Beautiful People #5: Author Edition!

I’m participating in Cait’s linkup, Beautiful People. It is pretty awesome, and this time it’s all about the author! Let’s get to it…

1. How many years have you been writing? When did you officially consider yourself a ‘writer’?

I have been writing ever since I could hold a pencil and spell. Before I could write, I would tell my mom stories and she would write them down for me. In first grade, I wrote and illustrated my first full story. Then, in second grade, I write and illustrated another story, and my entire class wanted copies. [Except for two unnamed boys…] I’m just born to be an author. And fabulous. Obviously. But I didn’t actually call myself a writer until I forgot the whole “famous artist” thing and realized I was a horrid artist. Then I embraced my gift. :P

2. How/why did you start writing?

I started writing from birth [see above] so I just…did. I have all these stories inside me that need to be let out. They’re not necessarily super inspirational or anything, but they need to be let out.

I also remember really wanting to have a book series as famous as Harry Potter, but with a female protagonist.

3. What’s your favorite part of writing?

My favorite part of writing is the first big idea that comes, either in the middle of the night or in class at school. I get so excited about it and plan everything out. Then, of course, once I sit down, it’s not so easy…

4. What’s your biggest writing struggle?

Not procrastinating. I have to turn off my internet and shut out Twitter to actually work. Otherwise, I’d never get anything done.

In my actual work, it’s staying away from instalove. THAT IS MY ACHILLE’S HEEL.* I guess I just want it to happen to me so bad that I make it happen to my characters. D:

*Otherwise I am completely invincible. Obviously.

5. Do you write best at night or day?

I don’t really write at night. [Hi, bedtime!] But when I was NaNo-ing, I stayed up till 1-ish to finish. That was sooo much fun. I want to do it again. I usually write in the morning on weekends and evening on weekdays. It doesn’t really matter to how well I do.

6. What does your writing space look like? (Feel free to show us pictures!)

You asked.

7. How long does it typically take you to write a complete draft?

I only have one completed novel, so… I guess my 65k unfinished manuscript counts, too? Well, one took ten months, and the other one month, and my current piece is estimated to take about three months. I think most of my pieces in the future will be that long [three months] unless they’re a NaNo.

8. How many projects do you work on at once?

ONE.

9. Do you prefer writing happy endings, sad ones, or somewhere in between?

Honestly, it depends. I like my readers to suffer [hehe] but I also want my characters to enjoy a happy ending. So somewhere in between? I do need to be a little evil, though.

In Nakoma, the ending was going to be LOTS of death and suffering but a good outcome. Bloggish was pretty sweet, and Untitled should be bittersweet. I think. XD

10. List a few authors who’ve influenced your writing journey.

J.K. Rowling, Rick Riordan, John Green, Cassandra Clare, Stephanie Perkins, Veronica Roth, Rainbow Rowell, Marissa Meyer, and Tamora Pierce.

11. Do you let people read your writing? Why or why not?

I let people read my writing because I like to get feedback. I’m also a little scared they won’t like it, though.

12. What’s your ultimate writing goal or dream?

My ultimate goal is to be a published teen author. But I just want to always be happy with my writing and have fun.

13. If you didn’t write, what would you want to do?

As well as being an author, I’d like to be a feminism activist. So that’s what I’d probably do if I didn’t write. But I do. So, this isn’t an issue.

14. Do you have a book you’d like to write one day but don’t feel you’re ready to attempt it yet?

I know I want to write an epic fantasy saga, but I think I’ll wait until I have more experience and time.

15. Which story has your heart and won’t let go?

Currently, my new novel. I have fallen in love with Jack. And Margot. It is so cute and adorably awkward [right now]!

Bridget, Appletail, and Evi, please leave your email addresses below so I can send you the first chapter of my new novel. I can delete the comment afterword, if you wish.

 

Revealing My New Novel

Almost everyone has been asking me about my new novel.

If you follow me on Twitter and/or Pinterest, you probably know more about it than others. Anyway, today I am going to tell you about my new novel. It is still untitled, because I feel like if I title something, not only am I unable to easily change the title, but it puts a box around what will happen in it, and I haven’t written it yet, so things are bound to change.

Let me first introduce you to the characters.

Jack is the main male character. I’m not sure about his last name yet. He is 17 and bisexual or pansexual. I am not sure yet, and once you learn about the female lead, maybe some people who know more about LGBTQ+ things could tell me which one would be more appropriate? He spends a lot of his time on Twitter and Tumblr. He came out ot his family when he was fifteen, and they were very supportive of him. So were his friends. Jack likes to read John Green books, listen to The Script, and eat red velvet cake.

Margot is the main female character. She is 17, too. Actually, her birth name is Milo. If you haven’t caught it by now, Margot is transgender. She has not come out to her parents. [She does in the book.] She plays violin, enjoys dirt biking, and plays volleyball. She has a great group of LGBTQ+ friends on Twitter who she has come out to, and spends a lot of time tweeting them. Margot’s favorite food is pizza, and her favorite musical artist is Colbie Caillat.

This is set in September 2013-September 2014 in San Francisco, California, USA.

I actually made a graph of each chapter, the POV [because it switches], and the events. When I first sat down, I was completely overwhelmed, but I did it! So now I know everything I’m going to write–I just have to write it.

Here is a picture of my chapters graphed out:

That probably gives you most of the plot, but if not, here is a synopsis.

Jack, a pansexual teen.

Margot, a transgender teen.

Once they meet, both of their lives change. They instantly become friends, sharing their deepest secrets and insecurities. After a roadtrip along the California coast, Jack encourages Margot to come out to her parents. And when she does, her world comes crashing down around her.

Dun dun dun dun…

I know it’s not the greatest synopsis, because I’m trying not to give a lot away, but it’ll do for now.

I also have a timeline of how long it will take me, and the number of words per day.

741 words per day

5,187 words per week

20,748 words per month

To get 80k, it will take me 3-4 months. I’m shooting for 3 months, though, because April will come and with that Camp NaNoWriMo, and I’d like to do a different project for that.* So I’m going to write my butt off, while doing school things, too. And that will be Science Fair, and then–oh, yeah, I forgot–a hero’s quest story for English, which will take up my time, too. Joy.

*Yes, I know, I’m a writing machine.

I’ve been watching a lot of videos about trans teens and kids to get more information and stuff, because I don’t want any of the things in my book to be incorrect.

Here is a short movie about a transgender boy…

and here is a longer documentary about a few trans kids…

On a partially related note, I don’t know if any of you know about Leelah Alcorn. Engie @ Musings From Neville’s Navel did a great post about her, and there are several tweets, too.

https://twitter.com/ArianaMajor/status/550148975979159552

Leelah’s parents refused to accept her for who she is, and because of this, she committed suicide. My heart breaks for her.

Leelah was part of the inspiration for my new novel, which is why I put her in this post.

There are two petitions I’d like everyone to sign and share that concern Leelah’s death and trans people.

One is a request for Leelah’s mother to put her real name on her gravestone, instead of her birth name.

The second asks our president, Barack Obama, to introduce a bill that bans conversion therapy all across the USA. Currently, it is only illegal in two states.

Please sign the petitions; they need a lot of supporters.

Are you interested in my new novel? And would anyone like to beta for it? Tell me in the comments below. Also, MHM signup is open until 8PM PST time today. Go here to sign up.

I Feel So Horrid About This…

I honestly feel so bad for posting this, but I need to tell you.

I am going to discontinue Starlight. If you don’t know what that is, it is my current novel that I started recently set in a fantasy world of my own creation, about this warlock who is trying to find her parents. [There’s a lot more to it, but that’s the simple version.] I have realized that fantasy isn’t really my thing. I was kind of struggling to write it and had a lot of contemporary ideas floating through my mind. In the future, I will probably try to pick up a fantasy story again, but for now I want to stick with what I know.

I think one of the reasons I’m struggling is the world. I actually got the inspiration for this story from world-building and several posts I read about it. I enjoyed creating the world and all the creatures, but once I got into the story, I realized that it just wasn’t my thing. There were too many technicalities to figure out, like how there was an ocean nearby and farming land and a forest and mountains, all in the same area. I like having something to work with, like the real world. And even in dystopian, you still have Earth to use.

The characters also were very difficult for me to write. I had an original idea for Starlight and Xen, but it changed, just within two chapters. I couldn’t get their characters right and I was constantly making them more sarcastic or changing a feature.

The main reason, though, is that I’m not very interested. I told myself that I was going to finish all the novels I started from now on [you don’t even know how many unfinished stories I have], but I realize now that that goal, although it means well, is not very realistic for me. I have now decided that until I have the first four or five chapters of a novel, I will not be sharing it with you guys or posting it on any website. I really don’t want to have to do this again.

I feel really bad about this, considering that I have also recently announced that Nakoma will not be finished in the near future. Hopefully, I will come back to Starlight in the future, but for now I’m setting it aside and working on an edgy contemporary. I will start outlining soon.

I would like to thank Bridget @ Stay and Watch the Stars and Evi @ Where Books Never End for volunteering and beta-ing Starlight. Maybe you two would like to take a look at Bloggish in the near future? :) You two are amazing and I am so grateful that you would spend some of your precious time on my novel.

To end on a happier note, I would like to remind you that my first installment of Feminist Fridays will be tomorrow!

I’m super stoked about this, so be sure to check tomorrow on my blog for my new feature. Also, the signup for My Hero Monday will be at the end of the Feminist Fridays post. I’m sorry for not posting it sooner; I’ve been doing a ton of travelling in the past week and a half and my computer kind of hates me sometimes. But I will be sure to have that up tomorrow, and hopefully have the schedule up by Sunday if possible. If not, I will take the first Monday and have everyone else on later dates, so don’t worry.

If you have never heard of My Hero Monday (aka MHM), it’s a linkup I created where bloggers do a post about a female hero every month. It’s a great way to learn about famous women who have made a difference, because I think we don’t have enough female role models who we learn about in school.

Sorry for the double post today, BTW, and for my very crappy review of Four.

I hope you all are having a very happy new year so far. I love you all!

Cover for Starlight and Synopsis PLUS Where to Read It and Beta

Hello, blogglings.*

*Yes, I am quite aware of the long title. And I am not sorry.

I have done some things with Starlight. I made a cover, and a synopsis.

In a land full of fantastical creatures and few pureblood humans, a warlock by the name of Starlight is… captured by the Court. Imprisoned and tried, she is found guilty of using magic against a human. Starlight is sentenced to Terram Nox, past the boundaries of her land, and into unknown territory, to die. However, a mysterious man accompanies her, determined to let her live.
Little does this man know, Starlight is not only attempting to survive the month of exile, but she is trying to find her dragon father, in hopes that he will lead her to her long-lost mother. As Starlight goes deeper and deeper into the Land of Night, she finds herself slipping away, becoming part of the shadows.
Will Starlight ever find her parents? Or will she become a shadow, forever tied to the evil land? And will she learn to trust and find friendship in the one who wants it most?

Are you intrigued?

I’ve also made it possible for you to read it! I published it on Figment, a great website to share your writing. You can view Starlight here. For those of you who don’t have Figment accounts, I will tell you when I update it and post the link here.

Let’s talk about beta readers.

I’d really like a few people I can send each chapter to and get feedback on it. If you’re interested, tell me in the comments below. Consider the following before jumping to the chance:

1. Will you give honest feedback?
2. Will you give constructive criticism?
3. Are you an experienced novelist?
4. Are you interested in my novel?

If you said “yes” to any of these, why don’t you comment below?

School is almost out! Just a few days to go and then we’re on break. :)

I hope you like Starlight and are considering being my beta reader. :) Also, if you haven’t follow me on Twitter; my username is @revelinginwords. If you don’t have Twitter, not to worry. If you look at the sidebar you can see all of my tweets!

My New Novel: Starlight

Happy Friday! :)

I decided I’ll tell you about my current story/novel/project/thing, Starlight. [Or so it is currently named. IDK.]

I started it when I was reading some blog posts about world-building. I began to create my own fantasy world, and a story was born! I didn’t really outline, besides the world-building, so I don’t know if it will happen. But I’m in that euphoria-feeling when you first start a story, y’know?

Starlight is a warlock. In my world, warlocks are the offspring of a dragon [usually the father] and a pureblood human [usually the mother]. So the dragon in the background of the third image is her father, Deadwood. Starlight’s full name is Starlight Xena Aquarine. She has RED hair, blue eyes, and skin so pale that you can see her veins. She can change the color of her skin tone as she pleases; sometimes it changes with her emotions, if they’re really strong.

So now, my world-building, which inspired my story. I created a government, military, social class system, a bit of religion [still developing], the creatures that live in this world, and a map!

GOVERNMENT: It is a matriarchy, which means women are in dominance. I thought this would be a cool twist. [And just to let you know, I am a feminist, however I don’t think women are above men. We are equal.] And in the government, there are three sections: queen, priests, and the Council. There is one queen. The queen cannot become married or have any children. They vote on women to be queen. There are two priests, who advise the queen and are her second-in-commands. The High Priest os above the other one, generally bossing her around. :P Lastly, the Council is made up of fifteen women. They also help to advise and stuff. Mostly the Council and the priests make the queen’s decisions, while she takes teh credit. Most people think the government is corrupt and untrustworthy.

MILITARY: I wasn’t sure whether to mention this or not, but whatever. All people/creatures [excluding sirens, merfolk, and dragons and other wild animals] have to fight in the military for two years once they are eighteen, unless tehy are injured. They have archers, people on horses [unless they’re centaurs or satyrs], a frontline with swords, and cannons. The queen fights. In fact, she leads the charge.

SOCIAL CLASS SYSTEM:

1. Elites: They are pureblood humans and very wealthy. Usually, women from these famiies become a part of the government.
2. Bourgeois: They are mixed blood, but part human. They are the middle class–not poor, but no rich either.
3. Proletariat: They are mixed blood, but usually more creature than human. They are poorer.
4. Back Alleys: They are creatures, some mixed blood. They are looked down upon and very poor. They live in the Slums.

RELIGION: Their religion is still developing, but I will tell you what I know. They worship Mother Nature, or Mater Natura. Their religion is called Bellatorum de Natura, more commonly reffered to as Bellatorum. This means “Warriors of Nature.”

CREATURES:

• Humans: mortal, uncommon
• Merfolk: immortal, gender neutral, and the only way to become one is to be lured into their cove and eat any food they offer you
• Centaurs: mortal, common
• Satyrs: mortal, common
• Elves: mortal, common, age one year in half a human year
• Nymphs: mortal, uncommon, age five years for one human year
• Sirens: immortal, uncommon, female only, cannot produce offspring, sirens are made by a child being stolen and forced to eat magic underwater
• Vampires: immortal unless injured/killed by a pureblood human, common
• Werewolves: mortal, common
• Warlocks: immortal if they choose to be, otherwise they age like humans, uncommon, try to stay hidden
• Dragons: uncommon, do not age but can die if injured or sick, when they mate with a pureblood human their offspring is a warlock

Here is an excerpt:

The priest, Roselle, sighed and placed the parchment onto the mahogany table in front of her. She hated warlock trials.

She eyed her colleagues. High Priest Ingrid sat in her chair with her back perfectly straight, her mouth set in a grim line that matched her stormy gray-eyed expression. Ingrid’s hands were clasped tightly on the table. Her graying blonde hair was in a braid down her back. She wore the white High Priest robes and a necklace of delicate beadwork was draped over her shoulders and around her neck, gracing her bosom.

The fifteen women of the Council sat, expressions taught, simple gray dresses as their clothing. All their hair, ranging from the palest blonde to the deepest brown, was in a bun. They seemed to be copies of each other.

That was what Roselle could not stand. The sameness of it all, the identical robes and hair and faces. She reveled in seeing creatures other than humans; they were beautiful, all different, none of them clones. None of the merfolk had the same color scales; the elves all wore different eyes and lips and noses; the centaurs sported all shades of coats.

Sometimes, secretly, Roselle envied the hated creatures.

High Priest Ingrid coughed. The Council rose and bowed, as was the custom. Roselle stood and nodded at Ingrid to begin the trial.

“Guards, bring in the warlock,” Ingrid ordered.

The two women standing at the doorway, swords and shields in hand, nodded quickly. Their armor made soft clinking noises as they walked down the noiseless hall of the Cubiculum. There was a room at the end of the hall, Roselle knew, made of diamond and iron. The diamond prevented magic to be used, and iron was the best metal to use. Especially for a prison.

Just as soon as they’d left, the two guards returned, the warlock in between them. Roselle’s heart melted as soon as she saw the girl. Her wild red–literally, red, not auburn or orange–hair was knotted in a wild mane. Her eyes were brilliantly blue, electrifying and piercing. She wore a shirt and pants, now dirtied and torn. Her exposed arms and face were pale, her veins sticking out.

“Starlight Aquarine,” Ingrid began, “we are here to prove whether or not you are guilty of hoarding magic and assaulting an innocent, unarmed, pureblood human. This crime is of the gravest significance, and the penalty is death.”

Roselle saw Starlight’s skin shudder and turn green. So this girl could change, she thought. I wish I could– She cut herself off. No. You are a pureblood human. You do not wish such fantastical wishes.

“We will bring in a series of four witnesses,” the High Priest continued. “But, first, I need to ask you a few questions. Do I have your utmost attention and the pledge of honesty?”

The question was rhetorical. You were forced to give your “utmost attention” and agree to the “pledge of honesty.”

“Yes, madame,” the warlock confirmed in a small voice. She was shaking in between the guards.

“Who is your mother?” Ingrid asked first. “Roselle, write this down.”

Roselle obeyed and dipped her quill in the indigo ink: dragon blood. She felt cruel to use it while a warlock was in the room–for all they knew, it could be the blood of her parent. But she began to transcribe what the young warlock said in careful handwriting.

“I never knew my mother,” Starlight said plainly. “She when when I was eight rotations old. I don’t remember much of her.”

“How curious,” Ingrid mused, playing with the girl. “Usually the females raise the children, since they are human. Who raised you, then?”

“My father,” she responded, not elaborating.

“And where is your father now?”

“He left when I was fourteen,” Starlight said. “The others in Mystica Silva said he crossed to Terram Nox through Pedum Ingressu, but I am not sure.”

“So you lived in Silva,” Ingrid said. “Interesting. What is your father’s name?”

Starlight fiddled with her hair. “Deadwood.”

The questions continued, the answers becoming curiouser and curiouser. Roselle began to become fond of the warlock girl, and was sad that she would be killed. But that was the way it was in the kingdom; it was the way it always had been, and Roselle was sure it would always be this way.

Finally, the questions came to a close and the first witness was brought in: a grown man, gaunt and dark-haired. His clothes were a bit used but respectable. He looked like a Bourgeois.

“Tristan Fawn,” Ingrid said. She then turned to Roselle and added in a whisper, “He has some elf blood a few generations back, but he’s mostly pure. I trust him.”

Roselle nodded mutely and Ingrid turned back to the Council and witness.

“Will you answer all of my questions honestly?” she asked. “Do you swear yourself to the queen and her kingdom?”

“Yes, madame,” Tristan murmured.

“Good. Let us commence.” Ingrid glanced down at a piece of parchment. “Did you see this warlock attack a human?”

“Yes, madame.”

“Please describe the event. Roselle–write this down.”

Tristan proceeded to explain what he saw. “I was in the market, madame, buying food for my family, when all of a sudden this warlock burst out from behind a tent and shot some fire out of her hands and at this woman. The woman screamed and ran.”

“Thank you, Tristan,” Ingrid said, looking pointedly at Roselle. “You are dismissed.”

Two more witnesses entered and left, each one with the same story. Roselle soon became bored and studied her fingernails. They were pale and rounded, smooth and perfect. When she was younger she used to bite them, but soon grew out of the habit once she entered the Academia. They didn’t permit bad habits; if they caught you biting your nails or some other nasty habit, they’d whip you with a stick.

“Roselle!” Ingrid exclaimed sharply.

“High Priest,” Roselle managed to get out.

Her face flushed crimson. Roselle ducked her head in shame. Priests were not supposed to daydream or study their nails. They had to be alert at all times. And Roselle had failed.

“The last witness will be entering,” Ingrid announced. “She is not just a witness, though, she is the victim.”

I hope you enjoyed learning about my new novel! I will try very hard to finish it. :)

Book Haul + Life Update + Bloggish Revision Ideas

I got bookies!!!

From top to bottom:

Looking For Alaska by John Green

Pretties by Scott Westerfield

The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, and Maureen Johnson

So, yeah. I’m excited! My dad said I could only get three books (and only one hardback!!!), so it was very hard for me to choose. I will hopefully read The Scorch Trials next, if my classmate lets me borrow it, then Pretties, then The Bane Chronicles, and then Looking for Alaska.

I haven’t been posting as frequently as I’d prefer to, mainly because life (and YouTube) have been grabbing me and not letting go. If you missed me, I missed you, too! *hug* And if you didn’t, well, that’s FINE. Anyway, I just thought I’d do a quick update on my life.

School just started up again after Thanksgiving break, and I am feeling the workload. Homework and projects and studying for tests have caught up with me. In math, we have a test next week, I just finished a project in humanities, and we’re doing a project in science tomorrow. AND I have to memorize my monologue for English. [It’s about this girl who is lesbian and her girlfriend committed suicide two months ago. Every day she wakes up, not sure if she wants to live.] Thankfully, I only have two weeks of school and then we have winter break! YAY!

I had my choir concert on Tuesday night, and we. Freaking. Killed it. It was so much fun and I think we sounded great! We performed in a church, and one pew was made up entirely of people who came to see moi. So awesome. I’ll be starting choir again in January 2015. We’re going to perform at Great America! [For those of you who don’t know, Great America is an amusement park with rollercoasters and lots of fried food. Fried Twinkies, fried Oreos, fried funnel cake–you name it, you can fry it. (Sadly, I don’t like rollercoasters. Or fried food.)]

We will be beginning the mandatory science fair soon, so I am bound to be slammed with work. One of the ideas I had for my project is how sustainable ereaders versus paper books are. Fun?

As you probably know, I wrote a [short] novel during NaNoWriMo, and I am planning to edit it. I thought I’d share with you some of my ideas for revisions!

My order of editing/revising:

1. Look at scenes and figure out which ones to keep, edit, and trash. Also add scenes as needed.

2. Pick apart scenes and get to the technical stuff.

3. Focus on wording and how it flows.

4. Repeat until perfect.

I think I’m going to be cutting some characters. There are some who just don’t move the plot along and don’t really say anything, and I can easily delete them. I will be keeping Cait, Jaz, Belle, Brandon, Kai, and Dean, though. :)

That’s all for now, my lovelies. Happy December and soon-to-be-official winter! Have you read any of the books I bought? Do you want to read them? Tell me in the comments below.

Weekly Wrap-Up #11

Week 2 of NaNoWriMo has happened, and my word count is sitting at 16,055. I made some very taxing mistakes this past week.

1. I watched “The Voice” on Monday night. I ditched my writing [I had only written a few hundred words] to go watch my favorite TV show. That was the main reason I got behind on my word count. Needless to say, I didn’t watch it on Tuesday or Wednesday because I decided to be disciplined.
2. I acquired writer’s block. I’m not using this as an excuse. But this week, my story seemed less fun and more work. My ideas were not working and I lost interest. I made a Pinterest board about my novel, though, to get inspiration, and one image actually inspired a scene! So that’s good.
3. On Thursday and Friday I wrote virtually nothing. On Thursday I. Just. Didn’t. Write. And on Friday, I watched “Catching Fire” with my mom because MOCKINGJAY P.1 COMES OUT NEXT WEEK!!! sorry; I’ll be calm now.
4. If you read my post earlier, “A Rant,” you know that my computer shut down this morning and I couldn’t find my flash drive and then I did find it and I hate my computer. >:( I missed at least an hour of writing time because my computer shut down, I was looking for my flash drive, and I was sulking. So yeah. That sucked.

But that is all in the past. I am determined to get to 20,000 words today. Because if I don’t, I will be SO BEHIND YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW. ahem. [Does anyone know how to change the size and color of the text in a post?]

Did I mention: I updated my blog, as you can see. Unless you’re blind or reading this on your email. [I feel like bloggers are the only ones who check their email any more. All my friends just text and stuff, while I’m like, oh, what’s your email? and they give me “the look.” I don’t understand why people don’t email. It’s like a text, but easier to send and you can add long stuff.] But yeah, I got an upgrade for it [Thanks, Mom and Dad!] to make it prettier. I assume I can change the size and color of the text in a post but I DON’T KNOW HOW; SOMEONE HELP ME!

I am spastic this morning right now. See? I even forgot that it is technically the afternoon.

This week I will have three excerpts. They are all ships, OTPs, whatev.

He cracked a smile, and before I could take another breath, he swept me off my feet and kissed me, his breath hot on my lips.

“I love you,” Dean murmured into my mouth.

“Good,” I said. “I hate love triangles.”

He laughed lightly and kissed me again. We held each other close. Moonlight glinted off his pale face.

The thoughts that had run through my head only minutes before dissipated. But Dean’s muscles were still taught against my torso, like he was nervous. He leaned out of the kiss and I bit my lip. His beautiful blue eyes were set on me, only me.

I pulled him closer to me, until his forehead was resting on mine.

“Tell me,” I whispered. “Tell me what you’re not saying.”

There was something unsaid, a dark secret. There was more to the story than his supposed commitment issues. I saw it on his eyes. They were jaded and sorrowful, brimming with regret and secrets.

Dean worked his jaw nervously.

“I—I have to go,” he said suddenly.

“No,” I insisted. “Tell me.”

He pushed away from me. “You don’t deserve a boy like me, Cait; I don’t want to hurt you.”

Then he walked off, leaving me on the steps.

That is the Cait x Dean ship.

“Yeah,” Belle agreed. “You aren’t worth her time.”

Amanda turned around in her seat in the front. “But I know someone who is,” she said suggestively and wiggled her eyebrows. So someone else had noticed…

I grinned at Amanda and Belle and Jaz just looked confusingly back and forth between us.

“Wow, you’re clueless,” I said in exasperation, sighing. “Since my relationship didn’t work out, let me be a matchmaker.”

They were already seated next to each other. All it took was one little shove of Belle, who was closest to me, and they collided.

“Now, kiss,” I commanded. “C’mon, make the car steamy.”

Amanda giggled.

And they kissed. Belle made the first move, of course. But Jaz kissed her back. Then I looked away to give them some privacy. Amanda was practically dying of laughter.

“Finally!” she exclaimed. “I thought it would never happen. Except now Kai’s gonna be pissed off.”

“Oh, fuck,” Belle cursed. “I thought he knew Jaz was lesbian.”

I slapped my face. “Darling,” I said gently, “he’s trying to hit on you.”

We all erupted into giggles, and Jaz kissed Belle again. They were really adorable together. And maybe now the bickering would stop.

I realized I was now destined to be a third wheel. Crap.

[Sorry about the language. It is YA, after all.]

That is Belle x Jaz.

“Girl! If he’s making you like this, you need to stop caring about him so much. Oh, Goddammit, Kai wants to chat. Gotta go, sweetie. Just remember that you’re amazing.”

“I will,” I replied, smiling. “And tell that effing Kai ‘hi’ for me.”

Belle grinned, and the video chat ended. I knew she liked Kai, but he didn’t give her any trouble like Dean did for me. Kai was perfectly sweet and simple. We still analyzed him, though.

---

“Really?” Belle screeched. “We’re gonna freeze to death because it looks pretty?” She threw her hands up in exasperation. “I’m going inside.”

“While you’re in there,” Kai called after her, “will you take the trash?”

“Why don’t you?” she snarled before opening the Starbucks doors and disappearing inside.

Kai looked hurt as he gazed after her, as if in a trance. “Trash run!” He collected the trash and ran after Belle.

And that was Belle x Kai.

Which ship is your favorite? Tell me in the comments below.

Weekly Wrap-Up #10

[Yup, I now have a button. :D]

Happy Saturday! Happy first week of NaNoWriMo! Happy first week of NaBloPoMo! Happy November!

So what’s happened in my life this week [besides bloggy stuff and NaNo stuff]:

1. I am still active on Instagram. Earlier, I said I wouldn’t be able to go on IG, but now I am on more than ever with more mindless posts tagged #nanowrimo2014 and #procrastinating.
2. I got married. Wait, whaaat, Chloe?! Hehe. I got you guys. In science class we’re learning about genetics, and we got “married” Wednesday for a lab we’re doing where you hatch a dragon and combine genetics and stuff. It was pretty awkward to get married…
3. I downloaded four more apps. I got PacMan Lite, which I still majorly suck at. Sadly. And I got Snapchat. Yay! I love it sooo much. Vicki [my bets friend] and I use it all the time. XD And I got MuggleNet, which is pretty cool. For those of you who don’t know, MuggleNet is a website and app that keeps you updated on Harry Potter-esque things. And lastly, and probably the best, I got Panem Rising, a game based on Mockingjay. You create a squad with characters, fight Peacekeepers, all that fun stuff. I’m playing as Johanna, whom I accidentally mixed with Katniss to get a better version of Johanna. Little did I know, Katniss would be deleted. Oops.
4. I am still very obsessed with “1989.” Yes, I am. I play it constantly. ;)
5. At choir, we are starting to memorize all of our songs! Which is pretty hard, considering we have about six. But they’re all Christmas songs and the lyrics tend to repeat, so it’s not as hard as I thought it would be originally.

NaNoWriMo is a bit daunting now. Which, I guess, is natural. I didn’t get the chance to write as much as I would’ve liked yesterday, and I didn’t hit my word count goal for that day, but guess what? I’m going to write 2,000 words today. That is my goal. I have candy and tea and Taylor Swift, so I will survive and I will not fall behind. Because the #1 Rule of NaNoWriMo, created by the most fantastic, the most honorable, the most intelligent Katytastic, is to not fall behind.

Here is Katytastic’s NaNoWriMo Day 7 video about not giving up. [If you want to just get to the main content, skip to about 2 minutes in.]

I have another treat for you, however: an excerpt from Bloggish!

“If I could, I would marry Starbucks,” Jazmine gushed, sipping her iced mocha. Her sunglasses were back over her eyes in the bright sunlight.

Kai looked up from his Frappuccino and grinned in that cheeky way of his. “But I thought you were lesbian?”

Jaz didn’t laugh. “Who ever said Starbucks was male?” she countered, narrowing her eyes and setting her drink on the nearest table. She was getting into debate mode.

“True,” Amanda agreed, her hands cupping her lemonade. “Technically, Starbucks is gender-neutral.”

“If you want to get really specific,” Belle put in, waving her strawberry smoothies around, “the emblem is a mermaid, so it is female. Therefore, Jaz can marry Starbucks.”

We all bursted into giggles. Kai laughed so hard that his Frappuccino came out of his nose, which grossed Kelly out and made the rest of us laugh even harder.

Once we all calmed down, we attempted to become serious.

“So,” Kat began, “I have this extremely pressing issue I need to discuss.” We all leaned in dramatically. “Which are better: unicorns or narwhals?”

I pretended to straighten my tie. I said in a newsperson voice, “Well, Ms. Gemm, this is indeed an extremely pressing issue, seeing that the narwhals and unicorns have begun to fight again. You see, narwhals have horns and can swim underwater up to a quadrillion miles per hour.”

Brandon interrupted me by clearing his throat. “But you see, unicorns have rainbow magic and horns. So they are equally matched. I say unicorns are better!”

“Narwhals!”

“Unicorns!”

“Narwhals!”

We continued to be silly and immature. It was just like our online conversations, but better, because we could hit another’s arm and laugh without typing “LOL.”

“Hey, guys,” Kelly stopped us. Even she, known for her levelheadedness and serious nature, had joined in on the fun and debating. She held up her silver phone with a simple blue case. “Xavier, Gracelyn, Loren, and Margot are here! They met up when their flights got in.”

We cheered like our favorite baseball team had just won, or better yet, our OTP had kissed. The latter was probably more accurate, considering the environment.

“Let’s go meet them!” Brandon suggested, and we agreed.

The rest of the team (excluding Dean) was camped out at a breakfast place near the airport, their suitcases surrounding them like a barrier. All four of them were from foreign places, and spoke with accents that us Americans couldn’t get enough of. Then again, they adored our supposed accents, too.

Xavier was prim and proper, an absolute gentleman. Gracelyn talked in Australian slang, and with her pink hair, was completely unique. Loren was cool and collected. Margot was funny and bouncy.

“Oh my god, you don’t even know how excited I am!” Margot squealed, hugging us all in turn. Her flaming hair made her look even more animated. “This is a dream come true.”

We all screamed and freaked out some more. Margot gushed over my outfit and Gracelyn, in a cool and calm way, commented on my “absolutely adorable” hair.

Then the bomb dropped.

“So, where’s Dean?” Xavier asked casually in his little British way.

My arms became stiffer at my sides and I could feel my face begin to redden. I pressed my hands against my cheeks to hide the blush. I averted my eyes and studied the cracks in the sidewalk.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Belle answered, but I heard the concern in her voice, saw her barely flick her eyes toward me. “Maybe his plane’s late.”

I didn’t know why I cared so much. He was just another person, after all. I wasn’t this distressed before Margot or Loren arrived. But he’s different, a voice in my head insisted annoyingly. Unfortunately, it was right. He was different, in a way I couldn’t explain to them, no matter how close they were to me.

“He’ll come in eventually,” Jaz reassured us. “Let’s go walk around town, check out the shops. They have some cute little indie places.”

We followed her command and walked around, Kai our pretend tour guide. He made up things about each place, and Jazmine corrected him not-so-gently.

© Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved.

Do you like? Tell me in the comments below.

My word count as of right now 9038 words.

I finished Clockwork Princess this week. I’ll mini-review it at the end of the month. I am now reading Crewel by Gennifer Albin, whom I met at the book signing I attended.

NaNoWriMo Starts Today!

This is not off to a great start. YWP is not opening! So I’m making an account on the original site, and I am very very very angry. My username is CarpeLibrum<3, same as on the Camp NaNo website. I’ve got everything up, but if you’re on YWP, I won’t be able to reach you. :(

And now YWP just worked.

Crap.

Forget everything I just said above.

Okay. Now that that’s dealt with, let’s get on with things.

I woke up at 6-ish and read for about an hour, then looked for my phone and realized it had not been charging last night. YAY. So I checked my IG, plugged it in, and at about 7:30, made my tea ad got on here.

I’m aiming for a little over 1k today, but NaNo has not calculated yet.

I have my tea, inspirational quotes, candy… I’m set!

I guess I need to write…

I’ll do the wrap-up at the end of the month, and try to post weekly.

Good luck on your NaNo, and work hard!

I. Hate. WordPress.|More About My NaNo Novel :)

So, WordPress kind of sucks right now. My posts are not posting! And I need them to post! I’m sorry I posted my wrap-up, like, way too late, but WordPress died on me. Grr. Makes me want to punch it!!!! [Or send an angry letter.]

Anyway. Enough of my ranting. I have stuff to do!

~MY BIRTHDAY’S IN 3 DAYS!!!~

I am so off-topic right now. GOD.

So, Cait over at The Notebook Sisters recently told us about her NaNo novel. I know I’ve told you about mine and my outlining [which I’m falling behind on], but I’ve decided to elaborate with a Beautiful Books Linkup. :) Sound fun? Let’s go!

A brief synopsis of my novel [from YWP]:

Cait is attending WeBlogCon, and is prepared for a normal convention. Her idea of normal consists of meeting her online friends, attending a few talks, and talking a bit herself, all while exploring NYC with her friends. But Cait isn’t prepared for Dean, whom she thought was boyfriend-potential. He is so different from his online self. And then there’s the offer from the TV company and WeBlog. Can Cait handle the stress? And will she agree to what WeBlog has to offer? Or will she retreat to her home in California?

What came first: characters or plot idea? Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I think the plot came first. I want to do something I know about and am familiar with, and I want to do a contemporary. [Since Nakoma is kind of intense.] My dad actually helped me come up with a conflict.

In the past, I’ve been an almost complete panster. That is what Nakoma was born from. But for this NaNo, I want to be a plotter, because I don’t have much time, what with school and everything, to go on a whim, especially if it’s only a month.

Do you have a title and/or a “back-cover-blurb”?

Title: Bloggish

It’s like bookish, but for bloggers! Are you bloggish?

Synopsis:

Cait is attending WeBlogCon, and is prepared for a normal convention. Her idea of normal consists of meeting her online friends, attending a few talks, and talking a bit herself, all while exploring NYC with her friends. But Cait isn’t prepared for Dean, whom she thought was boyfriend-potential. He is so different from his online self. And then there’s the offer from the TV company and WeBlog. Can Cait handle the stress? And will she agree to what WeBlog has to offer? Or will she retreat to her home in California?

What wordcount are you aiming for when your novel is finished?

40k to 50k. I’m going to set the bar at 40k.

Sum up your novel in 3 sentences.

A convention in NYC.

A boy with secrets.

And a surprise.

[I know, it’s very vague.]

Sum up your characters in one word each.

Cait [MC, and narrator]: Bookcake.

Bloggy friends:

Dean: Different.

Belle: Smiley.

Kai: Mainstream.

Gracelyn: Pink.

Xavier: Adorable.

Jazmine: Perfect.

Brandon: Short. [:P]

Amanda: Fangirl.

Loren: Ocean.

Kat: Fun. :D

Kelly: Serious.

Margot-Willa: Autumn.

Which character are you most excited to write? Tell us about them!

I’m really excited to write the twins, Kat and Kelly, because they’re kind of opposites. I really need to work on their dialogue, though.

What about your villain? Who is s/he, what is his/her goal?

The only “villain” or “bad guy” is Cait and her uncertainty. I guess Dean is also kind of a villain, but not quite.

What is your protagonist’s goal? And what stands in the way?

Cait has a few goals: to make up her mind about some stuff I can’t say, and to figure out Dean. What stands in her way is herself.

What inciting incident begins your protagonist’s journey?

I don’t know if it’s “inciting” but Cait’s journey as a blogger begins in June 2009 when her cousin, Jessica [this name may change], celebrates her 1-year blogoversary. Then Cait meets all these fantastic people online and has BUCKETS of fun. :)

Where is your novel set?

In the US, partly in Monterey, California, and partly in NYC.

What are three big scenes in your novel that change the game completely?

1. When Cait meets Dean in real life for the first time.
2. When WeBlog offers her…something [no spoilers!].
3. When a TV company ALSO offers Cait…something.

[These subject to change at any given time.]

What is the most dynamic relationship your character has? Who else do they come in contact with or become close to during the story?

I think the most “dynamic” relationship my character has would be with Belle, who is her friend on the internet, and when they meet, it’s like friend-love at first sight. <3

How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel?

Cait:

• becomes more confident
• becomes more open
• is a little sadder
• knows more about the “real world”

Do you have an ending in mind, or do you plan to see what happens?

I have a vague happily-ever-after, but it’s VERY vague. :P

What are your hopes and dreams for your book? What impressions are you hoping this novel will leave on your readers and yourself?

I just hope to finish it during NaNo, and to have it be as warm and fuzzy as I want it to be, along with a little sadness and bittersweetness. I want it to follow my outline, and I want to just be happy about it in general. :)

I’m hoping readers will come away with the knowledge that although the world isn’t going to be all rainbows and sunshine, you can make a happy ending the best you can, and that you can be successful.

I also hope that readers/fans will make quote-thingies with quotes from the book, because many accomplished authors have that.

I hope you enjoyed the lovely tag. :)

Before we go:

• I’m getting my iPhone 5c today! As soon as I get home! Almost as good as getting books. :)
• I will be changing to my own domain soon! Let me know if you think I should change my blog name to something more bookish. And if anyone has moved to their own domain [Hey, Sam!], I was wondering how to move followers, posts, and the like. Thanks bunches!
• I love you soo much. <3