APRIL 2018 HIGHLIGHTS // camp nano + goldi's collage

Ah, April. The month when spring starts to become a reality. The month when school subjects start to wrap up. The month when Lila participates in Camp NaNo for the first time, while nearly everyone else participates for approximately the millionth time. IT WAS FUN.

~LIFE-ING~

Let's see, what was I up to this month? Well, I...

- got a perfect score on one of my final exams (YASSSS)

- got a decent cut on my forehead during a soccer game, and since it was a "head wound," it just had to bleed all over the place. #embarrassing

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(Then, in a later game, I got hit in the face again. But I was okay that time. Still, this had better not become my reputation.)

- listened to lots of good music, like Twenty One Pilots. *sniff* Mostly Twenty One Pilots, come to think of it.

- watched some videos of Tyler Joseph being sassy. I'm telling ya, his sass levels rival Percy Jackson's.

- went to watch my little cousin perform in a dance competition, which was cool!

I probably did more this month, but... yeah, let's move onto more interesting things.

~READ-ING~ 

- Goliath by Scott Westerfeld was the first one I finished, but that was waaaaaay back at the beginning of the month. Long time ago. Just know that it was a STUNNING conclusion to the Leviathan trilogy. You should read it, especially if you're into steampunk.

By the way, I'm not sharing the cover because it's not pretty. Only nice covers are allowed on this blog.

- The Boy Knight by G.A. Henty. Oh, would you look at that? Can't share that cover either. :P I didn't even like this book all that much; the main character annoyed me. But the historical detail in it is impressive, so I'll give it that!

- Day Moon by Brett Armstrong. I'll share the cover, because it's a nice one. :D (Hint: Its review is coming to the Rebellious Writing blog very soon, so stay tuned for that!)

- If I'm Found by Terri Blackstock. LOVED IT. This, my friends, is the perfect example of a Christian suspense novel done right! It kind of mirrored the previous book plot-wise (and it is an adult book, so take note that there were some bad people doing bad things, though all put in a bad light) but it was still soooo good. So much darkness in this book, and yet so much light. <3

- Disowned by Sarah Addison-Fox.

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Everything about it was just... YES. My fairly high expectations weren't dashed to the ground! Noooo, quite the contrary! Read my (much longer) review on Goodreads HERE.

~WRITE-ING~

I made lots of progress on Dusted Red this month thanks to my first Camp NaNo - I am now at about 96,000 words. My poor characters.

Oh, and just to clarify, I WON NANO. I'm so excited!! I actually reached my goal yesterday night, hehe.

And now I'm going to display the header thing that the kind NaNo people gave me.

:')

Are you participating in NaNo too?? Did you finish yet (I know there's one more day)? Whether you "won" or "will win" or not, YOU ARE STILL A WINNER. And you know what I mean by that - any progress is a wonderful prize! So let's celebrate together!

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Also, on a side note, I made a collage for my Goldilocks figure, Goldi, because 1) I wanted to, and 2) my fren Jem expressed interest a while back in seeing what Goldi looked like. Now here she is! Yay!

What do you think?? (Not my best collage, I know, so don't bother telling me that. XD)

~LEARN-ING~

Words are beautiful. I mean, when was the last time you sat back and really appreciated words? The written word, the spoken word, the sung word, etc. Words are powerful. Words are incredible. Words are a gift from God. And that's what He's been teaching me. 

Every gift from God has an inexplicable beauty to it, and God has given us the gift of words every. Single. Day. In fact, words are so much a part of our everyday lives that we take them for granted all the time. It's inevitable that we would, of course. But lately, God has put it upon my heart to soak in the words I read, to absorb the words in the music I listen to.

He's also been teaching me this: everything is going to be okay. That one is a never-ending lesson, though. 

Even when I'm discouraged, God is still good.

~ Lila Kims

Oh, Ms Believer, my pretty sleeper

Your twisted mind is like snow on the ground

Your shaking shoulders prove that it's colder

Inside your head than the winter of dead

~ oh ms believer // twenty one pilots

BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE // favorites edition - feat. Tiger Lily

My most sincere and deepest apologies for posting a day late! I was undecided over what to write about until it was already Monday, and then I realized that this month is the last Beautiful People link-up. SO HERE I AM. Besides, I've been so caught up in my novel lately (#CampNaNo) that I'm nothing but grabby-hands for a chance to blab about Dusted Red some more.

For the questions that are directed toward a specific character, I'll be answering for Tiger Lily!

hosted by the lovely Cait and Sky

~Favourite genre to write in?~

Fantasy, of course! It's amazing to me how I can create my own world simply by sitting and thinking it into existence - a world spread out clearly in my mind that no one has ever been to before except God, my characters, and me. <3 

It's also special how the worlds we craft go by their own rules. The sky's the limit!

~What book (a real actual published book!) do you think your character would benefit from reading?~

Tiger Lily would benefit from reading Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie, in some respects. You see, she would probably laugh at it - in a mockery kind of way - and I feel that Tiger needs more laughs in her life. She's more of the "small smile" type than the "laugh out loud" type, but I'm pretty much CERTAIN she would laugh out loud at Peter Pan in spite of herself.

 

~Favourite piece of dialogue you’ve written?~ 

This is waaaaaaay too hard, so I'm narrowing it down to one of my favorite pieces of dialogue with Tiger in it.

Peter sighed, but he didn't look surprised, nor did he turn to face her. He only tapped his fingers on the table and said, "Tiger, don't you think you should stay here and keep an eye on things?"

"Things?" she hissed. "What things? There isn't much here, Peter."

He turned in his seat and craned his head up to meet her relentless gaze. "Everything is here."

~What did your character want to be when they grew up, and what did they actually become?~ 

Wow, okay, so I had to stop and think about this, because I hadn't considered it for Tiger before.

When Tiger was a little girl, all she wanted (at least, this sounds like it might be right) was to be like her mother - marry a strong man and settle down in the quiet natives' camp to raise a family.

But what did she actually become? A woman in mind and in years, but an adolescent girl in appearance.

She isn't in the twisted camp with the twisted customs anymore, but on a beautiful island in the sky with some strong boys, some smart fairies, and some... uh, stupid mermaids.

In fact, there's no camp at all. Not anymore. Tiger hated that place, but she also loved it. She's glad it gone, but she misses it just the same. Now she consistently hates the place where the camps used to be.

(I'm going to shut up before I go down a backstory bunny trail. XD)

~Favourite character name(s)?~ 

I'm currently brainstorming a story with characters who have really cool names, at least in my opinion. XD Larkyn, Dorian, and Ryker, to name three.

From Dusted Red, though? Rudella and Jaecar may be the only names that aren't borrowed from Grimm's Fairy Tales or... you know, Peter Pan. *sheepish smile* But Rudella and Jaecar ARE cool names, aren't they? XD

~What makes your character feel loved, and who was the last person to make them feel that way?~

The last person to make Tiger feel loved was Peter Pan. The legendary hero is a ray of sunshine to so many people's darkness and despair, and Tiger is one of those people.

Peter Pan leaves a lot of people smiling.

To make Tiger feel loved, here's what you do: You let her do her thing. Especially if it's 100% clear that she's going to do it no matter what you think of it.

Basically... trust her with her craziness. And help me try to persuade Peter to do the same. :)

 

~Favourite character you’ve ever written?~ 

ASK ME THAT AGAIN AND I WILL EXPLODE.

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~If your character were permanently leaving town, what would they easily throw out? What would they refuse to part with? (Why?)~ 

If Tiger were permanently leaving Neverland, she would insist on taking her spear, maybe some of Tink's dust (though not much because she makes a point not to rely too heavily on Tink's dust), and her friends. Since that's all she has, that's all she'll be bringing.

So... I guess that technically means she would throw out nothing and refuse to part with anything??

~Favourite tropes to write!~ 

Broken guy characters with hearts of gold and sad pasts. << That's a trope, right? Also bittersweet endings, if that counts too.

There are probably more, I just can't think of any right now.

~Which story has your heart and won't let go?~

 

~Favourite relationship between characters you’ve written?~ 

I love the relationship between Peter and Slightly, though I haven't delved into it too much yet. Also Tink and Peter's, and Hansel and Delmy's. Plus more. And in the sequel I'm planning, there's a sibling relationship that I SOOOOO can't wait to write. Meep. O.o

Wait, did you say relationship singular, not relationships plural? My bad for hating these kinds of questions. You know, the FAVORITE questions.

You see, I don't play favorites. Usually.

~Toni Morrison once said, “If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” What are the books that you want to see more of, and what “holes” do you think need filling in the literary world?~ 

I want to see more clean YA that doesn't blur the lines distinguishing good and bad. 'Twould be great, thanks.

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~Favourite pinterest board / aesthetic for a book?~ 

All right, I suppose I'll share a growing Pinterest board I have for a story brewing in my mind. It's really small (only 10 pins so far), but I already like the vibe I'm getting from it. <3 Link is HERE.

~Favourite time periods & settings to work with?~

I like the medieval-ish time period. You know, swords and knives and horses and castles and all that jazz. SO MUCH FUN.

As for settings, I'll go with forests. Somehow, a wood of some sort always manages to wriggle its way into my stories, often unbidden.

I cannot escape these beautiful, dark, mysterious forests chasing after me. HELP.

...

Actually, don't help. I love it. <3

 

~When people are done reading your book, what feeling do you want them to come away with?~

I want them to feel satisfied, sad, and excited all at once.

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Yep, that's what I want them to feel. :)

~~~

Well, let us say a fond farewell to Beautiful People. *waves hankie*

And also, friends, have a SUPER BLESSED rest of the week!

~ Lila Kims

THE LIEBSTER AWARD // captain america's shield + dad jokes

It's about time I buckled down and did the Liebster Award!

Over the course of a few months, I've been tagged for this award four times, and I love everyone's questions so much that I was almost planning to have a Part 1 and Part 2. However, I'm not so sure about that anymore, so as of now I'm just going to combine the questions of Audrey and Mary Kate - the first two taggers - into one set of 11 questions. (apologies to the others!)

First things first, here are the rules:

Thank the person who nominated you. (Thanks, Audrey and MK! And the others too. You guys are awesome. <3)

Answer the 11 questions they gave you.

Name 11 facts about yourself.

Nominate 11 bloggers to do this tag, and let them know.

Give them 11 questions to answer.

1. Team Cap or Team Iron Man?

Probably Team Cap. xD I love Iron Man's sense of humor, but he's nowhere NEAR as cool as Captain America. Now, I don't have a crush on him like half my church friends do (and lots of other fangirls, I'm sure), but his shield is the best thing ever!

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2. Do you have a favorite constellation?

No, I do not. I'm one of those people who could stare up at the sky forever trying my hardest to find pictures of bears and hunters and so forth and only seeing a jumble of stars. Seriously, I couldn't find a constellation to save my life. :/

3. If it could only be one season for an entire year, which would you choose?

This one's a no-brainer. I mean, who wouldn't choose spring?? It's the most perfect season of them all! The temperature is just right, the singing of birds is the most soothing sound there is, and the colorful flowers springing to life make me want to shout "GOOD RIDDANCE!" at the retreating bleakness of winter.

Always spring, my friend. ALWAYS SPRING.

4. Favorite book genre?

Most of you already know this, but... fantasy! I'm not picky about genres - I read and enjoy books from almost every one. But fantasy is my absolute favorite, because that genre is where the TRUE magic happens! ;)

Seriously, though, there are endless possibilities in regards to fantasy. The only limit is the writer's imagination.

5. What's your favorite joke?

Ummmm, I don't really have a favorite joke??? How about the oldest, most stale joke in the history of old, stale jokes?

- Knock-knock.
- Who's there?
- Boo.
- Boo who?
- Awwww, don't cry, everything's going to be okay!


Or how about any variation of the following dad joke I keep hearing?

- The past, the present, and the future got into an argument. It was tense!

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Yeah, I don't really have a favorite. xP

6. Favorite hot drink and how did you like it prepared?

I'd say coffee is my favorite hot drink, but I don't know anything about how coffee is prepared, so I don't know how to answer the latter half of that question. I confess that the only time I ever have coffee is when a friend of mine can't finish her drink and offers the rest of it to me.

I always accept, mwahaha.

7. What were your favorite novels in middle school?

(not necessarily in order of favorite)

1. The Doll People by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin (think Toy Story, but with a more complicated concept. Sooooo good!)

2. The Inside Story by Michael Buckley (the whole Sisters Grimm series, but this book is my favorite one :D)

3. Shell Game by Ridley Pearson (again, the whole series - Kingdom Keepers forever!)

4. Masterpiece by Elise Broach (it's such a cute book <3)

5. The Invisible Friend by Lois Walfrid Johnson (once again, I loved - and still love - the whole Viking Quest series!)

I know there are lots more, but these were my top faves. Aaaaaaand the only ones I can think of off the top of my head. xD

8. Last movie you watched?

Well, at the time I'm writing this, the last movie I watched was The Lorax. A re-watch, of course. ^_^ It's such a cute, hilarious movie!

9. Which do you like better: thunderstorms or blizzards?

THUNDERSTORMS, BABY. Gotta love a good thunderstorm! I used to be terrified of them (when I was little and smol), but now I stand in awe of them. The bright flashes of lightning and rolling booms of thunder open my eyes afresh to God's power. They're pretty amazing, when you think about it.

Why must they last such a short time, though?? I'm always sad when they pass.

10. Favorite author?

I'm really starting to hate "favorite" questions. They. Are. So. Cruel.

Either Jennifer A. Nielsen or Marissa Meyer. I don't think I could choose between those two extremely talented authoresses. I haven't read aaaall the books by them, for various reasons, but the books I HAVE read by them are absolutely stunning works of art!

11. What's someplace you've always wanted to visit?

I'm tempted to answer with a fantasy world, but that's probably cheating...

England. I've never been there, but I've wanted to for quite a long time. My mother grew up there (which is mainly why I want to go) and keeps saying she wants to take us there. I hope she can someday! :D

~~~

Those are the eleven questions! Now it appears that I'm supposed to give eleven facts about myself.

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My 11 facts:

1. My plan and dream is to publish traditionally. Maybe I'll write a post about it someday, but simply put, self-publishing has never appealed to me. A lot of my blogger friends are going down the indie route, and I couldn't be happier for them! <3 But I've always had my heart set on going traditional.

2. I have three siblings: an older brother and two younger sisters.

3. I've been playing soccer on a homeschool rec league for about nine years. How to make me happy: place a soccer ball at my feet. xD

4. I wear glasses. All the time, or else the world turns into a blur of blobs. O.O

5. My favorite color is purple. DARK purple.

6. My favorite singer is Owl City and my favorite band is Twenty One Pilots. "Wolf Bite" by Owl City and "Trees" by Twenty One Pilots. You won't regret listening. ;)

7. Chapstick may or may not be an obsession of mine. I have more than five Chapsticks lying around my room, and I'm constantly applying it, bringing one with me everywhere, losing them down the side of the couch, etc.

8. I am NOT a morning person. No way. You won't find me jumping out of bed like a spring right after the alarm goes off. You'll find me sitting with my Bible, completely zoning out, and yawning over and over again.

9. My favorite school subject is Grammar (back when I actually did Grammar...). I even enjoyed diagramming sentences! I know, shocker. xD

10. Sweater + leggings = my favorite at-home outfit. When I go out, I usually wear skinny jeans with a blouse or T-shirt. And yoga pants are my jam too!

11. I journal. It's amazing to me that memories can be preserved so vividly simply by jotting down the events and thoughts of the day. I love it. <3 (lately, though, I've been in a journaling slump. Ugh.)

~~~

Now's when I get to be a rebel. xD I'm not going to ask 11 questions or tag 11 people, because I know I couldn't find 11 blogger friends to tag who haven't already done the Liebster Award. And if I'm not going to tag people, what's the point of asking questions, hmmm?

Just act natural and no one will suspect a thing. *hides*


So, who do you like better: Captain America or Iron Man? Or what about Spiderman?!

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I LOVE SPIDEY-BOY THE BESTEST OF ALL. *cough*

Let's just get talking in the comments, before I start gushing about our latest Spiderman. *more coughing*

~ Lila Kims

THE WRITER'S BOOK TAG // disney world + my crying heart

I was tagged three times for The Writer's Book Tag, which is definitely a sign that I absolutely must do it. Now, after an unheavenly long period of time, I am finally here to knock it off my tag to-do list! (which isn't too very long, and I still love receiving tags, so keep on giving them to me, my friends!!)

The lovely taggers were Jem Jones, Lilah (from the collab post on MK's blog), and Sarah Rodecker. Thank you, friends, for pressuring me so conspiratorially to do this one! <3

Just kidding. I didn't feel any pressure. At least... not a lot.

~RULES~

1. Shout out to the blogger who tagged you. (in this case, bloggers plural. xD *check mark*)

2. Tag three people (I don't know 'bout that...)

3. Use the graphic. (can I be a rebel? No?? *grumbles*)

~FIRST DRAFT: a book or series you've never read before~

Soooooo many. There are lots and lots of books and series on my TBR pile - and in the world in general, seeing as this question isn't specific in the least. It may be right up there with the most infuriating bookish questions of all, next to the infamous "What is your favorite book?"

Let's go with the Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children series by Ransom Riggs. The covers are way too creepy for my tastes, but I've heard the books are good - kinda creepy, but not full-on horror. They look very interesting.

~SECOND DRAFT: a book or series you didn't like as much the second time you read it~

I'm having such a hard time thinking of a book I didn't like as much the second time around. I guess I don't usually reread books to begin with??

I seriously cannot think of ANYTHING. *facepalm*

~FINAL DRAFT: a book or series you've liked for a really long time~

The Kingdom Keepers series by Ridley Pearson is one. These books are alongside Sisters Grimm in the category of "my favorite MG series of all time." (They're very mature, though, so I recommend them to YA readers too!! Seriously, GO READ THEM) The first time I read the books was when I was... twelve? They're action-packed, feelsie at parts, and are centered around the premise of characters from Disney movies coming alive in Disney World.

I want to reread them sometime, because the nostalgia is killing me. :') I've never been to Disney World in my life, but if I ever do, I will kind of know my way around thanks to Kingdom Keepers!

~KILLING OFF YOUR CHARACTERS: a book or series that made you cry~

My Diary from the Edge of the World by Jodi Lynn Anderson makes me tear up every time I read it.

The end of Allegiant by Veronica Roth broke my heart and crushed my soul. I seriously hated that book, though. Ugh.

Maybe I was tired that day, but a certain part in Heart of Courage by Lois Walfrid Johnson made a tear or two roll down my cheek. That was a long time ago, but I remember because I wrote a journal entry about it.

OH, and Heartless by Marissa Meyer came soooooo close to making me tear up. SO CLOSE. :'(

I could name a few more that definitely would have made me cry if I were the type to cry over books. My tear ducts were fine, but was my heart fine?

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My heart was crying, all right? Let's put it that way.

~PLOT HOLES: a book or series that disappointed you~

Most recently, The Sound of Life and Everything by Krista Van Dolzer. It was a cool idea, but it wasn't executed very well. For example, it attempted to mix science fiction with historical fiction, but in my opinion, the attempt failed. Miserably...

~WRITER'S BLOCK: a book or series you haven't finished~

The Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz. I've only read the first two books, but I'm going to read the rest eventually. It's just taking me a while to get to it, that's all. It's good spy fiction, and both my mom and brother tell me that if I liked books 1 and 2 (which I did!), then I'll definitely like the rest of the books. And I'm taking their word for it. <3

I just wish Alex had a sidekick to banter with, you know?? He's all on his lonesome. But then again, he does live an extremely dangerous, action-packed life, so I'm not sure how many friends he wants.

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He wouldn't want anyone he cares about to get hurt, after all.

~FEEDBACK: a book or series that you would recommend to anyone~

Well, I definitely recommend the Bible to anyone and everyone. It's the living, breathing Word of God, and the most important book in the whole world, so... yeah.

But other than that? *ponders* Well, the beloved classic Anne of Green Gables appeals to a fairly wide range of age groups, does it not? It's not so much a boy's book, though, so I probably wouldn't recommend it to a guy, but in almost every other respect, it's a very recommendable book. So Anne of Green Gables it is! :D

I do believe that's all the questions! I have to say, this tag connects reading and writing in such a creative way. I love it! xD

Unfortunately, I can't think of three people to tag. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if literally ALL my blogger friends have already done it. I'M SO BEHIND.

Therefore, I'll be taking the easy route. Whoever you are, if you have never done this before on your own blog, consider yourself tagged by yours truly! *bows*


Have you ever been to Disney World?
Do you like spy fiction?
How's NaNo going for all you lovely Campers???
Talk to me in the comments!

~ Lila Kims

HIGHLIGHTS OF MARCH // st. patty's day + five poisoned apple winners announced!!!

March was a flurry of CRAZINESS and EXCITEMENT, two words that sum up everything really nicely, if you ask me. Since this is supposed to be a blog plot, however, I suppose I'll have to elaborate. ^.^

~LIFE~

- A few peeps from my youth group went to a St. Patrick's Day parade in our area, and when that was over, we hung out at the nearby "Shamrock Festival" going on. Lots of crowds, lots of green. O_O

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What's funny - and also sad - is that incredibly few people actually know who St. Patrick is! I didn't even know myself until our youth pastor talked about how he was a missionary, and how he used the shamrock to share with people about the Trinity (very cool, no?). My youth leader even talked to an Irish person who didn't know anything about it.

It goes to show that most people don't even know what half the popular holidays even mean. They just celebrate because it's such a big tradition. xD

- The soccer season has started, woot woot! I almost didn't make it into the league - in fact, for a few days I was certain I wasn't going to play. Lots of people had signed up, and the teams were practically full. Almost 50 kids had to be rejected, and my sisters and I were three of the ones turned down. But my awesome parents talked to the guy in charge of the league, asking if there was room on a team for only me (seeing as I had signed up jointly with my sisters and the younger age groups were STUFFED).

And guess what? I made it on!!! And I like my team and coach a lot, so... YAY! Soccer forever. <3

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(This may or may not be my excuse just to use a Messi gif. 'Cause Messi is undeniably awesome.)

~

I got a lot of reading done, which actually surprises me even though spring break stopped by to help. Five whole books in the bag (and only one of them less than 4 stars!), and then most of a sixth.

You'll see what I mean in just a moment.

~MARCH READS~

Five Enchanted Roses by Kaycee Browning, Savannah Jezowski, Jenelle Schmidt, Dorian Tsukioka, and Hayden Wand

- pirates + omens + a mysteriously dashing captain

- ghouls + Lonely creatures + sentient castle

- stone statues + “the Witch of the Wood” + some hilarious one-liners

- jaguars + despicable villain + giant egret

- yellow rose + lots of… well, Scottish-ness + ugly scar

- my favorite collection of the two I’ve read!

- 5 stars

(Okay, so I didn't read ALL of the stories this month - I read the first in January and the second in February. But since three stories is more than half the collection, I'm counting it. :P [And this is why I said most of a sixth, btw.])

Messenger by Lois Lowry

- short but packs a powerful punch

- soooo attached to the characters by now

- the mysterious Trade Mart

- Forest is unique and scary and I love it

- my heart feels shredded

- 5 stars (this quartet is growing on me, I tell you)

See How They Run by Ally Carter

- a secret sisterhood society

- handsome boy becomes wanted fugitive

- annoying (but still good…) writing style

- annoying main character

- still liked it A LOT

- 4 stars

Son by Lois Lowry

- a quiet kind of powerful
- all she wants is her son
- I N S P I R I N G
- an ending that is just akdljrfgjoivrdgjlk
- this quartet has definitely grown on me
- 5 stars!

Take the Key and Lock Her Up by Ally Carter

- 3rd Embassy Row book
- on the run
- craaaaazy plot twist O_O
- writing style bothered me even more
- Grace is just as annoying
- good finale but overall my least favorite of the trilogy
- 3 stars

Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld

- Deryn. Is. So. Cool.
- none of the war and politics stuff went over my head! Yay!
- Alek is very brave and stupid and I like him *nods*
- the perspicacious loris and its maniacal laughter
- awkward consequences of a brilliant disguise
- ACTION! NARROW ESCAPES! A GIANT OCTOPUS THING!
- 5 stars

~WRITING UPDATE~

Not much to say here except that I reached 70,000 words for this draft of Dusted Red. I plan on being very, very close to the end of the draft by the end of April.

Fellow Camp NaNo-ers, let's do this thing.

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I didn't get much scheming done for the sequel, but I did more brainstorming for a fantasy novel stewing in my mind. I have a growing playlist for it (composed of instrumentals by Two Steps From Hell and Audiomachine, along with some Ruelle <3), and a growing board on Pinterest. So as you can imagine, I am getting suuuuuper pumped for it. O_O I can hardly wait to start planning it more! Hint: It will most likely have a volcano, some smol dragons, giant worms, and maaaaybe some evil sirens?? So. FUN TIMES.

~MARCH POSTS~

I won't bother pasting the graphics, because they all look the exact same, but here are the links to my posts for Julian's Five-Part Writing Special, an epic event that I and several other awesome bloggers took part in. Lots and lots of information on Dusted Red, so I hope all you lovely persons who read the posts enjoyed learning more! If you haven't read them... well... *wink-wink* *nudge-nudge*

Part 1 - introducing the story

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Part 2 - a step into the story world!

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Part 3 - a peek at the main character :D

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Part 4 - presenting side characters and villain!

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Part 5- collages and charrie songs... IT'S PARTY TIME!!!

~AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE~

Lots of fun posts from blogger friends all over the place! How could I ever choose only a few to showcase??

Both Faith and Christine - and probably some other bloggers I can't think of right now - had their blogiversaries! (Why is February/March such a popular time for starting blogs?) Click their names to go watch their epic Q&A vlogs!

Sarah shared about her mission trip to Belize. I don't know about you about you, but I looooove travel diary posts like this. And it sounds like she had an amazing time. <3

Melissa wrote a heart-rending, so-true Easter poem about Jesus' sacrifice for us. It's utterly beautiful, so please go read it. <3 And I hope everyone had a wonderful Resurrection Day!

Nicole wrote an epic post about Middle Grade books that YA readers should pick up as well! Because let's face it - MG is awesome, and sometimes a break from the gritty YA genre is super refreshing. Go check out her recs! :D

I. Keep. On. Forgetting. TO DO THIS. I meant to do it in my January wrap-up, for goodness' sake! But... better late than never, right?? Anyway, my dear, DEAR friend Danielle/D.G. Snapper/Snaps/Whatever-You-Wanna-Call-Her started a blog waaaaaay back in January. And she is one of the most epic bloggers ever already, so you absolutely must check out her little corner of the Internet! She participated in the 5-Part Special, and she is just on a roll - picking up followers left and right, mentioning cinnamon rolls in every post without fail, filling the blog with humor and well-placed gifs and lots of Jesus. <3 So yes, head on over to her blog, peoplings!

~FIVE POISONED APPLES~

The day has come!!! (Or rather, the day came on March 31, with Rooglewood's Facebook party. First the honorable mentions were announced, then the finalists were announced, and then the WINNERS were announced. So much exciting, aklfjrijkdljghhr. O_O)

I didn't win, but BEHOLD the final cover. And those names!!

Yep, that's right. My lovely friend Skye has won the contest!!!!!! AND I AM SO EXCITED FOR HER!!!! *squeals*

Aaaaaall the stories sound great - there's paranormal, fantasy, even contemporary! - and I cannot WAIT for December, when this beautiful anthology comes out and I can buy it and read it, because I am desperate to devour these winning works of art. O_O (Check out the collection on Goodreads HERE.)

I'm a tad disappointed I didn't win, of course. I mean, DUH. But the rights to my story, The Seven Huntresses, revert back to me, opening up sooooooo many awesome opportunities. God has a plan for everything that happens, so now I need to trust Him and move forward with Casimir and Ayla and the other precious charries down a new route. It's going to be an adventure. <3

~

All right, I think that wraps up March! Sorry for the unusual publishing time for this post - I wanted to get it up today so I can slip back into my normal Monday posting (the 5-Part Special taught me a lot of things, and one of them is that Friday posting does NOT work well for me :P), but it wasn't ready until now, lol. 

As for my April posts, you can expect... *drum-roll*... lots of tags! Because it's about time I started catching up on those. xD 

To all who are doing Camp NaNo like me: MAY THE WORDS BE WITH YOU. April is going to be super duper crazy, but also fun! That I know already. :D (aaaaand we're already two days in. Yikes.)

God bless! <3

~ Lila Kims