Saturday 27 February 2016

Beautiful People

To make up for the severe neglect of this poor blog, I've decided to take part in the Beautiful People for writers thingy! The lovely Cait over at Paper Fury and Sky from Further Up and Further In host this every month, and it's an opportunity for readers to get little pieces of information about any current works. I'll be answering for the novel I'm planning rather than the one I'm writing, as I feel like then this will help me develop my characters!
As it's February, this is the Valentines edition, and without further ado, here are the questions!

1. How did they first meet?
My main couple in this are called Esme and Henry, and they met when Henry came to Esme's uncle for help after his family disowned him. Because I am a writer, and therefore a nice person to my characters...(I lie, I am not).
 
2. What were their first impressions of each other?
http://paperfury.com/beautiful-people-15/
Henry basically fell for her straightaway (because I'm a sappy romantic at heart) but was content just being her friend, while it took Esme more time. When the series begins, she has a sort of kind of very large crush on him, so the first book is just them two being awkward and cute around each other - until things get serious and wars start happening...please refer back to the part about me being a nice writer!
 
3. How long have they been a couple?
Technically, at the start of the series, they aren't a couple. But, I mean, that could change..possibly... probably...
 
4. How committed/loyal are they to each other? Would they break up over a secret or a disagreement? Could stress drive them apart? Would they die for each other?
They're fairly dedicated to each other even when they aren't together. So, they fall out over stressed arguments, but they still have each other's backs and never really stop caring, which I think is going to be fun to write. I want them to have a supportive relationship, as that's what Esme needs, and a loving one as that's what Henry needs.
 
5.List 5 “food quirks” they know about each other. (Ex: how they take their coffee, if they’re allergic to something, etc….and feel free to mention other non-food quirks!)
This is a hard question! I think I'm going to have to make a few things up on the spot, but I guess that doesn't matter too much? (I hope!)
  • Esme only drinks tea, never coffee, while Henry needs several cups of coffee to function.
  • Henry is a little scatter-brained, so snacks often, which leads Esme to making sure that he's eaten meals.
  • Esme can fence nearly as well as Henry, and neither of them brings this up as Henry doesn't want to lose and Esme doesn't want to hurt his pride.
  • Esme taps her fingers when she's nervous.
  • Henry paces when he thinks.
6.Does anyone disapprove of their relationship?
Henry's parents do, for reasons that would contain spoilers so I'm not going to put them here! And a few other people will, I think...But they get over it eventually, so everything's fine!
 
7.What would be an ideal date?
Probably a walk around the museum, because Henry loves history and Esme likes pointing out who's supernatural in history! Either that or a day in the park with no one to bother them.
 
8.What are their personality dynamics? Similar? Contrasting? Do they fight a lot or mesh perfectly?
Generally they get on very well, with Henry calming down Esme's rants and outbursts and Esme convincing Henry to stick up for himself. They contrast quite a bit, as she's outspoken and he's quite calm, but that's how they make a good team, and they don't generally fight about big things (apart from when they do, like once).
 

9. What have been their best and worst moments as a couple? 
Best moment: A certain scene on an actual ship that I have planned, involving a sense of impending danger, a ring and a romantic captain! (A ship on a ship...it makes me laugh!).
Worst moment: The time when they argued about a big thing at the end of the first book...and it causes issues for the second book which I'm not looking forward to writing!
 
10.Where do they see themselves and their relationship in the next few years?
About a year passes in this series, and from the start to the end they go from friends to a lot more than that. As for after the books, I know where they're heading, even if they don't yet (;
 
So they was my fairly cryptic answers! I'm sorry there isn't perhaps as much detail as there should be, but I'm still working on this and I don't want to ruin anything! I don't think I'll get to write this anytime soon, as I need to plan five books' worth of complex plots, and then a sequel for my other project...the problems of being a writer, eh?

Thanks for reading(:

Tuesday 16 February 2016

Life Update 2 (Accompanied by another apology!)

So...how long is it since I've posted? The start of January?
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I am truly sorry! I just had no motivation to blog, and life has been very busy at the moment. I will try and update more regularly (which, to be honest, won't be that hard for me!).

Reading:


- I haven't been able to read a lot, unfortunately. In January I only read Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls by Lynn Weingarten, which I gave 3.5 stars, and The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson, which I gave 4 stars. So far in February, I've read The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman which I loved and gave 4.5 stars, and I'm halfway through Passenger by Alexandra Bracken and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith and enjoying both! I also think Passenger is the most photogenic book ever, and have taken many, many photos of it...it's just so pretty!


 Writing:

- At the start of the year, I had a burst of inspiration. A whole 5 book series came to me, and I felt so writerly and on top of things...and now that has gone! I have about 8 not-even-half-created ideas that are literally one sentence long, and I can't for the life of me flesh them out. The 5 book series is my main priority, and I have a few more ideas for it - I managed to plot out the first book - but I don't have the energy or time to sit down and properly plot everything out.
-  My other story, that I call Frank & Lucy because I hate creating proper titles and they are the main characters, is going well, if a little slowly. I've decided to share a little snippet of it here! This is from one of the most recent parts I've written:

The inn was more welcoming at night, she thought, and a lot more active. They were seated around one of the copper tables near the stairs leading to the rooms, with a lantern hanging above Lucy’s head. She was facing the rest of the inn and could see that the clientele of the pub was...eclectic. There were some sole drunkards propping up the bar, a rowdy party of men occupying half of the room gambling, and several women who appeared to have...questionable motives for being here. The smell of cigar smoke clung to every fibre of the room, and, coupled with the hazy cloud above everyone’s heads, it made it feel like if one were to stay still for long enough, they would become one of the many stories swirling in between the ash in the air.
Lucy set down her glass just as the waitress arrived with two steaming plates.
“Yer meals,” she mumbled, plonking the food down onto the table before leaving.
Frank raised his eyebrows. “She’s charming.”
Lucy nodded, picking up her fork and prodding the indeterminate meat. “As charming as this food, by the looks of things.”

TV Shows:

- I have finished Teen Wolf season two, which left me in an emotional fangirly mess! I seriously love Jackson and Stiles.
- I'm watching Shadowhunters, and, while I was nervous at first, I think it's really improving! I loved last week's episode, and I'm really looking forward to the new episode tomorrow.
- Pretty Little Liars has got me hooked, again! I thought I wouldn't enjoy it as much as the other seasons, but I do, and I actually really ship spaleb even though I loved spoby in series 5!
- This isn't TV-related, but I'm listening to the soundtrack to Hamilton and it's so bizarre and funny, I really like it!


So hopefully this has made up for the lack of posts, again! How was everyone's reading month in January? Does anyone have any TV shows I must start watching?
Thanks for reading(: