Stories I am working on This May

Hello everyone,
I wanted to give you an update on The Silver Key (which I might make a blog post about soon), I reached my goal of 12,000 words:

(Image downloaded from Camp NaNoWrimo's winner page.) 

Every month I rotate which novel I am writing (going back and forth between The Silver Key and The Mystery of the Body Thief), so I thought I would share what I am working on this May: 

The Mystery of the Body Thief: Annabelle's Return  
Just like Charles Dickens labels the parts in his stories, I am labeling mine, and calling it 
Annabelle's Return because... 

I finally got to the point in my story where Annabelle is awake!
She has lost her memory unfortunately, and she converted back to what she was like in book one. She is not willing to take risks, and sadly is acting like a "damsel in distress." However, that doesn't mean when she regains her memories she won't start taking risks and solving mysteries again.

New songs that remind me of the novel:

The Beauteous Maiden by Derek and Brandon Fiechter (with vocals) 

You can also listen to it here

This song I could imagine playing in the background when Annabelle wakes up. 

All Our Yesterdays by Blackmore's Night 

You can also listen to it here

                                  I think this is a perfect celebration song.

Nothin' New - Kalie Shorr

You can also listen to it here

I can't exactly say what part of the story this reminds me of, because of spoilers, 

but it does have to deal with something rather large that is going to happen in the romance portion of the plot. 

Blue and Gold (I don't know if this is the real title or not yet) 

The inspiration for this story was Gulliver's Travels, which I am still reading. It had a huge impact on this novella, though it doesn't follow the exact same plot. My characters are travelling by boat, but instead of having islands represent dystopias, there is a sort of hidden dystopia that will be revealed in my novella.

All I can say at the moment is that these songs remind me of my novella:

                                           Fight Like a Girl - Kalie Shorr 

You can also listen to it here

**warning slightly strong language: usage of the word d*** *** 

I can't say what part of the story this reminds me of because of possible spoilers, 

but it reminds me of (I can say this without spoiling it) something the protagonists might like. 

Hero by Heather Dale 

You can also listen to it here

This song really reminds me of the protagonist's motive. 

Fight Like a Girl written and performed by Kalie Shorr, Hailey Steele, and Lena Stone

 

You can listen to it here

**warning slightly strong language: usage of the word d*** *** 

I love that this song has many singers singing it, 

and I could imagine the protagonists singing this as a group. 

Plotting The Silver Key

Even though I am not currently writing The Silver Key I have been plotting it out and working on the world building (which includes working on the mythology for it) and character development which so far has been successful. 

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What stories/novels/novellas are you working on this May?
Do you have any songs that remind you of your stories? 

-Quinley 

Mother's Day Drawings

Happy Mother's Day everyone! To celebrate I am posting some of my Mother's Day themed drawings:

Though Phoenix doesn't know who his mother is (and the readers don't know yet either), 

I thought I would include this drawing of her, so you could get an idea of what she is like 

(even if you don't know who she is exactly).

This is a drawing of Elm's mother. I like this one, because compared to the others, there is a background. 

This is Annabelle's mother. You may not know her yet, since she hasn't really shown up in the books to this point. But I enjoyed drawing her. 

Here are Tess and her mother (Gletta). I imagine that her mother would teach her the art of 

swordplay after her adventure. 

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Before I leave you a question for the comments section, I have one final thought to say, which is that I have been trying to find a way for my characters to continue going on adventures after they are married and have children (since I know they probably will get married at some point in the series). So... 

Which drawing is your favorite? 

And, have you seen any examples of married couples in fiction who still go on adventures or missions?  

-Quinley 

My Characters make a post for my Blogiversary

Hello "blog" readers, this is Horatio and... 

Phoenix and...

Lady Annabelle and...

Tess Short. 

As you may have noticed, Quinley never has characters like us, make posts--- 

Oh, so we will have our own characters that we make up, write a "blog post" in their point of view??

That's actually not what I meant...but, as I was about to say, her dolls have posted before on her doll blog and to show we are equal to her dolls, we as main characters have decided to make one big blog post. We don't exactly know how to use a "computer"(something used by non-fictional people), so we are using a magical spell to write this, hence the reason each of us have different text colors when we speak. Also, if you are wondering why Lady Annabelle is able to talk, well, we used the spell to do that, unfortunately it doesn't work in my story-- 

Your story (that you're writing) has no magic in it? 

No, it does. Why would you think I'm writing it? I'm the main character! Oh...never mind....

Hello again "blog" viewers. Getting to the point: we are making this post because Quinley's blog's anniversary is rolling around. We thought instead of her making a blog post for it, we, the main characters, would make the post...though I am still upset with her because my first book came to an end, and I was enjoying it so much. (Don't tell her.) 

Well, you can write a new story then. 

Phoenix that's not what I was talking about, never mind...

So, in the post we will talk about what the author has done to us, of course without spoiling the stories.Though that won't be too hard because we have no idea what will happen in the stories she hasn't finished. Unfortunately, the author is scary in that way. 

You could just plot it, you know. 

Phoenix! 

What? 

You sound like a writer! 

I am...well, I am a poet, and do sometimes write short stories, but what? 

You...you...anyway, let's get to the post. 

The writer has a fellow main character offer you a chance to go on an adventure what do you do? 

I actually, never had this happen to me, I was never offered go on an adventure. I was offered a chance to solve a mystery though...but that sort of just happened. 

I tried to avoid it at all costs...but that sort of failed. 

What?? Um...I am not sure how to answer this, first of all what do you mean by "fellow main character"? And what on earth!? 

I...well, I...I think I must be dreaming, or something. But, I am not exactly sure how to answer this, I still think I'm dreaming...but an adventure sounds fun! 

The writer threatens the life of your best friend, what do you do? 

Yell at the author at random times, especially when they are doing random things like watching a "movie", taking a shower or bath, or trying to sleep. Once that happens, they probably won't hurt my friend. 

Bother...I should have done that when she was writing the story. I probably should do that when she is writing Tess Short (Book Two), and then she wouldn't do awful things to my friends or uncle. 

Uhh... I have had characters in my short stories and poems complain about this to me, but only for a short amount of time, but...what on earth is going on? Why would a fellow writer threaten my best friend? 

Probably complain, or talk to the author if possible...but I think I am most definitely dreaming. 

Author kills off a minor character you like? 

Cry, and then complain. 

Oh, I should have done this, but no one died, so there was no reason, but I assure you NEXT TIME I will. 

If it adds to the plot then, it's fine, but you can't just kill off all the main characters in the first sentence or first chapter (if it is a novel) without a reason. Also, if it is a character I like and know well in the story, even minor, I would be upset. I'd probably talk to the person writing it, send a letter to them, perhaps, but character deaths can be sad for sure, and definitely worth crying over. 

(Aside:

I think....the author did something to him 

Me too)

Complain to the author, and demand they bring the minor character back to life! 



Author gives you a love interest, but doesn't let you kiss them for the entire story? 

It would be improper to kiss them, if we aren't married or engaged. But all the same, that is just unfair. 

Ummm...I should probably add I am not old enough to start courting yet. 

Love stories? Oh great, not love stories...kissing scenes can be so...disgusting. 

That....would be awful for that character... 

Author then gives you love interest but kills them off? 

I do hope that never happens to me. 

I'm still too young to court!

Tragic ending? Interesting... if both love interests die, well, that is the end to the love story. So yay! 

(Aside:

Something is most definitely wrong with Phoenix... 

Perhaps he was brainwashed.)

Oh, that would be awful for them...the character that is, the one who died. 

Author decides to kill everyone off? 

Alright, I just want to say that I do not want to know what the character after life is like. Particularly because I still want to have a happy ending to look forward to, that does not end in death. 

I agree with Horatio, and really author, why does death have to be the end of the story?

Umm...if every character dies in the first chapter, without reason, it isn't really...um...well done, there has to be a reason for them to die. 

First of all, that's awful, how could an author do such a horrible thing to their beloved characters!? 


Are you happy about Adventure Await's Blogiversary? 

Let me see, I suppose I am, since I wouldn't really be around in a way, if it weren't for the blog. Since I am around, the author can...do stuff to me in my story, but at least the post about the novel I am in got in "popular posts" on the sidebar. 

Same...though I admit I should have talked to the author before my story ended. Well, guess I will have to bother her while she is going through editing. 

Beg your pardon, but what on earth is this Adventure Awaits? And what is a "blogiversary"? 

I admit, I agree with Tess and Horatio. 


So, fellow characters, I hope you get to see how other characters have been treated by their author from this post...and how one of them seems to be very ignorant of the fact that there is an author. So for now, our magical connection is a tiny bit unstable, but...here are some "conversational questions" for the comments section. 
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What is by far the worst thing your author has done to you? 
And question from the real blog author: Would you like to see my characters make blog posts in the future? 

Farewell!
-Horatio
-Tess
-Phoenix
-Lady Annabelle 

P.S. (a note from (the real) blog author) 

Character text colors: 

Horatio's color is Light Blue 

Phoenix's color is green 

Tess's color is Purple 

Lady Annabelle's color is Dark blue (Keep in mind that Annabelle is sort of unconscious at the moment, and lost her memory, so her answers may be different than usual.)

Wattys and Camp NaNoWrimo July 2018 project: The Mystery of The Body Thief (+ 100th post!)

Hi everyone, last April I made a post about this project so I thought that I should make another post about it considering I am still writing it and I entered it into a writing contest called the Wattys. (Also, this is my 100th post.)

Anyway, here is the post:


Synopsis- 

Ever since Horatio woke up from being in a coma, things around the castle have been going from normal to strange. 

He is also trying to solve a murder that now is beginning to seem more complex than he thought. 

Characters-
Since I made a whole list of the characters before in my last post about this project, I am only going to do some of the main characters and not the minor ones.
                                                                  Horatio 

A servant who works in the castle, who lost his memory.


Vonivera  (previously known as Veronica.) 

Lady Annabelle's lady in waiting, and friend to Horatio and Phillip.
Unlike the other ladies in the castle, Vonivera is a fairy, and she finds it hard to fit in.

                                                                            Phillip 
                                                                    

The captain of the guards and the only dwarf in the castle. Also 

a friend of Annabelle's who is helping Horatio and Vonivera solve a recent murder.

                                                Detective Inspector Time & Marigold 

From left to right, Detective Inspector Time, Marigold. 

Two detectives who are trying to solve the recent murders of royalty.

                                                             Lady Annabelle 

A princess who is in a coma, who fell unconscious at the same time as Horatio. 

Excerpts-

Vonivera had very annoyed looking expression her face, that she normally had when she was talking about the gossipers and how they talked about Horatio, and the things he had done wrong. 

“I am worrying about it, because I care about you, unlike everyone else in the castle.” she said. 

-from Chapter 10, Vonivera to Horatio. 

“Are you alright?” Vonivera asked. 

“Yes…I’m fine..” Horatio said, as he picked up the burnt fire wood, and swept the chimney, which was sooty but not quite as sooty as it had been when he first cleaned it. 

“Are you sure?” asked Vonivera, who like usual was hanging around where Horatio was working. She rather liked to talk to him… 

“Yes I’m sure…” sighed Horatio, who rather was concentrated on cleaning the chimney… 

“You don’t look sure…” said Vonivera. 

Horatio sighed, “That’s because I’m cleaning the chimney!”

- from unidentified Chapter. (Though I am pretty sure it is after the events of chapter seven though, but I am unsure...since the labeling of the chapters got confused.) 

You can also read the seven chapters that are up here (though I do plan to self-publish it eventually.)

the official story soundtrack- 
Last time I posted songs that reminded me of the story. But now here is the official story soundtrack:


 
You can also listen to it here 

Some of the songs in this are songs you have heard before in the previous post.

A sneak peek at future songs that will be added into the story soundtrack (playlist):


                                       As The World Falls Down by David Bowie. 

You can listen to it here

 This song goes really well with a (romantic) ballroom scene in my book. ;)

Kiss and Break Up by Meghan Kabir 

You can also listen to it here 

This song went perfectly with a scene from my story. 

(I am not going to say what scene though ;) ) 

Money, Money, Money by ABBA 

                                                 You can also listen to it here
                                I am not sure whether this song will be added to the story soundtrack or a playlist describing one of my characters, but either way it still reminds me of what the servants may think of royalty and money.

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Have you ever entered your book into the Wattys? Also, how was your Camp NaNoWrimo? 

Love,
Quinley

August Drawings (It's Been Awhile Since I Made a Drawing Post)

Hello everyone, I realize it's been awhile since I've made a drawing post. So I thought today was the perfect day to make one. So, let's begin. 

Here are the drawings: 

A drawing of Florence from Death in Paradise.

I hope in the near future to draw more drawings of the characters from that TV show. 

I like the way this drawing of Rapunzel turned out, I tried to make her outfit look a little like it looks in the TV show. 

A drawing of Merida. I like the way it turned out.

Annabelle's hair in this drawing is a little bit more curly than I normally draw it. 

A drawing of a mermaid, 

this is the first time 

I've drawn a mermaid with scales on her face and skin. 

This is a drawing of a character I made (that I hope to use soon), who can shape shift into a unicorn. When she is human she tends to have rainbow hair (like her mane when she is a unicorn) and a horn, though it can be rather awkward when she is close to people and accidentally bumps them with the horn. 

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                                        Which drawing is your favorite? 
                                               -Quinley
P.S. I wanted to say thank you to everyone for the amazing comments (on both my blogs) I will respond to all of them soon.

Why Choosing Actors and Actresses to "Play" Your Characters Helps You See Them Better

Hi  everyone.
Now, as it happens my characters don't always want to look like actors/actresses, but some do, and those who do tend to completely decide who they look like.

Why it helps 

I have found this happening in one of my stories that I did not have a clear vision of what my character's face looked like. I knew what their hair and their entire body looked like except for their face. It was like they were turning away from me. (Which I may add they probably were.)

One of the characters that actually introduced me to choosing actors and actresses to play my characters was Lady Annabelle. It took her several books to finally decide what she looked like. And in one of them she decided she looked like Emma Watson. Here is a photo edit I made of her:

(original image from Rotten Tomatoes, https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/beauty_and_the_beast_2017#&gid=1&pid=h-136537 ) 

 As you can see from this picture choosing an actress or actor to "play" your character does not change their hair color, or if they are human or an elf or whatever you had in mind for them.

Also with my main character Horatio it took me a long time to find an actor to "play" him,
until after rewatching a few episodes of the TV series Death in Paradise and watching the movie adaptation of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice (2004), where the actor Kris Marshall plays both Gratiano and Humphrey Goodman. He caught my eye as being like Horatio. (Horatio had more control of what he looked like than I did.)

(Image from Rotten Tomatoes, https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/death_in_paradise?#&gid=1&pid=t-270000) 

After Horatio suddenly decided that he looked like that it actually influenced the way I drew him.



A Older drawing of Horatio:                   And a newer one: 

As you can see from my drawings, Horatio got quite developed because of choosing an actor. 

How it helps with writing 
Sometimes I have found that when I am (pretending) to talk to a character that my voice is the one responding to me, not my character's. (This mostly happens if the conversation is taking place in my head.) But if it is my voice responding to me instead of the character's voice then it can be kind of annoying. It's like I am talking to myself and not my character. Now this is where choosing actors/actresses to "Play" your characters comes in handy. If of course you decide to choose the actor or actress because of their acting and not because they look like how you imagine your character. (Though it is important to choose an actor or actress that looks like your character even if only in the face.)
If you have seen the actor or actress act before even if it is only once or even just in a trailer it can help you to understand what your character's voice sounds like. (Even if you decide to slightly modify the actor or actress's voice to go along with your character.)
But if you haven't I recommend at leaast watching a movie or TV show that they are in, but if you don't have the time for either then just watch a trailer from a movie they are in.

How this could help with writing screenplays 
 I've never really written a screenplay or script before, even though I do want to. But let's say you are a writer for a movie, TV show, etc. And you have a famous actor or actress who was asked to play the main character in the movie or TV show. As you write the script (if it wasn't already written) you probably would imagine the actor or actress playing the character. So before you get into writing screenplays for plays or movies or TV shows, these recommendations might be good to do in the meantime.

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Do you choose actors and actresses to "play" your characters? If so then which ones? 
-Quinley

May drawings

Hi everyone, 

It's hard to believe it's May already.

I thought today would be a good day to do a drawing post, 

here they are: 

Drawing of Riona "Fire," it was really fun to do the shading in this drawing. 

A native American girl, I like the way she turned out. 

A drawing of Annabelle,  I was actually inspired by a scene from one of my books when I was drawing this. 

This was meant to be a drawing of Hermione from Harry Potter, 

but unfortunately it did not end up looking like her. 

A drawing of Elm, I like how it turned out. 

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Which drawing is your favorite? 

Love, 

-Quinley 

P.S. I will be responding to the other comments from my previous posts, though it may take me a little longer to respond to them. 

My Camp NaNoWrimo Novel April 2018: The Mystery of The Body Thief

Hi everyone,
I hope you are having an awesome April... I have some exciting news! I finished my Camp NaNoWrimo word count goal! :)  (However, I am still working on my novel.)

Synopsis 

Horatio wakes up from being in a coma, but he doesn't remember anything that happened before he fell into unconsciousness. All that he remembers is a name, "Annabelle!" 

Also... Detective Inspector Time finds himself having to solve a case without Lady Annabelle.
Murders have been happening throughout many different kingdoms, and no one knows who exactly is behind it all. 

Characters

In this novel there are quite a few characters. I won't list all of them, I'll just mention the main characters.

Horatio- A servant boy who woke up from a coma, he doesn't remember anything except a name "Annabelle."

Lady Annabelle- She and Horatio fell into a coma at the same time, except unlike him she hasn't woken up.

Detective Inspector Time- An elvish detective, who is trying to figure out who could be behind the recent murders of royalty.

Phillip- The Captain of the Guards, who is a dwarf.

Veronica- Annabelle's Lady in Waiting, who is a fairy.

Marigold- Time's adopted daughter, who is working with her father on the case.

Ophelia- The castle nurse, though she is a nurse she dislikes blood, and well anything medical.
Some people in the castle wonder why she became a nurse in the first place.

Austen- The new coroner, who is also helping Time solve the case.


Excerpt

He opened his eyes, his head felt incredibly dizzy and memories flashed in front of him for no  particular reason, and voices calling a name: 

“Annabelle, Annabelle!” 

the name felt like it had a meaning for some reason but he could not place it. Suddenly he felt a hand on his wrist. 
“Sir” said a stern voice, that sounded as deep as a bass. “You suffered from severe trauma to the head and were in a coma for 24 hours.” 

Story music 

This is kind of a sneak peek at the story soundtrack I am working on for the story soundtracks page...

                                               Sleeping Beauty by Traci Hines 

You can also listen to it on YouTube Here

This is the theme song of my book.

All I want by Eurielle 

                                                      You can listen to it on YouTube Here 
                                    This song reminds me of a scene from my book.

                           Discombobulate by Hans Zimmer 

                                          You can also listen it on youtube Here 
                                                 This is a song that I often listen to when I write mysteries. 

                      ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
                     How was your Camp NaNoWrimo? 

                      Love, 
                      Quinley

                             

If My Characters Lived in Modern Times

Hi everyone, Camp Nanowrimo has started!:) I am so excited!:)
Also Happy (belated) Easter and April Fool's Day (I didn't have a post planned for either, since I was working on my blog anniversary posts).
 Anyway, on with the post, here is what my characters might do if they lived in modern times:

Lady Annabelle 

from the Lady Annabelle Mystery Series 

Annabelle would probably be a police (or private) 

detective, if she lived in modern times (and if she wasn't a princess).  

She would love reading mystery novels like, Sherlock Holmes, Murder Most Unladylike, 

The Secret of The Sealed Room. 

Mr. Robertson 

from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: The New School Master (my fan fiction of Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow) 

He would probably be a teacher of literature and history,

and would be especially fascinated with the American Revolutionary War 

(and would be trying to figure out how the British lost). 

He would live in New York (near Sleepy Hollow.)

Tesariel (Tess) Short 

from Tess Short book one 

                                           Tess would probably be a writer
                               (and compete in NaNoWrimo and Camp NaNoWrimo),
                          would be a member of a book club, and would be a huge LOTR
                                (The Lord of the Rings) and Hobbit fan.

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What would characters do if they lived in modern times? Which of my characters is your favorite? 

love,
Quinley

P.S. I may not be able to post as much as I normally do, since I will be doing Camp NaNoWrimo.

The Mystery of the Stolen Crown (My Novel so far...)

Hi everyone,
It's November Novel Writing Month, and I thought it would be a perfect time to tell you a little bit about my novel. Here it is:

Short synopsis: 
It all started when the king's crown was stolen, no one knows where it went or who did it. 
But that isn't the only thing that happens! Suddenly on the day of the feast the king mysteriously dies, and all clues point to Murder!

Main detectives: 
Since the story is taking place somewhere other than Dragonspire court, Detective Inspector Time and Philip are not in this book (but will be in the next book). 

Lady Annabelle-

 A Half elf Half human with a little bit of fairy, she is the main detective.
She is independent, brave, and notices things that most people wouldn't normally, and she is heir to the throne of Dragonspire court.

Veronica- 

Veronica is Annabelle's Lady in Waiting. She often thinks that being a detective is as easy as it looks in books, though often Veronica forgets how dangerous being a detective can be and plunges into danger.  One of her favorite detective characters is Lord Watson a famous fictional detective (which is like Sherlock Holmes).

James-

(James's name will probably be changed later.) A foot-man who works at Dragonspire Court (and came with Annabelle to the neighboring kingdom), he is fascinated with detectives and wants to be one. He is also a good actor, and is skilled at the arts.



                 


            Excerpt: 

"Annabelle!?” 

Annabelle whirled around with the ink still in her hands, it was dripping on her dress now… and as she twirled around it got onto her father’s robe. 

“Yes??” she said.

Her father sighed…looking at his robe which had been ruined by ink, the black spots marring the finery of it. 

“Well, I have some very important news, and please just put that ink and pen down.”

              Inspiration for the story: 

One of my inspirations for this book was a painting (A painting by John William Waterhouse inspired a scene in the first book as well.):

(Image from Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Archer_(artist)#/media/File:The_Death_of_King_Arthur_by_James_Archer_(1860).jpg)

This painting was the inspiration for a few characters in the story and for a scene in the story. The person off to the side holding the goblet became a character in the story a fairy who works at the court. And the girl near the tree (who is most likely Queen Guinevere in the original painting), reminded me of Annabelle. This picture also became part of a poster for the story (which I will put on the novels page once I find the sources for the images).


                                           Inspirational music: 
                                        Even though I don't have a whole story soundtrack for this story yet... 
                                         I have some music that helped me write: 

Puzzles by Robert Carli 

You can also watch it on YouTube here

                                           
                                      I can always picture this song playing in the background
                                      When Annabelle (or any of my other detectives) talks to the suspects.

Helping Hand from Sofia the First

You can also watch it on YouTube here

Even though none of my characters burst into songs in a musical manner (they do sing ballads every once in a while) or voice their evil plots out loud

and there are no stewards in my story (that I know of). 

 This song was inspiring probably because it sounds a little like it could be part of a mystery.

                                                 How does a moment last forever? 

You can also watch it on YouTube here

This song for some reason is Annabelle's theme song. I don't know why, but it suits her. 

Opening theme by Robert Carli 

                                                 You can also watch it on YouTube Here
                                              This is One of my favorite mystery music pieces,
                                          and I often listen to it when I am writing this story.
                                         

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I hope you enjoyed reading about my novel!:)

Do you have any music that inspired a scene or character in your story? And how is your novel going? 

                                            Love, 
                                          -Quinley