Beth Alvarez - Author of Epic Fantasy
  • Cover Reveal: Sea of Twisted Souls

    Cover Reveal: Sea of Twisted Souls

    Two years ago when author Megan Cutler asked me to design the cover art for her first book, I knew there was a chance I could be doing art for future installments of the series. It was a little nerve-wracking, making sure I provided something that satisfied, but it was a delight to revisit vector work and stretch my artistic wings.

    The first and second covers were simple and straightforward. We worked out a vision and I did a few sketches, easily reaching an end result we were both happy with. The third book was a bit more of a challenge.

    I drew three or four drafts, each not quite what we wanted, though it was difficult to put a finger on what exactly needed to change. There were ocean ripples of every size and shape, a version with a lot of sparkle and some kind of Aurora Borealis effect, and one with a swirl which was close, but not quite. Eventually Megan hit on the right word for what we really wanted: a whirlpool.

    A whirlpool of souls.

    I jokingly mentioned Disney’s Hercules as a point of reference, asking if we were too old for Disney references to be relevant. The answer, of course, is certainly not; Disney references never stop being relevant or appropriate, and it put us on the path to the final version of the cover, which was a delight to draw.

    And now, in less than a month, it will be live on every major e-book retailer.

    Here it is: Sea of Twisted Souls!

    Sea of Twisted Souls

    It’s been sixteen years since Damian departed the island. Sixteen years since he broke his promise to be there when Morulin needed him. Now an adult, she’s ready to take the reins of rule from her father, but he has chosen to pass his position to her brother instead.

    When Damian reappears without warning, Morulin isn’t interested in making amends. She’d rather spend her time with the enigmatic Pilgrim, a dimensional traveler with plenty of stories to tell. That Damian seems to loathe him only makes his company more appealing. But she can’t ignore her stepfather’s strange behavior, especially when someone attempts to assassinate the island’s new heir.

    Damian insists the Pilgrim is responsible, but Morulin isn’t convinced. Could he be trying to frame his new rival? Or has something more sinister come to visit their island paradise? If Morulin’s family can’t heal their fractures in time to solve the mystery, they might lose their beloved dimension-hopping home.

    Sea of Twisted Souls will be released Tuesday, April 5th, and is available for pre-order on Amazon.

    Not familiar with the series? Island of Lost Forevers, the first book in the trilogy, is now on sale for just 99 cents.

    You can pick up the whole series at the following retailers:
    Amazon
    Smashwords
    Barnes and Noble
    Kobo
    DriveThru Fiction

    And if you’re curious about Megan, you can see more of her work and get a glimpse into her life at http://megancutler.net.

    I’m traveling this week, so my blog will resume normal updates next Tuesday.

    Happy reading!

  • New year, new look

    Okay, so maybe it’s a little late in 2016 to be referring to it as a new year.  But it is a new look, so that counts for something.

    It’s amazing how time gets away from you. I didn’t realize until a few weeks ago that my webpage had been sporting the same theme for almost four years. And while there wasn’t necessarily anything wrong with it, I used to change up my websites at least once a year, so it did start to feel a little stale. But overall, it worked. That was a big deal for me; most often I redesigned my page because I felt it wasn’t optimized for what I was doing.

    The fact that it worked is why so little has changed in this iteration of the page. The colors are different, and the art gallery link has moved from the sidebar (which is now reserved for writing only) to the navigation bar above. Otherwise, everything is still exactly where you remember it.

    So why change? Well, for sake of something different. For something a little fresh, a little more modern, a little more fitting for the variety of stories I write. That’s why the new page has dusky colors pulled from a photo of a sunset. This encompasses both worlds of my writing: the paranormal part is about vampires and other night creatures, while the fantasy part is set in a world where the night sky is a huge influence.

    A few other things have been adjusted, like tweaking alignment of some things and making a more defined break between posts on the blog, as well as some serious cleanup to the comments form to make pages more attractive. That’s a bit more technical, though, and probably not interesting to most people reading this.

    Instead, just scroll down–if you aren’t on mobile–and enjoy the CSS sorcery that is a hex code gradient that adjusts itself to the length of the page! The updated mobile look will be coming in a few weeks.

  • Persimmon Tree Tea’s White Guava

    Persimmon Tree Tea’s White Guava

    White teas are a challenge for me. Either I make them too weak or I end up scorching them and they come out bitter. That’s part of the reason I waited so long to get around to trying this one.

    PTT white guava

    Persimmon Tree Tea’s White Guava blend is one of the prettiest blends I’ve seen, which is something white teas seem to have in common. They’re always mixed with pretty fruit bits and flower petals, and in that department, this one doesn’t disappoint. The silvery white tea leaves provide a cool backdrop for the peachy colored pieces of dried guava and strawberry, and peony petals provide a splash of ivory.

    As far as taste, though, I find it lackluster. I don’t mind weak teas as long as there’s enough flavor to compensate, and whites are often delicate. The guava is the only real flavor punch here, and while it’s not bad, it’s not great, either. It could just be that guava isn’t one of my favorite fruits, but I feel like it needs something else to round it out. The strawberry is virtually unnoticeable, which is a shame, because the sweet-tart punch of berry might kick this tea up to being something special. As it is, it just needs a little more.

    This is also the last tea I had on my list to drink and review, which means I won’t be posting any more tea reviews for a little while. I need to drink up some of my favorites before I go shopping again, but I’ll likely be hitting a few places for something new to try in the next few months, so if you have a recommendation, please share!

  • A Drawing a Month

    When I was a teenager, I started pursuing art as a means to show people what my characters looked like. There’s only so much you can do with words; at the end of the day, a glance at an image is always better to show people what’s in your head.

    It’s not often, though, that an image looks anything like what was in my head when I started.

    For a long time, I thought art was something I could do seriously. Maybe as a commission artist, maybe doing comics, maybe teaching. I pursued visual arts in college, but it was never my first passion. It was just one hobby of many, and truthfully, I’ve never thought myself great at it. I’ve drawn things I was proud of, obviously, but it’s not the same as getting something out onto paper and having it be just exactly what you wanted.

    When I became a parent, my free time evaporated. I found myself forced to pick just one thing to work on each night, and sometimes I was too tired to work at all. So, like with any skill, my ability with art has atrophied over the years. I’d like to improve again, which is why one of my goals for the new year was to pick up the pencil again. I decided to start small: if I could find time to do one drawing each month, I’d be happy.

    I did two in January. One was a quick and rough digital painting of Sera, a character from Serpent’s Wake. The other was a cover for one of Megan Cutler’s upcoming books.

    For February, I did a character portrait, then  decided to work on a commission I should have finished a long time ago; hopefully that will be what I finish this month. My inability to be satisfied with my art is exactly why I shouldn’t take commissions, really–because someone paid me for it, I want it to be absolutely perfect. But the problem with that is it’ll never be perfect, and it’ll never be the best I can do, because the longer I practice, the better I get. And by the time I go back and repaint the parts that I can do better now, I’d be better at other things, creating a vicious cycle that’s impossible to escape.

    Sometimes, you have to learn when to stop. This is something I’ve learned through writing, especially; I could edit something a hundred times and it would be better with each pass, but nobody would ever see it, because it would never be done. It’s okay for something to be imperfect, as long as you’re willing to mark it complete. Even if you know you can do better, even if you feel like you should do more, it’s important to learn when to stop.

    So that’s something I’ve tried to apply to art. I can pick at it forever and not finish and never be happy, or I can move on and call it done and be able to move to the next project. The latter is certainly more appealing, and gives me a lot more content to work with, too. Sometimes enthusiasm wanes after starting a project, too, both with art and writing. Perseverance is great, and it’s necessary for things like finishing a novel, but at some point the number of leaves I draw in the background of an image simply won’t matter.

    I’ve had trouble deciding whether or not I should add sketches to my gallery here, and also whether or not I should show art done for the second and third books in my trilogy. I think I will, but selectively, since I don’t want to give any spoilers by mistake. And if I draw one or two a month, I might have portraits for the entire cast by the time the first book makes it off my writing table and out into the world. They won’t be perfect, but they’ll be practice. If nothing else, practice makes perfect, right?

  • Book Three Woes

    Now that we’re two months into 2016 and I’m two months into my current writing project, I finally have a few things to say about it.

    I started working on Serpent’s Blood at the beginning of the year. I’m sure it seems like an odd choice, since the first book, Serpent’s Tears, still hasn’t escaped query limbo. More than one person has called me out on it, too–I mean, why work on writing another book in a series when you don’t know if the first book is going anywhere?

    Work on the second began while I was querying for the first, which made sense, but I’ll agree that starting the third might not make as much. At least, not at this point in time. But there are a few things I’ve already learned from working on a book 3 in a trilogy, and with these discoveries in mind, I think I’d be reluctant to ever publish a book before its series is complete.

    First off…

    Writing a series is hard

    I’m sure you read that and think “Well duh,” but it goes beyond the obvious part that writing any book is hard. When you’re writing a series, there are a lot more things to keep in mind. Plot threads that need to trail from the first book to the last, but without robbing each individual book of a satisfying ending.  Timelines are more complex, and there are more characters to keep track of, but the hardest part I’ve encountered is that as you write, things tend to evolve.

    Things change

    Evolution of characters is a good thing; personal growth and change is what gives us a strong character arc and an enjoyable story.  I’m not talking about character arcs, though. I’m talking about the world you’ve created changing, often in ways that challenges what you’ve already written.

    One such problem I’ve encountered is that the series relies heavily on magic, and toward the end of the second book, my understanding of my own magic system changed radically. It’s not like it was me working out kinks or anything, either–I mean, I spent 15 years working those out before I even got around to writing the first book. It was that I thought of ways magic could work that I’d never addressed before, and unfortunately, it challenged things I’d done in the first book, when I thought I had the rules set in stone. This meant new revisions for the first book, to close gaps and make the world stronger, while building a solid foundation.

    Another problem is that by exploring some themes more deeply, I ended up uncovering a gaping plot hole left in the first book. Somehow, me and a half dozen other people managed to overlook it. I can fix it, and I will, I’m just grateful in some ways that the first book hadn’t yet gone to publication. That one took me by surprise, but I guess it shouldn’t, because…

    You learn

    Not only do you obtain new information through continued study and research on your chosen subjects, you learn things about your story that surprise you, that you want to include but can’t just shoehorn into a third book without it feeling trite. So again, you’re pushed into a situation where you need to backtrack. It makes the whole series stronger, sometimes with just the addition of a few lines.

    And when you’re doing that, of course, you learn more about writing, just because you’re doing more of it. You do things faster, you know your characters better, and all those hours of editing have helped you catch your problems and correct them before they even slide down your fingers and escape into your first draft.

    But the strangest issue I’ve encountered?

    You get faster

    I don’t just mean writing faster. Later stories are often faster-paced. And, partly because you write faster, partly because you’ve already laid down the ground work, books later in the series sometimes get shorter.

    It seems counter-intuitive to what I expected, since most fantasy series I’ve worked my way through in the past end with a few really hefty books. Now that I’m more experienced, I realize that usually has less to do with story content and more to do with that they’ve established a strong-selling series and can get away with more fluff and less ruthless editing. But I’ve gotten better at self-editing, too, so instead of my books working their way up to that monster you’d hate to lug around with you, they’ve lost size with each installment.

    Serpent’s Tears clocked in at 180k words, mostly because it was the introduction to the characters and the world. Serpent’s Wake came in at around 160k, and at the rate I’m going, I expect Serpent’s Blood will be somewhere between 140k-150k. And it’s not for lack of story, either; there’s more packed into that last book than either of the others, because it’s bringing everything to a conclusion and tying up all those loose threads that have been tangling since book one. But you save a lot of time when you don’t have to spend time doing world building, or introducing characters. By the time you make it to book 3, you already know where we are and who we’re dealing with, so there’s no need to introduce them all over again. Which means as much as 50,000 words of ground work now gives way to story, and a lot of story, at that.

    I still hope that when I revisit the first book at the end of the year that I might be able to pare the word count down a little more, but I’m not too hopeful. Especially since new developments mean its count might creep a little higher before everything is worked out smoothly.

    After this, though, I am looking forward to writing a few standalone books.

  • The Song of the Sea

    The Song of the Sea

    After publishing Gale’s Gift, I received several comments from readers saying they enjoyed my descriptions of the sea. I hadn’t given it much consideration at time of writing, but the ocean is one of those things that proves your writing about a place is so much better if you’ve been there. Research can be enough to get you by if it’s a must, but there’s something extra special that comes from being present.

    There’s nothing like being near the ocean. The feeling of the cool ocean air, the scent of the water, the taste of brine on the air. There’s the sound of the water, the surf, the way the sand crackles when the tide first comes in and soaks it. There’s the rasping of shells as they move over rock and sand, the whoosh of the wings of seagulls, and the refreshing sensation of the waves throwing mist over your skin.

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    It’s hard not to describe the ocean with a lot of love. I only lived near it for a short period of time, but the memories forged there were precious. The base had its own private section of beach, though we only went there once. I scavenged shark teeth from the sand, collected shells, and enjoyed the warmth of the tide pools. More often, we’d pack a portable grill into the trunk of the car on the weekend and head over the bascule bridge to spend an afternoon on Emerald Island.

    We always meant to walk the pier, but we never did. We got all the way up to the side of it one time, but we were tired and had miscalculated how far away we’d parked, so we decided to turn back. The pier was always busy, anyway; the beach below the candy-colored houses rarely had so many people on it.

    I loved the way you could look at the water and see forever. I loved watching the tide change, watching the fish caught in the waves, watching the pleasure ships coming and going from the harbor. But mostly I loved the air, the sun, and the odd sense of peace that came from sitting on the shore. Strange to think it could be so comforting to sit beside something so devastatingly powerful, especially when I’ve never been very good at swimming. I don’t think I ever went in farther than knee deep.

    And strange to think that after such a small period of time being around it, I’d still hear the song of the sea so clearly, and feel its pull on summer days. I want to go back, but for now, the best I can do is use words like these, trying to trap its melody on pages.

  • What I learned from Slave Leia

    What I learned from Slave Leia

    With the release of The Force Awakens, there’s been a renewed interest in the lives of the stars from the original trilogy and–along with that–a lot of both praise and criticism for Carrie Fisher.

    The complaints that she doesn’t look like she once did boggle me. I think she’s aged like a normal human being; she’s older than my mother and she looks fine to me. I can’t say I’m surprised, however. What does surprise me, though, is the barrage of new criticism for Leia’s metal bikini. There are endless articles decrying the Slave Leia look as objectifying, and when I see them, I’m just as confused as I am by the belief that actresses should never age. What I learned from bikini-clad Leia as a child doesn’t seem to be reflected anywhere, but I’m sure I’m not alone.

    Star Wars was still big when I was a girl. I was born in ’87 and the trilogy had been finished for a few years, so I already had Star Wars everything at my fingertips. My grandfather provided VHS copies of the film, and I couldn’t say how often I wanted to be Princess Leia for Halloween–or any time, really. My brother liked The Empire Strikes Back best, but as a girl, I liked Return of the Jedi because I loved happy endings. And along with this preference came frequent viewings of Princess Leia’s bikini.

    According to the articles about this matter, this should have been a horrible experience, a bad influence on a developing girl. I’d grow up obsessed with beauty, with being thin, with being sexy. I’d grow up thinking the only role of a geek girl was to be eye candy for the guys. Truthfully, those things never crossed my mind.

    The journalists and opinion columnists complaining about the bikini view the world through lenses colored with experience. When they see Leia in her skimpy getup, they relate it to years of looking at Sports Illustrated swimsuit editions and Victoria’s Secret catalogs. And in doing that, they overlook a deeper message that, as a child, I found easy to grasp.

    Leia’s bikini was never objectification to me.
    It was empowerment.

    Leia was the picture of everything I wanted to be when I grew up. She was a princess, yeah. She was beautiful, sure. But most importantly, she was capable. She was leader of her people. She was intelligent. She could fight and shoot and ride speeder bikes just as well as the guys. She could do everything.

    And Jabba? He represented everything our society wanted Leia to be.
    Looking back at the films now, it seems so fitting that he was an enormous, disgusting slug. He was greedy, gross and unforgiving. And as soon as he got hold of Leia, he chained her at his side and stuffed her into the metal bikini.

    Despite that, Leia never stopped being herself. She never stopped being independent, never stopped resisting, never stopped fighting. Despite the role Jabba tried to force her into, she never stopped being herself. It’s easy to see her as a damsel in distress just because she was chained, but knowing her resilience, I still believe she would have found a way to get herself free if things had worked out differently. And the very moment she had the opportunity, she had a blaster back in her hands, and leaped at the chance to strangle Jabba with the very chains he tried to control her with.

    Was she sexy in the bikini? Of course she was. But it wasn’t her body that made it so. It was the strength of her character.  So if you ever tell me the bikini only existed for fan service, I’ll just shake my head and encourage you to look deeper, because Leia–complete with sexy slave bikini–was one of the greatest role models a girl like me could have had.

  • 50 Character Questions

    At the end of December, my husband stumbled across this character questionnaire on Tumblr.

    Back in the days where I used to roleplay online, I saw a lot of these. But I don’t do that any more, and I don’t really use Tumblr for much, so I thought it would make more sense to post it here instead. And maybe adjust a few questions, if they’re too Tumblr-centric.

    Before I get started, though, here’s a glossary of terms not everyone might know:
    OC – Abbreviation of “original character.” Any character you’ve created yourself.
    RP – Abbreviation of “roleplay.” Popularized by Dungeons and Dragons, where you dictate your character’s actions.
    OTP – Abbreviation of “one true pairing.” Your favorite romantic pairing of characters.
    Crack ship – A romantic pairing that makes absolutely no sense, sometimes as a crossover between series.

    All clear? Let’s go!

    1. Your first OC ever?
    Her name was Kate. She was a farmer who had a pet crow. That story was about as exciting as you’d expect.

    2. Do you have a personal favourite among your OCs?
    I think everyone knows Rune is my favorite; he’s the one who really kindled my desire to write novels.

    3. Have you ever adopted a character or gotten a character from someone else?
    No. I’ve created characters as a joint joke before, connected to someone else’s character, but they’ve all been mine.

    4. A character you rarely talk about?
    I have many characters I don’t speak of often, mostly because they were either bad ideas or their stories haven’t come to the writing table yet. The first one that comes to mind is a young prince named Rathe, though. He has a book planned for the far distant future.

    5. If you could make only one of your OCs popular/known, who would it be?
    Rune, certainly. Though I suppose since he’s part of a series, all the other main characters in it would be dragged along kicking and screaming.

    6. Two OCs of yours that look alike despite not being related?
    Rhyllyn and Rune, to an extent.

    7. Are your OCs part of any story or stories?
    Every single one. This question seems silly for a writer to answer.

    8. Do you RP as any of your OCs? If you do, introduce one of your RP OCs here!
    I used to, long ago, but I haven’t had time for that in years.

    9. Would you ever be willing to give any of your OCs to someone else?
    I would trust my husband to do them justice. There are a few I would trust Megan with, as well, if something horrible happened, like I died in the middle of a published series and needed another writer to take over.

    10. Introduce an OC with a complicated design?
    I am not sure why this is a question. It’s grammatically incorrect. I’ll still answer, though. I don’t use complicated designs often, and if I do, it’s usually one-off type illustrations. In writing, there’s no real way for a character design to be complex; clothes in books are changed more frequently than clothes in art. I suppose some armor descriptions are complicated, but they aren’t a permanent feature.

    11. Is there any OC of yours you could describe as a “sunshine”?
    Laele or Rhyllyn. They are both very happy people.

    12. Name an OC that isn’t yours but who you like a lot
    My favorite is Arrios, who belongs to my husband. But I’m also fond of Domerin, who belongs to Megan, and Super Cosplayer, who belongs to my sister.

    13. Do you have any troublemaker OCs?
    Vahnil. He’s a rabble-rouser.

    14. Introduce an OC with a tragic backstory
    I think half the cast of Serpent’s Tears qualifies for this, if I’m poking fun.

    15. Do you like to talk about your OCs with other people?
    Not everyone likes to talk about creative things, but I love to speak of my characters and their stories when people are interested.

    16. Which one of your OCs would be the best at biology (school subject)?
    Laele or Firal, since Laele is an alchemist and Firal is a medic.

    17. Any OC OTPs?
    Yes, but I’m not going to say, because I need to keep an air of mystery.

    18. Any OC crackships?
    Envesi and practically anyone would qualify here, but I know I’ve joked with at least one person about a Nondar/Envesi pairing.

    19. Introduce an OC that means a lot to you (and explain why)
    They all mean a lot to me, but Rune is dear for teaching me why I wanted to write, and Laele is dear for rekindling an interest in creation after a very long dry spell.

    20. Do any of your OCs sing? If they sing, care to share more details (headcanon voice, what kind of songs they like etc)?
    Rhyllyn means to be a bard. His brother, also, is passionate about music, but prefers not to be incriminated, despite his lovely tenor.

    21. Your most artistic OC
    Aside from the brothers above, most of them don’t have time to devote to the arts, unfortunately.

    22. Is there any OC of yours people tend to mischaracterize? If yes, how?
    Not that I know of, or can think of off the top of my head. I can’t decide if that’s good or bad.

    23. Introduce OC that has changed from your first idea concerning what the character would be like?
    Although she’s not a major character, Medreal underwent a great deal of evolution from the time I first put her on paper, 15 years ago. In spite of being a minor character, she’s also one of my favorites.

    24. If you could meet one OC of yours, who would it be and why?
    Oh man, I would have to roll a die on this. It would be impossible for me to pick between wanting to cause trouble with one of the guys, wanting to bake cookies with Laele, and wanting to sit and listen to wisdom from characters like Nondar or Indral.

    25. The OC that resembles you the most (same hobby, height, shared like/dislike for something etc?)
    I tend to shy away from making characters too much like myself, but all of them end up having something in common with me. I think Rune would have to be the most like me as far as interests and likes go, simply because he’s been around the longest, and he’s persisted through all of my changing tastes.

    26. Have you ever had to change your OC’s design or something else about them against your will?
    No, every change has been a conscious decision or development.

    27. Any OCs that were inspired by a certain song?
    No. I tend to find songs that suit them, though, after their personality is developed.

    28. Your most dangerous OC?
    Probably Envesi.

    29. Which one of your OCs would go investigate an abandoned house at night without telling anyone they’re going?
    Firal. I mean, this is right up her alley.

    30. Which one of your OCs would most likely have a secret stuffed animal collection?
    Oh, Sera, without a doubt.

    31. Pick one OC of yours and explain what their tumblr blog would be like (what they reblog, layout, anything really)
    I intended to change this since I’m not posting this on Tumblr, but it’s too funny to think about! Firal would post pictures of herbs and flowers, books, potion bottles, crystals, trees, things like that. Rune would share a lot of pictures and information about archaeological sites, architecture, armor and weapons, history, and occasional inappropriate humor.
    Laele would run a blog filled with cats and cute things.

    32. Which one of your OCs would be the most suitable horror game protagonist and why?
    Garam. He’s a grizzled war veteran who is near unflappable in most situations, so putting him in a situation where he could come unhinged would be marvelous.

    33. Your shiest OC?
    Years ago, I tried to create a character who struggled with supernatural empathy. Her name was Kuni. I could never get her story to take root, though, so she was scrapped not long after creation. Now I would say Marreli.

    34. Do you have any twin characters?
    None!

    35. Any sibling characters?
    Angie, Russ and Krissy in Death of the Sun/Born of the Moon. Kytenia and Shymin, Garam and Sera are two prominent sibling pairs from the fantasy side of things. Interestingly–and unintentionally–both pairs are actually half-siblings.

    36. Do you have OC pairs where the other part belongs to someone else (siblings, lovers, friends etc)?
    Laele is mine, Arrios belongs to my husband. But they’re like peanut butter and jelly.

    37. Introduce an OC who is not quite human
    I think it would be easier to list those who are just regular humans, to be honest!

    38. Which one of your OCs would be the best dancer?
    Kifel and Rune would be pretty closely tied for this. Court comes with certain demands.

    39. Introduce any character you want
    I have always loved Tahl, but he has never fit into any stories. He was a D&D rogue first, then shifted to thief, but that didn’t suit him either. He’s a little melancholy, sweet on the inside, but he dreams of being able to fly.

    40. Any fond memories linked to your characters? Feel free to share!
    I have a lot of fond memories from the days of roleplaying, when many of my characters were first conceived. I also have a lot of great memories that came from writing their stories, but nothing in particular stands out.

    41. Has anyone drawn fanart of your OCs? If yes, maybe show a picture or two here (remember sources & permissions!)
    My husband draws my characters often. Here’s a few he’s done: Laele – Lumia – Sera – Huitzilopochtli
    I have gift art from several friends I’ve collected through the years–mostly drawings of Rune, of course–but few of them are online and I don’t know if they’d want me to share them, so I’ll refrain.

    42. Which one of your OCs would be the most interested in Greek gods?
    Probably Natalie or Lauren. Mythology is right up Lauren’s alley, that’s for sure. It’s harder to relate with the others, since they don’t exist in an Earth setting.

    43. Do you have any certain type when you create your OCs? Do you tend to favour some certain traits or looks? It’s time to confess
    I’ve found I tend to favor darker hair in characters, so I try to be mindful of how many brunettes I have now. I also favor male characters who are either fit/athletic or very slender, there doesn’t seem to be much in-between. None of these are conscious preferences, they just sort of happen. Though the men being fit makes sense, considering most of the major male characters I use are soldiers.

    44. Something you like about your OCs in general
    Writing my characters feels like making friends.

    45. A character you no longer use?
    There are many I no longer use, but since I already mentioned them, Kate and Kuni for sure are gone. I also don’t think Saleina will ever be used again; she was my next OC after Kate.

    46. Has anyone ever told you that you treat your OCs badly?
    Oh yes. But they’re also friends and writers themselves, so they understand why it must be.

    47. Has anyone ever (friendly) claimed any of your OCs as their child?
    No, although one has claimed she wants to adopt Rhyllyn.

    48. OC who is a perfect cinnamon roll, too good for this world, too pure
    Serenity started this way, but she changed very quickly. Enough for me to keep her in the roster for the future, in any case.

    49. Which one of your OCs would most likely enjoy memes
    Devin. Or Laele. Especially if it’s a meme with cats.

    50. Give me the good ol’ OC talk here. Talk about anything you want
    There was a time where I kept a stable of over 160 characters who were all written regularly. Needless to say, I never finished anything until I took an axe to that number. I don’t know how many characters I’ve created, but the point is no longer creating them–it’s finishing their tales.

  • What life was like at 28

    Today is my birthday, and growing older is strange.

    I spent such a great deal of my life wondering what it felt like to be an adult, what it would be like when I got there, wondering when I’d cross that magical line and become some strong and capable person who doesn’t get tongue-tied leaving voicemail when someone doesn’t answer their phone.

    Turns out that never happens.

    I’m 29 now, and it doesn’t feel any different from 28. Or 25, or 21, or 18. Things have changed, surely; circumstances are much different than they were 11 years ago. I’m a mother, for one, responsible for the security and well-being of another tiny person. We have a nice little house, and I’m a stay-at-home mom because it’s totally cheaper than paying for childcare.  But I still drive a Mustang, I still play video games, I still suffer anxiety at the idea of having to schedule a dental appointment for myself.

    The only major difference I’ve noticed is the perception of time. When I was 18, 28 seemed a million years away. Because of it, I thought I’d be light years from where I am now. It’s funny now to look back at the goals I had for different ages and stages of life and realize that I had no idea what could actually be accomplished in a certain window of time. No matter how hard you work or how fortunate you are, some things still take a while. And while I hit on a few of my major life goals envisioned for my future at age 18, I think I missed more.

    Because when you’re 18, it’s easy to sit back and say you’ll be married and have kids by the time you’re 25. That you’ll have a great job, big house, cool car by age 30. (Or be an author with a traditionally published book by age 30, if you’re me. Yeah, not looking so good on that front.)

    Likewise, it’s easy to sit at those ages–past 25, just shy of 30–and be disappointed that you didn’t make it.

    But it’s also easy to look back and think some goals were unrealistic.

    It wasn’t until recently that I spoke with my mother about life and accomplishments and I realized that where we are today is leaps and bounds ahead of where my parents were at this age. It’s hard to look back and think of my parents as anything other than blessed, but when you’re a kid, maybe it’s just that you don’t know better. I’m sure my mother didn’t always feel blessed when she was expecting a sixth child and still living in a three-bedroom house.

    I made my goal for marriage, and I made my goal for parenthood if I fudge a little, since she wasn’t born until my last month of being 25. Great jobs might be a matter of perspective. I get to stay home and work on my books, so I guess that’s pretty great. And our house might not be big, but at least we’ve got one, and it’s in good condition. I’ve also got the cool car, so there’s that.

    I don’t know what to expect from age 29. It feels like a major threshold, the last step between being considered young and being considered an adult. But I have a busy year ahead of me, so you never know. If nothing else, I expect it’ll be a year of learning, and maybe one of the things I learn will be realistic goal-setting.

    Like “become a traditionally-published author by age 35.”

    Yeah, that one sounds pretty good.

  • Persimmon Tree Tea’s Peach Picnic

    Persimmon Tree Tea’s Peach Picnic

    Peach Picnic was one of the teas I wasn’t sure of. It sounded good, but while I like peaches, eating them or anything peach flavored tends to give me a stomachache. I don’t know why, but it tends to put me off from anything peachy.

    Fortunately, this tea gave me nothing to fear.

    peach-picnic

    In addition to peach, it also boasts of citrus and strawberry. Many peachy things strike me as too sweet, which might contribute to my stomach’s protests, but this begins with the pleasant, mellow flavor of the rooibos, followed by hint of tartness. The tang is mostly citrus with a hint of berry, leaving the sweeter peach flavor to round out the end. The aftertaste is primarily peach with a touch of berry.

    The fruity flavor also lends the tea an overall sweet tone, without being overbearing, so I found it best when served straight. I drank mine warm, as winter is finally beginning to set in, but I expect it would make a pleasant iced brew for summertime as well.