “I’m pretty sure I’ve got the next turn,” Chloe says, walking in. Her cane taps slowly against the floor, and Benedict helps her find a chair. Melissa rolls in after her, parking her wheelchair next to Chloe’s chair. There’s a slight tap at the door as it starts to close and then Pam rolls in.

“Yay for the only one whose story is actually finished and published,” Slade grumbles, giving me a pointed look.

Pam’s cheeks redden. “Are you almost finished typing up our post-book interview?” she asks me.

Now my face is hot. “Um. Getting close, yes.” I stand up quickly. “Since we’re obviously limited on space, you all are the only ones I’ve invited.”

“Yay, no Marba!” Ellis says, grinning.

“I don’t have a villain,” Pam says, frowning.

“Same.” Chloe shifts in her chair. “Or do you just mean that you didn’t invite my mom? She’s not exactly a villain.”

“Um.” Abstract villains? “Technically your conflicts are internal. But that doesn’t matter now, why don’t we just enjoy ourselves?”

Haven walks in carrying a cake, and Slade leaps up to hold the door for her. I’m not sure if it’s because of the cake or Haven. I hide a smile. “How did you even make it that fast?” Iris says, eyes wide.

Haven smiles and sends me a wink. “I came prepared.” She’s always thinking ahead, of course, and she probably decided to bring a cake, just in case.

We set the cake down in the middle of my desk, which is cleaned off for once. Everyone gathers around, and Benedict and I blow out the candles. I roll my eyes at him, but he just smiles.

Slade reaches for the cake. “This is mine, okay? You guys can find your own…”

I smack his hands away and pick up the knife. “Who wants a slice?”

Here’s to a full year of writerly blogging! And free cake for all you wonderful followers! Oh… and a giveaway! Comment below and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a PDF copy of Paralyzed Dreams!

Make sure to use a valid email address when commenting, as this is how I’ll send the book.

Avengers’ Isle: Together At Last

Hullo! I totally forgot to post this picture with last week’s episode, made in partnership with myself and writefury! Okay, I confess, all I did was the text. She did all the hard work. 😉 No, I still haven’t seen Age of Ultron. But I did watch one of the trailers again, but with a little twist. XD Okay, back to business. DID YOU NOT LOVE LAST WEEK’S REVEAL? If you need to get caught up, see past posts here.

Tony frowned. He had no idea who this guy was, but he sure didn’t seem like a SHIELD agent. Not that he cared. He was just glad everyone was alive. Well, almost everyone.

He bent down and picked up the red, white, and blue shield reverently. He and Cap hardly ever saw eye-to-eye – scratch that, never – but Cap had been the best man Tony had ever known. And Tony’s last words to the soldier had been angry. How could Cap have been the only one not to make it?

“Tony?” Natasha placed a hand on Tony’s shoulder, startling him out of his thoughts. Loki was untying Thor, and the two were deep in conversation. The others were gathering where Tony was.

“He was a good man,” Tony said, tapping the shield lightly. Natasha nodded in agreement. Banner looked sad. Tony held out his hand and they shook hands. Science buddies back together again. Tony looked over at the guy with the metal arm, Bucky, who was grinning. “What?” Tony asked, frowning. “This isn’t a joke.”

“Not to you,” Bucky said, trying to make his face serious, but his mouth kept twitching. He took the shield from Tony and laid it on the ground. He slammed his metal fist into it, and the sound rang loud through the forest, making the two Asgardians jump in surprise.

“What in the world do you think you’re doing?” Tony snapped, lunging for the shield.

Bucky pulled it out of his reach. They heard approaching footsteps, running at a ridiculous speed. “I thought that would be loud enough to get his attention,” Bucky said, running a finger along the edge of the shield.

Steve Rogers slid to a stop at the edge of the circle. He was barely breathing hard as he looked around. “Well,” he said. “And here I came to rescue Thor.” Then he caught sight of Bucky. “Bucky, I–”

“No time,” Bucky said quietly. “We should get out of here while we’ve got the chance.” He glanced over at Red Skull. “I think he’s gone – for good – but we should bring him with us anyway. And Barton.”

“I want a full report and explanation,” Fury said firmly, staring Bucky down.

“As soon as we’re out of here,” Bucky replied, staring back at him.

They gathered up all of weapons they might need, although Bucky said that the natives would be glad to see them leaving. Bucky picked up Barton, and Thor picked up Red Skull. Bucky led the way through the forest, towards the center of the island.

“So, do you have a boat or something?” Tony asked skeptically, nearly tripping over a tree root.

“Something,” Bucky grunted, barely managing to keep Barton from hitting his head on a tree.

“What kind of something is it?” Tony pestered him.

“You’ll see,” Bucky said. “Unless you keep asking questions.”

Tony shut his mouth and drifted to the back of the line with Thor, Loki, and panting Banner. He couldn’t believe how easy it was for Natasha and Rogers to make it through the thick undergrowth. Even Fury was handling it easily.

They stepped into a huge, empty clearing. Tony gazed around at the circle of green grass, then up at the bright blue sky. “So what now? We wait for a helicopter to pick us up?”

Bucky handed Barton to Steve and pulled a remote looking thing out of his pocket. He pressed a button on it, and right before their eyes, a Quinjet appeared. Tony sighed when he realized it had been cloaked. That was most assuredly cheating.

Bucky turned to Natasha. “It’s all yours.”

Yay! Looks like we’re on our way to a happy ending, finally! But they’re not safe yet… Like for a bag of trail mix, comment for a piece of (late) Tony Stark birthday cake! (It’s not too stale yet…)

A Special Day…

Hi, everyone! Guess what today is? Never mind… It’s my mom’s birthday! ❤

You may or may not know that I dedicated Paralyzed Dreams to my mom. I also stole her name for the book. 😛 In honor of her birthday, I decided it was a good time to tell how I came up with the idea for the book. So, I present to you the Story Behind The Story.

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When I first decided to write a story for my mom for her birthday, I already had a bit of experience under my belt. I had started (without finishing) a ton of stories, and I had just finished my very first nearly-book-length story. I was thrilled, and I couldn’t wait to get started on my next story.

Then I had an idea. I had written the first story for a friend for her birthday. Why not write a story for my faithful editor (aka my mom) for Christmas? So, pencil and notebook in hand, I set off to write a story for my mom.

Several problems arose immediately. I knew that I wanted to have the main character named after my mom, but I also knew that I couldn’t really write from an adult’s perspective. I also had no idea for a plot, or a theme, or even any other major parts in the story.

Somehow I thought of volleyball. My mom had played volleyball when she was younger – in fact, that’s how she and my dad met. So why not write a story centered around volleyball? Somewhere along the line I had the idea to show how we can have faith through the hard times, even when it feels like everything is crashing down. And, voila, the plot for Paralyzed Dreams was born.

Of course, I had to do research on volleyball, since I knew absolutely nothing about it. Google is amazing. I also had to look up things about wheelchair accessible vans. The church and youth group I based off of my own, and the trip to the nursing home was based off of a trip I took with my youth group. And yes, we did play chair volleyball. Jeremy was based off of a certain person that you might know… but you’ll have to check out the other posts to find out about that.

As always, there were struggles during writing. There always are, and there will never cease to be. But with a little perseverance, I finished the story with plenty of time left for my dad to edit it before Christmas. With his help, I got the story edited and ready, and on December 25, we had a bound copy from Office Max waiting for my mom under the tree. I was so proud to have written a story for her.

And I’m so proud to be able to share this story with you, too! If you’ve read it, thanks so much! I’d love to hear what you think of it, and what it has taught you. If you haven’t read it, go ahead and check it out!

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Happy birthday, Mommy! I hope everyone has enjoyed this… and check out the book! Buying copies is a great way to wish my mom a happy birthday… 😉