Summer Snowflakes

Yeah, you read that right! At the end of December, I entered a writing/drawing contest held by Cicada magazine and my drawing was picked, along with several others, to be featured in their March issue/April issue!

Since I got serious about writing, I've always thought that it would be a story of mine that got published first, but I find it pretty cool that my drawing was featured in a magazine before any of my stories had made it past fanfiction.net. Doubly funny, seeing as I wanted to be an artist for a while when I was little.

Funny how God works stuff out, huh?

Hey blogworld! Just popping in real quick to post about Hannah Stewart's editing services. She recently edited a portion of my manuscript, and her feedback was very helpful. She pointed out a lot of things I'd never thought about before, so I've kinda got a lot of work to do. :p But I know it'll make my book better in the end, so I'm thankful to her for that.

If you need anything edited, I'd encourage you to check her out!

So, I’ve been writing/editing the second draft of one of my WIPs, and I gotta say, I enjoyed writing the first draft much, much more.

It was just so much easier! I didn’t have to worry about plot or pacing or characterization; all I had to do was write and have fun doing it. And, though I probably did a couple of times, I really don’t remember getting a lot of writer’s block with this project.

But I guess karma's coming back around with some serious editing block.

Because it’s a dystopian, sci-fi story, there’s a lot of world building, and deciding about customs of that time versus customs of ours, creating new words and expressions to fit along with them, and (for the love of One Direction!) remembering not to make any pop culture references.

Because I’ve decided to do only the big stuff this time around and I'm not dealing with the nitty gritty word changes, I’m also leaving a lot of particularly bad writing patches in the manuscript - for now. Which kind of grates on me.

There’s also this little fact that I’m scared I’m not going to finish this draft by the end of my self-imposed deadline... And it all just feels like a lot of pressure.

But I have to remember that, one, all of this pressure is pressure I’ve put on myself. No one is making me edit this project but me (which for some people might make it easier, but since I’m so crazy self-motivated, my inner editor is whipping me like the baddies in Black Beauty). Plus, I'm a teenager, so there really isn't any hurry. If time is what I need, I can take it.

Two, I have to remember why I’m doing it: because I love it. Because I am so freaking excited about my project, currently titled The Supernatural Projects, that I get shivers and smile a little bit every time I see those three words strung together. Because I love my main characters, Leiah and Jesse, and I desperately want to see them succeed - and to have other people see them succeed.

So of course I’ll keep on keeping on through this draft. And the next one. And the one after that. However many it takes.

Still, I do really miss that first draft stage. Like, a lot. And I still kinda wish that when I typed the words “The End” it really was the end.

Anyone else feel this way? Or do you adore the chance to make your story better?

Revelations of God truly can come from anywhere, even an English lesson.

A little while ago, I was doing English (I’m homeschooled for anyone who’s new), and the lesson was on a piece of literature that discussed unfairness, persecution, and the Christian’s reaction to such things - or at least what the Christian’s reaction should be. It directed me to several Bible verses, all of which basically said, “Turn the other cheek.”

“But,” I thought, “I can’t do that! I’ve gotta protect myself!”

And all of the sudden, this little voice just came to me and it said, “God will take care of you.”

Of course, human as I am, I tried to argue, “But God, I can’t do that. I gotta keep myself safe, keep people from walking all over me.”

But there it was again: “God will take care of you.” The words just came back, simple as that. Like this little whisper of comfort.

And that was when I realized it: I don’t HAVE to do anything. Not that I can just sit on my bum, twiddle my thumbs, and expect everything to work out for me, but I don’t have to worry about the stuff I don’t have control over. Like people hating me because of my faith or the color of my skin. I don’t have to fear rejection or never getting a boyfriend. I don’t have to worry about not getting good enough grades or making enough money to support myself.

Because God will take care of me. Because He is a loving father, a perfect father. Better than all of the number one earthly fathers put together and multiplied by infinity; He is beyond all of that. And He loves me. Of all the things He could choose to do, He chose to love me and take care of me.

Now does this mean that I’m suddenly going to become a pacifist, throw all of my money away, and spend the rest of my days on a city sidewalk with a cardboard sign saying, “Jesus loves you”?

Um... no. Of course not.

But what it does mean is that I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to fear or doubt. I can just go through my life, having fun and doing the best I can, and God will take care of the rest. God will take care of me.

First things first: did you see how many colons are in the title? It’s honestly kind of crazy.

Anyway, I mentioned in my first post that I’d occasionally be doing pop culture related posts, and since City of Bones is a relatively recent movie and I watched it a couple of weeks ago (yes, I’m aware that I’m several months behind), I decided it counted in the pop culture category and that I wanted to review it. I also added the book on Goodreads few months ago when I originally read it, and you can see that not-very-in-depth review here.

Description is from movie cover: After teen Clary Fray witnesses a murder at a New York nightclub, a sinister stranger named Valentine attacks and kidnaps her mother. Endowed with supernatural vision, Clary recruits a band of youthful human-angel hybrids to help rescue her mother.

My Review: While much of the major plot of the movie was the same as the book, a lot of smaller things were changed, either mashed together or taken out completely, all to make the movie move faster. Admittedly, the movie did do a better job of showing some things - don't want to go into details. Spoilers! - but a lot of it was really confusing because the pacing was so fast. I understand it's a big book and a lot to try to stuff into two hours (took WAY longer than that to read it) but this movie's speed was like insane. I think that, had I not already read the book and understood some of the plot elements, I’d have been very, very confused.

That said, what I did understand was quite interesting. Like the book, the movie was chock-full of action from beginning to end, and I really did enjoy it. I can’t say I was ever bored exactly, but lost? Uh... yeah. Sometimes.

Some of the characterizations, too, weren’t really what I expected. Magnus Bane, for instance, I imagined as a middle-aged, kinda fat, sarcastic, white dude in a golden robe. Imagine my shock when out comes this young, tan, serious, almost-caring guy - who incidentally forgot to put his pants on before he left the bedroom. (In the interest of full disclosure, I don’t think my characterization of Magnus was exactly in the book. It’s just my personal preference, how I imagined him.)

At the same time, I did like most of the characters, and I thought the acting was pretty good. Admittedly, it could've been better at some points, but it wasn't bad by any means. And I really liked the ending, how every single character was important and necessary to defeat the baddies.

Altogether, this was a pretty enjoyable movie, so I’ll give it 4 funny-looking runes out of 5 for fun, mystery, adventure, and kick-butt coolness.

P.S.: There are a couple of specific things I’d like to note: One, there was some cursing. Not a lot and nothing too bad, but still.

Two, some of the outfits were, shall we say... less than sufficient covering? I did like that Clary referred to her dress as a “top” at one point. Which it honestly should've been.

The third thing, though, was something I really liked: Clary didn't always look like a supermodel. Sounds funny I know, but in most movies the hero/heroine can walk away from a fight still looking like the million bucks they got paid to do the film. Not so in City of Bones. Sometimes that girl looked ROUGH, but it just made sense. After you fight demons the first time (or anytime for that matter) you're probably not going walk away looking like the cover of a magazine.

So all-in-all, it was a pretty good film. I’d recommend it for lovers of fantasy and the paranormal over the age of 12.

Hey again! Today, I have the privilege of interviewing the delightful and talented Emily Rachelle, author of Sixteen, the book I reviewed on Saturday. See the review here.

All right to break the ice, let’s start with a random one:

If you could go back in time and pick your own name, what would it be? Or would you change it at all?

There was a time I would have wanted "Abigail May," but now, I'm quite happy with "Emily Rachelle."

Interesting. Both of the names are beautiful. Perhaps you could use Abigail May in a book someday. :)

How long have you been writing?

I tried my hand at writing from fourth grade through middle school, but I've only pursued it seriously since around seventh grade. So I'd guess around six years now.

Wow. That’s quite some time. No wonder you’re so good at it!

How’d you come up with this particular story?

There's several factors that were involved in my idea for Sixteen. One of these elements is common to all my books - dreams, not the daydreams or I-wish kind of dreams, but actual sleeping-head-on-pillow dreams. I had two dreams. Sometimes my dreams involve me as a 'character,' like the dream that inspired my Beauty and the Beast rewrite. One time I had a very elaborate dream in which I was a girl named Rachel living near the beach in a dystopian/communist America and dating a guy named Charlie. Anyway, these weren't like that - I was definitely me. I don't remember the first dream really well, except that I was excited. The second dream was vivid and a bit bizarre - it became the climax scene in Sixteen, actually.

That’s really cool! And that dystopian dream sounds quite interesting. Would make a great book, I think.

How long did you work on Sixteen?

The first draft took me about two weeks. The rewrites I think took around a month. The editing took way longer than intended.

Isn’t that always the way with that nasty little editing process?

What parts of the book really resonated with you as you wrote it?

The first time through, my favorite part was being inside Nikki's head. She's so different from me - it's like seeing life from a completely new point of view. The rewrites and editing, though, my favorite part was working on the romance. I always have and always will be a sucker for the love story.

That’s pretty cool. Writing from the point of view of someone so different can certainly open your eyes to other people’s perspectives.

Favorite part and favorite character?

My favorite scene is the excerpt shared earlier in this blog tour - and, actually, it's one of the newest scenes in the book. I didn't write it until the final round of edits. My favorite character changes - based on personality, Nikki; on who I'd want to hang out with in real life, Christy; on who was easiest to write, Nikki's dad.

Nikki did have a very cool personality. And Christy would definitely be cool to talk to.

Do you have any “murdered darlings?” Scenes from your book that you loved and had to cut?

Um... not really? Oh, wait! There's one scene that was The Big Important Scene in the first draft. For me, when I first wrote the book, the entire rest of the story was there solely to point to that scene. The final, published version of the book has a very shortened version of that scene. Honestly, it was too preachy and overbearing. Bored everyone to death, except me and my former youth pastor. I'm not exactly weeping over cutting it, although the younger me who first wrote the book would have put up a fight.

Interesting. Shows how much you’ve grown as a writer then, that you’re willing to cut stuff you love.

Final question, so let’s end this on a fun, random note:

Do you watch Doctor Who? If so, and you met the Doctor, where and when would you want to him to take you?

Oh yes! :D Fun time! Where: a different planet. When: Now! Okay, so obviously I know nothing about fictional planets or their history/futures/timeline/culture. Therefore, I have no idea what time I'd want to go to. I just know I'd love to planet-hop anytime!

Then again, there's one thing I've always wanted to know. It's one of those mysteries of history we as a planet have generally given up on ever solving. And it would go well with my curiosity of what it would be like to live in a past time period -- any past time period. So, on Earth, my destination would be Roanoke Colony. In fact, scratch planet-hopping. I want to know what really happened to the entire colony that vanished. In all seriousness, I think Moffat and Co. should write an episode about this. It's bothered me since third grade history.

That would be epic. You should email them or something, then help them write the episode and make a million bucks.

Thank you Emily Rachelle for coming over and subjecting yourself to my questioning!

Readers, if you’d like to get your own copy of Sixteen you can buy it on Amazon or Smashwords or try to win it over at her Giveaway.

About The Author:

Born in Panama, Emily Rachelle has traveled throughout the country and the world with her Air Force family. Currently, she lives with her parents and three brothers in middle Georgia. While Emily enjoyed reading as far back as she remembers, writing didn't come to her until she learned the forms of poetry and the basics of story in fourth grade. Since then, she's written scripts for homeschool dramas, poems for birthday presents, and stories for friends and family to enjoy. Sixteen is her debut into the professional world of words. You can find Emily at her blog, Emily Rachelle Writes, http://emilyrachellewrites.blogspot.com.

You can also find Emily on Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LibraryThing.

Thanks again for coming Emily!

Happy February blogworld! Interestingly enough, I'm starting off the month with a review of a love story: Sixteen by Emily Rachelle.

The description is from the back cover: Nicole "Nikki" Johnson has never gotten along with her mother, so when she meets a great new guy, it's no surprise that Matt's age is all her mom sees. Just because he's twenty-four and she's sixteen doesn't mean he's a creeper! Thankfully, Nikki's dad allows Nikki and Matt to be together and see how things work out. Their relationship is fantastic and Nikki is on cloud nine...

Until the Fourth of July picnic, when things go too far. Now a very changed Nikki has to make choices that will affect her every relationship - with Matt, her parents, her best friend, and most importantly, God.

My review: 4 out of 5 stars. A very interesting story. I liked the unique way it was told, a story from a mother to her daughter. It was also cool to be able to look into Nikki’s emotions as the story unfolded, but then also Claire’s as she was being told the story of her parent’s romance. The ending was pretty sweet, too.

The characters were relatable and enjoyable to read about, though honestly, I did wonder where Nikki’s head was at sometimes. And I also didn’t understand the big deal about the dress scene (don’t want to give away any spoilers, but you’ll know what I’m talking about when you read it). Other than that though, I really liked the characters, especially Christy. She was a really good friend, the exact person that Nikki needed standing by her during that time.

I don't read many love stories, but I’ve never seen one quite like this before. It was an all-around good read and a great debut.

I received a free e-copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks Emily!