Writing Life: Valentine’s Day Write Tag!

February 12, 2022April 7, 2022 Kat Impossible5 Comments

As promised, I’m trying to add more writing content to the blog again. The Valentine’s Day Write Tag is a creation of yours truly to help you get to know your characters better. I have previously done this for my WIP Arcadia (you can check that out here) and decided it would be fun to revive it with Valentine’s coming up in a couple days. It’s all easy enough, but let’s revise the “rules”!

RULES

If you were tagged, thank the person who tagged you!
Please always link back to the original post! (I want to see all your lovely answers, people!)
Provide a short description of your WIP/story!
I’ll be doing this tag for BUB (I talked about it here)! It’s a flatshare romance set in Vancouver, where bookseller Raeleen has to deal with a new flatmate, assistant director Nick, while her best friend is abroad and she just got dumped.
Don’t use just one character for all answers if possible!

MY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

If there is a couple in your WIP, what are their plans for Valentine’s Day? And if there is no couple in your WIP, is there someone your main character would like to spend Valentine’s Day with?

Since BUB (Break Up Buddy) is essentially a friends to lovers arc, I’d think that Raeleen and Nick would go out and do some ridiculously cliché Valentine’s activities together – as friends. They’d have a good time and maybe even have some really intimate moments, but mostly they’d just have a good laugh at pretending to be a couple for a day. Which they can do very convincingly … a bit too well for it not to be true, one might say.

Who is the most likely to shamelessly go out for dinner on Valentine’s Day alone?

Jemma, Raeleen’s best friend, is an incredibly bold and independent person. She generally cringes at anything overtly romantic, so she would just treat this day like any other one.

One of your characters requests a song on the radio for their crush! Which song and for which character would they pick it?

Okay, once they’re actually together, I could see Nick doing that for Raeleen. They often have the radio on in the bookshop she’s working at and Nick would do it as a bit of a joke, but then pick an actually really sweet song. Maybe this one:

Is there a character who would organize an Anti-Valentine’s Day party?

I’m sure that someone would be up for Galentine’s Day instead, but I can’t think of any character who would go full out ANTI Valentine’s.

What romantic gesture would swoon your main character?

Raeleen loves words and books and someone noticing the smaller things. She would, however, absolute hate a grand gesture. The one thing that could totally win her over though would be an annotated copy of her favorite book with the time to discuss the material.

Which character would buy a bunch of red roses and hand them out to strangers on the street, just to make their day?

Alrighty, so … there’s this one character in the book – Prosper Reed – who’s this very handsome, young and charming bestselling author. I could see him do that as part of a publicity stunt, but also because he likes to do nice things for people.

What are your main character’s favorite Valentine’s movies? (Note: Valentine’s movies don’t have to be romantic!)

Raeleen is always hoping they play You’ve Got Mail at one of the local indie theaters for Valentine’s. There’s plenty of great movies on Netflix, but she can do that any day of the week. And with a potential love interest who works in film, it’s only natural they both enjoy the actual vibes of a good old cinema.

Who is ready for the February 15th, just to get all the chocolate on sale?

The question should rather be – who isn’t ready for all the chocolate on sale? Sam, Nick’s brother, might be the only one who’s more into sourpatch kids and gummy worms than chocolate, but the entire cast probably has a sweet tooth.

Is there a character who never spends Valentine’s Day alone aka always has some sort of situationship going on?

Hunter, Raeleen’s ex-boyfriend, usually goes from one relationship to another. If he doesn’t have a date, that would be highly confusing for him.

Bonus: Create a Valentine’s Day aesthetic for one or several of your characters!

The List of Questions (so it’s easier to copy and paste)

If there is a couple in your WIP, what are their plans for Valentine’s Day? And if there is no couple in your WIP, is there someone your main character would like to spend Valentine’s Day with?
Who is the most likely to shamelessly go out for dinner on Valentine’s Day alone?
One of your characters requests a song on the radio for their crush! Which song and for which character would they pick it?
Is there a character who would organize an Anti-Valentine’s Day party?
What romantic gesture would swoon your main character?
Which character would buy a bunch of red roses and hand them out to strangers on the street, just to make their day?
What are your main character’s favorite Valentine’s movies? (Note: Valentine’s movies don’t have to be romantic!)
Who is ready for the February 15th, just to get all the chocolate on sale?
Is there a character who never spends Valentine’s Day alone aka always has some sort of situationship going on?
Bonus: Create a Valentine’s Day aesthetic for one or several of your characters!

THE LINK UP!

I will add links to posts here, if anyone decides to participate!

I hope you enjoyed this post! Let me know in the comments what you thought and whether you’re going to participate yourself!

Spring Cleaning Book Tag!

April 21, 2021 Kat Impossible9 Comments

I’ve seen this tag around and I was like “Should I do it? Should I not?”, because I hate cleaning … BUT then the lovely Orang-utan Librarian tagged me for the Spring Cleaning Book Tag and I was all in. Originally, this tag was created by booktuber Jen @ Book Syrup. Let’s get started!

THE STRUGGLE OF GETTING STARTED: A BOOK/BOOK SERIES THAT YOU HAVE STRUGGLED TO BEGIN BECAUSE OF ITS SIZE.

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara has caught my eye a long time ago, but it’s massive! The edition I saw on Goodreads has more than 700 pages and I’m not going to lie to you, I struggle with 500 pages already. I used to devour books of that size when I was younger, seeing it as a challenge and validation to get through them, but now they just scare me. Still, many have praised the emotional impact of A Little Life, so … I’d like to read it someday.

CLEANING OUT THE CLOSET: A BOOK AND/OR BOOK SERIES YOU WANT TO UNHAUL.

I actually unhauled about 60 books these past months and managed to either give some to family or sell them via an online reseller for used books. I didn’t get a lot of money, but more than I would have likely managed to get at a flea market (which aren’t happening due to the pandemic anyway). So, it’s really difficult to think of books I don’t want to have anymore. Maybe I would let go of my Game of Thrones books. I read them a while ago, never finished the last one and just sort of feel like I am over the series, even if new books should release eventually. They are also just cheap paperbacks, so I am not attached to them because of aesthetic reasons either.

OPENING WINDOWS AND LETTING FRESH AIR IN: A BOOK THAT WAS REFRESHING.

I haven’t been super excited about books for a while, but this year has been great so far. I was especially fond of The Summer of Broken Rules, because it reignited my love for contemporaries. It was fun and emotional too and made me feel like I was really on vacation (which I could so need at this point). It might be a pretty regular formula for a book, but to me it was a breath of fresh air on my shelf.

Read my full review of the book HERE.

WASHING OUT SHEET STAINS: A BOOK YOU WISH YOU COULD REWRITE A CERTAIN SCENE IN.

There is one scene in Charming as a Verb that made me so disappointed in the main character. It created one of the biggest conflicts, so it was obviously necessary for the story, but I just wanted Henri and Corinne to be happy. If that scene was rewritten, they’d have had the cutest story! Still, Ben Philippe has quickly become one of my auto-buy authors. I adore all his characters.

My full review of the book can be found HERE.

THROWING OUT UNNECESSARY KNICK-KNACKS: A BOOK IN A SERIES THAT YOU DIDN’T FEEL WAS NECESSARY.

This might be an unpopular opinion, but … I do not think the continuation of the Shatter Me series (hence everything after Ignite Me) was strictly necessary and even contradicted some of the earlier books. I’m not saying they are terrible, but I just didn’t connect to them as much. The writing style was different and the elements I liked most gone. Tahereh Mafi is still an excellent writer and I enjoy her books very much. Also, no shade on anyone who was into the series continuation, but it just wasn’t for me.

POLISHING THE DOORKNOBS: A BOOK THAT HAD A CLEAN FINISH.

I think I like books with ambiguous endings that still feel like they make sense. When everything is up to interpretation to you, but the journey there gives you clear indications of what you’re supposed to think? So, this question has me struggling a little bit, because apparently I’m messy.

I really like how the Dire King, the final book in the Jackaby series, ended and came together though. I’m obviously not going to go into detail because of spoilers, but the series as a whole is really worth the read!

My review for book 1 can be read here and for the final book here.

REACHING TO DUST THE FAN: A BOOK THAT TRIED TOO HARD TO RELAY A CERTAIN MESSAGE.

I’m not sure A Pocketful of Crows tried to convey a message too hard, but I didn’t enjoy the message I was getting. Basically, this supposedly whimsical and poetic story was of the opinion that it’s fine to seek revenge, that it’s the eternal circle of life to punish those who wronged you. I did not agree with that one bit.

THE TIRING YET SATISFYING FINISH OF SPRING CLEANING: A BOOK SERIES THAT WAS TIRING YET SATISFYING TO GET THROUGH.

After an exhausting summer, where I missed my friends and turned to every distraction I could find, I binge-read the True Blood books. They were … not all great? Very repetitive in part, but unlike many, many, many others, I really enjoyed the final book. The ending made a lot of sense to me and I would have actually preferred the show to go a similar way, but yeah.

I TAG THEE

Whoever wants to do this! As you can see on the post I took this from, there’s actually a prompt to tag four people, but I’d rather give the option to whoever WANTS to do the Spring Cleaning Book Tag! It’s all yours!!

What did you think of my answers? Did you like seeing a book tag on the blog again? Let’s chat!

The Wine Book Tag

March 6, 2021 Kat Impossible9 Comments

I was tagged for this such a long time ago, I won’t even comment on the specific year. Let’s just say it has been an embarrassing time period, but Flo @FlowlessBooks asked me to do the Wine Book Tag and I think it is fun and … better late than never?

Box Wine – a book that people will judge you for liking but you like it anyway!

Let me think about all the embarrassing things I could have read and liked. I know that the author of Call Me By Your Name has some questionable views (did he sexualize underage girls or did I imagine that interview?) and that puts the age difference in the book in an even worse light. I know all that and I know the book is far from perfect, but I really loved it when I read it. I can’t just forget some of those beautiful quotes between the mess.

Read my review HERE.

Organic Wine – a book that doesn’t have any added crap in it and is just written perfectly

You better not get tired of me mentioning Soulswift, but to me that book was perfect. As a standalone fantasy novel, it’s a rare bird anyway and it’s hard to get the pacing and content just right, but this book managed to do it all. I didn’t feel like I was overwhelmed with information or missing anything crucial. I was just heartbroken in the end, but that was to be expected …

Read my review HERE.

Gluehwein – a really spicy, wintry read

Not sure this really qualifies as spicy, but Don’t Tell a Soul definitely takes place during winter. I still remember the descriptions of mountains of snow and wading through snow storms to get to the manor. This story is not a ghost story, but is sure brings some along on the ride, which might work for the second part of the prompt? I hope so.

Read my review HERE.

Sauvignon Blanc – a really sharp and aggressive read that you couldn’t put down!

My mind immediately went to the Red Rising saga! I don’t usually get angry, but woah, I was shaking because I was so furious in parts of those books. They are also violent and brutal, but so well written and they keep you hooked. I still have Dark Age (the most recent book in the series) staring at me accusingly from my shelf, because I still haven’t picked it up. It’s so intimidating though!

Sevro will forever be one of my all time favourite characters and I cannot wait to see who they cast should they move forward with the TV show. My fingers are forever crossed for it to be Richard Harmon.

Read my review of the first book in the series HERE.

Pinot Noir – a book you didn’t expect much from but ended up getting blown away!

I try to not go into books with too high expectations to begin with. Hype is scary and can quickly drain joy once you read something. I’m, however, always a bit wary when it comes to World War II related content, be it alternate history or authentic, so I did not expect too much from the Wolf by Wolf duology, but it is now one of my favourite duologies out there. I wish more people had read it!

Read my review of the first book in the duology HERE.

Chardonnay – a good summer read that was super-zesty?

What constitutes a super-zesty read? Anyway, I might just ignore that bit, but summer is something I associate with Morgan Matson books. I could probably choose any of her stories and would be able to fulfill that part of the prompt, but I’m going with The Unexpected Everything, just because I thought of it first. As always, it has a cute love interest, dogs and some lovely self-exploration.

Read my review HERE.

Rose – a book that has a little bit of everything in it

Maybe Beartown? When I tried to write my review of the book, it was hard to find an aspect the story did not cover. It’s about community, family, culpability, love, friendship, responsibility and so much more. Really, no clue how to summarize it other than it wrecked my feels. There’s an HBO series coming out for it soon and I cannot wait to feel devastated again.

Read my review of the book HERE.

Shiraz – A full-bodied book that is dark and juicy

I’ve delved more and more into darker stories, but I kind of thought of Ninth House first. It has so much death and mystery, which qualifies for the dark part, but I also think the relationships could be categorized as juicy. The full-bodied aspect is probably the fact that it has a very complex secret society and includes a lot of information, which bordered on overload for me at times.

Read my review HERE.

Merlot – a smooth easy read with a soft finish

Tweet Cute! Everything about reading that book was easy and fun and soft and warm. It was like a modern day Young Adult version of You’ve Got Mail, just with a foodie aspect instead of bookstores. What’s softer than that?

Read my review HERE.

Champagne – Your Favourite Book

AS IF I HAD JUST ONE!?!?!?

I don’t know how anyone else does it, so I’m going to cheat a little bit. I’m just going to pick a random book that I gave a high rating to recently and haven’t mentioned in the post already.

We ended on The Light Between Worlds! It’s heartbreaking with a touch of Narnia, just more heavily focused on the returning part and mental health rather than the one about being in a magical kingdom. I mentioned several trigger warnings in my review, because I think that’s really necessary with this read, but I loved it.

Read my review HERE.

We’ve seen how bad I’m with sticking to tags, so I’ll just do the same I’ve been doing these past months: if you think you’d have fun with this yourself, CONSIDER YOURSELF TAGGED!!

What did you think of my picks for the different topics? Let’s talk!

Evermore Book Tag!

February 27, 2021April 6, 2021 Kat Impossible6 Comments

I wasn’t actually tagged for the Evermore Book Tag, but I saw it over at my friend Stephanie’s blog Adventures of a Bibliophile and felt like it would be fun to do. In all honesty, I always vibed more with evermore than with folklore, so, coming up with books to fit song titles should be fun!

RULES!

Link back to the original creator’s post: Ahaana’s at Windows to Worlds
Tag at least 5 people
Thank the person who tagged you and link back to their post!!
Feel free to use the graphics from Ahaana’s original post/or mine, but please credit back because they took a lot of time and effort to make (:

The SIMS Book Tag

February 6, 2021 Kat Impossible15 Comments

Okay, so, how do I say this? I have been tagged for the Sims Book Tag all the way back in 2016/2017 by the lovely Cristina @My Tiny Obsessions and Loreva @La Book Dreamer and it really took me 4-5 years to actually post it. Why? I don’t know, but be aware that my shame is endless.

It’s just that I have recently gotten more into the Sims again, owning way too many expansion packs and add ons for that game than necessary and then I saw this still lingering in my drafts. I gathered, if I don’t do it now, I might never get to it. So, in the spirit of better late than never, I hope you do enjoy the following post!

**click on the covers to get re-directed to Goodreads**

THE ORIGINAL SIMS – THE BEST AUTHOR DEBUT

I’ve mentioned this book so many times, but I just had so much fun with it? The Field Guide to the North American Teenager isn’t one of those stories with a finite end, but you still feel very satisfied with the outcome. It’s self-aware and funny and snarky – just immediately endeared me to check out all future releases by Ben Philippe.

Read my review here.

THE GRIM REAPER – THE SADDEST CHARACTER DEATH (SPOILER!!!)

I have mourned so many characters at this point, it is very hard to describe the absolute worst and saddest character death to me. However, I still very clearly remember the first (and therefore utterly devastating one), which was Dustfinger from the Inkworld trilogy. In case you haven’t read it, I am not going to talk about his fate in detail, but he will forever remain one of my all time favourite characters. He deserves the world!

SIMS GETTING STUCK – A CHARACTER THAT JUST GOT IN THE WAY

I’d like to think that most characters serve a purpose in a story, so, I am having a hard time coming up with someone who was really in the way. However, I feel like Maisie from Don’t Tell a Soul was someone who definitely complicated things in several situations. If she didn’t feel the need to constantly intervene, I think some events might have run smoother.

Read my review here.

SIMLISH – A BOOK WITH AMAZING WRITING

Beartown just had absolutely amazing writing. There is a kind of omniscient narrator type voice and yet you always know which character you are currently dealing with. Ensemble casts, especially of that size, are never easy to handle, because it’s tricky to keep it all balanced, but Backman knew what he was doing. I’ve literally marked so many sentences in that book, it was a thing of beauty.

Read my review here.

EXPANSION PACKS – A SERIES WHERE THE BOOKS KEEP GETTING BETTER

I don’t know why this was the first book series that came to mind, but I am just going with my gut here – I think the Magicians books actually got better over time. It’s been a while, but I believe the second book was my favourite, but the third was still better than the first one, so it totally counts.

Read my reviews for The Magicians, The Magician’s Land and the Magician King.

SIM ROMANCE – THE WORST CASE OF INSTA-LOVE

Phew, I tend to avoid books that insinuate insta love, so again, not easy to answer. (Yes, apparently I am going to say that about every single prompt.)

Okay, so, I didn’t review this book on the blog, because I really didn’t enjoy it, but A Pocketful of Crows was a very fairytale-esque story and had the main character and the love interest fall for each other in the most cliché of ways. It was immediate, it was founded on neither one of their qualities and just annoying, but thankfully that romance didn’t last. The real downfall of the book was the overall message for me though, because it suggested that you were right in exacting revenge upon people who wronged you.

CHEATS – A BOOK THAT WAS ENTIRELY UNREALISTIC

Sometimes I think I can’t play the Sims without cheats anymore. Am I the only one?

Anyway, let’s talk books again. As someone who works in film and TV, I just didn’t find Famous in Love very realistic. Does that mean it’s not a fun and entertaining book? Of course not, but it’s just not how things would likely play out. And I will forever prefer the too-soon-cancelled TV version of this tale (which also wasn’t 100% authentic, but closer?).

Read my review here.

NEEDS FULFILLMENT – A CHARACTER THAT MADE ALL THE WRONG DECISIONS

ALL the wrong decisions is quite the heavy accusation. I think that Chloe from Admission made a lot of mistakes by not making very many decisions on her own. There’s no way she didn’t know that something was off, but by going along with what she was told to do (deciding not to speak up), she made all the wrong moves. I did enjoy that they didn’t glorify or redeem her actions entirely, but just explained how they came to be.

Read my review here.

ERROR CODE 12 – A SERIES THAT STARTED OFF WELL BUT WENT DOWNHILL FROM THERE

Uhm, I don’t know? Divergent?

I thought the premise and concept was cool and I really enjoyed it in the beginning, but Allegiant? No, thank you. That book set itself up to fail in my opinion and it just felt kind of lost overall. Would have much rather prefered a different path for the series.

THE SIMS VORTEX – A SERIES THAT COMPLETELY ENGROSSED YOU

I’ve not spoken about this series in a long time, but RED RISING IS RIGHT THERE!! I feel bad for just staring at the brick of a book that is Dark Age on my shelf, but I am scared. These characters mean so much to me and they are in constant peril. I don’t know what kind of spell Pierce Brown put on me, but he has me heart and soul invested in this series. (check out a post I made about why the original trilogy is so great here)

Read my review of Red Rising, Golden Son, Morning Star and Iron Gold.

I TAG THEE

Since it took me so long to do this post, I don’t want to put anyone else on the spot. And I also genuinely think that a lot of people have already done the Sims Book Tag at this point, but if you think “hey, this is for me!”, then CONSIDER YOURSELF TAGGED!

Do you play the Sims? Do you have a favourite expansion pack? Let’s chat!

The Writer Tag: 20 Questions

November 14, 2020 Kat Impossible10 Comments

I pretended I didn’t have like a billion tags in my drafts and looked one up that was writing related. I found the Writer Tag: 20 Questions on a blog called InkBlots and IceBergs and just thought “this fits the NaNo month!”, so, here we are! Let’s do this!

What type of writing do you do?

I write exclusively fiction. I’m not sure that’s what was really asked for, but to expand a little on it, I write long formatted fiction and every once in a while a short story. However, as much as I enjoy essays and poetry, I could never …

What genres and/or topics do you write about?

A lot of my stories focus on the found family trope and by that I really mean A LOT. I dabble in YA as well as in adult and like to switch it up with Fantasy, SciFi and regular contemporary stories. It’s really a “whatever strikes the mood” kind of thing for me.

How long have you been writing?

As corny as it may sound, but I am pretty sure I’ve been writing since I learned how to write. Even in grade school, I was the one who had to get up in front of the class and read out loud the story I had fabricated and I just never stopped creating ever since.

Are you published?

I am not and I am super undecided whether I want to be.

What was the first story you ever wrote?

That feels impossible to answer! I can, however, talk about the first really long story I attempted to write and even shared with some friends. It was called Elementals and about a group of teens who could each control one element (aka water, fire, air and earth). Their enemies were the Society of the Iron Mask, as they believed that metal was not affected by the element wielders. Little did they know that the main character, who could control the element of earth, also discovered that she could manipulate metals. She also had about three love interests. I was super proud for writing this before Avatar, the Last Airbender aired and everyone wanted element stories.

Why do you write?

To me, writing is like a necessity. When a story or scene or character pops into my head, they won’t let me go until I write them down somewhere. It doesn’t always have to amount to anything, but it would never leave my system unless I jotted it down somewhere.

How do you find time to write?

Honestly, this is something I struggle with a lot. I wish I could write all the time and make it a priority, but a lot of the time I am just tired. And when I am tired, I do not want to write. I also don’t think that I can write anything I’d actually like in those cases.

When and where are the best times to write?

There is no such thing as a bad time to write (unless you are at work and not doing your job or behind a wheel or something else where it’s just not logical to write in that particular moment). Whether it be night or day, if you have an idea and you want to work on it – go for it!

Favorite food/drinks while writing?

No such thing for me. I generally either drink water or tea and nothing else. And I am not really that much of a snacker. Maybe some wallnuts?

Your writing playlist?

I actually do have one. Click here to listen to it!

What do family/friends/loved ones think of you writing?

I think they approve? I’ve been told that I am not a bad writer (not gonna actually praise myself here), but I am also pretty sure they’d like for me to actually finish something for once.

Here, for example, is something I am currently working on. Judge my writing ability for yourself:

Parts of writing you enjoy the most?

There are few things that I adore more than when a scene just spills out on the age effortlessly. That moment, when choices I made before and was unsure about suddenly make sense and everything fits together like the perfect puzzle pieces they are. Sometimes I really do lay bread crumbs throughout my own story that I will not have realized I put there until I get to a certain moment and it’s pure bliss.

Parts of writing you find challenging?

I often really wish I could connect my brain to my laptop and that the words would just spill out the way I intend them to instead of me actually having to formulate sentences. It’s not always hard, but sometimes some scenes just don’t want to work the way you want them to. And it annoys me to no end.

What do you write with and on?

Technically pretty much anything and everything, but most often my laptop for sure.

How do you overcome writer’s block?

If only I knew … hit me up if you got tips!

How do you motivate yourself to write?

I think my stories motivate me and I have a habit of sharing my stories with people I trust, even the ongoing rough drafts. Hearing their thoughts and reactions to what I write really gives me a boost!

Authors who inspire you as a writer?

This doesn’t really mean that I think I write like them in any way, but here are some people I’d read a grocery list from:

Leigh Bardugo
Victoria Schwab
Tahereh Mafi
Pierce Brown
Ben Philippe
Morgan Matson
Nina LaCour

Books that inspire you as a writer?

There’s so many books I appreciate and try to learn from, but here are some that always stay with me:

Best advice you’ve gotten as a writer?

I never quite liked the whole “write every day” and “write about what you know” mindset, because I cannot for the life of me write every day and there is way more that I do not know than what I do know. My experiences are still so limited and while I am sure there is value in that, I also need to step out of my little world every once in a while. I write about many things I do not actually know about. Frankly, I write about things I want to know more about sometimes or things I wish for. More often than not, I write about things I have dreamed about.

And that brings me to the advice I got, which is to write down my dreams. To not wait until I have had my morning tea and am fully awake, but to always have a pen and notebook ready at my bedside table and just jot down those ideas my brain fabricated in the night. Alternately, if it’s too dark to write yet and I am super groggy, I will make a quick note on my phone.

Writing goals this year

Finishing just about anything would be great!

Are you taking part in NaNoWriMo this month? Are you currently working on a story? Feel free to steal this tag if you want to!

The Rising Author Tag

November 23, 2018 Kat Impossible23 Comments

I wasn’t actually tagged for this, but I saw The Rising Author Tag over at Beth @Reading Every Night and thought it would be really fun to take part. There are some definite rules to this, which I am not sure I will 100% comply to, but I still want to try my best.

RULES

No tagging back
Tag four people
Thank the person who tagged you
Come up with 10 new questions

QUESTIONS FROM BETH’S TAG

What is your current WIP about, and what’s its status? (ie. plotting, writing, editing, etc.)

This is already starting out more difficult than I thought, because I am working on several WIPs at the same time. Well, I guess I have neglected Arcadia a bit these past couple of months, but you all already know quite a lot about it anyway. So for the sake of making this post easier (and also to talk about something new), I am going to stick to the infamous #witchyWIP for this one.
It’s in the very early stages of writing, somewhere in the middle of chapter 12 to be exact, and about a family of witches who take in a girl who’s coven was eradicated for yet unknown reasons. The girl’s family was very powerful, so they are all cautious and scared about what she might be capable of and things get even trickier when she and the youngest son of the family perform a (forbidden) binding spell that ties them together forever. It starts from her childhood on and is told from other people’s POV but is meant to ultimately turn into her own POV as soon as she’s an adult. (I am working on a pitch that will make it sound more interesting – promise!)

Do you plot things out and/or outline, or just figure it out as you write?

I am someone who very much enjoys figuring out things as I go along, but for this one I have to plan ahead a little bit, because I am terrible with timelines and WILL mess them up if given the chance (Arcadia is living testimony of that).

What are some book ideas you want to write in the future?

FUTURE!? I have three unfinished WIPs and one finished one that needs desperate editing. I am going to try my best to stick to the current things before getting new ideas. However … one day I would like to write a contemporary YA book about a girl from Europe who goes on an exchange semester in the US (write about what you know and whatnot).

Out of the characters you’ve written so far, who are your favourites?

This is like asking a parent to pick a favourite child – HOW DARE YOU! But … if I must … I love my little confused but rational wolf girl aka Kasia from Arcadia.

What’s your writing routine, if any? (ie. snacks, music, time of day, location, etc.)

No real routine comes to mind when I think about me writing. I do prefer to have music on, sometimes even putting certain songs on repeat for certain chapters, but I have also had days where I needed complete silence. I’d say it all depends …

Show your WIP’s aesthetic in images or words (or both)!

I think this might just be the project I have the least visual idea of, but here you go:

Bonus aesthetics for the other WIPs:

What (or who) motivates you to write?

Honestly, it’s just everyone who ever read a snippet (or more) of my work and told me they liked it. Every single person who got invested in the fate of my characters. By now, that group of people I trust to share my projects with has grown far bigger than I initially thought possible and I hope you all know who you are because you are the best!!!

What do you find is the easiest part about writing? The hardest?

Easiest – having that scene in your head that needs to get written down no matter what. It’s okay if it doesn’t turn out right, but you just need to let the words out. I adore those moments because I have such a clear mental image of what I want to say.

Hardest – just generally sticking with a project, seeing it through when the going gets tough and you might get stuck at certain parts of the story.

What genre will you never try, and why?

It’s very unlikely that I will ever write historical fiction, because I hate research and doing those kind of stories without research is just … strange.

Share a tiny (or large) snippet/excerpt of your writing, if you’re comfortable!

This is the entire opening chapter if you like a real glimpse:

And here are two very random bits:

I hope you enjoyed those snippets! Definitely let me know what you think!

MY QUESTIONS

So, I am not sure I got this right, but I am also supposed to create 10 questions? Am I supposed to answer them myself as well? Does the next person only answer mine? Since I am confusion and I really like the questions I found on Beth’s tag, I am going to pass those on to the people I’ll tag.

I TAG THEE

Marie | Caro | The Orang-utan Librarian | Rami | WHOEVER WANTS TO DO THIS TAG

What are your thoughts on this? Did you enjoy another sneak peek into my writing life? Let’s chat about it in the comments!

What’s On My Bookshelf Tag

September 14, 2018September 14, 2018 Kat Impossible34 Comments

I don’t remember the last time I spent this much time on my own laptop, but it’s been really tough to find my work-life-balance so far (probably because I love work but whatever). Still, I don’t want there to only be trailer posts on the blog, so I was really happy that Kelly @Just Another Book in the Wall tagged me for the What’s On My Bookshelf Tag (originally created by Emily @Wicked Good Reads)! It’s a little hard to do without my physical bookshelf, but I will try my best!

A Library Book

I don’t have any library books, however, I DO have a book in library optic and that’s S. by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst. That book is something else, which always makes it hard to explain why I still haven’t finished reading it.

A Book You Got As a Gift

Probably a couple throughout my days, but somehow the first one I thought of was Landline by Rainbow Rowell, which my very good friend Cristina sent me all the way from Portugal. I love her so much and not just because she up and decided to send me one of her books to keep.

A Childhood Book

Today, I am really just going with the first book that pops into my mind, which in this case is Momo by Michael Ende. I am pretty sure I did a book report on it and confused my entire class about what it’s about.

A Magical Book

All books are magical in itself, because words are magic, but for the purpose of this tag I will go with Devils & Thieves. Despite the book having quite a few shortcomings, the magical system is really interesting!

A Romantic Book

Nicholas Sparks books are pretty much synonymous with romance, right? One of the ones I really, really liked was The Longest Ride. I guess I appreciate a good dual time line if done well.

A Steamy Book

I don’t really read all that many steamy books? But the first chapter of Save the Date by Morgan Matson was surprisingly steamy in comparison to the lack of romance (which I very much appreciated) during the rest of the book.

An Old Book

Persuasion? Persuasion! (Cause it’s my favourite Austen book.)

A Book That Makes You Happy and/or Laugh

I recently read Parsnips, Buttered by Joe Lycett, which is basically just a compilation of mails Joe wrote or received. Some of those stories are truly hilarious. He is one of my favourite British comedians, so I definitely laughed, while I simultaneously very much doubt it’s for everyone.

A Book That Makes You Emotional

We all know I cannot stop mentioning this book, but The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was really great and made me feel so many different things.

A Book Whose Ending You Disliked

? I just always pretend that book doesn’t even exist in the series.

A Book You Wish Had Illustrations

I am not sure if maybe there were a couple tiny illustrations in The Night Circus, but I would want a proper graphic novel for the magic that is this book!

A Book or Genre You Like to Read on a Rainy Day

I think I am a pretty simple girl and can read whatever comes my way on a rainy day. Lately it has been more contemporary and adult fiction admittedly though.

I TAG THEE

Anyone and everyone who wants to do this tag! I am unfortunately really not able to be super active in the community right now, so I have no idea who has done the tag or who would enjoy it. Link me up if you decide to give it a try though, so I can see your answers!

Did you like this tag? Could you relate to my answers? Let’s talk a little bit in the comments and I’ll try not to need a week to respond to them!

The Life Choices Write Tag

August 8, 2018 Kat Impossible52 Comments

I said I would do a new Write Tag this month and for once I am really keeping my promise! If you have missed previous installments of this very irregular feature, you can check out the posts for the Winter Is Here, Valentine’s Day and Milestones Write Tag by clicking on their titles. You are also more than welcome to join in if you haven’t yet! I have once again tried to steer clear of seasonal tags, because I want people to be able and do them whenever they feel like and am therefore happy to present the Life Choices Write Tag! It’s all about those little moments in life that define us and in this case hopefully our characters. Let’s get to know them better!

Once again, I will be doing this tag myself by answering the questions with my WIP (Work in Progress) Arcadia. While I have made some important decisions (like it is definitely going to be a duology and not a stand-alone), there’s still loads of work to do. The heat has made it a little tough to think straight, so I haven’t really been working on it. I am hoping this tag will motivate me again.

RULES

Thank the person who tagged you but also link back to the original post! (I want to see all your lovely answers, people!)
Provide a short description of your WIP/story!
Kasia and Dyson have known each other their entire lives, their paths intertwining at every crossroad. So forgetting he ever existed doesn’t make any sense to Kasia and neither does finding out about the magical beings that took him away from her. Now, with the help of some allies with motives of their own, she will do everything she can to get him back, not knowing if either one of them will ever be the same after all is said and done.
You can check out this post to find out more about Arcadia!
This is pretty focused on main characters but don’t hesitate to use several characters for the answers if you want to! (We want to get to know as many of your characters as possible)

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Where does your main character (MC) live? Were they born there or did they move to that place?

Kasia and Dyson moved to Vancouver together after they both finished university. Their families live in Ontario, but it’s not really an issue for them. First it’s not an insurmountable distance if you want to see them for holidays and second, they felt it was more important to start someplace new get trapped in their old routines after graduation.

Does your MC have a dream career? What (if anything) stops them from pursuing it?

Dyson’s greatest dream was to become a sort of mix between Indiana Jones and Noah Flynn from the Librarian movies. His knack for studying, but also outdoor adventure ultimately did lead to him becoming an archaeologist. The actual excavation sites are not nearly as exciting as the movies made them look, but he soon found himself gravitating towards teaching and jobs at museums anyway. (So, in short, he pursued his dream career and ended up loving it!)

Did any of your characters ever go against their parents/family’s wishes? How did that change their relationship?

Well, Dyson did when he didn’t find a “reasonable” job in his family’s eyes. They came around eventually and never truly held it against him, especially since Kasia went the more sensible route and became an accountant. That way not both of them had precarious jobs, but it still elicits the occasional eye roll at family gatherings.

If faced with their greatest fear – would your MC try to overcome it or run the other way?

Kasia’s greatest fear (aside from loosing Dyson) are heights, which I can very much relate to. As long as someone (again, preferable Dyson) is there to hold her hand though, she’ll at least always try.

Did any character have to cut a person out of their life? Why?

If I may refer everyone to chapter 9 of Arcadia … I don’t even feel like I should talk about this again. I’ve made a lot of people sad with that one. (Click here to read Arcadia if you haven’t yet, but want to.)

What is your main character’s biggest regret?

I shared an aesthetic the last time, of a little road trip (that probably won’t make it into the book) and I think there is a certain kind of regret involved with not actually going through with it, especially since it’s so uncertain if they will be able to now.

Which character is most likely going to help a stranger, even if they got nothing out of it in return?

This is someone a lot of you don’t know at all or at least not very well yet, but Casper would be my answer. I wanted to say Findlay at first, but I want to give some recognition to Casper too. He has a hard shell but a soft inside. He would never get a “most friendly” award, but if someone actually needed help, I don’t doubt that he would show up.

If your character got good/bad news, who would be the person they first tell?

Kasia and Dyson would call each other and after that Robyn. Georgie would call Fin, although I am not 100% sure he would call her first in return. I am really looking forward to figuring out who Leo would call. Haven’t found an answer yet though.

BONUS: Make an aesthetic for your MCs life if there had been no obstacles (money, geographical, etc.) and they had everything they wanted. (It is up to you if you want to explain it or not!)

I am going to leave this open for interpretation for now, but give me your best guess in the comments!

I hope you liked the tag and if you did, please don’t hesitate to spread the word!!! People have so many stories in them and I hope this helps them get to know their characters.

The Anonymous Bookaholics

July 25, 2018 Kat Impossible48 Comments

A while back (and I really meant that, we are talking more than a year here), Fadwa @Word Wonders tagged me for the Anonymous Bookaholics. I know I need to post reviews or something else again, but life has been busy, so I am just trying to deliver some content here and this one looked like relatable fun!

What do you like about buying new books?

I just generally like adding to my library. I like the smell of books and I like being in a certain mood and finding that one book that compliments the mood perfectly! It’s just nice to then have them all on my shelves and look at them with fond memories.

How often do you buy new books?

I try to buy a couple books at once and not too many times. I can’t say any sort of number though. Am I supposed to know?? I thought we were all pretending to be oblivious to our extreme book buying habits …

Bookstore or online book shopping – Which do you prefer?

I love browsing bookstores, but a sad reality is that the stores here don’t have very big English-language sections and if they do, there’s not always the edition I want available should the book be there at all. So, simply out of practicality, I prefer online book shopping.

Do you have a favorite bookshop?

There’s this one chain bookshop with a decent English section in Vienna that’s also open on Sundays (shops are traditionally closed on Sundays in my country) and I like that one a lot. It also has like a coffee drinking area and is one of the few shops that does author events.

Do you pre-order books?

Sometimes. I know it helps authors and I like to support them, but even if I pre-order a book, it won’t actually be here on release day. That just means I rarely feel the need to pre-order because it doesn’t speed up the process of me getting the book. With some books I’ve found them in bookstores earlier than I got them via mail, which then just made me sad.

Do you have a monthly book buying limit?

I try to set a certain budget, but it varies all the time because I don’t order books every month and then I feel like I am allowed to splurge a little and so on. I mean, I do love books and I like having a selection to choose from at home.

Book buying bans – Are they something for you?

They actually work quite well for me. I set a book buying ban for myself until I have diminished my physical TBR a little and even though I caved eventually, I did make it through a couple months before that happened, which I would consider a success.

How big is your wishlist?

I don’t know?? Take a look yourself here.

Which three books from your wishlist do you wish to own NOW?

Marriage Vacation – This book was featured as a major plot point in one of my all time favourite TV shows “Younger”, so I need to read it! Page 58 everyone!!!

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – EVERYONE talks about it and loves it! I want to experience that too!!

Tyler Johnson Was Here – I’ve wanted this books since I first set eyes on it and I feel bad for not having read it yet.

I TAG THEE

I am keeping with my recent tradition of tagging WHOEVER WANTS TO DO THE TAG! I am so bad at keeping up with tags myself and I don’t want anyone to feel obliged, so if this looks like fun and you want to do it, consider yourself hereby tagged!

Can you relate to my book buying habits and feelings? Does my wishlist correlate with yours in any way? Let’s talk!