Live Q&A Post And A Short Writing Update

Hullo, friends! Since July is halfway over (whaaat????) and we only have about two weeks left for the fan art contest (and we have a few new submissions, too!). I have a cover reveal scheduled for tomorrow, but for this week, I thought it would be fun to do a live Q&A with you guys! A while back, I made some post idea suggestions, and many of you liked the idea of a live Q&A post, where you guys post questions in the comments, and I answer them! You can ask me about anything from writing to reading and books, or my own books or anything (within reason, of course). I’ll be answering those questions throughout this week, so ask away!

And while you’re coming up with questions for me, I have one for you! What writing-related topics would you like to see me post about? Comment below with your questions for me and what writing posts you’d like to see me do!

And a short writing update: I may have mentioned once or twice that I’m working on a superhero retelling of Snow White for the Rooglewood Press Contest, and I’m super excited about it! I just hit 10,000 words, which means I’m at least halfway done. It’s a lot of fun, and I’m excited to see where it goes (and let you guys read it, too!).

Now, enough about my writing! Unless you want to ask questions about it, that is. 🙂 Post your questions below, and I’ll be sure to answer them as soon as I can! And don’t forget to suggest some writing-related posts, too! Thanks, friends!

The ULTIMATE Twinepathy Q/A | The Characters Answer Your Questions!

Hello, everyone, my name is Anvil, and I’m “guiding” you through this post. Jen was supposed to do it, but she’s pretty busy at the moment, so she asked me to take over. C.B. says to tell you: Be forewarned that there may be SPOILERS in this post… most of them will be in white text, which you can highlight to read if you wish. Whatever that means. So let’s get on to the questions.

Albany

Sarahtps: What’s the best thing about being twins? The worst? Same with the mind connection thing? Being twins: Having someone who knows you really well and who’s with you all the time. That’s the best and the worst thing. Mind connection… there are a lot of good things, but I know the worst thing is having trouble keeping a secret, even if it’s just like a surprise party or something.

What’s your favorite board game? I’m not a big fan of board games. I prefer Solitaire. But if I had to pick one… Sorry, maybe?

Madeline: How did you find out about your telepathic abilities? It was a very traumatic moment when we were three. Not my favorite memory to recount…

Sarah: What is your favorite season? I like winter, mostly because it’s a great time to curl up with a book. And winter break.

Brooklyn

Sarahtps: What’s the best thing about being twins? The worst? Same with the mind connection thing? I love being able to know Albany really well, but sometimes she gets annoyed with me. Our mind connection is fun… it’s nice to be able to talk silently. The worst thing is when our nightmares spill over into each other’s heads. Not fun.

What’s your favorite board game? Monopoly! It provides lots of time for talking and hanging out, and I usually win.

Madeline: How did you find out about your telepathic abilities? It’s always been hard for me to remember, Albany says I blocked out the memory. But I know it was when we were about three, and it was really weird.

Sarah: What is your favorite season? Definitely spring! I love when everything is new and fresh, especially with happily chirping birds and bright flowers!

Jen/Data

Deborah: What is your favorite color? Probably a silvery gray. Pretty but kind of practical.

What is your opinion on penguins? The only penguin I actually like is Finch as a penguin.

If you could have a different superpower, what would it be? Something more useful in a fight, like energy manipulation. I’m particularly fond of metal manipulation. It has quite a few practical applications.

Sarahtps: If you could go back in time and give your younger self one piece of advice, what would you tell her? There are a few places in time I’d like to go just to watch again… but I’d tell my younger self to please, please stay away from computers. Never touch.

Sarah: What situation, event, or person has shaped you and your personality the most? My power. I’d be a completely different person without all of the knowledge I’ve gathered, much less the experiences and situations my power has gotten me into.

Blaze

Deborah: Do you live on caffeine, sugar, and donuts? I’d like to say yes, but then I’d be lying. I have to have pizza, too.

What was Canberra and why wasn’t it your fault? That was… a mission that went wrong. Badly wrong. And it was my fault, I just prefer to pretend it’s not. Can we move on?

Which of your two superpowers do you like more? Light manipulation. Teleporting is fun, but honestly, light manipulation is really useful. And good for pranking.

How can you always tell Albany and Brooklyn apart? I’m a light manipulator. I can put nametags on them that only I can see, or I can find something that’s different about them just by making the light reflect differently. Besides, their personalities are way different.

Can you give us a HINT about your name like a letter or something? My name? Oh, that’s easy. John Jacob Jingleheimer Smith.

Sarahtps: What’s your real name? Billy Bob Joe. Or not.

What’s your favorite food? You’re asking me to decide what my favorite food is? How could you be so cruel! Let’s just go with donuts.

If you could be a character in the Star Wars universe, either a canon one or one you made up, who would you want to be? Totally Han. I mean, he has a wookie friend and an awesome ship.

Jemma: What is the best prank you’ve ever pulled? Ah, it was at school. The prank involved three chickens, a container of silly string, a water gun filled with grape juice, and the math teacher’s toupee. They never saw it coming.

Madeline: How did you get into IDIA? Recruited by Jen when I was a lot younger… but that’s a really long story for another time.

Sarah: What superpower do you wish you could have? Honestly, I love the superpower I have now. But any other one… maybe telekinesis. It’s really useful, and I could fly.

Hann: Who was your first crush/love interest? Cynthia Rogers in kindergarten. It didn’t last long.

Maddie

Sarahtps: What was your first thought on waking up without your memories? I’m pretty sure I was wondering where I was, and why my head felt kind of funny. But that was a crazy moment, so it’s all really mixed up in my head.

Also, can I hug you? Um… yes?

If you were a color, what color would you be? Red! It’s my favorite color. I love how bright and bold it is.

Anvil

Deborah: Can I have your cookie recipe? Possibly. Only if I think you can do it justice, though. How well can you cook?

How are you so awesome? Umm… I’m not? If you think I am, I can give you the recipe: a dash of childhood trauma, a few cups of bad influences, and a sprinkle of saving grace and second chances.

May I please hug you? *stands there stiffly while you hug him*

What is your opinion on Blaze? He’s okay. He could be taken down a few pegs, though, and sometimes his mouth gets him into trouble.

Alyssa: What is your favorite type of cookie? I love most cookies, but I really enjoy a good white chocolate macadamia nut. Classic Snickerdoodles are good, too.

Ezra

Sarahtps: What’s your ideal date night? Ooooh, uhhm. Movie marathon, I’m a sucker for any excuse to eat junk food.

Are you and Denver getting married someday? We’re still pretty young, but I’m certainly not opposed to the idea for the future. My parents married young as well.

SPOILER: Are you ever going to tell Denver about your involvement in IDIA? You should know that I’m a terrible liar in the first place, and I absolutely hate doing it. So, I would really really like to tell him, but Data won’t let me. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep it from him…

Madeline: What is your favorite thing about Denver? You’re killing me here, just one thing? I guess, his intelligence. I love being able to goof off with him in one moment, and then being able to discuss all sorts of things the next, just to hear his opinion on something. Okay, and his smile can make me melt. Don’tmakemepickone.

Powergirl: What’s your favorite thing about IDIA? Knowing I’m not alone. I mean, I’ve still yet to make any close friends…but it’s nice being among people like me! And I’ve always wanted to help people, so that’s probably on the same level for me.

Denver

Sarahtps: What’s your ideal date night? Movie and pizza, with a walk in the park afterwards. Or, if it’s winter, going ice skating. We haven’t gotten to do that yet.

Are you and Ezra getting married someday? Um… Maybe? I don’t know… that’s… awkward… why would you ask that?

Random

Sarahtps: You (Albany, Brooklyn, Jen, Blaze, and Maddie) are, as a group, spontaneously transported to an unknown fantasy world. What do you do? (Blaze’s powers don’t work to teleport you all back, for the record, though he can teleport you anywhere within that world.) (Jen wishes to answer this question:) I would be in charge, of course. Albany and Brooklyn would help Maddie build a shelter and gather fruit, while Blaze and I explore the island, and Blaze uses his powers to frighten animals away. We would survive long enough to build a raft or contact someone for help. Or build something sturdy that Maddie could use to fly us away.

And that is all for the Q&A, finally. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, please consider buying the book on Amazon, as a paperback or Kindle copy, or buy it in the CreateSpace estore. And add it on Goodreads if you’d like. Have fun. Anvil out.

Twinepathy Q/A | Ask The Characters Some Questions!

Hullo, friends!!! Fourth post in a row this week! Nothing like a book release to get me blogging again, hmm? This is going to be a short post, but here you can post questions to ask the Twinepathy characters in their big interview post. This is going to be fun, huh? 🙂

Just a few guidelines to help things go smoother:

1. Make it clear which character you’re asking which question.
2. Try not to ask too many questions to start off with. Because we don’t want this to end up the length of the actual book…
3. Have fun! Ask some serious questions, ask some fun questions, and enjoy it!

Ask away! Don’t forget to sign up for the Twinepathy book tour if you haven’t already, and check out Twinepathy on Amazon and Goodreads!

(For reference, a character list: Data/Jen, Albany, Brooklyn, Maddie, and Blaze are the main characters, but ask anyone else questions, too! Try to avoid spoilers, please!)

Twinepathy (Part 25): Stupid Me

Hullo, everyone! I’ve been wanting to post an extra part for a while now, but it always seems to slip my mind. Not today!!! Feel free to slap Albany in the comments below. You’re welcome. New? Check out Part One.

“Albany!” Denver scolds me, grabbing my arm. “I’m so sorry,” he apologizes to Ms. Fabel. “I’m not sure what’s gotten into her. We should go.”

I pull away from him. “No. Ms. Fabel, we really need to talk to you. About our friend,” I add hastily. I pause, making myself get emotional. “She’s about ten years old, and we’re trying to find her family.”

Ms. Fabel pauses, confused. I’m not sure what kind of friend she thought we were talking about, but she certainly didn’t think it was a little girl. But still she stands guardedly in the doorway. “What’s her name?” she asks.

“Maddie,” Denver says, relaxing a little now.

I jump in. “Actually, we don’t know her name. We’ve just been calling her Maddie. She has amnesia.”

Her eyes narrow again at the mention of amnesia. I forgot that Jen’s probably talked to her. Amnesia would be a touchy subject after that, a warning signal. “And what does that have to do with me?”

I weave an elaborate story about looking for people in nearby towns, and how she seemed like a likely person. “I have a list of other possible people,” I lie. “But you seemed like the most likely, and I couldn’t wait to ask you about her. I thought you might know her, or have lost her, maybe.”

Ms. Fabel shakes her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t.” But I can tell she’s just trying to get rid of us. “I’ll let you know if I hear anything, though.” She reaches for the door again.

“Wait.” I turn to Denver. “Do you have a picture on your phone that you could show her?”

He reaches for his pocket. “Oh, my phone’s in the car. Let me go get it.” He turns and hurries over to the car. I know for a fact he hasn’t taken a picture of Maddie, but this is my chance. He probably didn’t realize that. He’s so scatterbrained sometimes, just like Ezra. I immediately push her out of my brain.

I offer my hand to Ms. Fabel. “You are Genesis Fabel, correct? I’d feel really bad if you weren’t.”

She nods, setting the toddler down and reaching for my hand. “I am.”

The instant our hands connect, I dive into her brain. I’ve learned from Jen that some telepaths can guard their brains – at least, I assume that’s what Jen does – but getting into Ms. Fabel’s brain is as easy as getting into Denver’s head. The first thought that surfaces (I always refer to that as the “prominent thought,” because it’s what the person’s thinking the most about at that moment) is “I need to tell Keller.”

Ms. Fabel lets go of my hand too soon, so I’m left blinking and looking at her. “Who’s Keller?” I ask.

Stupid me.

Avengers’ Isle: Trail Mix

Well, hello, everyone! If you’ve been keeping up with this series for a while, the title might have surprised you. If it didn’t, you’re either new or you might need a refresher. Either way, I suggest you check out some past episodes here. But Fury’s trail mix is all gone, right? Well…

Steve blinked groggily. He felt like he’d been asleep, like his brain was fuzzy. He was staring down at an almost burt-out fire ,the sun just coming over the horizon. How long have I been out of it?

Everything came flooding back. The memories from after Bucky knocked him out were mixed up and vague. He remembered Thor finding him and offering him food… Thor. He left.

Steve frowned up at the sky. That had been early in the day, the day before. Thor should’ve been back. His spine tingled. What had happened to him?

There was a pail of water sitting next to him, and he used cupped hands to drink some of it. He glanced around, looking for a sign that the Asgardian had come back. He spotted something shiny a few yards away.

Steve stood up and scanned the area carefully. He could only hope it wasn’t a trap. He crept toward it, listening, looking, searching. Finally, he reached it and knelt down.

A frown made its way across his face, and he picked up the object. It was a small package of trail mix.

Steve’s mind whirled. There was no way Thor could have gotten it. Could Bucky have put it there? But where would he have gotten it?

And should he eat it?

He studied the package. It clearly hadn’t been opened. His mind ran through possibilities. Repackaging, resealing, radiation… but none of those were practical. He carefully tore open the package and studied the trail mix. Nothing. He wished he had some of Stark’s fancy scanning equipment.

He took the trail mix back over to the dying fire and began to munch on it. It was overly salty, but it tasted absolutely delicious to him.

And as he munched, an idea began to grow in his mind.

Like to get (virtual) trail mix, comment to eat it with Steve.

 

The Liebster Award (Again)

Helloooo, everyone! Sarahtps nominated me for the Liebster Award. And since I apparently have too much time on my hands (that was sarcasm…) I thought it would be fun to do this, before I forget.

The Rules:

1. Post the award on your blog.
2. Thank the blogger who nominated you and link to their blog.
3. Write 11 facts about yourself
4. Nominate 11 bloggers who you feel deserve this award and have less than 200 followers.
5. Answer 11 questions posted by the presenter and ask your nominees 11 questions.

The Facts:

1. I have a thing about languages.
2. I am learning Russian on my own. (Thank you, Natasha Romanoff, for inspiring that…)
3. My physics lab partner knows Swahili, one of the guys in my class knows Latin, and one of the girls is learning German. So basically, including me, half of the class knows unusual languages.
4. I exercise mentally more than physically.
5. I actually kinda like math… *gasp* (Have I used this before? Oh well…)
6. I started reading Jane Eyre several months ago, got seven-ish chapters in, and haven’t touched it since then… Have any motivation for me to read it?
7. I actually liked Frankenstein.
8. I’m taking the SAT next weekend… *gulp*
9. I’m trying to get organized. (*laughs uncontrollably* Like that’ll work out…)
10. I have an extraordinary love for rewatching funny movie scenes and rereading funny quotes.
11. I have actually come up with eleven *hopefully* interesting facts.

Glad that’s over with! 😀 Now in answer to Sarah’s questions…

1. Is there a song you’re obsessed with right now? If so, what is it? In a way, if you count Colton Dixon’s Anchor CD as a song…

2. What would your dream house look like? It would either be a lonely cabin in the woods/mountains/mystical forest, or just a small, normal person house with a good view. As in, not NYC skyscrapers. Whatever it is, it would have a lot of bookshelves.

3. Where would it be located? Like I said, woods/mountains/mystical forest… Also Narnia/ASGARD!!!!!/picturesque countryside. Or England or Russia would work, too.

4. Have you ever read Howl’s Moving Castle? No, in fact.

5. What are you reading right now? (Or, if you’re not reading anything right now, what’s the next thing you plan on reading?) Technically, I’m reading several books, but some I’ve just kind of stopped. So… Raptor 6 by Ronie Kendig (My first of her books… it was free…), a book on plotting and writing, and then a kajillion school books.

6. What’s one book that you think EVERYONE should read? (Other than the Bible, of course.) The Chronicles of Narnia, as the seven book collection in one… 😛 But for just a single book, I think I’d have to say Antarctica: Journey to the Pole by Peter Lerangis, because, honestly, if you read this book, you just have to read the second one. 😛

7. Do you prefer headphones or earbuds? Earbuds. Because headphones make my ears sweaty, and I can’t just put one in.

8. What kind of headphones/earbuds do you have? As in, what design, or what style? Style-wise, I have the normal kind, and then the ones for exercising, which are awfully uncomfortable. But design wise… *smiles gleefully* I have ones that have crosses on them… and then red white and blue Captain America ones, of course…

9. What’s one quote you really want to find an excuse to use in conversation? Just one??? Grr… Either the Avengers’ “We’re a time bomb” quote or “So that’s what it does.” *blows up lab in physics* “So that’s what it does.”

10. How do you express excitement? If we’re talking about fandoms, then by possibly squealing or just overwhelming the people around me with chatter about said fandom. Other than that, I just get a big goofy grin on my face, I guess.

11. Are you glad to be done with these questions? Not really, I enjoy answering questions and being goofy. 😛

And now questions for my nominees:

1. Do you wanna build a snowman?
2. What is the craziest thing you’ve done during a game of hide-and-seek?
3. How many books do you have?
4. Writers, what’s the most useful piece of writing advice you’ve ever gotten?
5. Favorite type of fanfiction?
6. Which Avenger are you most like? (From the movie, not comic books)
7. Favorite Stan Lee cameo?
8. Favorite writing resource?
9. Do you have trouble staying organized?
10. Favorite school subject?
11. Favorite food/food combination others don’t like?

For this I nominate (less than 11, sorry)…

Victoria NightSky

Icedmocha34

Awkwardlyartistic

Deborah O’Carroll

Irisbloom5

Aspiringwriter22

Congratulations to all of you for being nominated and having awesome-r blog names than me. 😀

Interviews From the Writer’s Desk: Slade Ellery

I’m so excited for you guys to finally meet Slade! He is currently my favorite character in the Teen Warriors series, the fourth of the five main characters. See Haven, Ellis, and Iris by clicking on the links. Enjoy! Feedback is appreciated!

“Help!” I hear Benedict squeak. The door of my office slams open, sending me flying across the room to catch a falling vase. Benedict floats into the room, five feet off the ground, lying face-down. I gape at him. “Help,” he yelps again.

Benedict suddenly falls to the floor.A cute teenage boy with a cocky grin waks in through the open door. His very dark brown hair almost looks black, and his eyes are a chocolatey brown. He’s medium height, and fairly skinny. “He wanted to show me in,” he tells me “I wanted to show myself in.” He says it as if it explains everything.

Benedict picks himself up and hurries out of the room, sending an indignant glare over his shoulder at the dark-haired teenager. The door wings shut by itself, but it was probably helped a little by the boy. He sits down in the interview chair and smiles at me. I finally recover enough to speak.

“You must be Slade,” I say, stating the obvious as I sit down behind my desk.

Slade grins. “That would be me.”

I settle down and pull my laptop in front of me. “I assume, by the way you treated my secretary, that you’re ready for the interview,” I raise an eyebrow at him.

He runs his fingers through his dark hair, that perpetual grin still on his face. “Of course. Adira’s always accused me of being way too eager to talk about myself. I think she’s right. Oh, and I’m sorry about the thing with Benny,” he adds. “I enjoy dramatic entrances.”

“Benedict, not Benny,” I growl under my breath. My voice switches into cheerful mode. Forced cheerful mode, that is. “All right, let’s get this party started.” And over with as quickly as possible. “What is your full name, and how old are you?”

He leansback in his chair and puts his hands behind his head. “My name is Slade Ellery, at your service, m’lady, and I’m eighteen.”

I nod, typing in his reply – minus the embellishments, of course – and move on to the next question. “Can you tell me about your family?” I ask.

He laughs. “Can I? I definitely can. The question is, can you sit through my ramblings on that subject.” He winks. “Well, how do I start? First there’s my mom. She’s so sweet and strong and patient. She’s been so amazing, especially after my dad left when I was nine. My only sibling is my little sister, Mendi. She’s thirteen, five years younger than me. We’re really close. All three of us are. Mendi’s super energetic, polite, and cheerful, and she’s almost always smiling. And Adira, my cousin, is almost like an older sister to me. She’s twenty-nine. She spent most of her teenage years living with us, and a little after that, but… well, it’s a long story,” he finishes.

I nod. My fingers are already getting tired. “Any other important back story info I need to know?”

He makes a face. “Well, I spent five years looking for my dad, and found him when I was fourteen, but, well, I was three days too late,” he finishes, sighing.

My hand flies to my mouth. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know…”

He waves me off. “It’s okay. I’ve mostly gotten over it.”

Mostly. Not completely. I move hurriedly to the next question. “What is your Gift?” Much less painful, but I already learned the answer, didn’t I?

Slade grins, the sorrow evaporating from his eyes. “I already kind of demonstrated. Telekinesis, basically. Sometimes, I use my hands, but I don’t really have to. I can just send a mental command, in a way. Basically just thinking about it.”

I raise an eyebrow. “That’s really neat,” I tell him. “Now, how would you honestly describe your personality?”

He snorts. “Honestly? Ha. That makes it a lot harder. Mot people would probably describe my personality as annoying. Which I don’t mind very much. Annoying is better than wimpy, and it’s a good mask, too. Sarcastic, protective, funny, a show-off, practical joker, comedian, things like that are what I normally get.”

“What are some of your bad characteristics?” I ask.

Slade raises an eyebrow. “Me? Bad characteristics? I’m kidding,” he adds, seeing my annoyed look. “Okay, so maybe my sarcasm is a bad characteristic, and Adira accuses me of not thinking things through before i act. I tend to just jump into things. I’m not exactly the most friendly guy, and some people think I’m rude. And I guess my overprotectiveness.” He grins. “And my lack of humility.”

I hold back and unladylike snort and manage to keep a congenial smile on my face. “All right. What are your strengths?”

Slade smiles, a real smile this time. “I throw myself wholeheartedly into anything I set my mind to. I’m passionate and I’m pretty good at getting out of, um, situations. I’ve put a lot of work into my Gift, too.”

“Last thing,” I tell him. “What is your Name, the one the King gave you?”

“The Suspender,” Slade tells me, grinning.

I finally grin back. “Thanks so much for coming. And do me a favor: don’t mess with Benedict on the way out.”

He frowns, fakely; his eyes are laughing. “All right, I’ll try not to.” And we both laugh.

Friday Fiction Challenge: 7-25-14

A challenge to help you write, get you thinking, and spark some creativity! Add a link to your response in the comments below and link back to this post. If you just decide to answer the question, and it’s not a full length post, feel free to just comment with your answer. Be creative and have fun!

The Question

What is your favorite quote of all time?

The Challenge

Write a story that (a) uses that quote or (b) uses all of the words from the quote without using the quote itself. And if you want to choose a different quote than an absolute favorite one, go for it!

Writings About Writing – Those We Love, Part Two

So, what is it that makes those characters so lovable and huggable? Really?

The truth is, I don’t know.

Let’s just get one thing out of the way. For one thing, I am not an expert. For another, I don’t think I’ve created a single character ever that stuck in people’s heads and was just… amazing. So most of this is conjecture, thinking onto a screen, and… ramblings. So, be forewarned, and don’t sue me if this doesn’t make your characters any better. That said, on with it.

I asked several questions in Part One, and I’m going to be building a little bit off of that, and some other random thoughts.

Today’s question is… Why not perfect?

See, most of the characters that we love are flawed. Some in small ways, and some in much, much bigger ways. Why can’t your characters just be perfect?

Because there’s only one perfect Person, and His story is so awesome that no other perfect person could beat it.

Well, that and the fact that nobody (but Jesus) is perfect. We always seem to dislike “goody-two-shoes” in real life, so of course we’ll dislike the perfect people in stories. That’s because we don’t identify with their perfection. We have flaws, so we expect the characters to have flaws.

We look for ourselves in characters to identify with them. That’s why we like characters that are flawed and remind us of ourselves.

So, make ’em imperfect. Give them problems. Insecurities. Hatred. Secrets. Sin.

Do you like perfect characters? Are there any exceptions to this? Do you have trouble flawing your characters? What are your favorite characters’ flaws, both in your writing and others’?

Friday Fiction Challenge: 7-18-14

A challenge to help you write, get you thinking, and spark some creativity! Add a link to your response in the comments below and link back to this post. If you just decide to answer the question, and it’s not a full length post, feel free to just comment with your answer. Be creative and have fun!

The Question

Do you prefer writing in first person or third person? Why?

The Challenge

If you like writing in first person, write a story about yourself in the third person. If you like writing in third person, write a story from someone else’s point of view in first person.