Sunday, August 30, 2015

Soundtrack Sundays: Eria (Two Steps From Hell)




It's Soundtrack Sunday again! The day where I post awesome music to write to or just listen to for pleasure if you're a fellow soundtrack junkie. BIG NEWS! Two Steps from Hell is having a massive sale on iTunes to September 14th where all of their albums are only $5.99 each! I've completed and bought five albums for only $20 which would normally be around $60 worth of music! 

This piece is calming with light female vocals, strings, and flute. It's very soothing and a delight to listen to for a fantasy scene. You can listen to more epic music in my Soundtrack Sundays YouTube playlist.


Have you heard this piece before? What do you think of it? Are you a Two Steps from Hell fan?

If you liked this post, come back every Saturday for more writing advice, character interviews, book reviews and more! On Sundays I have Soundtrack Sundays where I post a new score piece, Tuesdays are Tea Tuesdays with tea reviews, Wednesdays I have Wonderful Word Wednesdays where I post a new vocabulary word, and Fridays are Fan Fridays where I post tags and other goodies. To help support my dream to be an author follow this blog, like me on Facebook, watch me on deviantART, and follow me on Pinterest and Twitter. If you want to know more about my books check out them out here. Thank you! :)



Saturday, August 29, 2015

Monthly Summary: August 2015





August has definitely a doozy. Lots of writing stuff going on. Big things are coming I can just feel it. It's been a bit stressful this month, but I'm hanging in there.


What I did:

1.) I went to Realm Makers! I had a really fun time and traveling was really cool! I did a full report on it.

Me and Robert Liparulo at Realm Makers
2.) I finished going over all of my beta feedback for Red Hood and edited the first five chapters of Subsapien Biomech! I'm sending of all of that material to editors and agents on Monday!



3.) I finished Mor Expressions and Able Expressions!



4.) I finished reading Omega Dragon by Bryan Davis and the Judgement Stone by Robert Liparulo (which I now have signed ^ ^)! Reviews up soon!

The 13th Tribe and the Judgement Stone signed by the author. ^ ^
5.) I guest posted on Young Writers Tree House and was interviewed by Geeks Under Grace!


The Geeky Department:
Since one of the main themes of the blog is geekiness, I thought this deserved an entire section on the monthly summary. So you guys will now be getting an update on all things geeky I've done every month. Maybe we share some of them in common and we can squee together. Sound good?

1.) I've done a new cosplay! I've been wanting to do Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games for a while and though this isn't one of my most elaborate cosplays I like it. More pics on my Facebook page!



2.) I've blew through both seasons of Psycho-Pass in like a week. Loved it. It's a dark anime, but I love all of the psychological aspects and the strength of the main character Akane.


3.) I finished Hetalia. Wackiest anime I've ever seen, but it had me laughing. XD I love Germany. ^ ^


4.) Rewatched Fruits Basket and cried all over again at it. The anime is just so darn heartwarming!

I love Momiji so much.
5.) Finished the 100. I don't want this to get into a bashing sessions so all I'm going to say is: It wasn't my favorite.


What I Learned:

1.) Airports aren't so bad as they seem. I was really nervous about going on a plain by myself, but it's pretty easy.

2.) Pitching does get easier. This time pitching to people I was far more relaxed than I've ever been. My heart was still beating out of my chest, but I wasn't shaking and stumbling over every other sentence.

3.) I learned that it's okay to be me even though me is different. That may seem trivial, but it was big in my case.

4.) I learned that in Hollywood it's so easy to get screwed over from David Farland's class at Realm Makers. XD

5.) I learned that it's also easy to get screwed over in book contracts from Steve Laube's class at Realm Makers so READ THEM CAREFULLY.


What I'm Going to Do:

1.) I'm taking a brief break from writing for the first two weeks of September. I need to refuel before preparing for NaNoWriMo and extending Red Hood for another publisher. I know. I know. I was so happy about cutting and now I have to extend. That's life for ya.

2.) During that break I'm going to focus on some art. I'm going to do some more drawing and hopefully finish Judah Expressions and another set of character expressions and work on some clay modeling for Christmas presents this year.

3.) I'm going to finish reading Viral Execution by Amanda L. Davis and the Revised Life of Ellie Sweet by Stephanie Morrill.


4.) I want to do more reviews for Geeks Under Grace. I haven't done many in a while and I have a list.

5.) Enjoy all of the benefits of Fall which include nice weather, pumpkin everything, and Fall season shows.


Last Month on Stori Tori's Blog ...

If you haven't noticed already I've been revamping a lot of the old posts. All the posts from the beginning of the blog to June 2014 are all spiffed up. ^ ^ The top five most popular post on the blog for August 2015 were ...

1.) Realm Makers 2015 Report - A post where I recap what happened during the Realm Makers writers conference.

2.) So Your Character is From the South ... - Where I talk about how to write a character from the Southern United States.

3.) Questions for Bethia! - A call for questions from one of my characters from my steampunk fantasy novel Red Hood.

4.) Beautiful People Friendship Edition: Bryce & Emil - This month's Beautiful People featuring two charries from Subsapien!

5.) Writing Lessons from Movies: Jumanji - A post where I talk about the lessons we can learn from the film Jumanji.


Coming Soon to Stori Tori's Blog ...

I've got a lot in store for September! This month's Tea Tuesdays will be fandom blends from the anime Fruits Basket!

September 4 - Questions for Nzelt - Where I call for questions for the villain of Red Hood and have the interview two weeks later!

September 5 - How Paragraph and Sentence Structure Can Improve Your Writing - Another writing tip post!

September 11 - Beautiful People - My favorite link-up!

September 12 - Omega Dragon Review - A review of the final book with Billy and Bonnie Bannister!

September 19 - Writing Lessons from Movies: the Lord of the Rings


August was a big month and more big things are coming ahead. I'm so excited and nervous about the things to come, but I have a really good feeling!


How was your month? What did you do? Are you looking forward to any of the upcoming posts? Are you looking forward to Fall? What books are you reading? Have you seen any of the shows I've been watching lately?
If you liked this post, come back every Saturday for more writing advice, character interviews, book reviews and more! On Sundays I have Soundtrack Sundays where I post a new score piece, Tuesdays are Tea Tuesdays with tea reviews, Wednesdays I have Wonderful Word Wednesdays where I post a new vocabulary word, and Fridays are Fan Fridays where I post tags and other goodies. To help support my dream to be an author follow this blog, like me on Facebook, watch me on deviantART, and follow me on Pinterest and Twitter. If you want to know more about my books check out them out here. Thank you! :)


Friday, August 28, 2015

The Infinity Dream Award



My dear friend Cassia over at Dimensions of My Universe nominated me for this award. ^ ^ I've done so many of these fact tags that I need to try to think up more facts you people don't already know. This will be tricky.

Rules:

1. Thank and follow the blog that nominated you.
2. Tell us eleven facts about yourself.
3. Answer the questions that were set for you to answer.
4. Nominate 11 bloggers and set questions for them.

11 Facts About Me:

1.) As a child I took mud pies to an artistic level. On my property we used to live on we had different colored clay such as red clay, purple clay, and yellow clay so I would make mud cakes out of black mud and frost them with clay. 

2.) I can't stand anything banana or cherry-flavored.

3.) My favorite type of berry is raspberries. 

4.) My favorite flavor of anything is mango, but I'm allergic to the skin so if I eat a fresh one someone else has to peel it for me or I use gloves. If the skin touches my lips or bare skin, I get a poison ivy-like rash. Not fun.

5.) I own stand-ups of Peeta, Katniss, and Gale. One a friend gave me for my birthday and the other two I won at a costume contest at a midnight showing of the Hunger Games two years in a row. I'm a big fan. 

But I do ... a stand up of you anyway. XD
6.) I prefer cold weather over hot weather. I hate sweating. I have to survive through summer. 

7.) I love jewelry especially earrings and necklaces. I have so much of it. Nothing with too much bling, but intricate stuff. 

8.) Most of my wardrobe consists of black t-shirts. I'm trying to vary it but all of the cool prints are on black. XD Another reason why I can't stand summer, because it's always too hot to wear them here in the South. 

9.) I like wearing jeans and boots. 

10.) I enjoy taking walks especially when the weather is nice. 

11.) My favorite Doctor is David Tennant. 


11 Questions from Cassia:

1. Do you prefer land or sea? 
This is a tough question. I like aspects of both. I guess, land. I really enjoy mountains and forests.

2. What's one food that you always refuse to eat? 
I'm pretty open-minded when it comes to food so I'll stomach something if I have to, but I really don't like scrambled eggs. They make me gag.

3. What's the most played song in your iTunes library? 
"Safe and Sound" by Taylor Swift. I've listened to it 544 times. XD

4. Flight or invisibility? 
Flight. I'd really like wings. 

Like these ones.
5. If you could live in any country other than your own, what country would you choose? 
Somewhere in Europe like France or Ireland. I love the weather, history, and culture. 

6. A wizard tells you that he needs your help. You're going on an adventure! What weapon do you choose? 
Bow. I need to get better at shooting one, but I like the idea of long distance targets instead of up close and personal.

7. What's your earliest childhood memory? 
I was two years old and living in North Carolina and my mom drew faces on acorns for me.

8. Is there a certain type of foreign food (ie. Thai, Korean, South African) that you really like? 
Between Thai or Japanese. I like the fruit and spicy in Thai and the sweet and savory flavors of Japanese. I love that Thai has a lot of mango in their food even their entrees. 


9. Would you rather it rain all day or be hot and sunny all day for the rest of your life? 
Rain. I'll just stomach being wet, because I couldn't stand it being hot.

10. What's a book or movie character that you identify with? 
I really like Shu from Guilty Crown. I relate to a lot of his struggles of being brave and feeling out of step with everyone else. Watching him grow from an awkward, coward to strong and brave is very inspiring to me.


11. Who's your biggest role model? 
C.S. Lewis. His stories and theological discussions have inspired me in so many ways. I want to impact people like he has. 


11 Questions for the Nominees:

1.) Shorts, jeans, or skirts? 

2.) Hot weather or cold weather?

3.) What's your favorite flavor?

4.) Coffee, cocoa, or tea?

5.) What's the first book you remember reading?

6.) Favorite song artist?

7.) Do you play an instrument?

8.) Favorite fandom?

9.) Favorite actor?

10.) Do you have a favorite scent? 

11.) Are you introverted or extroverted?


The Nominees:


2.) Imogen Elvis @ Gossiping with Dragons

3.) Beck Hendrian @ Wordsmithing and Worldbuilding


5.) Tracey Dyck @ Adventure Awaits

6.) Eowyn @ Captured by the Word

7.) Ely @ What Can I Say?

8.) Anah @ Turtles in My Soup

9.) Jamie @ Through Two Blue Eyes

10.) Jaime @ The Dancing Lawn

11.) Bethany Youngblood @ Forgotten Featherpen

What are some of your answers to the questions? Have any of you done this tag? What's a unique fact about you?

You may also like:
30 Things You Might Not Have Known About Me

If you liked this post, come back every Saturday for more writing advice, character interviews, book reviews and more! On Sundays I have Soundtrack Sundays where I post a new score piece, Tuesdays are Tea Tuesdays with tea reviews, Wednesdays I have Wonderful Word Wednesdays where I post a new vocabulary word, and Fridays are Fan Fridays where I post tags and other goodies. To help support my dream to be an author follow this blog, like me on Facebook, watch me on deviantART, and follow me on Pinterest and Twitter. If you want to know more about my books check out them out here. Thank you! :)


Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Wonderful Word Wednesday: Mien




It's Wonderful Word Wednesday again! Do you as a writer ever struggle finding that perfect word to describe something or you want to shake your writing up with some new words? Each Wednesday I post hand-picked descriptive words for writers and other vocabulary nerds out there. ;) 

Mien
noun
1.) air, bearing, or demeanor, as showing character, feeling, etc.: a man of noble mien.

Example Sentence: Bethia has a creepy mien.

Bethia from Red Hood

Have you seen or used this word before? What do you think of it?

If you liked this post, come back every Saturday for more writing advice, character interviews, book reviews and more! On Sundays I have Soundtrack Sundays where I post a new score piece, Tuesdays are Tea Tuesdays with tea reviews, Wednesdays I have Wonderful Word Wednesdays where I post a new vocabulary word, and Fridays are Fan Fridays where I post tags and other goodies. To help support my dream to be an author follow this blog, like me on Facebook, watch me on deviantART, and follow me on Pinterest and Twitter. If you want to know more about my books check out them out here. Thank you! :)




Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Tea Tuesday: Oriental Beauty



I'm not really a coffee person. I prefer tea, and I know a lot of fellow writers love tea, too. But have you ever wanted to break out of the Early Grey or English Breakfast norm and try something new? Well, let me help you find some cool new teas! If you need a little hot and flavorful boost to help you reach your writing goal or you're just a lover of tea or you'd like to try some tea but aren't fond of the stereotypical types, these Tea Tuesday posts are for you.

This weeks tea is ... 

*drum roll*

Oriental Beauty





How I found it: A few months ago Tea Ave, a Canadian tea company specializing in all natural Taiwanese oolongs, sent me free samples of my choice of three oolong teas plus special oolong tea cups and an oak tray in honor of their grand opening for my review. They were so generous and the teas were scrumptious. Loved them! You can check out the reviews for the teas on their respective links (Rose OolongMagnolia OolongGinger Lily Oolong). After this awesome first impression, I had to purchase some oolong from them at least once. They are a bit pricey so I had to wait until they had their free shipping sale this past month, but now I am back with four marvelous blends: Alishan Jin Xuan Oolong, Osmanthus Oolong, Dong Ding Oolong, and Oriental Beauty!

The Tea: For these reviews since I'm not judging them based on their similarity to a respective character I'm going to give the teas' product descriptions. Here we go:

Go ahead, search the world—you won’t find another tea quite like Oriental Beauty, the luxurious, highly prized oolong tea so exquisite that it made its way from Taiwan to Queen Elizabeth II, who gave it its name. Processed entirely by hand, Oriental Beauty is produced only once a year, during summer. Our Oriental Beauty grows in the Ping Ling area of Northern Taiwan, known for its breathtaking scenery. The perpetual mild climate and rolling fog makes the growing environment truly unique.


Tea leaves are a gorgeous (if we do say so ourselves) mix of green, white, yellow, red, and brown—the colors of nature itself. Sixty percent oxidized, the flavor is one of a kind, both strong and mellow, with a fruity taste and subtle honeyed notes. Its naturally sweet taste is invigorating, like stepping into the wild. Oriental Beauty turns amber-red when infused.

This tea is starkly different than other oolongs I've been reviewing. Firstly, in appearance the tea itself is brown as opposed to green. Unlike the other oolongs, it has nature of a black tea than a green or white with a heavier, darker flavor. It reminds me a bit of assam melody but with the described honey flavor and very unique though I didn't taste much of the fruit.


Serving Recommendations: The directions said to steep it for one minute, but I had to steep it for at least four to get a good flavor. I may steep it in even longer next time. I added sugar as well.

How much is it and where can you get it? You can purchase all of Tea Ave's teas on their website with a flat rate of $15 for shipping. This particular tea is $11.75 USD or 25 grams or 0.88 oz. The tea can be re-steeped multiple times so you can get at least ten servings from this bag if not more. The teas are very high quality and imported so that accounts for the price

So how good is it? I really enjoyed this tea. It's tasty and unique. Four stars!


Have you tried this tea? What did you think of it?

If you liked this post, come back every Saturday for more writing advice, character interviews, book reviews and more! On Sundays I have Soundtrack Sundays where I post a new score piece, Tuesdays are Tea Tuesdays with tea reviews, Wednesdays I have Wonderful Word Wednesdays where I post a new vocabulary word, and Fridays are Fan Fridays where I post tags and other goodies. To help support my dream to be an author follow this blog, like me on Facebook, watch me on deviantART, and follow me on Pinterest and Twitter. If you want to know more about my books check out them out here. Thank you! :)

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Soundtrack Sundays: Sono Juukou wa, Seigi o Shihai suru (Psycho-Pass)




It's Soundtrack Sunday again! The day where I post awesome music to write to or just listen to for pleasure if you're a fellow soundtrack junkie. I've just recently started watching the anime Psycho-Pass and I'm really enjoying it so far! Though it's one of the darker animes I've seen, the animation is fantastic and the futuristic utopian society is so intricate and thought out. Another thing I've drawn from the anime is the soundtrack. It's so so perfect. 

I've been obsessing with the first ending theme for days, but I'm going to show you some of the score today. The title of the song means "Justice is dominated by the gun" in Japanese. In the society of the game, a system makes decisions for the citizens especially when it comes to weapons. This song carries a lot of heavy emotion with foreign vocals, techno sounds, and a lovely orchestra that perfectly captures the tone of the anime. It is perfect for writing a science-fiction novel. You can listen to more epic music in my Soundtrack Sundays YouTube playlist.


Have you heard this piece before? What do you think of it? Have you seen Psycho-Pass?

If you liked this post, come back every Saturday for more writing advice, character interviews, book reviews and more! On Sundays I have Soundtrack Sundays where I post a new score piece, Tuesdays are Tea Tuesdays with tea reviews, Wednesdays I have Wonderful Word Wednesdays where I post a new vocabulary word, and Fridays are Fan Fridays where I post tags and other goodies. To help support my dream to be an author follow this blog, like me on Facebook, watch me on deviantART, and follow me on Pinterest and Twitter. If you want to know more about my books check out them out here. Thank you! :)



Saturday, August 22, 2015

Writing Lessons from Movies: Jumanji





Like many of you, I too was scared by the film Jumanji as a child, but as I've gotten older I've really grown to enjoy this movie. It's a classic in my home. 

In case you have seen it, the film is about two children that find a cursed game that tempts people to play it and brings perilous elements of the African jungle to life. The main character Alan is sucked into the game. Years later he is released as an adult into an alternate future because of his absence. Now he, his childhood friend Sara, and the two children who brought him out of the game must win Jumanji to reverse the dire consequences. I recently watched this with my family and I realized there are several good writing points we can draw from one of my favorite Robin Williams films. 

Warning: There will be some movie spoilers.

Friday, August 21, 2015

Interview with Bethia (Red Hood)




Me:
*sitting outside with my laptop in a chair* Hey, everybody! Today I'm interviewing Bethia, a secondary character from my steampunk fantasy Red Hood. If you'd like to learn a bit about her before reading the interview, check out her bio. Thank you, everyone who submitted questions! These interviews really help me develop characters! If you'd like to get some tips about interviewing characters, I wrote a post all about it! Let's get to it! Hello, Bethia!

Bethia: 
*smiles* Hello, Victoria. 

Me:
Well, most of these questions are about you being Locked. Is that all right? 

Bethia:
I will answer whatever questions you give me. I read the bio. My Locked condition seemed to be the key point.

Me:
Yeah. ^ ^' Okay. *rubs hands together* First questions is from ... Andrea Adams: About how long can someone be locked before they go mad?

Bethia:
*sits straight* That depends on the individual. It can be a few months or several years. I have been Locked for four years. 

Me:
All right. Next question is from Ruth Blomgren: Does your condition ever frighten you? Does knowing what will happen scare you?

Bethia:
*crosses arms* Slowly descending into madness is quite a daunting fate, but I am confident I can prevent it from happening. 

Me:
Aka she's scared to death. Moving on.

Bethia:
*shoots me a glare*

Me:
*clears throat* Here's one from Cassidy: Does she ever regret pushing herself so far as to be Locked, or does she view it as a worthwhile sacrifice?

Bethia:
Though I do not anticipate the fate it has given Red Hoods in the past, I believe it further shows my devotion to Silfurlund. I will sacrifice everything for my country. 

Me:
*nods* Next question is from Amy Covel: Do you ever think that your condition can actually be used for good/should you keep it?

Bethia:
Not having to worry about transitioning and releasing the transition to Braith can be relief, but having to fight off animal instincts is not. The release from tedium is not worth my mental state.

Me:
Understandable. Here's Sara Letourneu's question: Is there anything she turns to (prayer, a certain friend, a beloved object) for comfort or strength when her mental condition gets her down?

Bethia:
My husband. He has been very steadfast throughout this ordeal. *smiles*

Me:
*nods* The next two are from Cassidy: How has her husband handled her new state?

Bethia:
He has handled it very well. He has been something to hold onto when I've had trouble staying true to myself and fighting against the primal instincts.

Me:
That's new. *types that into notes* How does she go about searching for a cure? Is anything justifiable, or does she have limits as to how far she will go in her search?

Bethia:
I have been researching many methods of healing and therapy, and experimenting on myself, but to no avail--yet. And I have no limit to what I will do to succeed. Is that not evident by my being Locked in the first place?

Me:
*writes down the info* And the next two are from Andrea Adams: Does she have any idea what she's looking for when trying to find the cure? 

Bethia:
I have been doing much research into herbal remedies that help the chemicals in the brain and trying some ancient methods.

Me:
Is anyone else helping her search for it?

Bethia:
Yes, I am not the only one who is Locked. Many of my fellow sisters who have this condition assist me.

Me:
And here is the last one from Amy Covel: Bethia, you seek a cure for yourself. What drives you to find one for others? 

Bethia:
I care about my fellow Red Hood sisters. They may not be blood, but they are my comrades in arms and I would die for them.

Me:
Last question is from Cassidy: Does she feel betrayed by her fellow Red Hoods because of how they treat her?

Bethia:
It can be ... quite unsettling to be under the scrutiny one is as a Locked. But I understand their concerns. *shifts in her chair*

Me:
And that's it. Thanks for answering all of the questions--mostly truthfully.

Bethia:
I have to leave some surprises for the novels.

Me:
That's true. *turns to audience* Thank you again to everyone who submitted questions! If you'd like to learn more about Bethia's book, check out my Beautiful Books posts! Also take a look at his fellow characters' interviews such as Mor or Claes's. I hope you enjoyed this one! And thanks for reading! Come back next month for the antagonist from Red Hood, Nzelt's interview!

Swords like the ones Bethia uses.

What do you think of Bethia? Do you have any further questions for her?

You may also like:

If you liked this post, come back every Saturday for more writing advice, character interviews, book reviews and more! On Sundays I have Soundtrack Sundays where I post a new score piece, Tuesdays are Tea Tuesdays with tea reviews, Wednesdays I have Wonderful Word Wednesdays where I post a new vocabulary word, and Fridays are Fan Fridays where I post tags and other goodies. To help support my dream to be an author follow this blog, like me on Facebook, watch me on deviantART, and follow me on Pinterest and Twitter. If you want to know more about my books check out them out here. Thank you! :)