Disney Book Tag

I had so much fun doing that last book tag, I thought I'd do another.  I promise, I'll go back to doing a variety of different posts soon.  But why stop when you're having fun?  So, this one runs about the same as the last one.  Only, it's little more about book characters, and it is Disney themed.  Let's get started

Little Mermaid: Name a Character out of their element in their story. 

For this one, I had to go with the titular character from Marissa Meyer's book Cinder, Linh Cinder.  This is kind of funny to be my choice for this one, given the next tag but... The Lunar Chronicles as the series is collectively called is a set of retellings of several fairy tales with a sci-fi/fantasy twist.  Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White make up the quartet.  And while all the title characters could be listed as being out of their element--except maybe Winter--I chose Cinder because I feel like she's got the most set upon her shoulders.  I'll avoid spoilers, but I think you'd agree on this one.  Not only that, she's also had no training for what's expected of her... she just kind of has to rely on instinct, friendship, and her own morals.

Cinderella: Character that goes through major transformation.

For this one, I had to choose the werewolf named Kitty from Carrie Vaughn's best selling Kitty Norville series.  For two reasons.  One, she's a werewolf so she literally goes through a major transformation into her wolf form several times during the series.  Two, because her character arc is amazing.  As I'm writing this, I'm due to read like book eleven of fourteen in this series, and I've gotta tell you, Book 11 Kitty is way, way different than Book 1 Kitty.  She starts out in an abusive relationship with her pack members, most of them, and while she definitely has the seeds of sassy, no nonsense in her in this one, it isn't fully realized until a couple of books later.  But you watch them grow steadily and believably.  This series is crazy fun and funny.

Snow White: Book with an eclectic cast of characters. 

Had to go with this one.  This remains my favorite book by Koontz.  It's great.  It's thrilling.  It's scary, at times.  It's oddly funny.  And, nowhere in the blurb does it mention killer clowns.  I'm not joking.  And I don't mean on a supernatural level.  I mean a real, murderous family of circus clowns that have a rivalry with a family of acrobats.  I'm so incredibly not joking.  Is that eclectic or what?

Sleeping Beauty: Book that put me asleep.

I did this one to myself.  Also, as a rule, I'm excluding any books "assigned" to me in school.  That being said, this past June I chose to read this--not this edition--because the movie staring Emma Thomson is one of my favorite films--because of her and Alan Rickman, I won't lie.  I had previously read Pride and Prejudice so I should have known... but I swear, this was worse.  Some of these words were not meant to be every single word form they could be... I forced myself through the end of this one, and I would gladly have napped through it if I could have.

Lion King: Character that went through a traumatic experience in childhood.

I read a lot of books with traumatic events happening to the characters when they were younger.  I decided to go with a new favorite here and chose Feyre from Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses.  Again, I'm trying to avoid spoilers, but because of something she sees and experiences the consequences of as a child, it basically shapes her whole being as a young woman.  It's not the most traumatic thing for a character that I've read, but still.... this counts.

Beauty and the Beast.  A "beast" of a book.

I've read a lot of books that could be considered "beasts" AKA big books.  But I chose to go with one I enjoyed.  Fun fact, I actually read through the entire first POV of this book and then DNF-ed this thing for like a year (DNF=did not finish).  But, it stayed with me enough that I went back to it, and I'm so glad I did.  In case you don't know, this is the telling of the myth of King Arthur as told through the POVs of three significant females--his mother, his sister, and his wife.

Aladdin: Character who gets their wish granted.

I had to go with Tavi from this series by Jim Butcher.  Especially at the end of the first book.  He wants one thing, and while having to go through a crap-ton of crap, is actually granted his wish at the end.  Guys, I recommend this series, btw.  Just finished it, and it was totally worth it.

 Mulan: Character who pretends to be something or someone they're not.

Had to go with this one.  Snape.  Okay?  Snape.

Toy Story: Book of characters you want to see come to life.

Can I say all the books I've read?  Wait, well... not Twilight or Hunger Games.  Most the books I've read.

And finally Disney's Descendants:  Favorite villain.

I'm cheating like a mf-er here.  Honestly, it was between Darth Vader here, Negaduck from the Darkwing comics, or the Joker.  Vader beat them out because there's comics written specifically for him (beating out Negsy), and as much as I love Mistah J... Vader would obliterate him.  Also, the cover here is for a series I want to read but haven't read.  I want to.  I read the series written between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back.  Loved, loved, loved it.

And that's it for the Disney tag.  I found this tag originally done by Jessethereader some time ago.  Have no idea if he made if up or not, but that's where I got it.  I'd love to see others do this.  Leave a link if you have.  Until then, see you next Thursday... beginning of Nano Prep Season!! 

Finally Fall Book Tag

Okay, haha, I know that it must look really bad that I wrote a post about my novel and novella getting rejected and then ghosted for a week.  I promise, it had nothing to do with that.  In truth, I went out that Thursday with my friends for some much needed girl time.  And then I just ended up not having time to do a make-up post, due to some writing commitments.  That being said, I'm back this week, and I'm trying out something I've been dying to do.  See, I follow a few booktubers on YouTube (those are people that devote their entire channel to reviewing and talking about books) that do these things sometimes called Book Tags.  I think it comes from the whole hashtag thing, the name.  Anyhow, they have a book tag that comes with usually about five or more questions or criteria to answer, and they answer them.  Simple as that.  The one I'm doing tonight is from one of my favorite booktubers (or, at least, she is where I first saw this one), PeruseProject.  It's called Finally Fall.  And now, without further ado, here we go.

1. In fall, the air is crisp and clear.  Name a book with a vivid setting.

 For this one, I had to go with The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.  I remember hearing about the vivid atmosphere before I read this book, and I was not disappointed.  This book is about two magicians fated to fight one another with the stage of the fight being a mysterious, wondrous circus that just appears in the night.  I'm telling you, when you read this book, you can feel the circus.  You can smell and taste the food.  You can imagine milling about the crowd, visiting tent after tent.  It's truly beautiful.

2. Also in the Fall, nature is beautiful.  But it's also because it is dying.  Name a book that deals with a heavy topic.

For this one, I had to go with Sold by Patricia McCormick.  I read a lot of books that contain a lot of scenes that deal with heavy things... but this is the only book that that was its whole subject.  This deals with girls sold into sex slavery in India.  It's powerful and scary, and it's been years since I've read this one, but it sticks with you. 

3. Fall is also time for Back to School.  Name a Non-Fiction book that taught you something.

I don't read a lot of non-fiction.  It's nothing personal, as there are several very real subjects that I'm interested in, but it doesn't always hold me through a whole book.  And I've read a lot of non-fiction things for school, but I chose to go with one I chose to read just for the sake of reading.  I am a huge Michael Jackson fan, and when I heard that the body guards who had guarded him in his last days were writing I book, I had to read it.  You could argue the validity of this one, of course, but I still feel like I learned a lot about a man who was treated as a god by some, a devil by others, but was really just a human being.

4. Days are getting colder in the Fall.  A good way to keep warm is to cuddle up with friends and family around a roaring fire.  Name a fictional family you would want to spend time with.

This one was hard for me.  After all, I read a lot of books that feature familial connections that I love.  If this was a television tag, I would totally know the answer without a doubt.  But, in the end, I think I would have to go with...

The Weasleys in the Harry Potter series.  I almost put another couple on here but then thought better of it, due to a possible spoiler.  Same for yet another family that I've grown to love (only this year, actually).  So I had to go with a family that was tried and true.

5. Fall is a perfect time to also share stories around a fire.  Name a book where someone is telling a story.

This one might be a stretch, but I think it counts.  I read The Dracula Dossier by James Reese by pure happenstance--caught my eye at the library.  And I loved it.  I couldn't put it down.  It reads as if Reese had won at auction a dossier full of notes and such by Bram Stoker--author of Dracula--that details the events that led up to him writing the novel.  Namely one event--the hunt for famed serial killer Jack the Ripper.  It's written as an academic piece, complete with explanatory footnotes and everything.  But where one might fear that that would make it read a bit... clunky, it doesn't.  In fact, it kind of adds to the excitement.  I really feel like more people should know about this novel.


6. Nights in the Fall are also getting darker.  Name a dark book.

This one was a no-brainer for me.  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn might possibly be the darkest book I've ever read.  And I loved every damn minute of it.  It tells the story of a man whose wife goes missing, and it isn't too long before evidence starts piling up that makes him look like a suspect.  Then, midway through the telling, the twist.  And, oh boy, is it one hell of a twist.

7. Days are getting colder.  Share a heartwarming book that could warm up someone's cold heart on a rainy day.

This one was hard too.  I don't read a whole lot of heartwarming stuff.  But then, I remembered this gem of a series by Patricia C. Wrede.  The Enchanted Forest Chronicles tells the story of a princess who doesn't want to do the frilly princess-y stuff her parents want her to do, so she sets off into the Enchanted Forest.  To get herself kidnapped by a dragon.  Deliberately.  It's hilarious.  And it's just such a fun read.

8. Fall returns every year.  Name an old favorite to return to.

We all saw this one coming, right?  This one is my favorite in the series, for reasons I won't state for fear of spoilers.  But this one.  I will always re-read this one.

9. And, finally, Fall is perfect for cozy reading nights.  Share a favorite reading accessory.

This last one is kind of a dud when it comes to me.  I read mostly at work, so basically, my only requirement for reading is the book.  But, if given the time, I do like to curl up with pillows and a blanket.




And that's all for the Finally Fall book tag.  So, let me all know what you think about this.  Also, what would your answers be to these questions?  This was fun.  I'll see you all next Thursday!

 








 

Dealing with Rejection

No, I didn't suddenly turn this into a dating blog.  Actually, seeing as I've been with the same guy since I was seventeen, this wouldn't be that great of a dating blog.  I'm talking about literary rejection.  I've had a, um, rough week.  Nothing life-threatening.  Just one of those blue weeks where everything seems to pile up.  Among other things, I faced not one, but two literary rejections.  My novella and novel were both passed on--very nicely, though.  And, although you're told as an aspiring writer that this stuff happens, it still stings.  So what's an author to do?  Honestly, to get out of the rejection dejection I recommend looking to three different sources: honesty, inspiration, and hope.

The first one, honesty, is the hardest.  Also, before I go into this, I mean real honesty.  Don't despair and tell yourself that your work is crap after only one rejection.  Hell, don't even do it for ten.  As long as it is your dream to work as an author, then you keep pushing on.  But, face some realities.  First, it might take a while.  Second, maybe your work needs some touching up.  Thirdly, did you aim for the right audience?  Let me explain a bit here.  My novel, Ash, was rejected by an open door submission.  Yes, again, it stings, but... they had had it since December.  That's about nine months, give or take a day.  If you have any kind of realist in you--and, whether you write for fantasy or not, you should have a little--you are still going to be thinking about the novel you submitted.  In my case, I thought of two things nearly constantly.  One, scenes where I could spruce up dialogue or description despite my edits.  Two, the audience my book was intended for.  I sent it to a sub that was asking for Sci-Fi/Fantasy adult novels.  And, the more I thought about it, the more I read in the age group, the more I realized... My book is Young Adult.  I didn't set out to write it that way.  It's just how it happened.  I missed the mark on that one.  But you know what?  This gave me a clarity on what to do next.  Honesty helps in all aspects of life.

Next was inspiration.  I looked to authors who were either super freakin' famous, meant something to me, or both.  Let me tell you something right now... every author has been rejected at least once.  Every.  Author.  In fact, in my research for this post to gain exact numbers, I was floored to learn that The Diary of Anne Frank was rejected a whoopin' fifteen times!  Now, that doesn't really make my list of favorites, I just found it fascinating.  This was a firsthand account of what it was like to be Jewish in the world of Hitler's Germany... and fifteen publishers said, "No, thanks."  And that's nothing to the authors I intentionally searched for.  JK Rowling--of superstar Harry Potter fame--was rejected twelve times for Philosopher's Stone.  Now, she rides the line between billionaire and not, depending on her charitable givings.  Madeline L'Engle, who wrote the wonderful A Wrinkle in Time, a book I've always loved, was rejected twenty-six times.  And finally, Stephen King--Emperor of Horror--was rejected THIRTY times for his debut novel, Carrie.  Thirty times.  Now me, personally, I see this, and I think one thing: I can still do this.

Lastly, hope.  We're digging in the bottom of Pandora's Box here.  But I have hope, and you should too.  I mean, did you read that all caps up there?  Thirty times.  I'm not even asking to be that famous.  I just want a career.  And because of my honesty, I have a direct course of action: re-read, spruce, find agent.  I have hope because I'm willing to put in the work.  It is work, too; don't be mistaken.  So, I'll end this blog here, because I do have work to do.  Have hope.  Keep pushing.  Dreams are worth fighting for, and I don't intend to stop.

See you all next Thursday!