Friday, June 19, 2015

Beautiful People Linkup--June

Cait at "Paper Fury" is co-hosting a linkup called "Beautiful People." Each month she announces a new set of questions to answer about your characters so you can learn more about them. This month's theme is parents! There aren't a lot of parents that play big roles in MG and YA books nowadays (including a lot of mine . . . whoops), but the ones I have I absolutely love. I like writing the interactions between them and all of the other characters, including their kids and their kids' friends. This month I'll write about Celeste's parents from Cosmo (Timothy and Quentin Smitherson) and Lane's parents from Beneath the Moon and Stars (Christine and Paul Hawthorne).

http://paperfury.com/beautiful-people-10-parental-edition/


1. Do they know both their biological parents? Why/why not?

Celeste was given up for adoption as a baby, and as it was a closed adoption, she never knew who her parents were.

Lane may not be close with either of his parents, but he still knows and loves them, even if they frustrate him to no end some days.

2. Have they inherited any physical resemblances from their parents?

Celeste has no idea what she may or may not have inherited, though she definitely seems to have Timothy's playful smirk and Quentin's laugh.

Lane looks almost exactly like his father did when he was a teenager, since he has his dark hair and bright blue eyes.

3. What’s their parental figure(s) dress style? Add pictures if you like!

Quentin wears jeans and a t-shirt of some kind on most days, usually with an apron over top that's covered in flour. Timothy's almost always in a suit for work.

Christine and Paul, no matter the day or what they're doing, dress to impress, never a hair out of place.

4. Do they share any personality traits with their parental figures? And which do they take after most?

Celeste and her dads are all sarcastic. She and Quentin are definitely more outgoing between the three of them, but she's also thoughtful like Timothy.

Though Lane won't admit it, he and his mother share their stubborn qualities, but he gets his creative side from his dad.

5. Do they get on with their parental figure(s) or do they clash?

Celeste is super close with her parents, especially since they move around a lot and she didn't always have the best of luck finding friends at her schools.

As far as Lane goes, well . . . he and his mother aren't exactly the best of friends. They've been known to have screaming matches. They butt heads constantly. But Paul is hands off to the point of hardly knowing his children, so he and Lane barely talk, which makes it almost impossible to find anything to fight about.

6. If they had to describe their parental figure(s) in one word, what would it be?

Besides kind and loving, Celeste would describe Quentin as "fun" and Timothy as "witty."

Lane would pick "obstinate" for his mother and "apathetic" for his father.

7. How has their parental figure(s) helped them most in their life?




Celeste's parents have always been her best friends, but especially when she had to go through so many bullying problems at her various schools. When none of the students were nice to her, they were, and home's always been a safe place to sit back and relax.

As much as his parents drive him crazy, Paul and Christine have helped Lane to be driven and get good grades and take on some responsibility. He had the potential to be someone who could've decided he didn't care about how he did in school or what college he went to, but they focused him.

8. What was their biggest fight with their parental figure(s)?

The Smithersons hardly ever fight. Once in a blue moon, and it doesn't last for more than a couple days, at which point they're all tired of the tension and silence and apologize to each other. But Celeste did get into a heated argument with Timothy about dying her hair. The problem wasn't even that she'd dyed her hair, it's that she did it without asking and ended up making a huge mess in the bathroom. She stained several towels and one of his expensive shirts for work. But it all worked out soon afterwards.

The biggest fight Lane had with his mother actually happens in the novel, but I can't say when or why because spoilers . . .

9. What’s their favourite memory with their parental figure(s)?

Baking with her dads when she was little. They made a batch of chocolate chips cookies but it turned into a huge flour fight. It looked like it had snowed in the kitchen by the time they were done. She still has the picture in a frame in her bedroom.


His dad took him on a fishing trip once when he was about twelve, and it had to be the only time in his life he's spoken to him for longer than ten minutes. They talked nonstop for hours, and even though nothing had really changed the next day, he remembers every bit of it. As far as his mother goes, Lane actually had a pleasant time learning how to fold napkins into cranes at about the same age. They may not have talked much--they don't exactly have a lot in common--but they were both in a good mood and even laughed a few times.

Your turn! Tell me all about your character's parental figure(s). Do they get along? Are they related by blood? Leave a comment!

Monday, June 8, 2015

Thank God These Are Hypothetical

Shelumiel tagged me in the "Extraordinary Means" blog meme, and it just looked like too much fun to pass up. Thanks!

1. I would give up the internet for a month for a signed first edition of this book.


No internet for a month is a big deal, so obviously the book I get in return would have to be a huge deal. And what better signed first edition to get than a Harry Potter book? ;) My first choice would be The Deathly Hallows, since that's my favorite, but really I would give up the internet for a month or multiple months for any of them.


2. I would give up pizza for a year if it meant I could sit next to this author on a long plane ride.


Hmm, probably John Green. He definitely has enough energy and stuff to talk about to make the time pass quickly, and it'd be great to pick his brain for marketing tips. Plus, it's John freaking Green. How cool would that be?


3. I would sit through a thousand hours of commercials if it would ensure Hollywood made this book into a movie.





One book?! Nope, no way, I couldn't choose between the three. They'd all make fantastic movies. Plenty of action, awesome characters, magic and adventure, and basically everything you need for a YA book adaptation. I would go to the midnight premiere of any of these.


4. I would never read a new book again if it meant I could live inside this book.



No new books ever again?! How could I even go about my day with an empty TBR pile and hundreds of books just taunting me? If I had to make that sacrifice, I would live inside the Harry Potter books. Hogwarts would be a pretty good trade-off.


5. I would let my Google search history be made public if it meant I could be best friends with this author.



Hehehe, well my Google search history is pretty weird and fishy . . . everything from what kind of gunshots are fatal to how to hack into somebody's passwords to picking locks to pictures of sloths wearing pajamas (I'm serious). But authors have strange search histories. I'd definitely want to be best friends with Rainbow Rowell. She's funny and a great writer and just seems like a really cool person. We'd have tons of fun marathon watching "Sherlock" and eating delicious food.

6. I would donate everything I own to Goodwill if it meant I could date this book character in real life.



Maybe Augustus Waters? A sense of humor, intelligence, and a love for reading are all big pluses for me. I think we'd get along great and find tons to talk about.

Tag, you're it! What would you be willing to give up for these things? Let me know in the comments, or write a post of your own! :) Have fun!

Monday, June 1, 2015

May Wrap-Up

Happy June! :) I'm so excited for summer. I've been itching to read outside since December, really. I'm hoping to use a lot of my time working through my overflowing TBR shelves. Maybe I can read enough so I don't have to stack the books on top of each other anymore. (Ha ha ha . . .)

Books I Read

Doctor Who Special (Free Comic Book Day) by Robbie Morrison

3.5/5

(Let me just say, trying to find specific comic books on Goodreads is hard. I spent at least an hour trying to track them all down.)

I recently picked up a lot of DW comics at our local comic book store, and they're so much fun! I can whip one out in ten minutes before bed. The stories are cute, fluffy, and easy to read. I'd love to have a stack nearby whenever I'm sick and lying on the couch.

Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #9 by Robbie Morrison

4/5

Ten! Weeping angels! It's a great adventure and the ending is in typical bittersweet Doctor Who style. Just make sure you read the inside cover so you know what's going on if you haven't read the first books like me.

Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor #6 by Robbie Morrison

3/5

Good, but not one of my favorites. I didn't know any of the companions and the entire plot was really confusing. Lots of timey-wimey stuff that had me going back and rereading to make sure I hadn't skipped pages accidentally. It wasn't until halfway through when I figured out what was going on and could focus. But once I knew what was happening, it was a fun read.

Pip Bartlett's Guide to Magical Creatures by Maggie Stiefvater and Jackson Pearce

3/5

I'd describe this as Fablehaven for a younger audience. Overall it was pretty good. It didn't take long to get into, but I felt like the whole story was the same pace. It was very creative and cute, though. The characters were good, too. Pip is a spunky, smart, and brave 9-year-old and her friend Tomas is shy, sweet, and loyal. It's a short and easy read, great for younger kids and as a read-aloud story.


5/5

It's J.K. Rowling, so clearly it was fantastic. It's a fast read and a great speech. The illustrations were an awesome addition, they were artsy and went with the overall tone of the book really well. It was super inspiring, highly recommended.

Movies I Watched

"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"

5/5

Captain America is officially my favorite male Avenger! I liked this movie just as much, if not more than, "The First Avenger." Plus, Black Widow was in it, so it was doubly awesome. (Also? I really like The Falcon.)

"How to Train Your Dragon 2"

4/5

I still like the first one better, but I love these movies to pieces. Toothless is adorable--actually, all of the dragons are--and the story is just super cute. This one was definitely sadder than the first, but still great.

"Better Off Dead"

3.5/5

This was delightfully goofy. I loved the characters. Some were funny, others sweet, some totally bizarre. It was weird to see Curtis Armstrong as anyone but Metatron, but it worked.

"The Avengers: Age of Ultron"

5/5

This was so good! And I finally knew who all the characters were when I went. It was so much fun to go to the theaters to watch it with a group of friends who are in the Marvel fandom. It was a great balance of action and comedy and parts that'll make you cry. I loved getting to see more of Hawkeye, who is an extremely underrated member of the Avengers.



Obsessions I Acquired

"New Girl" I. Love. This. Show. Jess is adorably quirky, all of the characters are hysterical and sweet in their own ways, and every episode has me in stitches. It's extremely frustrating for enthusiastic shippers like me, because certain characters can just drive you crazy when they don't cooperate. But it's hilarious and I highly recommend it.

Picture of the Month



I saw this on Pinterest and put it on my novel inspiration board. I love the simplicity of it, and there are so many options for stories there.


Bryan Hutchinson from "Positive Writer" is hosting a writing contest! All you have to do is write an honest review of The Audacity to Be a Writer. Click HERE for more information.

How was your May?