Kellyn Roth's Blog: Kellyn Roth, Author, page 46

Flowers, Part 5

Well, ladies and gents, it’s time for part 5 of our serial story, Flowers. There’s just one more part to go after this! Can you believe it? I’m planning on editing it, maybe looking into a cover designer, and publishing it on Kindle.

As far as me supposedly being on a once-a-week schedule … I felt like posting today. *shrugs* My blog, my rules …

Parts 1 and 2 ~ Part 3 ~ Part 4

Part Five

That night, Adele awoke to the sound of rain pounding on the roof. The house creaked and sighed as the wind pounded against it. The door to the bedroom flew open; she sat up with a gasp. A flash of lightning illuminated Judy’s face, eyes wide with fright.

“Judy,” Adele said slowly. “What’s wrong?”

“Our apartment never used to creak like this,” Judy replied.

“You’re right. It didn’t.” Adele edged the blankets aside and Judy climbed in.

“I don’t remember a thunderstorm at Daddy’s vineyard, either,” Judy whispered as she snuggled into Adele’s side.

A little surprised, Adele put her arm around her daughter and kissed her forehead. “We weren’t there very long, and the house was more structurally sound.”

Judy nodded and sighed. Thunder roared again and Judy shivered.

“Daddy,” Adele said, seizing on a topic. “He told me he’d be able to visit us soon.”

“Really?” Judy asked eagerly.

“Really. He’s not so very far away from us, you know.” Adele took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“It feels like a long way,” said Judy, suddenly subdued.

Adele brushed Judy’s hair back from her face. “I know it does. But this isn’t forever, baby. The war … it can’t last forever. Even so, he’s near to us, even if we can’t see him every day or every week or even every month. I think, though, that he’d be near to us even if he wasn’t actually in England or … or Europe or on this planet, for that matter.”

“How’s that?”

“I don’t know exactly.” Adele dropped her head back against the pillow. “He’s just such a part of our life that I keep thinking he’s just working or upstairs or outside … just gone for a minute.”

“I keep thinking that, too.”

“I know it’s only been two years … but everything’s happened so fast.”

“I know.”

“We had to leave France … and then London … and the moving about hasn’t pulled us apart. It’s meshed us closer together. We really are a family now, I think.”

“Yes.” Judy yawned and tugged the covers up to her neck.

“I feel as if I’m holding us back sometimes … but I’m not really as much as I used to,” Adele said thoughtfully. “At least, I don’t think so.”

Judy didn’t reply.

“I miss him so much,” Adele said in a low voice. “More than I thought I would. Seems to be a pattern with me, doesn’t it?”

“I guess,” Judy murmured.

“He’s everything I am not,” Adele continued. “I thought that meant we were incompatible for the longest time … but it really just means we offer what the other doesn’t have. We are complete.”

Judy was asleep. Adele smiled and closed her eyes.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

    Adele awoke the next morning, rolled out of bed, and pulled on her bathrobe, leaving Judy sleeping. She crept down the hall and into the nursery. The baby was awake in her cradle, her whole fist in her mouth, and Adele scooped her up and kissed her forehead.

“I wonder if I can fit my whole fist in my mouth,” Adele pondered. “Probably not.” She decided not to test this theory, and carried Camilla down the stairs. She began absently preparing a bottle as she told the baby her troubles.

“Which is why,” she said in conclusion, “I will never be good enough for your father. He doesn’t think so, of course. He thinks we stand on level ground, as equals. But we don’t. We are possibly the best thing in the world for each other, but we are not equal. He offers more to me than I offer to him.”

Adele sat down on the kitchen table and gave Camilla her bottle. The baby felt just right in her arms – not too heavy, not too light, not too big, not too little. There was, Adele reflected, something very satisfactory about it.

“Adele?”

She turned to face her mother, standing in the doorway.

“I got up to get Camilla, and she wasn’t in her cradle. I was worried.” Granny’s voice sounded mildly shocked, which prodded Adele to stare at her absently for almost a full minute before responding.

“Well, I have her.”

“I can see that. But why?”

“Because she wanted her bottle.”

“It’s seven thirty. She never wants her bottle until eight.”

“Then why did you get up to check on her?”

“I wasn’t sure if you’d gotten up with her last night.”

“I did.”

“Oh. Well. That’s good.”

“Why don’t you think I’d take care of Camilla?” Adele asked.

“You didn’t with Judy.”

“But … that was before …”

“Before you chose to return to Troy? Yes. But it was also before you left Troy, from what I understand. You never cared for your child then; why should you now?”

“I’m changing. I’m devoted to my daughters. I really am.”

“I know you are.”

“So when will you trust me?”

Granny sighed and took a seat at the kitchen table. “I don’t know. Trust is earned. It doesn’t just happen.”

“It’s been two years. Two years when I’ve been faithful to one man, tended his children and house (to some extent, at least), and been as selfless as I know how to. I’m trying, Mother. I’m trying.”

“I know you are.”

“So?”

“So, I’m watching and waiting.”

“Waiting … for me to fail?” Adele asked, dropping her eyes. “You think I’ll never be good enough?”

“No. Not exactly. But I do think you’ll never accept Jesus Christ as your Lord, and it’s so hard otherwise. It separates us. I … well, I’m your mother,” Adele figured this must be her way of saying ‘I’ll always love you,’ “But it creates a boundary of sorts.”

“I don’t see why.”

“You know how important my faith is to me.”

“I know how important your morals are to you.”

“There is no difference.”

“There is with Troy. With Troy, morals come from being a Christian, not vice versa.”

“I didn’t know that was how you perceived me.”

“Well, it’s made up for by the fact that I always know what you think of me.”

“I see no reason to keep my opinions to myself.”

“I’m sure there’s something in the Official Lady Code Book about not nagging, but I’m afraid I haven’t read it.”

Mrs. Collier sighed. “I don’t know why you hate everything I respect and honor, but it’s rather noxious, Adele.”

“How can I give you any tolerance when you give me none?”

“How can I ‘tolerate’ what is and has always been a breach of everything I believe in?”

“What’s wrong with tolerating? I’m not saying I want you to agree with me – even I don’t agree with me – but you could at least … you could at least pretend like you think I’m a human being instead of some changeling child a demon left in your cradle in exchange for your real daughter.”

“That’s not what I think about you!”

“As I’ve said before, you’ve made it perfectly clear what you think of me! I’m a disappointment, I failed to meet your standards, and I will be punished for that failure for the rest of my life. Wouldn’t it be better if I weren’t your child? You’d be able to sleep nights, and you could leave, you could go far away, and never claim relation to me again. That would make you happy, wouldn’t it? It would give you peace. You could leave this mess behind, and never look back, and if you want to know the truth, I wouldn’t care one bit.”

Mrs. Collier’s chin raised another notch. “Adele, if you think that, no matter how mad you drive me, that I want to give you up, you are insane, possibly more insane than is healthy. Mothers decidedly do not work like that. You should know that. And even if I did wish to deny relationship to you, even if I wanted to spurn you, I could not. You are all I have left in the world. I lost my husband and my sons. My family died long ago. I’ve no one left. You are my last reason for living. So please try to keep in mind that, when I plague you, I do so because you’re the only person I can plague. Not that I’ve some great desire to make your life miserable, but that I know that if I give up on you, I might as well give up on life.” She glanced around the kitchen, then nodded tersely. “Well. It looks like you’ve got everything under control here. I’ll dress and start breakfast. Would eggs be all right, do you think?”

“I normally just have toast,” Adele said, too speechless for any other reply.

“Nonsense. You’ll have eggs. You can’t start a day without a healthy meal. No wonder you always looked so emaciated. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.”

Adele watched her retreat, not sure who had won the battle, and ignoring the strange feeling that neither of them had and that that was perfectly all right.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

    After Mrs. Collier left, Adele washed the bottle and left it to dry on the windowsill. She set Camilla in her basket and spun the makeshift mobiles, a mismatched set of kitchen utensils tied to a piece of stick with a tangle of brightly-colored string. It made Camilla very happy, and she cooed and reached for it, eyes wide with fascination.

“Now, you just stay there and don’t move while I check on our flowers,” Adele instructed.

Camilla made no reply save to reach even harder for the baubles – though, alas, they were a good foot above where she could reach. Adele shook the strings again and turned towards the door.

The sun was shining now, and only a few clouds lingered here or there, marring the blue. However, despite it being a beautiful day, the garden was not a pleasant site.

Adele would have been pleased by the flower petals strewn everywhere except for the fact that they weren’t meant to be strewn … not yet, at least. No, no, no! These flowers, these flowers she’d worked so hard on, were precious to her, and she couldn’t bear the sight of them, dead or dying, all over the back yard.

The worst thing was, there was no one to blame. No one could hold back a thunderstorm – no one she believed in, at least – and there was no point in blaming anything but the rain and wind for this disaster. Still, the fact remained. Adele’s flowers had been cut down ruthlessly in the prime of their bloom, scattered about the yard, lying in damp, muddy tangles everywhere.

She wasn’t sure if she wanted to cry or scream or hit someone. She only knew she was angry and, for once, there was no one to direct that anger at. She couldn’t even yell at herself, for there was nothing she could have done. Cover them until the storm passed? Nonsense. What would she have covered them with, and how could she have known a storm was about to brew, and how could she have blocked both wind and rain without crushing the flowers?

There was no release to be had, so Adele turned away from her garden, all the sunshine in the world blocked from her, and marched around the house.

Well, that’s “all” (glares at the 2,046 words) for today. The final part will be posted next Friday. I hope you enjoyed this part and all the parts before it, and I’m excited to hear your thoughts!

Until Monday,

~Kellyn Roth~

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p.s.

What do you think of part five? Who’s right – Adele or Mrs. Collier? Are you excited to read this last part? What do you think will happen in it?

What do think of Reveries’s new theme? (I know I just said that, but I redid it, and I’m liking it so far.)

Responsibility

Hello All! I decided to share with you a post from the blog I co-author on, Send the Light. The subject is “Responsibility.” I’d love it if you headed over there and read it … and maybe even gave me your thoughts, as I’m not sure I said anything legible.

April 2017 Dares

Well, March has past, and it’s time to celebrate its going because, to be honest, it really didn’t go so well. Yes, unlike Emily Dickenson, great poet though she may be, I welcome April with open arms.

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March and I … we had a falling out this year. We were playing soccer, he insulted me, I slammed him against the wall of the basketball court (yes, we were playing soccer in a basketball court …), he ran away to his momma crying about his boo-boos, I got in trouble … wait, no, that was me and my brother …

Someone needs to tell that kid, “No blood, no guts, no game.”

Now, on with the dares! (notice my sleek new way of doing them! Kinda …)

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Read ten books. Check! Fourteen, actually.
One must be a classic. Kinda. I read Johnny Tremain by Ester Forbes which is considered a classic by some. Including me. However, it’s not the kind of classic I wanted to read …
Five must be review copies. Kinda. I read The Ugly Teapot, London in the Dark, Structuring Your Novel, and Only Children Chase Sawdust … so not quite. But it was close, guys. It was close.
Post at least five reviews on your blog. Check! I actually did six and a mini-review post that contained quite a few reviews.
Do a blog survey for Reveries Reviews. Failed. I actually did one for Reveries (it’s still up, by the way), but not one for Reveries Reviews. Go figure.

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Goodreads put together this collection of all the books I read in March. Cool, right?

Put all IvIn edits on computer and ask for beta-readers. Check! AAAAAH I CAN’T BELIEVE I ACTUALLY DID THIS BUT I DID! I’m just so happy right now …
Rewrite the chapter 26+ portion of TDS. Kinda. I’ve done part of it, but not all.
Complete outline of Caught in a Spell. Check! Okay, maybe it wasn’t such an awful month … but it isn’t a very good outline. At least, I think not. It’s just a summary of the plot with bullet points …
Write three chapters of Once a Stratton. Failed. But as I decided to save Once a Stratton for April, that’s not much of a surprise. I’m getting towards three chapters now, though …
Just survive. Failed. Okay, not really (because I’m here … though I guess I could be a ghost … a scary writing ghost who haunts the web … ooh, plot bunny!), but I spent much of March stressed, anxious, and even a little depressed … so it’s not really a victory on this front.
Post consistently and professional on Reveries. Kinda. I was consistent … I consistently took a hiatus from posting on every day but Monday …
Post consistently and professional on Reveries Reviews. Check!
Get better at commenting on other peoples’ blogs. Check! I can’t believe I actually did this. Sure, I didn’t until the end of the month … but I’ve definitely improved. At least some. Your thoughts?
Find a way to record your writing progress on your sidebar. Failed. But I decided not to do this, so it doesn’t really count.
Actually remember to share your posts on social media. Check!
Read the Bible. Kinda. I actually got behind a couple times, though I always catch up on Sundays. I mean, usually …
Buy a new string for your guitar. Check!
Practice your clarinet and guitar. Kinda.  I technically did … like, twice. I should be more specific with my dares in the future …
Work with Riley. Failed. I don’t think either Riley or I touched that leash more than once or twice …
Waste less time. Kinda. I mean, I just wasted time on things other than the things I used to waste time on … #humannature

As you can see, this month beat up on me bad. I mean, there were some high moments, but more low ones.

What else happened in March?

Celebrated my little brother James/Dumas’s 13th birthday!
Got the hang of driving back. (I couldn’t for the longest time because it was icy and there was nowhere to go anyway … so I got out of practice.)
Got lots of school done.
Went to a sleepover, had friends over to watch Fiddler on the Roof (epicness!), and hung out a couple times here and there (and saw each other at band, P.E., and a Shakespeare class).
Was sick with a flu that infected my lungs and gave me a stabbing pain every time I breathed, achy bones, an aching head, and constant exhaustion.
Was sick with a cold. Just regular cold stuff. (Yep, sick twice in the same month … they just flowed into each other …)
Started going to a new church! Oy vey.

Out with the old and in with the new!

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This month I dare myself to …

Read ten books. One must be a classic, three must be review copies, and the rest must build me up in some way. #soundslikeachristian

(What? Haven’t you noticed that Christians say ‘build [something] up’ a lot? I have. It’s scary, man. It’s like they organize their vocabulary in secret Christian meetings I’m not invited to. I guess they heard about that time I stole a brownie. I’m just not worthy of their secret Christian vocabulary club. Whatevs. I don’t need them. God and me will just hang out over here …)

Write 15,000 words of Once a Stratton. My secret dare (well … it was, anyway …) is 30,000, however. But don’t tell.

Finish rewriting The Dressmaker’s Secret. This will require a lot of writing and tweaking and writing and tweaking and writing again. But I’m not scared. Okay, I’m a little scared …

Go through Ivy Introspective on last time. And then we proof-read! *nervous*

Find a way to improve my graphic-making skills. IT SHALL END NOW! (What shall end? How should I know. Screaming ‘it shall end now’ is just too much fun …)

Post a video on YouTube once a week. What? I want to actually use my YouTube channel for something …

Get important things done every day. Okay, that is super vague, but basically I want to go to bed each night feeling like I’ve accomplished something.

Work on your plot folder. So, I’ve got this big binder with plot bunnies and outlines and such … and I want it to be more organized than it is. This will actually be a pretty fun project.

Spend more time focusing on life. God, family, friends, myself, clarinet, guitar, and school. Not necessarily in that order, though. Yep … putting school last would probably be a mistake … though school sucks, guys. It really sucks.

That’s all for today, ladies and gents. Until next time …

Toodles!

~Kellyn Roth~

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p.s.

What do you think of my failures (and brief successes) in March? How did you March go? Will I be able to achieve my goals for April? (I think so!) What do you think of my new way of doing my dares post? What are your goals for April? Did you notice the little changes I made in Reveries’s appearance? What do you think of them?

Comment, my loyal slaves followers!

I’ve a Favor to Ask

Against my better judgment, I decided to post quickly today to ask you to take a survey which will determine the future of Reveries. *waves hand dramatically*

Okay, not really. No matter what responses I get, a few things will probably remain … rambling about my novels and my twisted sense of humor, for instance. However, there are some things that can and will change … and I’d like your input.

So, without further ado, click here to go view the survey. In case you didn’t get it the first two times, here it is again. *is obnoxious*

Please not that the survey (#4) is completely anonymous. Nothing you say can offend me because for all I know you’re Hillary Clinton, and I don’t give a skunk’s pajamas about your opinions anyway.

TTFN!

~Kellyn Roth~

Bloglovin’ · Pinterest · Facebook

p.s.

What do you think about my new sign-off? I think it’s fairly classy. Did you take the survey? (Yes, that was #5 …) How are you doing on this last day of before Camp NaNoWriMo? Prepare to write? Watching other people struggle to prepare and laughing maniacally?

Your opinions are needed. Even though no one cares what you think, Hillary.

Okay, I’m just kidding. Someone must care about you … it just ain’t me …

10 Tips for Surviving Camp NaNoWriMo

Camp NaNoWriMo (at least April Camp NaNoWriMo) is even crazier than actual NaNoWriMo.

You know why? Because NaNoWriMo is in November. Soccer is over, school is dragging, it isn’t Christmas yet, and you’re just trudging through life like a tree. (What? I stand by that metaphor …) You want something exciting to happen, and if it’s anything, NaNo is exciting.

April, however? I don’t know about you, but by April, my brain is exhausted. It just doesn’t want to do anything anymore. (Hence, the hiatus we’re currently experiencing.)

As you can see, surviving Camp NaNoWriMo is indeed a daring feat. So, here are ten things you can do to make it through the grueling event without passing out. (And yes, only about half of these are serious …)

1: Don’t set an unreasonable goal for yourself.

Have you ever gone camping? Well, in theory, it should be relaxing (hahaha … *points to hiking trails* *glares at parents*).

So be relaxed. Don’t set an outrageous goal. I’m just doing 15,000 words this year, which is about 25% of what I did in November. Seems reasonable for a vacation, right? And that’s what camping is. It’s a vacation.

I have a friend who’s doing 100,000 words, though …

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2: Make yourself a music soundtrack.

Whether or not you listen to music while you write, this is a good idea. Music is ibuprofen for the soul. Trust me. Make a soundtrack. It’ll inspire you in a dark moment when the evil internet mosquitoes threaten to distract you and the great bear writer’s block huffs and puffs at the door …

Or was that a wolf? I don’t know. I just know he’s big and black and ugly.

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3: Don’t trap yourself into writing.

I’m starting a new draft of a story because that’s what I do … but you can also edit, revise, or outline for Camp … or you can even write something totally different, like poetry or a screenplay. It’s up to you.

If you don’t want to write, don’t write. Do something else.

Don’t trap yourself.

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4: Set a time every day to write.

Seriously. Do it. It can’t be that hard. And time yourself, too! I usually write for fifteen minutes, check my email and social media, and write for another fifteen minute. I do this for about an hour … and voila! Somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 words … sometimes more.

It’s important to focus or else you’ll end up distracted by social media and such.

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5: Get some healthy snacks to eat while writing

Because it’s just not good to write without food. You need the energy. Otherwise, your brain will collapse and your fingers will ache and your soul with die. Okay, maybe I made that last one up, but still.

Keep a nice stock of easy brain food around.

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6: And some unhealthy snacks.

Also known as “soul food.”

How to Use Pinterest as an Author

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Pinterest is one of those things that most people have … but very few people use.

Sure, you dink around on it for an average of ten hours a day and now you feel like you’re attached to your account at the waist (you laughed, you cried, you smiled … you don’t take that kind of relationship lightly). But does anyone actually have a reason for being on there?

Most would say no.

As an author, I say yes.

Let’s talk about that. (Look at me, getting all Rhett&Link-ish!)

Let me start with a small but important admission: I spent too much time on Pinterest.

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Well, more accurately, I either don’t spend time on Pinterest at all or I spend two hours on it. There is no in-between.

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We all admit that Pinterest is an addictive waste of time. However, as an author, you should really use the wide variety of resources Pinterest places at your fingertips.

So. Are you ready to reorganize your boards in a way that will change your waste of time to your inspiration?

If so, let’s begin!

First, what kind of boards do you need?

Before you can organize the actual boards, you need to figure out how you want them organized. What boards do you need? Well, every author is different, but here are the kinds of (writing-related) boards I made.

Work-in-Progress Boards. In these boards, you’ll contain your inspiration for your works-in-progress. For example, my board for Caught in a Spell.

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Inspirational Boards. In which you’ll store things that might inspire future stories/characters/etc. Personally, I have a board for character inspiration, a board for setting inspiration, a board for quotes, and a board for writing prompts. I may create more down the road.

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How-To Boards. You may call yourself an expert, but here’s a little secret: there’s no such thing as an expert writer! Writing is not a craft you become an ‘expert’ at. You’re always learning. Therefore, I have my All About Writing board and my Character Development board. I also have a History board and an Old-Fashioned Fashions board. You might need a ‘weapons’ board or a ‘nursing’ board depending on what you’re writing about.

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Random Boards. Even the more specifically-writing pinners have random boards! I have one for words and . Then there’s this one. No one really knows what it’s for … Okay, who am I kidding? I do. But you don’t … *mysteriousness*

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I also have a lot of boards that aren’t writing-related and my blogging boards (so I can pin graphics and such), so remember it doesn’t have to be all work and no play.

In Which Kellyn Rests

When you read that title, you probably went, “Oh, no! Kellyn’s going on [yet another] hiatus!” You’re probably in a state of near-panic, right? Well, aren’t you? Eesh. I can’t believe it makes no difference to you. But the real question is, Are you really leaving us?

Well, I am and I ain’t.

I will be slowing down and concentrating on things other than blogging for the next several weeks (perhaps even months; I haven’t determined an exact time yet); however, I will be making an effort to post every Monday. Some Mondays I won’t, but I’m going to try to. But Reveries will not be my main focus for this period of time.

Why am I on semi-hiatus? I actually have some pretty good reasons.

I don’t have time. That’s the simple truth of the matter! I’m swamped with books to edit, novels to read, reviews to post, and all manner of other commitments. And that’s not even within the realms of what my mother terms ‘real life.’ I’m falling behind on my Bible-reading, on my instrument-practicing, and on my dog-training.
My posts are losing quality. Never forsake quality for quantity. I simply don’t have time to make my posts worthwhile just now. I dish them out – usually hours late – with no regard to how they look or sound or if what I’m saying is even worthwhile. It shouldn’t be like that. One really good post a week is going to be much better than three moderately good ones.
I need to refresh. I think, every once and a while, every blogger should take a break and let themselves think up new things to post about, etc. I actually have some ideas for blog series and interesting posts now, to be honest, but I want to think them out and plan them and such. I want to come back big.

Those are good reasons, right? But what am I going to be doing while I’m gone?

Getting better. This sickness ends now!
Editing more faithfully.
Writing more faithfully.
Organizing my post ideas.
Outlining/plotting various books.
Practicing my clarinet and guitar.
Reading the Bible and praying.
Training Riley.
Reading a lot.
Reviewing a lot. (Reveries Reviews will still be up and running!)

Au revoir et bonne chance, mi amigos y amigas. Deo pacis vobiscum! (Yes, that was three languages … and yes, I did do that all by myself. That’s why you can understand it. Because I don’t really speak French, Spanish, or Latin.)

~Kellyn Roth

If you’re a blogger, have you ever gone on a ‘hiatus’? How did it work for you?
Even if you don’t blog, do you sometimes feel a need to rest from all your commitments? How do you go about doing that?
Is there anything you’re involved in right now that’s overwhelming you? Why? How can you lessen the burden so it’s not so stressful?
What do you think of my plans for the next several weeks (or months)?

March 2017 Spotlight: Sun Shadow ~ the Reveal

I have a Pinterest board that was for a while secret but has been public for several months now. It’s called “Sun Shadow,” which is presumably the title of a novel. Well, yes, it is. That board contains all sorts of stuff for a novel that I’m eventually going to write, Sun Shadow.

You can find the Pinterest board here. It is mostly a random assortment of quotes with pictures of airplanes and movie stars from the ’40s (to the point where you might thing I’m stalking Lauren Bacall … who is dead … which makes it even weirder). For the most part, you can’t tell a ton about the book from the board, except that maybe it’s set during WW2 and involves a blonde and a brunette who are best friends, one of whom is an INFJ.

However, this writing will not happen for years and years. Why then do I mention it? Because that’s what spotlights are for. Well, that and the ramblings and contests and prizes.

This is going to be a relatively brief post, but that’s okay. Brevity is next to … more brevity. Okay, I have no idea what brevity is next to, but I’m sure it’s something important.

The Characters

Millie Lark

Millie is the main character. You may remember her from The Lady of the Vineyard and Flowers. I’m still deciding on the details, but I might write it in first person. Anyway, she’s an INFJ. She’s intensely loyal to those she loves, oftentimes to the point of being overly altruistic.

[Unnamed Dude]

Millie’s love interest. Unnamed. All I know is that he’s an American and very extraverted.

Adele Collier

We all know Adele. *nods* She’s a pretty important character. Her and Millie’s relationship goes through some serious changes.

There are other characters, but I’m not going to bother with them now.

The Plot

This is my rough blurb. All the details aren’t worked out yet, but this is my basic idea. It’s more a plot bunny now, but I’m slowly developing it.

Millie Lark has always taken second place to her best friend, Adele Collier, in everything. She’s not as smart, she’s not as beautiful, and her personality is by no means as flashy. However, with a job at the War Office [undetermined], she hopes to pull herself out from underneath Adele’s long shadow and find her own place in the world.

But, Adele still seems to have a hold on her. Millie has never had a boyfriend, never gone on a date that wasn’t just to help her friends juggle men, never done anything exciting or daring, and never fallen in love.

All that’s about to change.

Exciting, right? Basically, when Millie meets this American pilot, he pulls her out of her comfort zone and offers her a no-commitment relationship that helps her lose her nervousness and come out of her shell. At the same time, she finds her true worth and all that jazz.

I know it’s rough, but, as I said, it’s only a plot bunny at this point.

I have no clue when I’m going to write this novel. Like I said, it’s still in the plotting stages … and it could be years. When I do write it, it will be for my own enjoyment at first.

Eventually, though, I’m considering trying traditional publishing, but that all depends. Perhaps it won’t end up as great as I imagine, and if I ever try submitting, I want to do it with something great, even though I doubt I’ll ever be accepted.

The Contest

To win the prize, you must do one simple thing … go to Allison’s blog and follow her! Why? Because she promised to try celery and peanut butter if she got a certain number of subscribers.

Call this my little joke on her.

Don’t worry … Allison will be fine with it!

The Prize

Everyone who returns to this blog post and comments that they signed up for Allison’s newsletter (we’re working on the honor system, ladies and gents; don’t fail me!) will be sent a link to the completed Flowers. This will have to be done over email, Facebook, Goodreads, or Adult NaNoWriMo, but don’t worry, we’ll figure it out.

Tips for Reading

Hi guys! I decided it’d be fun to write a random post today. I know most of you love reading, so this will be right up your alley. Tips about eating! No, wait … reading. Sorry. I’m sick, so I haven’t eaten much today, and eating makes me sick, but I keep thinking there must be something appetizing out there …

Reading is hard. I know, ’cause I have 267 books I want to read (probably over three hundred if I were to add books I want to read just because they’re classics). Will I ever get through all those books? Probably not. I really am going to go through my to-read list on Goodreads someday and delete a good half of them.

But you know how addictive to-read lists can get … you add one, and then you add another, and then you add twenty more, and before you know it you have … *calculates* … twenty-two books on your to-read list.

Death Comes in April

This may be crazy, but I’ve decided to try to write 15,000 words in April for Camp NaNoWriMo. My project is Once a Stratton, a historical fiction novel set in the 1850s (1855-1858).

What is Camp NaNoWriMo? Well, if you’ve been following me long, you know what NaNoWriMo is (if not, it’s a basically a writing challenge). Camp NaNoWriMo is a much more relaxed version of NaNoWriMo. I can answer any questions about it in the comments.

Anyway, my goal is to write 15,000 words in April. But wait, you say. What’s Once a Stratton about? Well, I anticipated that question, so you can now find a summary (and my awful WIP cover) on the Works-in-Progress page.

I also started a Pinterest board for Once a Stratton, which I’m slowly adding to. (I’m working a lot on my Pinterest boards just now, actually … I’m trying to get all my information sorted!)

Thanks for reading,

~Kellyn Roth

Are you participating in Camp NaNo? If so, would you like to join my cabin? Comment with your Camp NaNo username, and I’ll invite you!
What do you think of Once a Stratton? Does it sound like a good book?
Have you read any good books set in the Antebellum South? Let me know about them, because I can’t find a single historical novel set in that era!