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If you haven't been keeping up with this challenge so far, here are the previous days!: DAY ONE, DAY TWO, DAY THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, TEN, ELEVEN, TWELVE, THIRTEEN, FOURTEEN, FIFTEEN, SIXTEEN, SEVENTEEN, EIGHTEEN, NINETEEN, TWENTY, TWENTY-ONE, TWENTY-TWO, TWENTY-THREE, TWENTY-FOUR, TWENTY-FIVE, TWENTY-SIX, and TWENTY-SEVEN.
Today's challenge: Your favorite fairy tale or fable That's a hard one. The Bear and the Wren, or King Thrushbeard, or Rumpelstiltskin.... does Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream count? I like the Bear and the Wren, because... well... I like bears. And I like how the Wren was so smart and crafty and insisted on general politeness, that he became king of the forest because of that. I think it would make for a fun movie! I like the story of King Thrushbeard because of the hard lesson of humility that the princess had to learn. Not everything in life would go her way, there were consequences to her actions, and married life was NOT all romance and roses. It was hard work. I also love the determination of King Thrushbeard himself. He loved the princess, and even though she was rude and clearly uninterested in him, he didn't give up on her and go home. He just found another way to win her heart, and he kept working at it until the princess really, truly loved him back. That's true love. Rumpelstiltskin has always been a favorite of mine... I don't know why. I've always felt a little sorry for the wee chap. It seems to me he was unfairly treated. The queen made a promise to him, and even though I wouldn't want to give up my firstborn child to a wee imp either, a promise is a promise! She shouldn't have made the promise so foolishly. But, she was just like so many girls are - worried about what's going on in the moment, and taking no thought for the future. My mom raised me on Shakespeare and shunned Disney princess movies like the plague (homeschoolers... gotta love 'em.) Midsummer Night's Dream has always been one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. The love triangles, the misunderstandings, the trickery, Puck.... Puck was my hero. He was so silly and naughty. There are better Shakespeare plays than A Midsummer Night's Dream, but as a child, that was the easiest play to understand and so it became my favorite. And it stays a favorite because of that. ![]()
Today's challenge is going to be a fun one! But first, if you haven't been keeping up with this challenge so far, here are the previous days!: DAY ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, TEN, ELEVEN, TWELVE, THIRTEEN, FOURTEEN, FIFTEEN, SIXTEEN, SEVENTEEN, EIGHTEEN, NINETEEN, & TWENTY.
Today's challenge: the actor you would choose to play the main character in a movie adaptation of your WIP. Oh man! I have wasted so much time thinking about this over the years! I mean, what author doesn't dream of their book getting its own movie adaptation? But, even though I have thought about it a lot, I have no idea which actor I'd like to see take on the role of Keegan, the main character in my Tales of the Wovlen series. I have actors picked out for nearly every character in my series, but Keegan has me stumped. He has his own face in my mind, one that can't just be picked out from a crowd of actors. Keegan is special. I'm not even sure what actor I'd choose for his voice if I were to do an audio book with voice actors. Maybe Chris Pratt? Or Chris Pine? What about Chris Evans? Not Chris Hemsworth! No sir. No way. I'll save his gorgeous voice for a dragon! Yum! What's your opinion? Who'd you'd like to see play Keegan in a live action movie? Oh boy! Now that I've started thinking about this again, I should do a blog post about all the different actors I'd like to see play my characters in a movie! ![]()
Having trouble keeping up with the challenge? Don't worry about it! You can always go back and read what you've missed just by clicking this link right here --> The Writing Challenge Series.
Today's challenge: Your writing buddy Wow. If I had taken this challenge only 8 months earlier, today's would have been a sad tale of a lone wolf author who was forced to survive the harsh world on her own, hunting down the review bunnies and surviving on the scraps of editing tips thrown to her by those passing by on the internet... Okay, not totally.... But almost!.... But that's not the point! The point is that I do have a writing buddy! F.P. Spirit, hands down... or up... that always confuses me... is it down or up? How about sideways? Anyway, F.P. Spirit is my writing buddy. He has, in a way, become my dad and mentor in the author/writer dimension. We met via a Facebook writing group in 2014 (HAS IT REALLY BEEN THAT LONG?!?). He needed an editor and I pointed him toward the one I used at the time. When he published his first book, a fantasy, I scrambled to review it (I didn't have many fantasy authors in my circles at the time and I was *cough* desperate for some fantasy to break up the western monotony... sorry! I'm not a huge fan of western.). I was instantly hooked to his book series! I loved the color and depth of his story and his characters. I was ashamed of my own book, honestly, because I thought it paled in comparison. He ended up reading my book as well and was equally impressed with it. In fact, if I remember correctly, he told me he was absolutely blown away by it.... but that was a couple of years ago, so I could be getting that wrong... cough, cough.... ANYWAY. After that, we kept talking. We became friends and started learning things together. Then we started bouncing ideas off each other, and we started challenging each other in our writing, and then he talked me into using Skype for meetings (always had Skype... never used it), and now I think we've shared too many of our writing secrets with each other, so we're basically in this two person cult now and will have to shred the other person's drafts if they try to leave said cult so that our sacred writing secrets are kept safe.... okay, not really, but you get the point. I think my writing has improved 50 times more since becoming friends with F.P. Spirit. It has been great to have someone that I can bounce ideas off of, talk about author troubles to, and ask weird author questions in front of (and sometimes even get an answer!). I honestly didn't know what I was missing out on when I was a lone wolf author. Having a writing buddy is awesome. I only hope that I have provided as much "miracle grow" to our friendship as he has! ![]()
Don't forget to check out the previous day's challenges here at The Writing Challenge Category
Today's challenge: A random sentence from your favorite novel. Well, my favorite novel is THE HOBBIT by J.R.R. Tolkien. I did choose a random sentence at first, one that mentioned Radagast, but I just couldn't use it. I wanted to use my favorite one. So I went from the random to using one of my favorites: ...said Thorin "There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended with measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world..." That sentence has always gotten me right in the heart, ever since I was a little kid. Thorin went through all the fuss and angry upsets to get his stupid mountain and hoard of treasure, only to learn at the end of his life that he had thrown away one of the dearest treasures any person could ask for: friendship and a happy life. At least he had the chance to make it right. That's more than what many people in this life are able, or even willing, to do. ![]()
I am really excited about today's challenge, because I get to share something from book #2 of the Tales of the Wovlen series - The Dragon's Due (the book that everyone has been waiting tirelessly for). But first, if you haven't been keeping up with this challenge so far, you can catch up by clicking "The Writing Challenge" category.
And now, today's challenge is: A random sentence from your WIP So, forget just picking a random sentence. I'm going to give you a 2 whole paragraphs! This is part of a scene from Chapter 7, and we get to be inside the Crystal Witch's palace, hearing a conversation she has with her most trusted minions! She turned away, climbing back up to her throne. “Rise, my servants. There is much to be done and little time to accomplish it all.” She turned to face them, and the wraith all rose to their feet in unison. “I have learned that one of our old enemies has resurfaced, and there is a rumor spreading that he has found one of the ancient dragon blades. He is under the Dayspeaker’s blessing of protection, so none of you can kill him, but there is one who can.” She paused a moment. “It is time to release the Nightstalker. It is time for him to play his part.” She turned away, climbing back up to her throne. “Rise, my servants. There is much to be done and little time to accomplish it all.” She turned to face them, and the wraith all rose to their feet in unison. “I have learned that one of our old enemies has resurfaced, and there is a rumor spreading that he has found one of the ancient dragon blades. He is under the Dayspeaker’s blessing of protection, so none of you can kill him, but there is one who can.” She paused a moment. “It is time to release the Nightstalker. It is time for him to play his part.” Now, I can already hear the ever present question: WHEN IS BOOK 2 COMING OUT?! Soon. Very soon. Like, V-E-R-Y soon. It is going through the last stages of editing (YAY!) and I should be setting a release date any day! Hopefully it will be sometime THIS month! Whoohoo! I promise that I'll keep everyone updated on my progress. I'm really upset that it has taken me this long to get it on a roll (I wanted this book done and published in March... of LAST YEAR), but I guess it's better late than never, right? ![]()
Ironheart: The Primal Deception
Coming May 12th 2016 Ironheart: The Primal Deception introduces a brand new world of science fiction and fantasy, where deities dominate a civilization dependent on steam-powered marvels. For Jack Booker, an orphan from the cutthroat streets of Victorian, life is about survival. The squabbles of the imperial aristocracy are of no importance to him; neither does he concern himself with the machinations of the empire’s gods, the Primals, who rule humanity with indifferent disdain. Power plots amongst the mighty mean little in the grungy alleys of the undercity, where the only rule that truly matters reigns supreme: Only the strong survive. It is a daily struggle. This struggle becomes even more deadly when Fist, an underworld mob boss with delusions of grandeur, embroils his gang in a game far above their league. Soon, Jack finds himself thrust into a web of intrigue, subterfuge, and rebellion when he encounters the enigmatic Freedom, a revolutionary with an uncompromising vision for the future and a deep hatred for the Primal Empire. Forces beyond Jack’s comprehension command subjects like pieces on a chessboard – and, somehow, he may have just become the most important pawn… ![]()
Dakota Kemp is a seriously talented author and has been listed on my "Other Authors" page on my website for a long time. You may have heard me talk calmly (rave) about one of his other books in my YouTube book review video "The Arrival by Dakota Kemp". The depth of his story and characters far surpass anything I've ever written, his story telling technique had me eating every word up, and his plot left me hanging and begging for more. So, as you can imagine, I am pretty psyched for Ironheart (it's not a sequel to The Arrival, though... *cough, cough-Dakota'sKillingMe-cough*).
Ironheart is a steampunk/fantasy novel said to be suitable for YA readers and up. The release date is May 12 and it will be available on Amazon, the Kindle version being about $2.99 - an excellent price! If you would like more information about Dakota and his books, please check out his website at www.dakotakemp.wordpress.com. Of course, don't forget to keep an eye out forIronheart! I have a feeling it's going to be a good one to read! ![]()
So, I feel like I am going to fail at today's challenge... BUT, I have made up for it with the previous challenges up till now, haven't I? If you haven't been keeping up with my challenges, catch up on them here: ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT & NINE.
Today's Challenge: The first sentence of the first chapter of your WIP (work in progress). Let me tell you something: this challenge made me seriously reconsider all my opening sentences. They are TERRIBLE! Well, that's my opinion. They don't seem that catchy to me. Anyway, I have three WIP that I'll share the first sentence from... I actually have more than that, but I only wanted to share three with you, because the rest of my WIP don't have opening sentences (I start in the middle of a story and work my way out). Enjoy! "Keegan looked up and smiled as the door finally opened, and Alia and Brainna stepped out, faces beaming." Tales of the Wovlen Book #3 "Kyra stood frozen on the cold metal table, head tilted, and listening intently to voices coming through the ceiling above her." Plasma Chrysalis - SciFi book "The azure sky was bright high above the tall, green trees of Deepwood Forest." An unnamed fantasy story
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Don't forget to check out the previous challenges: ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, & EIGHT.
Today's challenge is: Your favorite character from a book not written by you. What? REALLY? Are you kidding me? I have way too many favorite books with awesome characters in them to be able to pick out just one favorite character. Perhaps I should just make a list? Lord of the Rings – Olórin, Mithrandir, Incánus, Tharkûn, Greyhame, Old Greybeard, the Grey Pilgrim, Stormcrow, the White Rider, Láthspell, Servant of the Secret Fire, Wielder of the Flame of Anor, Ring-bearer, and Elf-friend - Gandalf the Grey. He is my all time favorite. The Chronicles of Narnia – Oh gee…. wow…. so many characters, so little time… since Aslan probably doesn't count, because he is everybody's favorite, I’ll go with Reepacheep the mouse and Bree the horse from The Horse and His Boy. The Hunger Games – Haymitch. Sure, he's always drunk, but he's got more brains than the rest of them put together in those sorry books. Okay, so, the Hunger Games aren't actually some of my favorite books. They seriously needed more dragons. Dracula by Bram Stoker - Van Helsing. Van Helsing. Van Helsing. He's awesome, he's funny, he's Christian, he has difficulty with the English language, and he's the master at hunting vampires. Van Helsing is my total favorite. Heroes of Ravenford – Glolindir the Elf, Seth the Halfling, and Aksel the Gnome. Those three rotate between being my favorites. If I feel ornery and just want to stab someone with a knife and a sarcastic comment (and have somebody laugh with me about it), Seth is my favorite buddy. If I feel like I'm surrounded by immature idiots and just need someone who understands how I feel, Aksel is my man. The rest of the time, Glo is my favorite. He's an elf who has a tendency to blow things up and start fires. Of course he's my favorite. The Arrival by Dakota Kemp – Jaxom… always Jaxom. He's witty, he's funny, he's smart... I would seriously date Jax in a heartbeat. (For those of you who don’t know me, I don’t have any interest in a relationship and I don’t waste my time dating, so for me to say “I would date him” is a BIG thing. Fortunately for me, he’s fictional. Unfortunately for my poor mother, he’s fictional.) Patrick F. McManus books – Rancid Crabtree. Dragon Riders of Pern – Piemur from The Harper Hall Trilogy. He's the bomb!
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Don't forget to check out the Other Challenges up to this point!
Today's Challenge: Your least favorite character out of all the characters you’ve ever written. Oh gee. This one is hard. Honestly! I like all my characters in My Book, even the nasty ones. This would seriously be a toss-up between Demetrius - the bad guy who killed my main character’s father - and Keegan, the main character. Yes. My main character is one of my least favorite characters. He can be such an idiot! And talk about being a whiney baby ALL. THE. TIME…. gag. But, despite that, I still love him. Now that I really think about it, I think Demetrius is really my least favorite. He’s just downright, flat out nasty and revolting. He’s a coward, he’s a thief, he snarls, he fights dirty, he’s arrogant, and on top of it all, he’s not very pretty to look at. So, yes, Demetrius is my least favorite character. In fact, he makes Keegan look mighty good!
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Hey! This is going to be a really fun challenge today, but don't forget to check out DAY ONE, TWO, THREE, and FOUR if you haven't been keeping up with this challenge so far.
Today's challenge is: Your protagonist is somehow transported to this world, meets you, and learns that you are responsible for creating his/her world. What is the first thing he/she would say or do after learning this fact? Well..... I'm doomed. Keegan is technically my protagonist in Tales of the Wovlen (he's such an idiot, but we won't get into that). If he found out that I was the person who caused the red dragon to kick his people out of their kingdom, turning them into nomads (the life he was born into), and that I wrote the prophecy about the Dragon's Son, picked him for the job, and then sent the army that massacred his friends and family....... Yeah, he'd try to chop off my head. And yes, I'd scream and run like a little girl. He may be an idiot, but he gets ugly when he's angry, and I have a highly developed sense of survival. If Pharrgon (the dragon) was with Keegan, though, he would be more understanding. He'd see that I created the safe forest for him to hide in, all the wonderful creatures for him to enjoy, put Keegan in his life, and made him the formidable beauty that he is. He would try to help Keegan see the positive side to all of that, and he would certainly keep Keegan from chopping my head off. There is also one other delicate little thing that Pharrgon would be thankful to me for, but I can't mention her right now because...
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Kathryn FoglemanAuthor of the fantasy series, Tales of the Wovlen, Kathryn spends a great deal of time in the world of her imagination, having tea with fire breathing dragons, writing books on flying space ships, and practicing her mad scientist laugh with gusto. However, on occasion,she returns to this world just to play with her dog and blog about her fun. My BookGrab a Button!![]() Archives
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