January Writing Challenges Week 4: Days 24 - 31

We've finally come to the end of another month. They speed by when you're busy, don't they? So I'm going to get these out and start up a new challenge or set of challenges for February. Also in February, I'm planning to share the first Indie Author Interview with Robin. I wanted to start off with the author who I wasn't able to interview back in November. Her work is perfect for February, though. Stay tuned and you'll see what I mean. :)
For now, let me share my challenge responses!

#AuthorFAQChallenge Days 24 - 31

Here's the rundown:

• Day 24 - National Compliment Day - Share a Favorite Indie Author - My favorite indie authors are CH Knyght, Elizabeth D Marie, Natasja Eby, & Jameson C. Smith. They write fantasy, YA fantasy, YA fiction, and YA fantasy respectively (at least the books I've read by them are in those categories.) If you haven't checked out their work, please don't wait to do so! I've linked their names to their IG profiles so you can see for yourself. :)
• Day 25 - Cinese New Year - What's Your Sign? - I'm the year of the rabbit. I love it, too. LOL If you've ever watched or read the manga Fruits Basket, then you'll know Momiji is one of the sweetest characters. He can also be a little annoying with his fake whining. XD
• Day 26 - Mittens or Gloves - I don't like either. Neither of them actually keep my hands warm. However, I might have found a pair of gloves that will do just that. Haven't had a chance to try them out yet, though. The best thing about this pair is that they exactly match the random fabrics I had lying around which were large enough to make a lined frock coat. Can you believe it?! I couldn't either. I'm so excited to get to work on it!
• Day 27 - #moodboardmonday - Share a moodboard about your book. - This one's not my best mood board. :/ I really miss Polyvore. I hope there's another website out there which allows you to create imaginative and creative swatch boards. If you know of one, please do share in the comments! I'd be forever grateful.
• Day 28 - What are you listening to right now? -  I actually didn't listen to much of anything but my daughter's music. However, when I'm writing, I really enjoy synthwave because of the steady driving beat or ambient space/atmospheric music, depending on the scene I'm trying to write or the pace I want to set. One of my favorite YouTube channels is the Ambient channel. I absolutely love Electus.
• Day 29 - What is outside your window today? - Cats. Lots of cats. And puddles of rainwater. I'll be glad when we can get a solid week of sunshine or even just light showers. This sunshine one day/thunderstorms for the next two is getting monotonous.
• Day 30 - What does writing success look like to you? - When my children, family and friends smile at the reading of my work, I figure that's a great measure of success. If my work can do the same for those who don't know me, then it's a double win.
• Day 31 - What's your advice to other writers? - Research. Research everything. And be thorough. I can't stress this point enough. Writing (and all the aspects it encompasses) isn't something you want to rush through. Unless you are working with a legitimate publishing company, who is taking care of the editing and non-writing parts of the business, then there is no such thing as too much research. Even then, though, you need to research well to find a good agent or anyone else who you choose to work alongside in your author business.
  

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#FantasyWIPJan20 Days 24 - 31

The prompts for the final week were an interesting blend of easy and OMGareyouforreal? Read on and you'll see what I mean. LOL

• Day 24 - Give a writing buddy a compliment. - My friend, Elzevera, over at Willow Editing has been such a positive and cheerful encouragement to me when it comes to self-editing. She's working on a book about the topic and I can't wait to see it when it's done! So please keep up the good work, Elzevera!
• Day 25 - A story you wish you had written - Ah, well, I try not to think this way because to my mind, that's too close to coveting and on the border of unhealthy envy. I prefer to just enjoy books and admire good work, cheering on the authors who put in so much effort to write them. In my blunt (and probably tactless) opinion, this prompt falls into the #omgareyouforreal department. Who's got time for that?
• Day 26 - Grumpy Cat Appreciation - What you look like when you're editing - I look the same when I'm editing as I do when I'm writing, or washing dishes, or teaching school, or sewing. *shrugs* I almost always frown in concentration when I'm working on something. But sometimes, editing comes at you like a hailstone and pings you on the noggin. And then you end up like this poor Grumpy Cat...and me. Scroll to the bottom to see the gif.
• Day 27 - Favorite Writing Craft Book - I decided to share a photo of Wonderbook by James Vadermeer. The main reason I like it so much is because of the colorful photos that fill the pages. But the information inside is so easy to understand. I've found it useful on many levels and would highly recommend it to fantasy and sci-fi authors.
• Day 28 - #teasertuesday - I didn't share anything on this day. I don't have a passage that's ready to share. However, if you're signed up to my newsletter, I'll share something there. If you're not signed up and you really want to read this little snippet, then scroll to the bottom of this page and click the button to go to my newsletter sign-up page. (You can subscribe at any time if you don't like what's in my newsletter.)
• Day 29 - Warm and Cuddly, #socks #reading #readingsocks - It just so happens I was able to purchase a pair of 'reading socks'. They only keep my feet warm if I wear them with a pair of thick socks underneath and a pair of slippers over them. I call that an expensive #epicfail. I could've spent the money better. At least they're cute...
• Day 30 - Favorite way to support authors and other indies - My favorite way would be to buy stuff from them directly. But the way I can help them most often is to spread the word about their products/share their links and leave positive reviews when possible.
  
• Day 31 - Level Unlock: Goals Success? - I think I did pretty well this month. I read through two pieces of writing, wrote seven new chapters for Surge, made mental notes of things to watch for when editing begins in earnest, and noted words to watch for, you know, those words a writer keeps using too often. I think I'm ready to edit with Nano next month...at least, I think they still do an editing run during February.

via GIPHY

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#1WordPromptChallenge Days 24 - 31

Here were the prompts for the last week of January. I really enjoyed this round of the one word prompt challenge.

• Day 24 - Shrivel - No photo. Since we've been having both warm and cold weather, I was kind of hoping for a photo of a shriveled flower, but my idea was instead what ended up shriveled in the end.
• Day 25 - Salt - I decided to share a photo of tomorrow's main dish. I popped a roast (fresh venison thanks to one of my husband's colleagues at work) in the slow cooker. "You gotta salt dat, yeah sha!" (Go ahead! Say it with your best Cajun accent. ?) I had never cooked deer meat before we got some this year and I'm pleasantly surprised. I was afraid it wouldn't be tasty, but with all the herbs and vegetables I add to it, it's super yummy!
• Day 26 - Pepper - No photo for this one either. I contemplated taking a photo of Pepper, who I also call squeakers because she has a tiny, high pitched meow. She loves to play, too, so she's a Pouncing Pepper.
• Day 27 - Dry - No photo, but we have been the opposite of dry in Louisiana this month. I'm so unbelievably thankful for the warmer than usual temperatures. When I was in high school, days like today (well, the day I'm writing this) would've been so harsh.
• Day 28 - Wet - We've been having so many rainy days lately! ? If it wasn't for the brisk, cool breezes, I'd surely mistake the season. The paperwhites are blooming like crazy ☘?? and the birdsong is magnificent. ?? It's wet, but at least it's not paired with biting frosty wind. ? I'll take it. ?‍♀️ Can y'all believe this fog? Two days of intermittent fog so far.
• Day 29 - Danger - For the next three prompts, check out the sections below this list. The snippets I'm sharing are still mostly raw, having little done to adjust the wording or grammar. Please keep that in mind when you're reading them. They were all taken from Surge. I'd love to know if they make you more or less interested in reading the next story in the Children of Y'Dahnndrya series.
  
• Day 30 - Safe - See below
• Day 31 - Sleep - See below

Maybe that was it. Maybe what was required was a leap of faith. Did she dare? Her heart rate sped up, even though she fought to maintain even breathing. Dear, Azilet’zal in Shinnali! Did she dare? Every move Se Lyn made was meant to toss her over the edge. And even she knew that mother flyers sometimes pushed their little ones out of their nests when they weren’t brave enough to try their wings on their own.
But they had wings. She didn’t.
Edrea had trapped her with the element within which each vesat must function. She took time to think it over.
“That’s it,” she murmured with a frown.
“What?” When she didn’t reply again, but started walking toward the edge of the platform, Se Lyn rushed to block her. “What are you doing, Serafin’an?”
She continued forward shifting to walk around him, but he grabbed for her elbow, forcing her to stop. She turned cold eyes to the offending hand, then raised them to meet Se Lyn’s. He slowly removed his hand, his shoulders straightening. “I’m taking a leap of faith, Se Lyn.” (Day 29 - Danger)

He didn’t know of anything else to do so he gathered her close and just held her for a bit until the shudders died down and her breathing was more even. He guided her to his cleansing closet and left her there while he grabbed something else for her to wear besides his coverlet. “You can borrow some garb. Here,” and he handed her a shirt that would probably be a little too big and an equally too large pair of breeches. At least the latter had a string to draw them up. “They’ll be too big, I guess but if you’re still uncomfortable, you can keep the coverlet. I’ll make kafkhet, eiya?”
She nodded listlessly. “Thank you, Outh’n,” she whispered. He nodded. She retreated into the smaller room and he headed for the kafkhet press and stirred up the fire in his little stove to heat the water.
It took her far less time to change than it did for the kafkhet to brew. She trudged out, bare feet hardly making a sound on his floor. The pant-legs and sleeves of the shirt had been rolled more than half-way, and for modesty, she’d turned the tunic backwards so the deep ‘v’ would only reveal a portion of her back. She chose the chair he’d given her on her last visit and pulled her legs up in front of her, resting her chin on her knees. The chair wobbled and she shifted her weight.
Outh’n leaned on his counter near the brewing kafkhet. It would be harder to touch her from this distance, he reasoned, much safer for her as he waited for her to talk. When she remained silent, he prompted, “Well, whenever you’re ready to talk, I’m listening.” (Day 30 - Safe)

Lost in thought, he climbed the two steps up onto his porch. He reached out to open the door latch when he spotted Ya’el curled up in a ball fast asleep at his feet. Her bare skin beckoned his touch but she’d likely tear him up and feed him to the draconisi.
“Ya’el?” No response. He grimaced, reluctant to wake her just yet. A blanket was what he needed. He tiptoed past her and hurried to grab a light coverlet he used during the hotter minsikin. When carefully settled, all but her face and hair were shielded from view.
“Ya’el?” he asked a little louder than before. She whimpered, curled up even more, and pulled the coverlet tighter under her chin. “Ya’el, you can’t sleep here.” He nudged her shoulder carefully. She groaned. “Are you hurt?”
She blinked and confusion clouded her face. “Outh’n? Why are you here?”
He grinned. “Actually, I think I should be the one asking you that question. What are you doing on my porch? And why’d you shift?”
“Ah!” She blushed furiously as she realized her situation. He chuckled at her frantic search for words which had never been a problem before.
“Come on. You shouldn’t be out here like this. It wasn’t the best choice you’ve made.”
“Well,” the small, hollow voice that followed him into his home shocked him — totally unlike the usual Ya’el. “Well,” she said again, “I guess I can add that to the growing list. But where was I supposed to go? I can’t get to my home without Iteiki and I can’t face him right now.” And she burst into tears.
“What’s all this, eiya?” He reached out a hand to wipe the tears and she collapsed against his chest. Surprise was a word too mild to describe her apparent trust in him. He gripped her shoulders and pushed her back just enough so he could look her in the eyes. “What did Kol do to you, eiya? And don’t try to shield him.” Trying to keep the anger he felt out of his words was proving difficult.
“Ah, Outh’n Durr,” she smiled wanly, her voice hitching, “you never seem to think badly of me. You should, though. I’ve done a horrible thing to Iteiki. I didn’t know!” She sniffed and the beautiful serafin’an that Outh’n remembered disappeared in a shuddering storm of redness and tears. (Day 31 - Sleep)

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#SelfEditing Challenge Recap

I started working on character profiles in earnest this week...as much as my crazy schedule has allowed. I've also determined to get at least one nice scene, or maybe a whole chapter, edited well enough to share in my newsletter, which goes out tomorrow. I guess you'll find out tomorrow whether it's just a scene or a whole chapter but I hope you'll enjoy it, no matter the length of the passage.

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Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you've enjoyed this little glimpse into my life and my work. Come back next Friday to see what new challenges I'm tackling and how my edit of Surge and The Tale of Outh'n Durr are coming along. And don't forget to check out next Wednesday's book review post. I haven't been able to schedule another indie author interview, so that's on hold for this season. The next one will be in spring. See you next week!