Carynn Bohley's Blog, page 4

Picking Up A Baby Guinea Pig + Introducing Her To Tibby!

As I promised, I bought a friend for Tibby! I decided to vlog the whole thing, and I’m so glad I did. Tibby’s reaction was absolutely hilarious! Check it out here, or head over to my new YouTube channel ‘Whistle Pigs.’

I’m also still deciding on a name for guinea pig #2, so I’d love your ideas!

Anyhow, to the video:

I Will Proofread/Critique Your Creative Writing Starting At $5

To save up for another guinea pig (I was reading that it’s not a good idea to have just one, as guinea pigs are extremely social animals), I decided to post a gig on Fiverr. I assumed that it’ll do better if I promoted it on here!

I tried to make it inexpensive for people who need something edited or critiqued but can’t afford a professional. Here’s the description:

I will proofread and/or critique your creative writing project under 3,000 words (you can add more words by adding $5). This can be poetry, a short story, a piece of a novel, a blog post/page or a blurb for one of these. I’ve been blogging for over three years, writing novels for most of my life, and I recently published an Amazon short read that held the #1 ‘hot release’ for over 48 hours.

I can’t wait to work with you!

You can check it out HERE.

Thanks guys!

[image error]

 

 

Meet Tibby

So my Mom, Lucas, Amelia and I were out yesterday grocery shopping, and I told my Mom that I wanted to get a betta fish. I’ve been asking to get a small pet for years, but I’ve only ever been allowed fish. When I was eight I had a rabbit (Princess Selenia), and since I didn’t take great care of her back then, my Mom wasn’t sure she wanted me to have any more pets.

My Mom utterly surprised me when she pulled up to Petco and said, “Take a look around and then come back.”

Lucas and I went inside, and we looked at the birds (not allowed to have birds, too loud and messy), lizards (not allowed to have lizards; my Mom hates reptiles), rats (not allowed to have mice or rats, my Mom associates rats with garbage and the Plague), and then guinea pigs.

I’ve never cared much for guinea pigs- rabbits have always been my favorite- but one of them caught my attention. It wasn’t just that she was adorable (which she was), but that she was extremely energetic and hilarious. She sprinted around her cage and crawled over her friend to get to the glass, and started jumping up on the side.

When I returned to the car, Lucas and I were both very excited. My Mom had me go back into the store with a notebook and pen (which I always have with me) to tally up the cost.

When I went back to the car, I had estimated that it would be about $70. My Mom and Amelia went inside with us this time to check it out (not Amelia so much, considering she’s only two…). I realized that the ‘cage+wheel+food dish+water container+starter bedding+starter food’ kit I found was for hamsters and smaller rodents, and my price estimation went up.

In the end, I purchased a guinea pig cage, mini shelter, water container, food dish, food, treats, wooden toys… and, of course, a guinea pig.

For the first five minutes in the car, her name was Piggy. My Mom talked me out of it, and her name became ‘Maisey.’ I still felt undecided, so I made a list of names (this list included names ranging from Swiss to Esme). Finally I decided on Tibby, a character in ‘The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants’ who has a guinea pig named Mimi.

Tibby stuck.

She loves her cage, and though I’m still struggling with patience, I’m letting her adjust before I handle her.

I have big plans for her. A travelling guinea pig show, Hollywood, Vegas…

Or maybe just cuddling up with her while I read, or making mazes for her to navigate.

Anyhow, I just wanted to share this with you. Maybe it doesn’t seem like a huge deal, but she’s part of my life now… and I completely love her.

[image error]

Also, just wanted to add that this is Writer’s BloK’s

100th post!

That’s actually one of the reasons I haven’t posted in so long… I was sort of intimidated by the fact that this is post #100. I thought that it had to be really special.

But I decided that I wanted to share Tibby with all of you, and since she’s part of my life now, what the heck?

[image error]

 

The Soulmark Games- A Hunger Games Alternate Universe Fanfiction

I haven’t posted fanfiction in a while, so I thought I’d share my newest fanfiction series with you. If you’re on Archive of our Own (or if you aren’t, you can read as a guest) you can check it out here. It’s also on Wattpad, which you can read if you click here.

Or, if you prefer to hang out at Writer’s BloK, enjoy chapter one!

But first, here’s the description:

A soul mark is a tattoo-like birthmark found on one’s wrist. Like fingerprints, these marks are completely unique- with one exception. One other person is born with an identical mark, and that person is the one who completes you.

In an ideal world, everyone would find their soulmate. 

But Panem is not an ideal world.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Peeta Mellark has waited all his life to find his soulmate. Now his dreams come true- under extreme circumstances that leave him wondering if she would be better off without him…

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Katniss Everdeen has never thought much about the colorful mark on her wrist. But when she meets Peeta, she begins to wonder if love is worth the possibility of loss, after all…

Chapter One
Peeta

 

I’ll admit it, I’ve spent more than a fair amount of time daydreaming about meeting my soulmate. Its actual happening would be a rarity, what with the strict separation of people within each of the twelve districts, but I’ve always been one to get my hopes up. I’m not sure where I got my enthusiasm; my Mother’s about as motherly as barbed wire, and my Father isn’t one to share his emotions. According to my usually-gloomy brothers, the trait is entirely my own.

Maybe it’s bad to spend so much time pondering the highly unlikely occasion of actually meeting my soulmate. The one who shares the special mark that colors my wrist, completely different than every other person’s.

According to statistics, I have little to no chance of ever meeting her. And even if I did, President Snow’s new law requiring everyone who bears a soul mark to keep them hidden would make it impossible. My Father thinks that the law is meant to keep people separated; he says that love is too strong a motive to keep people from rebelling, and Snow is threatened by that.

It’s completely unfair, of course, but this is Panem. Fair isn’t exactly part of the equation.

In an ideal world, the citizens of Panem would be free to roam anywhere they pleased. They wouldn’t need to wear clothing that covered their wrists from the eyes of those whose marks were identical. President Snow wouldn’t hold a position of power.

In an ideal world, there would be no such thing as the Hunger Games.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that our world is not ideal; the reality of our life struck when I was only three or four. Now, at sixteen, I’ve accepted it. I know that there’s no point in rebellion, even a silent one.

I don’t mean that I agree with the way things are, just that I understand that it is how things are. So I’ve planned my life accordingly.

One thing I have not accepted is that my soulmate won’t be a part of it.

My train of thought ends abruptly and a wave of panic takes its place. This is how it goes all morning; I make myself forget, and then the thought pushes itself back into my head: Today is Reaping Day.

And I could be next.

True, my family is fairly wealthy compared to many in twelve, so I’ve never needed to take tesserae. But the games are never fair, and while the odds have been in my favor up until now, they might not remain that way.

I focus on slowing my quickly accelerating heart rate in hopes of pushing the fear from my mind. Unfortunately, it tends to stick around once I let it back in.

“You should eat something,” Father says quietly from the other side of the room.

I nearly forgot that I wasn’t alone, having been secluded in my thoughts. It happens a lot, I guess.

“I’m not sure I can,” I admit.

Father looks up from the ball of dough he’s kneading, his eyebrows knit together and his mouth set in a grim line. “Peeta, you won’t be reaped. Not today. Not ever.” He says it with such assurance, such finality in his tone that I don’t argue. For a moment I wonder if he was talking to me at all, and not himself.

I put up a hand and the lines of tension disappear from Father’s forehead. He lifts a roll from the counter beside him and tosses it to me, and I catch it in one hand. “Thanks.”

The bell rings out as a customer enters, and I turn to meet him. I recognize him immediately; Gale Hawthorne. He’s two grades above me, I think, in my older brother Ficelle’s year. He’s tall and lean, with dark hair and deep-set gray eyes like those of nearly everyone who lives at the Seam.

I haven’t actually spoken to Gale- at least, not really. I’m not sure that quibbles over bread prices count.

Gale raises a squirrel by the tail, and my eyes immediately land on the puncture in its side made by the arrow. It brings a memory to mind, one that isn’t so much different than the current moment. There were only two large distinctions between the two events. One, the squirrel being held up had been shot straight through the eye. And two, the animal hung from a different hand.

I don’t know why my thoughts lead back to Katniss Everdeen. I know almost nothing about her; just that her Father died in a mine accident five years ago, she’s my age, she’s quiet, and she’s an amazing shot. Cut amazing, Katniss could hit a moving target straight through the middle from two hundred yards away. Blindfolded.

Gale coughs a deep, throaty cough, like the kind someone does when they’re waiting for you to say or do something but are too polite to tell you.

I laugh embarrassedly. “Sorry, just zoned out a bit.”

Gale’s face softens. “I know. A lot to think about today, huh?”

I grimace. I’d nearly forgotten.

“How are you doing today, Mr. Hawthorne?” Father calls pleasantly from behind the counter. Gale gives me a polite smile before walking past me to speak with Father. In all truthfulness, I’m relieved. It’s hard to look at someone who’s far more likely to be chosen at the Reaping than I am without feeling guilty.

I hurry from the room and nearly slam into my mother as she rounds the corner, an armful of ingredients in her arms. One thing I’ve learned about her over the past sixteen years is that, unlikely practically every other adult in twelve, she doesn’t sympathize even on Reaping Day.

“Get control of yourself,” she snaps, and the load she carries keeps her from slapping me on the back of the head.

“Sorry,” I mumble, before stumbling gracefully to mine and my brothers’ room to get changed into fresh clothing.

After all, it’s good to look your best when you’re heading straight toward your possible death sentence.

[image error]

The Soulmark games- A Hunger Games Alternate Universe Fanfiction

Hey all,

I haven’t posted fanfiction in a while, so I thought I’d share my newest fanfiction series with you. If you’re on Archive of our Own (or if you aren’t, you can read as a guest) you can check it out here.

Or, if you prefer to hang out at Writer’s BloK, enjoy chapter one!

But first, here’s the description:

A soul mark is a tattoo-like birthmark found on one’s wrist. Like fingerprints, these marks are completely unique- with one exception. One other person is born with an identical mark, and that person is the one who completes you.

In an ideal world, everyone would find their soulmate. 

But Panem is not an ideal world.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Peeta Mellark has waited all his life to find his soulmate. Now his dreams come true- under extreme circumstances that leaves him wondering if she would be better off without him…

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Katniss Everdeen has never thought much about the colorful mark on her wrist. But when she meets Peeta, she begins to wonder if love is worth the possibility of loss, after all…

Chapter One
Peeta

 

I’ll admit it, I’ve spent more than a fair amount of time daydreaming about meeting my soulmate. Its actual happening would be a rarity, what with the strict separation of people within each of the twelve districts, but I’ve always been one to get my hopes up. I’m not sure where I got my enthusiasm; my Mother’s about as motherly as barbed wire, and my Father isn’t one to share his emotions. According to my usually-gloomy brothers, the trait is entirely my own.

Maybe it’s bad to spend so much time pondering the highly unlikely occasion of actually meeting my soulmate. The one who shares the special mark that colors my wrist, completely different than every other person’s.

According to statistics, I have little to know chance of ever meeting her. And even if I did, President Snow’s new law requiring everyone who bears a soul mark to keep them hidden would make it impossible. My Father thinks that the law is meant to keep people separated; he says that love is too strong a motive to keep people from rebelling, and Snow is threatened by that.

It’s completely unfair, of course, but this is Panem. Fair isn’t exactly part of the equation.

In an ideal world, the citizens of Panem would be free to roam anywhere they pleased. They wouldn’t need to wear clothing that covered their wrists from the eyes of those whose marks were identical. President Snow wouldn’t hold a position of power.

In an ideal world, there would be no such thing as the Hunger Games.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that our world is not ideal; the reality of our life struck when I was only three or four. Now, at sixteen, I’ve accepted it. I know that there’s no point in rebellion, even a silent one.

I don’t mean that I agree with the way things are, just that I understand that it is how things are. So I’ve planned my life accordingly.

One thing I have not accepted is that my soulmate won’t be a part of it.

My train of thought ends abruptly and a wave of panic takes its place. This is how it goes all morning; I make myself forget, and then the thought pushes itself back into my head: Today is Reaping Day.

And I could be next.

True, my family is fairly wealthy compared to many in twelve, so I’ve never needed to take tesserae. But the games are never fair, and while the odds have been in my favor up until now, they might not remain that way.

I focus on slowing my quickly accelerating heart rate in hopes of pushing the fear from my mind. Unfortunately, it tends to stick around once I let it back in.

“You should eat something,” Father says quietly from the other side of the room.

I nearly forgot that I wasn’t alone, having been secluded in my thoughts. It happens a lot, I guess.

“I’m not sure I can,” I admit.

Father looks up from the ball of dough he’s kneading, his eyebrows knit together and his mouth set in a grim line. “Peeta, you won’t be reaped. Not today. Not ever.” He says it with such assurance, such finality in his tone that I don’t argue. For a moment I wonder if he was talking to me at all, and not himself.

I put up a hand and the lines of tension disappear from Father’s forehead. He lifts a roll from the counter beside him and tosses it to me, and I catch it in one hand. “Thanks.”

The bell rings out as a customer enters, and I turn to meet him. I recognize him immediately; Gale Hawthorne. He’s two grades above me, I think, in my older brother Ficelle’s year. He’s tall and lean, with dark hair and deep-set gray eyes like those of nearly everyone who lives at the Seam.

I haven’t actually spoken to Gale- at least, not really. I’m not sure that quibbles over bread prices count.

Gale raises a squirrel by the tail, and my eyes immediately land on the puncture in its side made by the arrow. It brings a memory to mind, one that isn’t so much different than the current moment. There were only two large distinctions between the two events. One, the squirrel being held up had been shot straight through the eye. And two, the animal hung from a different hand.

I don’t know why my thoughts lead back to Katniss Everdeen. I know almost nothing about her; just that her Father died in a mine accident five years ago, she’s my age, she’s quiet, and she’s an amazing shot. Cut amazing, Katniss could hit a moving target straight through the middle from two hundred yards away. Blindfolded.

Gale coughs a deep, throaty cough, like the kind someone does when they’re waiting for you to say or do something but are too polite to tell you.

I laugh embarrassedly. “Sorry, just zoned out a bit.”

Gale’s face softens. “I know. A lot to think about today, huh?”

I grimace. I’d nearly forgotten.

“How are you doing today, Mr. Hawthorne?” Father calls pleasantly from behind the counter. Gale gives me a polite smile before walking past me to speak with Father. In all truthfulness, I’m relieved. It’s hard to look at someone who’s far more likely to be chosen at the Reaping than I am without feeling guilty.

I hurry from the room and nearly slam into my mother as she rounds the corner, an armful of ingredients in her arms. One thing I’ve learned about her over the past sixteen years is that, unlikely practically every other adult in twelve, she doesn’t sympathize even on Reaping Day.

“Get control of yourself,” she snaps, and the load she carries keeps her from slapping me on the back of the head.

“Sorry,” I mumble, before stumbling gracefully to mine and my brothers’ room to get changed into fresh clothing.

After all, it’s good to look your best when you’re heading straight toward your possible death sentence.

[image error]

Help Me Name My (Animated) Dog!

I haven’t posted in a while because I’ve been juggling multiple projects, ranging from writing a new novel to making two movies (a live-action as well as a 3D animation). Not to mention recovering from my recent bunion surgery (I got my stitches out a few days ago, but my toes aren’t weight bearing yet). I’m also dealing with an infection caused by a very deep splinter, so that’s been fun.

The point of this post isn’t to catch up, though, but because I could use some opinions. As I mentioned above, I’ve been working on a 3D animation movie. My main character is a weimaraner puppy named… (insert awesome but adorable name here).

So yes, that’s what I need opinions on.

Here’s a snapshot of my work-in-progress male weimaraner puppy.

[image error]

Please comment your thoughts below!

[image error]

Whisper Challenge!

Psssst! Have you ever heard of the ‘Whisper Challenge?’ Watch Jacob and Carynn (brother and sister) completely FAIL the challenge! Make sure to click that thumbs up and subscribe for more cool challenges and hilarious sibling videos!

Writing Livestream Recap!

If you weren’t able to watch mine and my cousin H.G Warrender’s writing livestream, check it out below! Enjoy! Also, we hope to do another live stream event soon, so stay tuned! (In other words, I’ll keep you posted… haha, blogging pun…)

Teen Authors Talk Writing- Livestream

Teen authors H.G Warrender (‘The Way She Sees It’ culture podcast) and Carynn Bohley (‘Precipice’) talk about the process of writing a book, short story, podcast or blog, and answer your writing questions.

– – –

As some of you know, my cousin H.G Warrender and I are hosting a writing livestream tomorrow, Wednesday the 22nd at 7 PM. We’ll be answering questions, and giving writing tips. You can click HERE to check it out. Make sure to click the notifications bell so you’ll know when we begin!

Also, we’d like to build up a list of questions to talk about during the livestream (but you’ll also be able to talk to us during the live chat). Please comment questions you have about writing (ex. how do you find inspiration, how do you stick with a writing project, what’s the hardest part about writing, etc), and we’ll be sure to talk over them during the livestream.

We’re so excited for this, and I hope you all check it out once we’ve gone live!

[image error]

Writing Tips Livestream!

Hey everyone, I’m super excited (if you couldn’t tell by the exclamation points) to announce that my cousin and I (HG Warrender, author of The King’s Decree and a number of short stories) will be hosting a livestream intended for writers. We will be answering questions, and covering a few writing topics that we’ve chosen. It will be called ‘Teen Authors Talk Writing,’ and will be on YouTube on Wednesday (5/22/19) at 7PM Eastern time. I’ll be releasing an actual link and more information on Tuesday, so mark it on your calendars!

Also, as I said, we’ll be answering questions. These can be questions about writing, publishing, or us as writers. You can either comment them now (so we’ll have them before the livestream) or during the livestream, but we hope to have a collection prepared beforehand.

I’m so excited for this! Stay tuned for the post on Tuesday, and you can follow me on YouTube HERE. Thanks!

[image error]