#spillthenoveltea

[acorntops]

#MeetMyBookCommunity- As someone who works with scent in my handmade business, @acorn_tops, and enjoys making book swag such as scented bookmarks, I also tend to incorporate scent a bit in my books! So what would my WIP, An Impossible Dream, smell like? Old books and burnt out wicks, blueberry muffins and sugar and citrus of tarts, rosemary and apple blossoms, a kitchen pantry and an apothecary, and overstepped tea! #SpilltheNovelTea/ #TheMoonShadowandSkyChallenge- Weather and romance! Because nothing says romance like rain! A bit of a repost, but I do love this "he thought her eyes were a special sort of magic" moment! Once more, from my WIP, An Impossible Dream! #WriterFriendsChallenge- Unfortunately, I am in between places currently, so my library cannot be found on shelves and my beloved books are safely tucked in stacked bins in a garage. So. Many. Bins!!! #authorgram #writersofinstagram #writingofinstagram #readingofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstack #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #animpossibledream #bebookseries #writingscent #aromatherapy #scentedbookmarks #authorsofinstagram #readingcommunity #readerscommunity #authorcommunity #writerscommunity #WritingCommunity #bookshelves #romanceinwip #romanceandrain #writingrain #wipwednesday #literaryfiction #authorchallenge https://www.instagram.com/p/CfNASmqvfKL/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[acorntops]

Summer is in the air!!! #WriterFriendsChallenge- #SummerVibes! A perfect Summer read is The Lion's Tooth! This is the second book in my Basil Basset Books Series, this time exploring the origins of the word "dandelion" with a curious little girl, her bumbling basset, and a sprinkle of fairy dust! Available on Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, Books A Million, Walmart, my Etsy Shop & local events, @floral101xoxo, ordered through your favorite indie bookstore or your local library! #FantasyIndiesJune- Lessons learned through your WIP! Next in the Basil Basset Books Series is The Way the Cookie Crumbles! This Christmas tale still features the same magic of the first two books in the series, but this time Brigid and her basset, Basil, will learn about an idiom! The two other books in the series teach word origins! #SpilltheNovelTea- What inspires your characters? In the Basil Basset Books Series, Brigid is inspired by curiosity, wonder, nature, and magic! Basil, like most bassets, is mostly inspired by food! #writingchallenge #authorchallenge #authorgram #writingofinstagram #WritingCommunity #writerscommunity #steameducation #childrensbooksofinstagram #childrensbooks #bassethoundsofinstagram #bassetofinstagram #authorsofinstagram #kidslitofinstagram #summerreads #wipwednesday #dandelionsofinstagram #teachersofinstagram #wipwednesday #storytimebooks #librariansofinstagram #summergarden #summerbooks #basilbassetbooksseries #bookseries #childrensbookseries #bookreviews https://www.instagram.com/p/CfE_MLYvZ-x/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[acorntops]

#FantasyIndiesJune @intothewickedwoods @chesneyinfalt 🌀 For the #SaturdaySnippet, I'm sharing from book 3 in the Be series, Where the Heart Is, for the first time! ***Embroidery, used with permission, is by @theenchantedwren (& still available in her Etsy Shop, I might add)*** #writerfriendschallenge- 🌱#Flamingle! We get to make our own prompts, so I pose to you fellow writers: Share something from your story that involves one or more of the four elements! #SpilltheNovelTea- ✏️Technically using this same snippet for #snippetsaturday might be cheating as it was not recently written, but it is in the beginning of a recent WIP! #writingchallenge #writingtime #theshapeoftime #bebookseries #bookseries #mermaids #wheretheheartis #theenchantedwren #natureembroidery #writingprompts #authorgram #authorprompts #authorsofinstagram #bookquotes #storysnippet #bookpreview #bookstagram #bookteaser #booksofinstagram #readerscommunity #readingofinstagram #readersofinstagram #readingcommunity #thefae https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce9Ri_Uvict/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[acorntops]

Day 11 for #SpilltheNovelTea & #FantasyIndiesJune is "#SnippetsSaturday" with lie or truth! In my WIP, An Impossible Dream, truth is another common theme in the story. The main character, Sare, is the queen of half-truths & technicalities. Her friend, Gracelynn, also has "a penchant for lying," as Hayworth puts it. It's another exploration of that ever-gray survival vs. morality. At the same time, there is so much about herself that Sare doesn't know and is left having to rely on stories she'd been told. There's a comfort to some of these stories, though, and "she'd like to think that, like most stories, somewhere in there lay a seed of truth." The prompt also made me think of this snippet from my first book, Society's Foundlings (available on Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, etc, in my Etsy Shop, & ordered through your local library)! It's one of my favorite lines of the book: "There's more truth in a ripple of water than in a clear day." #animpossibledream #societysfoundlings #socalauthor #wipwednesday #bebookseries #beseries #truthorlie #truthquotes #writingtruth #storysnippet #storyquotes #bookseries #bookquotes #authorgram #writersofinstagram #writingofinstagram #amwriting #indiebooksbeseen #indiebooksofinstagram #WritingCommunity #writerscommunity #readingofinstagram #readersofinstagram #readingcommunity #readerscommunity #bookpreview #bookstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CerWyiAP_Jq/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[acorntops]

Day 9 of my six writing challenges! #FantasyIndiesJune: I've already shared some moodboards for my WIP, An Impossible Dream, so I thought I'd make & share a new one for one of the characters, Gracelynn! As on beta-reader recently described her, "she is both the rosebud & the thorn!" 🌹 #WriterFriendsChallenge: I've already shared a little about my handmade fairy & scented business, @acorn_tops, so I'll share another activity I enjoy outside of writing! Gardening! Grew up gardening! It features heavily in a number of my children's books! I, sadly, cannot have a garden as we are currently in between places, but my peace rose is still with me! 🌷 #AroundtheWorldInIndieAuthors: To snack or not to snack might be the question, but the answer is ALWAYS to snack!!! I have a huge sweet tooth and love to gnosh on many a tasty bite... Or three! 😋 #TheMoonShadowandSkyChallenge: Romantic plots or subplots? In general, I prefer a subplot, in both reading, writing, & even watching TV shows. That being said, I have been known to enjoy some romance and I do love a good romance movie. More often than not, though, I opt for no romance or to have it peppered in. #SpilltheNovelTea: I always struggle with not wanting to share too much, but certain beta-readers have complained to me that they lament the fact they will not get a virgin read EVER!!! In my defense, I get very excited about my stories! #MeetMyBookCommunity: Inspiration is everywhere! I'm inspired by EVERYTHING, from reading to shows I watch to daily conversations to a vibrant rose to just everything! #animpossibledream #beseries #bebookseries #wipwednesday #upcomingbook #bookseries #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #readingofinstagram #rosesofinstagram #peacerose #moodboards #bookmoodboard #charactermoodboard #characteraesthetic #bookaesthetics #authorhobbies #authorgram #authorsnacks #writerscommunity #writersofinstagram #writingofinstagram #writerinspiration https://www.instagram.com/p/CemGtUlPb-6/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[acorntops]

#WriterFriendsChallenge / #MeetMyBookCommunity : Elsbie is one of Sare's best friends from my WIP, An Impossible Dream! I just finished digital-arting a sketch of her! She's brilliant, quick-witted, a voracious reader with an immaculate memory to match, and somehow knows every rumor there is to know. The only thing small about her is her stature, and that can be easily forgotten. She is not someone you'd want to cross when it comes to a prank, words, or a fist! She would burn the world down for those she cares about. A real world friend of mine is one of my most kindred spirits and bosom buddies, Alyse! She's a childhood friend and just one of the best people there is! She is also a reader and has the best book recommendations, too. These include Alosha, The Starless Sea, and The Fault In Our Stars! #themoonshadowandskychallenge- #wednesdaysnippet: It suddenly occurred to Sare that she never saw her friend out of uniform before. She looked pretty and bright, like a sunrise spilling over nighttime's empty-star, cloud-filled sky. More herself than she ever had been in the castle. #SpilltheNovelTea- #writerwednesday: Do I just begin or do I use a structure or template? I dive in, often without even testing the waters first. Full on cannon ball straight into a manuscript. I thrive in chaos and chaos reigns supreme in almost all my creativity. I call my method quilting. I write what comes and then quilt all the different parts together. #FantasyIndiesJune: I really enjoy words that sound like their meaning, but not in an onomatopoeia sense. Lackadaisical, bumble, melancholy... If we want to stick with the friends theme, though, (more of a phrase than a single word) I'd go with "kindred spirit and bosom buddy" from Anne of Green Gables, as only Anne Shirley could put it! #bestfriendday #bookstagram #authorgram #readersofinstagram #writerscommunity #writersofinstagram #readingofinstagram #animpossibledream #beseries #bebookseries #digitalartist #authorchallenge #writerschallenge #readerscommunity #kindredspirits #bosombuddies #bookfriends #artistsofinstagram #bookexcerpt #storysnippet #bookquotes https://www.instagram.com/p/CejxLs7vq8n/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[acorntops]

Day 6 of #themoonshadowandskychallenge for "moodboard Monday: MC's goal," #FantasyIndiesJune for "one line Monday," and #SpilltheNovelTea with "most inspirational thing your MC has done!" A couple of these required some thinking, and even help from a beta-reader. A main theme of the story is survival and from the very beginning of An Impossible Dream, Sare's focus is on survival. During the first pages she tells Madam Hayworth, "I assure you, ma'am, I can survive any place." As for her more inspirational moments, as one of my earliest beta-readers said, "her inspiration is very subtle." She believes so much in her friends and would do anything for them. But it's never a grand, over-the-top gesture, to the point where she misses this about herself, too. As she reflects on a comparison between herself and one of her friends, "she knew more about surviving than how to be good." #moodboardmonday #onelinenonday #charactergoal #characterinspiration #inspirationalwriting #animpossibledream #bebookseries #bookseries #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #charactermoodboard #bookmoodboard #bookaesthetics #characteraesthetic #writingchallenge #WritingCommunity #writerscommunity #authorgram #authorcommunity #authorchallenge #bookchallenge #readingofinstagram #readerscommunity #readersofinstagram #readingcommunity #writingofinstagram #writersofinstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CeeXwDeP9WG/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[acorntops]

Day 4 & 5 of #SpilltheNovelTea is "#SnippetsSaturday: Villain's POV" and "How do you make time for writing!" Here's a snippet from my WIP, An Impossible Dream, not written from the villain's POV but kind of showcases what he's thinking. As for making time to write, I don't do well with a schedule and I try to write when inspiration strikes. If I don't have my notebook on hand, I almost always have my phone (and there's an obscene amount of notes on my phone)! Here's a little tip if you use the OneNote app on your phone. Titling the notes really helps to sift through them later!!! #writingvillians #villianspov #characterpov #beseries #bebookseries #animpossibledream #writerscommunity #WritingCommunity #writingchallenge #authorchallenge #authorcommunity #authorsofinstagram #authorgram #writingtips #makingtimetowrite #writersofinstagram #writingofinstagram #bookquotes #bookexcerpt #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #readingofinstagram #readersofinstagram #readerscommunity #readingcommunity #upcomingbook #wipwednesday #authorlife https://www.instagram.com/p/CebriAmJkPT/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[acorntops]

Today is day 3 of #themoonshadowandskychallenge with " #fridaymoodboard: introduce your MC" and #SpilltheNovelTea with " #fridayfavorites: favorite thing to write!" As An Impossible Dream is drawing near the end for writing, book 3 of the Be Series is in the works (already kinda has been)! Book 3 of the Be series is Where the Heart Is, with the central character being the Queen herself! This mood board is all about her and her story, tying elements of multiple kingdoms, as well! I'm very excited to introduce the Queen to readers fully, outside the role of Henry's mother & the Queen of Midgrim (though there is quite a bit of that, too)! It will definitely be offering a new, more 3D look at this incredible character! (Also, just the warmth & beauty & elegance of the photos just really captures her well, too!) Dialogue comes very naturally to me for writing and I have a lot of fun with it. Especially with this next book, though, so much of it will wind up being in the Queen's head. With this entire series, I've really enjoyed all the characters and their development and I think characters are probably my all time favorite things to write. It's kind of like the unfolding of a blooming flower. With her character, in particular, to get to see her through other characters' eyes, to get these snapshots of pieces of her, and now to see her for her whole self, including these parts she's tucked away, is just incredible. Especially because she is so central to the entire series. She stands in the center of the web in so many ways. #authornotes #authorchallenge #authorgram #authorcommunity #favoritethingstowrite #writerscommunity #WritingCommunity #writersofinstagram #writingofinstagram #bookseries #bebookseries #animpossibledream #wheretheheartis #Queenbook #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #wipwednesday #moodboard #bookmoodboard #charactermoodboard #meetthemc #meetthemaincharacter #authorsgushingabouttheirownbooks #writingchallenge #writingcharacters https://www.instagram.com/p/CeXCN9RPwss/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[acorntops]

#aroundtheworldinindieauthors- This or That? While I love many indie authors, two of my all time favorite indie authors are @seeds2inspire & @evangelineduranfuentes . I love #historicalfiction (To Miss the Stars), but I am not the biggest fan of horror (Cry on Hallow's Eve)! That being said, both these books are absolutely amazing and I cannot recommend them enough! Which genre do you prefer? #writerfriendschallenge- Something I'm excited to start: There are many projects I'm looking forward to. As I come to the end of An Impossible Dream, I'm looking forward to beginning book 3 of the Be series, Where the Heart Is. As I come to the end of illustrating, Baby Bird Gets His Feathers by Pam Ryan, I am also looking forward to illustrating a number of my own children's books including Busy Bee, a new book I happened to write this morning about a peace rose, and Book 3 of the Basil Basset Books Series. #SpilltheNovelTea- #ThursdayAesthetics: Dream bookcovers- Elements from the mood board for An Impossible Dream & Where the Heart Is would be perfect for those books, in a style somewhat similar to the cover of book 1 in the series, Be (especially since I've received some lovely compliments about that cover)! #MeetMyBookCommunity- Current Reads! I'm still reading Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett and The City We Became by NK Jemisin! I'm a slow reader, made worse by two projects I'm close to finishing, three I'm hoping to start soon, & multiple upcoming events I need to prepare for. #FantasyIndiesJune- Authors who inspire me. There are so many authors who inspire me. Including the two previously mentioned, I'm also greatly inspired by Alix E. Harrow, Erin Morgenstern, Danielle Dulsky, Andrea Gibson, just to name a few. #MoonShadowandSkyChallenge- How did I create my author brand? Much like my actual writing, there was not a lot of planning. I think my brand developed naturally over common themes within my writing. This includes wonder & whimsy, home & belonging, and ultimately hope, that light in the dark. #bookstagram #authorsofinstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CeUGQEpP3qS/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=