#WIPJoy Character Takeover

   Okay, so I literally missed all of February. I've been lazy and sick and working more than normal. I'm doing my best, okay? And I have a super cool post planned for next week. Anyway, on to the post. 

   On Twitter, author Bethany A. Jennings created a hashtag for celebrating your work in progress. Every few months, she has a daily prompt so that we writers can ramble about our WIPs. Well, as much as you can ramble with a 140 character limit.

   I love participating, but I lost momentum about two weeks into January and kinda just....stopped. But there was a week I really wanted to do—the Protagonist Takeover week! So, I'm just gonna do it here.

   The thing is...I have six protagonists. So this will be interesting. I'm not sure if I'll have all of them answer each question, but they'll all answer at least one. We'll see what happens.

   (Click the links on the characters' names if you're new to Children of the Nameless or you just want a refresher.)

Describe yourself in five words

Kaleth: Courageous, strong, a good leader.

Danica: Um...quiet, thoughtful, peacemaker...tired.

Barrow: Loud. Obnoxious. An irresistible charmer. *hesitates, then winks* Recalcitrant.

Allorie: I'm gentle, selfless, and...hopeful. *feels unconfortable praising herself*

Katria: ...no.

Egin: I...um...I like trees?

One thing you'd change about your past?

Kaleth: I wish I'd known the truth about my father sooner, so I could have helped even more people.

Danica: I... *looks down* If I could, I would have my father marry someone kinder.

Barrow: *folds his arms defensively* My past is none of your business.

Favorite way to relax?

Kaleth: ....talking to Allorie or Danica, I guess.

Danica: I like going out on my own, somewhere peacful and quiet where I can just think. Maybe braid my hair or pick flowers.

Barrow: Reading. It's always been an escape for me.

Allorie: *smiles shyly* I like when Danica braids my hair.

Katria: Bein' with Conryn*. 

Egin: Being alone in the forest. Practicing my magic.

Egin spending time in the forest

*her best friend

A line you were proud to say*

Kaleth:

ah, my brave son

Danica:

technically she didn't /say/ it but it counts, man

Barrow: 

the sassy problematic fave

*I'm just including lines from the current draft. the first draft is huge and embarrassing and I am too tired to scroll through 70k+ to find good lines. You'll get snippets from the others eventually, I promise

Tell us about where you live

Kaleth: I was raised in a small village in Iyon, but now I'm traveling to world to find the other Nameless.

Danica: I lived in a village a few day's walk from Kaleth's. There are big green fields, and we're surrounded by a forest. It's beautiful.

Barrow: Most of my life was spent in the city of Reoun, a city near the edge of Frayn. But like most Fraynics, I've traveled much and spent time in other parts of the country.

Allorie: I spent my entire life in the capital city of Daglen.

Katria: Tsuki. Born an' raised. Only ever left for... *twirls knife between fingers* jobs.

Egin: I lived in the badlands between Skovia and the territories until I was six. It was just me and Lisbet* and Ma. Then she.... *trails off* Then Lisbet and I lived in Skovia.

The forest surrounding Kaleth's and Danica's villages

*Lisbet = Egin's little sister

Do you sympathize/relate to the antagonist?

Kaleth: *frowns* Absolutely not. Just because I'm Iyonian doesn't mean I agree with what my former countrymen did.

What are you self-conscious about?

Kaleth: My mistakes.

Danica: ...everything? I have all these thoughts inside my head but I can't seem to get them out. It makes me feel stupid.

Barrow: Nothing. *winks*

Allorie: *sheepishly* My hands. They're rough and calloused from working hard...I wish I could have soft hands.

Katria: No point in being self-conscious. Ain't gonna help anythin'.

Egin: I, um...not being normal.

   Well, I hope you liked this little character interview thing! I really enjoyed getting to talk about my babies. Who was your favorite/least favorite? Have you ever participated in #WIPJoy? Comment below so we can chat!

Beautiful People — Appearance Edition

   Greetings, kids! I kinda talked about this in my soul-baring post last month, but I finished the first draft of Children of the Nameless in April!

actually me: happy, proud, utterly exhausted

  

   Now I'm working on the second draft, with the help of my lovely betas Katie, Hannah, and Anna. Love you children. <3 The beginning of the first draft was absolute crap so I have to completely rewrite it but that's okay. It's so much better already.
   And since I've been thinking about CotN so much, and since I want to post here more often, here's a writing blog meme about my children! Go check out and/or join here!

(I'm doing this for all six kids, so forgive me for the long post.)

1. Give a brief overview of their looks. (Include a photo if you want!)

Kaleth

Basically, just combine Lucas Till, Alex Pettyfer,
and Bradley James.

Danica

Not perfect, but it's one of the the best pictures
I've found. Her hair should be longer.

Barrow

His hair should be a little more red. Honestly his
face/expression is so hard to capture.

Allorie

She also looks a lot like blonde Kristen Stewart.
(that's a real thing, I swear)

Katria

I've only found 3 pictures that even come close to looking
like her, and this is one of them. Finding POC pictures is hard.

Egin

He's basically just a short Eddie Redmayne.

2. Share a snippet that involves description of their appearance. (Okay, I'm the kind of writer that gives people a basic idea to start with, and then adds more detail as the story goes on, so I'm just going to include the first description of their appearance. Also, only Kaleth and Danica have been described in the second draft. I apologize for my first-draft writing.)

Kaleth: "the yellow-haired boy with the strong dark eyes and bright smile"

Danica: "Danica could imagine how she’d look, the pale flowers standing out against her dark hair. She imagined her face a little less plain and her grey eyes a little less dull."

Barrow: "A boy with dark red hair and a smirk"

Allorie: "tall with golden hair"

Katria: "the girl with tan skin and a murderous glare"

Egin: "one with eyes like the forest in spring and freckles like the stars in the sky"


3. What is the first thing people might notice about them?

Kaleth: how attractive/confident he is (I'm sorry but it's true)

Danica: her eyes; they're gorgeous and you can see a lot of her personality in them

Barrow: how freaking tall he is and/or his smirk

Allorie: her height; she's rather tall for a girl

Katria: her constant murderous glare; it makes up for her short stature

Egin: how small and soft and reserved he is

4. What are their unique features? (Ex: freckles, big ears, birthmark, scars, etc.)

Danica: grey eyes

Barrow: scars on his arms and chest

Katria: she has lots of scars, but I don't really know where/what they look like

Egin: lots and lots of freckles

5. How tall are they? What is their build? (Ex: stocky, slender, petite, etc.)

Kaleth: 6'1", with a broad chest and strong arms

Danica: 5'3", slender and delicate with small hands and feet

Barrow: 6'3", very lean and muscular

Allorie: 5'10", curvy and muscular

Katria: 5'2", small but incredibly strong

Egin: 5'5", pretty delicate for a boy but has strong arms from archery

6. What is their posture like? How do they usually carry themselves?

Kaleth: shoulders back and standing tall, very confident and self-assured

Danica: shy and nervous, shoulders curved in and head down

Barrow: usually slouching a little, but in a "I'm so cool and casual" way, unless he's trying to one-up Kaleth

Allorie: stands very straight because of her soldier's training

Katria: confident but guarded, always has a weapon close at hand

Egin: slouching and doing everything he can to be invisible

7. Your character has been seen on a “lazy day” (free from usual routine/expectations): what are they wearing and how do they look?

Kaleth: I don't think he understand the concept of laziness

Danica: something loose and comfortable; her hair is either very fancy because she has time, or simple because she doesn't have to take the time

Barrow: something casual but still attractive

Allorie: loose and casual hair and clothing; basically the exact opposite of her soldier uniform

Katria: loose pants, her chest binder, and a sleeveless shirt; her hair is pulled back so it doesn't get in the way while she trains

Egin: barefoot, not wearing his cloak's hood because he's out in the forest, away from everyone watching him.

8. Do they wear glasses, accessories, or jewelry on a regular basis? Do they have any article of clothing or accessory that could be considered their trademark?

Danica: she always has very pretty/elaborate braids in her hair

Katria: she keeps knives in her jacket/boot/literally anywhere she can hide them; does that count

Egin: his cloak, he almost always wears it with the hood up

9. Have they ever been bullied or shamed because of their looks? Explain!

Kaleth: nope, everybody likes him too much

Danica: she was never bullied but she was definitely ignored by most boys because she's a little plain

Barrow: only by other boys who were just jealous of his ability to get all the girls

Allorie: most of her country is short, thin, and dark-haired, and she's the opposite, so she got mocked for being different

Katria: being mean to her will result in great pain, so no

Egin: he's been teased for not being very manly

10. Are they happy with how they look? If they could change anything about their appearance, what would it be?

Kaleth: he's perfectly happy with his looks

Danica: she wishes she were prettier

Barrow: he's hot enough for the girls, so he's good

Allorie: she's never really had time to worry about her looks, but she's ashamed of her scars and bruises

Katria: she'd be happier with a more boyish figure (don't hear that often do ya)

Egin: he wishes he was stronger and less of a twig

I swear I meant to post this before the very very end of August. Sigh. At least I tried. My life is incredibly insane right now, so posting will probably be sporadic. I still love you though, I promise! <3

Beautiful Books #1 - In which I flail uncontrollably about my book

   One of my favorite linkups of all times is Beautiful People, run by Cait @ Paper Fury and Sky @ Further Up and Further In. In November, they switch it up a little and change it to Beautiful Books, so we get to flail about our books instead of our characters. I'm very excited about this, because I don't think I've told you guys very much about my book(that's not a good excuse though I could talk about my book for forever and not be bored).

1. How did you come up with the idea for your novel, and how long have you had the idea?

   I got the idea in February(I think) of 2014, while I was doing math. I was listening to samples of Audiomachine songs on iTunes(because I was an uneducated child and knew nothing of the joys of Spotify and Pandora), when, due to my overactive imagination and strong inclination to getting distracted, I started imagining a scene to go along with the song. That scene became the prologue, and the song title, Nameless Heroes, inspired the whole premise of the story.

2. Why are you excited to write this novel?

    So, sooooo many reasons. This is the first story I've written where I've gotten past the first chapter. I've put so much of my heart and soul into it already, and it means so much to me, and to other people already as well(*glances at Emily*). I love the characters so much, and they mean so much to me, and I'm so excited to see them grow(and to have them kiss). This is the first story where I really feel capable of writing the whole thing.

3. What is your novel about, and what is the title?

   The title is Children of the Nameless, and I actually wrote a little back cover thing a while back.

   Mum tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and sighed.
   "You've heard the stories of the Nameless? The mysterious heroes who worked so hard to stop the war, and then disappeared?"
   "Of course." What was she saying?
   Years of loneliness filled her eyes when she looked at him.
   "Your father was one of the Nameless."

   Every child knows the stories of the Nameless, a legendary group of young men and women who rescued those in need, only to disappear without a trace, never giving their name. Kaleth has heard the stories all his life, one of the only rays of hope as war threatens to destroy his country and the whole world.
   But he never expected to learn that one of them was his father. Or that the other five Nameless had children as well.
   And so, with their world teetering on the brink of destruction, the six children of the Nameless team up to try to continue the legend their parents left for them. But when tempers flare, hearts are broken, and destruction threatens everything, is there any hope?


   This first book(it's a trilogy) is about friendships and being brave and doing the right thing no matter the cost and I have so many feelings over it.

4. Sum up your characters in one word each. (Feel free to add pictures!)

   Oooooh boy. I could talk about my characters for hours but I will condense them to one word if I must. And I included links because some of the words are weird.

Kaleth: Leader

Danica: Oracular

Barrow: Eccedentesiast 

Allorie: selfless

Katria: Liberosis

Egin: Aesthete

5. Which character(s) do you think will be your favorite to write? Tell us about them!

   Really, I'm excited to right about all of my babies, but so far, I think I like Egin the best. I get to play around with formatting the words, which I  l o v e. Also, he is a precious child and I love anything that has to do with him, so.

6. What is your protagonist’s goal, and what stands in the way?

   Their main goal is to end the war, although all six of them have more personal, emotional goals as well. Their main obstacle is the Feor, the people who started the war, and the fact that no one really wants to listen to a bunch of teenagers, no matter who their parents were.

7. Where is your novel set? (Show us pictures if you have them!)

   There's a lot of traveling. And a lot of forests. And a city inspired by 1800s steampunk London with some Asian influences. There's also a country based on Japan/China who owns provinces like England used to. And an Irish Viking city. And torture chambers. And lots and lots of forests.

8. What is the most important relationship your character has?

   Barrow's most important relationship is with Danica. Egin's is with his cousin/adopted little sister Lisbet. Kaleth and Allorie's is with each other. And Katria's is with her best friend(*cough*totally just friends*cough*), Conryn.

9. How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel?

   For Barrow, things are getting better and he's happier. Egin is becoming a lot braver. Allorie is finally learning to stand up for herself and isn't letting herself get pushed around. Danica is becoming more confident and is learning to trust herself more. Katria really cares about the cause, and her new friends(although she never stops missing *cough*a certain someone*cough*). And Kaleth...is getting more prideful.

10. What themes are in your book? How do you want your readers to feel when the story is over?

  Heh. What do you mean, themes? I can barely write; I can't think of themes. That's for later drafts. But as for how my readers feel... *evil laugh* I want them to be panicked/angry, since I'm kinda going to leave them on a terrible cliffhanger. And I really want them to care about the characters. That's pretty much the most important thing to me.

11. BONUS! Tell us your 3 best pieces of advice for others trying to write a book in a month.

1. Don't listen to me I don't know what I'm doing
2. Find a way to motivate yourself
3. Write. A lot.

So, what do you think of my baby? I'm super excited to keep writing it. Did you do Beautiful Books too? Drop the link below and we can flail about our books together.

Street Rats

I wrote a short story about the first time two characters meet in Children of the Nameless. And flailed about it. A lot.

  “What’re you snivellin’ for?” Katria demanded, shoving her hands into her pockets.

  “‘ungry,” the boy said, wiping the tears from his dirty face with a dirtier hand. He looked a little bit older than Katria, maybe nine or even ten.

  “Tha’s it? You’re ‘ungry? Why dontcha do somethin’ about it?” she asked.

  “Don’t got any parents,” he muttered.

  Katria laughed. “What’s that got to do with anythin’? I don’t got any either. I live with my aunt. And even if I didn’t, I could still take care of myself.”

  The boy stood up, thick brown hair almost blocking his eyes. “I don’t believe you.”

  Katria glared. “You think I’m some weak li’l girl, dontcha? I’ll show ya. Follow me.”

  The boy nodded and followed, intimidated by her fierceness. She grinned and led him through the alleyways and backstreets of Tsuki until they reached the marketplace.

  The smells of food and bodies and metal clashed with the sounds of wind and shouting and clopping hooves until it became a disaster that would overwhelm almost anyone. But for Katria, it was home, and she knew just how to pick apart the sights and sounds to get the best result, like Aunt Jada taught her.

  “What’re you-”

  She slapped a hand over his mouth, not caring if she hurt him.

  “Shut up,” she hissed. “I’m tryin’ ta getcha somethin’.”

  He pushed her hand away. “You’re gonna steal something?” he asked quietly.

  “Meet me back where I met ya,” she whispered, then slipped into the crowd.

  She was no longer Katria, orphan, street rat, niece of the most famous assassin in all of Totenshi. She was a little girl, delighted by the bustle of the marketplace, thrilled by the kites dancing overhead, swaying to the music from a pipe-player’s stall. No one suspected a girl like that. And so no one noticed when she slipped a tiny loaf of bread from a baker’s stand into the pouch on her waist.

  If there was one thing Katria Blackthorne knew how to do, it was how to play a part.

  But she was also very good at climbing on roofs, so when she jumped down with a thud, the dark-skinned boy from earlier jumped nearly a foot in the air.

  Katria laughed wildly. “I scared ya!” she crowed.

  “No you didn’t,” he sulked.

  “Did too. I bet your heart’s poundin’.” She punched his shoulder with delight.

  “I didn’t think you was comin’ back, was all,” he said, rubbing his shoulder and glaring.

  She glared right back. “I told ya I’d meet ya back here, an’ so I met ya back here. I keep my word.” She tossed him the bread. “Name’s Katria, by the way.”

  The boy caught it, hands fumbling, and eat hungrily. “Conryn,” he mumbled as he stuffed half the loaf in his mouth.

  Katria plopped down in the hard-packed dirt. “So, you’re a street rat who ain’t used to the idea of stealin’, ey?”

  “I ain’t a street rat,” Conryn said, sitting next to her.

  “You sure look it,” she said.
  Conryn had a square jaw, a long nose, skin that looked a lovely shade of brown under all that dirt, and thick shaggy hair so dark it was almost black. And he had stubborn brown eyes that seemed very sad but very strong. His shirt and vest were even dirtier than Katria’s(which was something she thought she’d never see), his trousers had holes in the knees, and he had a tiny knife strapped to his belt.

  Katria suddenly decided that she liked him.

  “You good at anythin’?” she asked.

  “What’s that s’pposed to mean?” he huffed, probably angry at the idea that he seemed useless.

  “I like you, Conryn. I think Imma keep you around.”

  “What?”

  Poor soul. How thick could one person be?

  “What’re you good at? I want ya to work for my aunt, so I can torment ya more often.” She grinned.

  “I…” Conryn stared at the ground, a look of intense concentration on his face, the same look Katria guessed she had when she tried to read something. “I’m good enough at fightin’. I know some o’ my letters and I can add an’ subtract an’ I’m good with numbers.”

  Katria grinned, grabbing his arm and pulling him to his feet. “I’m sure Aunt Jada can find a use for ya. She’ll teach ya to fight and Ballid can teach ya to read and write-” she grimaced as she pulled Conryn through the streets, “and you can eat and sleep with us and one day you and I’ll get jobs like my aunt.”

  “What does she do?” Conryn said, smiling down at her.

  “She’s an assassin,” Katria boasted. “I’m gonna be one too, when I get big.”

  

  

What do you guys think of my sassy, violent little assassin-to-be and her future best friend?

Beautiful Books Linkup #2

   So yeah. By now you've probably noticed that I don't post very much.
   Unless there's a linkup run by Cait. Because Cait Drews is kinda my blogging idol and I wish that my blog could be half as fantabulous as hers. Maybe one day, in a few thousand years.

   And until that day comes, I shall simply leech off of her genius.

1. Be honest: How is your writing going?

  Well, it's going. Sorta. I'm not doing NaNo and I had to drop out of the 100-for-100 because reasons. But right now I'm trying to focus on character development and plotting, because in all honesty?

2. What's your first sentence/paragraph?

  "It was a time of war. No one was safe. It was a time of blood, but the only glory came to those who delighted in death. Some fought for power. The rest fought to keep themselves and their loved ones alive.

  "But, oh, what a terrible life it was! Not knowing if you would live to see another day, and not knowing if you cared."

  A shiver runs through the audience as the firelight flickers on the old storyteller's face. Her white hair shines, and her eyes are dark with the memories of a dark time.

   I avoided an info dump with storytellers and flashbacks. Yay me.

3. Do you have a book cover and/or pictures that reflect your book?

   While I don't have a collage anywhere near as fabulous as Aimee's, I do have one that I like. It's not the best, but it's pretty cool. (I plan on making some better ones soon, but right now I want to just get this posted.)

4. Do you have pictures of each of your characters? If not, describe them for us! (Be as descriptive as you can.)

Let me tell you a thing. 

   My characters are my babies and I flipping love them to death. I made some fabulous one-line descriptions of them so here you go.

 First we have Kaleth.

A skilled warrior with a talent for inspiring action and creating laughter

Then Barrow.

A knight with a tragic past and a penchant for flirting

And Egin.

A lonely hunter with hidden magic and a love for cats


And then there's the girls,

 like Allorie.

A princess forced to be a soldier

And Danica,

A village girl with an eye for detail and a mind for strategy 

And last but not least, Katria.

A notorious assassin longing for peace

  Yes I have a lot.

5. What scene are you most excited to write?

  THE SHIPPING. OOOOH THE SHIPPING. I can't wait to be able to have my characters hold hands and kiss and save each other.

6. Share a snippet or a scene you really enjoyed writing.

"I'm sure your father knew what he was doing." Mum sounded confident but there was uncertainty in her eyes.

  What had they been doing? Why would six seemingly immortal beings choose to die for a cause they could have won?

  And then Kaleth knew. They had seen something better in the future. Something stronger. But what?

  An idea came into his mind and refused to leave. It spun through his thoughts and destroyed every argument with its obviousness, its perfection.

  

7. Now that you're writing, have any of the plot details, or the process itself, turned out different from what you planned or imagined?

  Not really...I've just found out more about the plot. But I did discover that I am a plontser: heavy on the plotting with a little bit of pantsing.

8. Is there a character or aspect of your plot that's difficult to write?

I think the hardest part is hinting at backstory without revealing too much. Third person limited is a little difficult.

9. What’s your favorite aspect of this novel so far? Favorite character?

 My favorite aspect is Barrow and Kaleth's arguing. They can't get along for the life of them and it's adorable. And I'm really not allowed to have a favorite; it's like asking a mother to choose her favorite child. (But if you really want to know, it's Barrow.)

10. Have you drawn off of any life experiences or people you know to create your novel and your characters?

  Barrow is based vaguely on my best guy friend, who I'll call Ryan. They have similar personalities, and even their backstory is kinda similar(this is probably why he's my favorite). And I noticed that several of my characters feel trapped in some way but desperately wish for freedom, which I relate to.

11. Do you have a playlist or certain song for your novel and/or characters?
  Not exactly, but the Narnia soundtracks capture the feel of the novel very well.

12. Let’s have some fun for a moment: imagine you are somehow transported into your book’s world. Which character are you most likely to be found hanging out with?

  OH GOSH WHY WOULD YOU SUGGEST SUCH A THING

  ALL OF THEM I WOULD HANG OUT WITH ALL OF THEM.

  Ok in all honestly I think I would hang out with Barrow and Allorie the most. But Danica and Egin...and Kaleth...and we really can't forget Katria. I would be so scared of her but we might still be friends.

  SO YEAH I CAN'T DECIDE THEY'RE ALL TOO FABULOUS.

13. How do you keep yourself motivated to finish your daily wordcount? (Pinterest? Internet breaks? Chocolate?)

  Well, I'm not doing NaNo or anything so I don't really have a word count...

14. What inspiring quote keeps you writing?

  Aimee's fantastic motivational post is rather inspiring. (And no, I'm totally not jealous of Aimee's fantabulousness.)

15. How does this book make you feel so far? Are you laughing? Crying? Frustrated?

  Right now I'm kinda just giggling madly because holy crap I have multiple chapters and people like it and look at these awesome characters and

  So, that's all for now! I have been nominated for another blog award(what is this madness) so hopefully I will post more soon.
  Love you all!