Beautiful People August Edition-Thalia

It's time for Beautiful People again, this time it's the August edition! For those of you who don't know Beautiful People is a monthly set of questions to help me, and you, get to know my characters. Last month I participated in BP and answered the questions about my character Jastin from "The Paths of Thyme". The month before I answered the questions for Nadasa, also from "The Paths of Thyme". This month I will be answering the questions for Thalia Grey, Nadasa's caretaker and herbalist teacher. 

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1) What does your character regret the most in their life? Thalia regrets the many mistakes that she made in her past. Her greatest fear is that her past will catch up with her, and she has spent most of her life running from it.

2) What is your character's happiest memory? Most sorrowful memory? Thalia's happiest memory is the day her father took her to the castle archives where he worked and let her read anything she wanted. Her most sorrowful memory is the day she recovered from the plague only to discover that her entire family had not survived, and she was alone in the world.

3) What majorly gets on your character’s nerves? When people don't listen to her. She has a lot of wisdom to offer from many years of experience, specifically as an herbalist, but many times she has been silenced, especially for being a woman. Nadasa happens to be really good at getting on Thalia's nerves as well.

4) Do they act differently when they're around people as opposed to being alone? If so, how? Thalia feels the need to stay in control, to not let anything surprise her, or catch her off guard. Around people she is very cool, professional, and unshakable. When she is alone she lets the act slip, revealing that inside she really is the same scared little girl she was years ago, who makes mistakes, and doesn't always know what to do.

5) What are their beliefs and superstitions? (Examples: their religion or lack of one, conspiracy theories, throwing salt, fear of black cats.) Thalia used to be religious when she was young, but after her family died she turned her back on everything she used to believe in. Instead she dedicated her life to helping people, becoming a gifted herbalist, and saving many lives, though inside she has always felt empty.

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6) What are their catchphrases, or things they say frequently? "As an herbalist and healer you have an obligation to any wounded person, or even animal. If you can save someone then you must, even if they are an enemy. Do not withhold life, for if you do so then you are worse than a murderer.”

7) Would they be more prone to facing fears or running from them? Thalia has run from her past her entire life, it is her greatest fear. She can handle anything life throws at her, except she is unable to face her past mistakes.

8) Do they have a good self image? No, Thalia has spent her whole life trying to make up for her past, but she has never felt good enough. She sees herself as no better than a murderer.

9) Do they turn to people when they're upset, or do they isolate themselves? She has Isolated herself so much that she is not even sure if she is physically capable of opening up to someone.

10) If they were standing next to you would it make you laugh or cry? Neither, I would just feel very bad for her, and try to help her work through her many issues. She is a very damaged character, but despite this she has tried her best to move on and better herself and the world. I believe this shows great strength, but no matter what she does she will never be able to move on unless she forgives herself and lets go of the past.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed getting to know Thalia. She plays a more minor role in "The Paths of Thyme" but still holds a special place in my heart. If you have any questions about Thalia, my book, or anything else, just leave your questions in the comments and I'll answer them as soon as I can. Have you participated in Beautiful People before? What did you think about this month's questions? I really enjoyed them, what about you?

Bucket List Tag

I found this lovely tag over at Hidden Orchards, and Lianne Taimenlore. As both of these ladies tagged anyone who wanted to participate, I decided to go ahead and do it. The rules are vague, so I just picked ten different things that I would love to do before I die, and were not too preposterous. Seriously though, there's some really weird things out there on some of the pinterest bucket lists I looked through...
Anyways, here is my bucket list:

Though I am not an amazing artist I really enjoy drawing and creating art pieces. Art is very powerful. I have been inspired by many different pieces of art over the years, and I believe that it would be amazing if I could inspire someone with some of my art too.

A longtime dream of mine, to have one of my books on every bookshelf.

I think riding in a limo would be fun, I haven't done it yet, but someday I hope to.

Horses have been my favorite animals for as long as I can remember. I've always wanted to have my own horse. I've lived within the city limits my whole life, and horses are expensive to keep, so I have been unable to have one yet. Someday, someday...

 The great wall of China has always fascinated me. Such a huge piece of architecture, with so much history behind it. It would be amazing to walk on the great wall someday.

I love learning, and am really looking forward to going to college. I hope to study writing extensively, as well as literature, art, or perhaps communications. I really have not decided yet.

 

 I've always dreamed of traveling the world, and setting foot all all seven continents would be amazing! One down, six to go.

My family has owned two dogs in my life, we got both of them full grown, so I've never had a puppy. I love dogs, cats are really nice too, but I like dogs just a little bit better. Puppies are so adorable, and I've always wanted to have one.

I've dabbled in songwriting when I was younger but my attempts were quite embarrassing, and a bit ridiculous. I would like to write a song before I die, a good one.

I love stargazing, but I don't like going out after dark by myself, and I can't find anyone to do it with me that often. I think that stargazing on a roof would be amazing, because that way you don't have to lay in the wet grass, and you're even higher up to look at the stars. 

I nominate:

Maddie Jay at Wonderful World of my Life

Brooke Faulkner at Teen Words of Steel

Grace M. at Fictionally

Imogen Elvis at Gossiping with Dragons

Willa Nicole at Willa Nicole Scribblings

Ghost Ryter at Anything, Everything

Christine Smith at Musings of an Elf

If I didn't tag you and you would like to participate, feel free to do so. If you were tagged and would prefer not to participate, then don't. It's completely up to you so please don't feel pressured. 

Don't forget to comment, I'd love to hear about what's on your bucket list! 

Beautiful People July Edition-Jastin

Hello everybody, the July edition of Beautiful People just came out a few days ago! For those of you who don't know Beautiful People is a monthly set of questions to help me, and you, get to know my characters. Last month I participated in BP and answered the questions about my character Nadasa from "The Paths of Thyme". This time I will be answering the questions for Jastin, the second main character in "The Paths of Thyme". 

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1) What’s their favourite food? Cake, any kind of cake at all.

2) What do they absolutely hate? Being treated like a child, especially by his father and older brothers.

3) What do they enjoy learning about? He enjoys learning things he thinks are useful, like lockpicking, stealing, swordplay, hunting, and pretty much anything else that captures his interest.

4) Who is the most influential person in their life? His best friend Lark, who is a stable boy employed in his father's household. Jastin would talk to Lark for hours about his dreams, and plans for adventure. Lark is the reason he eventually did leave his family and try to start a new life.

5) What is their childhood fear? Jastin held his older brothers in a mixture of of horrified awe. They would torment him endlessly, in less than harmless ways. When he was younger he lived in constant fear of what they would do to him next.

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Here's a picture of Cody Christian that looks a lot like Jastin to me. 

6) What is something they have always secretly dreamed of doing, but thought impossible? Having great adventures, and starting a new and exciting life somewhere far away from his family.

7) What is something he is impractically afraid of? Being helpless and useless, not being able to do anything, or make any choices himself. Not being the master of his own life.

8) Are they a night owl or morning person? He adapts easily to either, though he's a bit more of a night owl.

9) Do they say everything that pops into their head, or leave a lot unsaid? He typically will leave a lot unsaid, he doesn't like anyone to know too much about him, and finds that retaining a certain air of mystery can be very helpful. Sometimes when he's in a dark mood he might say a lot of things that he would be better off not saying, including his opinions of those around him, which are usually not the nicest.

10) What are their nervous habits? He sometimes whittles little pieces of wood into shapes of animals, or he might fiddle with various items he has collected in his pockets.

That's all. I hope you enjoyed this and learned some new things about Jastin. If you have any questions about my book, "The Paths of Thyme" just leave your questions in the comments and I'll do my best to answer them. Have a great day!

Sunflower Award

Special Thanks to Maddie Jay and Ghost Ryter for both nominating me for the Sunflower award! The rules for this award are very simple: 

1. Share 11 facts about yourself. 

2. Answer the 11 questions that the previous blogger asked you. 

3. Tag 11 other bloggers and ask them 11 new questions.

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Let's get started with 11 Facts about me:

1. I love words passionately.

2. I love listening to musicals, and singing along.

3. I spend way too much time on the internet, mostly on Pinterest.

4. I went through a drawing phase for several years where I would only draw in pen.

5. I'm almost %100 Dutch.

6. My birthstone is an opal.

7. If I had to choose a superpower I would choose invisibility. 

8. I don't like pop tarts.

9. When I was little I didn't want to be a writer because people told me I should be one.

10. My favorite school subject is History, and my least favorite is Math.

11. My favorite color changes all the time, right now it's purple, or maybe red...

Now for Ghost Ryter's questions:

1. What made you start blogging? I was inspired by a friend's blog Visiting with Dragons, and decided to start my own blog. I started back in 2012 and blogged somewhat steadily through the first months of 2013, then I lost interest and gave it up for a while. Last April I went to a writer's conference and realized the importance of having a professional website or blog. So I logged back on, did some major design changes, tightened my focus, deleted my terrible old posts, stuck to a schedule, became more social on other blogs, and here I am now.

2. If you were forced to go back in time to live, when and where would it be? I've always been fascinated by the Renaissance, a time of art, science, and discovery. I probably wouldn't live all that long, and women's rights were nonexistent, but I would love to live in Renaissance Italy.

3. Name the one food you can't do without. Potatoes. I love them fried, mashed, boiled, with cheese, baked, poached, scalloped, etc. They are amazingly versatile and so tasty, all you really need is a bit of salt and butter. "Po-ta-toes! Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew." -Samwise Gamgee

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4. If you had to wear a mask for a whole year (never taking it off), what kind of mask would it be? Hmm, that's a really interesting question. I think I would go for a small black super hero mask that fit around the eyes. Something small and simple, and hopefully something that wouldn't attract too much attention. Can you imagine having to wear a full face mask for a year! How would you eat?

5. What is one thing you wish you knew how to do? I can't really think of anything right of the top of my head, maybe better jewelry making skills...

6. Favorite genre to read/write? Fantasy both ways though I do love a good Sci Fi or Post Apocalyptic novel, and historical fiction is also really good. A Genre I don't like is Romance, don't get me wrong I love a little bit of romance in a novel as much as the next girl, but the whole genre of romance books is disgusting.

7. Name one thing you are really proud of having done. Completing NaNoWriMo last November!

8. Are you a bold font or italics type of person? Bold, I like how strong and clean it looks.

9. M&Ms or bubble gum? M&Ms, even though I don't like it when the candy coating bleeds color all over my hands on a hot day. Bubble gum loses it's flavor too fast, and it really hurts if you have to get it out of your hair.

10. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate!

11. Who do you wish most to resemble? That's a really hard one! Physical characteristics? Hmm, I've always wanted darker hair and more prominent cheekbones, but I can't really think of any certain person I'd like to look like.

And Maddie Jay's questions:

1. Who is the best looking cartoon guy you've ever seen? Hiccup from How to Train your Dragon 2. He was cute in the first movie, but WOW those few years in between the sequel have really been good to him.

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2. If you had to live in an era besides this one, which would you choose? I already answered the Renaissance earlier, but the early 1900s would be really interesting as well. 

3. If you could have dinner with anyone, Dead, Alive, Or fictional, Who would it be? I would love to have dinner with C.S. Lewis. I think he would be fascinating company, and I would have so many questions to ask him about everything, from faith, to greek mythology, to Narnia.

4. What is your ideal first date? I don't know about first date, but one day I'd love to go on a date to a fair, have my boyfriend win me a stuffed animal, share cotten candy, and kiss on the top of a ferris wheel at dusk.

5. If one of your characters (or a favorite book character if you don't have any original characters) were to be put in a movie, who would you want to play them? That's a hard question because I'm not very good at picking actors to play my characters. Hmm... Well if "The Paths of Thyme" was ever made into a movie I think that Astrid Bergès-Frisbey would make a great Nadasa, except she's French and doesn't speak much English. 

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6. Talking Veggie Tales here. Bob, or Larry? Wow it's been a long time since I watched any Veggie Tales. I'm going to have to say Larry, he's so funny and loveable. I can't think of anyone who likes Bob better...

7. Do you like to play Checkers? I do sometimes, but I never play with my brother, he always beats me.

8. Why do you think all the super genius villains in shows like Person of Interest and Sherlock Holmes like to play chess? It's funny that you would as that, all I can think of is the time in the show Sherlock BBC that Sherlock and his brother Mycroft were playing what the audience thought was chess, and it turned out to be operation. That made me laugh so hard because they threw the stereotype on it's head. Typically I suppose genius villains enjoy it because they like the strategy and love to beat their opponents.

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9. Summer or Winter? When it's winter I long for summer, when it summer I long for winter. Human nature cannot be satisfied with one or the other.

I seem to be the last one in my circle of bloggers to participate in this award. Since I don't know of any bloggers who haven't done it already, I nominate anyone who would like to participate.

And Here are their 11 questions:

1. Describe your perfect day.

2. Who's your favorite movie/book sidekick?

3. What's your favorite kind of sandwich?

4. When did you first start writing/blogging and why?

5. If you only had one day left to live what would you do?

6. What's something from your childhood that was not as good as you remembered?

7. Have you ever been to the ocean?

8. Did you ever move someone deeply with something you wrote?

9. What's your favorite holiday?

10. What food would you say represents your personality?

11. What do you like to do on rainy days?

I hope you learned something interesting about me from this award, it was a lot of fun to do. Don't forget to comment below, I always love to hear from you!

Beautiful People June Edition-Nadasa

Today I will be participating in Beautiful People, a monthly set of questions to help me, and you, wonderful readers, get to know my characters. I will be answering these questions about Nadasa from my book The Paths of Thyme, So without further ado, let's get started!

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1) What is their full name and is there a story behind why they got it?  Nadasa's full name is Nadasa Wren. She was named that because she was such a small baby, but had a very loud cry, just like a wren.

2) How old are they, and when were they born?  Nadasa is about fifteen, she was born during a very tumultuous time in her world, when Gurethek, the traitorous prince succeeded in murdering the queen and the crown prince.

3) Describe their physical appearance. (Bonus questions: 1. What is their race/nationality/ethnicity? 2. Do you have a picture of them? If so, include it!)  Nadasa has black curly hair, brown eyes, and tan skin. Her Race is half Wanderer, an ethnic group similar to gypsies, and half Amarian. Of course, I love this picture of Astrid Bergès Frisbey, it looks exactly like Nadasa to me.

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4) Describe your character's personality first in one word, and then elaborate with a few sentences.  Curious. She has so many questions she wants answered, and can't help herself when she is tempted with answers.

5) What theme song(s) fit their personality and story arc?  Where are we going from here by Blackmore's Night. I love the mysterious feeling of the music which matches Nadasa's Wanderer background, and the words fit with her story very well.

6) Which one of the seven deadly sins describes your character?  Wrath, she is usually very sweet, but has a bad temper that flares up when she feels that something is unjust, and can be very frightening when angry.

7) If they were an element (fire, water, earth, air), which one would they be?  Earth. Nadasa is in love with nature, she is an herbalist, loves plants, and is always climbing trees. She is also very steady and dependable, she will not let you down and will stand by her friends to the end.

8) What is their favorite word?  Wings. She named her horse Wing because she has always dreamed of flying.

9) Who’s one person they really miss? (It could be someone who’s passed away, or someone they’re not close to anymore, or someone who’s moved away.) Nadasa has always had a missing piece in her heart, she never knew where she came from, or who her family was. Thalia, the herbalist who adopted her, refused to tell her anything. When she discovered that she was a Wanderer, then her whole life turned into a mission to find her people who have disappeared from the land.

10) What sights, sounds, and smells remind them of that person? On dark nights, when the three moons are shining in the black sky, and the wind rustles the leaves outside her window, she wonders what life would be like to know a family. Whenever she sees bright colors it reminds her of the Wanderers who always wear as many bright colors as possible.

If you enjoyed this and would like me to do more things like this in the future, please let me know in the comments, as always I'd love to hear from you!

Liebster Award

I've been nominated for the Liebster Award. A special thank you to Maddie Jay for nominating me. For those of you who don't know the Liebster Award is not really a reward, it's more of a way of helping new blogs get discovered. Liebster is actually German for dearest. The rules for this Award are as follow:

1.Thank and link back to the person who nominated you.

2. List 11 facts about yourself.

3. Answer the 11 questions asked by the blogger who nominated you.

4. Nominated 9 bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers (You may not nominate the blogger who nominated you)

5. Ask them 11 questions.

6. Let them know about their nomination.

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Here we go, here are 11 facts about me:

1. I love memorizing random facts and bits of knowledge to quote at odd times.

2. I've been homeschooled my entire life, but took elective classes at the local high school.

3. I'm really good at procrastinating, unfortunately...

4. My favorite way to wear my hair is in a side braid.

5. I'm extremely organized and my closet is awe inspiring to most people.

6. I completed NaNoWriMo last November, and hope to do it again this year.

7. I never add sugar or milk to my tea. My favorite kind is chamomile mint.

8. Whenever I discover a new song that I like I listen to it over and over until I hate it.

9. I have acted in over eight plays, and six small movies.

10. Autumn is my favorite season. I love the colorful leaves, and the crisp feel of the air, but mostly it's because my birthday is October six.

11. I try to read at least one hundred books every year. So far this year I've read thirty one. 

And now for Maddie's questions:

1. If you could only read, or only write, which one would you choose? I would have to say read, because if I couldn't read I never would have discovered the joy of stories, and it would make everyday life nearly impossible. Even if I couldn't write I could still make up stories and tell them to people. It would kill me not to be able to write, but it would be worse if I could never ever lose myself in a book.

2. What is your favorite kind of pop? I don't really like pop that much, but I do enjoy Root Beer sometimes.

3. Tablet or keyboard? Keyboard.

4. Favorite book you've read this year? That would be a tie between The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, and Seraphina by Rachel Hartman.

5. Do you have pets? I do, I have a sweet black and white holland lop named Daisy. Our family also has an orange dog mixed breed named April, she's about ten years old. In the past I've had many different pets including but not limited to: Suicidal fish, dwarf hamsters, messy parakeets, and another rabbit.

6. Ever rode a horse? I've gone trail riding for my thirteenth birthday, and have rode a few other times at my great aunt's house. I love riding, and I wish I could have a horse. Hopefully one day I'll be able to afford one, and live in a place where I could actually keep one.

7. Something crazy you would like to do someday. I would love to hike the entire appalachian trail. Which is really crazy because I'm not a very active person at all.

8. Do you like to draw? I love drawing! If you've looked around my blog a bit I bet you can tell. I hope to someday illustrate a children's book or two. You can check out some of my artwork in my Gallery if you would like.

9. Country or Rock? Country, I love how it always tells a story and contains so much emotion. Besides, who doesn't like a banjo every now and then?

10. Do you like sports? Not that much. I only like to watch sports if they're really exciting. I do like playing a few sports occasionally. I'm not very good but if I really get into it I can get pretty competitive.

11. Where is the farthest you have traveled from home? I've traveled out to Washington state to visit my aunt, uncle, and cousins a long long time ago. I've never been out of the USA but would love to travel internationally some day.

Here are the bloggers I nominate (some of them may have already done this):

1. Elizabeth Marie Kauffman at Visiting with Dragons
2. Gillian Adams at Of Battles, Dragons, and Swords of Adamant

2. Grace M at Fictionally

3. Brooke Faulkner at Teen Words of Steel

4. Hannah at The Writer's Window
5. Skye Hoffert at Ink Castles

And finally here are their 11 questions:

1. What are some of your hobbies, and how did you get into them?

2. What's your favorite animated movie?

3. What's your dream vacation? 

4. Pen or pencil?

5. Something new that you tried and weren't sure about, but ended up loving?

6. What book has influenced you the most in your life?

7. If you could turn into any animal for one day, which animal would you choose?

8. Tea or Coffee?

9. Do you have a celebrity crush, if so, who?

10. What is the strangest thing you've ever done?

11. Describe your current work in progress.

I had a lot of fun doing this. I hope that you learned a few new things about me and discovered a new blog or two to follow. Have a great day everybody!