The Tag that Must Not Be Named

Hi everyone,
I was tagged by Briana at No End of Books, thank you so much for tagging me.

Anyway here is the tag:

What book has been on your shelf the longest?

(Image from Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/Hobbit-J-R-Tolkien/dp/054792822X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518308819&sr=8-1&keywords=the+hobbit ) 

Probably The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien, I have loved it for a really long time...I have always and will always love Bilbo Baggins, and his sword Sting. 


What is your current read, your last read, and the book you’ll read next?

I am currently reading... 

(Image from Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/Study-Scarlet-Arthur-Conan-Doyle/dp/1977901573/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1518547275&sr=1-1&keywords=a+study+in+scarlet&dpID=51CfHBPqhVL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch) 

I have been reading Sherlock Holmes lately, so I thought I would read his first ever case!:) 




My last read was... 

(Image from Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/Wicked-Will-Mystery-William-Shakespeare/dp/1416986618/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1518545824&sr=8-2&keywords=wicked+will) 

Wicked Will is a historical fiction murder mystery. It was really good, and had a lot of references to Shakespeare's plays (And there was also a young Benjamin Franklin murder mystery, which was good too.) 

A book I am planning to read next....

(Image from Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/Expectations-Penguin-Classics-Charles-Dickens-ebook/dp/B002XHNMIU/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1518547541&sr=1-11&keywords=great+expectations+by+charles+dickens ) 

I really liked this cover of Great Expectations. I am definitely excited to start reading this book (because I read an abridged version that did not have much detail.)

What book did everyone like, but you hated?
Even though I love Percy Jackson now, I did not like it (at all)  before I decided to read it. At first I thought that everyone was getting the wrong idea about Greek Mythology. But when I decided to read the book I loved it. 


What book do you keep telling yourself you’ll read, but you probably won’t?

It's not books necessarily, it's often a series for me. I try to read the series but then I get distracted by other books, and instead read them. It's mostly with book series that have really long books (such as the Heroes of Olympus, etc.) 

What book are you saving for retirement?

Umm...I don't think I could save a book for retirement (I would probably read it before I was retired.) 
but...I am saving a book for next Camp NaNoWrimo:

(Image from Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/Mistletoe-Murder-Most-Unladylike-Mystery/dp/0141369728/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1518546932&sr=8-3&keywords=murder+most+unladylike) 

Even though it is technically a holiday murder mystery, and I had put the series down for awhile to read some other books, also I want to read a murder mystery while I am writing the story (not at same time of course.) And I think this would be good to read.

Last page: read it first, or wait ’til the end?

Wait till the end, I like to be able to experience the action at the same pace as the characters do. 

Acknowledgement: waste of paper and ink, or interesting aside?

Well... I do think it could be needed (especially in historical fiction books.) 


Which book character would you switch places with?

Do you mean switch bodies with? or switch places? Anyway I will answer for both... 
Anne Shirley from Anne of Green Gables 
Prince Caspian (or Lucy) from  The Chronicles of Narnia 
Sherlock Holmes (or Irene Adler) from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Annabeth Chase (or Rachel Dare.) from Percy Jackson 
Arwen (or Eowyn)  from Lord of The Rings. 
Benjamin Franklin from The Secret of The Sealed Room. 
William Shakespeare from Wicked Will. 
Hobbes (or maybe even Calvin) from Calvin & Hobbes 
This isn't all the characters that I would switch places (or bodies) with...but it as many as I could fit into a post. 


Do you have a book that reminds you of something specific in your life? (Place, time, person?)

(Image from Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-Trilogy-Fellowship-Matched/dp/B00CO2MXM0/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519505984&sr=1-7&keywords=lord+of+the+rings+trilogy+book+set&dpID=41y4MYTQj6L&preST=_SX218_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch) 

It reminds me of an event that happened to me last summer. 

Name a book that you acquired in an interesting way
I have often gotten books from people, but I can't really name one at the moment. 


Have you ever given a book away for a special reason to a special person?

I don't believe have done that before. However, I have given people copies of a certain book, that I had read and I think they would enjoy reading. 

Which book has been with you most places?

                                               Calvin & Hobbes 

(Image from Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Calvin-Hobbes-Treasury/dp/0836218051/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1518548336&sr=8-2&keywords=calvin+and+hobbes ) 

Even though I have read the comics a million times they still make me laugh. 


Any “required reading” you hated in high school that wasn’t so bad later?

High school? Just school in general there was an awful book that I don't know why they read to us, 

(Image from Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/Teacher-Black-Lagoon-Mike-Thaler/dp/0545065224/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1518548537&sr=1-1&keywords=the+teacher+from+the+black+lagoon+books) 

I will never like this book.


Used or brand new?

Both!:) But I love giving used books a second chance.

Have you ever read a Dan Brown book?

I have no idea who Dan Brown is!:) 

Have you ever seen a movie you liked more than the book?

(Image from Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/Inkheart-Widescreen-Iain-Softley/dp/B00267OB9Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1518548867&sr=1-1&keywords=inkheart+movie&dpID=51AfsFS67RL&preST=_SX218_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch) 

Personally I like the movie Inkheart compared to the book (The movie has a happier ending than the book) 
and even though it left out some details that the book had I like it. 

Have you ever read a book that’s made you hungry, cookbooks included?
Umm...I have actually never gotten hungry while reading (because I am eating while reading sometimes.) Though if the character is eating something like cake or popcorn I might get a little hungry.


Who is the person whose book advice you’ll always take?

My family, they always have good book advice. 

Is there a book out of your comfort zone (e.g., outside your usual reading genre) that you ended up loving?

(Image from Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/Washington-Irvings-Stories-Illustrated-Library/dp/0448420740/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1518549093&sr=1-7&keywords=the+legend+of+sleepy+hollow+by+washington+irving ) 

Besides Percy Jackson, There was another book that I ended up loving. It was The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving. I did not like scary stories or ghost stories at the time, but when I read it I loved it. 

I tag: 

Jane Maree at Her Author site and Maiden of the Misty Mountains 

Emma at Drawn to Writing 

Anna at A world Through Her Heart 

Gray Marie at Writing is Life 

And anyone who wants to do it.

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What are some of your favorite books? Who is one of the characters you would switch places or bodies with? 

Love,
Quinley

P.S. For the other people who have tagged me, I am still working on the tags I just haven't gotten around to posting them...yet!:)

Valentine's Day Drawings

Hi everyone,

 I hope you are having a Happy Valentine's Day!:) 

Here are the drawings: 

I really like how this one turned out! 

I like the details in it, especially the heart. 

I like how her dress turned out. 

This is a drawing of Eros (aka Cupid), 

the god of love, and son of Aphrodite. 

A drawing of a heart, I really like the details. 

This is a my version of the Birth of Venus. 

I think it turned out well, and I like the way her hair looks. 

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Which drawing is your favorite? And I hope you have a Happy Valentine's Day, 

Love,

Quinley 

Getting into Your Character's Backstory

Hi everyone,
 Sometimes getting into a character's backstory can be tricky. Sometimes you know the character's backstory well and other times you have no idea what their backstory is like...


Review the facts you know about the character
This can be quite helpful, especially if you made a character bio (with information like name, age etc.). Do they have any relatives? If so, are their relatives still alive or are they deceased? Are they the last living relative or person in the family?  Do they have any siblings? And, if they do, do they know about them or are they really close to their sibling?

After you review the facts here are some things that may be helpful to write down...

What is your character doing? 

Before they got to where they are (in the current story) what location were they in? 

How old were they? (The age may remain the same depending on how far apart the backstory is from the current story.) 

Did they have any bad habits that they got rid of before the current story? (Such as biting their nails, etc.) 

Did they have a past job? 

I recommend (if you feel comfortable doing this) being in a quiet room, and asking your characters the questions out loud. Basically you will be talking back and forth to yourself (pretending to be your character).

Seeing the backstory 
Knowing what the back story is, is good, but seeing it is even better.
What I mean by seeing the backstory, is being able to experience or see the character's back story.

That is why either drawing a scene from your character's backstory:

This is a drawing of Celtiere 

or making a character collage (which I have done before both in The Character Karaoke Tag, and Getting Characters onto Paper (part 2) ) is helpful to get a clear idea of the scene.
 This time when creating a character collage you are
  using images to create a vidid idea of a scene (instead of portraying a character's personality):

(original images from,
Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapestry#/media/File:The_Hunt_of_the_Unicorn_Tapestry_1.jpg,
wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphael#/media/File:Raphael_colonna_01.jpg,
Wiki Commons , https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Crowns#/media/File:St._Johann_Johannes_B%C3%BCste_Krone.jpg,
wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle#/media/File:Bodiam-castle-10My8-1197.jpg,
wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ireland#/media/File:Glendalough.jpg,
wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_(mythology)#/media/File:Phoenix-Fabelwesen.jpg )

          This collage shows some details from Celtiere's childhood, such as his pet phoenix, Fire, and his home, the castle, and the countryside of Ireland (where his story takes place).



Getting to know the other people from the past 
This means getting to know the people who your character could have known from their past.
They must have met someone (unless of course they were locked away somewhere, far from buildings, and civilization).
It could be a  friend from the past who betrayed them, or it could even be their arch nemesis, or even a trustworthy friend who stayed with them (it doesn't always have to be betrayal) and is now a character in the current story.

Here is a form for your character (if you are having trouble thinking about what they are like).

Name: 

Age: 

Interaction with the main character: 

Powers (if any): 

Friend of foe?: 

Rank in society:  

Personality Traits: 

Physical traits: 


After you fill out the form (assuming you want to), I would recommend doing the same things you did with your main characters, such as talking to them or even walking like them. Even if they are minor character you should know what they are like because if you didn't you wouldn't know how they would react in a certain situation in your story.

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I hope you enjoyed reading the post and I hope this was helpful to you.

Do you have any other tips or ideas that help you get into your character's backstory? 

Also do you like my ideas and tips? 

Love,
Quinley

Introducing Some Characters: Dryads

Hello everyone, Today I thought I would introduce you to some of my dryad (AKA nymph)
characters:


                                          Amber 

Amber has the ability to speak to animals, 

which was passed down through the generations of her family. 

Most of her friends are animals, and others are nymphs, 

but she spends most of her time talking to animals as opposed to dancing with 

the other nymphs. 

Elm 

Elm has a beautiful voice (as most dryads do), but her voice was different. 

When she sings the trees will dance to it and the animals,

humans or dryads who could be listening suddenly find themselves dancing. 

Though her voice also has other powers that she is yet to find out. 

Almond

Almond was given the ability to make plants grow 

just by thinking about it, though she has to learn 

how to control it, and at times her power has gone out of control.

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Which character is your favorite? Also what is your favorite mythical creature? 

May adventures come your way, 

Quinley 

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. day! (+ drawings)

Hi everyone, Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!:)

Even though I just did a drawing post I thought I would do some drawings in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. 

Here are the drawings: 

                              A drawing of the characters from one of my favorite movies, Hidden Figures.
                         I love how it turned out.

                                           A drawing of Rosa Parks, I had to look at a picture of the real Rosa Parks                                          to draw it and I like how it turned out.
             

A drawing of Melody. Normally I would have posted this on my doll blog,

but I thought I should post it here. I like the way she turned out, especially her hair. 

                                 And finally...in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. I drew a picture of him.
                               I really like the way he turned out.


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Which drawing is your favorite? And I hope you have a Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!:) 
Love, 
Quinley

January Drawings (First post in 2018!)

Hello everyone!:) This is my first post in 2018.
Today, I thought it would be good to start off the new year with a drawing post:

                                  This is a drawing of Celtiere's mother.
                                     I really like her pose, and her red hair against her green outfit.

                                         Oddly I have combined Disney princesses with Lord of The Rings                                                          characters a few times (and I don't really know why).
                                        This one is Cinderella as Lady Galadriel, holding the
                                       "One shoe to rule them all."
                                 

Mr. Robertson and Shadow (the black cat).

I really like Mr. Robertson's expression in this picture. 

This character (who is the main character, though I don't have a name for her yet)

 is from my fairy tale retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

It is set in the Viking times and instead of a beast it is a dragon. 

                                             I don't know what exactly this villain's powers are yet,
                                           but I like her headdress.

   

This drawing is of Rapunzel from my fairy tale retelling

set in Ireland. I really like her freckles.

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Which drawing is your favorite? 

Love,
Quinley

Happy New Year's! (+ favorite posts and other things from 2017)

Happy New Year's everyone!:)
 Last year was amazing (and somewhat crazy!), and I am excited to see what will happen this year (2018).  To celebrate I made a post of all my favorite things from 2017...

             Some of my favorite posts from 2017: 

                   Character Karaoke tag 
           
                     Getting characters onto paper parts 1 & 2 

                 My Camp NaNoWrimo novel (2017): The Mystery of the Phantom of Dragonspire court 
  

       Movie reviews: Family Friendly The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Movies 


       Song Suffragettes 


      The Terrible Idea 

October Drawings (+ Drawing Requests) 



When did we get a fox?

The Mystery of The Stolen Crown (my novel so far) 


The Holiday Fairy 

           Some of my favorite movies from 2017: 

                                    Wonder Woman   

(Image from Amazon 

https://www.amazon.com/Wonder-Woman-Blu-ray-DVD-Digital/dp/B0714QRG4Z/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1513353829&sr=1-2&keywords=wonder+woman ) 

Rated: PG-13 

Though I haven't watched many super hero movies, I like Wonder Woman because it mixes mythology into it, and it has a strong woman character. 

                           Beauty and the Beast (2017) 

(Image  from Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauty_and_the_Beast_(2017_film)#/media/File:Beauty_and_the_Beast_2017_poster.jpg) 

                             Rated: PG
                     I have loved Disney's animated classic, and I was excited when they finally made it into a live action movie (I was also excited when Emma Watson was playing Belle). 

                                 The Man Who Invented Christmas 

(Image from Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Invented_Christmas_(film)#/media/File:The_Man_Who_Invented_Christmas.png)

                        Rated: PG
This was a really amazing movie to see, especially because it was about a writer, Charles Dickens.
 I can relate to the things he does while he is writing (also I am going to do a review of it next December). I loved that he was able to talk to his characters, and that his characters complained to him about things (My characters do that to me all the time). Also another neat aspect of this movie is that it showed how Charles Dickens changed the way we celebrated Christmas.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales 

(Picture from Wikipedia,
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirates_of_the_Caribbean:_Dead_Men_Tell_No_Tales#/media/File:Pirates_of_the_Caribbean,_Dead_Men_Tell_No_Tales.jpg) 

Rated: PG-13 

This is actually a good movie despite what the critics say. Having seen the other Pirates of the Caribbean movies, I thought they did a good job with making new characters for the movie while still keeping Captain Jack Sparrow and Barbossa (along with some minor appearances of Elizabeth and Will Turner). 

Sherlock Holmes 

(Image from wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes_(2009_film)#/media/File:Sherlock_holmes_ver5.jpg ) 

Rated: PG-13 

As you can probably tell already, I love mysteries and I have recently gotten interested in Sherlock Holmes. This movie was not released in 2017, but I watched it for the first time this year. I actually listened to the music before I saw the movie, and I was amazed with the special effects, the plot line, and the way they portrayed the story of Sherlock Holmes. 

Despicable Me 3 

(Image from Amazon,
https://www.amazon.com/Despicable-Me-Blu-ray-Steve-Carell/dp/B072Y3LDZB/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1514151613&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=dicible+me+3 ) 

Rated: PG

This was a hilarious movie, and I am glad they made a third film (or fourth if you count Minions).
Despite the fact that the trailer was a little weird (and made it look like the movie would not be good), the movie itself turned out to be awesome.

Some of my favorite songs from 2017: 

I found many new songs and artists this year. Here are a few of my favorites,  

                                            Lament for Boromir performed by Karliene 

                                         You can also listen to it on YouTube Here

                                           I love this song because I, as a LOTR fan, love
                           The Two Towers, and I was excited when Karliene put the original
                           song written by Tolkien to music.  

                                               Disney Princess Medley by Georgia Merry

                                          You can also listen to it on YouTube here

                                       Georgia Merry is one of my new favorite artists!
                                        I like her covers of Disney songs. 

                                    Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Lindsey Stirling 

                                      You can also listen to it on YouTube here
                                 
                                       Whenever I listen to this song by Lindsey Stirling
                                          I picture detectives solving a mystery. 

                                             Will'o The Wisp by Jillain Aversa

                                              You can also listen to it on YouTube here 

                         
                        This is one of my new favorite songs, because the song is about Will'o the Wisps
                         (which are in Irish and Scottish Mythology).

                                           Two Hands by Kalie Shorr 

You can also listen to it on YouTube here 

                                      This is one of my favorite country/pop songs by Kalie Shorr
                                      (of course, besides Fight Like a Girl). I like this song because it talks about                                           how over dramatic writers, song writers, actors, etc. can be and how other                                             (non-writer) people react to them.

For the first time in forever (reprise) performed by Georgia Marie & Kayleigh Ann Strong 

                                      You can also listen to it on YouTube Here 

                             I thought they did a good job with singing this song (also with the acting, too!).
                            Even though they were not in full costume and the setting was different,
                I still felt like they made it feel like they were the characters from Frozen, which is one of                  the most important parts of acting and musical theatre!
                                     
         I would also like to give a special thank you to all my followers (on both my blogs). Thank you for giving me feedback on my writing and drawings... 
And I hope you all have a Happy New Year!:) 

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         What are some of your favorite things from 2017? Are you excited for the new year?

Love, 
Quinley