#AbouttheAuthorAugust - A Blog Post Because I Didn't Realize This Was a Thing Until It Was Too Late

So, I saw this challenge (hosted by Jameson C. Smith) swirling around Instagram over the past few weeks and wanted so badly to do it, but I was working extra hard on Ships, Secrets, and Survivors's release and my own bookstagram challenge that I just didn't have the time/energy. 

Then Christine had the brilliant idea to do it as a blog post and I decided to steal the idea from her!

And yes, I know it's not August anymore. I'm still doing it!

~Introduce yourself~

*Awkward cough* Hi, I'm Sarah. I'm a twenty-something Christian author, who loves all things coffee, cats, and checklists. I dream about the day that I'll move into a home of my own in the NC mountains, along with my fur-children.

~Tell us about your WIP and your August goals~

I had 3 WIPs during the month of August. 

My goals were to self-publish my co-written novel, Ships, Secrets, and Survivors, to flesh out my world building for my fantasy trilogy, and outline one of my upcoming NaNo novels. Stay tuned to see how all that went!

But for the sake of this post, I'm going to use The Reylance Trilogy as my WIP, as it's most near and dear to my heart.

It is a fantasy trilogy, where a young woman finds herself realizing the world isn't as black and white as she thought it was and she has to come to terms with the fact that the order she has spent her whole life fighting for isn't as perfect as she once thought.

~Introduce your characters~

There is the main character, Laylah Febec. She's a leader who struggles with having the weight of her country's pain on her shoulders. 

There's her best friend, Hannah, who is learning how to fill her new role as second-in-command. It's a challenge for her, as she always puts her friends first over her country, and finds it difficult when those superior to her make decisions that negatively impact her friends for the good of Reylance. This leads to loads of ethical dilemmas for her. 

And then there's the rest of the Edifuni team. John, Justin, Will, and Leah. They're hilarious, loyal, and brave. 

As for my villains, there's Sorrus, who is a madman who follows a dark and ancient religion.

And Thosor, who is the leader of the Foyc. He is bent on righting the supposed wrong done to his family by the Reylanceians a century ago.

~What are you currently reading~

I have two books I'm reading at the moment.

I'm listening to the audiobook for Murder by the Book by Lauren Elliott and I'm physically reading The Fellowship of the Ring.

One is...not great so far and the other is fantastic. I'll leave it to you to decide which is which.

~Favorite genre to read or write~

I would probably have to say fantasy for both. I like writing dystopian and I love reading mystery, but not so much the other way around. Mostly because I'm just now finding new dystopians to read and haven't delved into the genre much and I haven't the brains to write a mystery just yet. I'm hoping to fix both issues soon!

~3 fun facts about your WIP + a snippet~

1. #squadgoals

2. There are tiny dragons!!

3. Each character in my world has something called their Special Ability. The Abilities they get can range from healing to shapeshifting to teleportation.

'Will rolled his eyes. “Our fighting skills are exemplary. Recklessness is a skillset, of which I am a master.” He bowed low, with a sweep of his arm. 

“So am I.” Leah grinned. 

Will patted her shoulder. “No, you’re my pupil. I’ll teach you my ways.”'

~You get to spend a day in your story's world. What will you do?~

Maybe go exploring along the coast? The mountains are teaming with bad guys, so I might not want to go there. But going along the water sounds nice. Also, having John cook a meal for me would be awesome!

~A favorite kind of character to write~

I really love writing characters who get redemption arcs. Those who don't always make right choices, but realize that what they're doing is wrong and fight to do what is right even when it's hard to change.

~What is your writing weakness~

Description. I'm working on it, but it does not come naturally to me. 

~What is your writing strength~

Theme and plot. I love researching story structure and putting what I learn to use. I also love incorporating some sort of theme into all of my stories. 

~What are your hobbies outside of writing~

I have lots of hobbies outside of writing.

I quilt. It's one of my favorite art forms and I love getting to share it with others.

I play the violin. I'm slowly working on getting back into playing after a few years of off-and-on breaks, but I truly love it.

I do fantasy mapping. This is a more recent hobby that I've picked up, but I'm loving it!

I do a lot of cooking and baking. 

I do stuff... Lots of stuff.

~Your favorite villain trope~

Villains 👏 who 👏 actually  👏 use  👏 their  👏 brains

I can't stand it when the villain is a brainless idiot who just decides he's going to be evil for the sake of it. 

Like, give them brains! Give their minions brains! Give them reasons for their villainy. 

~A favorite book you've read so far in 2020~

One of my favorite books of 2020 is Between Shades of Gray (I'm honestly surprised I got it for Christmas because my mom probably knew next to nothing about the book and that title is...unfortunately similar to something else...). It's such a heartwrenching book, but so so so good!

~Writing playlist + a snippet~

I...don't actually have a writing playlist. I never really do have a playlist for my books. 

I usually just listen to whatever helps me focus that day. Sometimes it's loud, lyrical music, other times its ambiance playlists on YouTube.

'“Maybe we’ll have new members who are archers,” Justin complained. “It’s seems like everyone is a swordsman these days.”

Will laughed. “Looking for fresh meat on the range, brother?”

“Fresh talent, more like it. It’s lonely there.”'

~Your WIP's theme colors/aesthetic~

forest green//smoke gray//sea blue

betrayal//disappointment//making right choices//grief

~Share your social media + book links~

My personal social media accounts are my blog (which you are on), my Instagram, and my Goodreads author page (which I don't do much with except track which books I've read).

You can purchase Ships, Secrets, and Survivors on Amazon and the series website. Also be on the lookout for information concerning the next book in the series!

~A side character you love in your WIP~

Personally, I love John a lot. He's such a sturdy, reliable character. I just love his kind personality and his faithfulness to his friends.

~What is the best part of being a writer~

I think one of the best parts is when fun ideas pop into my mind, I know that I can turn them into stories. I can create worlds, and characters, and situations out of a tiny idea. They don't have to stay in my brain, nagging me. I know how to put them down on the page! I think that's pretty cool!

~A genre you want to write~

There are a number of genres I want to write in. My top three would be mystery, some sort of Gothic (along the lines of Series of Unfortunate Events or Endless Night), and sci-fi. 

~You're an author on a Q&A panel! Which authors are sharing the stage with you~

*mind blanks on every author I've ever heard of*

I would love to be on a panel with Stephanie Morrill because I love her books, but I have no idea where that would be a reality since we write in very different genres. I think it would be cool to be on a panel with Nadine Brandes. Maybe Wayne Thomas Batson?

Basically, I don't know.

~One way you've grown as a writer + one thing you want to improve on~

My voice has matured and broadened a lot. I'm really proud of that. My voice has a much stronger sound to it. I've learned a lot about sentence structure over the years. I have a long way to go in that regard, but I'm really proud of how much I've improved so far.

One thing I want to improve on is getting better at writing descriptions. It's a struggle, but definitely something I want to work on.

~Goal check-in + a snippet~

I did indeed self-publish Ships, Secrets, and Survivors! It's out in the world, ready for you to read!

I got a lot of planning done for the Reylance Trilogy. Loads of world building notes, plus a good start on one of my character arcs. I'm hoping to finish them up by the end of the month of September.

I also did have a good start to outlining my NaNo novel. I'm nowhere near done, but I did make some progress. I'm getting more and more excited about this one! I wasn't 100% sure at first, but I think I"m going to like writing this story.

'He turned to her. The same empty expression as the refugees marked his face. “These people. They’re hurting. They need my help.” He looked at his wide-spread palms. “I can heal them.”

Her hand came to rest on his shoulder. His healing Special Ability was incredible, but it paled in comparison to the size of his heart. “You can help them by keeping them safe. By patrolling, we are keeping the Foyc away.”'

There you go! A little bit about me. A little bit about my story. I hope you enjoyed!

Onto y'all! What's an area where you've grown as a writer? What's an area you hope to improve? If you were on a panel, who would be up there with you?

Also, this is the last week to get questions in for the Q&A, so be sure to get yours in soon!