Guess what people? It is still February which means I still get to talk about love and character couples and all that wonderful gooeyness. ...

Guess what people? It is still February which means I still get to talk about love and character couples and all that wonderful gooeyness.

This linkup comes from Stori Tori’s Blog and (as the title so handily explains) talks about the art of characters and their love interests.

I decided to use my MC Elliot from Sketchy Moments. The only problem is his love interest ends up being a bit of a spoiler, so I’m not actually going to tell you who she is. (MWAHAHAHA!!!!). However, I am going to talk a ton about him because he is adorable and I love him. So hold on, readers. Hopefully, this’ll be a fun ride!

None of these pics are exact; they're just ideas of what he might look like.

Incidentally, which one's your favorite?

The Rules:

Step 1.) Find three pieces of art that describe your character. This can be your own drawings or cosplays or sculptures, someone else's art (with their permission and/or crediting of course), celebrity pictures, or a combination of the three.

Step 2.) Answer the questions below about your character's description and link back to Stori Tori’s blog so if anyone else wants to participate they know where to go.

Step 3.) Put it all in a blog post or deviantART journal.

Step 4.) When you post it, link up at Tori’s blog and you're done!

Yes, I counted and I know there aren’t actually three. But these were the only drawings of him that I liked. However, if you’re that desperate for a third one, you can check out my Sketchy Moments pinterest board and see some possible photo references. :)

Now For The Questions!

1.) What does your character's eye, skin, and hair color tell about him?

Elliot (as you may or may not be able to see, since I did the pictures in black-and-white) has medium brown skin, dark eyes, and straight black hair. To me, that says that he’s very cute and probably of Native American descent (Which never actually comes up in the book, but anyway...).

2.) What does your character's hairstyle tell about him?

Okay, this is a fun one! See, Elliot wears his hair almost shoulder-length, and always over the left half of his face. Obviously, this obscures his facial features, helping him to sink back, hide out, and stay semi-anonymous. But most importantly, this hairstyle conceals the three jagged lines scarring his left cheek. 

Since he was little, people have given him a hard time about his scars, whether they’re kids teasing him, or adults seeming disgusted and/or nervous because of them. When he was young, Elliot figured out that it was always in his best interest to hide his scars. Thus the hair.

3.) What does your character's default outfit tell about him?

Elliot’s default outfit is a simple t-shirt and jeans. Mostly because he’s in foster care, and cheap stuff is all his caretakers can/will afford him. But Elliot doesn’t mind. He’s not much for the flashy and prefers something more simple, comfortable, and nondescript anyway.

4.) Does he have an object(s) he carries around a lot?

Another fun one! Yes, Elliot keeps his locket on his person at almost all times, but he never wears it around his neck. Because, well, because reasons and spoilers. Mostly, it’s a private thing for him; in the entire book, he never intentionally shows it to anyone.

5.) Does he have any particular scars or birthmarks?

Aforementioned scars down the left side of his face. Other than that. no.

6.) Does he have any piercings or tattoos?

Nope, and I don’t think he’d get them either. Unnecessary pain, and another way for people to recognize him.

7.) How does he carry himself? Shoulders back? Eye contact? Eyes down? Slumped shoulders?

Eyes down or slightly averted is preferable for him. However, he will make eye contact if he thinks it’s expected or will get him whatever he wants at the time. He doesn’t exactly stand or walk straight, but he doesn’t necessarily slouch either. His posture is somewhere in between: straight enough, but not like ramrod, chest-out, soldier-at-attention straight.

8.) What is his default expression? Smiling? Frowning? Solemn?

Probably expressionless. Not really smiling, frowning, or anything. Just shields up, totally guarded, you-have-no-idea-what-I’m-thinking-right-now expressionless. That said, he can totally whip out a good glare if he needs to, and tiny smiles if the situation requires.

9.) Does he wear make-up or face paint?

Not even a little bit.

10.) Does his physical appearance change at any time? For example: If he has a power do his eyes glow or hair turn blue?

Um... Nope, not really. Though he'd probably love a power like that.

Bonus: Does the character change his appearance to impress the love interest?

Haha, nope, not at all.

Well, that was fun! Like all authors, I adore talking about my charries with people who will care. So here’s your chance to tell me about yours! Pick a question or two from the linkup and post your answers in the comments. Can’t wait to hear from you guys!

Also, little reminder, next week begins Fan Month, which means I will be out for the next two weeks, popping in a few times to share some of my favorite blog posts. I'll still reply to comments, though, so I won’t be completely MIA. :) Adieu till then!

So long! Farewell! Auf wiedersehen! Goodbye!

Just read that title and know it’s gonna be a bit of a fangirl-y post. I love this song so much. Mostly because it gives me feels since...

Heya! So sorry this post is late! Where I live, we got out first snow of the season this week, so I had a couple of snow days, which means ...

Heya! So sorry this post is late! Where I live, we got out first snow of the season this week, so I had a couple of snow days, which means I got lazy and it was difficult to get back into my normal schedule. :p Again, I apologize, and shall endeavor to do better in the future.

But, uh, nobody’s perfect so please don’t hold me to that. ;)

Anywho, to the point of the post...

I found this really cool idea on Sometimes I’m a Story: basically, the purpose of the linkup is for each participant to make time to be a fan. It doesn’t have to literally be the whole month; you just pick some time when you know you can stop concentrating on your own stuff and be a fan of somebody else. It sounded like fun (and I’m really behind on my blog readerships) so I decided to give it a go.

Now for the questions!

1. When do you plan on being a fan?

I have decided to be ambitious and do the fan thing for the first two weeks of March. Maybe longer depending on how things go. So woo-hoo for me! This should be interesting...

2. What goals will you set for yourself?

Hmm, since this is my first time, I’m gonna start slow: I shall visit at least 10 blogs next month and comment on every post I read. Something more than a simple “Great post,” too (which isn’t bad by the way, if you want to leave that on some of mine ;) ). But I want to comment a little more, something that could start a conversation with other bloggers, and really show that I’m, well, being a fan.

3. Are you going to set any rules for yourself? Exceptions to those rules?

Bleh, rules schmules. All the same, they might be helpful...

Well, I did already say that I’m going to comment on every post I read. So that’s rule number one. Rule number two, during those weeks, I won’t do any new posts on this blog (though I will keep doing reviews at Verbosity if you honestly miss me that much ;) ).

4. Where do you plan on sharing the great posts you read?

Here, actually. So that my blog won’t look completely dead, I shall pick my favorite blog post of each day and share the links to them once a week.

5. Where could you be a fan outside the blogosphere?

Uh... Not sure actually. Does fanfiction.net count?

Well, that’s it people! You’ll still get next week’s posts, the Melodic Monday and (hopefully) Thoughtful Thursday, but after that I’m out for a while. *tips hat in farewell*

What about you? Are you gonna take part in fan month? If you’re thinking about it, you can check out Heather’s post here, and become a part of the linkup.

Oh, and random note: this is my 100th blog post! So yippee! Shocking that I’ve made it this far, no? Couldn’t have done it without you guys sticking with me! :)

Ciao till next week!

Well, look at that, you guys get an extra post this week! As the title so handily explains, this is a cover reveal for one of my writer fri...

Well, look at that, you guys get an extra post this week! As the title so handily explains, this is a cover reveal for one of my writer friends, Emily Rachelle. Funnily enough, this is actually her third time featured on my blog: last February, I interviewed her and reviewed her debut novel. So maybe we should make this a regular thing, eh, Emily? ;)

Anywho, I’ve got a pretty picture to share so I’ll shut up and show you the cover art for her new book, Rain in December.

Pretty, yes? And we’re not even finished yet! I've also got a little preview, the poem on the back cover:

Star-Crossed Lovers
I'll reach to the stars
I'll reach to the moon
I'll reach through the galaxy far
To find you, my dearest,
My darling, my love,
And be in the place where you are.

Sounds nice, don’t it? In case you were wondering, Rain in December releases for Kindle and paperback on March 31st. True, that sounds like a time far, far away, but you can always preorder the Kindle copy. Also, in the meantime, check out Emily’s blog, http://emilyrachellewrites.blogspot.com/.

I only just started listening to Lorde. A little more than a week ago, actually, when one of my best friends told me I had to listen to thi...

If you don’t recognize those names, good. You shouldn’t because they’re from my and my friend’s NaNo novel, Becoming Brave . Not reall...

If you don’t recognize those names, good. You shouldn’t because they’re from my and my friend’s NaNo novel, Becoming Brave.

Not really a cover, but I'm not too good at photoshopping :p

Because I’ve got a short story, and I don’t want this post to go on too long, I’ll try to keep the introduction simple.

Basically, our story is about Cecil and Viliam Pembroke, two brothers in a dystopian society where all disabled people are taken away to be brainwashed, “upgraded,” and forced into military service. Cecil has a bad hand, so when their government discovers his secret, a bunch of things happen (sorry, it’s a long story), and the brothers end up hiding with the Forest People, a sort of mythical group who lives in the forest outside their community. There, they meet Fedora, the Forest People’s healer.

Being a healer, you’d think Fedora would be a sweet girl. She’s not. She’s snarky, sarcastic, and her go-to reaction is an eye-roll. Also, she has a horrible bedside manner, which made all injury scenes hysterical for everyone except the injured individual.

Being the older brother of our main protagonist, Vil is a bit protective. But he’s also funny, somewhat insecure, slightly macho, and he doesn’t always let his worries over Cecil get in the way of their lives. He’s in most ways your average 17-year-old boy – except for his occasional psychopathic tendencies, but it’s Valentine’s Day, so we won’t get into those.

And yes, we know a fedora is a hat and therefore a weird name. I was writing the scene when she first came on, and it was the first word that came to mind. We meant to change it later, but by the time the book was finished, the name had stuck and Fedora just couldn’t be anybody else. My excuse is it’s a dystopian, so people name their kids weird stuff.

Final random note before I shut up and let you read: Fedora nicknamed Cecil “Twig” because he’s tiny. Okay, I’m done now. Hope you enjoy!

V-Day

I stopped at her door, feeling like the heart-shaped box in my arms was in my mouth instead. It was Valentine’s Day and, as anyone would expect, I’d gotten my girlfriend chocolates.

But then I realized I didn’t even know if the Forest People celebrated Valentine’s Day. If they didn’t, I had no clue how I’d explain randomly popping up at her door with candy. “Well, it’s this thing we do... to, um, show how much we care about, ahem, certain people...?”

Fedora would roll her eyes so hard she might pull something.

I also didn’t know if Fedora even liked chocolate. I mean, I assumed so, since that seemed like a girl thing, but I didn’t know for sure. And if she did, I didn’t know what kind of chocolates she liked, and I was really beginning to wish I’d thought of all of this before I snuck out of camp to buy the darn things.

Footsteps from behind made me whirl around, an excuse stampeding up my throat. When I saw Cecil, my brother, it halted just inside my mouth and exited as a quick exhale.

Cec paused, looking from my face to the box, then back again. A slight smile appeared on his face. “She likes chocolate,” was all he said as he stepped past me and into the Healer’s Hut, leaving the door open for me to follow when I was ready.

I was not ready. But I followed.

“Heya Twig, Twig’s Brother,” Fedora said as she headed towards her kitchen. Cecil waved a hand in response, then his eyes jumped to me. The slight grin--which was still on his face--turned into a larger one when he saw I was hiding the box of chocolates behind my back.

Luckily, Fedora didn’t notice. She just breezed past us, aiming that snarky smile in our general direction. I thought I managed something like a confident grin back, but as soon as she was gone, I turned to my younger brother.

“Help,” I whispered. “I can’t do this.”

Cecil coughed his quiet little laugh--which I’d never found annoying until this moment. “Just act normal. You guys are a couple. It’s Valentines Day. I’m pretty sure it’s okay for you to give Fedora a gift.”

“But do they know about it?” I hissed, jerking my head in Fedora’s direction. A footstep from the kitchen had me wheeling around again, but my girlfriend wasn’t paying us any attention.

With a sigh of relief, I looked back at Cecil, just in time to see his three-quarters grin turn to a full-blown one. “Ask Raymond,” he mumbled, before walking past me into the kitchen.

I’ll admit my brain momentarily short-circuited, since I thought Cec was going to say something to Fedora. But no. My brother wouldn’t do that to me. Would he?

I grumbled under my breath, but seeing no other options, I ducked out of the house and went to find Raymond, a close friend of ours and Fedora’s sort-of foster brother. I had to know what I was getting into with this giving-my-girlfriend-chocolates thing. That way, if she didn't know what the day was about, I’d at least be able to explain it rationally.

Hopefully, I'd be rational.

It took a bit for me to track Raymond down, due to his being out on patrol. By the time I found him, the box of chocolates was looking a tiny bit squashed, so I repositioned it under my arm.

“Raymond!”

He looked up, raising a hand in greeting. “Hello Vil.”

“Do you guys celebrate Valentine’s Day?” I asked.

For a moment, Raymond just looked confused, and I groaned mentally. Aw, great. Now I’d have to explain the gift, which would kind of ruin it.

Then he glanced at the heart-shaped, red-pink box in my arms and grinned. “Yeah, we do. It’s not that big of a deal for us primitive forest types, but some of us celebrate it.”

“Thanks!” I called, only half listening after “Yeah, we do.” I practically sprinted back to Fedora’s house, and by the time I reached her porch, was totally out of breath. Also, the box was a bit more squashed, so I shuffled it around again, put it behind my back, stopped panting like a dying dog, and stepped back inside.

“Fedora?” I called, looking around. 

She popped her head out of a patient’s room. “Yup?”

“Can I talk to you on your porch?” There was no way I'd give her the chocolates where Cec, who was standing in the living room, could watch. I loved my brother, but I also had a feeling I was going to flub this somehow.

Fedora raised an eyebrow. “Sure? Give me a minute to wash my hands. Ben went and got a flu, and I don't need it spreading.”

“Okay.” 

As I retreated to the porch, another thought struck me: what if the chocolates were melted or squashed? Should I check them? No, probably not. There was that stupid ribbon, and I’d never get it as nice as it was now. Gah!

The door opened, and Fedora stepped out, right as I whisked the box behind my back.

“What’s up, Twig’s Brother?” she asked, walking over to lean on the rail beside me.

“Um. Uhh...” Great work, brain. But could you come up with something a little more conversational?

Fedora glanced at me, the corner of her lips perking up, her eyes rolling heavenwards. “All right, there, Vil?”

I nodded, swallowed, nodded again, then swooped the box from behind my back and blocked my face with it. “HappyValentinesDay,” I rushed the words out, like saying them quickly would make them less embarrassing.

Since the box was between us, I couldn't see Fedora's face, but I guessed she was blinking in surprise. Also, grinning at my idiocy.

The box was lifted out of my hands, then Fedora was leaning towards me.

And then we were kissing.

I really don’t know how long that lasted, as my brain was utterly unoperational for the time being. All I know is that Cecil was the one who broke it up. Of course. Younger siblings, don’t you know?

My little brother stepped out on the porch, probably wondering what was taking us so long. Cec took one glance, then turned around, and was back inside faster than you could say "Happy V Day."

It wasn’t much, but it was just enough to end our kiss.

“I should probably look at how much you squished these now,” she said after a moment.

“Uhm, yeah,” was my super-smart reply.

Fedora shook her head, grinning as she untied the ribbon.

At that moment, I didn’t really care if she liked the chocolates or not, or if they were melted or squashed or whatever else. I knew she’d be happy with them, simply because I’d done something. Also because of the kiss.

Even if I hadn’t got her anything, I had a feeling that would be okay, too.

Because I was enough.