The Book Series That Made me Want to be an Author

Hi all!

This week I'm going to talk about the book series that made me want to write, and to have a career as an author. For those of you who know me, I'm sure you already know what I'm about to say.

Yes, it was Warriors (or Warriors Cats) by Erin Hunter.

As a cat lover, the premise of feline characters drew me in, but the storylines kept me interested. I loved the idea of cats having their own society out in the forest, with their hierarchy and ways of living. They also have a lot of drama, which makes for great reading. I've cried at so many character deaths and laughed at so many of their blunders across the years. I even contributed my own Warriors fanfiction on their forums, which ended up being pretty popular on their site for a while.

Yes, the stories were bad.

But people loved them, and it made me want to write more.

It didn't start there however, it started when I was about nine or ten, when I had just finished reading my first few Warriors books. I decided that I would re-write the entire first book with the same plot line and characters, but add in my own character as well. She was terrible, she was a prissy Mary-Sue who could shoot lightning, but it got me into writing. My grandfather used to read what I had written after every chapter and pushed me to keep going, so I did.

I had a whole host of favourite characters, but the one that stood out to me the most was Russetfur. I loved her attitude and her loyalty. Over the years she would gradually pop up in more books, but I always wanted to read more of her. So, at sixteen I went on the Warrior Cats forums and started writing 'poll stories' where your fans could decide what happens next with a character based off Russetfur. Although the cats couldn't shoot lightning bolts, they were representative of five elements: fire, water, air, earth and poison. (Now do you see where the elements for Elemental Dragons are starting to come in?)

Although I loved writing about cats, I didn't think people would take me seriously if I was solely a cat author. So, I decided that I would write about broad subjects, but every book that I write will have a cat or a feline in it. So far, the cats are:

Elemental Dragons - Normie (cat)

Celestial Plague - Raya (panther shifter)

Mute - Solaris (cat)

Years - unnamed (cat made of solar flares)

Curse of Anubis - Bastet (cat goddess)

I still read books in the Warriors series now, and have an entire bookshelf dedicated to displaying my collection. If I hadn't started reading the books, I may never have got into writing. Without them, I'm not sure where I'd be today.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! Next week I'm going to collect all my quotes from Halfway that I've been posting Twitter throughout the month to give everyone a chance to read the ones they may have missed.

See you next week!

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My Least Favourite Writing Tropes

Hi all!

This blog post is a sequel to one I wrote a month ago, about my favourite writing tropes. I thought I would also write about my least favourite writing tropes, as there are quite a few of those as well.

Love Triangles.

I hate seeing characters angst about who to choose to date. It doesn't help that they always seem to go for the one I don't really like either. Usually a love triangle just portrays the character as being this attractive person who can't keep others away, even though they think they're ugly. Watching two characters vie for the attention of one just doesn't interest me whatsoever. In most cases I hope the character will just find someone else, or one of the love interests will.

Family members being abusive, but they have a reason for doing so.

I hate this trope with a passion. Abuse is never justified. However, in some books they try to justify that abuse with reasons like: the character's mother died giving birth or they remind a family member of a lost loved one. Just no. Just because the family holds some sort of grudge against the character doesn't mean they can abuse them in order to 'make them stronger'. I also hate it when the family member is on their death bed and begs for forgiveness, and the character forgives them in a heartbeat just because they're dying.

Evil Dragons/Dragonrider Steed.

Dragons being evil just doesn't interest me anymore. It's been so overdone, they're either the monster the hero has to slay or the keeper of some great artifact. There's just so much that can be done with dragons that I get bored when they're just a steed for the hero.

Whiny MCs.

A main character is supposed to be the one the reader can relate to most, but I find it hard to connect with selfish characters. For example, one of their friends die in battle and they try to get all the attention back on them when others are trying to mourn. Another example is when they have powers to destroy the antagonist but instead sitting around sulking that it 'had to be them'.

Medieval Fantasy.

I hate reading about fantasy that is set in a medieval world where technology hasn't progressed. Along with it the female characters are usually treated like crap for being women and are nothing but love interests for the hero. This type of fantasy just does not hook me at all.

Elderly mentor.

I hate it when the MC has an elderly mentor that trains them only to die halfway through the book. The rest of the story is just following the MC on their quest to avenge their mentor they, sometimes, barely know.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! Next week I’ll be doing the cover reveal for Cinder and Fire, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled!

Looking for a new series to read? Check out these books:

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Why You Should Download Free Ebooks

Hi all! 

This week I'm going to talk about something that I only really started using once the lockdown started - free ebooks in the kindle store. I never really took much notice of it before as I like to read authors I have already read before. 

But then I had to isolate due to possible COVID-19 symptoms. 

At first I just bought a load of ebooks that I had intended on reading for a while but never got around to them. Once I finished them I decided to browse what free books were on offer. 

I downloaded quite a few, and two books in particular I liked so much I bought the rest in the series. I never even thought that I could find books that I would love from authors I've never read before. Because of this, I've also been able to bump up my Goodreads challenge to 100 books read this year as I'm finding so many new things to read. Before downloading free ebooks finding 20 books to read was a challenge!

It was worth it. 

Now I browse it once a week looking for new titles I might like. I usually tend to choose books that are the first in a series and if I like them I'll purchase the rest.

Drug by Lynda O’Rourke - by far my favourite of all the free ebooks I’ve downloaded.

So, onto the reasons why you should download free ebooks:

They're free.

This might seem like an obvious one but it's true. You can try an unknown author without costing you a penny. You might find your next favourite book! 

No risk, high reward. 

Although there are some bad books in the free category, there are also bad ones in the paid one. Downloading free ebooks is no risk to you, as if you don't like the book, then you can at least try it at no cost to you. 

Reviews.

Permafree ebooks tend to have a few more reviews as usual. This is because as they are free people are more likely to read them, and more eyes on them increases the likelihood of a review. As a reader you can take advantage of this and read what other people liked/didin't like before downloading.

It supports authors.

A lot of authors struggle to get readers so they'll put their book in the free category for a few days or permanently. By downloading, you're showing them support while also getting a new book. You might even find your next favourite author!

If you find one you like, you can download the rest in the series. 

By downloading the rest of a series despite them not being free you're also supporting the author. It also gives them an incentive to keep working on that series. 

There's a lot of variety.

There are so many free ebooks out there that you're sure to find one you love. I've downloaded a few books that aren't usually my genre but ended up liking, you never know what you'll find!

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading. See you next week! 

Why It's Okay That Your Partner Doesn't Read Your Writing

Hi all,

There was a thread on Twitter about significant others reading your writing a few weeks ago. The responses were mixed, but it's still bothering me so I wanted to offer my opinion on the situation. Some are saying that your partner absolutely must read all of your work, while others say it isn't necessary.

No, my boyfriend has not read my books.

Does it bother me?

It used to, as I thought that he had to read my work to support my writing career. After all, how could he support me if he had no idea what my writing was like? But now, I don't care.

I'm more into fiction books, whereas my boyfriend doesn't really read them. He prefers news articles and politics, which isn't really my thing. He has attempted to read my book, but hits a block a few chapters in. He says it's good, but he just can't get into it as it's not his genre, which is fine.

A lot of people were saying that your partner should read all of your work. I don't agree with this however, if it's not their thing you can't force them to read through it all. They won't enjoy the experience and will try to avoid reading it. Some people were going to the extreme by saying you should dump partners that don't read your work.

This shouldn't need saying, but don't do this.

There are other ways to support your writing apart from reading it. My boyfriend encourages me to keep writing and celebrates with me whenever I get a good review or feedback. He's also there when people didn't like it, assuring me that their opinion is subjective.

Support doesn't equal reading.

Everyone is different and they will show their support in different ways. Don't shame them for not reading your work. Also, just because you do something for them, doesn't mean they owe you reading a whole book in return. 

Especially don't take relationship advice from people on Twitter who have no idea what your relationship is like. Seriously.

There are other ways to support you instead of reading your writing:

Reviewing your books.

Sharing your book related posts.

Attending writing events with you.

Giving opinions on your cover.

Helping you pick your author photo. (Or taking it, in my case)

Holding your hand while you hit 'send' on a query or 'publish book' on Amazon.

Recommending your book to people.

Buying books for you.

Pushing you to keep going despite setbacks or rejection.

However, if your partner is critiquing unfairly, belittling or humiliating you, that is a different matter. That is not a healthy kind of support.

That's it for this week, see you next week!

2019 Year in Review

Hi all!

Seeing as next week's blog post will be my 2020 writing goals, I thought that I would do a year in review for the last Sunday of 2019! 

Published Blood and Water.

My debut novel came out this year with the next one out in April 2020! It's been a great experience self publishing and I want to thank everyone who bought my book.

Sold 40 books.

I've sold 40 copies of Blood and Water, thanks to everyone who bought one!

Wrote three books.

I set a goal for writing two books this year, but I managed three! 

Elemental Dragons Book 4: Cinder and Fire - 88,000 words

Celestial Plague Book 1: Nirvana - 83,000 words

Celestial Plague Book 2: Heaven - 83,000 words

Participated in July Camp NaNoWriMo and November NaNoWriMo.

I finished Cinder and Fire during Camp NaNo and Heaven during NaNoWriMo. I said last year that I would participate again, and I've enjoyed it. Now I'm just taking a break until the beginning of January to start working on Purgatory.

Hired editor for two books.

My editor, Nicola, has edited two books for me this year. Elemental Dragons Book 2: Venom and Earth and Elemental Dragons Book 3: Glass and Ice. Venom and Earth is almost ready for publication as it is in the formatting stages, while I have only recently got the edits back for Glass and Ice. Next year I will be asking her to work on the final book.

Two cover designs.

Both Blood and Water and Venom and Earth have come to life this year thanks to Deranged Doctor Design! They both have gorgeous covers and I've already booked the next two books to be designed by them next year.

Entered Blood and Water for a book award.

I've entered Blood and Water into the Wishing Shelf Book Awards. Wish me luck!

Read 30 books.

I've read 30 books this year, most of them being Warriors books. I've already got a little pile going ready to be read next year.

That's it for this week, come back next Sunday to read about my 2020 goals. See you next week!

Why Authors Should Read Writing Magazines

Hi all,

This week I'm going to talk about writing magazines and why authors should read them.

There are thousands of magazines out there geared towards writers, filled with publication opportunities, author interviews and book trends. Some you have to pay for, while some are free. I'm subscribed to a few writing magazines and have even had a short story published in one. That's why I want to talk about why writers should read at least one.

Publication.

Writing magazines often hold a lot of competitions which gives readers a chance to have their work published. Depending on who you submit to, you could also get paid! The first time that I was ever published was in a writing magazine, and it's a good way to get you work out there and add to your writing portfolio.

Writing Tips.

Most magazines will contain writing tips from other authors. Although not all will work for everyone, you can try a few out and see if any techniques will work for you.

New Reads.

By reading a writing magazine you might find your next favourite book! There are hundreds of books featured in magazines every year that you might never have heard of.

Marketing Tips.

As well as writing tips you can also discover new marketing tips. There might also be opportunities to advertise your book within the magazine if you have the budget.

Some are free.

You don't have to pay to subscribe to some magazines, you can sign up to mailing lists or just read the online versions.

Writing Events.

Magazines are a great way to find out about writing events. You can find out about events close to you and see which authors are attending.

Book Trends.

You can see which genres are up and coming and what hasn't sold well so far. This can also help you see what agents are looking for and who you can submit to.

New Agents/Publishing Houses.

A lot of writing magazines will advertise new agents or publishing houses. Since they have only just started up they'll be looking for plenty of submissions and you could submit your manuscript if they fit your genre.

That's it for this week, hope you enjoyed.

See you next week!

My Least Favourite Genres

Hi all!

A few weeks ago I did a post on my favourite book genres and I thought it was about time I posted the sister post: My least favourite genres.

Readers will always have genres that they don't particularly like, which is okay. We're all allowed to have preferences. Just because one reader doesn't like the genre, it doesn't mean there isn't someone out there who loves it! The following are the genres that I very rarely read and I'm not a huge fan of:

Romance.

I know romance is one of the most popular genres out there but I just can't get into it. I'm not a huge fan of romance being the centre of the plot and really struggle to read romance books because of it. While querying I was stunned to see how many agents would only consider romance and some agencies were built entirely on the romance genre. While i don't really see the appeal myself, I won't put anyone down for liking romance or writing about it.

Medieval.

Again, another genre that I just can't get into. Although some books do this quite well, others do not. I prefer books set in modern times to those set in the medieval era. Plus, I think it's a hard genre to write in due to people have warped conceptions of medieval times. A lot of things that people have seen on TV or at school just didn't happen, or it happened in a very different way.

Magic.

I used to love books about magic when I was younger, but I'm not a huge fan of them now. I've just found that there aren't many I can get into, as I don't like the magic system or the magic itself. Maybe one day I'll get back into them, but if not I don't really mind. There are some that I've read recently which are really good, but it's not enough to get me back into the genre.

Non-Fiction.

I'm just not a fan of many non-fiction books as I just love fiction so much. I'd rather pick up a fiction book and escape to a different world rather than read a biography. I will read non-fiction for research, such as Egyptian mythology books, but apart from that I don't really touch them.

That's it for this week, I hope you've enjoyed it. See you next week!

Genres I Would Like to Write in the Future

Hi all!

NaNoWriMo started on Friday so I am currently trying to reach a word count goal of 2K a day. This won't mean that I'm not writing any blog posts, however.

This week I'm going to talk about genres I would like to write in the future. As many of you know, I mainly write YA, fantasy, sci-fi and horror. But, I would like to write in other genres if I can think of a good enough story.

New Adult.

New Adult is the age group in between Young Adult and Adult Fiction. I would like to try New Adult as I think it would be a good middle ground if I ever wanted to write Adult books. I also think that the jump from YA to Adult is quite big, so NA is a nice middle ground so I can hone my skills while still having a bit of fun with teenage characters.

Paranormal.

Although at one point I had an idea for a Paranormal book, I scrapped it because I just didn't like it enough. If I were to one day write Paranormal it would probably have elements of horror mixed in. I like reading ghost stories, so I would love to one day be able to write a Paranormal book.

Mystery.

Mystery is a genre that I've never attempted before, but would love to try out. It would probably have elements of Sci-Fi or fantasy mixed in. I'm not planning on writing mystery for a while though, as I want to give myself time to research and improve my writing skills.

Crime.

Another one I've not attempted before, but would probably have elements of fantasy mixed in. I don't read many crime novels, but the ones I have read I absolutely loved. This is at the bottom of my list as I don't have any ideas for this genre, however.

Monster/Creature.

I'm a huge fan of monster films. I love watching films like Godzilla and King Kong, and I would love to one day write a book about a giant creature. Again, I don't have any ideas or plans for this as of yet.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed! I also want to wish all the NaNoWriMo participants luck in hitting that 50K!

My Top Three Favourite Genres

Hi all!

This week I'm going to talk about my favourite book genres and what inspired me to write stories in them. In no particular order:

Fantasy.

Elemental Dragons is a fantasy series, so I'm sure this doesn't come as a shock to anyone. I've loved fantasy ever since I was little, so it's only natural that I would write in that genre. My favourite fantasy book series has to be Warrior Cats, and those books have inspired me and influenced my writing style. I hope that my books will bring as much inspiration to someone as Warrior Cats did for me. I love books that contain magical creatures and my all time favourite are dragons!

My fantasy books (written and planned):

Elemental Dragons - four book Young Adult Fantasy series.

Damaged Goods - three book Young Adult Historical Fantasy series.

Aerus Vs Bolt - Young Adult Fantasy standalone.

Sci-Fi.

The newest series that I'm writing, Celestial Plague, is a sci-fi dystopian novel. A lot of my favourite films are sci-fi, including the Alien and Predator series. Every time I watch those films I fall in love with them a little more. Although I'm only planning one book that includes aliens, the rest are more dystopian than sci-fi. I like the idea of writing about viruses and natural disasters and how the characters adapt to their new worlds, which is what Celestial Plague is about.

My sci-fi books (written and planned):

Celestial Plague - three book Young Adult Sci-Fi/Dystopian.

Enna - New Adult Sci-Fi standalone.

Years - Young Adult Sci-Fi/Dystopian standalone.

Horror.

When I was younger I didn't really like horror, but the book that changed that for me was Stephen King's 'Pet Sematary'. After I finished that, I was hooked on the genre. I've now read plenty of horror books and watched loads of films (with one of my cats always nearby, of course). I haven't really planned many horror books due to the fact that it's not really a genre I've ever really written in - but I hope to change that in the future when I get some practice. I've heard its a genre that can be hard to get right, so I want to make sure that my skills are up to scratch.

My horror books (written and planned):

Unnamed zombie series - four book Young Adult Horror series.

That's it for this week! One day I might write a sequel to this for my least favorite genres. If you'd be interested, let me know!

See you next week.

My First Book Launch Party

Hi all,

For anyone who has missed my social media posts - I attended the launch party for Adverbially Challenged Volume Four and Sensorially Challenged Volume Two on Tuesday. It was my first ever launch party and writing event that I've ever attended.

All the readers at the event

My boyfriend and I went to a cat cafe, You & Meow, beforehand to try and settle my anxiety. Although I have a cat at home, Bristol is a two hour drive from where we live, so I needed to pet some cats just before the launch party. The cats were all very sweet and playful, they even had some new kittens! Overall it was a great experience and helped me calm down a bit. We also had some delicious carrot cake that we had to eat quickly because a few of the cats were eyeing it up.

One of the cats trying to get a taste of my smoothie

Now, for the launch party itself.

There was quite a lot of people there, most getting ready to read their stories in front of everyone. My stomach churned the entire time as I was waiting for my slot. Eventually my turn came and I managed to make my way up to the stage without tripping. Although the reading of my story, Mother Cat, was short and a bit rushed, I managed to do it. The entire time I was waiting to go up I felt like I was back in school again, about to do a presentation in front of the whole class. The whole experience made me very thankful that I'm not in school anymore!

Me, reading ‘Mother Cat’ from Adverbially Challenged Volume Four

The evening was great and I loved the stories that were read out by others. I've never seen so many authors in one place, and it was good to see that so many people have a passion for writing.

Would I do it again?

Yes.

Would I read another story out?

Maybe.

The experience brought back a lot of bad memories from my school days, so I'm not sure if I could put myself through that again. I'm so glad I faced my fears and did it though, and that my boyfriend was there to support me.

I hope you enjoyed this week's blog post.

See you next week!