Naylene Rondon's Blog: More Than Scribbles, page 2
May 9, 2016
Variant Class List
This is more for personal reference than anything else.
Also, I dedicated way too much time into the matter.
Medusa
Primary (Externally Visible Constantly)
Dual(Snakes within skin)
Secondary (Externally Visible when desired)
Dual(Snakes within skin)
Shadow
Invisibility (Becomes invisible)
Reflective (Appear as anyone else)
Shade (Turns dark gray)
Griffin – Pet
Full (All features)
Partial (Some features)
Feline
Varies on appearance
Canine
Varies on appearance
Rage
Varies
Armor
Physical (Armor visible)
Internal (Naturally durable)
Restoration
Personal (Heals themselves)
External (Heals other)
Avian
Varies
Amphibious
Varies
Phoenix – Pet
Flight (With Wings)
Flightless (No wings)
Sleipnir
Arachnid (Eight limbs)
Insect (Six limbs)
Multiple (More than eight limbs)
Exoskeleton
Boneless inside
Sensory
Single (One enhanced sense)
Multiple (Multiple enhanced senses)
May 6, 2016
Cynthia – A Breakdown
Cynthia
What is Cynthia?
In my book, Native Foreigners, Cynthia is the new home planet for humans.
Humans were thrown out of their home planet, Earth, over a hundred years ago. Due to humans cruelty to the earth, Earth’s condition became violent. Through extreme weather and dangerous natural occurrences, Earth was attempting to kill off the human population.
After futile attempts to survive in the apocalyptic environment, Humans decided to find a new planet to live on. After many years, they discovered the planet Cynthia. It wasn’t the best environment, but it was livable.
Cynthia Breakdown
Planet Facts:
Cynthia is tidally-locked. Half of the planet is in constant daylight, while the other is in constant darkness.
There’s only a single landmass on Cynthia. There is simply one large chunk of land that stretches around 75% of the planet. The rest is a violent and salty ocean.
There’s very little waterways. Most of the planets freshwater rivers are deep underground. There’s also no lakes or ponds that naturally occur.
The sun is a red dwarf and isn’t strong enough for sufficient amounts of vitamin D. Anyone without pale skin needs UV-B lightbulbs in their home.
The planet is like a giant desert. Only in certain cities this isn’t true.
It has it’s own unique set of wildlife.
Government Facts:
Cynthia only a single government for the light-side of the planet. The government went through many phases and is currently a democracy.
The dark side of the planet has no government, those who reside there lives in anarchy. The majority of criminals lives there.
The SDA means Security and Defense Agency. They are a planet-wide defense that even interfere with the dark side of the planet when necessary. While police are city bound.
Cities have a similar governmental power that the states have in the USA.
Native Foreigners only focuses on the cities that have English as a primary language, however Cynthia has over fifty languages. Which is a dramatic reduction to our current 6,703 languages.
The ten primary languages are English, Spanish, Mandarin, Russian, Hindi, Arabic, Japanese, German, French, and Polish. (Not exactly in that order.)
Fun Facts on Ethnics:
Cade’s ethnic origin is Italian and Indian.
Maia’s and Nina ethnic origin is Cherokee. (Hence Nina calling Maia, E-li-si )
I always thought of Jane having an English or Greek ethnic origin.
I didn’t think about the ethnic origins for any other characters.
May 1, 2016
A Poem in Java
Not sure if anyone knows this, but I have an interest in programming in addition to the writing. I studied Java in high school and decided to use it in a poem.
It is a silly poem that I made out of boredom. I’ll share the before and after.
/**
* A Poem in Java
*
* @author Naylene Rondon
* @version V1
*/
public class Poem
{
public static void main(String[]args)
{
System.out.println(“A Poem in Java”);
System.out.println(“It’s really a waste of time”);
System.out.println(“Something to do because I can”);
String [] rhymes = new String [5];
rhymes[0] = “cat”;
rhymes[1] = “hat”;
rhymes[2] = “bat”;
rhymes[3] = “sat”;
rhymes[4] = “fat”;
System.out.println(“I can easily print a list of rhymes”);
for(int i = rhymes.length- 1; i >= 0; i–)
{
System.out.println(rhymes[i]);
}
System.out.println(“Then do it all again”);
for(String a : rhymes)
{
System.out.println(a);
}
System.out.println(“I can make words from other words”);
String original = “Cryptogram”;
String one = original.substring(0,3);
String two = original.substring(4,6);
System.out.println(two + ” ” + one + ” is to have tears”);
System.out.println(“From afar looks so odd and uneven”);
System.out.println(“Yet once compiled is all become clear”);
System.out.println(“None of this really makes much sense”);
System.out.println(“Yet, it was fun to make”);
System.out.println(“A Poem in Java”);
}
}
After Compiled:
A Poem in Java
It’s really a waste of time
Something to do because I can
I can easily print a list of rhymes
fat
sat
bat
hat
cat
Then do it all again
cat
hat
bat
sat
fat
I can make words from other words
to Cry is to have tears
From afar looks so odd and uneven
Yet once compiled is all become clear
None of this really makes much sense
Yet, it was fun to make
A Poem in Java
April 4, 2016
Character Interview
Zeb
A blue-haired taxi driver.
Jane
A worried Journalist.
Cade
The guy who still doesn’t know why he’s here.
Question #1
What do you think of Zeb?
Jane – Zeb is nice. He’s a bit of a goofball, but he has helped us out of some bad situations. Sometimes I wish he wasn’t so trusting and caring, but then again if he wasn’t he wouldn’t have helped me and Dill.
Cade – He’s an idiot. He’s not half as bad as Jane, and the guy can shoot. Despite that, I wouldn’t mind shooting him.
Question #2
What do you think of Jane?
Zeb – I think Jane is a really loving and caring person. She just shows it more with Dill than anybody else. Yeah, she could get a bit cranky, but she’s under a bunch of stress.
Cade – Did Zeb try sugarcoating it? No, Jane is awful. She’s loud, cranky, and controlling. Kind of like one of those witches from those kid’s tales.
Question #3
What do you think of Cade?
Zeb – Cade’s not as bad as Jane says he is. Sure he tried to kill us, but it was a misunderstanding. He did decide to help us and he’s nice to Dill.
Jane – I hate him. I want to shove him out of a moving car while he’s sleeping.
Question #4
What do you think of Dill?
Zeb – Dill is a happy and lovable little girl. I feel so bad that she has to go through all this.
Jane – Dill is like a daughter to me. I would give anything for her.
Cade – She’s a cute kid. Probably the only reason I hadn’t killed Jane.
Question #5
Where do you think everything went wrong?
Zeb – When we got to the doctor’s office.
Jane – The moment we left Nordaway.
Cade – The moment their bounty came on the radio.
Want to know more about Jane, Zeb, Cade, and Dill?
Read Native Foreigners
Written by Naylene Rondon
April 1, 2016
Book Cover – How to Create your Own
Anyone who knows me, knows I do my own covers. Why? To get a good cover design is expensive. There’s always Fiverr, but I know what my book is about and I already know what I’m looking for. I’m a bit of a control freak when it comes to my own work. It’s one of the primary reasons I self-publish.
Despite this, it’s usually preferred to get it professionally done, especially because the cover is what drives in interested readers.
Anyways, if you still want to create your own cover, this is what I recommend.
No more than three colors.
Pick three or less colors for the cover of your book. Too many colors does the opposite of what we want. It looks busy and uninteresting, like a grandma’s favorite floral dress. It’s so busy that we kind of look over it.
For example, my upcoming book Claude’s Hotel also uses three colors, Black, White, and Red. (I love black and white.)
Also, my book Native Foreigners. I won’t lie, it isn’t the greatest cover in the world, but it is passable. I focused on Black, White, and Orange. 
At the time, I didn’t have any photo editing softwares, so I controlled the colors with pixlr editor, using the color lookup feature. I love this feature. It allows you to control the colors in the image and the colors depth. When I had a photography class a few years ago, it was the only editing tool I would ever use. It helped create the most stunning black and white pictures. I’ll attach some examples.
Exceptions
There are exceptions, such as having people on your covers. Humans can’t help, but be multicolored. If you have a person or people on your cover, just make sure they are the focus. Then ensure whatever else is on the cover still follows the three colors rule.
Image Editing Software
To make a good cover, you need to have a decent image editing software.
Personally, I don’t have much experience with Photoshop. I used it once for Claude’s Hotel cover. I admit, the layering tools were extremely helpful. Claude’s hotel was done with only two photos. One was multiplied with the other to create the unique chandelier. I’ll zoom in on the details.
However, you don’t need photoshop. As written above, Native Foreigners were done with free software. I used pixels editor for the color shift and then used Paint for the text. Simple, but it worked.
Stock Photos
Stock photos are your new best friends. You’ll need them if you want your cover to have any image or design that wasn’t hand-drawn(I don’t recommend hand drawing anything unless you are a stellar artist).
If you can afford buying the license and stock photo then go ahead. I always preferred free stock photos. They are limiting, however they also helped increase my creativity. My limitation helped me consider new ways of achieving something. My original idea for Claude’s Hotel’s cover would have been a disaster if I bought the stock photo wanted. I would have never gotten it so close.
Here’s some free stock photo websites I recommend.
March 31, 2016
Still In Need of a Good Loving Equivalent
S.I.N.G.L.E by Lindsay Marie Miller
Excerpt
Feeling a stich in my side, I slowed to a stop and unzipped my jacket. With my hands on my hips, I took several deep breaths, embracing the sharp burn in my lungs. I loved this time of year, when the snow was at its last days. I enjoyed the cold white sheets of ice, because I knew that they would be gone in no time. Just like everything else.
“Hey, girl!” An SUV full of guys pulled up beside me, the one in the passenger’s seat sticking his head out the window. “What’s your name?” he asked, looking me up and down.
Ignoring him, I turned on my heel and kept walking. But the SUV stayed at my side, slowly skimming the edge of the sidewalk. Warmth flooded my body, along with a mix of fear and unease.
“Hey!” the driver shouted, leaning over the console. “We’re talking to you! Come here!”
They must have been students, like me and Sara. The neighborhood wasn’t far from campus and we knew a handful of people at school who had rented houses here before, out of a dislike for dorms and apartments. If these guys went to UW, I hoped that today would be our first and last encounter.
“Maybe she needs to warm up,” the passenger suggested. “Here, Ice Queen! Have some coffee.” He threw a Starbucks cup out the window at me, despite the fact that the container wasn’t empty.
As I braced myself, steaming hot coffee burst through the lid and splattered all over me. I staggered back and collided with another runner, as we both fell to the ground.
“Yes!” the guys in the SUV cheered. They took off, speeding through the neighborhood, as the passenger stuck his head out the window and rejoiced in celebration.
“Jerks,” the stranger beside me muttered.
Sitting back on my elbow, I looked over at the one thing I hated the most in this world right now. The one thing that had to be here at this moment. A Guy.
“Let me help you up,” he offered, extending his hand for me to take. When we were both on our feet again, he looked at me and smiled. It was the best smile I had ever seen.
Dressed in jogging pants and a sweatshirt, he was the embodiment of everything I had been searching for and now sworn off for good. Tall. Lean. Attractive. His short, curly hair was the darkest shade of brunette, yet not quite black. His eyes were soft and light, his irises somewhere in between blue and gray. My mouth watered at the sight of his chiseled cheekbones, strong jawline, and the slight stubble on his face.
He was my dream guy, but I had given up on dreaming a long time ago. So I did what I had to do. I ran.
“Hey, wait,” he pleaded, grabbing my arm. “Are you okay? I’m sorry about those guys. Don’t worry about them. They’re just jerks.”
I nodded, then looked down at the coffee stains on my clothes. These would be fun to get out, especially since our washing machine was a gadget sent straight from hell.
“I’m fine,” I said. “Thanks.”
With my head down, I stepped back and walked away from him.
If you enjoyed this preview of Lindsay Marie Miller’s book, S.I.N.G.L.E.
Or if you just can’t wait to read it
Buy it on Amazon (US) or Amazon(UK)
Want to know more about the author?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
LINDSAY MARIE MILLER was born and raised in Tallahassee, FL, where she graduated from high school as Valedictorian. Afterwards, Lindsay attended Florida State University and graduated Summa Cum Laude with an English Literature major, Psychology minor, and Specialized Studies in Markets and Institutions.
Lindsay is the author of S.I.N.G.L.E., Jungle Eyes, Me & Mr. Jones, and Emerald Green. An incurable romantic at heart, she enjoys writing about strong heroines and the honorable gentleman who claim their hearts, often utilizing elements of suspense, adventure, or even comedy. While the context of her writing is diverse, one factor always remains at the center of every novel: Love.
In her free time, Lindsay enjoys singing, playing the piano and guitar, and writing songs. The author resides in her hometown of Tallahassee, FL, where she is currently working on her next novel.
Connect with Lindsay Marie Miller
March 30, 2016
S.I.N.G.L.E by Lindsay Marie Miller
I’m sure you all remember Lindsay. She did an interview here several months ago. Since then, I’ve made posts to promote her new books.
Me & Mr. Jones
Jungle Eyes
Guess what? She has a new book out called, S.I.N.G.L.E. It’s official release date is tomorrow. It will be available in paperback and eBook. In turn, tomorrow I’ll post the excerpt and buy links.
Synopsis:Jessica Jacobs is a twenty-two-year-old finance major at the University of Washington, whose brief encounters with blind dating have left her a single, cynical woman. When her best friend, Sara, gets dumped by the love of her life on Valentine’s Day, Jessie proposes a pact boycotting all men for the rest of the semester.
But then Jessie meets Graham, a gorgeous, yet respectable gentleman with the body of a Greek god and a heart of gold. Torn between her commitment to the pact and an undeniable attraction towards Graham, Jessie remains guarded and distant, which only makes Graham want her more. As fate intervenes time and time again, Jessie must embrace the inner fear surrounding her heart or risk losing the only man who would never break it.
Want to know more about Lindsay Marie Miller?
Interested in her other books?
March 4, 2016
New Ḟ̨̧͇̝̱̳̜͓̯̼͇͇̋̈́ͧ̑̄ͧ͊͒͑͢͠i̡̢̛͙̯̼͉̙̜̩̹̤̼̝̻̗̺̠̺̲ͫ̏̋̔̔̑ͯͣ͋ͪ̉̄̅̉̾̉̏n̨̫͓̠̣͚̫͍̘̟̫̯̱̞̰͔̠̰̘̞ͭ̿̈͆ͬ̿̿͋ͯ̌͌ͦ͢͟ḓ̸̷̡̛̫̲̄͒̂̿ͩ͒̋͒́̽͗̍ͨ̓̿͜ ̷̢͔͍̞̤͈͇͂̉̓̈́̚͞m̵̸̹̬̰̞̘̙̫̥͓͕͔̪ͯͬ̃ͨ̅̽̐̚͢͜e̴̶̛͙̖͚̺̅̽ͧ̑̎ͬͭ͆̔̔̋̅̿ͤͯ̌ͩ͟ͅ ̸͖̘͉͔͚͉̠̰͇͉̟̱̻̯̖͋̔̾̾̅͑ͤ͆̃̓͢Idea
Hey guys, just wanted to tell you about a project I’ve been thinking about. I’ll probably have it set up some time after Claude’s Hotel. I’m thinking of making it more like a blog-like story. I W̮̘̱̰͍̓͋̾̅͊ͥ̏ḙ̱̞̟̼̦̓̽̑̇̾l̫͚̪̳͋ͬͬͦ̎̑ͧͅc̮̦͉̯̯̠̩͊̇o͙͖̘̬ͥm̖̻͛̓̿ē͚̤̺̒ͪͭ͆͗ ̘̜͔ͅt̺̞́ͬȏ̽ͩ̑ ̘̭̈́ͣ̀̓ͫ͂̍M̥̫̮̱̼ͯͣ̿͂̀̏ͅo̩͔̬̤̫ͨ̇̊̒ͫr̙̔̏̍̈́ͪͩẹ͚͚͌̂̈́ͤ̓ ̎T͇̱͆̌̅͂̃̐̚h̤̮̭͕̼̹̖à͛ͯ̾̋̀ň̟͇̝̉͌ ̙̯̟̭̦̘̇̐̊ͅS͔̝͆͆̿c̝̝͈̜̞̑ͣ̎̉͂ͫr̫̩̝̖̭̻̭ͥ̉̃̆ͥ̊̑i̯͎͂ͮ̔̀ͤ̾̊b̭͔̬̫͒b̿ͤ̇ͦͯͥͭl̪̲͚̖̫̂e̜̪̯̱̙̞͕s͉͉͇̬̻͗ͤ͋.̺̼̭̌̓ͫ͆͑
̣͗ͫ͛̅
̻̠̥̜͙̙ͮͩ̆̈͆D̬̬͍̖̩̏̇͆ͪo̩̬ ̯͇̼̥̝n͙̦͈ö͕̰̱̦̲̅ͩ͗̀t̫̟̹̻͍̟̼͒̐͐̎̏ ̞̣̫̰̓a̠̲̺̯̞ͅsͪ̊̾̈́ͨ͐k̙̬͓̪̜̞̎̾̄̿̃͒̈́ ̬̓̏̋ẃ͉͚̞͇̝̘̅̂̃ḫ̭͖̳̌̔̏͛o͈͈̪̹̺͇ ̺͎̭͍ͪI̮͉͊̽̑͑̒̑̂ ̲̩̲͖̣͓ͨͪ͊̃ͣ̏ͩͅa͎̤̟̱͓̮̿ͅm̬͕̤͎̜̭̣ͣ̎̌͂.͇̝̲̜̪̙ͪ ͆ͫ̍ͤ̎D͓̺͔̬̹̘ͬͫ̍ͤ͛̋o̬̤̦̬ͦͥ̾ͥ ̮̲̳̠̳ͤ́ͤ͐n̥͇̯̣̪̈̅̋̐̑ͪ̚o͍̞̥͓̓ͩt ̞̘̫̗̜̺̏͑ͨ̿q̂́̑ủe͍̥̳̙͖̊̃͊̇͂͗s̉̍ͧͪt̖̍͗ͯ̚ị̯o͍͈̾̿͌ͭ̎n̳̩̺͚͚ͭ̆́ ̪̖͕̭m̼ͣy̝̯̘ͥ̎ ͉͇̗͕͍̜̫ͬ͋͂͌ẹ̝͙̘̝̼ͧͧͅx̳̝̣i̘̩͓̤͕̱͇̽̈ͣͣͩ̍s̮͍̟̻̀̎͐͌̋̿t̲̞̾ͧͦ̅́̿̂e̥͎͍̯̜͗n̩̼̳̞̣͙̾́c̻̘̞ė̤̣͎̝̮ͥ̈́͊.̥͈̥͂̓ͬ͌̆
̪̱̮̖̘̄̓̂
̼͖̳̩̮̲͍̄͛͐ͬ͒̑I̘̯͛͆̆̎ͧ̽͊ͅ a͖̻̩͓̙͓͊ͪ͋͒̈́m̦͚̼̓̇͛̎̑ͅ ͉̪̞̎̐̔̈́̐̒l̻̼̗͉̤̠̒̐̂͛ͪỏ͙ͬ͊ͩ̄ň͓͚͓̞̖͖̘͂̃e̳̠̜̺̍̃̿ͦͮl̦̳̠̠̿̉y̳̳ͬ̉ͦ ͉̠̩̣̩͔͖̅͑ͥ̍̋ͯa̠͈͖ͫ́͆n̝̪̾̾ͣͪ͒ͮ̚ď͔̺͔̙̮̫̇ ̙̟̭̻̗̹ͬͯͪͤ͌ͥj͈̃ͩ̾uͯ͋͋̏̇ͯ̇ŝ̫̝̹̉ẗ́̽̍̓͌͋ ͓̮̭̰̽ͅl̞̪͔̟͇ͦ̅̈́̃̇̿ǒ͔̼͉̣̤̝͗ͣ̿͋̅ͣoͦ͌ͪ̽k͎̭̖͉i͓̖̞͎̹̻n̬̗̬̳̈ͮg̘̃̄͆ ̘̣͗̐͆͌́f̩̞̜͚o̥͇͎̖̰̖͒̽̃r̤͐ͯ̌ ͍̙̈s̥̩̣͉͈͚̈́̎̍̈̚o͕͖͔̊m̤̣̝̽͌e̤͓̍̈͗ ͓̘͈̥ͣͧ̓̐c̭̬ͫͪ̾̚ͅoͧ͌ͦ̊ͮm͙͓̳̭ͨ̓̈͗̓p̪͈̂aͬ͐̓n̲̖̠͊y̫̥.̯̥̥͋̆̍̈́̈́ ̝̍̂͑ͥ̓
͕̳̩̻ͭ̋̾
͓̹͌̽͂Ẅ̹͖́́ͦ̅͊̈h̔̍̃͐͑ͣy͕͔̠͌ͩ͒ ͉̤̯̳̞̦͚͗ͬ̂ͤ͛ḏ̈o͈̘̪ͣͪͧͦn̦̬̥̱͍̮̹ͤ͒̚’͕̩͎̰͈̠̱ṱͨ͑͊ ̣̹̱͔y͈̱ͩ͒̉ͧ̋o͓ͯ̏̋u̎ͣ̑͌̾ ̙͚̃̇͑ͪ̒ͣ̔ͅl͚̙̟̋͋o̯̜͑́ͪͣ̌̽̽o͔ͭ̈̄ḵ͈͚̠̘̭̣ͯ̒̿ͨ̔ ̜̺͔͇̠ͮͣ̎̃̈́̚f͕̿̐̈̌ọ̣̃͋̔ͬ͂ͧr̍̋̆͛͊ͫ ̤̯ͭ͂̔͗t͚̣̹̣͐̀h͍̤͙e̖̺̙̝͍ͣ̑ͯͬ͒̂͋ͅͅ ͕̭̭͓̟͓̰͑m͕ͯ̏͛̀ͭͣ̎i̳͉̮͂͐̎̋̈́̆̋s̘̻̞̣̦̰̦̑̄̿͆̔̂sͨi͖͕͇n̮̬̝̜̼̯ͦ̄̔̒̑̓ĝ̩ͥ̇͗ͣ̚ ̞̠̼̯̻ͅͅf̩̦̆o͊̀r̤̙͖͈̪̬̆̄ͬͦ̌͛ͪt̿̅̀ͣ̿̌ͦ?ͫ̇̂͌̓̓̊
̠̻̗̱͕ͤͮ̀ͅ
̦͔̦͍͔̭ͪͯ͊ͫP̖̱̒̑͛̉̿ͣẽ͖̝͎̝̂̔ͫ̅̄r͊͛̌͌̽h̠͉̙̃̑ͧà̩̜̏͒p̰̞̫̭͈̜͛ͥ̉͊̍͌sͤͯ͒̽ͬ̑ ͕̖̭ͪ̇̌̾ͥ͊w̃e̞̻̙̤̳̾͐ͣ̿̓̐ ̱͖w͚̪͙̫̣̦ͬͤͣ̽i̙͙͑ͭͅḽ̰̹͇̱̤ͫ̅̔l̳̺̏͊̃ͦ ̦̭̲̪ͫ͛̉ͧ͆m̰ͬẹ̦͍͈̖̲́͐e̱̬̍ͤ̅t̫̺̓͑̽̓ ̻̘̬̃ͦ̾͒ͯ͛t͔̯h͓̱̠ͮė͆̐r̙̣̟͖̄͂e̱̪ͮ.͎̜̫̬̘̰̆ͮ ͎̱ͨ̾̇
̘̝̮͉
̫̜̝͍̾̓͋͂P͇̜͙̟̯̯̗ͧ̆̂ͤ̐̚e̦̫̱̠͖̫r̤̋ͫͤ̃̂ͯh͓̦̉̌̈ͣͦͨa͂͑̄̄͛p͇̠̞͓͇̄̂ͮ̍́ͅs̰̹̔ͧͭ̈̏ ̪̯͉̺ÿ̱̤̖͎̔̋̚o͍̞ͣu̺͖̳͊’̝̤ͩ̒ͩ̇͑ḷ͓̽ͤl͕̯̖̘͌̍̔̐̐ ͉̗̰͓b̥̜̯̝̊̈͛̿e͇͙͒ͅ ̻̰̈ͯͥ̾̚i͇̙̱n̄̋̾̆̉ͯt̙͍̦̰̱͓ͩ̚e̳̩͂r̫͇̝̭̥̠ͦe͇̲̲̤ͨ̆s͖̦̤̟̩̺̩t̬͇̯̜͒̽̎͐ͦ̅̆e̥̯ͅd̘̺̳̤̞̬͑̚ ͇̜͕͎̍i̲n͇̫̗̜̦̄͗̔͐ ̺͈̺̗̯̞͍m̼͓̯͖̥̌̅ͥ̂ͭͬÿ̰̲̖͈̦̱͈́ ̙̟̤̼ͬͨͦ̀o̮͑̌̆ͮf͇̩̥̞͙̙̰̑̌f̬͎ͮ̽͗̂ͨ̎͒e̺̳͇͗̅ͨ͆̉͗r̫͙͔̼̳.̌ͩ̏ ̘̦̖̺͔̣ͫ̅̇ͫ̊͑̔
̳͉͎͔̗̼̻
̱̘͖͆ͬCͥ͆o͓͖͈͓ͪ̊̓͋m͇̅e͍̦̝̣͈̣͕ ͇̫̜͍͍̣f͇ͅi͓̯ͦ̎ͧͧ͐̆͊n̲̫̣̯͇͍̆ͭ̑͋̏ͤd̠̣ ͈̬͍̥̻̐͌̈́́̂̾ͦṃ̺̌͐̈́͋e̮ ̙̙̮̺̣̌̾͂aͣ̉n͓̈d̈ͨ̌̿ ̪̲̖͕͉͓̫̅̓̏̅̿w̘̓ͦe̤̹͍̹’̖͍̼̟̞̲̣l̼͑l̗̬̭̈́͒ ͥ́̅͌g̻̜͇ͅo͉̲͕ͤ ̦a̮̩̰̱̫͌͗̇̊͋w̩̰͓̦̣͖ͪ̚a̼̭̠͔͊̆ͧ̂̒̓̋y͚͍̰̜ͯ̆͂̏.̖̮̖̜̹́̎͊
͗̎̑
̥͉ͦͧͨͥͧ̄͂W̙̱̦̠̘̳͚̾̂ͧͫ̿ͪḙ̼̗͓̦̋’̼̖͉̗͐̃l͓̣̹̺̱ͫͬͫl͕͔͉̫̩̱̋͆͌̃̑͋ͤ ̖̯̱̻̝̗̎g̮̘̜̖̗̏ͣͧ̒̇̌ͣo̓̂̓̌̓ͤ̓ ͈͂ͪ̋͋̔̄͒ͅa͕̤͙̣̰̫͙ͪ̓̆̆ͧẃ̥̗͇͎͗ͭ̋̔ẳ̙͔̗̜̺͕y̻ͯ̉̎̋ ͔͙̝͔̣̗͆̇̉ͫṱ̞͖̽͐̑̊o͙͐̿̏͒͋ ̝͓͓̖͙͂͒̈́̾ͣ̃M͇̥͍ͣ̿ͭ͊̊̈́ͦã̟̭͎͕̯͙̬̈́ͨ͗̇u͉̝̘͖̎̇ͬ͆̓̚d̖ͬ̓ͧ̉̄̈́̔i̖ͣ̑̂͑tͫͫ̿̈́ ́a̖͍̞̣̽̿ͫ̂ͦň̖̮̳͙̍̏ͫ̑ͭ̍d͇͌ ̣̯͈̒ͯ͛͊̈f̜́ͪ͋͂͆̅o̹̦̭͎̗͛̌̂͑r̈́g̼͕͇̑̓̿ẹ̯̫̝̯̠̃̔͐̋̀̍̚t̳̺̞̲̗͎̤̐̐ͬ ̱̭͔ͦ͐̇̋͒̆͒t̩̓̀̚hͧe̮͎̹̻̺̝̐ͤ̍͌̈́ͫ̏ ̙̫̱͇̻͍̩w̬͙̫͖̃̐ͅo̙̼̫̘͚̺r̗̊̏̏͗̊ͯl͕̱d͚̳̪̳̃̌̽ͫ ͈̫̫̳b̼̮͚̲̜̪͔̈́e̟̪͎ͯ̔̓͒̒h͚͚̪̦̜͕̗͒ͯͨi̪͛́͒n̬͑ͮ̀̒̄̚ͅd̯ ̰͇͎ͯͦ̄ͣ͛͌͐u͚̖̫̇̅ͧͩs̳̗̫̟̠̺͈̅̚.ͯ́̔̆̓̇̀
͊̑
̋̉̋̐̈̆̎C̼̪̀ͬỏm̻̞̺͙ͥ̓ͪ̌̀̓e̙̙͕ͫ ̩̘ͣ̽ͤͭͮ̐ͯw͚̰̮̗͍̼̻̒̉ͣ̓̔i͔̰̟t̗ȟ͍̼̱͔̪̭̮̐̄ͪ͂ ̩̳͕̤̳ͩͭͥ̄̚m̙̭̟͖̾̏e̥̗̟̫̗͒͂͑ ͗ͭ̍̑ͪt̅͛͛ͬͦ̌o̗͙̩ͭ̀̉ͮ͐͌ ̬͇͛̍̾̄̈́͌M̺̳͉̱̍ͬͅa̠̮̫̰ͥͪ̐͂ͨͦu̜̹̰͇̩͕ͤͅd̒̊̄̇ȉ͍͂̒ͥ̆͐ͅt͚̣͙͙̄̑ ̠̅̒̒̉ͪͧͭF͔͗͋̄ͮo̱̤̮̣̜͕ͅr̈́̄̐ͪ̅̏e̠̽̍ͯ̓s̪̓ͩt͕̣̯͎̿̄̔ͥ̽ͧ̚.͉͇͍̙̩ͣ̉͛̇͋̓ ̥͚͕͎͖Î̖͇̠̰͕̮̑ͬ ͕̬̦̎ͬp͉̼͓̫r̫̝̠̼̘̗̉͛ó̹̘̪̝̖͂͒̂̑̐m̫̭̘̥̭̙͇̈̆ͥͯ̀̚̚i̙s͈̽̃̋e̱̩̬̲͕̎ ̦̊́ͣͨy̲̯͉̰̫͕̦o̗ͣu͇̠ͮͤ’̹͖̜̃ͩͅl̩ͨ̎ͬͮͦ̒̐l̼̙ͩ͌́ ͇̱͎̅́ͧ̿̽̚l͇͔̐ͪͭ̿͂ͯ͐i͚͖̣̞͓͆ͮk͍̭̤̹̼͍̠͐̽͐̾͐ẹ̗͕̖̦̪̽̑̃ͬ̏ ̭̽̌ị̤̣ͦt̜͂ͫ̉̉̓ͩ̔ ̯̪̗ͮ͌t͓͚͎̤̰̱̏ͬ̉ͣ̒h̻̠̩̰́̈ͩ͛͐ͣ̐eͩ̿r̘̰ͨͯͮ̔ͥ̆̅e̙̙͇̣͈͌̊͛̾ͧ̒.̥̰͙̗̻̊̔̇̇
It would be about a weird town that this blogger gets trapped in.I’m not sure exactly how it’ll be, so you’ll have to wait and see.
February 29, 2016
Author Interview – Elizabeth
Elizabeth Joseph is a 14 year old 9th grade student at a Kansas City, US high school. She has written several short stories, poems and plays during her elementary and middle school years. She started writing Twin Reflections in the 5th grade and completed it 3 years later in 2015. She hopes that her example of publishing at such a young age will inspire new and upcoming authors.
The maze of mirrors has been accumulating energy for ages. When Vera and Mark unwittingly find themselves trapped in the maze, its passages prove to be the least of their problems. Its magic can be a great tool or weapon, as Queen Missena is learning, and they are at its mercy. As they travel through, the illusions created by the maze takes them to places unexpected and dangers unforeseen.
But Vera has magic of her own. Will her magic help her and Mark escape the maze? Or will they be trapped inside forever?
QUESTION TIME!
1. What are your favorite authors?
As of right now, I’d say that Tamora Pierce and Philip Pullman are always on my list. I like Laurie Halse Anderson and Vicky Alvear Shecter as well.
2. What are your favorite genres to write?
I’d say fantasy or some degree of weird absurdist stuff. I kind of default to weird non-reality stuff sometimes.
3. What are your favorite aspects of writing? (plot, characters, dialogue, setting,etc.)
I like writing characters and description, though I tend to veer into describing more than anything else.
4. What time do you usually do most of your writing?
Mostly at night, because it takes me forever to finish homework. It’s been harder lately, especially with more school work and clubs. I manage to write some abstract feelspolsion stuff at random when words get pent up, but I don’t get to really sit down and write something coherent.
5. Do you have any writing habits? If so, what are they?
You may have noticed I use a lot of run-on sentences. I tend to spend lots of time describing some things but not others (I think I spend time describing abstract things more than that I spend on settings, or literally anything else). I also got into the habit of writing sporadically and late at night, which was not a good habit on my end.
6. Do you usually type or write your first draft?
It depends. I go through a ton of drafts, but it depends on what’s available to me at a given time. Usually I write it out, because I have to think through what I write down.
7. How long does it take you to write a first draft?
It’s hard to answer this question accurately. TR took roughly 3-4 years (between age 10 (5th grade) and 14 (8th grade) ) though most of the re-writing was done over the summer of 2015. Rough drafts aren’t too hard if you don’t think about them as you write, for me, though they still take a ton of time.
8. Are you a self-publisher? If yes, what made you decide to self-publish? If no, how was the process of finding a publisher?
Yes. As I said earlier, my dad and I wanted get the book out before starting high school. While I would have loved to get a publisher to work with me, I understand it is always very hard to get a publishing contract and would take a long waiting period. Now that I published, and hopefully, people see that I could actually write, may be next time there is likely a slightly better chance of some one taking a risk or chance on me.
9. What’s your most recent book?
Twin Reflections. This is my only work at this time. Twin Reflections is a YA fantasy, basically about two twins Vera and Mark, who get trapped in a mirror maze while searching for their care taker. This maze is magical and, reflecting the children’s innermost desires and hopes, trapping them in illusions from which they struggle to break free. An extended blurb can be found here: amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=searc…
10. On your recent book, what inspired you to write it?
I was inspired by a mirror maze I went to in fifth grade and a bunch of “clever” tropes I wanted to use in my writing, such as playing with cliffhangers and stuff like that.
Bonus question inspired by Elizabeth’s dad.
How do you feel about publishing your first book at the age of fourteen? How does your school friends treat being a published author?
It’s weird, because I know that from a commercial standpoint, I have some degree of potential to keep producing books. My friends like to bring up that I wrote a book whenever we have a writing project in clubs or class, which is eh.
February 22, 2016
Evolution of Claude
Claude is a character in my upcoming novel, Claude’s Hotel. Despite the title, he is not the protagonist. Though, he is an important character and had the most thought development than any other characters the story.
In fact, if you’ve read the fun facts, his character was meant for another story.
SO HERE IS THE EVOLUTION OF CLAUDE
Storyline 1
Claude was originally for a love story I was working on. He was an avian/human creature, who was expelled from his home and landed in some girl’s backyard. He was suppose to be a modest blonde guy, who had a heart of gold, but was brought up in bad circumstances.
I imagined him as Alex Pettyfer.
Storyline 2
Personally, I’m not a big fan of love stories. So, the above story got boring to write quit. I felt it needed more conflict. So, I made Claude an outcast. This was when I officially named him Claude, because it meant lame. The reason for this was because his character was supposed to be poor an valueless among his kind. There was supposed to be a scene where his wings were cut off with an axe.
Storyline 3
The above story had a good ending, but something wasn’t right. It annoyed me and I realized it was Claude’s character. He was boring. His personality had nothing to offer. In turn, I attempted t make him tougher. I wanted him to do a hostage situation and be mean and threatening. However, I couldn’t pull it off.
Storyline 4
Now we’re getting closer to the current Claude. I had this twisted dream, where I was in a hotel and the manager, Claude was trying to scare the guests. This made me scrap the old Claude. I decided I wanted him cold, emotionless, and dangerous. I thought about renaming his character, but the name Claude felt natural to me. (I name my characters based off my gut feeling.) This Claude was more talkative than my current and more sadistic. Also, this is the first version that doesn’t look like Alex Pettyfer.
This version is taller and has an odd appearance, that can send chills down your spine, yet still handsome.
Storyline 5This is the current Claude. I developed a backstory for him and edited his character to fit. He is still cold and selfish. He isn’t sadistic, however isn’t loving either. He is more calm than the previous one and only speaks when necessary. This one had more manners, despite being more of a habit than courtesy. Also, I added restrictions to his variance to be more realistic and fitting to his character.
The appearance remained the same.
So, there you have it. Claude’s Evolution.
Wait out until this fall for Claude’s Hotel to learn more about Claude.
P.S. Next month we’ll meet the protagonists.
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