Gabriella Slade's Blog: The JOY of Writing, page 6

Show Me Update No. 1

Happy Monday Soul Questers!

Today is my first in a hopefully series of updates for my books. I’m not sure how often I’ll do these, so we’ll see. Today we’ll be talking about a possible release date, the sequel, and giveaways. (Ooh!) Let’s get into it.

Where I am for Show Me editing

As of now, I am on the LAST round of edits for Show Me. Once I finish this round, it’s going to be sent off to get the grammatical edits. This round of edits is going much, much faster than I expected. I got over 50 pages done just on Day 1 because not very much is being changed at the moment. So YAY!

I’m getting ready to contact some authors for endorsments either this week or next week! I’m super excited to see who I’ll get to feature on the opening page of my book!

Release Date?

As of now, I don’t have a final release date. I know I want it to release it by either July or August. If you want an actual date, then I’ll say I’m aiming for is July 20th, but please remember this IS NOT a final date, and may very well change.

Book 2

So I’ve obviously kept very quiet about book 2 in the series, for good reason. (Spoilers!) So I’m 3/4 into draft 1, and honestly very ready to get into editing this book, since it’s pretty bad right now, but the story and twists amazed me, since I didn’t know some of these things were going to happen. I plan on releasing the cover and title before book 1 is released since I plan on featuring both in the back of the book.

Giveaways??

I do plan on giving away an E-arc to one of my email subscribers after I finish my last round of edits. It will be a copy that has not been proofed for grammar or spelling, but nonetheless, I’m excited to see who I end up giving it too. If you want to keep updated on this, I highly recommend signing up for my email list so you don’t miss it!

That’s all for my super quick update today! I’ll see you guys next week!!

In HIS Joy,

Gabriella Slade

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My First Q&A!

Happy Monday Soul Questers!

Today, I’ll be conducting my very first Q&A! If you follow me on Instagram, then you know I’ve been asking for a few weeks for questions for this Q&A, so I’m super excited to get to answer them today!

So without further ado, let’s just keep this intro short and get into these awesome questions!

How do you go about creating and enhancing characters?

I start with a base personality, usually choosing a certain number of personality traits, (I usually do 6) and then I build it up. Sometimes I ask questions for certain words. For example, if one of the words is Arrogant, I might ask what backstory is behind him being arrogant? What could of happened in his childhood that would make him like that? Other things I do are pick out quirks and hobbies for my characters and answer questions from blogs about them, if that makes any sense.

What inspired you to write books?

I guess it was just my love for stories. I’ve always been an avid reader. Some of my childhood favorites are Clifford books, Nate The Great and pretty much any American Girl book in print.  I was so intrigued when my mom told me that by writing my own stories, I could make things happen that I wanted.  I could put my main character in a tree house. I could make the pet dog talk. I knew right there and then I wanted to tell stories for a living.

Do you play music in the background music as you write, and if you do, what do you usually play? 

I do like to play music if I don’t feel overly inspired. It’s not an essential to my writing toolbox, but I do enjoy plugging in some music once in a while. If I do happen to listen to music, I typically listen to movie soundtracks on Pandora. NEVER anything with lyrics. That will only distract me and instead of writing a story, I’ll end up typing the lyrics into my document.

How do you get inspired for your characters?

Like I said in the first question, it usually starts with a certain personality trait. I try to think of a basic idea of the role the character will play in the plot, and how I want them to be? What are their positive and negative traits? I don’t usually base my characters off of real people, unless it’s just one particular trait I like about them.

Do you have any book recommendations for writers?

I do, actually. For beginning writers, Spilling Ink is a great place to get down the basics. Any book by K.M. Weiland is great as well as Rayne Hall. One of my current favorites is Writing The Fiction Series by Karen Wiesner, which I’ve reread multiple times.

 

That’s all for my Q&A! I hope you enjoyed today’s blog post. If you haven’t, be sure to subscribe to my blog and follow me on all my social media! I’ll see you guys next week for (Hint hint!) A Writing update!

In HIS Joy,

Gabriella Slade

 

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The Unpopular Opinions Book Tag

Happy Monday Soul Questers!

Today I order Show Me’s first print proof copy! You may already know this if you’ve been following me on social media, because I’ve been talking about it EVERYWHERE! I’m super excited to show it off.

Today I’ll be doing the Unpopular Opinions Book tag, which you may have seen before if you watch booktube at all. As a disclamer, of course: If I say I don’t like a book you loved, that is NOT meant as an attack or to offend you. It’s just my opinion, hence the title, and that’s OK. You may not like a book I love, and that OK. That’s YOUR Opinion. OK, let’s get on with the book tag!

The Unpopular Opinions Book Tag

Question #1: A Popular Book Or Series You Didn’t Like.

For this one, I’m going to have to say Divergant. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy reading it. It’s just not my favorite series in the world. And I will still watch the first movie, but I don’t think I’ll ever reread the books. But of course, we’ll see.

Question #2: A Popular Book Or Series  You Like, But Everyone Else Seems To Hate.

I thought long and hard about this question, and I think my answer is the Inheritance Cyle By Christopher Paolini. If I’m honest, I get that it’s a flawed series, but I think we forget that like me, Paolini was in high school when he wrote and published this book. He was a young writer, and was not super developed yet. I’m not saying It’s my favorite in the world, but I do still enjoy the story.

Question #3: An OTP You Hate.

Now first of all, let me just point out that HATE is a very strong word. Second of all, this was another question I couldn’t think of a good answer for. But a Fan ship I don’t personally ship is Dramione from Harry Potter. Mostly because Draco Malfoy is a big jerk and Hermione deserves someone so much better in her life. (*Cough* Ron. *Cough.*)

Question #4: A Popular Genre you Hardly Reach For.

I’m going to say Thriller. It’s really just a genre  I have no interest in reading. But I also think Contemporary, though I do think that’s something I plan on changing in the future.

Question #5: A Popular Character You Don’t Like.

Finnick Odair from The Hunger Games. I know a lot of people really like him, and it’s not that I hate him or anything. I just think he’s really overrated, and I never connected with him in either the books or the movies. Maybe I just need to reread the books and my opinion of him will change. Who knows.

Question #6: A Popular Author You Can’t Get Into.

My answer for this is Stephanie Meyer. (Don’t hate me!) I just have little interest in reading her books. I used to think Twilight looked good, but that’s probably just because I’m a big sap for romance. But to be honest, Bella and Edward’s angsty relationship is not something I think I really want to get into. I know several books and series on my Goodreads TBR with relationships I’ll enjoy much more than the Twilight Romance. And I know I’ll get this in the comments: Yes I know Meyer has other books. But they don’t sound too interesting in my opinion.

7 Popular YA Books I Haven’t Read (Yet)

Happy Tuesday!

If you follow me on social media, then you know that I am getting this post up a day late, because Mondays are always so slow for me. But I’m really excited for this post because I’m going to share with you 7 popular books in the Young adult genre that I haven’t read, but I am planning to in the near future!

Let’s keep this intro short and get right into today’s post!

7 Popular YA Books I Haven’t Read

The Shadowhunter Chronicles:  Yep. You read that right. I haven’t met Jace or Clary or any of the other super popular demon-fighting teenagers. I do want to read them very soon though especially with Queen of Air and Darkness  comes out in December!
The Hate U Give: I’ve heard so many great things about this contemporary. I usually read fantasy or dystopian, but I do want to broaden my genre range more this year and try more contemporaries, including this one.
Warcross: This got so much hype in the BookTube Community last year, and I’d love to join the hype. It sounds super fun!
Red Queen: Another book that gets a lot of hype, and mixed reviews. I get that it’s not the most original book out there, but it still sounds super fun and I’m very interested in trying it!
The Shatter Me Books: With Restore Me coming out this year, I’d say it’s to hop on this train and give these books a shot!
Fangirl: Another contemporary that actually sounds to be right up my ally! Apparently this book is super cute, and I need to give it a shot!
Everything, Everything: With the movie out now, I think it’d be good to try this book out! Another book that sounds super duper cute!

There you have it! These are just some of the books on my TBR that happen to be super hyped, and I haven’t jumped on to read yet! If you like any of these books, let me know in the comments! (No spoilers please!)

If you haven’t make sure to subscribe to my website for monthly newsletters and follow me on all my social media!

I will see you guys next week!

In HIS Joy,

Gabriella Slade

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10 Signs You’re a True Fangirl

Happy Monday!

Today we’re going to list 10 signs you’re a true fangirl. (Or fanboy. They’re pretty interchangeable.) I thought this would be fun, because I’m personally a fangirl and I thought it would be fun to do a post like this. And no, you do not have to have all ten of these to consider yourself a fangirl. I know I’m just going to have to throw that out there.

Without further ado, let’s get started!

10 Signs You’re a True Fangirl

You Read. A lot. I feel like this one is pretty obvious. Duh, you read a lot. That’s the reason you’re a fangirl. (Unless you fangirl over movies, which in that case, I am not talking about being a fangirl for movies, but for books.)
You Collect Books. Some of my favorite books I read over Kindle Unlimited. If I love the book, I buy it in paperback! Maybe you not only collect physical copies of your favorite books, but the special editions too. I haven’t done that yet, but that’s only because I don’t have the money at the moment, or the bookshelf space.
You talk about books a lot. I’m talking about the books I’m reading a LOT. I ramble to my sister all the time about books.
You write Fanfiction.  I myself do not do this myself. Mostly because I don’t have time since I’m usually writing my own books. But I would like to start reading fanfiction in the future because I’ve heard they’re a lot of fun.
You Collect Bookish Merch. The possibilities are honestly endless. Go to Amazon. You’ll find coffee mugs, clothing items, funko pops, posters, jewelry.  It helps showcase the books you love!
You Ship Characters, even if they aren’t from the same books. Come on. We all do it. We love fictional relationships, and we’re always shipping them with other people, even if the characters are from two different books. I know I’m guilty of that one.
You Watch the Book-to-movie adaptations. I do, and I’m always talking about the differences between the book and movie.
You Reread your favorite books over and over again. I’m looking at you, Hunger Games.
You Watch BookTube Videos. JesseThe Reader. Emmmabooks. ADashOfAsh. These are some of my favorites. I get some great book recommendations from these vids.
 You Name Your Stuffed Animals after your favorite Fictional Characters. I’ve defienetly done this. I’ve Got Tristian, Fred, Rain and Kess. And I love all of them.

So there you have it! 10 Signs You’re a True Fangirl! I hope you enjoyed today’s blog post! If you haven’t, be sure to subscribe to my monthly newsletters and follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest if you aren’t already. I hope to see you guys next week!

In HIS Joy,

Gabriella Slade

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3 Things That Distract Me

Happy Monday!

Todays post, I’ll be showing you guys 3 things I find distract me during my writing sessions. As we all know, it’s super hard to stay focused on one task. As soon as we sit down to write, do homework, clean up our room etc., there is always something else we need to do. I do plan to write a productivity post in the future, but today, I’m going to show you guys three things that distract me. If you can relate to any of these, let me know! I love reading your guys’ comments. And even if you don’t, comment and tell me what you find distracting,

Without Further ado, Let’s get on to the post!

3 Things That Distract Me

The Internet: I know everyone has an issue with the internet. Come on, It’s a guilty pleasure. There’s YouTube. Social Media. Other blogs. I’ll find myself needing to go on Thesaurus while editing, but then end up spending 30 minutes on Pinterest searching up bookish memes instead.  Whoops? I finally go back to editing, and then remember why I was online in the first place!
My Phone: I know I just said the Internet, but I feel like my phone is an entirely different category. I’m always on my phone. Trust me–Ask my parents. The best thing for me to do, is put my phone in another room, or turn off Wi-Fi if I plan on doing a lot that day.
My Stomach: Yes you read that right. As I write this, I am literally munching on Baby carrots. I am a food addict I think. I love to eat while I’m doing pretty much anything: Reading. Writing. It’s bad.

I’m laughing at myself because I was super distracted writing this super short post about distractions. Coincidence? I think not.

Well that’s all for today. I hope you enjoyed this post. If you haven’t don’t forget to subscribe to relieve monthly newsletters with exclusive updates on my books!

See you all next week!

In HIS Joy,

Gabriella Slade

 

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An Interview With Sara Baysinger

[image error]Happy Monday guys!

I’m So So excited about today’s post! Why? Well It’s because today I am hosting a guest on my blog! It’s the amazing Sara Baysinger, author of The Black Tiger Trilogy and her newly released novel, The Vanishing Spark of Dusk. I’m going to be asking her some questions, and we’re going to have a lot of fun.  Plus, stay tuned at the end to enter her giveaway for a copy of The Vanishing Spark Of Dusk, a ring and a $25 gift card to Amazon. So without further ado, let’s welcome Sara Baysinger to the stage! *Cue the applause!*

About the Author:

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My name is Sara Baysinger and I write books. I was born in the heart of the Andes Mountains in Ecuador where I spent my early life exploring uncharted lands on horseback and raising chickens. I now make my home among the endless cornfields of Indiana with my husband and two children…and I still raise chickens. My dystopian novel BLACK TIGER was self-published in 2016, with books 2 & 3 published in 2017. When not getting lost in a book, I can be found gardening, devouring chocolate, and running off the sugar-high from said chocolate.

I’m currently working on an upcoming science fiction romance novel that will release with Entangled Teen, an imprint of Entangled Publishing.

Website: https://sarabaysinger.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarambaysinger

 

        Welcome Sara! It’s honestly such an honor to be able to have you as a guest on my blog. Do you want to start off by telling us a little about yourself and your books?

Thank you so much for having me! A little about myself… well, I grew up in Ecuador as a missionary kid, and now live way out in the countryside of central Indiana. I have four dogs, four cats, five chickens, and two kids.

10 Random Facts About The Soul Quester Universe

Happy Monday!

Today, we’re going to be looking at 10 fun facts about the story world where Show Me is set. If you didn’t know, my story is about Soul Questers, who are a group of elves who have a type of telepathy that runs through their blood. So today, I’m going to give you 10 random facts about my storyworld. Enjoy!

Not everyone Can become a Soul Quester: That’s right. If the level of your magic is too low, it’s not possible. Your magic could literally destroy you in the process.
It’s Illegial to own a pet fish: You read that right. I know.
The society is a combined dystopain and Steampunk world.
There are dragon farms. But you have to have a licence to adopt a dragon.
Soul Questers compare their magical imprints and questing to musical instruments.
Elves have looonng life spans.
Elves don’t need to work out to stay fit. #jealous.
Flowers are very important to this society.
There are only two seasons: Winter and Summer.
And Last of all: Bicycles are very common rides. How random.

Well those were some very random facts. I will see you next Monday. Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog!

In HIS Joy,

Gabriella Slade.

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My Plans for 2018

Happy Monday guys!!

It’s 2018! Wow that’s weird to think about. I feel like it just turned 2016 yesterday. Where does the time go?

In the past, I’ve done a yearly goals post, but this year, I want to try something a little different. I want to actually just use this post to tell you guys what I’m planning for this coming year. There are some changes I want to make to my blog posts and newsletters, as well as the types of things I post on Social media.

This is the year where I discover who I am, and what my style online is as an author and an entrepreneur.

So let’s get started.

First off, if you follow me on Instagram (which you totally should! It’s @soulquestersaga.) you would know that I asked you if you wanted bi-weekly or monthly newsletters from me, and you voted monthly, so that is what I’m giving you. I used to email my blog posts to you weekly, but if I’m honest, I struggled with keeping a schedule, so I wanted to try something a little different this year and only do newsletters, which would include links to my latest posts for that month.

So Change #1: I’m changing from blog post emails to monthly newsletters.

Next up are the things I’m posting on my blog. I still would like to do FBM’s, but I also think I want to condense my monthly goal posts with another post. If you scroll through my recent posts, you’ll see that the majority of my posts are talking about my goals, and I would much rather produce content that benefits you my readers, such as tips for writing and publishing, and more posts about my story world.

I tried keeping a schedule of what kinds of posts I did per week, but this simply wasn’t working for me like I thought it would, so now I am just going to write whatever I think is on my heart that week. And I will still continue to do Featured Book Of The Month because you guys really seem to love that. I’m not exactly sure yet what I’m going to do with my goal posts. If you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments below, and I’d love to read them.

Change #2: Lose the blog schedule and remove the monthly goal posts.

Keeping on the same subject of blogging, I would really like to do more posts themed to my story world for Show Me, such as character interviews, and virtual tours! I think this would be a really fun way for you guys to connect with my story world while you wait for the book to come out.

I’m also very interested in doing more bookish posts. Maybe theories or book hauls. Something like booktubers would do. (Which by the way, booktubing is a goal of mine in the future.)

Change #3: More bookish posts and story related posts.

Moving on to social media, I am planning on evolving the types of things I post on my social media. For example, on Instagram, I’ll be asking one of my characters a random question every Tuesday. I plan on making and sharing more quote images, like Kara Swanson, one of my favorite authors does on her Facebook, and asking questions so you guys can interact with me. If you have any suggestions for types of things to post on my social media, comment them down below. I’m open to any suggestions you might have.

Change #4: Evolve my social media posts. 

And even though I said I wasn’t doing a yearly goals post, I do want to share with you guys some of the things I would love to accomplish this coming year.  They’re in no particular order, but I hope you enjoy.

Start doing more guest posts and interviews.
Publish Show Me.
Get to 1000 followers/likes on Facebook and Instagram.
Do my first book signing/event
Buy some merch for my books and possibly start selling it.
Get the next two covers for my series fully completed and ready to go.
And last but not least: Finish the first two drafts of my second book.

Thus concludes my thoughts and changes for 2018 and my platform. I sincerely hope you enjoyed this post.

If you are new to my blog, and are not yet subscribed, be sure to do that below. You will receive monthly newsletters from me with bookish updates and sneak peaks in what’s to come.

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gabriellasladeauthor/

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In HIS Joy,

Gabriella Slade

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Featured Book Of The Month: An Interview With Erin Forbes

Happy Monday!

This is going up a bit late, but I’ve got author Erin Forbes with me today, and we’re going to chat about her and her writing life! Erin Forbes is the teen author of the Fire and Ice Series. The latest installment to the series, Fire and Ice: The Lost Dreamer, just released a couple of weeks ago. Let’s bring on in Miss Forbes now!

Welcome to my Blog, Erin! It’s so great to have you here. To start this off, why don’t you tell us about yourself?

Thank you so much for having me as a featured teen author on your blog! My name is Erin

Forbes, and I’m eighteen years old. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m the teen author

of the Fire & Ice book series. My first book, Fire & Ice: The Elementals, was published when I

was sixteen years old. My second book, Fire & Ice: The Lost Dreamer, was released on

November 25th. When my time is not occupied by writing and reading, it is spent in the world

of horses, artwork, and Irish dance. I live on a small farm in upstate New York, and I believe

nature fuels the imagination. I enjoy old-fashioned things, historical fiction films, and

speaking to my brother in Irish Gaelic.

• How long have you been writing for? Did you always know you would be an author?

I always like to say that I’ve been writing books since the age of five; after all, I created my

first story when I was in kindergarten. Although it was merely a flipbook of doodles on

construction paper, my older sister helped me write down all the words in my head. I didn’t

always know I was destined to be an author. When I was younger, my love for animals and

nature was the force that drove my aspirations as a future veterinarian, marine biologist,

Olympic show jumper, etc. I didn’t realize the full extent of my passion for literature until the

age of twelve. After years of writing intricate short stories, my journal felt like it was missing

something. The original plot of Fire & Ice: The Elementals appeared in my imagination, and I

felt that it was my duty to write the story. Much of this stemmed from the fact that the teen

section of the library was suffering from a flood of dark and depressing stories. I really

wanted to create the kind of book that I wanted to read—something inspirational and

uplifting.

• How have you grown your reading audience to what it is today?

As a self-published author, it is crucial to find your voice in the world of marketing. Although

many of my dedicated readers have stemmed from interviews such as this one, my audience

has grown so much from the use of social media. I love to blog about my experience as a

teen author, post photos of my adventures, and film videos for the Fire & Ice book series

YouTube channel.

• What lessons would you tell your past self about publishing Fire and Ice: The Elementals?

This is a difficult question. I don’t really like to dwell on the idea of changing the past.

Although an author learns so much from their first publication, almost every one of them will

tell you that their first book is a precious gem. There are many things that I have learned

from the experience. As a teenager, my writing style is always developing. Even so, my books

have been a great success, and I’m so proud of everything I’ve written.

• What do you find to be the hardest part about the whole writing/publishing process?

Writing is easy. Editing is difficult. I’m very lucky not to encounter writer’s block on a daily

basis, but it always seems to arrive when I’m frustrated with a particular scene. There are

times when you just need to close your laptop and try again later.

• What are some books that inspired your books?

The majority of my writing inspiration stems from my own life and experiences. Although

books have the power to inspire, it is important to find your own voice and unique story.

There aren’t any particular books that have inspired my series; rather, various authors have

inspired me with their use of words and imagination. C.S. Lewis, Lewis Carroll, and L.M.

Montgomery are just a few of my favorites.

• Now I always love to do something fun in my interviews, so we’re going to act some

questions themed towards Fire and Ice!

Yay! I’m ready!

• If you had an element like the characters within your series, what power do you see

yourself having?

Yes! I love this question! When you are writing a book series about teenagers with magical

power, you have enough time to think about this question. In the realm of Aisling, every

person has been Gifted with a unique magical power. Personally, I have always wanted to fly

or communicate with animals. Kade O’Reilly is one of the most popular characters in my

book series, and this is due to her extraordinary Gift of flight. Let’s be honest—everyone

wants to have a pair of wings! If I had an elemental power, it would have to be the Gift of

nature.

• Which of your characters would you want as your best friend?

If I had to pick a best friend from my cast of characters, it would always be Juniper Stone.

• Was any of your characters in the Fire and Ice books based on your own personality?

Believe it or not, this has been a very common question in my previous interviews. People

always want to know if the Fire & Ice book series characters are inspired by real individuals.

Truthfully, yes! Several of the Gifted people are inspired by traits and personalities that I

have discovered in real people. Even so, their identities will never be revealed. Why? Well,

the characters are creations of my imagination—although they share the features of several

living people, they are entirely separate individuals. The character often speaks or acts in a

different way than the person who inspired their creation.

Several pieces of my personality have been implanted into the characters of the Four

Elementals. Although they are not like me entirely, a part of my soul has been crafted into

their words, appearances, expressions, thoughts, and actions. After all, writing is a form of

self-expression.

• How many books to you plan to have in the Fire and Ice Series? Will you continue to

expand in the universe in the future with prequel/sequel series?

The Fire & Ice Book Series will probably have a total of four books, although I haven’t quite

settled on the idea. Perhaps it will be longer. My imagination will be my guide. When the Fire

& Ice book series is complete, I will certainly continue to write about the realm of Aisling in

another series.

• If Alice could try any fast food restaurant here, which one do you think she would like best,

if any?

This is a very funny question, especially since my family is vegetarian and we don’t eat much

fast food. If we can consider Starbucks a fast food restaurant, I’m sure it would be Alice’s

favorite. Like me, she has a serious tea addiction.

• Well thank you soo much Erin for hanging out with me and answering all my crazy

questions!

• You can find out more about the Fire & Ice Book Series on www.fireandicebookseries.com.

All of my books are available for purchase on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and you can

special order them at your local bookstore.

 

Erin’s Social Media

Instagram – @fireandicebookseries and @erinforbesauthor

Facebook – @fireandicebookseries

Twitter – @erinforbes99

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

 

In HIS Joy,

Gabriella Slade

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