Brooke's Turning 17 = Birthday Giveaway!

Today's the day! I'm seventeen and, as promised, I'm hosting a giveaway. There are two prizes up for grabs, both of which I acquired at YAK Fest 2014.

#1: A Signed Book

THE PIRATE'S WISH by Cassandra Rose Clarke

After setting out to break the curse that binds them together, the pirate Ananna and the assassin Naji find themselves stranded on an enchanted island in the north with nothing but a sword, their wits, and the secret to breaking the curse: complete three impossible tasks. With the help of their friend Marjani and a rather unusual ally, Ananna and Naji make their way south again, seeking what seems to be beyond their reach.

Unfortunately, Naji has enemies from the shadowy world known as the Mists, and Ananna must still face the repercussions of going up against the Pirate Confederation. Together, Naji and Ananna must break the curse, escape their enemies — and come to terms with their growing romantic attraction.

Christina from Christina Reads YA was kind enough to write a short review of the book for me. If the summary hasn't quite sold you, perhaps her opinion will.

"Cassandra Rose Clarke does a fantastic job at incorporating various fantasy and fairy tale elements while keeping her novel action-packed and full of humor and heart in this sequel to THE ASSASSIN'S CURSE.

"A new character, in the form of a talking manticore, is a lot of fun and propels the plot into unexpected territory. Not only do we get to see Ananna grow a lot because of the leadership position she's forced to assume, but we also get to see a lot more of the world as she and her crew journey to break the curse and more of her soft side as she and Naji learn to open up to one another. Getting slight hints about other places that Clarke has created also makes me eager to read and explore more about the world--and makes me sad to learn that there are no more novels in this series. However, I also thought that Clarke had done a great job keeping this plot confined to a duology, and thus not trying to stretch things too thin. Basically she's done the best of both things: managing her plot well while adding in enough about the world to make me curious for more.

"In the end, I'm disappointed that there are not more light, swashbuckling fantasy adventure series like this. If I had one complaint about THE PIRATE'S WISH, it'd be that I wanted more: more characters, more adventure, more of everything--and certainly that's not a bad complaint at all, huh?"

#2: A Swag Package

See for yourself:

Now, that you've seen the goodies, just follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. This is a U.S. only giveaway. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

YAK Fest 2014

The weekend before last I traveled to Ft. Worth, TX to attend the Young Adult Keller Book Festival. Last time I attended, I posted a blow-by-blow account of the experience that spanned four posts. I am not going to be that detailed this go 'round, but I would still like to give you a run-down of the day.

This post will be organized by time frames. Below is the schedule for the event.

10:00 - 10:45

I actually made it to the keynote this year! We (my grandparents, Lizzie, and I) stayed the night in Ft. Worth on Friday to be sure of it. All of the authors were introduced and asked their greatest fear. Afterward, Neal Shusterman gave a speech about the events in his life that led him to tell stories. My grandparents then left.

10:55 - 11:45

For the first session, I chose Reality Bites. This panel featured contemporary writers. They discussed their books and talked about what inspired them. Then they answered some "lightning round" questions such as "What is your biggest pet peeve?".

11:45 - 12:45

Lizzie and I met back up with my grandparents for lunch. We drove to a nearby Sonic to eat.

Upon getting dropped back at the festival, I decided to visit the table where The Book Carriage was selling books by the attending authors. To my dismay, I found many of the books I had hoped to purchase were sold out. I ended up purchasing only two items: FAULT LINE by C. Desir and EVERFOUND by Neal Shusterman.

12:45 - 1:35

During this time slot, I decided to visit the Escape Hatch, a place the authors on break came to intermingle with guests. They handed out (signed!) swag, answered questions, and took silly pictures. I really enjoyed participating and came away with lots of cool (signed!) stuff. Megan Shepherd also signed my copy of THE MADMAN'S DAUGHTER.

After I left the Escape Hatch, I stopped at the The Book Carriage table again and bought a copy of DREADLOCKS by Neal Shusterman.

1:45 - 2:35

Our next stop was Colin Gilbert's workshop Escape With a Poem, which we also attended during YAK Fest 2012. I was a little disappointed this year. The session was not nearly as interactive or fun as the previous one. We were supposed to draw inspiration from art then free write. I feel like I sat doing nothing for an hour. On the plus side, Colin remembered me!

2:45 - 3:35

We walked down the hallway to the Council for Post-Apocalyptic Survival panel. Again, the authors talked about their books. They also supplied interesting survival tips and explained how they worldbuild. These panelists also answered a set of "lighting round" questions.

3:35 - 5:00

At last, it was time for the book signing.

My grandparents had returned while Lizzie and I were in the last session. Upon reuniting, I found that my grandmother had purchased A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHTMARE by Kody Keplinger and TESLA'S ATTIC by Neal Shusterman for me. She had also managed to find a copy of THE DOLLHOUSE ASYLUM by Mary Gray, a book I had wanted earlier. My grandfather also bought WINGER by Andrew Smith for Lizzie.

We put my grandfather in charge of keeping our place in Neal Shusterman's (looong) line, then raced to get all of our other books signed. The lines moved quickly and we were soon able to relieve my grandfather. When we reached the author's table, my grandmother slid in and took a picture of Lizzie and me with Neal.

I left the festival happy and satisfied. Below are pictures of the other eight signatures I acquired.
One last thing before you go. While I was at YAK Fest, I picked up a few extra things. That, plus the fact that tomorrow is my birthday, means I'm hosting a giveaway! Stop back by tomorrow to enter.

2014 - An Update

As Michael put it to me, "Hey, it's 2014. Stop being lazy and post something."

So here I am!

I guess I should start with NaNoWriMo: I didn't win. My final word count was 30,155. However, as I state on my newly updated NaNoWriMo profile, there are no regrets involved. Of course, I would have loved to have reached 50k and completed a first draft, but my reason for falling short of my goal was, I believe, a good one. Either way, I now have a pretty substantial beginning to a new story.

Nothing major has happened since then, but I have a lot of big events coming up.

This Saturday, I will be attending the third annual YAK Fest. For those who don't know, YAK Fest is short for Young Adult Keller Book Festival. I attended the festival the year before last and had a great time (read about it here, here, here, and here). I'm hoping to obtain a couple extra signed books to giveaway for my birthday on February 4th.

On February 15th, I'm going to Tulsa to audition for the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute (read about my prior experiences with the Institute here). Between now and then, I have to work on the needed portfolio. I don't have many written-in-the-past-year short works to draw from besides my NaPoWriMo poems. Hence, the next few weeks will be dedicated to writing short stories. As I choose to add and write new pieces, I may post them on Figment as I did last year (here and here).

In between those two things, there's my Solo and Ensemble competition for choir. Since I decided to enter a solo, I have to practice that as well as my ensemble. I'm also a part of ANNIE, the musical we're doing at school. I have rehearsal almost every day until the end of February.

On top of all that, the AP life is about to hit me hard. Between Chemistry and English Language and Composition (side note: in this class, we are going to write haikus about whales for a contest soon), the Saturday sessions, mock tests, and homework might kill me. I'm also taking AP U.S. History, but, said nicely, my teacher isn't really up to par.

Soooo, in conclusion, I'm going to be busy.

Topics For Next Post: 1) my lack of New Year's Resolutions and 2) projects I'll be working on

Who is Rebbsie Taylor?

Today is my duel for the Dueling Bards. Please drop by and add in your two cents about the outcome of the situation.

Rebbsie Taylor, the character I entered in the duel, is the MC in my WIP THINKING OF YOU. (For more information on THINKING OF YOU, you can read the summary on the Projects page or browse previous posts.) She is a Controller, or Trol for short. These are people whose bodies can emit vibrations that change certain aspects of their surroundings. For Rebbsie, that aspect is other people's thoughts.

Because of her unique ability, Rebbsie was recruited for an elite government team of Controllers when she was only fifteen. Her team became her family, their leader her love. Then the Department of Wave Manipulation, the secret section of the government that dealt with the Controllers, started killing them off.

In THINKING OF YOU, Rebbsie is now twenty-two and working against the Department to save members of her species, primarily children. Her mind and memory are unreliable due to grief and an undiscovered repercussion caused by her waves.

Rebbsie is well-trained, but sometimes impatience and passion cloud her judgement. She is sarcastic and smart and portrays great confidence, but her mental illness causes her to second guess herself. She also has a flare for the dramatics.

But instead of me telling you everything, why don't I let her show you? The following excerpt is a flashback mixed with a dream.

Dark. Or maybe empty was a better word. I could see but there was nothing to see. No walls. No ceiling. No edges. No curves. I had no clue what I stood on. I wondered if I was dreaming or dead or if I had completely fallen off my rocker.

The quiet drenched me. I started to count my breaths and realized I couldn’t hear them, despite the up-and-down movement of my chest. Listening, I found I had no heartbeat. Dead then. Damn.

Before the thought could really sink in, the void space around me began to fill. The outline of a room appeared, familiar shapes fading into being.

The love-seat lounged in its spot, looking shriveled without Star splayed across it while Trent hovered on the edge. Tass’s mini trapeze dangled from the ceiling, for once not twisted into a pretzel-like state. In the front of the room was Clarence’s swivel chair—the pulpit from which he preached. Around and around he would spin, staring at the ceiling while he talked. I used to stare at it too, trying to figure out what he saw. The table Kyle and Treshie propped their feet on still stood in the back. A large rug dominated the center of the room. Without touching it, I could feel the fibers against my skin. That had been my place.

And this. This was our conference room. Where we had planned missions. Where we had been a family. It was a good place to spend eternity.

I closed my eyes, waiting for it to hit me, waiting for the knowledge of my death to take its toll. But the seconds went by and I felt nothing. I frowned. Death shouldn’t be this easy. I am dead. Nothing.

I opened my eyes, frustrated, and I was no longer alone. They occupied their respective spots, settled in as if they had been there the whole time. My team had arrived. Another me lay on the rug, eyes closed.

Sound rushed to my ears, the creak of Tass’s swing.

“It needs to be oiled again.” Tass said. Her voice had a weird tinge to it. Like it had been recorded.

She scooted off the seat and walked into the closet, coming out with a small oil can, a replica from The Wizard of Oz. Tass loved that thing. What had the Department done with it once they’d booted us out? What had they done with any of our things? She climbed back onto her perch and started dripping oil into the joints.

I watched her, confused at what was happening. A bittersweet deja vu swept over me.

“What is the first thing you do if you are ever captured?” Clarence asked, drawing my attention. He began his daily speech, as he often did, with a question. He faced the far wall, his back to us.

“Swear?” Kyle asked. He slapped Treshie a high five under the table.

I grinned. My replica did the same. Those two always made me smile. They used to make you smile. The grin slipped from my face.

If you want more of Rebbsie, I guess you'll just have to go check out the duel. ;)

Dueling Bards - Realms Faire

Today, as you may know, is the first day of the Realms Faire. The Faire is primarily hosted by M. Pax though many other bloggers have stepped up to host various activities. One such blogger is Cassandra Webb, who is hosting the Dueling Bards event. And guess who's one of those dueling bards? ME.

Well, I guess, technically, I'm not, BUT one of my characters is. Rebbsie will be going up against Bevan McGuiness’s character, Slave, on Cassandra's blog on Wednesday. The winner of the duel will be determined by commenters, so please take the time to stop by and tell us how you think the duel should turn out! You'll be entered into the contest for the day's prizes.

Also, in case you don't know who Rebbsie is, I'll be providing more information about her on my blog the day of my duel.

And while you're waiting for Wednesday to roll around, I suggest checking out today's duel. Prizes include copies of Ellie Garratt's TAKING TIME AND OTHER SCIENCE FICTION STORIES and having a character named after you in an upcoming series. You may also enter the Rafflecopter below for the chance to win even more prizes.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If that's not enough excitement for you, here are the other Realms Faire events:

Joust - Drench-a-Wench/Soak-a-Bloke - Stockade Brigade - Phasers - Masquerade Parade - Collective Performance - Castle Jumble - Dragon Hunt

P.S. I promise I will post a NaNo update soon.

Character Names - NaNoWriMo 2013

8 days until National Novel Writing Month

I love coming up with character names. I love the creativity, the thought, that goes into it, finding new names that, even if they aren't the one, speak to you, and, most of all, that feeling you get when you finally find the perfect fit. Like putting the last piece in a jigsaw puzzle.

Yesterday, I made my final decisions on the character names for my NaNo novel. I'm super excited about them and thought I'd share.

Before I get into the names, however, I should probably tell you the main idea behind my novel. It is based off the concept that luck can be a gene. Naturally, this gives people varying advantages and disadvantages in life. Due to the nature of these advantages/disadvantages, certain activities, such as gambling, have been outlawed. This has prompted a sort-of second Prohibition. Traveling gambling houses, with names like MARCO'S HOUSE OF OCCASIONALLY PROSPEROUS GAMING, abound throughout the country. When my main character, who has an acute curiosity and a draw to card games, stumbles upon this very house, she runs away with it. This is a retake on the phrase "running away with the circus."

And now...

• February St. Claude - protagonist, sixteen, lives in a compound away from society's "unluck" gene discrimination
• Erie St. Claude - February's sister, fourteen, feels like she's in her sister's shadow, lives in compound
• Rhys Baker - the boy everyone, including February, expects February to end up with, February's close friend, lives in compound
• 'Van Jacques ["Jacques" of Spades] - travels with the gambling house, helps February satisfy her curiosity about the world, love interest
• Kapri Jacques [Kap] - 'Van's sister, travels with the gambling house, becomes February's first close female friend
• Christian Hart [Ian/Kit] - frequent visitor of the gambling house, from prosperous family, good friends with 'Van, takes a small romantic interest in February
• Dillyn Elliott - Ian's girlfriend, disapproves of his gambling, slowly forms a friendship with February
• Marco - the gambling house master
• Mum [Ambrose Jacques] - 'Van and Kapri's grandmother, has large influence in the gambling house, becomes a sort of mentor to February

What do you think? Feel free to ask questions. I would love to talk NaNoWriMo with you. ^^

Now that I have the characters and their names settled, I'm going to focus more on my plot. I've begun to create this fantastic world in my mind and I want the plot to do it justice. So far, I've only done broad brainstorming. It's time to make decisions and add more details.

Also, would you be interested in reading excerpts about each character throughout November? I was thinking I might post them on my Tumblr, but would you rather read them here? Let me know!

How is your NaNoWriMo planning going?

P.S. I did a similar post to this back in October 2010 for THINKING OF YOU.

Productivity for the Win!

21 days until National Novel Writing Month

My NaNo is beginning to come together. A cast of characters has manifested and just thinking about their relationships makes excitement flutter in my chest. Prominent settings have been established. I also have the thinnest thread of a plot. And when I say thin, I mean nearly invisible. But at least there's something.

Planning isn't the only thing I've made progress on this week either. I have also added about another 1500 words to OBJECTION, putting it at a little over 45k. While this is great progress and makes me very happy, I think I'm going to have to alter my pre-NaNo goal. With everything I am trying to accomplish before November gets here, finishing the first draft of OBJECTION seems too ambitious. I am now aiming for at least 50k by October 31st. If I get farther than that, great. If not, I will have still made substantial progress.

That's not even the end to the good news. Recently, I've begun working with a new critique partner. This exchange has prompted me to take another step in my revisions of THINKING OF YOU. I completed the transfer to Scrivener and reordered the scenes to fit my new plot line. This is a big step because I can now see what I need to work on in an organized layout and tackle each task one at a time.

Overall, I am quite pleased with what I have managed to accomplish in my writing so far this week. I've gotten more done than I have in quite a while. This aura of productivity is the perfect lead in to NaNo.

What achievements, big or small, have you reached this week?