Thursday, November 9, 2017

BOUND // Blog Tour


HULLO, DRAGONS! It's blog tour week, and today I'm delighted to be sharing blogger Victoria Lynn's second release!

ABOUT THE BOOK


"Two souls don't find each other simply by accident."
~ Jorge Luis Borges

Levi thought he was making this journey alone. But when he meets an eight-year-old girl at the train station, that plan is turned on its head.

Casey is running away and finds out that Levi is too. They decide to journey together and their lives are suddenly bound together in a journey they will not soon forget.

Both children come from abusive situations and are running from the dangers of their previous life. Levi is confident he can handle this on his own, but when Casey is injured on the journey, he must seek help from the first person that comes into his path, or rather people. Mr. and Mrs. Bellworth are simple farm folk with a heart for kids and a passion for serving God. When their unconditional love and gentle care surrounds Levi and Casey, the troubles of their previous lives melt away and they start to flourish. But when Casey is dragged back into the abusive world she came from, the emotional trauma, pain and distrust resurfaces. Will they be forever bound by their past? Or will God answer their prayers?



ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Victoria Lynn is in her twenties and if she's not writing, she is probably sewing, singing, playing the piano, washing dishes, creating something with her hands, or learning something new. She has a passion for serving her Creator, encouraging others and being creative. She blogs at rufflesandgrace.com about writing, fashion, modesty, her walk with God and life. She lives in Michigan with her parents and eight siblings.


GIVEAWAY


Victoria is generously hosting a giveaway! *throws confetti* 🎉🎉🎉🎉

The grand-prize winner will receive:
  • One signed paperback of Bound
  • One t-shirt of choice from Victoria's Zazzle shop
  • A mystery chocolate care package

Three second-place winners will each receive:
  • One ebook copy of Bound
  • One ebook copy of London in the Dark, Victoria's first novel

Participants may enter via the form below! 😄


TOUR SCHEDULE
  • Tuesday, Nov. 7
  • Ashley – Review/Spotlight
  • Rebekah Morris – Review
  • Abigayle Claire – Spotlight
  • Wednesday, Nov. 8
  • Kaitlin Smith – Review/Interview
  • Gabriellyn – Interview/Review
  • Ivy Rose – Review/Interview
  • Thursday, Nov. 9
  • Liv Fisher – Spotlight
  • Leona Ruth – Review/Interview
  • Friday, Nov. 10
  • Allison Tebo – Review/Interview
  • Karyssa Norton – Review/Interview
  • Maddy Crone – Review
  • Serena – Review
  • Mikayla – Review


Lord willing, I'll see y'all again tomorrow, with a tour stop for Second Impressions, a vintage Jane Austen anthology! 😁

Have you ordered Bound, yet? What's your favorite kind of chocolate?

❤,


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Monday, November 6, 2017

THE FINAL PALADIN // Blog Tour & Guest Post


HELLO, MY DRAGONS! Today, I'm positively delighted to be sharing some info behind T.J. Akers's The Final Paladin, L2L2 Publishing's last release for 2017! The Final Paladin is a YA fantasy and standalone, set in Lower Manhattan, New York, and friends, I'm so, so excited for this book! 😄

ABOUT THE BOOK


Life for Peg Bowman is rough in the infamous slums of Five Points, New York, but her brother's murder changes everything.

Thrust into incredible worlds beyond any story she's ever heard, Peg meets Sir Godfrey, an eleven-hundred-year-old knight from Charlemagne's court, trainer of Paladins. He reveals to Peg her family's ancient obligation to protect the Key of Apollyon, a relic of immense power. She is the last descendant of the Paladins and his only hope for keeping it safe.

When Godfrey confides her brother was murdered because of the Key, Peg rejects her calling and demands revenge, a luxury she can ill afford as otherworldly creatures seek her death to claim the Key’s power for themselves.

Can Godfrey and his faithful retinue -- Chim the Hobgoblin, Rebecca the Jewish Maven and healer, and Jack the sometimes human and sometimes seven-foot Black Dog -- keep her safe and convince her that her calling is worth pursuing? Or will she succumb to the Key's lure and wield it for revenge?



ABOUT THE AUTHOR


T.J. Akers desires to be a multimillionaire when he grows up and give his wealth to his favorite causes: churches, schools, and animal shelters. Since the millions have been slow in coming, he's settled for working as a computer technician for a state university and volunteering at his church and local animal shelter. Whenever possible, he indulges his love of writing to entertain people, especially young readers.

Akers holds a masters of English from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and can often be found roaming the university's library, especially the children's and young adult sections. Librarians have always been his heroes.

He lives with his beloved wife of thirty years, his dog, and two cats. The dog is an excellent writing companion, but the cats have proved to be rather critical. Learn more at tjakers.com.


GUEST POST: A HISTORY OF FIVE POINTS

Hi, everyone!

My new novel, The Final Paladin, is a fantasy novel that takes place in a particular time and place of U.S. history. Of course, this is no history textbook, but I do try to keep with the spirit of the time. For this novel, my heroine, Peg Bowmen, starts the novel in her home in the New York City neighborhood of Five Points in 1870.

According to webpage.pace.edu, the neighborhood formed in 1820 and grew rather quickly. It was next to a lake fed by a spring, but in no time, the lake became a collecting pool for waste and sewage. It was so polluted that the people of New York City drained the lake and filled it completely in. The excavation was poorly done, and in no time the lower southeastern end became a swamp.

Property values plummeted, and just like today, those well off and able to move did so. Those who couldn’t move had to stay. From that came the infamous slum called Five Points.
HOW IT GOT ITS NAME

In 1854 there were five streets that intersected each other. They were Cross, Anthony, Orange, and Little Water. The name for this neighborhood came from the fact that all five streets poured into a common spot (note the star in the graphic). Later, the names were changed to Worth, Baxter, Mosco, and a public park called Paradise Square.
Tyler Anbinder, Five Points (New York: The Free Press, 2001).

This image below is from Getty Images is from circa 1829. Note the five corners.
Five Points.
THEATRE

It's mentioned that Peg and her brother, Archie, would attend (a.k.a. sneak into) the theater. There were no televisions, radio, or movies. Any music had to happen live. The only source of entertainment outside of drinking establishments or church came from live theater. This picture below is of the Bowery Theater which was originally published in Harpers Weekly April of 1871.
The Bowery Theater picture from the Collection of Maggie Land-Blanck.

Class differences abounded. In Uptown, where the more prosperous lived, the theaters would have opera and music recitals. Down in the Bowery they would have melodramas, Shakespeare, and variety acts. By 1850 and 1860, straight variety grew popular with the masses. Of course, in 1870, where my story takes place, the acts would have been on the racy side. Tony Pastor, a ballad and minstrel singer, is credited both with giving the first performance of what would come to be called by 1881, Vaudeville. Personally, I think the Bowery had better options.
New York Public Library ID 805681.

I mention cheap seats in my novel. In theaters of that era, the cheap seats would be nothing more than benches right up against the Orchestra pit, or up in the nosebleed sections. Notice the clothing of the boys and the wooden bench they're seated on. The more expensive seating was plush and centered at stage level on the ground floor.
CHILD LABOR

Forcing children to work is, and has been, a complicated issue for a long time. Peg worked at the Shirtwaist Factory sewing clothing. The sewing machine existed in the 1870s and was used for home and commercial uses. The factory mentioned in my book actually opened in 1901, thirty years after my story takes place, but such places did exist. Whole families often sewed in small rooms for a living. The picture below is from Harper's Weekly 1895.
Collection of Maggie Land-Blanck.
LIVING IN FIVE POINTS

Since the neighborhood was built on a bog, water drainage was a problem. The streets were often wet, and keep in mind that most people threw their waste out on the street.
Chinatown.

The photo below was taken by John Rii, the Danish-born, investigative journalist. Note the stone street. This was where I got my idea for the opening scene.
Bandits' Roost -- Circa 1888.
POOR LIGHTING

Electricity didn't exist for homes in 1870. All the apartment buildings had to use natural light. Note In the picture below, the long narrow window at the end of the hall. This was the only way to light these places during the day. Imagine how dark they were at night. Some of the tenements even hired someone to keep the halls and bathroom, if they had one, clean.
Collection of Maggie Land Blanck.

Since Five Points was built on a swamp, and the building were neither cooled nor heated, escaping the temperature was hard. Many people slept on the roof during the summer.

Harper's Weekly, date unknown, Collection of Maggie Land Blanck 2013.

Peg and Archie would have slept on their roof in the summer.

TUG BOATS AND BARGES

New York was an international port of call. Goods were shipped to New York harbor by barge on the Hudson River, or goods arrived on ship from ports all over the world. Barges weren’t motorized, and ships needed help getting towed into the harbor. There were two ways to do this. The first, a tow boat or tug, which existed in Peg's time.

Tugboat Beaver, taken in 1870.

Of course Peg travels by barge on a canal to go further upstate. The barge, or packet boat, would have been pulled by horse or mule, because the canals wouldn't have been large enough. Horses and mules were used up through the early twentieth century for river travel. Some sources have them working as late as the 1950s.


So to be sure that I'm not playing too fast and loose with historic detail, here are some of the sources that inspired the beginning of The Final Paladin.

Thank you for your time and kind attention. I hope you will check out The Final Paladin.

—T.J. Akers
TOUR SCHEDULE


Thank you so much for your tour behind the scenes, TJ! 🙂

Dragons, you can pre-order paperback and kindle copies of The Final Paladin on Amazon!

Have you ordered The Final Paladin, yet? Have you ever explored the history of Victorian New York?

❤,


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Saturday, November 4, 2017

October Highlights (In Which I Introduce My New WIP)


HELLO YES SO IT IS OFFICIALLY COLD NOW AND I AM HAPPY. I also managed to survive October somehow and I THINK IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH ALL THE CHOCOLATE (and probably the cold, too)?? (#Halloweenperks)

Also, I finished my first quarter of the school year so YAAY! *throws confetti* (After Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's, I'll be ready for summer, though. 😎)

PHOTO DUMP

I WENT TO SEE MY SACRAMENTO BESTIES!!!! After one night of only six hours of sleep, another of four, and the last one of five, I woke up at three on a Saturday morning, tossed all my belongings into a suitcase, and scurried off to board a red-eye flight.* AND I SURVIVED.

*I make it sound like this trip was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but I promise that IT WAS PLANNED. 😁

Airport breakfast, featuring my carry-on.

A one-and-a-half-hour plane ride and a thirty-minute car ride later, SECOND BREAKFAST (a.k.a. hot cocoa again -- not actually more food -- BECAUSE WHY NOT).


Mid-afternoon, after a brief shopping trip, we ventured out again, this time to Jamba Juice, where another bestie works. And, despite the freezing sixty-degree weather, WE DEVOURED OUR SMOOTHIES WITH PRIDE.


Sunday morning, we went to church; that afternoon, we went to a coffee shop, and in the evening, we had a Bible study on creation.

Three out of five of our "froofy" coffees. 😏

Monday (my last day in Sac! *sniffles*), two of us explored another coffee shop (we might have a problem 😂).

Pardon the lighting. Coffee shops and my camera carry a bit of a feud. 😉

Monday evening, three of us went out for sorbet/gelato, sat by a fountain, and just talked. 💗


Tuesday morning, another airport, another red-eye flight. PLUS ANOTHER CALL FOR MORE SUGAR COFFEE.


On the plus side, THERE WERE LIKE, FIFTEEN OTHER PEOPLE ON THE PLANE. #score

This is my "yeeessss! I'm sitting alone!" face... featuring a Harvard sweatshirt that I picked up at a Downtown Sac second-hand store.
(Nope, I'm not actually going to Harvard. I was cold and I'd packed insensibly. 😜)

Caraval by Stephanie Garber, my travelling companion. 🌝

The weekend after (last weekend, in fact 😀), we went to church at one of our desert congregations, where a family friend was holding a gospel meeting. 🙂

Here is a picture of a pile of boulders... it was much more impressive in real life, I promise. 😂

READING CORNER

NOW FOR THE GOOD STUFF.

1. Summers at Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn [DNF]. This just wasn't my groove, man. I REALLY thought that I would like it, but... the main character was hardly in it?? I mean, I only read nineteen pages of it, but it felt like every other character was getting screen time but her?? IT WAS JUST SUPER CONFUSING, BRO.

2. Dandelion Dust by Faith L. Potts [4.5/5]. I owe this one a review!!!! (It's coming, Faith, I promise!) I won't say much just yet, but... I laughed. I cried. I loved this book to bits. 💜

3. The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry [DNF]. Such a large ratio of DNFs, this month! This one... I gave it seventy pages (which is a lot, when I'm considering DNFing a book). BUT THE WAY THE TOPIC OF JESUS WAS HANDLED. It made me so squirmy! The Passion of Dolssa is based on Spanish history, so apparently peeps back then considered Jesus their actual spouse?! Eeeew, no. I don't want to think of Jesus the way the characters did, and I doubt he wants it much, either! o_O I'd like to keep my relationship with Him based on the love He -- and the writing in the Bible -- express, thank you very much.

4. Caraval by Stephanie Garber [4.5/5]. I really, really, really liked this book! I did have some issues with it, but otherwise, it was magical. AND I NEED LEGENDARY RIGHT NOW!!!!

MUSIC ROOM

Lots of Owl City. Lots and lots and LOTS of Owl City. 😄

And TAYLOR SWIFT'S NEW ALBUM IS COMING OUT IN SIX DAYS!!!! *fangirls* Out of the four singles she's released thus far, Call It What You Want has to be my favorite! ...BUT I NEED THE WHOLE ALBUM.

WRITING DESK

Last month, I mentioned the possibility of doing NaNoWriMo. That's... not happening. November is just far too crazy for me to take on writing 50k in thirty days, this year.

But... the novel I'd considered for NaNo is going to be written. Which brings me to Because of Midnight Poison.

 The past month or two, I've been struggling to write BoMP, to find the inspiration -- the joy -- in telling Jayna's story. This month, I realized that Jayna's story is not my story -- at least not now. When I first began developing Because of Midnight Poison, it was a story very near and dear to me. But now, there's a story that's weighing heavy on my heart, and it's a story I feel would greater glorify God. It's the sort of story I believe this world needs. It's called The Scent of the Stars.

I know that a lot of you have been rooting for me and Because of Midnight Poison, and I am so very grateful. 💜 I have no plans to abandon my Snow White retelling, -- and I won't be giving up -- but it's not for Five Poisoned Apples. It's a story that, perhaps, within a few years, I might return to. But it's not for the here and now.

I want "to sit down at a typewriter and bleed", something I haven't done in ages. And The Scent of the Stars is something I'm very passionate about: it's is about abortion. It's about the value of each individual human. It's about what it means to be human. It's about purpose. It's about courage. And it's about faith.

 I'll be certain to share more with you about TSotS over the next few months, and I'm ecstatic for this new journey; I hope you'll join me on it! If you'd like to learn more about TSotS, click here. 💖

November/December Goal: Outline TSotS.

Current/Overall Goal: Finish draft one by spring 2018.

OCTOBER BLOG ROLL






ELSEWHERE IN THE BLOGOSPHERE

Q&A: THE BOOKISH TAG

A huge hug and thanks to Shantelle @ Between the Pages of This Bookish Life for tagging me for The Bookish Tag!

1. WHAT BOOK HAS BEEN ON YOUR SHELF THE LONGEST?

Uummm... I don't know! *hides* I've had my own library since before I was born, SO I BASICALLY HAVE NO CLUE. 🙈

2. WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT READ, YOUR LAST READ, AND THE BOOK YOU'LL READ NEXT?

Current reads: A Time to Speak by Nadine Brandes and Night by Elie Wiesel.

Last read: Caraval by Stephanie Garber.

Next-ish read: A Time to Rise by Nadine Brandes.

3. WHAT BOOK DID EVERYONE LIKE, BUT YOU HATED?

Pride & Prejudice. *hides* I love the characters and storyline, but the book just isn't my thing!

4. WHAT BOOK DO YOU KEEP TELLING YOURSELF YOU'LL READ, BUT YOU PROBABLY WON'T?

Ha. Ha. Hahahahaha. EVERY BOOK EVER. Like Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Chronicles of Pyradin. 😬

5. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU SAVING FOR RETIREMENT?

'Kay, I take that back. I probably WILL read Lord of the Rings... I'm just "saving" it "for retirement". 😜

6. LAST PAGE: READ IT FIRST, OR WAIT 'TIL THE END?

HOW IS THERE EVEN A QUESTION?! NEVER read the last page first! 😱

7. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: WASTE OF PAPER AND INK, OR INTERESTING ASIDE?

To be honest, I always read the acknowledgements twice: once before reading, and again, after I've finished. 😅

8. WHICH BOOK CHARACTER WOULD YOU SWITCH PLACES WITH?

I'm thinking Zara from Sun & Moon by Desiree Williams. Because Jaedon reasons. 😉

9. DO YOU HAVE A BOOK THAT REMINDS YOU OF SOMETHING SPECIFIC IN YOUR LIFE (I.E. PLACE, TIME, PERSON...)?

Oh-so-many! Heartless (Anne Elisabeth Stengl) reminds me of springtime, The Healer's Apprentice (Melanie Dickerson) reminds me of summer, and Ella Enchanted reminds me of summer becoming autumn. 😊


10. NAME A BOOK THAT YOU ACQUIRED IN AN INTERESTING WAY.

At #RealmMakers2017, Jill Williamson provided the Teen Track with free copies of Replication: the Jason Experiment!

11. HAVE YOU EVER GIVEN A BOOK AWAY FOR A SPECIAL REASON TO A SPECIAL PERSON?

For her birthday, I gave a bestie a copy of Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier. There is such a strong theme of hope woven throughout (plus it's just an overall fantabulous book 😃)!

12. WHICH BOOK HAS BEEN WITH YOU THE MOST PLACES?

The Old River Road by Ivy Rose, hands down! I've taken it everywhere. It was the first signed book I ever owned, so I was rather eager to keep it with me (backpack, purse, bedside...). 😄 I'm still not one to part with it. 😉

13. ANY REQUIRED READING YOU HATED IN HIGH SCHOOL, BUT WASN'T SO BAD LATER?

I'm still in high school, and I've determined that every book for high school required reading is terrible. So there. 😜

14. USED OR BRAND NEW?

Liv says brand new. Her wallet says used.

15. HAVE YOU EVER READ A DAN BROWN BOOK?

Who's that?

16. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A MOVIE YOU LIKED MORE THAN THE BOOK?

Mockingjay (parts one and two)! I kinda slugged through the book, BUT BRO. THOSE MOVIES, THOUGH. 😻

17. HAVE YOU EVER READ A BOOK THAT MADE YOU HUNGRY (COOKBOOKS INCLUDED)?

The entire Harry Potter series (J.K. Rowling), and Red's Untold Tale by Wendy Toliver!

18. WHO IS THE PERSON WHOSE BOOK ADVICE YOU'LL ALWAYS TAKE?

Ashlee Willis @ Finding the True Fairytale! Her books are SO good, I'm sure that I'd love any book she'd recommend. 😁
19. IS THERE A BOOK OUTSIDE OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE (I.E. YOUR USUAL READING GENRE) THAT YOU ENDED UP LOVING?

Ending Fear by Deanna Fugett! I already knew Deanna, and she's such an amazing person that I knew I'd just need to read her book... AND IT WAS AMAZING. 😍 I'm SO ready for Living Brave!


Thanks so much for bearing with me through this freakishly long post, Dragons! Lord willing, I'll see y'all again on Monday, with a tour stop for T.J. Akers's The Final Paladin! 🙂

Tell me, Dragons! Are you doing NaNoWriMo, this year? What's your current WIP?

❤,


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Saturday, October 28, 2017

How to Outline Your Novel in a Day


SO NANO IS HAPPENING IN FOUR DAYS. *shrieks*

The story of my NaNo success always seems to look like this:

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who signed up for Camp NaNoWriMo. Though she knew that it was fast-approaching, she also forgot (probably because she wanted to avoid doing an outline).
You see, this little girl was a plantser, meaning that she loved to pants, but she needed to plot. And so, when the first day of NaNo arrived, she ran around screaming and calmly ignored the task that lay before her.
"I'm outlining," she told her friends, when they inquired after her delay (in truth, she thought she was outlining; she still worked hard at school and Life™, and outlined once or twice a week).
Eventually, the month ended, and the little girl had yet to write a single word of her NaNo project. And so she ran around screaming and calmly ignored what had transpired. 

Sound familiar? I AM TOTALLY THAT LITTLE GIRL, BTW. If you've ever been that little girl (or boy), too -- or MAYBE YOU'RE THAT CHILD RIGHT NOW??? -- then congratulations! Because, despite the fact that Life™ (school, acting, church, volunteer work, and a new job) has commanded I refrain from NaNo this year, I have developed a sure-fire plan for preparing for NaNo last-minute (think outlining). All you need is one full day to yourself: no school, no work, no chores, no distractions. And the best part? You can be done before teatime.

 (A quick note, before I get to the good stuff 😉: this post was inspired by Jill Williamson, who shared her outlining process at #RealmMakers2017. The card labels and whatnot were entirely her advice! 😁💜)


1. BE PREPAAAARED!

You need:
  • One full-ish day of freedom
  • Fourteen to eighteen 5x8 index cards
  • One pencil/pen
  • One eraser / vial of white-out
  • Your sources of inspiration; maps, Pinterest boards, blog posts, playlists... whatever makes you happy 😁
  • This blog post 😉

2. LABEL YOUR CARDS

Label your cards as follows:
  1. Beginning
  2. Inciting Incident
  3. Second Thoughts
  4. Act I Climax
  5. Obstacle A
  6. Obstacle B
  7. Midpoint Twist
  8. Obstacle C
  9. Disaster
  10. Crisis
  11. Act II Climax
  12. Act III Climax
  13. Dénouement (Wrap-Up)
  14. End

Note that, by the time you get around to writing what actually happens on your cards, you may need to re-number them.

3. BREW TEA

Trust me. You'll need it.*

*And no, this does not count as teatime.

4. IDENTIFY YOUR KEY EVENTS

Now that you're armed with warm tea and your fourteen cards, start identifying. You already have at least a slight idea of where your novel is going, right? Because it's totally okay to label your cards out-of-order! And it's totally okay to take a five-minute break to brew some more tea and come back, too. 😉

5. DON'T FORGET TO REFUEL

Refueling can be counted as a lunch break, as taking a walk, as grooming your cat... but try to avoid using the internet unless it counts as research / help outlining. You're in the zone, and we don't want you to fall out of it. 💜

6. DO A FINAL READ-THROUGH

Now that all your key scenes' roles are identified, do one last read-through. Everything makes sense, right? Though it may be hard, the flow and current make sense?

7. CELEBRATE, CHILL, AND GET SOME SLEEP

You're finished, you've revised, you're excited... now all you need to do is write that novel! So, this deserves celebration. Treat yourself to ice cream. Now that it's teatime, have some more tea! Re-watch Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban. Just chill, and get some sleep, too. 💕


Thank you so much for reading, my sweet Dragons! Just so you know, I'm totally rooting for you this NaNoWriMo. 😊

Since I totally missed posting this last weekend, I think I'll be back tomorrow with my October Highlights (better late than never, right?). I'm still trying to get the hang of reincorporating blogging into my it's-not-summer-anymore lifestyle. 😎

What's your #NaNo2017 project, Dragons? Any new blog posts of yours that you'd like to share with me?

❤,

Post banner background
image recovered from
Pixabay.

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Friday, October 27, 2017

OCTOBER // Blog Tour, Interview, Sneak Peek, & Giveaway


HULLO, DRAGON-FRIENDS!

Today, I'm absolutely ecstatic to be featuring author J. Grace Pennington on the blog, sharing her book October! October (properly titled, given its release month; don't you think? 😉) releases tomorrow, and I've got an interview, excerpt, and giveaway to share with y'all! But first...

ABOUT THE BOOK


For Emily Baxter, life is simple. Her world is made up completely of school, church, and the community in the small farming town she calls home. All that changes one fateful Sunday, when a new girl shows up at Pleasanton Baptist -- a girl unlike anyone Emily has ever seen. A girl with long red hair, crystal green eyes, and style and posture like royalty.

A girl named October.

The months that follow are filled with magic -- the magic of ordinary things, of finding pictures in the stars, of imagination and a new sense of beauty. But as time goes by, Emily begins to sense that her enchanting new friend may have secrets that could break the spell. Is October really all she seems to be?



INTERVIEW

Hi, J. Grace! Welcome to the blog; I'm so very excited to have you here! Would you mind introducing yourself? Favorite holidays, fairytales, fandoms...?

Hello! Thank you for having me.

Let's see... I'm twenty-seven years old, and I live in Texas in a one-bedroom second story apartment with my husband and lots and lots of plush pandas. Twenty of them, to be exact. My favorite holiday is far and away Christmas -- cliché, I know, but I can't help it. It's the best time of year. Favorite fairytales would probably be Beauty and the Beast and Rumpelstiltskin (I'm a sucker for the Beauty and the Beast story archetype in general) and my fandoms are many: Pixar, Star Trek, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who, Pirates of the Caribbean, Myst, etc. Other facts -- I eat too much Chick-fil-a, enjoy knitting and crochet, and can't ride a bike.

What was the first spark of inspiration for October? How did you know that this was a story you needed to write?

I started writing it about five years ago. I was thinking about some things that were going on in my life and the lives of others that I knew, things that I was dealing with, and I began theorizing what it would be like to weave these people and topics into a story -- a fictional story based on real people and real issues. The idea took hold, and it came together from there. I wanted to tell a story that was real, in a way that nothing else I'd written was. Something that people could read and see truth in.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? (Or a planster? 😉) Do you have an outlining process? If so, how would you describe it?

I would say planster! I do have an outlining process -- when I start a new book I divide it into twelve parts and base each part loosely off the One Year Adventure Novel curriculum outline. Then I write a very basic summary of each part, then I make up the details and fill in the blanks as I go along. October was a little different, because I started it with certain scenes in my head, so I wrote a bunch of scenes and then later strung them together. But I still eventually went over it and used the same twelve-part structure to guide me in pulling it into a full story.

You indie publish, right? What does your publishing process typically look like?

 Correct! After I finish the first draft, I usually get a few people to read it and give me feedback, then I do a complete rewrite -- chuck some things, add others, rearrange sections, polish prose. After that I do a few more runthroughs, then I pay someone to edit it. After that I tweak it a bit more and send it off to my formatter. Meanwhile, I hire a cover designer -- or in this case, I got my sister to do it, because she's terribly talented and her skills were perfect for what the book needed. When all the files are ready I upload the files to Kindle Direct Publishing and CreateSpace and prepare the release!

Thank you so much for your time, J. Grace! Last question, before you go: what advice do you have for young and currently unpublished authors?

The main advice I always have for aspiring authors is to just keep writing. I know it sounds obvious, but so many writers don't carry their stories to completion simply because they give up somewhere along the way. Writing is hard. Publishing is harder. It takes hard work and dedication, and no matter how many formulas or ideas you have or how inspired you are, the vast majority of your career is going to be sitting in a chair putting one word after another even though you feel unmotivated and generally convinced that you're going to fail. When that happens -- put one word after another anyway. You can edit anything but a blank page, so just write. Write until you have something you're excited to share with the rest of the world.

 Thank you for having me!

Thank you for the interview, J. Grace! 💜

EXCERPT

The first time I saw October Blake, I was sitting in the front right pew of the Pleasanton First Baptist church, where we always sat, watching as people filed into the sanctuary. The rich organ tones of 'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus resonated through the chamber under the magic of Ms. Hendrix's wrinkled fingers. Soft chatter and friendly greetings mingled with the tune. Stained-glass windows cast rainbows across the scene.

October fit the setting better than anyone I had seen enter. She didn't walk in, she glided, moving over the gray carpet with a grace that held the eye. Her thick red hair was piled up on her head like something out of an Anne of Green Gables movie, her skin almost porcelain, her eyes a pale, crystal green visible from across the sanctuary. A ruffled cream blouse left her arms bare, and a floor-length green skirt swished as she slipped down the aisle.

I watched -- stared is a better word -- as she found her way to the third pew from the front center. She laid a hand on the back of it, then turned to look at the people behind her. I hadn't noticed until then that Mr. and Mrs. Rivers were there, shuffling to adjoining seats. She didn't seem to belong to them. But then, she didn't seem to belong to anything about Pleasanton. Pleasanton consisted of farms, fields, and stores reluctant to move into the twenty-first century, with a little brick high school and long, hot summers. This girl seemed more fitted to lilac and lace and the smell of old books with long, beautiful words in them.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


J. Grace Pennington has been telling stories since she could talk and writing them down since age five. Now she lives in the great state of Texas, where she writes as much as adult life permits. When she's not writing she enjoys reading good books, having adventures with her husband, and looking up at the stars.


GIVEAWAY

J. Grace is giving away a paperback copy of October! You can enter using the form below. This giveaway ends tomorrow, October twenty-eighth. The winner will be announced October twenty-ninth, on tour coordinator Faith Blum's blog.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TOUR SCHEDULE


Thank you so much for chatting with me, J. Grace!

Dragons, don't forget to swing by Amazon, where you can pre-order either (or both!) an ebook and/or a paperback copy.

What's your favorite holiday? Do you outline, or write as you go?

❤,

Blog tour images provided
by Faith Blum.

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