Halfway Quotes - NaNoWriMo 2020

Hi all!

If you weren’t aware, I participated in NaNoWriMo again this year (National Novel Writing Month) and started writing the first book in the Curse of Anubis series: Halfway. From day three I started posting quotes from the book on my Twitter account, which I have collected here for you all to read! Some are in Tahira’s point of view, while others are in Bastet’s. If you want me to do this when I participate in Camp NaNoWriMo too, let me know!

Days 3-10

Days 11-20

Days 21-30

That’s it for this week! Let me know if you want me to post daily quotes whenever I do NaNoWriMo or Camp NaNoWriMo. Next week I’m going to talk about the Elemental Dragons calendar that I’m doing on my Facebook page. See you next week!

PS, looking for new books to read while warming up? Check out this bundle!

Fantasy Reads for Cold Winter Nights

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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My Wendigo Design

Hi all,

With Halloween next week I thought I would share something about my horror book, Mute. As the title says, I'll be discussing the designs of the wendigo.

The main antagonist of the book is a wendigo, an undead creature with extreme speed and a taste for human flesh. In Mute, there is one wendigo that the characters face up against, although it doesn't look like a traditional wendigo.

Human-like.

The wendigo in Mute is shaped like a human and has human features. Although many people depict wendigo as a large deer-like creature, I prefer the human version. Mine has ghastly pale skin which is rough and rubbery. It also has longer limbs than the average human and usually walks around on all fours.

Branches.

A lot of depiction of wendigo contain antlers, so I thought I would play on that a bit by having rotten branches instead. These branches stick out the back of the wendigo and can move independently, like limbs. They are used to impale prey and cling to high places.

Teeth.

The wendigo has a mouth full of sharp teeth, layered like shark teeth. They are small, sharp and yellowed. Some are even permanently stained with blood.

Eyes.

The wendigo has a pair of bloodshot eyes with pale irises. Unlike in some depictions, it's not blind. It can see as well as a human can, so it doesn't have better sight in darkness.

Fingers.

The fingers are long and bent into the shape of claws. Each finger has a wooden fingernail on the end, some of which are sharp and others are dull due to tearing.

Throat.

I like the concept of the wendigo being constantly hungry, no matter how much it eats. I thought I would change that idea up a bit by having an open wound in the wendigo's neck. This way, all the flesh it eats falls through the hole instead of getting consumed. This would explain why it is always killing and eating, as it can literally never fill its stomach.

Voice.

The wendigo has the power to mimic human voices, or in the case of the main character, take her voice completely.

Blood.

With the theme of rotten wood, I decided that the wendigo would bleed a sap-like substance. This only happens when it isn't pierced by a silver object, in which case real blood would be drawn.

I wanted the design to be creepy and nightmare-ish, as I find the concept of a human-like creature hunting scarier than a deer. I wanted to write about a wendigo since discovering them online and reading more about them.

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

Love Halloween but not a fan of horror books? Check out these fantasy reads!

It’s an ‘Always be a Unicorn Autumn’

My Favourite Writing Tropes

Hi all!

For this week's topic I ran a Twitter poll and you guys decided on my favourite writing tropes! If you liked this one let me know and I'll write another about my least favourite tropes.

Friends to Lovers.

This one is my all time favourite. I adore when characters who have known each other for years have hidden feelings but then reveal them at some point. I do prefer this to be revealed in the middle of a book or series so then we can actually read about the characters being together and how they act around each other. It's a bit annoying to see the characters get together at the end of a book or series as then we never actually see them be together. I knew when writing Elemental Dragons that Hazel and Marco would end up together, despite all the obstacles thrown in their way. They feel that they are being subtle about the way they feel, but in fact it's the complete opposite.

Comic Relief Character.

Not all the characters have to be dark and brooding. Having one around to offer jokes or quips is refreshing. Even if the characters are going on a quest or facing evil, it's nice to see one of them still remains upbeat enough to joke about their situation. I hate reading about characters that are all dark and gloomy while being unable to be sarcastic or joke around even in the light-hearted times.

Found Family.

Having a character with terrible parents or other family members can be quite commonplace in books. A lot of people find it annoying and unrealistic but I don't mind it. This is because it then gives the main character the chance to find their own family in their friends or allies. Not all family ties have to be through blood, a lot of them can just be people that you meet throughout your life. I prefer seeing a found family than a caring and supportive blood related one.

Mementos of Dead Characters.

I am a sucker for this trope. A character that the main one really cares about dies so they keep something to remember them by. This is usually a piece of jewellery or something from their childhood. I think this trope is important as in a lot of books death usually lasts one chapter and is then mostly forgotten about until the hero faces off against the antagonist. By keeping something to remember the dead character by, it shows the reader that they care about that person and that they had a close relationship.

Hero and Villain Annoying Each Other.

I don't mean this in a 'fight to the death' sort of way. Instead I just like to read about the hero and the villain bickering over little things. Or if the villain captures the hero, the two of them annoy each other. For example, the villain treating their minions horribly but the hero treats them with kindness, which annoys the villain. Or the villain tries to showcase the captured hero to their friends but the hero looks bored and claims that the villain has a poor taste in traps.

Good Main Characters Who Turn Evil.

I have a book series revolving around this trope that I hope to write in the future. There is nothing more exciting than reading a book from the protagonist's view only to realise at the end of the book that they were the antagonist all along. I think it's a satisfying twist when done right, and can also set up more books revolving around that character. It's also fresh to see something from the villain's point of view.

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

PS, check out these FREE books!

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First Character Profile is Available

Hi all!

A few weeks ago I announced that I would be creating a ‘Character Profile’ page on my website for my characters. After a poll where you got to pick who the first profile would be, I can announce that the winner is… Aqueous!

His full profile is available to view here: Profile Page.

As you can see, the human and dragon characters will be separated to make it easier for everyone to find the character they want to read about. I haven’t designed the ‘Human Path’ yet - so you’ll have to keep an eye out for that one!

I already have a poll out for which human character you want to see first, you can vote here: Human Profile Poll.

I wanted to make the profile pages interesting, so I added a bit of background describing you walking through the forest. There are two paths currently, Dragon and Human, though I might add a third path in the future. The third one will be for the Wyrms, Draca and other dragon characters.

Let me know what you think! If you want me to add some more detail to the profiles, comment down below. If you’re waiting for a specific character, make sure you get voting!

That’s it for this week, I hope you enjoy Aqueous’ profile! See you next Sunday.

PS, looking for some free books to read? Check these out!

September Children’s Books Giveaway

Creatures I Want to Write About in the Future

Hi all!

This week I’m going to focus on what creatures I would like to write about in the future. These can be animals, aliens or mythological. If you’ve read my other blog posts you’ll know that I love writing about animals and monsters more than anything else.

Dinosaurs.

As a kid I loved reading and watching films about dinosaurs. I especially loved watching the ‘Walking With Dinosaurs’ miniseries. If I have to choose one dinosaur to write about, it would be the Velociraptor. They were always my favourite growing up so they would be my go-to when I write about dinosaurs. I haven’t got any ideas for them yet, but I’m sure I will in the future!

Arthropleura.

I would love to write a story about a gigantic millipede that causes carnage in the modern world. I have a series idea that I could put them in, though the idea is very bare at the moment. Ever since I saw a TV series that had an episode with them in, I've known that I wanted to write about them.

Shapeshifters.

Although I never would have considered writing about shapeshifters a few years ago, I'm now more open to the idea. I've got a book idea that revolves around shapeshifters, though they don't shift into conventional animals. They are a mix of two or three animals. In fact, one of my notes is just 'Buff Sabretooth Tiger vs Frog-Dog'. I'm not sure when I will get around to writing this one though.

Teumessian Fox.

This is a fox from Greek mythology that is destined to never be caught. I would love to write about this fox at some point, though I'm not sure whether it would be in a novel or short story. I love Greek mythology and having a fox that can never be hunted down is such a fascinating concept to me, especially since they are usually hunted so much.

Kitsune.

I have written a short story on a Kitsune before, but I don't like it so much. I want to add them into another story where they have a bigger role instead of just being the protagonist's wife.

Phoenix.

This is another one I really want to write about but can't find the story for. I adore the concept of it dying and then being reborn from it's own ashes, but each death darkens the colour of their feathers. There is also the potential for it to be as creative as I want, it doesn't just have to be an orange bird. It can have multicoloured feathers or talons.

Fenrir.

I’ve never written about canines before and would love to include them in a story. Fenrir is the one that fascinates me most, as he has such a good reason to be angry and vengeful against the Gods. He is also destined to break from his chains and wreak havoc, which I think would be a cool thing to write about.

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

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Dragon, Creature and Monster Giveaway

Creating Alien Planets

Hi all,

This week I'm going to be talking about alien planets. I recently created one for a short story but I now intend to use it for a short story collection! The collection will be about the Gods, Goddesses and Deities of this planet. The collection will probably take a while to complete, as this is a side project of sorts. I intend to get individual stories published elsewhere and then combine them all into one book.

Here's a quick profile of the planet:

Planet name: Vusuunah-RM89.

Colonised by: Humans. 

Type: Earth-like.

Technology: Minimal.

Trade Routes: None.

Alien Species: Many, most undocumented.

Alien Fauna: Many, most undocumented.

Human Settlements: 216.

Because of this, I wanted to make a post about how to create a believable alien planet. So, let's get started:

How far is it from other planets?

You need to keep this in mind if you are planning on having multiple planets and worlds. If your planet is out of the way, it's unlikely that it's going to have good access to trade and newer technology. This also means that your characters may not be able to visit it as often as other planets.

What is the climate of your planet?

Is it similar to Earth, with different areas? Or is it all the same no matter where you go? You can have areas that are extremely hot and areas that are terribly cold, you are not bound by rules stating it has to be a certain temperature. You can also make it a warm tundra, or a freezing desert. It's up to you.

Is it colonised by humans?

Not all planets have to be colonised by humans - you can have alien settlements as well. Depending on who has colonised it you need to think of the following factors: clean water, climate and oxygen. If your species doesn't rely on these three things as much as humans then you don't have anything to worry about. However, humans are extremely unlikely to attempt to live on a planet that has rare access to clean water and oxygen. Your planet has to be hospitable.

Have any species been wiped out?

If your story focuses on humans, have they purposely or accidentally wiped out alien species? Across history humans have been known to hunt animals to the point of extinction, or destroy their habitat so much they die off. If humans colonise new planets, this behaviour is unlikely to stop. For example; an alien species relies on a certain habitat to survive. Humans think this is the perfect habitat to settle in, and start destroying it to make room for farmland and cities. With nowhere else to go, that species will die off.

Is anything toxic to humans?

Of course with alien planets almost anything you like can be toxic to humans. If that's the case, settlers are unlikely to live there.

Are there any enemies?

Is there a rival species that yours constantly battles with? Is their way of life different? You need a good reason for these species to constantly fight. It could be as simple as one burned down another's house. It doesn't have to be a deep rivalry that has spanned generations.

Are there different cultures?

When you think of earth, your mind doesn't go to one specific culture. On a different planet with separate settlements they'll each have their own cultures. Try to include a few in your writing, or at least allude to more if your focus is only on one.

Is anything worshipped?

My short stories focus on the origins of certain Gods, Goddesses and Deities. If humans move to a new planet, they are bound to find new things to worship. If your species has a religion, or multiple, think about how this effects their day-to-day life.

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

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My Writing Playlist

Hi all!

This week I'm going to share my writing playlist with you all! The songs on this playlist are ones that have inspired current or future stories. They're a lot different than my regular music taste, but I love listening to them to get my writing going!

Pools - Glass Animals

Wolf - First Aid Kit

Pigeon - Cavetown

Bellyache - Billie Eilish

Let Me Down Slowly - Alec Benjamin

Heartless - The Fray

Viva La Vida - Coldplay

Give Us A Little Love - Fallulah

Crazy - Glass Animals

The Good In Me - Jon Bellion

Hollow - Cloudeater

El Tange De Roxanne - Moulin Rouge

Tourner Dans Le Vide - Indila

My Way - Chase Holfelder

Free - Mother Mother

That's it so far, but I'm sure this list will grow as I keep writing! I may revisit this list if I discover anything else I love.

With a lot of these songs I usually imagine battle scenes or confrontations, which is why they usually start off slow with a big finish. I'm hoping to do a write a few Sci-Fi stories inspired by these songs once Camp NaNoWriMo is over.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed! What songs are on your playlist? Tell me in the comments!

See you next week!

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Pros and Cons of Pen Names

Hi all! 

This week I'm going to talk about pen names. For those that don't know, a pen name is an alias an author, or a group of authors, write under instead of their legal name. An example of this is Erin Hunter, who is actually multiple authors writing under one name. Quite a few authors actually use pen names, so I thought I'd make a post explaining the good and bad parts of using one. 

Pros. 

It hides your identity. 

If you don't want to use your real name, you can use a different one. It doesn't have to incorporate anything from your name either. 

You can have multiple. 

For authors that write in different genres, this is a plus. I want to write Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Horror, but for different genres I need to consider different pen names. 

It can be anything you want. 

It's your pen name, so you can choose whatever name you want. No-one can tell you what you can and can't use. 

It avoids confusion with fans. 

Writing under one name for multiple genres can confuse your fans. If they follow you for your thriller series, most of them aren't going to be interested in your historical fantasy. With pen names, you can have multiple aliases that allow you to write in both without confusing fans. 

Cons. 

It won't protect you legally. 

If you steal someone's work or write something that's copyrighted, a pen name will not protect you. Although it is what readers will see, any legal action will require your real name. When signing up for Amazon you have the choice of using a pen name, but the setup process will require your real name. Having a different name does not make you untouchable. 

Having too many.

You need to decide what genres require different pen names. Although it's easy to create as many as you want, you then have to manage all these names and the income from them. This can make paying tax tricky and updating readers on new releases. 

Creating social media accounts for each one. 

Although you might just decide to lump everything into one profile, if you write drastically different genres you will need separate ones. This means you have to update more than one social media profile every so often to keep readers engaged. 

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

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