Beautiful People- The Favorites

Hello guys! If you've been around the blog for any length of time, you know that I love taking part in the Beautiful People linkups every month.

Well, some sad news, this is going to be the last linkup for a while.

Some fun news, is the topic for this month is my favorite things in regards to writing. So, here we go.

Favorite genre to write in?

Oh boy. That's so hard. I'm gonna say Fantasy, because it seems like most of my stories end up being something along those lines, but I love so many others.

What book (a real actual published book!) do you think your character would benefit from reading?

Well, the current character I'm writing is Brass Talan from the bad boy story, and he could most certainly benefit from a Bible. If you were to ask him what book would benefit him though, he'd say anything that had to do with making money, breaking out of prison, etc.

Favorite piece of dialogue you’ve written?

Do you know how much dialogue I've written? My stories tend to be very dialogue driven.

I guess I'll go with this chunk. I wouldn't say its for sure my favorite, but I do like it, and it was easy to find because I just wrote it. Brass and Tamille are fun arguments to write.

“That’s the first reasonable thing you’ve said since I’ve met you.” She tugged her arm free and let it swing at her side.

“Everything I say is reasonable, depending on how you look at it.”

“Only to you.”

“Well, I’m the only one that matters, so I won’t argue your point.”

“And so humble.” She huffed.

“Not at all.”

What did your character want to be when they grew up, and what did they actually become?

Awww, Brass as a little guy. So sweet. When he was young he wanted to be a blacksmith like is dad. He thought it was so cool when the metal would turn cherry red in the fire.

Instead, he grew up to be Khassan's most notorious criminal.



Favorite character name(s)?

Some of my favorites I've come up with are:

Darren Fairbanks

Brass Talan

Cannon Reese

Reeve Cullough

Zaig

Taren



What makes your character feel loved, and who was the last person to make them feel that way?

....Brass doesn't feel loved. He doesn't let anyone close enough to try and make him feel loved. But, the last person who made him feel loved was probably his mom, the last day he saw her.

Favorite character you’ve ever written?

Darren Fairbanks. He's from a story I wrote when I was like, thirteen. It's the longest story I've ever written, and arguably the worst. I dared to crack it open a few months ago and it was all I could do not to literally burn it. If he wasn't in that story, I totally would have.

He's a messenger/secret service type guy for the king, brave, suave, charming, reckless, handsome. Everything a good hero is supposed to be.

I can't guarantee he was actually a well written character, based on the unfortunate story he is stuck in, but we'll ignore that for now.

Someday I'm going to rescue him and give him his own, worthy story.

If your character were permanently leaving town, what would they easily throw out? What would they refuse to part with? (Why?)

Brass would up and leave pretty much everything. He doesn't make sentimental ties to much. He would refuse to part with his money though, and also his ring.

It's come to be a recognized symbol of his, and gets cooperation much more quickly and efficiently than beating people up. Also, he stole it from a very wealthy, prominent man, and it makes him chuckle every time he thinks about it.

Favorite tropes to write!

I know its cliché and overdone, but I love bad boy tropes. Bad boy who is actually good, bad boy falls for nice girl, bad boy anything basically. I'm a sucker for them.

Which story has your heart and won't let go?

The King Rider story that Darren is from. As much as I hate it, I still love it. It was my first novel, really.

Also, Out of Darkness. I'm still quite in love with Cannon and everything that happens to him, even though I'm sure if I read it again he would need a lot of work too.

Jake's story is also always in the back of my mind. I will write it someday. Someday.

Favorite relationship between characters you’ve written?

I love Cole and Calgary's relationship in The Guns story. It's sassy, its tender, strong, vulnerable.

Toni Morrison once said, “If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” What are the books that you want to see more of, and what “holes” do you think need filling in the literary world?

Clean young adult books. So many of them are so jam packed with sex, glorified substance abuse, and language, and it just gets old. Also, Christian fiction that captures reality- that people aren't perfect, Christian's aren't perfect, not all sermons hit you in the teeth every time you step foot in church, and miracles are not an acceptable solution to the main problem of the book.



Favorite pinterest board / aesthetic for a book?

I love so many Pinterest boards! But, I do really love this one for my story Running Crazy

Running Crazy Pinterest

Favorite time periods & settings to work with?

I love medieval, and mid 1800's America. They are so much fun. I love old west, pioneer type settings, and you cannot go wrong with a castle, or fantastic magical land.

When people are done reading your book, what feeling do you want them to come away with?

A Year in the Rearview

 

So I'm a little late posting this, but last week, Thursday the 12th, after 30+ hours of labor, Henry came into our world.

And what a year it has been!

He's now 20.4lbs, and 29.5 inches long.

 

I've learned a lot of things this year. So many things I would do differently. So many things I would do the same.

I thought I'd share them with you today, along with a boatload of adorable baby pictures.

If you don't have kids, or they don't interest you, then I'd suggest some other post. (Maybe this one.)

Things I will do again:

1. Try to deliver naturally. It didn't work with Henry, but I loved the freedom I had during labor, and I'll definitely try for it again.
2. Stay at home. I love being active in every part of my baby's life. I know he's safe ad well taken care of.
3. Breastfeed. I know its not for everyone, but its definitely for me.
4. Potty train. I started Henry at seven weeks and its been great. We saved a lot of diapers, and there is no fear of the toilet like some kids have. We've also never had to fight diaper rash. At this point he wakes up with a dry diaper, goes on the toilet whenever he wakes up, and several times throughout the day, as I try to take him every hour or so, as well as takes himself to the bathroom when he needs to go (though sometimes he's a little late).
5. Co-sleep. I love my co-sleeper, so the baby is essentially with us, but in his own safe place.
6. Pick up a crying baby. If my baby is crying, I assume there is a reason for it, and I need to figure it out. I love that Henry comes to me when there's a problem, and that's a behavior I want to encourage his entire life.
7. Let them fall. Long before Henry could sit I was helping him "stand" and walking him around on my feet. When he started sitting, standing, and walking on his own I didn't make a big deal about him falling (as long as I could tell he wasn't actually hurt). Now he doesn't either. He gets back up and keeps going.
8. Say no. We started saying no almost immediately, and started enforcing it more seriously at four months. It saves a lot of baby proofing, and they're already trained to obey by the time they can start talking. We also said words like "come here", "sit down", and "owie".
9. Essential oils and natural remedies. I used a lot on Henry when he was too young for real medicine, and even one he was old enough, and it worked wonderful.
10. Wait to start on solids. I waited until he was 5 1/2 months old to start baby food, and I really liked I. He kept a steady, healthy growth rate and has developed no food allergies or other side effects from stating too early. He also had better control of his mouth, and could chew and swallow better, so choked less by the time I started him.
11. Make my own baby food. I had a ton of fun with this and it made me feel better knowing exactly what I was giving my child.

Things I would do differently:

1. Cry it out. A lot of people told me I needed to let Henry cry more, but I disagree. Obviously now that he's older he has tantrums, and I don't reward these. But an infant can't talk. Crying is his only way to communicate, so if he's trying I want to find out why, not leave him to solve it himself.
2. Try and please everyone. Everyone has opinions on babies. If they sleep with you or not, when to start feeding, to cry or not. And they mean well, but you can't please everyone, so I don't want to try next time.
3. Second guess myself. In the hospital I knew Henry was constipated, and the nurses told me that wasn't possible. I listened and it was two days of misery for all of us before he finally had a dirty diaper. I'll follow my gut next time.
4. Compare him to others. Babies are all different people. They grow and act different. And that's ok.
5. Well baby checks. I would do less of these next time. Most of his checks involved his height and weight, and nothing else but a huge bill. I started tracking his growth at home and only taking him in every few months, or when he was sick, and it worked much better. My doctor told me this was perfectly fine to do, so I think we'll stick with it.
6. Worry less about tummy time. They told us at the hospital to start tummy time right away, and Henry hated it. I worried about it a lot, and finally gave up. At two months he started rolling over and did tummy time for himself. I won't worry next time if my two day old hates tummy time. 
7. Don't put so much pressure on milestones. All babies learn different. Sometimes Henry learned early, and some things he learned late, but both ways are ok.
8. Don't worry about 'learning toys'. I tried so hard to get Henry to play with blocks, talking educational toys, and specific baby containers. In the end I ended up talking to him constantly, playing my music, dancing, and reading my books to him. He learned to stack cans of vegetables and put things in and out of my water glass, and never did care about the toys much.
9. Let them sleep how they want. So what if a baby wants to sleep with you? I don't like being alone either. Henry couldn't sleep flat for two months, and then he started sleeping on his stomach. None of it has hurt him, and he sleeps just fine on his own now.
10. Let them be different. At first, I worried because he didn't like pacifiers, or any certain toy. I let people try and make him take a paci, and I won't do that next time. If a baby can get along without something most kids want, that's alright.
11. They wont break. For several months I felt like a prisoner in my own house because I didn't know what the baby could do, so we didn't do anything. Obviously there is some common sense involved, but babies can adapt. I'll go outside and do things and live life more next time.



So there you go. That's what I've come away with this yea. I know there is lots more to learn, and I'm sure we will keep learning it, trial and error. One thing is for sure, we love our little Henry, and wouldn't trade him for the world.

 

Spring Cleaning Tag

Hello lovelies!

A couple weeks ago Skye Hoffert tagged me to do this challenge, and I'm just now getting to it.

I should note, that it is a writer spring cleaning challenge, and not an actual spring cleaning. Because we don't do none of that real spring cleaning around here, no sir.

It's actually snowing right now as I'm typing this, so what gives, Nebraska?

Anyway, the tag was created by Deborah O'Carroll, and these are the rules.

Rules:

1. Link back to the person who tagged you
2. Share the picture
3. Answer the questions
4.Tag 3 other writers and inform them that you tagged them

Alright then, here it goes.



1. Dust-bunnies and Plot-bunnies: Reorganize Your Writing Goals (Or Make New Ones)

Well, since winning the Rooglewood contest I definitely have some reorganization to do. So here is the new and improved list.

#1. Accomplish whatever revisions the Rooglewood editing team throws at me come May.

#2. Once The Guns/Blood and Dust gets back from the last few beta readers (which by the way, if anyone wants to read it, beta readers are always welcome) and implement any changes needed (and call the dang Irma Hotel and ask about locks), then send it off to a real editor.

#3. I'm actually doing Camp NaNoWriMo at the moment, using my Bad Boy story. I'm nowhere near the word count goal, but I'm alright with that. I just wanted to keep working on it. So I'd like to get his first draft done at least.

#4. Finish the1868 story first draft sometime this year.

#5. Revise Code White and Publish it on Amazon.

I will probably not be getting to one of my old stories to work on revisions like I originally planned this year, but that's alright. I like this new list better.

2. Which Stage Are You At? Expound!

a. Remodeling layouts (planning the story)
b. Painting the walls in colorful hues (writing)
c. Polishing the windows and scrubbing the floors and putting flowers in vases (editing)
d. Blueprints (not to the cleaning or remodeling yet… just drawing up plans for the very beginning inklings of a story)
e. Some combination of those things (cleaning out a closet)

Well, for a simple answer, E. But, to expound a bit more and actually make this post the proper length, I'm in the C- Polishing the windows (ew), scrubbing the floors (eh) and putting flowers in vases (I can deal with that) editing stage on The Guns, Code White, and Red as Blood.
And then in the B-Painting the walls stage in Bad Boy and 1868.

3. Treasure From the Back of the Closet (Share one to three snippets you love!)

Well, since I've been working on Bad Boy, these are the snippets that came to mind.

Brass pulled off the road and dismounted, flipping open his saddlebag. He pulled out a roughly round shaped pillow and handed it to her. “Stuff that against your stomach.”

She recoiled from the thing and looked at him like he’d sprouted horns. “Why?”

Brass smiled gently. “My dear, you’re with child, and in very delicate condition. Now do please do as you’re told.” He held it out for her, growing more impatient by the second and she finally took it, hesitantly arranging it under her skirts.

He eyed the bulge and shrugged. “I suspect it will convince the halfwits at the gate.” He slid a blade no longer than his finger from his belt and pressed it against her back. “This works well really, I can keep my arm around you since you’re so delicate, and also sever your spine if you try and ask for help.” He shrugged. “You’ll likely survive, and I’ll no doubt be hanged just as you want, but you won’t walk again, and I’ll have the last laugh.

“Barbarian.” Tamille hissed, leaning forward away from his hand.

“Haven’t we established by now that your insults fall on deaf ears?” He smirked. “Careful of the baby.”

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“What is this place?” Tamille cut into his calculating.

He frowned up at her. “I guess you’ll find out.”

“No, you’re going to tell me. I’m sick of you toying with me. You’re going to tell me where we are and what is happening right now or-”

“Or what?” Brass stopped suddenly and glared up at her. “What could you possibly do to force me to tell you anything?” He raised an eyebrow, waiting.

Her jaw tightened, and she lifted her chin.

 Too stubborn to admit defeat, eh? Well he wasn’t afraid to tell her she’d lost. He stepped closer and pitched his voice low. “Don’t ever think you are in a position to threaten me. You won’t see the day.”

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A young boy came out of the big double doors and raised an eyebrow at Brass. Brass glanced at Tamille then stepped closer to the boy. “There might be an angry father coming along. Don’t tell anyone you saw us. I’ll make it worth the trouble.” He handed the reins over, along with payment for use of the horse, plus a few extra coins for the boy.

The boy glanced at them quickly then looked back up at him and nodded slightly before turning on his heel and leading the horse inside.

Brass smirked and grabbed Tamille’s hand. She curled her fingers away, but he ignored it and tugged her down the alley between the stable and the blacksmith shop.

He nudged her into the shadows between two barrels and a pile of crates. “It’s time for the baby to come. Give me that thing.”

She glared at him and he imagined that if anyone could call down fires of vengeance on a soul it would be her with that look.
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There you have it! And as for three people....if you wanna do it, go ahead. We all know that rules are just guidelines anyway.

A Crammed Announcement

Hello guys!

I've had like four different topics planned for this post, so we're gonna have to do some shuffling. Here's how its gonna go, alright? In this post you will get:

A happy little Easter update.

A gigantic announcement of epic proportions.

A smaller announcement that is nonetheless important.

Then next week you will get the Spring Cleaning tag post that Skye tagged me in a few weeks back. Ok?

Moving on.

For Easter we went to church, and got to spend time with friends that were in town from West Virginia, and then spent the rest of the day at my parents' house.

I'm convinced Henry is the only one in the family capable of taking a good picture.

Once we got home from church though, it was time for casual, and nothing screams "ornery little boy" like a pirate shirt and a Mohawk, so here he is, rocking it.

Now, on to the really big super amazing announcement.

Remember the Rooglewood Press writing contest I entered a few months back, with a Snow White retelling?

Well. We got the results in.

And since I'm dramatic, and kinda want to keep you guys in suspense as much as Anne Elisabeth Stengl kept us in, I'll drag this out a little.

Anne said there was somewhere around 156 entries this year, which was intimidating as all get out.

She hosted a facebook announcement party for us on Saturday and one by one revealed the honorable mentions, contestants with perfect feedback scores, and finalists.

There were twelve honorable mentions. In this contest the honorable mentions were also eligible to potentially win. So when I didn't see my name on the list I was getting a little nervous. Was that a really good, or really bad thing?

There were four perfect scores. I wasn't one of them. Not that I ever even imagined that I would be. I knew better than that.

Then came the finalists.

There were 28 of them.

My friend's name was on there, and I flipped. I won't get too much into that, because I'm sure she'll write her own post about it, and I don't want to steal her glory.

I was on the phone with Jarod, excitedly telling him that she was a finalist, and then abruptly hanging up on him so I could hear my facebook page update better.

Then it happened.

My name came up.

I was a finalist.

I called Jarod back, but he didn't answer, and I left a long hysterical voicemail that he never did listen to, but I repeated it word for word when he called me back.

Somehow he didn't share my enthusiasm or surprise. He said, in the most nonchalant voice known to mankind, "well, I figured you guys would win. I read the first two pages. It was good."

I love his undying confidence in me, but at that point I did not share it.

Next up Anne decided to post the first line of each winning story, and the winners could reveal themselves if they wanted, or she would after five minutes.

This happened.

By this time, Jarod was home. I looked up at him, my heart completely stopped in my chest, and I said in the most pathetic, quiet voice ever "that's my line."

It only took about three seconds for the floodgates to open and all my hysteric laughing and screaming to come gushing out, but the first response was classic, blunt Maddie.

This is what Anne Elisabeth (I guess I should mention, she hosted the contest and is an owner of Rooglewood Press) had to say about the story once the full announcement was made.

My sister Emily read it and texted me saying "I love how it says 'that's right...Maddie Morrow wrote a vampire story'. Because you've never touched vampires before until now. Like they knew it wasn't your exact forte."

And truer words have never been texted to me.

But you know what? I don't care. Because this. Right here.

My name on a book cover!

You'll also notice that I'm not alone up there. There's another celebrity there that you guys should be familiar with, and you should totally check out her blog (I linked to her up there ^), because she had a Snow White themed party and it was gorgeous.

Now starts the process of getting together a bio, author photo, editing, revising, and all the wonderful stuff that goes along with being an author.

I am so excited.

Now on to the less fantastic but important announcement.

Part of the prep work for this book releasing in December is giving Anne our author websites, so this blog is gonna get revamped. As you might have noticed, I changed the background to one of my original photos, and tweaked a few things layout wise, a well as changed the title.

For now the domain name will stay the same, but by next week's post I plan to have it changed, so be sure you save it. The new website url will be:

www.maddie-morrow.blogspot.com

That link will not work currently, but next week I'll finalize it. I just wanted to give you all a heads up so you could save it that way you're not searching the wide web for a domain that no longer exists.

I don't know what teenage me was thinking when she decided on such a long domain in the first place.

This one is much more concise.

If you are subscribed on Blogger, or by email, you should still get updates automatically, it will just be under the updated name now.

So there you have it! That's what I did over the weekend.

What about you? How was your Easter? Did anything spectacular happen?

Tell me all about it!