Hey everyone, Ants here! I know this is a little late but Happy New Year!
I've been tagged by the awesome Marrok Macintyre, one of the only bloggers I've followed since his beginning and I totally suggest you check out his blog where he does tags, Christian reviews, writing tips, and stories.
Rules are that I'm required to answer 11 questions, list 11 random facts, tag 11 people and give them 11 questions to answer. 11 being a really popular number here. And here are Marrok's questions to kick things off:
1. If you were to be transported into a fantasy world would you rather be the hero or the villain. And what kind of hero/villain would you be?
Hero but I'd require a group of friends to protect and guide me because I'd be a stressed out mess twenty four/seven. I used to dream and pray for adventure and the chance to be a hero until one time when I was twelve I had a dream that monsters invaded our town and I had to fight them off with my family and everything was dirty and scary and I only had a sword I'm not sure where I got. After that I became very grateful for the lack of terrifying adventures in my life. Also for air conditioners. Even so, should I ever fall through a portal and become a fantasy hero, I hope to acquire a group of like minded people who will help me laugh and protect the innocent against whatever we're up against.
2. If you could bring anything from your imagination into reality what would it by and why?
Oh good grief! So many things, I have a very vivid imagination! Maybe a shape-shifter pet? I could have a horse one day, a dragon the next, and fish the next! Or maybe a small bag that held everything I needed, just enough cash to pay for gas or that book I forgot to get for school... Or a portal that leads to other worlds, I don't want to be a hero or anything, I just want to explore! I think I'll stick with the portal but the moment I finish this I'll think of ten other things.
3. What are three things you share in common with your MC?
Hm...so many of those. I think I'll stick with Timothy from To Catch a Dragon since it's my story closest to being published.
1. We both love kids, he practically raises his little sister and then babysits the five youngest girls in their group. I have eight younger siblings and have worked as a babysitter for other families and volunteered to work with kids in a charity setting. I just really love being around them and Timothy's the same way.
2. We are both sarcastic. Timothy is a co-creation with my sister so he's a mixture of us both but we can agree on this. Timothy gets very low-key sarcastic when tired or stressed which is most of the time, just like us! We tend to be better at hiding it than he is but then we've never gone dragon hunting with twelve princesses before which equates a lot less stress for us!
3. Timothy is the eldest of a really big family as am I.
4. What would you name "Thagomizer"?
A space ship! It would probably have lightning logos around it and be huge and cart around the most popular space-show cast!
5. What is your favorite genre to write in and why?
Fantasy because it allows me to do anything I want. I also love constructing new governments, magical rules, and systems that don't exist. Creating laws, restrictions, and lines and then challenging them is one of the joys of being an author and I find it so much more fun if i can add a dash of magic or drop a dragon on the chaos!
6. If you could live anywhere where would it be?
I'm a pretty happy American as things go but I wouldn't mind spending a season of life in Japan, Italy or Ireland. Really I dislike the idea of staying in any one particular spot and would rather just travel everywhere. As a child my family moved every couple of years or so. I was raised on stories of my great grandparents who came over from Italy, Ireland, Wales, and the Native American side of my family. It cultivated quite a gypsy heart in me.
7. Described your personality, or the way you are feeling right now, in a gif.
My usual, upbeat, dancing-to-music-that's-not-actually-there attitude can change to a wishy-washy 'whatever' sort (like now) and both kinda look like this:
8. Why have you chosen to write?
Actually it started as a one sided competition with my cousin. She started writing a story and I heard my parents talking about how neat that was and felt compelled to show the world that I could write too. I was around seven or eight and it was a rip off of my cousin's story. but it was like suddenly releasing every game I made up and every person I wanted to be. After that I rewrote the Prydain Chronicles and tried to pass it off as my own to family and friends, none of whom had read the series so it was accepted. After that I started getting a little more creative and eventually writing became like breathing to me. Even if I'm not working on a single story I'm jotting down one-shots, ideas, and scenes. Everything is a story to me and it's all begging to be written!
9. Where does the inspiration for your writing come from?
Haha, I swear I'm not an extremely competitive person and I fail to see the point of most sports despite playing soccer in my early childhood, but it usually comes from me thinking I could do better. If I watch/read something I found to be really terrible I rewrite it in my mind to make it 'better' (in my personal opinion). I also try to challenge cliches or give that one lovable character in that one show the happy ending they deserve. Most of my stuff starts with characters and ideas; like a red haired girl crying, a small boy watching the rain, a grizzled man gently holding a violet, a baby laughing at the sky in an empty meadow. Why are these people where they are and what do they plan on doing about it? And then I go backwards and forwards from there.
10. When you finish writing, how do you plan to publish and why?
For my first book I'm planning on going indie so I can retain the rights and work it the way I want it to go. I am planning on trying to publish traditionally for a later series.
11. What song is your jam right now?
Well Shut Up And Dance by Walk The Moon has been my jam for a long time but Jaywalking by Eyecandy (a band from a Kdrama called Shut Up! Flower Boy Band and no, I have no excuse for these titles) and Every Time You Go by Ellie Goulding.
And here are my 11 random facts:
- I'm going to school to be a missionary. This will allow me to travel, share my faith, and explore many different job opportunities
- I want to be a sort of Jack-of-all-Trades. I want to learn as much of everything as I can!
- I draw a little and almost exclusively in anime style.
- I play three different instruments and dabble in others.
- I can say 'Hello' 'Thank you' and 'Please' in seven languages including English and read a little Japanese.
- I'm a total nerd for anime and Asian TV but especially anime and will always info dump anyone asking for a suggestion.
- I want to start a film studio later in my life.
- I used to own a horse named Romeo.
- I can't cook. I try but can never stay concentrated long enough and burn everything. I've destroyed many pots and pans and my family has learned to keep me away from food in it's creation stage.
- I find cleaning therapeutic, especially if I can pop in my headphones and flip on my Owl City Pandora station. helps me wind down and sort through my thoughts. Some of my favorite scenes in my stories were created while I was doing the dishes!
- I love the scent of cherry blossoms.
And now for tags:
- W. R. Gingell at The WR(ite) Blog
- Claire M. Banschbach at The Overactive Imagination
- Tricia Mingerink
- Nate Philbrick at You Write Fiction
- And all of you!
1. Favorite smell?
2. Why do you write?
3. What's your favorite thing about writing?
4. What book are you most proud of reading?
5. What's your strangest hobby?
6. Current or daily mood in a gif.
7. Myers Brigg's Type or Hogwarts house? And which ones are you?
8. Newest favorite book/movie/show (newest, not all time favorite, making this easy on everyone)?
9. Do you have a writing snack and what is it?
10. Name three ways your MC is like you.
11. Music or silence while writing?
Thanks again to Marrok for the tag! This was so much fun, I should really do these more often!
I'm going to binge review my last few reads from 2017 but then I'll probably go quiet on here for awhile until I settle into college life. Prayers will be gratefully appreciated. But don't worry, I will be back eventually, I won't stop reading so I won't stop reviewing!
Prayers for all of you and I hope you all have a wonderful year in 2018!