The Book Spooktacular Linkup

Hi guys! 

Thank you to everyone who promoted and took part in my giveaway last week! 

The lucky winner is Jennylyn G! 

Ink Calamities and The Mad Dragon Hatter are having a blog tour this month called the Book Spooktacular and the first is a linkup of all the fall things. 

It looks like fun, and you can join the linkup on both of their blogs. 

Today I’m joining in and answering their autumn infused questions—though I’ll warn you, it’s going to be unorthodox. 

The Autumn List

1) movie with all the autumn vibes

So...I can’t actually think of one. But the movie I start craving come autumn time is Centennial. It’s a 24 hour mini series, and my family always watched it in the winter, but I’ve been pushing my viewing date up earlier and earlier every year. 

2) song that you associate with autumn

The Best Day by Taylor Swift 

3) book with ghosts

Christina’s Ghost by Betty Ren Wright terrorized me as a little kid. I loved it, and read it probably fifty times. 

4) scariest movie you've seen

Lights Out. Practically slept with the lights on, and turned on every single light in the office at work the next day. 

5) the best autumn quote

I’m so glad I live in a world where there are October’s —Anne of green gables.

6) book cover with all the autumn vibes

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson. Those colors.

7) your favorite candy of the season

Peanut butter cups. Always. 

8) movie or book with themes on death and rebirth

Uh...let me look at my shelves. I don’t grasp themes easily you guys...I got nothing. My bookshelves are too young adult and straightforward. The Bourne Identity. Everyone thought he died. He comes back and makes life interesting for everyone. That’s obviously a death and rebirth theme. 

9) Youtube channel you associate with autumn

To be honest I haven’t kept up with a YouTube channel since 2013. 

10) your favorite fall beverage

Apple Cider!! Down with pumpkin spice! Anarchy!!!

So there you have it. My take on all things autumn. Hop on over to the participating blogs to read much better answers than mine. 

September Language of Worlds Linkup

Hello everyone! Happy official fall! 

It was downright chilly this morning, and I love it. Around here we’ve started chopping silage, so I’ve been spending most of my days at the outdoor kitchen making obscene amounts of casseroles for the guys, and hauling my laptop back and forth with me. 

It’s once again time for The Language of Worlds, hosted by Liv K. Fisher. Today I’m going to focus on Calgary from Blood and Dust. She’s my favorite. 

1.Your character is in crisis! Who is the first person they turn to?

Blake or Gil. Blake is a fellow saloon girl and downright sassy. I love her so much. She’s not afraid to tell anyone exactly what she thinks. Gil is the gang’s official messenger boy—except she’s actually a girl in disguise. Calgary falls back on both girls a lot when she needs help. Later in the book Cole also becomes a key support, but by at first. 

2. Who has their unconditional loyalty?

Gil. Calgary guards her secret with a passion. 

3. What cause do they believe in? Why?

She believes in Cole’s cause, to take down Dermott. It’s because she thinks it will help her find her missing friend, as well as gain her freedom to a life with more than killing. 

4. Are they easy to get along with?

Calgary is one of those people that would take the Facebook test to see how belligerent they are, thinking it was going to rate 100% and it would actually be more like 40. She’s a spitfire to be sure, and she makes life difficult for Cole, but in context of dealing with the Guns and Mr. Dermott, she’s pretty quiet and obedient. 

5. Are they a night owl or morning dove? (Or “weird daytime pigeon”?)

She’s both. Helping in the saloons she has to stay up late almost all the time. But she also gets up relatively early to start the next days meals and tend to her own work. 

6. What do they consider most vital to their health? Are they right?

Staying on Mr. Dermott’s good side, and washing her hands. She’s right on both accounts. Dermott is the “god” where she lives. Make him mad and you’re likely to disappear. And it’s a post apocalyptic setting with diseases running rampant. Cleanliness is next to godliness. 

7. What was their childhood fear?

That she would make a mistake and Dermott would notice her. That she wouldn’t be able to learn all the medical things her mom was trying to teach her and she’d be forced into being just another saloon girl. 

8. What do they have nightmares about?

Her mom. Being taken away. Her friends being taken away. 

9. What sights/sounds/smells remind them of home?

Gunpowder. Dirt. Homemade candles. 

10. What do they love most about themself?

That she overcomes. She’s always trying to be better. To learn more. To stay ahead of the game and be useful enough to keep herself safe. So far she’s been successful. 

Check out Liv’s blog for the questions, and to see what other people are answering! 

I’m off to bake a casserole.

The Language of Worlds~ August

Hi guys! 

Forgive me for missing last week. I helped work cattle all morning, then had a doctor appointment that afternoon. 

Today I’m joining in Liv K. Fisher’s linkup The Language of Worlds. 

1. How long have you been writing this story? 

The first draft of Blood and Dust was written during NaNoWriMo of 2017. I’m pretty sure that’s the first year I ever won. It was called Young Guns back then buy ended up being changed to The Guns for awhile. 

2. Who’s your favorite character? Why?

Oof. That’s so hard. I love so many of them. Cole, Calgary, Blake. Jason is rapidly climbing the ranks as a favorite. I think Calgary is my favorite though. She’s sassy, and strong, but also broken, vulnerable, and scared. She’s a lot of fun to write. 

3. Which character do you consider the “goodest of the good”?

Definitely Cole. He’s almost always a gentleman and tries to do the right thing. Although that is getting toned down just a tiny bit in this latest version. I’d still consider him the “goodest” though. 

4. Which character is the “baddest of the bad”?

Well the main villain, James Dermott, is definitely the worst of them, technically. I mean, he’s the one responsible for all of the troubles to begin with. But my personal burning hatred is reserved for Ridge—a gun hand who is terrible to Calgary. He’s terrible. 

5. If you were to have tea (or coffee!) with one character, which one would you pick? Why?

First of all, it’s coffee. Totally coffee. Coffee is sacred in this book. Anyway, I think I would pick Jason. Because he’s my small, injured baby. There’s a lot of layers to his character. He’s strong in some ways, and completely helpless in others. Things bother him so bad, and yet he doesn’t let on to any of it. He’s starved for personal relationships, but manages to butcher every one he has. Sounds like a perfect coffee companion. 

6. Describe your storyworld.

My story world takes place in the near future, after World War 3 ended. America went through an invasion and suffered heavy destruction, losing most of their electricity and ability to connect with each other coast to coast. Cole lives in Tennessee where the majority of the eastern countryside has rebuilt and is fully functional with a government and technology. They are actively working to reconstruct the other states. Artificial intelligence is a big part of life, but the world is still very recognizable as earth I think. 

Cody, Wyoming is where most of the book takes place. It’s in the Bomb Zone where reconstruction hasn’t started yet and the people there are even more isolated than most others in the Bomb Zone are. They live a very old style life—cooking over wood stoves, living off wild game and whatever foods they’re able to grow from seed year after year. They use the natural sulfur in the area to make their gunpowder, and anything that can make bullets is guarded and recycled vigilantly. Gangs are constantly at war in Cody. There are three of them holding different territories, with The Guns being the most powerful. People die constantly, everything is a fight for survival, and the whole place is generally wild, lawless, and terrified. 

7. You’ve fallen into your book! Which place would you be happiest at?

Noooo!! I don’t want to go!!! I guess I would pick Tennessee. Where things are safe and stable. Though I’d totally miss out on all the action. I might also hide out in Yellowstone Park. It’s beautiful, and generally undisturbed, and all I’d have to look out for is wild animals. 

8. Which place would you like to avoid at all costs? (Or, explore to know its secrets a little bit better?)

Cody. I’m pretty sure I’d get killed pretty fast. Then again, that’s where all the action is, so that’s totally where the best exploring would happen. 

9. Share an aesthetic!

10. Share a snippet!

“Where do you think they went?” Gil flipped the limp rag over her shoulder and got to work slicing chunks of venison into thin strips. 

“The cooks?” Calgary quartered a lumpy potato and threw it in the big stew pot.

“Yes.” Gil wrinkled her nose. “I don’t care where the Guns go.”

Calgary bit her lip and shrugged. “Wherever they all go, I guess.” 

“You think they just disappeared?” 

Calgary rolled her eyes. “No one just disappears. You know what I mean. There haven’t been any raids—and why would they take cooks anyway? It had to have been the other thing.” It sounded ridiculous coming out of her mouth, but what else was she supposed to call it? Random disappearances of women, with most of them resurfacing in a few months with no clues to where they’d been? That was another thing. 

Language of Worlds—May/June

Hi guys! 

I’m rolling in a little late today. Henry and I went for a ride with Jarod this morning, and I had no ideas for a blog post. 

Luckily, Liv K. Fisher saved the day when she posted her Language of Worlds linkup for May/June. 

I’ve been working on a Viking story for the Go Teen Writers 100 for 100 challenge...which is hilarious because I haven’t written anything for three days. *distant sobbing*

The main character is a girl named Ailith. I’m still trying to figure her out, but these questions looked really good, so here we go. 

1. Your character goes on a leisurely stroll. Where to?

The currently unnamed world Ailith lives in is heavily inspired by the Scottish Highlands. It’s very lush, pretty countryside. So anywhere Ailith walks to is going to be fairly amazing. Mountains, streams, waterfalls. She’s particularly fond of the pools where the minerals make the water look impossibly blue. 

2. What's their favorite food? Why? What does it taste like?

I’m really not sure what all her people eat yet. Lots of wild game, and crops/vegetables they grow, plus whatever wild things they forage. But as far as favorites, there is a type of honey cake they make that Ailith really likes. 

3. Describe their typical day.

Wake up early and train with her shield bearer, Kaede, then get started with the days work. It could be fishing, working the fields, hunting, or tending things around the home. A midday meal with her family, and then finish up any work, and then spend the evening playing games or attending activities in the village. 

4. When are they most productive? Morning, evening, or sometime in-between?

She’s a morning person, definitely. 

5. Who are they closest to?

Her mom, and I think she’s going to have a sibling or two, but I’m still deciding. Probably Kaede though. They’ve been friends for years, and I’m pretty sure he’s going to end up my favorite. 

6. Have they ever lost someone close to them?

She lost her dad in a raid several years ago. Her clan isn’t necessarily a warring one, but there are frequent raids and revenge fights, so she’s lost lots of friends and relatives along the way. 

7. Describe their education.

She can read and write in her language, and—along with all the other young people—grew up learning the stories of their history, and all about how to live and work off the land. 

8. What is their talent?

I know she’s an excellent fighter, but haven’t figured anything out beyond that yet. 

9. When do they doubt themself? What makes them do so?

I don’t know yet, I’m still working on that part. But I think it has something to do with her fighting skills failing her. That her sword isn’t enough and she doesn’t know what else to turn to. 

10. When do they feel most comfortable/cozy?

Sitting around the fire in the evening with her family and Kaede, enjoying each other’s company. 

There you go! 

You can scurry over to 

https://livkfisher.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-language-of-worlds-character-linkup.html?m=1

To see the other linkups.