Tag: tags

An Autumn Tag

Mirriam8 Comments

It’s no surprise to anyone that I love Autumn. I am every basic autumn meme you see floating around the internet, and I don’t even mind. Everything about autumn is perfect, especially in the PNW. It began to feel like fall a little over a week ago, and I went from shorts to leggings in a second. My music and viewing choices shifted toward fall themes. It’s perfect. (Also technically yesterday was the first day of fall according to the meteorological calendar, to which I ascribe. So.)

Looking at Autumn Tags around the internet, I’ve curated my favorite questions to answer and ask the rest of you! If you want to be tagged, consider it done – link me to your answers below,because I’d love to read them!

fall activity

It’s cliche to say everything, but everything is better in fall. If I had to narrow it down to just one thing, I would say existing. That’s not too vague, right? If I really had to choose one thing, it would be getting dressed, because autumn clothes are my favorite clothes and I can finally get back into looking like a vagabond wizard-woman.

FAVORITE

So back when I was writing Paper Crowns and Paper Hearts (which is due for a rewrite pretty soon here), I had a very specifically-curated playlist I would listen to while I wrote. I always have a playlist for my novels, but often the songs are mostly interchangeable with other playlists – I listen to my Salvation playlist while writing No Dark Disguise, for example, but I also listen to it sometimes when writing Ye Stars That Shudder despite having a YSTS playlist.

The songs I listened to for the Paper series all feel like fall to me for some reason – they have that wonderfully cozy, soft, vaguely eerie feeling that makes you want to toss on an oversized sweater, tuck a book under your arm, and go walk on some crunchy leaves. Lenka, A Fine Frenzy, and Novelette make up the majority of this playlist – if you’d like me to give you a full-fledged autumn playlist with specific songs, let me know!

FAVORITE

I can’t choose between the two, because a cozy autumn is a spooky autumn and vice versa (at least in my mind). Half the coziness of autumn is feeling like somewhere between the crisp air and the earlier nights, something is waiting. It’s right around the corner. Growing up we chose to spend Halloween with blankets over the windows watching movies and eating a special dinner, pretending we weren’t home and hiding from trick-or-treaters, which always gave the night an extra special kind of secrecy and probably created the feeling I still have despite the fact I now hand out candy and dress up on a pretty daily basis.

FAVORITE

Monster, for sure. I’ve always loved monsters. Give me all the monsters.

FAVORITE

Over the Garden Wall now has to be at the very top of my list, along with Stranger Things, Fantastic Beasts, The Odd Life of Timothy Green, Gilmore Girls, and any and every Studio Ghibli movie (but, when is it NOT time for those?).

FAVORITE

While I never stop drinking strong black coffee (two cups in the morning are necessary), I have to go with eggnog lattes. There’s a small coffee shack a few miles from here that starts serving them early, mid-September, before anyone else does. It is a gift from God. As far as food goes, I don’t have a specific autumn food that’s my favorite – autumn is for baked things. It’s for pastries. It’s for gaining back the handful of pounds I lost with exercise during the summer. It’s worth it (and provides free insulation).

FAVORITE

A Wrinkle in Time, The Silmarillion, Brambly Hedge, the Fantastic Beasts script, and The Hobbit. Oh, and Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. That’s very necessary and one of my all-time favorite books.

FAVORITE

Definitely NaNoWriMo. This year will be my…tenth? NaNoWriMo (I think. It might be ninth; there’s a JuNoWriMo in there somewhere also. And a Camp NaNo.) That said, I do love watching artists do InkTober or DrawTober and I plan to join in on at least one of those this year. I don’t like the official InkTober prompts, so I’ll probably search for another less-popular list to draw from. If you know of any, hit me up!

FAVORITE

There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been! — Percy Shelley
That country where it is always turning late in the year. That country where the hills are fog and the rivers are mist; where noons go quickly, dusks and twilights linger, and midnights stay. That country composed in the main of cellars, sub-cellars, coal-bins, closets, attics, and pantries faced away from the sun. That country whose people are autumn people, thinking only autumn thoughts. Whose people passing at night on the empty walks sound like rain. — Ray Bradbury
FAVORITE

If there are any other questions you’d like me to answer, or questions you want to add onto this for YOUR blog,, please feel free! For now, happy autumn; and may the wind blow you to good places.

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The Modern Novel

Mirriam4 Comments

booksToday, in participation of Joy’s literature-related blog party, I’m answering questions about the modern novel. And having a deuce of a time, I might add.

1.  Who are your most well-loved authors of the mid to late twentieth century (1930-1960)?
 If every question is going to be this difficult, I may well be here all day trying to answer them. I’m going to say Rosemary Sutcliff, Dodie Smith, and Tolkien. I could name more, but I like keeping things in threes.

2.  Who are your favourite authors of the twenty-first century?
This is going to be much harder to narrow down. Jenny Frietag (and no, she didn’t twist my arm to make me say that. She isn’t large enough), Patricia McKillip, Neil Gaiman, Maggie Stiefvater, Allison Croggon, Caitlyn Kittredge, Robin Hobb, and Stephen Lawhead. (All right; I’m going to include Katie Sabelko, Rachel Heffington, and Abigail Hartman because let’s face it; they’re also brilliant.)

3.  Which genres do you tend to read the most and enjoy from more modern fiction?
Typically, I enjoy fantasy in the modern genre, although I can safely say I’ve read every acceptable genre and enjoyed some from all of them. It’s hard to narrow my tastes down because honestly, I have favorites in every category under the sun. Fantasy tends to beat the rest, I will say that.

4.  Are you more willing to invest yourself in a fictional trilogy/series or do you prefer the stand-alone novel better?
It depends on how much time I’m willing to invest. If a book doesn’t jazz me, I won’t bother reading the rest of the series. If I like the book, I’ll read the series. Typical.

5.  While it is generally agreed that nothing beats classic fiction, there is much gold in the new too!  What are the positive qualities and styles of modern fiction?
As a rule of thumb, I enjoy modern fiction far more than classics. Classic novels are, in my experience, generally overrated. Writing will always be writing; every century will have the good and the bad. Modern novels today will be classics tomorrow, and so on. I think modern fiction is more personal and accessible, probably; less stuffy and aloof than classic novels. Then again, I’ve read good classics and bad modern fiction. It’s a diverse world.

6.  What is your greatest hope for modern fiction?
I can’t say I’ve ever considered having ‘hope for modern fiction,’ or for any kind of writing at all. I hope that people are touched in the right ways by the right kinds of books, and that goes for books of every genre and century.

7.  List five books by modern authors you have read which you either hope or predict will become “classics” in years to come.
A Wrinkle In Time, The Grand Sophy, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Plenilune, The Paradise War.

8.  In reading modern books, do you predominately read from the secular or Christian market?
To quote Jenny, “Most of the time Christian fiction is shallow, unrealistic, uninformed, and uninspiring…So yes, I tend to read secular fiction.  When the Christian authors can gird up their loins adequately (and talk of loins without colouring up and lowering their voices) I’ll probably be perfectly happy to read them too.”

9.  List three of your favourite novels written in this century.
This is ridiculous pressure. I don’t appreciate it. I simply read too much; one can’t put these kinds of limits on me. I will say that Some (capital ‘S’) of my favorites were The Thirteenth Tale, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and Inkheart.
10.  Of various as-of-yet unpublished books that you know about, what are five that you most wish to read one day?
Lamblight, Maresgate, Cruxgang, Drakeshelm, Ampersand, Wordcrafter, and the next Tawny Man novel.

Faith and Fantasy

Mirriam21 Comments

oberon_s_wife_by_gerryarthur-d7gl726I know I said I was doing Unscripted today, but I woke up too late to exercise and shower this morning, and then I had a bad hair day, and things just happened and I’m not going to burden you with my face today. I’ll do it tomorrow. I promise. So instead of a vlog, today I’m listening to Lorde and answering the second set of tags from the blog chain happening at Fullness of Joy.

1. Taken from a Christian perspective, what are your thoughts and feelings on the fantasy genre in general? Do you hold to any convictions or guidelines on things like magic, sorcery, fantastical elements or allegory in fantasy books? This is an interesting topic for me, and I’ve discussed it before. To put it simply, I believe evil is evil and good is good, no matter what label you put on it. A lot of people I know don’t read things with ‘good’ witches or wizards in them, even if the ‘witches’ and ‘wizards’ are, in fact, behaving in a Biblical manner and I don’t agree with this, since those words are modern substitutes – the words weren’t even around when Jesus was alive. He was speaking in terms of necromancy and contacting the dead. It’s a big subject for me, but generally speaking, I don’t have a problem with magic.

2. Who are some of your favourite fantasy/fairy-tale authors? (you can name up to three.) Ohh, this is difficult. Patricia McKillip, Robin McKinley, and Robin Hobb would have to be in the top 3, but then I have to leave out Tolkien and Charles deLint and Madeline L’Engle… 
3. Have you read The Chronicles of Narnia books, or watched any of the movies? Which, if so, are your three favourite books? In order, my three favorite books are The Silver Chair, The Magician’s Nephew, and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
4. How many books by J.R.R. Tolkien have you read and enjoyed so far? Can you choose a favourite book (The Lord of the Rings can be considered one book ;)? I’ve read all of them. My favorite is The Hobbit, as I’ve read it more than any of the others, but The Silmarillion would tie closely. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is fantastic, the tales of Numenor are great…picking is painful. Choices, precious. Choices.
5. Uhm. . . since, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were friends, I will not risk causing further estrangement to the history of their friendship by pitting them against each other! However, being the mastermind of mischief that I am, I will toss this question your way: which of the two are you most fond of in sense of storytelling, characters, themes and what personally touches/inspires you the most: The Lord of the Rings, or The Chronicles of Narnia? I’m going to respond with Tolkien if we’re talking fiction (I adore C. S. Lewis’s non-fiction books, they’re some of my favorite literature ever written) because while his greatest pitfall was an excess of description, his characters and stories were far-reaching, beautiful, flawed, wild and unpredictable, sometimes fun-loving and sometimes tragic and more often than not a mix of both. Narnia is dear to my heart, but Middle-Earth has done a better job of following me into adulthood.
6. Are there other books and movies of the fantasy/fairy-tale/legend genre that have you read and loved, especially from modern authors? Please tell us a little bit about them. There are many, as fantasy is the genre I usually read. Robin Hobb is a brilliant author, as is Patricia McKillip (why is there no Riddle-Master movie trilogy yet? Probably because casting would be a deuce. Still, it should happen) and Robin McKinley and Orson Scott Card and Charles de Lint and Stephen Lawhead…I love fantasy with beautiful prose, colorful characters, vivid images and well thought-out, far-flung worlds, and these authors satisfy those cravings.
7. Have you read any Christian allegories, such as Pilgrim’s Progress, Holy War or Hinds Feet on High Places? I’ve read all of those, and they have all had a positive impact on my life. In fact, I’m nearing ready to re-read Hind’s Feet.
8. Share some of your most well-loved heroines from fantasy tales in literature (books, movies, modern and classics), and why you love them so much! What virtues/traits in them would you like to have yourself? I’m always fond of Beauty in any Beauty and the Beast tale. I also quite love Raederle from the Riddle-Master Trilogy, and the Moorchild. I love heroines with strong curiosity, kind hearts, and spitfire personalities. I particularly love them if they’re willing to look past cultural conventions, ask questions, and seek out answers.
9. Which land would you rather go, dwell in, or be a part of: Middle-Earth, or Narnia? (or maybe some other fantasy-land, you share!) This is a nearly impossible question. I would choose Middle-Earth over Narnia, but as for other options – there are so many, I really couldn’t tell you. Perhaps I’ll just visit all of them.
10. What kind of fantasy are you most fond of? Fantastical and “fairy-tale-ish” like Alice in Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast or Cinderella, or rather the mythological, high-epic-fantasies such as Tolkien’s? My love for fairy-tales is a solid fact, but I would have to say that epic high fantasy is my favorite, by just a bit. Any genre with more rules to break and less boundaries to stay inside will capture my attention.
11. Which is your favourite fairy-tale? It’s a tie between Beauty and the Beast and East of the Sun, West of the Moon.
12. List some of your most well-loved movie adaptions of fantasy tales (this does not include Disney fairy-tale animations). I’m very fond of the 1990’s Beauty and the Beast tv show, and I’m also very excited for the new French Beauty and the Beast coming out later this year. I don’t believe Willow counts, but if it did, I would include Willow as well. Why isn’t there a good East of the Sun, West of the Moon retelling? Why?
13. Who are your favourite heroes from fantasy books? (you may list as many as you like!) Tell us a little bit about why you love them so much :). Fortunately there’s no limit to this list, or I would have problems. Beleg Cuthalion and Gwindor from Children of Hurin. Maedhros from The Silmarillion. Dustfinger from the Inkworld Trilogy. The Fool from the Tawny Man series. Blodgharm and Murtagh from the Inheritance Cycle. Deth and Astrin from the Riddle-Master trilogy. Lewis and Tegid from Stephen Lawhead’s Albion trilogy. Jared from the Incarceron duo. Madmartigan from Willow. Eomer from the Lord of the Rings. I’m only scratching the surface here, but these are some of my literary smooshes.  
14. Saddest moment in any fantasy tale you’ve either watched or read? SPOILERS: Beleg and Gwindor’s deaths. Dustfinger’s death. Deth’s betrayal of Morgan. When Maedhros is taken and tortured. The list goes on.
15. How did you get into The Lord of the Rings and Middle-Earth books/movies? (If you’re not into LOTR than you can talk about how you got into Narnia instead). I grew up in a family that really reads; when I was seven/eight my mom read the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe aloud, and then the rest of the series. I had seen her read The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings my entire childhood and I finally read them when I was twelve. These, plus being raised on hero stories, fairy tales and ancient mythology, kindled my love of fantasy at an early age.
16. Give a list (preferably with pictures!) of your favourite fantasy/medieval costumes/armour/gowns and from which movie/character they come from. I’m going to take the easy way out (because really? Seriously? You would be here all day if I did this) I’m going to just say, while I don’t advocate the series, the dresses in Game of Thrones are swoon-worthy. Also, most of the costumes in Legend of the Seeker are stunning.
17. Which fantasy/fairy-tale has inspired and influenced you the most? There’s definitely a strain of Beauty and the Beast in everything I write.
18. Favourite character in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings/Hobbit universe? Favourite character in The Chronicles of Narnia? (Choose 1 each) Eomer, Puddleglum.
19. Favourite friendship in a fantasy book/movie/series? I love the relationship between The Fool and Tom Badgerlock in the Tawny Man series. I also love the friendship between Legolas and Gimli, and the love between Morgan and Deth in the Riddle-Master trilogy.
20. Which villain of fantasy strikes the most dread and loathing in you? Which foe strikes the most pity? Hmm. This is difficult, as ‘dread and loathing’ aren’t two emotions I generally feel. Ever. I really do despise the trolls in East of the Sun, West of the Moon because they’re downright annoying. Grima Wormtonge, I just feel sorry for.
21. Share some of your most well-loved quotes from fantasy books/movies :). My all-time favorite, I have on a pendant I wear around my neck.
“All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given you.”
22. Favourite battle in a fantasy book or movie? The Battle of Helm’s Deep, thus far, is my favorite. There are several battles I like in the Albion trilogy as well.
23. Tell us which romance couple you love best in any of the fantasy stories you know about. Morgan and Raederle from the Riddle-Master trilogy, or Beauty and the Beast, or Girl and the Polar Bear.
so many
24. Elves or dwarves? Gondor or Rohan? Aragorn or King Tirian? Elves. Rohan. Aragorn. This was not even a contest.
25. Who is your favourite side-kick (secondary character) in books/movies of this genre? (you are welcome to choose more than one ;). Aii! Let me list a few – Gwindor, Diaval, Blodgharm, The Black Prince, Astrin…
26. List five fantasy novels you are especially looking forward and eager to read in the near future. The Ill-Made Mute by Celia Dart-Thornton, Moonblood by Ann Elizabeth Stengl, Taliesin by Stephen Lawhead, Dragon’s Winter by Elizabeth Lynn, and Winter Rose by Patricia McKillip.
27. Which fantasy work struck you with the most sense and depth of faith and the author’s perception of morality, ethics, the distinction and battle between good and evil, and the Christian walk? Can you share a little bit about it? I’ve read so many…I’m probably going to go with the obvious choice and say the Lord of the Rings. Because I’m old-school like that.
28. What was the first fantasy novel you ever read and how did it strike you? The first fantasy /novel/ I ever read, as opposed to a story (I grew up on fantasy stories) was probably The Borrowers…which may explain some of my hardcore love for The Secret World of Arrietty.
29. What would inspire you to pick up a work of fantasy literature or watch a fantasy film? What do you believe are both the benefits, negatives and overall effects of enjoying this genre? Honestly, an intriguing cover would make me pick up a piece of fantasy literature. The summary would be the second decider, because often (especially with fantasy) the cover has nothing to do with the story. As for a movie, it would probably be the title and how it sounded that would spark my initial interest. I believe reading fantasy will expand your mind and the way you think and perceive the world around you, as well as brighten and stretch your imagination. It teaches you to think outside the lines. As for negative effects, I think they are the same for every genre – you don’t want to read junk. It’s as simple as that.

“Mind your horses, Charles, and don’t talk fustian to me.”

Mirriam7 Comments

ligamartaJoy over at Fullness of Joy is celebrating her blog’s third anniversary with a daily tag that will last 7 days and cover the most popular book genres. I won’t be doing every tag, as not every genre has my full attention as a reader, but I’ll be doing several of them. Run over and see for yourself! In the meantime, I answer some questions about Historical Fiction.

Books! We really do love them. . . but we all have preferences of what kind of books we love best. What is your favourite genre to read from (and to write in, if you happen to be a writer too)? Could you tell us why? My favorite genre to read is, over-archingly, high fantasy. I love it because it’s such a canvas to color on – you don’t have to stick to the confines of reality. You can play with the very fabric of nature, from big things – magic, for example – to the small things, like giving a person gold eyes and the ability to shape-shift into a cat. The possibilities are quite literally endless.

 Are you fond of classic literature or do you generally find them too “dry” and hard-going for your tastes? Alternately, how much of your reading diet consists of books written by authors of the 21st century? Are you more fond of the old books or the new. . . or maybe a little bit of both? I’m not generally a fan of classics, particularly Russian classics. They’re too pompous and fatalistic for my taste; but that’s not to say I don’t enjoy any historical novels. Probably forty percent of what I read was written before the 21st century.
What is your favorite historical time period and setting? How did you come to be especially interested in it? Would you be happy to live in that time-period or era? My favorite historical time period and setting to read, watch or write would be the second century through the sixteenth or so, although I doubt I would want to live in them for long. Is that too much for you?
List three of your favourite classic authors (authors from the 1500s and up to the very early 1900s such as Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, the Bronte sisters, Robert Louis Stevenson, Mark Twain etc. . . )? What makes you love them so much? Oscar Wilde is my first choice; his wit and sense of humor are perfect.  G. K. Chesterton would be next, because he was a brilliant thinker and an imaginative author, which leads to both brilliant fiction and non-fiction. Thirdly, I would pick Alexandre Dumas; because you really can’t beat the Musketeers.
What type of “Historical classic” is your favorite: Adventure and exploration, romance, mystery, social, memoir, or political? Adventure and romance; such as Jenny F’s The Shadow Things, or any novel by Rosemary Sutcliff.

 Share some of your most well-loved heroines from historical novels in literature, and why you love them so much! What virtues/traits in them would you like to attain yourself? The Grand Sophy would make the top of my list because there is a great deal of me in her, from her appearance to her doing whatever she likes whether it’s the social norm or not to her wonderful and irritating sense of humor.

8. Who are your favourite heroes from historical literature? (You may share up to five). What makes them stand out among the rest as special? Who doesn’t love Sir Percy Blakeney? Or Athos, Porthos and Aramis? Or Charles Rivenhall? Every single one of them is swoon-worthy.

List your favourite “classic” novels. . . (as this is a painful question, you may list more than one!) The Three Musketeers, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Grand Sophy, The Phantom of the Opera (why are Gaston Leroux books so bloody hard to find, dagnabbit?) Ivanhoe (too far back?) and the Emily Starr novels (because while I am always compared to Anne Shirley, I always feel more kinship with Emily. And now I need to re-read them.)

Which period-drama movies, (adaptions from historical classic works of fiction), fall under your favorite pile? Do you prefer the more modern adaptions or the old ones? Faithful renditions, or the more exciting ones? Oh, goodness – BBC’s Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice (both BBC and the 2007 version), the completely frivolous new Three Musketeers, and the 1982 Scarlet Pimpernel. I’m sure there are many more movie adaptions, but those are the best I can think of.

Which historical classic has inspired and influenced you the most? I think every couple I write has a bit of Bennet/Darcy going on, and it’s all Austen’s fault.

Give a list (preferably with pictures!) of your favorite period drama costumes (hats, hoops, gloves, parasols, etc) and from which movie/character they come from. I wanted to do this. I did. But every piece I thought of, I could not find. I apologize.

Think of the funniest “scene” in either a book or movie from classic literature, and share the quote/picture below (Gifs and animations allowed!) The entirety of the Grand Sophy, but here is one of my favorite scenes –

Sophy looked at him. Under his amazed and horrified gaze, large tears slowly welled over her eyelids, and rolled down her cheeks. She did not sniff, or gulp, or even sob: merely allowed her tears to gather and fall.
‘Sophy, for God’s sake do not cry!’
‘Oh, do not stop me!’ begged Sophy. ‘Sir Horace says it is my only accomplishment.’
Mr. Rivenhall glared at her. ‘What!’
‘Very few persons are able to do it!’ Sophy assured him. ‘I discovered it by the veriest accident when I was seven years old. Sir Horace said I should cultivate it, for I would find it most useful.’
‘You – you – ‘ Words failed Mr. Rivenhall. ‘Stop at once!’

Which villain of historical literature strikes the most dread and loathing in you? This is difficult. Pick any Dickens villain and you have as near to the devil as literature can offer.

How many Charles Dickens novels have you read? Do you enthusiastically love his stories, or sob in misery over them, or worse get bored by them? I’m not a fan of Charles Dickens. I’m just not. Therefore I’ve never read one fully. I have seen a few movies, but I don’t like those much, either. Too bleak.

(do you see what I did there)

 Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, or Elizabeth Gaskall? Bronte, because I love a good gothic novel and I think the Bronte sisters were beautiful poets.

Favourite French Revolution novel? The Scarlet Pimpernel.

North and South or Pride and Prejudice? Mr. Darcy or Mr. Thornton? Pride and Prejudice; Elizabeth Gaskall kills characters off like flies, and her stories are just…very…depressing. In spite of Mr. Thornton.

What would inspire you to pick up a historical piece of literature – namely a “classic”? Do you believe it is important for our generation to get back to reading the classics? What do you believe are both the benefits, negatives and overall effects of treasuring historical stories written by authors of the past?

Honestly, I believe many ‘classic’ novels are over-rated and some of them are downright bad influences. The Scarlet Letter, Tess of the D’Urbervilles, and the like are fine reading if you want to merely appreciate a classic author, but they don’t teach valuable life lessons, nor do they encourage the reader. I believe ‘classic’ novels, while not exactly better written, were written more intelligently simply because society as a whole was more intelligent, and therefore reading them can improve the mind and expand the vocabulary. Other than that, I believe it’s all a matter of taste.

Writing Process Blog Tour

Mirriam4 Comments

shipI was tagged by Rachel Heffington at Inkpen Authoress and Maddie from The Wonderful World of My Life to participate in the Writing Process Blog Tour. I’m actually writing this on Saturday because on Monday morning, I’m leaving for a week of fun in the sun at Disneyworld! I love you all, and I’ll see you next weekend! <3

1) What am I working on at the moment? I’m working on This Mortal Coil, a tale of redemption in the time of South Carolinian vampires. I’m also sorting through my mind and praying about what project I really ought to throw myself into – every time I think about it, I feel like it ought to be a high fantasy, and I’ll probably head in that direction.
2) How does my work differ from others of its genre? I like to think I put my own spin on things, but it’s difficult to say exactly where it happens. I don’t usually ponder how I can make things different; I just create them and hope for the best. I think it helps that I like to surprise myself, and be surprised.
3) Why do I write what I do? I write so many things that the phrase ‘what I do’ seems vague, but I know why I write. I write to experience a vast world of things that will never be, to learn from the experiences, and to share the experiences with others. I want to give slices of starlight to everyone who is willing to take them, and I want to live in that starlight myself.
4) How does my writing process work? I’ll admit, it’s not so much of a ‘process’ at the moment, although I hope to make it one. I’m still trying to plan out some kind of schedule – the word ‘schedule’ seems menacing and unfriendly, but I’m wrangling it into submission. At the moment, I take a few weeks coming up with the bones of my story, and then I spend a few months to a year putting flesh on those bones. It’s a day-by-day process; some days I may not write at all, and other days I may write for six hours straight. Not the best example, I’m afraid. But there is always music and hot drinks. Always.

Coming up with a nomination is so hard…but I’m going to nominate Katie from Whisperings of the Pen, because she’s a ray of sunshine and there’s a peculiar magic about her writing that sings to me.