R.M. Archer's Blog, page 44

Character Interview: Madison Thompson

Madison is the main character of my novel The Shades and the Elect, which takes place in 2315, several decades after Earth collapses and the United States becomes Concordia. She’s part of an elite group called the Elect, who protected Concordia from supposedly mythological creatures when they were first formed and who now mostly protect against Shades, corrupted members of their order. She also has a superpower, because she’s descended from one of the original Elect, and can control fire. I hope you enjoy her interview!

Madi: *steps into the interview room and takes her seat with a smile, extending a hand to the interviewer* Hello.

Interviewer: *shakes her hand* Hello. How are you today?

Madi: I’m doing great. *grins* How are you?

Interviewer: I’m also doing well. What’s your name?

Madi: Madison Thompson. But everyone calls me Madi. What’s yours?

Interviewer: I’m Isabelle.

Madi: Ooh, that’s my sister’s name!

Interviewer: Really? How old is she?

Madi: She’s eight. I also have a five-year-old brother, Landon.

Interviewer: How old are you?

Madi: Sixteen.

Interviewer: Is it hard for you to connect with your siblings due to the age gap?

Madi: It can be. The bigger issue is that I recently moved… basically to a boarding school? I don’t know how better to describe it without revealing confidential information. But it’s on the opposite side of the country from my family, so now I don’t get to see them.

Interviewer: I already know about the Elect; you can talk to me about it freely if you want.

Madi: Oh. *eyebrows raise* Okay. Well then you know the Reaches. *chuckles* I’m all the way in there, and my family is in D.C.

Interviewer: What other family members are you close to?

Madi: My parents… especially my dad… *swallows* And a lot of my aunts and uncles and cousins, actually.

Interviewer: Is your dad okay?

Madi: *shrugs* Comparatively, I suppose? He’s not dead and doesn’t have a terminal illness, if that’s what you were thinking. Generally that’s what people assume when I mention him. *chuckles slightly* He went to jail about two years ago, right after Christmas, when he was framed for the murder of my great-aunt and -uncle. A Shade was possessing Uncle Billy at the time, after already killing both Uncle Billy and Aunt Georgina, and my dad threw a knife at him in an attempt to kill him. The Shade got out before he could die, but Dad’s fingerprints were on the knife in Uncle Billy’s chest. Now he’s in jail with no expectation of getting out soon.

Interviewer: That’s awful. And I assume there’s no way to prove it was the Shade, given the nature of Shades…?

Madi: Not unless he were to confess for some reason. But he’d likely have to do so within an innocent host and that wouldn’t be any better.

Interviewer: I’m very sorry. *offers Madi a sympathetic look before glancing at her question sheet* So, are you Potent Elect or just Elect?

Madi: Potent. I have fire powers, which is pretty cool. Several years ago my mom was baking cookies and I wanted them to cook faster, so I ended up setting the oven on fire by mistake. I had no idea at the time that I’d done it; I thought the cookies had just spontaneously combusted. *laughs* I learned after coming to the Reaches that those were my powers.

Interviewer: *laughs* I hope you made a new batch. *winks*

Madi: *laughs* I think we did.

Interviewer: Do you have a favorite food?

Madi: Chocolate chip cookies. Not just because they happen to be on my mind. *grins*

Interviewer: A favorite color?

Madi: Orange. It’s kind of “my color.” My friends and I formed a club when we were kids and one of the rules was that every member has to have a pair of Converse in “their” color and then various other things could be color-coded accordingly. I’ve loved orange since I was little – it reminds me of watching sunsets with my dad – so I went with that. Braedyn has dark green, Jeevan has yellow, Kaitlyn has brown, Juliet has blue, Zachary has black, Jara Lee has– had neon green. *frowns*

Interviewer: Did Jara Lee leave the club?

Madi: No. She was killed in a recon mission a few months ago. Before I was brought to the Reaches.

Interviewer: Oh. I’m sorry. It seems like you’ve experienced a lot of loss in the past couple of years.

Madi: *nods* I generally try to focus on the friends and family I still have. I think the loss has given me more of an appreciation for spending time with the people in my life before they’re gone. *offers a wry smile*

Interviewer: That makes sense. I’m sorry that appreciation came through so much pain.

Madi: *nods a bit, looking around the room, eager to move on*

Interviewer: Do you prefer movies or books?

Madi: Books, but I enjoy both.

Interviewer: Do you have a favorite?

Madi: Of which one?

Interviewer: Either.

Madi: Favorite book would probably be Dreamtreaders by Wayne Thomas Batson. I love all of his books. Favorite movie… I think I’m going to go with Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman. She did an excellent job with the character. *smiles*

Interviewer: I agree. Do you have a favorite Dreamtreaders character?

Madi: Oh definitely Kaylie. She’s so much fun. *grins* Second place would probably be Amy.

Interviewer: I wouldn’t be surprised if Kaylie is everyone’s favorite. *laughs* She’s a wonderful character.

Madi: She is.

Interviewer: Do you have any hobbies?

Madi: Aside from reading, I listen to music and I play soccer and Braedyn is teaching me basketball and football. I’ve watched football for a long time, so I catch on pretty quickly with that one, but I enjoy basketball more. Even though I’m short. *laughs*

Interviewer: Yeah, that would be a disadvantage.

Madi: And Braedyn is almost six foot, so he has a clear advantage when we practice. *laughs*

Interviewer: So it seems like you have a pretty good group of friends around you. What’s one of your favorite things to do with your friends?

Madi: Hmm… I enjoy most of the things we do together. We tend to go on a lot of adventures, whether they’re just trips to the ice cream shop or they’re Elect missions. Somehow even the missions feel less daunting with that group around me. *smiles*

Interviewer: I think the best Elect teams are like that, all the way from the first Elect. You can have fun in the down time, and you know they’ve all got your back when things get dark.

Madi: *nods* Definitely. It’s a really healthy dynamic, I think.

Interviewer: *nods* Which of these is most important to you: Kindness, intelligence, or bravery?

Madi: Bravery. But kindness is also extremely important.

Interviewer: And which of these: Honesty or selflessness?

Madi: Selflessness leads to honesty.

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

Madi: Well I literally can’t leave without my griffin, Maxon. *chuckles* But as far as a trinket or tool or something like that… I usually bring along my MP3 player.

Interviewer: Do you have any favorite songs or artists?

Madi: Favorite songs is hard, but I really like old music like MercyMe, Lexi Walker, Lindsey Stirling… I like a broad variety, but I generally tend toward old classic styles, instrumental, and Christian music.

Interviewer: *nods* That’s a good selection. *smiles* We’ve actually reached the end of the interview. It was great to talk to you. *extends a hand*

Madi: Yeah, it was great talking with you, too! *shakes Isabelle’s hand* I’ll talk to you later. *smiles and leaves*

A Guide to Blogging for the Fiction Writer

Almost everyone says you need a blog as part of your author platform. It’s a great way to connect with readers, and the core of it is writing, which is what we authors are good at. It’s pretty easy to find out how to do the technical stuff to start a blog, but you set up your blog and then… what? How do you actually use it to attract readers and build a platform? What do you write about? You actually have quite a few options.

Character Interviews

The most important thing for readers to connect to in a book is the characters. If they don’t connect with the characters, chances are they won’t be wowed by the book. With a blog, you have the perfect opportunity to get your readers engaged with your characters early with character interviews. I have a default list of questions for mine, but honestly that gets a bit boring after a while, even when my characters go and run off with extra explanation and the “interviewer” can ask follow-up questions. If you want a bit more variety and want to get your readers even more engaged, you could consider giving brief summaries of the character in advance and letting your blog readers send in questions. Then they’re invested in that question and answer and they’re more interested in the interview and character as a whole, plus you’re giving them the information they want about the character.

You could also have a longer list of questions that you rotate through, if you want something preset, somewhat varied, and less involved than collecting questions for every individual interview.

Story Snippets

You can also share actual snippets of your writing. This gets your readers familiar with your writing tone, and they can decide whether or not it’s a style they’re going to enjoy a full book’s worth of. (For some of them it won’t be. That’s okay.) They also get to know some of your characters, world, and writing all at once.

You can make these a regular thing or a more rare thing. (I’ve found I’m more excited about bloggers posting story snippets when they’re not something they usually share, but if you have a lot of stories and people are responding really well to your snippets it can also be effective more frequently.)

Once you’re further along in the writing process and have books published or about to be published, you can use snippets to heighten interest and drive sales, either with snippets directly from the published book or from related stories. For instance, I’ve used snippets from various stories set in Concordia as an opportunity to share my short story collection, because they’re related.

(As a side note, I apologize that I haven’t gotten snippets up the past couple of weeks. Snippet Sunday will be back next week.)

Book Reviews

Chances are, if you’re a writer you’re also a reader. Which is great, because so are your potential readers! Through your blog, you can review books in your genre and connect with your readers over common likes and dislikes, rant together about hated tropes, and fangirl (or fanboy) over amazing books. If people enjoy books similar to yours, chances are they’ll enjoy yours once it’s published, and you can use that to your advantage in marketing (using comp titles and similar methods). You can also use book reviews as an opportunity to show that you know what makes a story work or not with more detailed critique.

Writing Status Updates

You can also keep your readers up-to-date on what you’re working on currently. Are you struggling through a first draft? Moving steadily through edits? Breezing through a short story? Readers like knowing how far along their favorite authors are in their books, especially if you establish excitement early on (not too early, or you could end up putting too much pressure on yourself) for that specific book. It might also surprise your readers how long a book can take. (Or how little time it takes, if you’re one of those magic speed-writers. I applaud you.)

Honesty and vulnerability is also going to get you a long way with readers. If you’re struggling with some part of the writing process, don’t hide that from your update. You might be able to make it an encouragement for someone else or share a lesson learned. Even if you can’t, you’re going to earn points with your readers for your honesty. We like seeing that the people who have it all together are human too, and chances are you’ll also get some much-needed support and encouragement. (To clarify, I’m not saying to be mopey to elicit sympathy, but sharing your weaknesses can benefit both parties.)

Writing Tips

This is a bit different from the others, because it’s not likely to attract a whole lot of readers, it’s going to attract writers. Which is still good, because the writer community is awesome, and we’ve already established that writers are also readers, but these are people who are going to keep coming back for writing advice rather than in anticipation of your next book. Still, if you mix writing tips with book-related posts, chances are your writer followers are going to be almost as excited for your book as your reader followers (assuming your book is in their genre, and sometimes even when it’s not).

In addition, writing advice posts can be great learning opportunities for you. Putting your process and your thoughts on various aspects of writing into an orderly post can be great for revealing tidbits you hadn’t even consciously realized before, or shifting your thoughts to see things from a different angle.

Other Interests

Do you have another big interest that you can tie in with writing and reading? Are you a history buff who often ties history into her stories? Do you love music and find that becomes a big part of your writing as well? Or even if you don’t naturally tie the two (or more) together, is there a way you can bring them together for your blog? I have multiple posts here about music, because music is another thing I’m really passionate about, and I try to tie those in with writing. I also wrote a short story centered around music.

Related posts:

Blogging Questions Answered

Music In Writing

Music and Writing

Farewell to August

August’s Writing

I wrote about 24,500 words last month, out of my 45,000 goal. I don’t know how much of that went toward The Shadow Raven in the end, but it’s words toward something, at the very least, lol. There were a few days – including a couple in a row earlier this week – that I got a lot written of The Shadow Raven (1,500+), but overall it’s still slow going.

I just got The Heart of the Baenor back from my betas and I’m super excited to get to work on my 4th draft. ^-^ I didn’t come close to reaching my Kickstarter goal (I raised $168 of $1,500. :P), so I’m not sure where I’m gonna go beyond the 4th draft yet, but I am excited to edit it some more.

The first five chapters of The Last Assassin also made it into the top 800 of the Wattys Awards on Wattpad! (Basically a contest to find the best stories on Wattpad.) I’m not 100% sure how that happened since I’d thought I’d withdrawn it after removing chapters 6-30 because I didn’t think five chapters was enough to enter (not because it’s against the rules, just because it’s not that much), but scoring in the top 0.53%? Sure, I’ll take it, lol. I didn’t think it was even that good. (I’ve had a lot of people elsewhere tell me it feels like being pushed into the middle of a series, it feels like they’re expected to know too many characters up front, etc. and that’s something I want to fix when I go through and edit it.) But it’s pretty cool, and now I’m curious to see how far I end up getting.

I also became marketing manager for a project one of my writing groups is putting together, which means I oversee the people working on social media, I’m going to design the website once we get there, I help put together a logo, I help put together the brand aesthetic and figure out how to cater to our target audience, etc. I’m working with about six other people, so it’s not too difficult to keep everyone organized but communication is harder than you might think. Getting everyone on the same page, getting everyone working on what they need to work on, etc. But I’m enjoying it, for the most part, and I’m looking forward to getting to a point where I can start sharing more with everyone. :)

August’s Reading

I’ve actually finished ten books this month. I think this might be a record for this year. XD I read:

A Thousand Perfect Notes by C.G. Drews (5 stars)
Fawkes by Nadine Brandes (4 stars)
The Extroverted Writer by Amanda Luedeke (5 stars)
Flames of Courage by Hannah Heath (5 stars)
I Am the Nightmare Slayer by Ryan J. Penland (5 stars)
Chronicles of Steele: Raven: Episode 1 by Pauline Creeden (5 stars)
and Eric Liddell by Catherine Swift (5 star story, 2 star writing)

I also finished:

Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris (5 stars)
Infraction by J.E. Purrazzi (5 stars)
and Quest for Seven Castles by Ed Dunlop (5 star story, 3 star writing due to the target age group)

Overall, I’d say it was a pretty good reading month. Although four of the books I read were short and one was for schoolwork. (Which also explains how I did so much reading and don’t particularly remember doing a lot of reading except for reading A Thousand Perfect Notes in one sitting.)

My current reads are:

Dragons’ Bane by Melody Jackson
The Sorcerer’s Daughter by Terry Brooks
The Clocks Have Stopped by J.L. Oakman
King’s Warrior by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt
and This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti

Other Stuff

My best friend launched her blog, Of Rainy Days and Stardust Veins, and it’s super cool! She shares her observations in a beautifully poetic style on a myriad of topics and her posts are really thought-provoking and lovely. Go check out her blog, see what she’s about, and if it sounds like something you’re interested in then give her a follow. ^-^ (No, I’m not just gushing because I’m her best friend. All of this is my 100% genuine opinion, mildly biased though it may be.)

What’s in store for September
Writing

I’d like to write 45k words this month, on any projects. Ideally 20k of that will be on The Shadow Raven and I’ll finally meet up its timeline with The Last Assassin’s, but we’ll see.

I’ll be working on the 4th draft of The Heart of the Baenor, which happens to be the perfect length for me to try out Fictionary with (it’s 15 chapters long and Fictionary has a 14-day free trial), so I’ll be doing that.

I’d like to also finish one short story and write two more in the Mirror-Hunter Chronicles series (which begins with Bag of Beans) so I can edit them in October and publish them as a set in November, but they’re a background project so that might not happen.

Reading

I want to finish all four of the books I’ve started so far, review three of them, and possibly read an ebook or two.

Other stuff

I’m planning a blog/Twitter event for October that I’ll be working on September, which I’m super excited to share with you. ^-^ I won’t be sharing details until it’s closer (probably the last week of September), but I can tell you it’ll be full of inspiration before NaNo. If you have a blog and you’d like to co-host for the second week of October, send me a message through my contact page and I’ll send you more details. ;)

This is all I can shaaare. D:

How was your August? Did it fly by for you the same way it flew by for me? Did you have any big accomplishments? Letdowns? Do you have plans or goals for September? I’d love to hear about it down in the comments!

Guest Character Interview: Narah Dagan

This interview actually comes at an opportune time, because it gives me the perfect opening to share my best friend’s new blog! Allegra/Allie is the author that Narah belongs to, and she just started a blog called Of Rainy Days and Stardust Veins. She plans to share various thoughts on life, hearts (she’s working toward becoming a cardiologist and she’s super passionate about hearts), writing and art… pretty much everything. She’s awesome, her thoughts are really interesting to read and she tends to have a really poetic writing style… You should go check out her blog.

Narah is a character from Allegra’s novel Sigma, which is a really cool high fantasy she’s writing. Narah is looking to become the apprentice of the second main character, Nori (who’s amazing and kind of like Detren and really sweet and one of my favorites), and so far she hasn’t come up in the story itself but she’s appearing in the next chapter Allegra’s writing and I’m super excited to see how she is in story form. She appeared on the roleplay that Allegra and I are part of because Nori ended up talking about her and now she’s a cool character, so… yeah. I hope you enjoy her interview!

Narah: *walks in, kind of bouncing a little, you can tell she’s excited to be here* *hops onto the chair with a little difficulty and smiles a little shyly at the interviewer* Hi. You wanted to see me?

Interviewer: Yep. I’m going to interview you. *smiles*

Narah: Oh, okay. *shifts a little in her seat, looking toward the doorway briefly before looking around the room curiously*

Interviewer: How are you today?

Narah: *smiles brightly* I’m pretty good. Nori showed me around the clinic today. *like ‘^-^’* What about you?

Interviewer: I’m also doing well. Who’s Nori?

Narah: He’s the Healer’s Protégé. I hope to become his apprentice.

Interviewer: Oh really? Do you have a favorite thing about healing or medicine?

Narah: *nods* Well, I think so. Nori let me use his stethoscope once and I got to hear my heartbeat. That was cool. *bounces a little* I think that’s my favourite.

Interviewer: How old are you?

Narah: Seven. I’ll be eight in the spring!

Interviewer: Do you have any siblings?

Narah: Two brothers. One is already an apprentice for the blacksmith, he’s twelve. My other one is younger than me. He’s four and likes to eat mud.

Interviewer: *laughs* That sounds like a four-year-old boy. Are you close to them?

Narah: *nods* I don’t get to see Asher very often because he’s gone most of the time. But I see may too much of Carin, my younger brother. I have to watch him while mama is working. *makes a face*

Interviewer: Does your mom have a job like your brother or does she work around the house?

Narah: My mom is a weaver. She makes the prettiest rugs and blankets you ever did see! *all proud*

Interviewer: That’s cool! Do you have a favorite color?

Narah: Blue. Like the sky. And the water. And my eyes. *smiles again* It can be so many colours, or close.

Interview: It’s one of my favorites, too, though I prefer green. *smiles* Blue is perhaps the most varied color. Do you have a favorite food?

Narah: *thinks* I like rice pudding. Is that a food or does that count as more of a dessert?

Interviewer: I think it counts either way. Do you like to read?

Narah: *nods enthusiastically* Yes! Yes! I love to read. I taught myself, you know.

Interviewer: Ooh, that’s impressive. What’s your favorite book?

Narah: Oh, I can’t pick. *swings her legs a little* I like The Tales of King Able. It’s a Garinian tale.

Interviewer: Do you prefer spending time by yourself or being around people?

Narah: It depends on what I’m doing. I like people a lot, but I’d rather not spend time with my brother. Or those people at the market who yell at you for looking at their apples. Like I’m going to take one or something.

Interviewer: That definitely makes sense. Those particular market people don’t seem very nice. What are some things you like to do, besides read?

Narah: I like to play sometimes. And I make beads out of the leftover clay from the potter. He’s really nice, he sometimes gives us coins for caramels. I like to climb trees and explore in the woods. Sometimes the village girls will let me some play with them in the lavender fields. My mom likes lavender, so I always bring her back some.

Interviewer: That sounds like a lot of fun. *smiles and glances at a question sheet* We’re almost finished. Which of these is most important to you: Kindness, intelligence, or bravery?

Narah: Kindness. Though bravery is a close second.

Interviewer: And honesty or selflessness?

Narah: Honesty.

Interviewer: Is there anything you always take with you when you leave home?

Narah: *cocks her head slightly, and then shakes it* I can’t think of anything.

Interviewer: That was the last question. *smiles* Thank you for the chance to talk to you. *offers his hand for a handshake*

Narah: *shakes his hand with her small one* Oh, you’re welcome. Thank you for having me. *hops off the chair and goes back to the door, where a tall black-haired guy is visible for a second, giving her a big hug*

Using Mindmaps for Worldbuilding

Mindmaps are awesome for brainstorming ideas. You start with a broad idea and then narrow your scope and narrow your scope until you can’t narrow it any further, and this is great when you want to figure out what sorts of details you need to develop about your fictional cultures. And since I’ve been experimenting with video recently and I think this post would be easier if y’all could see my screen… I’m going to do a video of this post rather than text.

I’m considering making video a common thing next year (the rest of this year is likely too busy), starting by converting my existing blog posts into video (actual video of my face, not video of my screen like this), but I haven’t decided yet.

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Let me know, do you like this format? Was this helpful? Do you have a method for figuring out what you need to develop for various worlds? I’d love to chat with you down in the comments!

Editing Giveaway

Are you looking for an editor for your speculative fiction book? You’re in luck! I’m offering a 25%-off edit to two lucky winners, lowering my rate from $2/page to $1.50/page. You can read more about my editing and hear what others have to say about it on my editing page. Sound like something you’d be interested in? Enter below to win one of two discounted edits!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fawkes Excerpt

Thomas Fawkes is turning to stone, and the only cure to the Stone Plague is to join his father’s plot to assassinate the king of England.

Read an extended excerpt of the story

Listen to an extended audiobook sound clip

Fantasy author Nadine Brandes brings fans a must-read saga of corruption, masked war, and a race against the clock in Fawkes. In 17th century England, Thomas Fawkes, the son of the famed anarchist Guy Fawkes, is infected with the Stone Plague, and the only cure is to join his father’s Gunpowder Plot to assassinate the king of England. Complicating things further, the family of the girl Thomas loves is on the wrong side of the fight.

An actual war on the monarchy is never declared, but the planning and plotting is carried out in dark alleys with masks and hidden knives. And when the king calls for peace, no one listens until he finally calls for death. But what if death finds him first?

The dueling sides both cry foul. The Keepers think the Igniters caused the plague. Igniters think the Keepers did it. All Thomas knows is that a mystical stone plague has infected his eye and is spreading. If he doesn’t do something soon, he’ll be a lifeless statue. So, when his father, who is on the Keeper side of the battle, invites him to join the Gunpowder Plot-claiming it will put an end to the plague, Thomas is in.

The plan: use 36 barrels of gunpowder to blow the Igniter King James and his Parliament sky high.

The problem: Doing so will destroy the family of Thomas’ love interest, but backing out of the plot will send his father and the other plotters to the gallows. To save one, Thomas will lose the other.

No matter Thomas’s choice, one thing is clear: once the decision is made and the masks have been put on, there’s no turning back.

Want more Fawkes? Check out the rest of the blog tour!

Character Interview: Wren & June Lorne

I’m doing something a little bit different with this post and interview two characters together, because their characters lend themselves well to that and I think it’ll be fun. Wren and Juniper (June) are twins, expert swordplayers, and pretty much polar opposites when it comes to personality. They’re rarely seen apart, mostly because June is overprotective. I hope you enjoy their interview. :)

June and Wren: *enter the interview room and take their chairs across from the interviewer*

June: *sits back with her arms and legs crossed, looking totally disinterested*

Wren: *sits stock straight, face betraying no emotion*

Interviewer: Good morning. How are you two today?

June: Fine.

Wren: *nods once in agreement with June*

Interviewer: Are you ready to start?

June: *shrugs* Sure.

Interviewer: *looks to Wren for a response and gets none* *looks at his question sheet* What are your names?

June: Juniper Lorne, but everyone calls me June. And no, you may not call me Juniper.

Wren: Wren Lorne.

Interviewer: How old are you?

June: Nineteen.

Interviewer: *glances at Wren*

June: We’re twins. I’m older.

Interviewer: Ah. *forces a smile* Do you have any other siblings?

June: No.

Interviewer: Wren, do you have a job?

Wren: Swordsman. June and I both.

Interviewer: Do you two do a lot together?

June: We have our own lives, if that’s what you mean. *her lip curls* We’re not identical by a long shot. People assume that just because we’re twins and we’re both known for our swordplay skills we tote around after each other imitating each other. The very thought is revolting. The thought that people can assume it is more so.

Interviewer: I just meant it as a question.

June: *scoffs* Sure you did.

Interviewer: Wren, are you an introvert or an extrovert?

Wren: Introvert.

Interviewer: *turns to June* And you?

June: Extrovert. Although that’s a little misleading since I don’t like much of anyone. *shrugs* I’m content to stick around Rolan, Wren, Nyas, and Elashor. Sometimes Veda. I like her pretty well.

Interviewer: Are those family? Coworkers?

June: Coworkers. Rolan’s an ex, Wren’s obviously my brother, Nyas is my mentor, and Elashor is our boss. Veda’s the healer, but she doesn’t like people any more than I do.

Interviewer: Do either of you have a favorite food?

June: The blood of my enemies.

Interviewer: *raises an eyebrow*

June: *rolls her eyes* Relax. It was a joke. I guess I like raspberries.

Interviewer: *turns to Wren*

Wren: *shrugs* No particular preference.

Interviewer: *doesn’t look convinced but moves on anyway* A favorite color?

June: Red. *teases her hair out of her face*

Wren: Black.

Interviewer: Do either of you like to read?

June: Why read about adventures when you can have them? Real adrenaline is way more exhilarating.

Wren: *flinches when the interviewer looks at him* No.

Interviewer: *really doesn’t look convinced, but again moves on* Do either of you have any hobbies aside from swordplay?

June: Throwing daggers, darts, gambling over cards, standing on top of really tall buildings, stealing things…

Wren: *voice even* I don’t have any. *swallows*

Interviewer: We’re nearing the end. *glances at question sheet* Which of these is most important to you: Kindness, intelligence, or bravery?

June: Intelligence. The world needs more of it. *curls lip*

Wren: Intelligence.

Interviewer: And honesty or selflessness?

June: Can’t afford either in our line of work. *shrugs*

Wren: *mutters* Honesty.

Interviewer: Last question. What’s something you can’t leave the house without?

June: My sword and my brace of daggers.

Wren: My sword.

Interviewer: Thank you for your time. *smiles*

June: *gets up and leaves*

Wren: *looks briefly at the interviewer before following*

Pinterest Country Boards

After two weeks of tags I’m finally back with a worldbuilding post. I’m also promoting Pinterest again, because Pinterest is awesome and I use it for all sorts of writing-related things. (No, they didn’t pay me.)

I’m not sure Pinterest is really something most people think about as a worldbuilding tool, but it’s wonderful for that purpose anyway, particularly for visual people, so here’s a look at how I set up my Pinterest character boards.

This is my Eilis country board, and already you can see the sections I use. (Sections are one “recent” Pinterest update that I actually appreciate, unlike all the other “improvements” that just make Pinterest a bigger pain to use.) Wardrobe and Cuisine are pretty self-explanatory. Characters are not specific characters, in most cases, but they’re specific character banks I can draw on when creating Eilisian characters so they fit the culture and common appearance of Eilisian people.

Above are a couple sections of the undivided part of the country board. It’s basically the country’s aesthetic, consisting of textures, architecture, wardrobe and cuisine that isn’t specific enough to go in its respective section, flora and fauna, and some music from YouTube that I stumbled across and thought fit. There are also some aesthetic collages I found that fit. It’s just a mix of things that gives the feel and mood of the country.

 

Wardrobe is sectioned off partially because there’s a lot of it on most of my boards, partially because some of the images don’t fit the aesthetic style of the rest of the board, and partially so they’re easy to access for character boards later on. I sometimes have pins that go both in the “Wardrobe” section and in the aesthetic part of the board. This section could also come in handy when describing clothing in an actual story.

I’m really bad at developing cuisine on my own. I’m really uncreative with food. However, Pinterest has an excellent selection of recipes, which makes it a lot easier. On each of my Kersir country boards I searched for cuisine from whatever cultures the country was based on, or recipes using specific ingredients I knew grew in or near those countries. In the case of Eilis, I knew they specialized in pastries and breads and lighter foods, so I started with pastries and added more as I searched for other countries and saw things that fit.

I have a pretty big character bank to draw from when it comes to Eilis. These are all character inspiration that I either searched specifically or pulled from my existing character banks. Some look like they belong in Eilis due to obvious magic powers (Eilis is the only country in Kersir that uses natural magic openly), some have a haughty look that fits Eilis to a T, some just have the right coloring to be Eilisian. When I need Eilisian characters for the novellas taking place in Kersir, this is my first stop.

This section isn’t as necessary when you have someplace more similar to, say, the US as far as population goes and you can have a character of just about any ethnicity you want. In the case of those countries (like most of my Aleruus countries) the characters section are more collections of existing characters who are important figures in the country (royalty, famous opposition, notorious criminals, etc.) rather than character banks.

How do you find pins to populate your country boards? In the case of my Kersir boards I’ve searched for things like “Arabian aesthetic,” “Fig recipes,” “Desert fantasy characters,” “Ancient Rome aesthetic,” etc. Tacking “aesthetic” on the end of something can be a great help in finding country board pins.

With my Aleruus boards, which aren’t based on existing or previously-existing cultures, I tend to have a few key details for them that I build off of. With The Hylands those were forests, archers, and green. I searched for things like “Forest aesthetic,” “Green aesthetic,” “Fantasy hunter aesthetic,” “Green fantasy fashion,” “Archer clothing,” etc. With Remera it was learning, books, and maroon, and I built my searches similarly. Once you’ve started, the searches will generally generate more ideas and it’ll just keep building on itself.

Have fun falling down the black hole of Pinterest searches and don’t forget to actually write the story in the world you’re creating. ;) (I know how this works. There’s no coming back.)

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Had you thought to use Pinterest for country boards? If so, how do your organize yours? What’s been your coolest worldbuilding discovery?

Character Interview: Jake Grisham

Jake is another character from the Memories & Photographs short story series. Unfortunately the story he’s introduced in (Pumpkin Spice & Fallen Leaves) never actually got finished and posted, but he’s briefly mentioned in Rainy Days & Coffee Grounds, if I remember correctly. Anywho… He works for Livi’s grandparents on their farm in Maryland, and the two of them are really good friends. He’s basically a part of her family. I hope you enjoy his interview. :)

Jake: *comes in and takes a seat across from the interviewer with a grin* *in a British accent* Hello.

Interviewer: *returns the smile* Hi there. How are you?

Jake: I’m doing quite well. How are you?

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

Jake: *nods* Ready when you are.

Interviewer: What’s your name?

Jake: Jacob Grisham. Almost everyone calls me Jake.

Interviewer: How old are you?

Jake: Sixteen and a half.

Interviewer: Do you have any siblings?

Jake: No, but I’ve always wanted a little sister. Livi and I used to pretend I was her older brother. *chuckles*

Interviewer: Do you have a job?

Jake: I work as a stablehand for Tori and Frank Beckham. I really love it there. They have a beautiful farm and they’re wonderful people. *smiles*

Interviewer: Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

Jake: I think I’m right on the line. I really love people, but I also really love the peace and quiet of the farmland and the surrounding woods and lake and everything.

Interviewer: Do you have a favorite part of the farm?

Jake: Either the lake or the kitchen. Mrs. Beckham makes the best food. *laughs*

Interviewer: Do you have a favorite meal?

Jake: She makes excellent schnitzel and potatoes, but her apple pie definitely takes first place.

Interviewer: Do you have a favorite color?

Jake: Any shade of red or orange. I’m in a good place for that. *ruffles his hair* In addition to this mess, the farm turns all shades of red and orange in the autumn. We grow pumpkins and apples and there are plenty of trees to turn. Although, funny enough, my favorite apple variety isn’t red. *laughs*

Interviewer: Which variety?

Jake: Granny Smith. I love the tart flavor. *grins*

Interviewer: Ooh. *mouth puckers* Sour’s not really my thing.

Jake: Well there would still be plenty of apples for you. *laughs* What’s your favorite?

Interviewer: Pink Ladies.

Jake: Ooh, that’s another good one. Sweet and crisp.

Interviewer: *nods*

Jake: Do you like apple cider?

Interviewer: Usually.

Jake: The Beckham farm is always well-stocked with cider. We actually sell it, but it’s my favorite so Mrs. Beckham makes sure to always save some. *laughs* You should come by sometime. The Beckhams love hosting people. I’m not sure I’ve ever met a more hospitable family. *grins*

Interviewer: The whole place sounds lovely. And it sounds like you’re really at home there.

Jake: *nods* The Beckhams are my godparents and I’ve lived with them since I was twelve. My parents were in a bad car accident… *swallows and forces a smile to displace the pain* Anyway, they’ve been really great. Living with them is really great. And I love the rest of their family, as well. I always look forward to Zach and Livi’s visits over the holidays. *smiles*

Interviewer: I’m really sorry to hear that.

Jake: *shrugs a bit* Thanks. Um, are there more questions?

Interviewer: *nods* We can stop if you need?

Jake: No, I was actually hoping for something else to talk about. *chuckles a bit*

Interviewer: Oh, of course. Um… *glances at questions* Do you prefer movies or books?

Jake: Books. Particularly the Safe Lands books by Jill Williamson.

Interviewer: Oh, I haven’t read those. I’ve wanted to, but I haven’t had a chance to read them yet.

Jake: I’ve really enjoyed them. I hope you have a chance to read them soon.

Interviewer: *nods and looks at list* Do you have a favorite animal?

Jake: Specifically or generically?

Interviewer: Either or both.

Jake: Generally, horses. I work with them all the time. Specifically, my tabby cat Pumpkin. My parents gave him to me for Christmas when I was four and he’s stayed with me through everything. *smiles a bit*

Interviewer: What are your hobbies?

Jake: Reading and drawing, mostly. I really enjoy doing colored pencil drawings of places around the farm at different times of the year. I also enjoy baking, when Mrs. Beckham lets me take over the kitchen for a while. *grins*

Interviewer: That seems like it would be a lot of fun.

Jake: It is. Every year I see my skills get a little bit better. *smiles*

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

Jake: Kindness.

Interviewer: And honesty or selflessness?

Jake: Selflessness.

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

Jake: I have a cross-body bag that I take with me that generally has whatever book I’m reading, my art supplies, money and keys, and whatever fruit is in season. Sometimes Pumpkin tags along, too. *chuckles*

Interviewer: Do you have a favorite place outside the farm?

Jake: The college library in town. It’s a really nice library and it’s right next to the pond.

Interviewer: Sounds like a good place to sit and read.

Jake: *nods* It’s a really nice bike ride from the farm to the library, and I can spend whole days there when I’m not working on the farm.

Interviewer: Do you often bike places?

Jake: *nods* I have my license, but pretty much everything we need is within biking distance and I’m more comfortable on my bike.

Interviewer: It seems like living in a small town would be nice.

Jake: *shrugs* I like it. Do you live in a big city, then?

Interviewer: Not super big, but it’s certainly not small. *chuckles* I’ve wanted for a while to live somewhere where there’s more open space to run away to and people you can get to know easier than in a normal-size town like mine.

Jake: Small towns are nice for that, yeah.

Interviewer: *looks down at the question sheet and realizes she’s already asked the last one* Oh. Well, we’re done. *looks back up* It was nice to interview you. Thanks for your time. *smiles and extends a hand*

Jake: You’re welcome. Thanks for the interview. *shakes the interviewer’s hand with a smile* I enjoyed talking with you. *heads out*

(The image used at the beginning of this post is from Pinterest.)