Monthly Summary: December 2016/Year End Post + Giveaway & Survey

2016 was a whirlwind of a year. I'm still reeling from it. I'm glad most of it happened, but at the same time I'm glad it's over. This month I feel like I've been recovering from the chaos of this year. 

I'm Going On Hiatus!

Hey, guys! Today has been a great year for blogging! I've enjoyed writing for you guys and reading your lovely comments. You're such an encouragement for me, and I feel like this blog has grown so much. I'm going to go on a month-long hiatus so I can recharge and relax with my family before another great blogging year next year. But don't forget the annual Yearly Summary post on December 31st! Other than that posts will resume as per normal on January 20th. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 

from Wanderer's Pen!

Writing Lessons from TV Shows: Stranger Things

After much prompting from my cousin who was born in the 80s, I finally got to watching Stranger Things. I binge-watched all eight episodes in a weekend and let me tell you it is the best show I've seen this year. It's set in the 1980's and is about a young boy who mysteriously disappears in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana, so his friends, family, and the town sheriff do everything they can to get him back. Meanwhile, there's a young girl named Eleven with telekinetic and telepathic powers and people are seeing walls move and lights flicker for no reason.

I was absolutely blown away by the intricacy of this show. It is incredibly well-written and very streamlined in its eight episodes. It also deals with an ensemble cast, which creates a whole different element. I just love the characters and their development. Anyway, I need to stop ranting and tell you why I believe this show is so well-written! We don't want to keep this curiosity door locked.

Warning: Spoilers.

The Q & A Tag!

So Mordraug didn't get any questions for his interview (If you'd like to ask him some questions please do so, so maybe I can do his interview later), so I had to cancel it and Beautiful Book has still not happened this month, so I didn't have a post to replace it. I said "so" a lot into that sentence. I realized when I woke up this morning that I had to rush and make a post. Tags are easy therefore I've done a tag! Thank you the Author for tagging me! 

A Book Review of Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

      The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than a speck at the edge of the universe. Now with enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to evacuate with a hostile warship in hot pursuit.

     But their problems are just getting started. A plague has broken out and is mutating with terrifying results; the fleet’s AI may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a web of data to find the truth, it’s clear the only person who can help her is the ex-boyfriend she swore she’d never speak to again.

      Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, maps, files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

So Your Character is From Germany ... Featuring Fraise Fruitrouge

It's time for this month's So Your Character is From Another Country! This is a monthly or bimonthly segment where I interview lovely volunteers from around the world to give you a firsthand account of being a citizen of their respective country. I'm hoping to encourage international diversity, break stereotypes, and give writers a crash course on how to write a character from these different places on our planet. If you haven't checked out last week's So Your Character is From Belgium ... be sure to hop on over there and give it a read!

I've grown up knowing a lot of German people. My best friend as a child was of direct German descent. She, her eight siblings, and her parents could speak fluent German visited Germany on a regular basis, so I heard the language spoken pretty regularly. My piano teacher and her family was also German and they also spoke German semi-regularly. I'm also of German descent, so I have some of the facial features and ridiculously pale skin color as characteristic of Germans. I go into this knowing a lot about Germany, but I'm always in for learning more!

Disclaimer: The content below may be culturally shocking to some. Each of these posts are as uncensored as possible to preserve the authenticity of the cultures of each of the interviewees.

(None of the Images are Mine)

Ten Fictional Vehicles I'd like to Ride In

I don't like driving. Driving is one of my least favorite activities on the planet, because I find it simultaneously stressful and boring. Yes, I know that sounds like an oxymoron but that's honestly how I see it. Knowing that, you can imagine how surprised I was when Turo.com asked me to participate in her site's campaign about fictional vehicles. At first I was a bit hesitant, but then I gave it some thought and came up with ten fictional vehicles I'd like to ride in, whether I'm steering it or not.

Note: Yes, I know Beautiful Books was supposed to go up today, but since Paper Fury doesn't have it up today, it's been moved to the 20th. 

A Book Review of Beyond the Gateway by Bryan Davis

Buy from Amazon!

Phoenix and Shanghai find a holographic recording left behind by a fellow Reaper who was recently executed. The message leads them on a journey to learn the answer to a crucial question: Does the Gatekeeper, the tyrannical ruler of the world, consume energy from souls in order to maintain power and live for centuries? If so, Reapers have betrayed every soul they have ever collected and delivered them to eternal torture. 

What Being a Staff Writer has Taught Me

Years ago I never thought I'd find myself writing articles. I was extremely intimidated at the idea. Now I write almost an article a week. In the beginning of this summer, I was looking for a way to make some extra money and one of my colleagues referred me to Geekdom House. I decided to apply and the editor-in-chief let me guest post for the website. After I guest posted in May, she invited to post again then after that she asked if I wanted to be a staff writer. I answered with a resounding yes! 

I've loved working for Geekdom House. I get to write about geeky topics I love, analyzing them for lessons we can glean. I do this on my own in my mind and now I get paid for it! It's a dream.

After six months working as a staff writer I've learned a lot of things, but here are the top five:

Questions for Mordraug (Starbloods)!

It's time for a call for questions! This is Mordraug. He is one of my antagonist from my high fantasy series Starbloods. I'm rewriting Starbloods for NaNoWriMo this year, so I want to flesh out Mordraug some more through a character interview! Let me tell you a little bit about him!

Mordraug is a five hundred and forty-two year old werewolf. Before he became immortal, he was a bandit pillaging the lands. When he was lost in a snow storm with his last twelve men, they encountered the ancient wolf god Mwog, who granted them the power to transform into wolves and immortality. They became the first werewolves. Now they believe it's his sacred duty to turn all humans into werewolves like him. 

Mordraug travels with his caravan of werewolves biting humans and expanding his pack. He is ruthless and destroys cities and villages to achieve his goals. His only true friend is the man who raised him who is also a werewolf named Ioto. Everyone else he only cares to exploit and use for his own gain.

Not long after he became a werewolf, he lost one of his men to one of the werewolves' few weakness, a direct stab in the heart. Because of this he knew he had to protect his heart to achieve full immortality. That is when he met the sorceress Vanmoriel who made a plate out of the metal of a comet to weld to his chest to permanently protect his heart. Since then he has been in love with her to an obsessive degree and served her every wish. 

Leave your questions in the comments or in the form if you'd wish to remain anonymous or if you're having trouble with the comments. Mordraug will answer them on December 16th! Thank you!