R.M. Archer's Blog, page 30

5 Benefits of NaNoWriMo

As fall approaches, chances are that most of us authors are thinking about NaNoWriMo or have at least seen other authors talking about their plans for November. Maybe you’re a veteran author who’s done NaNoWriMo before, maybe you’re a veteran author who’s never been sold on it working for you, or maybe you’re new to the community and you’re wondering what on earth “NaNoWriMo” even means. Wherever you stand, here are five benefits I’ve found of participating in NaNoWriMo.

First of all, a quick explanation of NaNoWriMo for anyone who’s new to the term: NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month. It refers to an event that spans the month of November, in which authors are challenged to write 50,000 words in a month. This is the average length of a novel, and the idea is that the month results in a completed first draft of a novel you haven’t started yet. That’s not always the case, since some novels are longer, or some authors (myself included) choose to work on an already-started draft, but that’s the basic idea.

Now, on to the benefits.

1. NaNoWriMo provides a concrete goal

This isn’t a struggle for everyone, but if you’re someone who finds it difficult to set concrete goals in your writing, NaNoWriMo could be just the solution. The event has a built in goal and deadline, so it’s perfectly simple to shoot for that. Having a concrete goal allows you to split the project into manageable pieces and know what your aim is for each day or writing session, which makes it easier to actually achieve your goal. Knowing that your goal is 50,000 words in 30 days, for instance, allows you to determine that your daily word count should be 1,667, or you can divide it in whatever way works best for you and your schedule. But having a concrete starting point makes the smaller goals possible to figure out.

2. NaNoWriMo provides outside accountability

It can be hard to keep yourself motivated and disciplined to keep working on your writing project, but NaNoWriMo provides accountability–through the community, or even just through the goal itself and your progress through the month–and can help to keep you on task and motivated. Whether you’re competitive and get spurred to write by trying to keep your word count higher than your best friend’s, or you just want to hit the word count each day, or you want to challenge yourself to hit the goal as fast as you can, or it just helps to have someone there cheering you on… Whatever your accountability style, NaNoWriMo can be a great opportunity to revive that determined spark and get you writing consistently.

3. NaNoWriMo provides an automatic, encouraging community

When you decide to do NaNoWriMo, you’re joining thousands of authors all over the world who are undertaking the same challenge, and the majority of them are going to be super excited to cheer on a fellow writer. Whether you find a community on the official NaNoWriMo website, find people in your existing writing groups who are participating, or attend write-ins* in your area, chances are you’ll have at least one person you can turn to when that mid-month writing slump sets in. (If you ever need a writing pep talk, feel free to shoot me an email!)

*Write-ins are in-person meet-ups in a community, where local writers get together to work on their NaNoWriMo novels. They usually include writing prompts, word wars, and snacks. Write-ins are often hosted by libraries or coffee shops, so check out your local venues to see if they have anything set up, or join your “home region” on the NaNoWriMo site and get notifications of write-ins that way.

4. NaNoWriMo provides an excuse to carve out writing time

Whether your family isn’t good about letting you get time to write, or you have too many engagements to make time, or you just keep putting off the novel you’ve been wanting to write for ages, NaNoWriMo provides one month out of the year where you have a clear excuse to give people (or yourself). Having an official event makes it way easier to tell people you need time to yourself to write and get them to take you seriously.

Of course, there are some things you simply can’t shrug off (work, for instance–although I’ve known some people who have taken a week off work during November to give themselves additional hours to write), and you should always make sure you’re flexible and aren’t totally shutting people out for a month (I see you, introverts). But it does provide a solution to something I know is a legitimate problem for a lot of people.

5. NaNoWriMo is just plain fun

Whether you “win” or “lose,” NaNoWriMo is a ton of fun. Chances are you’ll make new writing friends, or better get to know the friends you already have, and be challenged to write more than you would ordinarily. You’ll have a chance to participate in word wars, to read other authors’ snippets and share snippets of your own, and maybe to push yourself out of your comfort zone with your writing. If you’ve never tried it before, I definitely recommend participating at least once and checking it out. :)

Bonus: Preptober Prompts is made for NaNoWriMo

Preptober Prompts is an event I designed last year to get writers excited and prepared for their NaNoWriMo novels, using themed writing prompts. You can absolutely participate even if you’re not doing NaNoWriMo and just use it as a challenge for whatever project you’re currently working on, but if you’re getting excited for your project and getting to know your story better right before November, why not participate in NaNoWriMo too?

Whatever your plans for November, preparations for Preptober Prompts are in full swing and prompt submissions are OPEN! There are three days at the end of October that aren’t part of the main four weeks, and for those three days I’ll be featuring reader-submitted prompts. All you need to do is submit your prompt idea through the form, but you can also improve the chances of your prompt being chosen by sharing and participating in the event through the month. Share posts on social media, post your prompt results in the comments, etc. and you’ll get more entries to be chosen for one of those three spots.

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The readers whose prompts are chosen will get a special shout-out and a graphic for their prompt, and if they’re bloggers then they’ll get to host their prompt and I’ll share their blog here and on social media.

But all of your prompts will be shared! I’ll be putting together a list of bonus prompts at the end of the month, including any prompts that weren’t selected for the last three days, and sharing it on social media and on the blog.

Preptober Prompts Announcement!

Last year, I started an event called Preptober Prompts to get people excited and thinking about their NaNoWriMo novels for the month of October (also known, in writer circles, as Preptober). Well, I’m bringing it back this year! I’ve made a few adjustments and worked out kinks from last year, and I’m hoping that this year will be even more fun.

Here’s how the event works. The prompts are centered around a theme (“music,” this year), and each week features a different category of prompts: worldbuilding prompts, character prompts, plot prompts, and flash fiction prompts. In addition, each week is hosted by a different blogger. I’m super happy to announce this year’s co-hosts!

Hosting character prompts for the second week of October (mainly from Twitter), Julia of Lit Aflame.
Hosting plot prompts for the third week of October, Julian of Saver of Memories.
Hosting flash fiction prompts for the fourth week of October, Sarah of The Sarcastic Elf.

All of these ladies are great bloggers and lovely people, so definitely go check out their blogs, subscribe, follow them, all that jazz. I’m super excited to be working with all of them on this event. ^-^

Every day of October (except Sundays) will have a prompt. Each prompt will be posted by its week’s respective host, along with their response to the prompt for their own NaNoWriMo project.

How does Preptober Prompts work for you, if you’d like to be a participant? You can interact through social media by sharing the day’s prompt graphic (I’ll release a folder of the graphics closer to October) and your response, tagging me (@rysaarcher on Twitter and Instagram, R.M. Archer on Facebook), and using the #PreptoberPrompts hashtag; or through the host blogs by putting your response in the comments of the day’s prompt post.

In addition, there are three extra days at the end of October, and for those three days we’re going to be using reader-submitted prompts. I’ll open up a submissions form on September 17th, and all you’ll need to do is submit your prompt idea through that form, but you can also improve the chances of your prompt being chosen by sharing and participating in the event through the month. Share posts on social media, post your prompt results in the comments, etc. and you’ll get more entries to be chosen for one of those three spots.

The readers whose prompts are chosen will get a special shout-out and a graphic for their prompt, and if they’re bloggers then they’ll get to host their prompt and I’ll share their blog here and on social media.

But all of your prompts will be shared! I’ll be putting together a list of bonus prompts at the end of the month, including any prompts that weren’t selected for the last three days, and sharing it on social media and on the blog.

 

The Book Buddy Collab Tag

Jenna Terese has created a new blog tag, and this one is collaborative! The way it works, you and a blogger buddy coordinate to answer questions about each other and post the tag on the same day and then see how you did. It’s going to be super fun, and of course I’m doing it with my eleven-year best friend, Allie, over at Of Rainy Days and Stardust Veins.

The Rules:

1. Thank the blogger that tagged you. Link back to the creator.

2. Pick a bookish blogger friend to do the tag with you and contact them.

3. Coordinate so that your bookish buddy posts their part of the tag on the same day as you. Be sure to link to their post/blog on yours!

4. Answers the questions given. Comment on your buddy’s post to let them know how well they answered!

5. Tag five other bookish bloggers and give them a set of 10 new questions.

The Questions:

1. What’s your buddy’s all-time favorite book?

All-time favorite… Dreamtreaders by Wayne Thomas Batson, I think? But I know there are a bunch of others she’s also really, really liked, so I’m not 100% sure it hasn’t been demoted, lol.

2. How about their favorite author?

Umm… I’m guessing either Wayne Thomas Batson or Marissa Meyer, but I’m not actually sure? I don’t even know if she would consider any specific author her favorite right now. (Gosh, I’m doing terribly so far, lol.)

3. What cliche does your buddy hate most?

Either instalove or love triangles.

4. What’s their favorite genre to read?

Either sci-fi, with fantasy in close second, or vice versa.

5. What book are they reading right now?

Hopefully On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson, both because I lent it to her months ago and she’s been saying she needs to read it and because I need her to feel the same pain I felt upon reading The Warden and the Wolf King, which means she needs to start the series. ;) But she also could be reading part of the Twisted series (I think that’s the right name?) or one of the Grishaverse novels.

6. What’s your buddy’s favorite side-character?

FAVORITE side character? Out of ALL the side characters? Yeesh. I know she likes Kaylie Keaton from Dreamtreaders. I think she likes Sam Gamgee (if she doesn’t, we need to have a talk). Then of course there’s the whole Rampion crew, depending on how you define side character… I really have no idea. It’s probably someone from something I’ve never– KEEFE. It’s probably Keefe from the Kingdom Keepers books.

7. What’s their favorite reading-time drink?

Some sort of tea, if anything. But I don’t know what kind. I think she likes oolong teas?

8. Name a book that they read but hated.

*mind goes totally blank* Um… Yeah, I know she’s ranted to me about terrible books before, but I can’t think what any of them were. *facepalm* She’s probably read books with really annoying romances that made her want to throw said books at the wall. (Meanwhile, I never manage to rant about a book only once, so she will remember the multiple books I’ve ranted about repeatedly… Or rather the one book and the one book-to-movie adaptation…)

9. What’s their favorite classic?

Lord of the Rings?

10. What book are they super excited to get their hands on?

Probably the next Grishaverse novel.

Allie, I think we need to talk about books more often again. XD

Nominees:

Sarah at Pen of a Ready Writer

Sarah at The Sarcastic Elf

Sarah at Inkdragon

Sarah at Light and Shadows

(Darn, I ran out of Sarahs)

Leila at Wildflowers and Cosmic Tea

 

New Questions:

1. What’s a cliche your buddy actually loves?

2. What’s their most recent favorite book?

3. What’s a book they read and hated?

4. What’s a book that made them cry?

5. What was the first book you two connected over?

6. What book did they most enjoy reading in school?

7. Who’s their favorite main character?

8. What’s their favorite book cover?

9. Who’s their favorite author?

10. What’s their favorite genre?

Blog Schedule Change

As I’m trying to get back into things after a summer hiatus, and also going into a new school year that’s more time-intensive than previous years have been, and trying to give more time to actual story drafting, I’m finding it difficult to keep up with my current blog schedule and produce new content and that kind of thing, so I’ve decided to cut wayyyy back on my blogging schedule and make only one post per week.

Here’s the new schedule:

First and third Tuesdays will be writing tips

Second Tuesdays will be character interviews

Fourth Tuesdays will (hopefully) be book reviews

It’s going to be very different, lol, but I’m hoping it’ll work better and I’m hoping that fewer posts will also mean better posts as I’m able to put more time into them. I’m sorry for the missed posts and hectic craziness lately. Hopefully things will settle into a rhythm again with this new schedule, at least aside from Preptober Prompts in October. (This is not an official announcement. There will be an official announcement in the beginning/middle of next month, once I have the co-hosts finalized. ;) )

Anyway… that’s the latest news. I hope this change results in my better ability to serve y’all with more helpful content, more consistent (if less frequent) content, etc. :)

The Sunshine Blogger Award

I think I may be unusual in the blogging world that I never use tags to replace my weekly posts, I just make them an extra post on Fridays or Mondays. And since today is Friday, it was a perfect day for me to be tagged for the fun Sunshine Blogger Award. ;)

Rules:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their blog so others can find them. That would be the lovely Eden over at The Happy Hedgehog. :)

2. List the rules and display an award logo on your blog post.

3. Answer the 11 questions the last blogger asked you.

4. Nominate 11 bloggers to receive the award and notify them by commenting on any of their posts.

5. Ask the nominees 11 new questions.

 

Questions:

1. Favorite season?

Either spring or summer. Spring has really nice weather (once the snow finally stops…), everything’s bright and coming back to life after the (always-too-long) winter, and choir hasn’t quite ended for the year yet. But in the summertime there’s no school for me or for my friends, I get to go to camp, it’s hot, I get to go swimming… (I think summer wins, but it’s close.)

2. Raisins in cookies. Yay or nay?

Yay! I mean, they’re not my favorite cookie ingredient, but I certainly don’t mind them. (And I don’t understand how people mistake them for chocolate chips, even at first glance? They’re a totally different texture. But that’s another topic altogether…)

3. If you could travel to Middle Earth, where would you go?

Oooooh. The Shire, Rivendell, Minas Tirith (and the Gondorian libraries!), Edoras… Maybe Lothlorien, but probably not. Heights aren’t really my thing. (I won’t be visiting Aragorn in Minas Tirith. Sorry.) Weathertop would also be cool.

4. What is one of the worst books you’ve ever read?

The Collective by R.S. Williams. I’m sorry, but… oof. If you’d like to read a full rant review of it (and also the first review I ever posted on my blog), you’ll find it here.

5. Favorite mode of transportation?

I like horseback and I like boats (water is super relaxing), but if we’re talking practically then I’m pretty happy with cars.

6. Name one random thing that makes you happy.

Only one? *sets chin on hands* Um… New music. Especially if someone recommended it to me specifically or it’s something I discovered because they mentioned they liked it, because then there’s an added element of it meaning something to them and I get to learn something new about them. ^-^

7. Favorite teen writer? (Doesn’t have to be published.)

*starts ticking off fingers* She’s not a teenager anymore, she’s not a teenager, I’ve never read her writing, she was a teenager when she wrote that but she’s not now… *also notices all of these people are female* Um… I have lots of teenage writer friends, but I haven’t read the writing of most of them so I can’t accurately say whether I like them as writers. I guess I’ll go with my best friend, Allie, ’cause I really like her writing and she’s the only one I can think of that I’ve read stories by. XP

8. Fictional character that made you REALLY mad?

Teresa from The Maze Runner was pretty awful. Especially in The Scorch Trials. There were probably others, but she’s the first one who came to mind.

9. What’s one of the most inspiring blog posts you read this year?

*blinks slowly* I don’t even know how many blog posts I’ve read this year. It’s a lot. *sighs* I guess I could point you toward a specific blog? A friend of mine kept a blog over the summer that was to document her experiences this summer and it’s pretty inspiring and encouraging at least to me personally. Dandelions Aren’t Weeds.

10. Favorite form of procrastination? (*evil laughter*)

Favorite as in most enjoyable? Building Pinterest boards. Favorite as in most frequent? Scrolling through Facebook and excusing it as “waiting for messages” and convincing myself I’m wasting way less time than I am because I’m holding conversations.

11. What’s one of the first things you would do if you became the last person on earth?

Cry. I mean, everyone I love would be gone. I wouldn’t even have internet friends anymore. I’d just be completely alone, and that’s one of my biggest fears (though usually less literally, lol). But after that I think I’d travel. With no one else around, travel is free because there’s no one to care if they’re making money. And there wouldn’t be traffic or anything, everything would be less… tarnished, I guess? So that would be cool. Except I wouldn’t have anyone to share it with. :P

 

Nominees:

1. Leila at Wildflowers and Cosmic Tea

2. Snapper

3. Sarah at The Sarcastic Elf

4. Julian at Saver of Memories

5. Sarah at Pen of a Ready Writer

6. Catherine at The Rebelling Muse

7. Acacia at Acacia’s Story Corner

8. Zoe at A Weirdo Who Writes

9. Mariposa at Dino’s Digest

10. Hope Ann

11. Keturah at Keturah’s Korner

 

New Questions:

1. What song makes you smile?

2. What’s one of your biggest fears?

3. Favorite autumn read?

4. Name one random thing that makes you happy.

5. Have you ever cried at a fictional character’s death?

6. What’s your favorite worship song?

7. Flannel: yay or nay?

8. What’s your favorite fall flavor?

9. What’s your favorite type of humor?

10. What’s the most recent song you’ve discovered and loved?

11. What was the last book that made you cry (or almost cry, for you fellow heartless readers)?

Character Interview: Saria Elfbourne

The final Elfbourne is Saria, the optimistic, exuberant one who’s excited to live in a fantasy world. I hope you enjoy her interview. :)

Saria: *enters the interview room and bounces into her chair with a wide grin* Hello!

Interviewer: *smiles* Hello. How are you?

Saria: Doing fabulously. And you?

Interviewer: I’m doing well, myself. Are you ready to get started?

Saria: *nods quickly*

Interviewer: What’s your name?

Saria: Saria Blissany Alary.

Interviewer: How old are you?

Saria: I just turned ten.

Interviewer: You have five siblings?

Saria: *nods* Twilight, Elk, Sarabrina, Arthur, and Leafman.

Interviewer: What’s your relationship like with them?

Saria: *grins* I love them all! They’re all great siblings and we do all sorts of stuff together. Twilight and I go horseback riding, Elk and I play football, Sarabrina and I stargaze, Arthur and I read, Leafman and I go on walks… I do pretty much everything with my siblings.

Interviewer: Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

Saria: Extrovert.

Interviewer: It must be great having so many automatic friends around.

Saria: *nods* It is. They do get annoying sometimes, but doesn’t everybody? *chuckles*

Interviewer: What’s your favorite food?

Saria: Rye’s waffles. She’s my foster mom.

Interviewer: Do you have a favorite color?

Saria: All of them! *laughs* But I think bright blue, yellow, and pink are near the top. Bright, happy colors are my favorite.

Interviewer: Do you prefer movies or books?

Saria: Books.

Interviewer: Do you have a favorite?

Saria: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Interviewer: What’s your favorite animal?

Saria: Dogs, horses, cats… I guess anything I can have as a pet. *laughs*

Interviewer: Do you have any pets?

Saria: The Coopers–my foster family–have a boxer named Codi, and my birth parents have horses and dogs.

Interviewer: What are some of your hobbies?

Saria: Drawing, painting, going on walks, horseback riding, gymnastics, gardening, singing, playing the flute, reading… I like to do lots of things.

Interviewer: Which of these is most important to you: kindness, intelligence, or bravery?

Saria: Kindness.

Interviewer: And honesty or selflessness?

Saria: Selflessness.

Interviewer: Is there anything you can’t leave home without?

Saria: I like to carry my camera with me. I have a little polaroid, but I forgot to bring it today.

Interviewer: That was the last question. *smiles* Have a good day.

Saria: *grins and hops out of her chair* You too! *shakes the interviewer’s hand and leaves*

5 Favorite Writing Reference Books

Full disclosure: I don’t read writing books as much as I maybe should. I tend to wing things, or read blog posts, or take courses (mostly wing things… I’m working on it). But I do have a pretty decent writing resource library, and I have actually read a few of the books in it, and they’re worth recommending, so here are five writing books that I’ve found helpful. (Images are buy links.)

1. The Extroverted Writer by Amanda Luedeke

 This is a short book, but has a bunch of helpful information on building a platform, what size your platform really should be, what platforms to use, etc. Definitely helpful for us indies, in particular, but really for all writers.

2. Project Canvas by Caroline Meek and Olivia Rogers

While the copy-editing for this book leaves something to be desired, the actual content is really good. The articles in this book cover everything from worldbuilding to overcoming writer’s block to editing to blogging to specific genre tips, and they’re written by young authors from 11 different countries. This is a super awesome resource and I found it really inspiring.

(Read my full review here)

3. Platform by Michael Hyatt

This is another marketing book that I found really helpful, especially for discovering how to promote my work without sounding salesy and how to better utilize my website. (I should go back and give myself a refresher. :P) If actually incorporated (something I’m bad at with writing books), the info in here could make a huge difference to your platform.

4. Storyworld First by Jill Williamson

This is one I’ve talked about multiple times before because it’s a really helpful book. It’s another that’s pretty small but has a ton of helpful information. You could spend weeks working straight through this book, if not longer. (Just don’t get worldbuilder’s disease.) My copy has way too many sticky notes in it.

5. Writing Vivid Settings by Rayne Hall

If you want some practical tips for making your description accurate and genuine, check out this book. In addition to the five basic senses, it tackles lighting, weather, what to best describe during climax scenes or opening scenes, etc. It’s super in-depth and helpful.

Book Review: 100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons

When 16-year-old poetry blogger Tessa Dickinson is involved in a car accident and loses her eyesight for 100 days, she feels like her whole world has been turned upside-down.

Terrified that her vision might never return, Tessa feels like she has nothing left to be happy about. But when her grandparents place an ad in the local newspaper looking for a typist to help Tessa continue writing and blogging, an unlikely answer knocks at their door: Weston Ludovico, a boy her age with bright eyes, an optimistic smile…and no legs.

Knowing how angry and afraid Tessa is feeling, Weston thinks he can help her. But he has one condition — no one can tell Tessa about his disability. And because she can’t see him, she treats him with contempt: screaming at him to get out of her house and never come back. But for Weston, it’s the most amazing feeling: to be treated like a normal person, not just a sob story. So he comes back. Again and again and again.

Tessa spurns Weston’s “obnoxious optimism”, convinced that he has no idea what she’s going through. But Weston knows exactly how she feels and reaches into her darkness to show her that there is more than one way to experience the world. As Tessa grows closer to Weston, she finds it harder and harder to imagine life without him — and Weston can’t imagine life without her. But he still hasn’t told her the truth, and when Tessa’s sight returns he’ll have to make the hardest decision of his life: vanish from Tessa’s world…or overcome his fear of being seen.

100 Days of Sunlight is a poignant and heartfelt novel by author Abbie Emmons. If you like sweet contemporary romance and strong family themes then you’ll love this touching story of hope, healing, and getting back up when life knocks you down.

First off, let me just say that I ADORED this book and all of my emotions are a jumble of “OHMYWORDTHISBOOKWASAWESOME,” but I’ll do my best to write a coherent review anyway. XD

The characters were spectacular. Tessa was relatable enough and so well-written and realistic that I almost felt like I could put myself in her shoes and experience what she was experiencing. Which doesn’t happen very frequently at all for me, so I’m SUPER impressed. Top marks to Abbie for that alone. Tessa was a really enjoyable character, but I’m struggling to think up any specific things I loved about her (though I know they were there) because WESTON.

Weston… Where do I even start… This boi brazenly stole my heart, filled it with sunshine, and walked off with it. I think he wins the award for biggest book crush ever. He’s so sweet and stubborn and strong and courageous and HE PLAYS UKULELE AND SINGS, ON TOP OF EVERYTHING ELSE. And he’s funny and sarcastic and WONDERFUL. He does so. much. to overcome everything, and it’s so, so cool to read. It’s super inspiring. OH. And his relationships with his brothers are so sweet and so much fun to read (I LOVE to read about older brothers with their younger siblings) and so relatable.

And their relationship! They’re so fun together, and so adorable, and I CALLED THAT ONE THING FROM CHAPTERS AHEAD AND I’M SO HAPPY IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED. I have no words for how absolutely wonderful their relationship is.

And then there’s the writing. Everything in this book was brilliantly described. It wasn’t flowery or anything, but it was enough for me to conjure up some of the clearest images I think I’ve ever imagined while reading a book. AND EVERYTHING WAS BEAUTIFUL. This book is SO. AESTHETIC. Even the less upbeat scenes manage to be beautiful. They don’t lose their potency–in fact, the beauty of the tone deepens the emotion and makes it all the more impactful. And the description isn’t all. There’s also a TRAINING MONTAGE. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of those in a book, at least not done well, but this one was PERFECT and SO. COOL. Plus, the characters’ internal dialogue felt so natural and emotional and… *sighs* I could go on and on.

My only complaints about this book are about the consistent minor swears from Weston and Rudy and occasional inappropriate humor from Weston when the two of them are talking. But personally it was small and infrequent enough to not detract from the rest of the book.

To sum up, I squealed through the majority of this book and grinned like a maniac through the whole thing. It’s just a beautiful, bright, sunshiny, inspiring, adorable, wonderful, heartwarming… I could never think of enough positive adjectives to describe this book, y’all. Just go read it.

About the Author:

Abbie Emmons has been writing stories ever since she could hold a pencil. What started out as an intrinsic love for storytelling has turned into her lifelong passion. There’s nothing Abbie likes better than writing (and reading) stories that are both heartrending and humorous, with a touch of cute romance and a poignant streak of truth running through them. Abbie is also a YouTuber, singer/songwriter, blogger, traveler, filmmaker, big dreamer, and professional waffle-eater. When she’s not writing or dreaming up new stories, you can find her road-tripping to national parks or binge-watching BBC Masterpiece dramas in her cozy Vermont home with a cup of tea and her fluffy white lap dog, Pearl.

See the official blog tour schedule and find a HUGE 100 Days of Sunlight giveaway here!

 

 

Character Interview: Sarabrina Elfbourne

Sarabrina is the second-oldest of the Elfbournes, and she’s a total bookworm. She’s also super caring, cautious, and rational, and often lives in her head. Enjoy her interview. :)

Sarabrina: *comes in and shakes the interviewer’s hand before taking a seat* Hello.

Interviewer: Hello. *smiles* How are you?

Sarabrina: Doing well. How are you? *smooths out her skirt*

Interviewer: I’m good. Are you ready to get started?

Sarabrina: *nods*

Interviewer: What’s your name?

Sarabrina: Sarabrina Glen Elfbourne. Alary.

Interviewer: How old are you?

Sarabrina: Fifteen.

Interviewer: And you have five siblings?

Sarabrina: *nods* Including my foster brother, Arthur.

Interviewer: What’s your relationship like with each of them?

Sarabrina: *takes a deep breath and blows it out* Well, I’m decently close with most of them. Leafman’s pretty stand-offish so we don’t talk as much, but we do talk about Harry Potter sometimes. Arthur and I hang out the most often, I think; we tend to study together, and we’re often on the same wavelength so we come to each other to talk about stuff. Elk and I are pretty close; we tease each other a lot and I go to him either first or second to talk about stuff, depending on what it is. Saria is great; she’s super optimistic and fun, and I really enjoy hanging out with her. And then there’s Twilight. I don’t know her very well yet, but so far we’ve gotten along really well. We both like reading and astronomy and she’s really nice.

Interviewer: It’s great that you’re so close with your siblings. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

Sarabrina: Introvert. Makes it hard to have so many siblings sometimes *chuckles*, but it’s fun.

Interviewer: What is your favorite food?

Sarabrina: Rye’s waffles are delicious.

Interviewer: Who’s Rye?

Sarabrina: Oh, my foster mom. Sorry.

Interviewer: It’s all right. *smiles* Do you have a favorite color?

Sarabrina: Midnight blue.

Interviewer: Do you prefer movies or books?

Sarabrina: Books! All the way.

Interviewer: What’s your favorite book?

Sarabrina: Oh no… Um… I really like The Phantom Tollbooth, Harry Potter, most of the classics… I don’t know. *laughs* I love so many.

Interviewer: *smiles* What’s your favorite animal?

Sarabrina: I like birds.

Interviewer: What are some of your hobbies?

Sarabrina: Reading, studying–both for school and on my own, stargazing, bird-watching, singing, playing piano, playing chess… That’s just off the top of my head. *chuckles*

Interviewer: What’s your favorite constellation?

Sarabrina: Ooh… Probably Centaurus. I just think that one’s cool.

Interviewer: Which of these is most important to you: kindness, intelligence, or bravery?

Sarabrina: Kindness.

Interviewer: And honesty or selflessness?

Sarabrina: Honesty.

Interviewer: Is there anything you can’t leave home without?

Sarabrina: My purse.

Interviewer: That was the last question. Thank you for your time. *smiles*

Sarabrina: Absolutely! Thank you. *gets up and shakes the interviewer’s hand before leaving*

The Imaginary Assistant Tag

Rules:

1. Thank the person who tagged you and link back to their blog (assistants won’t work for ungrateful bosses). I was tagged by Eden at The Happy Hedgehog, who is a lovely individual and a new blogger with a great sense of humor. Definitely go check out her blog. Oh, and thank you, Eden. :D

2. Link back to the creator of the tag. That would be the lovely Mariposa and Aberdeen over at Dino’s Digest!

3. Tag 5-10 bloggers who need assistants (and if they don’t need them, tag them anyway).

 

Questions:

Please answer the following questions so the author assistant agency can find the right assistant for you:

1. What type of creature/species would you like your assistant to be (human, animal, dragon, dinosaur, figment of your imagination, etc.) and why?

Hmm… I think I’d like a two-inch-tall humanoid. (The second option was a dragon about the size of a kitten, but eventually the humanoid won out.)

2. What do you want your assistant to look like?

He’ll be a cute little fellow with pointed ears, spiky red hair, a million freckles, and a mischievous smile.

Something like this, except less malicious. I don’t want my assistant murdering me in my sleep. (And yes, this guy could do it even if he was only two inches tall, I’m convinced.)

3. What qualities are you looking for in an assistant (responsible, lovable, exasperating, etc.)?

Witty, talkative, a little bit exasperating and with a penchant for friendly insults and making dares, but truly encouraging when it gets down to it.

4. What job(s) would your assistant be in charge of?

Goading me into getting work done, keeping me accountable, pricking my finger with his tiny dagger when I’ve been scrolling through Facebook for too long, and rearranging my desk so I can never find anything. (Seems rather counter-intuitive, don’t you think?)

5. What would you like your assistant to be named?

*taps chin* Let’s name him… Zeke. Zeke seems to fit.

6. What would you feed your assistant (candy, books, pickles, etc)?

Apples, and hot chocolate in a thimble. I might have to find a new stashing place for my chocolate, though, so he doesn’t go munching on it…

7. How would you pay your assistant and what benefits would you offer as compensation for their work?

He seems like the type of creature to like shiny things, so he can have all the earrings I never wear. As far as compensation, he’ll have housing in my largest desk drawer, plenty of hot chocolate, and my friendship and terrible jokes.

8. What special abilities would you like your assistant to have (i.e. ice powers to freeze writer’s block, super strength to break writer’s block, or super stupidity to stare at you while you’re having writer’s block)?

Writer’s block is made of wood, right? So he’ll have fire powers to burn it away. After he makes fun of me for a while for not being able to move a little block of wood off my desk.

9. Where would you like your assistant to be from (Jurassic Park, Narnia, your head)?

Aerwiar. He might be a particularly small variety of ridgerunner.

10. Will you solemnly swear that you will not fire your assistant in either sickness or in health, for richer for poorer, smarter or stupider, writing or not writing, for as long as you both shall live?

*raises hand* I solemnly swear I will not fire my assistant in sickness or in health, for richer or poorer, smarter or stupider, writing or not writing, for as long as we both shall live.

 

Nominees:

Allie at Of Rainy Days and Stardust Veins

Hallie Jenkins

Chelsea R.H. at An Ordinary Pen

Cassandra Hamm

Zoe at A Weirdo Who Writes