March Doings

Another month draws to a close, and spring is supposedly here . . . even if it doesn't always feel very springy. Anyway. Onto the Doings!

Writing!

• I spent the whole month in another long-term word war with friends at Whitehall, much like I did in February. Once again, I didn't win, but I was neck-and-neck with the person who won in February for most of the month. Then I burned out after a 4K weekend and a certain amount of stress from another life event and fell behind by a lot. 
• Part of why I was able to keep up was that we agreed to include editing and rewrites in the contest, so I was able to work on editing Destinies and Decisions. I'm up to chapter twenty-something and pretty happy with how it's going- though I'm also ready to take a mostly-break from editing next month. 
• Also, in the continuing saga of my adventures in yWriter: I am mildly annoyed by the fact that there's no autocorrect for spelling mistakes like in Word, but there is automatic capitalization (often at inconvenient times). Also, there's no tab function. However, the ability to change the order of scenes and chapters and such without a massive amount of copy-pasting is splendid, so overall I'm very happy I made the switch. (There has been a lot of chapter rearranging, let me tell you. Thus why the notebook containing my first draft also contains a half-dozen bookmarks so I know where different sections begin and end and can switch around as necessary.)
• I did manage to write a bit of flash-fiction and such over the course of the month as well. Hopefully I'll post some of it. We'll see.

Reading!

• I started out the month right with Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson. Which was amazing and awesome and a whole lot of wow. Steris is practically on level with Wax for favorite-character-dom. And there were revelations and answers and more questions and kandra being creepy-weird-but-good (in one case) and hilarious (in another case) and a whole lot of awesome.
• I also finished out my grand Sanderson reread with the Mistborn trilogy. This was partially because I felt like I had forgotten things, and partially because a Mistborn plot stared up on the Cosmere Roleplay I mentioned back in January and I needed to do research. It was mostly just as good the second time around- though the second book seemed to suffer the most.
• In addition, I finally read Storyworld First . . . and wasn't as thrilled with it as I expected. Most of the reason was that I expected more worksheets and exercises (similar to Writing Magic) and there weren't really any in there.
• I did some other reading and rereading in there as well . . . but the real highlights of the month, other than Bands of Mourning, were Songkeeper, which I'll be reviewing here on the blog sometime in the next week or two (depending how stuff works out), and Scholar's Plot, which I finally caved on and bought on Kindle because it's ridiculously expensive in paperback. Both books were well worth the wait I'd had for them.
• And speaking of waiting . . . Calamity is in, after a great deal of dithering on the part of my library! (If this happens with the next Sanderson book to come out as well, I'm going to start suspecting a conspiracy against me.) Hopefully, as with BoM last month, I'll be reading it by the time you read this. Though I may wait until Saturday, depending on how much I have to do today.

Life!

• I'm currently doing a dual-enrollment course on the Old Testament via my college-of-choice. So far, I'm really enjoying it a lot more than I did the last dual-enrollment course I took. The professor is great and the material is really interesting- even the lesson on Leviticus was enjoyable, which says quite a bit. (I might or might not end up making a blog post at some point about what I'm learning . . . probably not, because I'm not sure who'd actually be interested in reading it, but maybe sometime.)
• My family traveled down to Virginia for Easter, which was really fun. We got to celebrate a friend's birthday while we were down there, besides enjoying our traditional Easter brunch potluck. I also did a lot of reading in the car- a Songkeeper Chronicles book and a Discworld book each way. So, that was an all-around excellent weekend.
• Does anyone else feel like YouTube has been really, really slow lately? Like, there are times when the videos just won't load at all, and you just get that little "loading circle" going around and around into infinity? Or is this just me? It's rather annoying, since some of the videos for my dual-enrollment class are on YouTube and then they won't load and I have to go back and watch them later.

April Plans!

• Camp NaNoWriMo is here! (Or, just about.) I made a post on this earlier in the month, if you remember, and was debating about what to write. I've settled on Mechanical Heart, the dark-steampunk Rapunzel retelling, and will probably try to get a few chapters edited over the course of the month as well. 
• On that note, if you're doing Camp NaNoWrimo and you're looking for a cabin to join, please let me know! My friends and I would be happy to have you join us!
• Also on that note, no post tomorrow. Because, you know, Camp NaNoWriMo. That and I'll probably be hiding from the internet to some degree. (Either that or laughing as the chaos from other peoples' pranks goes by . . . either's possible.)
• It's probably a good think I'm only going for 20K this April because I have Calamity (as previously mentioned), Mistborn: Secret History, Lady's Pursuit, The Great Hunt, and The Raven Boys to read (among a great many other books).
• And, as usual, there's school stuff. And attempting-to-earn-money stuff. The school, at this point, is mostly fun. (I already mentioned the Old Testament class, and the others are almost as enjoyable.) The attempting-to-get-money is somewhat less so.
• So, basically, April is going to be busy, but in the good way. Not in the crazy "I'm doing a lot of work, and I'm exhausted, and I have next to no time to read or write" way. I'm ok with that.

 What have you been up to this month? What are your plans for April? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade) 

Beautiful People: March 2016 Edition

http://paperfury.com

It's time for another round of Beautiful People! For those who don't know: Beautiful People is a monthly meme hosted by Cait of Paper Fury and Skye of Further Up and Further In. This month, apparently, there's no theme- just ten questions for your character. I'll be answering for Deanna "Dea" Alyron, a major character in my Berstru Tales series. 

1. What first inspired this character? Is there a person/actor you based them off?
Dea, like many of the characters in this particular series, had her origins in the Battle! roleplay on the Underground. Unlike those other characters, however, she never actually made it onto the thread until after she was created in the novel. Her original conception was as a mercenary sort, highly skilled, and relatively ambivalent towards the rest of her family. The highly skilled part remained true as her character evolved to what I put down on paper. The rest of her . . . not so much. Dea's unbendingly loyal, and more attached to the rest of her family than any of the major Alyron siblings, with the possible exception of Jake.

2. Describe their daily routine.
Hahaha. Dea hasn't had a solid daily routine for a fair while now- not since she left home. Adventures aren't exactly conductive to that sort of thing. But before she left, she'd get up, make breakfast for herself and her younger siblings, then spend most of the morning doing various chores. Afternoons contained any remaining chores, plus an hour or so of practice with her swords, and making dinner. And then evenings were solidly family time- plus she'd have breaks when she could earlier throughout the day to do stuff with her younger siblings.

3. If they joined your local high school, what clique would they fit into?
I don't go to a public school, so all my knowledge of high school cliques comes from books. But my guess? Dea could fit with the athletic group if she wanted to- she'd definitely be into sports (probably of the track and field variety, unless whatever high school she went to offered fencing). And she might be able to fit into one or two other cliques as well. But she'd get sick of trying to meet people's expectations pretty fast (particularly because everyone would be wondering which of her sisters she was going to be more like), so instead she'd say "Whatever," go find the least popular kids in the entire school, and befriend them.

4. Write a list of things they merely tolerate. Ex: certain people, foods, circumstances in their lives…

• Being compared to either Gwen or Nightshade
• People who don't like or just don't know what to do with kids (though that depends slightly- if she sees you're trying, she'll have a great deal more patience with you than she otherwise would)
• Jared Alyron
• Fish/seafood (though that might just be a somewhat petty reaction against the fact that Gwen loves it . . .)

5. How do they react in awkward silences?
With unnerving patience.

6. Can they swim? If so, how did they learn? 
Dea cannot swim. But if she ever needs to learn . . . well, she's a fast learner.

7. What is one major event that helped shape who they are?
The first time Nightshade showed signs of off-the deep end tendencies would be a fairly big one, though it didn't effect her immediately. After that, her family started looking at her as if they were scared she'd turn out the same, and she decided pretty soon afterwards that, storm it all, she wasn't going to be Nightshade and she wasn't going to be Gwen either, no matter what anyone expected of her.

8. What things do they value most in life?
Dea values family above just about anything else. People in general would be a big thing too- especially the forgotten and outcast, and especially especially kids. She places a pretty high value on her moral code as well, since it's part of what she feels separates her from Nightshade.

9. Do they believe in giving other people second chances? Do they have any trust issues?
Second chances? That depends on the person and whether or not she thinks they're going to try to do better on their second chance. She doesn't really have trust issues, though- she decides fairly quickly whether or not to trust someone and she sticks with that unless she's proven wrong.

10. Your character is having a rough day…what things do they do to make them happy again? Is there anyone they talk/interact with to get in a better mood?
It varies with the reason for the rough day. Usually, her solution to being upset or feeling down or such is to spend time with her younger siblings, just doing whatever they want to do, whether that's playing a game or making cookies or telling stories or whatever else. On the other hand, if her rough day is because said younger siblings are driving her nuts (which is kind of hard to do- small children are about the only people with whom Dea has endless patience), she's probably going to be more inclined to just shut herself in her room, bury her head under a pillow, and try to take a nap.

I hope you enjoyed hearing about Dea as much as I enjoyed writing about her. Thanks for reading, and thanks to Cait and Skye for hosting this!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade) 

Camp NaNoWriMo Is Coming!

. . . And I have spent the last few days with a parody of a Christmas song stuck in my head. And it's a parody I made up, which is almost worse.


Anyway! There's only about ten days left before Camp NaNo begins, which means I really need to figure stuff out. I've decided I definitely am doing it, though possibly with a somewhat-lower-than-50K goal (I'm thinking the 30-40K range, depending what I end up writing). After all, there is other life stuff that I need to take care of too. That just leaves the question of what I'm writing (and, of course, figuring out a cabin . . . anyone else doing this and want to get together with me?). Unlike back in November, I do have several ideas. The issue is simply figuring out which one to do- which is why I'm writing this blog posts, both to help me sort out my thoughts and to share my ideas with the rest of you.

• Mechanical Heart
  Genre: Steampunk fairy tale retelling
  Projected length: 20K
  What it's about: Inspired by "Shatter Me" by Lindsey Stirling, Mechanical Heart reimagines the story of Rapunzel in a dark steampunk world: a world where a new lease on life carries a dear price, where mechanical innovations have created a new form of slavery, and where a girl waits in a clockwork tower, wondering if she's truly alive anymore . . . and if there's any way she could be again.
  Pros: I know the basic storyline already. Steampunk is really fun to write, and I've had this story simmering in my head for a few years.
  Cons: I was originally planning to save this story for July's Camp. I do want to try for more than just 20K in April, so I'd have to switch stories midway through and April is not Rebel Month.
• Unnamed Fantasy-Mystery
  Genre: Fantasy-mystery, similar to The King of Attolia.
  Projected length: 40-50K
  What it's about: This story would be set in Aveomar (same as Binding Destiny) or another connected world. It concerns the death of a duke, a young nobleman who suspects foul play, and the duke's unexpected heir: a young woman with a secret. War approaches and tensions are high, even without a murderer on the loose. Will the truth be discovered and justice be done? Or will a killer lead a nation into ruin?
  Pros: Again, I've had the storyline simmering in my head for a year or two. It's something different than I usually write. It would be a challenge, but hopefully a fun one.
  Cons: I've never written a mystery or a heavily politic-based story before- not with any success, anyway. It would take a lot more planning than I usually do, and possibly a bit more research as well. On the long side.
• Editing
  Genre: Fantasy.
  Projected length: 30-40K
  What it's about: Instead of writing an entirely new story, I could pick one of my already-written stories and try to get a lot of it edited over the month of April.
  Pros: I really do need to keep editing things; the stories just keep piling up. And it would be interesting to see how much I could do with the challenge of Camp NaNo to keep me going.
  Cons: April still isn't Rebel Month. Also, half the point of Camp NaNo is actually writing something. (The other half, for the record, is the community and challenge.)
• A Short Story (Or Poem) a Day
  Genre: Various
  Projected length: 30K
  What it's about: I get a lot of short story and poetry prompts (some of which would possibly come from you all?). Each day, I pick one (probably at random) and write something based off of it.
  Pros: Variety is fun! And I do want to write more short fiction and poetry. Also, it would be less of a "write X words per day" challenge and more of a "write something new every day" challenge, which could be interesting. It would also give me some new content to post on here.
  Cons: A single ongoing plot is a lot easier to manage than coming up with a new plot every day or even every few days. Working ahead in this challenge would be rather difficult. And- say it with me!- April isn't Rebel Month.
• Untitled Portal-Contemporary Fantasy
  Genre: Contemporary/portal fantay
  Projected length: 50K
  What it's about: The direct sequel to Between Two Worlds, this story focuses on Ella, Kate's little sister. Ever since Katelyn had her adventure, Ella feels as if she's been left out of her sister's world- and not just in the figurative sense. She's sick of secrets, of being left behind, and of her depressingly normal life. So when not one but two mysterious strangers show up at her summer camp, she figures it's her turn at an adventure . . . but she doesn't realize that in her desperation to not be left behind again, she might end up looking in all the wrong places.
  Pros: Like Between Two Worlds, this is based on a favorite daydream of mine, so I know pretty much the whole plot already. Ella is fun to write, and I always love visiting the BTW multiverse.
  Cons: It might be a bit longer than I want to write at the moment. It's also one of the darker stories on this list in certain respects, so I'm not positive that I'm ready to write it.

Which of these stories sounds most interesting to you, out of curiosity? Also, what are your plans for Camp NaNo (if you have any)? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)  

Defying SBS

We've all been there, right? We discover the first book in a trilogy or longer series, devour it, fall in love with the characters, world, and/or everything else about it, then rush to the library or bookstore to see if there's more. There is, and we grab the second book, eager for more amazingness . . . but what's this? The plot's stalling, meandering, or just isn't there? Characters spend more time angsting than anything else, make ridiculously stupid decisions, or lose half their development from book one? The requisite love triangle is played up for all it's worth? Everything just seems to be filler so the author can get to the good stuff in book three? The diagnose is obvious: the story's been hit with a serious (or series-ous . . . no? I'll stop now, sorry) case of Second Book Syndrome (SBS for short). It's terrifyingly common- so much so that it's easy to outright expect that the second book will be disappointing. A lot of very popular series (The Inheritance Cyle, The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Selection, the list goes on . . .) fall prey to it- storms, even Mistborn falls prey to it in some respects. (By which I mean that certain characters overdosed on the angst, particularly the romantic angst.)

But some books don't. Some books defy Second Book Syndrome. And those are the books I'm talking about today.

1. The Errant King by Wayne Thomas Batson. Not only does The Errant King defy SBS, but I actually like it better than The Sword of the Stars. Part of that may be because it’s less of a “direct sequel” than some books; after all, it takes place twenty years after the first in the series and focuses on an entirely new main character. That alone doesn’t leave many openings for SBS. But reappearing characters are as awesome as they were before- or, in some cases, even better- and the conflicts are very real and very immediate.

2. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. Scarlet introduces Wolf and Thorne, two of my favorite Lunar Chronicles characters, so let’s face it: SBS never had a chance in this book. But besides that, there’s no character regress, no characters being idiots in order to move the plot along, and the scope and impact of the story grows in leaps and bounds.

3. North! Or Be Eaten! by Andrew Peterson. I almost didn’t include this one, since it is actually my least favorite in the series (even though it contains one of my all-time favorite scenes), but upon further thought, I realized that the reasons I don’t like it have nothing to do with SBS and everything to do with defying SBS. Characters make mistakes, heartbreaking ones, but it’s not because they’ve regressed from the first book. It’s because that growth is continuing and sometimes character growth hurts- just as it does in real life.

4. The King’s Scrolls by Jaye L. Knight. We’ve already established that it’s rare for a second book to be better than a first book. What’s even is for a second book to make me fall in love with a series that I previously hadn’t been crazy for- but The King’s Scrolls did exactly that. (The introduction of dragons helped- but what I enjoyed even more was the increased focus on Kyrin’s family, particularly Marcus and Liam.)

5. Words of Radiance (Brandon Sanderson). I’m not sure if this one quite counts since it's technically in a ten-book series rather than a trilogy or other shorter series . . . but I’m counting it anyway because Words of Radiance doesn’t just defy Second Book Syndrome; it assassinates SBS with a single swipe of its Shardblade and dances on the grave of its vanquished foe. Nothing here is just filler; there’s no pointless angst (angst, yes; pointless, no) or awkward maneuvering-characters-into-position. The book takes what was established in Way of Kings, builds on it, and brings it up to eleven. (And if the second book’s that good . . . what can the third hold?)

What are some of your favorite SBS-defying books? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)  

A Release and a Riddle

Hey'a, everyone!

Quick announcement for anyone interested: one of my friends, Emmarayn Redding, has a new book of short stories coming out soon. The cover, which was designed by the talented Hannah Williams, was just revealed today.

In honor of the release, Emmarayn is holding a riddle contest over at her blog. If you're interested, definitely do go check that out!

Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)  

Pi(e) Day!

Happy Pi(e) Day!

This holiday is undoubtedly the yummiest thing that math has ever given us . . . and of course my family's going to celebrate it. I know we're having spaghetti pie for dinner; and then some other type of dessert pie after. But I'm not just celebrating by eating: pie happens to be the favorite food of one of my characters, and so I've also cooked up a bit of Between Two Worlds flash fiction in honor of the day. Enjoy!
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When Aedon introduced Kate to the wonders of the Málliys' cozy bakeshop, she'd been in Aralan only a week- though she'd taken to the new world as if she'd always lived there, and to Aedon himself as if he'd been her best friend since childhood. He led her down the bluestone streets, tugging her along each time a new sight or sound caught her eager attention, until they reached the cheerful stone building. The aromas of chocolate and cherries, of warm cookies and fresh bread, of hot butter and sharp cinnamon, greeted them as they stepped inside the open door, and Aedon stopped to drink in the scent.

But Kate darted forward eagerly to inspect the contents of the glass-front display, to "ooh!" over pastries and "mmm!" at berry loaves and finally come to a stop staring at the racks of pies. Aedon joined her there, grinning and wondering if Kate's exuberance ever dimmed, or if she just worked herself up over everything so she never had a chance to miss her home. "Pick anything you like, Kate. All of it's delicious."

Mistress Málliy stepped out from the kitchen in the back of the shop, dusting her hands on the apron and sending little puffs of flour dust up with every motion. "Lord Aedon! It's an honor to have you here! And is this the lady we've been hearing about, our visitor from Earth? You're welcome here in our shop, Miss . . ."

"Katelyn," she replied absently, gaze still fixed on the pies. "Anything, you said?"

"Anything," Aedon repeated, and Mistress Málliy added, "If you don't mind my saying so, Miss Katelyn, our cherry pie is very good today. One of the best of the season, perhaps."

"Cherry pie, then," Kate decided, and Aedon ordered a slice of the same, and they carried their treat out to eat in the sunshine on one of the benches in front of the bakeshop. And in between bites, Kate told Aedon of her home on Earth and of her mother's cooking and of how she always had pie instead of cake on her birthday- except for one year when she'd had cheesecake instead.

"And what about this?" Aedon asked, lifting a forkload of cherry filling and flaky crust. "Is this as good as your mother's pies?"

"Don't tell her I said so, but yes." Kate broke off part of the edge crust to munch on. "Which is saying something, because Mom's pie is the best food in the history of ever."

"That's a high standard to meet." Aedon set down his fork with a smile. "And what type of pie is your favorite?"

Kate shrugged. "I love almost all kinds equally- and I don't want to pin myself down." She grinned, and added, "But you can try to guess. If you get it right, I'll tell you. But I don't think you'll ever figure it out."

So he guessed- but only once before the city bells rang out two o'clock, calling them to finish their pie and hurry away, back to House Meadhra and Kate's first lesson in magic. And so the guessing game was forgotten . . . but only for the moment. Three weeks later, they found time to return to the bakeshop once more, hot and tired and triumphant from a long training session and Kate's first win in a staff-sparring match. She called it a lucky blow- but was happy to celebrate anyway with a slice of four-berry pie and equally happy to tell Aedon that, delicious as it was, it still wasn't her favorite type.

Many more times they stopped over the next three months before the war at last called them out of the city and to their lonely post on the border of Aralan's secured territory and the mountains of no-man's land. Any excuse they could find- a holiday, a celebration of another triumph in training or comfort for an especially disappointing loss, an ease to homesickness for Kate, or simply a desire for something sweet- they took, and before long, the Málliys came to recognize Kate as easily as they did Aedon.

Eventually, however, the war could no longer be forgotten- and pie could be, and was for many, many months. But not forever. For a year and seven months after they'd left, one month after they'd returned to the city, Aedon once more led Kate down the bluestone streets to the little bakeshop. But this was not the same eager girl who'd exclaimed over everything she saw and heard. This young woman shied from every glance her way; she pulled away from any touch of Aedon's hand on her arm; and she walked with slumped shoulders and downcast head. Nor was Aedon untouched, for none could miss the sorrow in his eyes each time he saw what his lady had become.

But when they reached the shop, Aedon still stopped to drink in the bakery's scent, and Kate still darted forward with nervous, eager steps, to inspect the racks of sweets. Mistress Málliy greeted them respectfully, though with a wary glance or two Kate's way. When Aedon asked for a recommendation, she suggested the strawberry-rhubarb pie, and at Kate's nod, he ordered two slices- large ones, large as Mistress Málliy would cut.

They didn't go outside this time, instead claiming one of the small tables along the far wall of the bakeshop. And they ate, for the most part, in silence, for neither knew what to say. At last, however, Aedon asked quietly, "Well, Lady Kate? Is this strawberry-rhubarb your favorite type of pie?"

For a full two minutes, she didn't respond, and Aedon wondered if she'd missed his question. But then she looked up, nodded. "Yes. It is." Her voice was rough from disuse, but her eyes held a hint of the light that he'd been missing so for so long. And then she smiled. "You finally guessed. I knew you would."
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I hope you enjoyed that! How are you celebrating Pie Day? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah

Random Fridays: Spring 2016 Reads

http://bookworm716.blogspot.com

Spring is coming! Huzzah! Admittedly, it might still feel like winter in some places . . . but that will change eventually. (Unless you live in, say, Antarctica. Or Siberia, in which case you have my sympathy.) And along with the new season comes a new crop of books to get excited about . . . though, honestly, I'm still trying to catch up on the winter reads.

Spring 2016 Reads

Isle of Stars by Wayne Thomas Batson (today!)

This book surprised me, just being released today! A long-awaited sequel to Isle of Swords and Isle of Fire, Isle of Stars was written as a (rather belated) Christmas gift for WTB's readers. (Though, all things considered, I'm sure it'll be worth the wait.) Besides just being a sequel, though, it apparently contains a lot of cameos from and references to WTB's other books, which should be really fun to look for. To top it all off, it's free on Kindle from today to the 8th! There'll also be a paperback sometime, but the eBook will do for me for now.

 Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton (March 8)

 So I'm not one-hundred percent sure what to expect from this book . . . but it certainly sounds unique, if nothing else. The world sounds half Persian, half Wild West, which should be fun. And most of the reviews seem to be pretty good so far.

King's Folly by Jill Williamson (April 5) 

I don't know if this counts or not, because technically this was released in three parts over the winter . . . but I still need to read it, so I'm going to go ahead and include it. Apparently we're getting a look at Er'rets's past, and while reviewers have said it's dark, they've also said it's really good. Plus I generally enjoy Mrs. Williamson's books- those I've gotten my hands on, anyway.

Songkeeper by Gillian Bronte Adams (April 15) 

Finally! I feel like I've been waiting on this for ages, wondering what the pumpernickel was going to happen to Birdie and Ky and Amos. I admit I'm not the hugest fan of the cover, mostly because Amos does not look like that in my imagination. But, on the other hand, we appear to be headed somewhere desert-y . . . and it involves riding lions. So that sounds cool.

Samara's Peril by Jaye L. Knight (May 13) 

And another book I've been eagerly looking forward to: the next Ilyon Chronicles! I'm saving a few gift cards so I can actually buy this when it comes out instead of waiting and asking for it for my birthday or Christmas . . . I mean, don't get me wrong, Ilyon Chronicles make excellent gifts. But I'd like to get it sooner than that . . . particularly since my love for the series doubled with The King's Scrolls. I can't wait to see more of Liam and Kaden and Marcus . . . and, of course, Jace. Also, this book is up for eBook preorder today, so definitely go check that out!

The Crown's Game by Evelyn Sky (May 17) 

Like Rebel of the Sands, I don't know a ton about this book? But I do know that it's set in an alternate-19th-century Russia (which should be a novelty) and it has excellent reviews, so that's good. I'm looking forward to reading it, even if I'm not hugely excited for it.

And that's all . . . I feel like I'm missing something, but I'm not sure what. If you know of any spring releases that aren't on my list but should be, please tell me in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)  

February Doings

First off, happy Leap Day! I don't know if anyone actually does anything for Leap Day . . . but if you do, tell me in the comments. (I, personally, will be enjoying an extra day of reading. Hopefully.) Anyway, onto the doings of this month!

Writing!

• The entirety of the month was spent in a long-term word war with some friends at Whitehall, which helped a lot with motivation. I didn't win- the person who did win left me behind midway through the month and I never caught up- but I'm still happy with how I did. Why? Well . . .
• I finished Monster in the Castle! Two years and just-under-ten-months of (on-and-off) work and it's finally done! Or . . . drafting it is, for clarification. It still needs a lot of editing, but that'll wait. I ended up writing the climax and denouement in about grand and glorious days heavy with inspiration. Overall, I'm actually really happy with how it turned out.
• Non-spoilery snippet from the climax (well, non-spoilery considering what the story is based on):

"Queen du Karel's expression tightened. 'Servant's work? Do you intend to make a mockery of your betrothed, Lord Aethan?'
'No more than you plan to make a mockery of my country, your majesty,' Aethan replied, with a diplomat's smile. 'In any case, any lady of Aldurna, even the queen herself, could perform this task. Surely the princess is capable as well.'"

• I really thought I'd be burned out on this world and characters by now- that after I finished Monster, I'd want to give up on these fairy tale retellings for a year or two. But, amazingly, I'm not. I have ideas for two or three more novels in my head, and while I'm not sure when I'll write them, I do want it to be (relatively) soon. 
• However, at the moment I have no WIP (which is a really weird feeling . . .) and instead I'm hoping to focus on editing and short stories. Oh, and worldbuilding. Storyworld First awaits!
• Amazingly, I did get a respectable amount of editing done this month, despite all the writing. I'm up to chapter eight of Destinies and Decisions, so huzzah! I also figured out how to use yWriter . . . ish. It works much better once you have the tedium of making characters and all that set-up stuff. And it works quite well for when you want to work ahead (as long as you know roughly how many chapters are going to be in between what you're working on and what you've already done) or if you need to switch around the order of chapters . . . which is something I've had to do a bit.   

Reading!

• You know how I said I only read 12 books last month? I read even fewer this month: 10 total, and one of them was more of a short story. However, considering how much writing I did, I'm not really surprised.
• The reading highlights of the month, at least at the time I'm writing this, were Stars Above (the Lunar Chronicles anthology, which was wonderful and provided a very nice closure to the series . . . even if all my predictions about the wedding of the century were wrong!) and The Eye of the World (which was probably as long as any of the Stormlight Archive and rather slower . . . but still very good).
• I mentioned last month that I was hoping to reread the Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy- which I succeeded in doing! I liked some bits more than the first time and some bits less . . . but I'd forgotten a lot of what happened, so it was almost like reading them for the first time, except I had a bit of warning of certain especially-memorable bits.
• I also enjoyed The Screaming Staircase and The Dagger in the Desk, both of which were deliciously creepy and a bit Jackaby-esque, though not quite as much as I'd been hoping. I have the next two books in the series waiting in my room, but I haven't read them yet, because . . .
• I finally have Bands of Mourning! At the time I write this, I haven't actually read it yet, because shortly before the previously-mentioned three grand and glorious days of writing, I put a personal ban on reading any and all Sanderson until I finished my novel. However, since I didn't actually pick up BoM until Friday, I first reread Warbreaker and Elantris, both of which I already had out. There are, by the way, some rather striking similarities between the two novels. I'm not sure which of the two is better, though. And, since I finished Elantris yesterday, I'll hopefully be reading Bands of Mourning by the time you see this post! At last!

 Life!

• My family celebrated Valentine's Day with peppermint patty brownies and our usual half-dipped heart cookies. Well, the brownies might not have been for Valentine's Day, per se, but they were close to it. The point is, both brownies and cookies were delicious, and they would've been the outside-of-reading-and-writing highlight of the month, if not for . . .
• Sunshine! Glorious, beautiful sunshine! I mean, we had snow (not a ton, but enough), and we had miserably cold temperatures, and we had weeks of clouds. But the better part of the last week has been sunshine and fairly warm temperatures- all but one of the bad days wouldn't have been unreasonable for a Virginia February; the better days felt more like spring- so thank God! I even went for a walk yesterday, that's how nice it was. Of course, it's supposed to snow tomorrow . . . but that's tomorrow.
• I promise that I won't talk about the weather in every Doings post. Only when there's something exceptional that happened. 
• I am, by the way, getting really tired of hearing and seeing the Allegiant trailer on YouTube. I know it hasn't been out for terribly long (or I don't think it has?) . . . but I feel like I've heard it way too often.
• Last week was just a really good week in general, ok? There was lots of writing, there was rereading-of-Sanderson, there was lovely weather, and calculus didn't kill me. 

March Plans!

• I'm going to do a lot of editing, much of it on Destinies and Decisions, but I'm hoping to get back to Between Two Worlds some as well. I'm still not quite sure how I'm going to balance them . . . depending how Destinies and Decisions goes, I may try to switch back and forth between them, or I might just work on Destinies until I get stuck and then go back to BTW for a while.
• As mentioned previously, I'm also going to be trying to do some short story writing (mostly one-shots) and worldbuilding. I may or may not end up requesting prompts on here for one-shots . . . my plot bunnies have an annoying habit of hiding whenever I'm actually looking for them. And, of course, I do need to be thinking about Camp NaNoWriMo in April . . .
• Tomorrow is the announcement of the winners of teh Five Magic Spindles contest hosted by Rooglewood Press! I'm a bit nervous (to put it lightly) since this is my first year entering and I have no idea how much chance I have . . . And if you happen to notice me squealing, yelling, dying, or otherwise being somewhat-incoherently excited on forums or Goodreads tomorrow, it's either the contest or Bands of Mourning. Or both. I'm really hoping for both.

How was your February? What plans do you have for March? Are you celebrating Leap Day? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)  

Tagged! Getting to Know Me!

Hey'a! I was recently tagged by my lovely friend Ryebrynn with the Getting to Know Me Tag. Which is probably good, because I'm pretty sure there are some people who read my blog who don't actually know me elsewhere in real life or the internet.

VITAL STATS

Name: Sarah. Or, if you're one of my characters, Lady Taleweaver.
Nickname: One of my friends calls me Quillia. Another friend (who I don't talk to much anymore because she got busy) used to call me Late For Dinner, because I used to introduce myself with a modified Redwall quote: "My name's (username), but you can call me anything as long as you don't call me late for dinner."
Birthday: If you need to know this, you already do.
Place of birth: Virginia.
Star sign: Haven't the foggiest idea.
Occupation: Writer, student, and bookworm.

APPEARANCE

Photo by Goodhart Photography

Hair color: Brown
Hair length: Down-to-my waist long. I want it to be longer.
Eye color: Blue.
Best feature: Not sure . . . either my eyes or my hair, I guess?
Braces: Nope!
Piercings: I do not like pain, even very briefly. No.
Tattoos: In addition to not liking pain, I also don't like needles. No.
Righty or lefty: I am not left-handed.

FIRSTS

Best friend: Um. My first best friend who I remember was a girl named Grace, who I knew from church/Bible study. She was several years older than me, and I pretty much copied everything she did. (She's actually one of the people in my poem "Do You Remember Me?")
Award: Not sure, but probably something in AWANA- maybe whatever award the Cubbies get for completing their first book?
Sport: Hahaha. You're funny.
Real holiday: Um. Is this holiday as in Christmas, Easter, etc? Or holiday as in the British word for vacation? If the former, the Christmas after my birthday. If the latter . . . I don't know. Probably sometime when I went to Florida to visit my grandma.
Concert: Awakening Fest! I went with my youth group and saw Skillet and Family Force 5 and Fireflight and The Letter Black and Dara MacLean and did I mention Skillet? And I had a signed poster from it hanging on my wall until we moved, but then it never got put back up.

FAVORITES

Film: The Lord of the Rings! 
TV Show: I don't watch TV. 
Color: Depends on the day. At the moment . . . blue.
 Song: . . . One song. Do you have any idea how many songs there are that I love? But, picking a few . . . "Hero" by Skillet, "The Real World" by Owl City, "We are Giants" by Lindsey Stirling, "Welcome to the Masquerade" by Thousand Foot Krutch, and "Tiny Heart" (otherwise known by me as the theme song for Heartless) by Flyleaf.     
 Restaurant: Anita's or Bertucci's, depending on whether I want Mexican or Italian. 
Shop: Just about any bookstore!  
Books: The Lord of the Rings, The Tales of Goldstone Wood, and Mistborn. Oh, and Howl's Moving Castle!  
Shoes: I have a pair of tan sandals that are fairly pretty and super comfy, so if I have to wear shoes, I like those.<3

CURRENTLY

Feeling: Eh. Mildly bored? 
Single or taken: Single (and passively crushing on various book characters).
Eating: Nothing. But I had chili and cornbread for dinner, so that was yummy.
Thinking About: This post, and trying to remember what I need to get done tonight and tomorrow.
Watching Reading: I'm not actually watching anything (see the "I don't watch TV" bit above), but I'm currently reading Elantris.
Wearing: A purple microfleece pullover, white shirt, and super-comfy brown corduroys (that feel like sweatpants in a way, but look nice). Oh, and grey knit-looking slippers. 

FUTURE

Want to be married: Yes, assuming I find the right guy. Though it's not something I stress over.   
Want children: Um . . . maybe I'm just immature, but . . . not really? I mean, don't get the wrong idea. Motherhood is an amazing, important thing, I love my own mother, and most of the women who've influenced me most are moms. And if God says "Sarah, I want you to have kids," then of course I'd do that. But honestly? I think I'd be perfectly happy without children. And there's a fair chance that'll change when I'm older, but . . . yeah.
Careers in mind: My dream job is to be a full-time writer who makes enough to live comfortably. However, since that's not terribly likely (and even if it does happen, it'll take time), my plan is to go into technical writing or another communications field (maybe marketing? but not journalism!) and write on the side.
Where you want to live: Probably either northern Virginia or Texas, but . . . I don't know. I'm open to other options. Somewhere with history and non-miserable winters, and somewhere I can own a rifle and a pistol and have a place to go shooting on a semi-regular basis. I'd like somewhere with trees, but it's not a necessity as long as wherever I am is still fairly pretty and isn't inner-city or something. And I'd like to live in a house with secret passages in it, one of which preferably leads to my own personal library . . . but that might be a bit tough.  

DO YOU BELIEVE IN

God: Most definitely
Miracles: Yes- not just in Biblical times but today as well.
Love at first sight: Ehhhhh . . . sometimes.
Ghosts: Nope.
Aliens: Probably not. There's a chance they could be out there, but odds are, no.
Soul mates: Yes.
Heaven and Hell: Absolutely. 
Kissing on the first date: Stars, no!
Yourself: In general, yes. 

And now I need to tag someone else . . . I suppose I'll tag Allison Rudivich, and anyone else who wants to do this tag.
Thanks for reading!
 -Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)  

If They Were Real . . .

As a general rule, we writers love our characters, and tend to joke about how our characters hate us because of what we put them through, or how they're not cooperating with our plans, or such. (Though . . . it's not always a joke.) But what would they really think of us if they knew us as people, not authors? If we went to their worlds or they came to ours, and we met, how would we get along? That's the question I'm answering for five of my characters this Friday!

1. Rachelle Firhirt (Berstru Tales) and I would probably get along famously, whether or not she knew I was her author . . . but, then again, Rachelle gets along with pretty much everyone. She loves to meet new people and learn about their lives (and share her own with them), and she's always ready with a smile and a helping hand. Of course, if she were real outside my head, my life would probably be a lot more exciting . . . not all of it by my choice! I'd be happy to get a dragon ride or two with her and Skyla, don't get me wrong. However, while Rachelle and I share an appreciation for adventure, I prefer to get my share of it through books, and Rachelle would rather live hers- and bring all her friends (me included, in this case) along for the ride!
2. In theory, Prince Hayden of Aldurna (fairy tale retellings) should also get along well with me. The problem? We'd never actually talk. He's not unfriendly, but he'd rather observe than talk. And while I might say hello, I'm not great at, y'know, conversation. And since Hayden's one of my favorite characters, I'd either be getting really excited (and, unfortunately, making him doubly wary of me) or kind of just being in awe (which is not helpful for intelligent conversation). So . . . if we could actually, by some miracle, get a conversation going, we'd probably be good. But otherwise? Nope.
3. Speaking of characters who I'd be kind of in awe of if I met them outside my head, Gwen Alyron would probably find me off-putting for the same reasons she does her sister Emma: Emma and I both view her, to some degree, as someone we wish we could be but know we never will. (I'm ok with that, for the record. Emma, not so much.) We see her as a hero and an adventurer and a leader and someone who knows what she's doing. And she is all those things . . . but she doesn't always feel like she is. And while neither Emma or I would say these things out loud, well, Gwen's a mindreader, and she'd know every word of it anyway. She'd also know that I know her failings, her weaknesses- and that would make things even more awkward. But, if we could work past that, I think Gwen and I could be friends- just not close ones.
4. On the other hand, neither Jared Alyron (Berstru Tales) or Jason Silver (fairy tale retellings) would have a problem with me- but I might have one with them! In-story, I love these two. They're fun to write, they get strong reactions from other characters, they have the best banter . . . but in real life? They'd annoy me just as much as they annoy their fellow characters. And while I wouldn't go so far as Poppy does and actually slap either of them, I'd probably be tempted. (Jarek Gilleth (Between Two Worlds), though? He's the same character type, but much nicer- and so, while I might end up flustered a lot around him because I couldn't think of a good repartee to his teasing, we'd still get along.) 
5. Finally, Ariana Nernathon and I already know each other, after a fashion . . . and since she's a bardess, there's no way she wouldn't know I'm her author. And so there's a chance she might have some pointed words for me . . . but once she'd had her say, and I'd defended my position, and we'd both stopped being annoyed, we'd chat over favorite books and legends, and I'd lend her The Lord of the Rings and she'd let me borrow some of her books and scrolls (which would either be useful, so I'd know what they'd say and could reference them in the story, or useless, as I'd have to make up everything on them). So, I think in the end, we'd end up being friends.

What about you? How do you think you and your characters would get along if you met in real life? Please tell me in the comments- or even in a blog post of your own!
Thanks for reading!
 -Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)