Monthly Summary: June 2017

June was mostly just a work month. I've worked hard on saving up for RM, worked hard on editing, and worked hard on doing a lot of things in advance for next month, so it's mostly been a preparatory month!

So Your Character is From Puerto Rico ... Featuring Lilivette @ Reviews by Leeve + Kathryn @ Nose Stuck in a Book

It's time for this week's So Your Character is ... Post! This is a weekly segment where I interview lovely volunteers from around the world to give you a firsthand account of being a citizen of their respective country or having a disability. 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 Mexico ... be sure to hop on over there and give it a read!

Puerto Rico is technically a territory of the United States, so I've known some people who've gone there for vacations. I know it's very tropical and they speak Spanish there, but I didn't know much beyond that, which is why I'm happy to have this post by Lilivette and Kathryn!

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)

What Being an Editor for a Website has Taught Me Part 2

Last year, I wrote a post about what it's like being an editor (if you want my whole long backstory on how I became an editor in the first place check that out), and now it's my fifth most popular post on the blog. Since I've written that post, my duties as an editor have evolved to a degree, so I thought a sequel was in order. Here we go!

A Book Review of Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

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Her story begins on a train.

The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule. To commemorate their Great Victory, they host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their combined continents. The prize? An audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor's ball in Tokyo.

Yael, a former death camp prisoner, has witnessed too much suffering, and the five wolves tattooed on her arm are a constant reminder of the loved ones she lost. The resistance has given Yael one goal: Win the race and kill Hitler. A survivor of painful human experimentation, Yael has the power to skinshift and must complete her mission by impersonating last year's only female racer, Adele Wolfe. This deception becomes more difficult when Felix, Adele's twin brother, and Luka, her former love interest, enter the race and watch Yael's every move.

But as Yael grows closer to the other competitors, can she be as ruthless as she needs to be to avoid discovery and stay true to her mission?

So Your Character is From Mexico ... Featuring Charissa Swanson

It's time for this week's So Your Character is ... Post! This is a weekly segment where I interview lovely volunteers from around the world to give you a firsthand account of being a citizen of their respective country or having a disability. 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 Panama ... be sure to hop on over there and give it a read!

When I first met Charissa at a writers conference a while back, I thought it was so cool that her parents were missionaries in Mexico. I'm so happy to have her on the blog to talk about what living in Mexico was like. Honestly, the most I've known about Mexico is the immigration issues, the food, and one of my other friends went there for a vacation once. XD

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)

Beauty and the Beast (1991) versus Beauty and the Beast (2017): Taking Your Story a Step Deeper

First of all, I'm a humongous fan of both movies. I'm not pitting these movies against each other, more like expanding my point about how I believe basically the 2017 Beauty and the Beast is Beauty and the Beast: Extended Edition. That's not a bad thing. As a long-term fan, I love it. I really enjoy seeing so many aspects of this classic story deepened. 

Beauty and the Beast has been my favorite Disney princess movie fore a very long time. Not only do I really relate to Belle, but I'm in love with the soundtrack, I thought Gaston was a formidable villain, and ... the Beast ... I just love the Beast. ^ ^ I also thought that this was the most logical Disney princess love story, and if someone mentions Stockholm Syndrome I will hit you, because the princess actually had time to get to know her lover and vice versa. Well enough fangirling over it (though more of that will probably happen anyway) and let's get on to the meat of the post for the tale as old as time.

Warning: Spoilers.

Beautiful People #25 ~ June Edition: Harlowe (Starbloods)

It's time for this month's Beautiful People! Yay! This is a link-up hosted by Paperfury and Further Up and Further In where you answer questions about your characters. I participated in Beautiful People for the last three years every month. Pretty crazy. XD This link-up has been just so helpful with character development. 

Harlowe hasn't come out to play for an interview or anything since literally last year, and I know you guys really liked him, so he's going to be the subject of this month's interview! If you'd like to participate in this link-up yourself, check out either Paperfury or Further Up and Further In to see how. Here we go!

So Your Character is From the Dominican Republic ... Featuring Mariela Odet Vargas De León

It's time for this week's So Your Character is ... Post! This is a weekly segment where I interview lovely volunteers from around the world to give you a firsthand account of being a citizen of their respective country or having a disability. 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 Panama ... be sure to hop on over there and give it a read!

This is yet another country that I've had very limited information about. I have some currency from there someone gave me and I know they speak Spanish, but that was the extent of my knowledge before this post. I'm so happy to have Mariela on the blog to enlighten me. Also isn't her whole name absolutely gorgeous?

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)

Villain Necrologies and Debacles: Disney Live Action Edition

Villains meet their demises in so many different ways. For some this means death, for other this means an unfortunate incapacitating situation. Writers put a lot of thought into how their antagonist finally fails, but which way is best for your villain? That all depends on so many different circumstances, including audience and genre. This is what inspired my series "Villain Necrologies & Debacles." Over time, I'll be analyzing different animation studios, franchises, and more. These posts are meant to show you what sort of defeats have been done whether common or uncommon, perhaps inspire some villain defeats of your own, or you can just enjoy the morbid humor. Check out last month's Pixar Edition!

Not only does Disney have many animated villains, but it has many live action ones too that die in a little bit more grittier deaths. I'm taking villains from all of the live action Disney movies I've seen. (I've seen a lot apparently. Discovered that while making this list.) I'm not including Star Wars and Marvel villains because number one I already did a Marvel villain post (and a Star Wars post will come in the near future) and number two I still see Star Wars and Marvel as separate from Disney even though Disney owns them. I'm also not doing movies that came out before the 80's because then this post would be monstrous. Moving on. I'm really curious if you guys have seen a lot of these more obscure Disney live action films, so if you have give them a shout out in the comments. Without further ado, let's get to it!


Warning: Spoilers for all of the villains in those movies. 

A Book Review of Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

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Celaena has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak-but at an unspeakable cost. Now, she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth…a truth about her heritage that could change her life-and her future-forever. Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. Will Celaena find the strength to not only fight her inner demons, but to take on the evil that is about to be unleashed?

Monthly Summary: May 2017

May was a good but busy month. I've been working hard trying to scrape together cash for my flight to Realm Makers and I went down to Orlando for MegaCon!

MegaCon Orlando 2017 Report

Last year I had the best convention experience of my life at MegaCon 2016, so this year I saved my pennies so I could go back for round two with my two best con buddies Casey and Amy Covel!