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The Voices of YA Tag

Tracey Dyck 22 Comments

I have been tagged by Lisa @ Inkwell for the Voices of YA tag! (Everyone go say hi to her. She’s awesome.) Truth be told, she tagged me a whole Y E A R ago, and here I am, finally getting around to it.

 

The Rules:

  • Thank the person who tagged you (thanks again, Lisa, and sorry for my tardiness!)
  • Link to the original creator (you can find it from Caitlin Lambert @ Quills and Coffee HERE)
  • Answer the ten questions
  • Tag at LEAST two other YA writers/bloggers
  • Share with the hashtag #VoicesofYA




[graphic from Caitlin Lambert]

1. What draws you to YA?

 

The emotions! Everyone knows teenhood is fraught with them, and so is young adult fiction. Now, I’m not a big fan of melodramatic angst–that can get ridiculous fast–but I am in love with the full range of excitement, confusion, doubt, passion, and fear that can be found in teenaged protagonists.

Of course these things are also present in adult fiction, and even to a certain extent in middle grade fiction . . . but YA is where it really shines. It’s the bridge between the carefree days of childhood and the responsibility of adulthood. It’s when a person starts to define who he or she is. It’s one big cocoon of transformation, and that’s what I love about it.

 

I may be older than most YA characters by now, but that doesn’t make their struggles any less relevant. If anything, I think teens are just more honest about the hard things, and it’s the adults who try to hide behind masks. I hope I always stay young at heart.

 

2. Describe your writing process. Do you like outlines and structures, or seeing where the story takes you?

 

Both! When I started out, I wrote by the seat of my pants, content to see where the story wandered. (Outlining? Pfft, that was for school.) That worked until I started writing actual novels and got very stuck. Then I switched to outlining–the full Roman numeral chapter-by-chapter method–and that worked until the plot and characters took on lives of their own and refused to listen to my plan. I tried bending them to my will, but they clammed up and became wooden and boring.

 

So now I’m a hybrid, neither a pantser nor a plotter. I like a good roadmap with all the important signposts in place, but I want the freedom to figure out the road in between as I go. Whenever the space between signposts (a.k.a. bullet points in a Word doc) is too big and I get lost, I step back and re-evaluate, usually filling in a few more plot points before I keep writing.

 

That’s what works for me now, but who knows? That could change one day. Every book is a new adventure, and my process keeps evolving.

3. How long have you been writing? Where are you in your journey?

 

I have been writing in some form or another since I was six or seven, when a love of books and the encouragement of my first grade teacher overflowed into the act of writing my own tales.

 

I have been writing novels since I was twelve, when I started The Prophet’s Quest, which, at the time, was a thinly veiled Chronicles of Narnia / Dragons in Our Midst crossover.

 

Since then, I wrote the sequel (The Prophet’s Key) and started the third book in the series (untitled). I edited TPQ, the first book, numerous times–first on my own and then with the help of amazing mentors (you know who you are!)–when I was sixteen. That’s what really jumpstarted my writing craft. I also started rewriting TPK, the second book.

I wrote four novella-sized retellings of fairy tales in between those edits/rewrites: The Glass Girl (Cinderella), Blood Rose (Beauty and the Beast), The Brightest Thread (Sleeping Beauty), and most recently, Mirrors Never Lie (Snow White). All of these were for contests hosted by Rooglewood Press, and I’m still delighted whenever I think about TBT and MNL placing as finalists.

 

Because I fell irreversibly in love with The Brightest Thread, and because it had so much room for more story, I expanded it into a full novel last summer. After taking a break for college, I’m now editing this special story.

 

But I guess that’s my writing history, and the question asked about the journey. So where am I right now? I’m honing my craft, working to sharpen my plotlines and smooth my characters’ rough edges. I’m devouring all the education on writing I can, from blogs to books to conferences to conversations with real-life authors. I’m researching the publishing industry. I’ve been putting my work out there in little ways. And right now, I’m slowly but surely researching literary agents and preparing myself to query in earnest.

 

This author thing is a long road, and I refuse to put timelines on it anymore, but I honestly do feel like I’m a lot closer to publishing than I’ve ever been.

 

(None of this is supposed to be an “oh, look at me!” statement. Just sharing my journey: where I’ve been, where I am, and where I dream of going.)

 

4. What do you need to write? Coffee? Music?

 

Neither is a necessity. I like coffee, but most days tea is more appreciated. I love music, but it’s been a long time since I wrote to it consistently. All I need is a spot on the couch in the living room, my laptop, maybe a notebook, and relative quiet. (People can be talking, but I can’t have a movie playing in the background.)

 

In high school, I would hole up in my room for hours at a time with Narnia soundtracks on loop, and that’s how I wrote. But since the adult life takes me away from home a lot more often than the homeschooled-teen life did, these days I like to camp out someplace in the house that’s closer to my family. I guess I’ve gotten used to having distractions people around?

 

5. If you could offer one piece of advice to another writer (other than “don’t give up”), what would it be?

 

If you want to publish, you’re going to need to be in this for the long haul. Even if you don’t want to publish, and your dream is to share your stories with friends and family, you still need to see the long game. Because writing a book is not a fast process. Publishing it is an even longer process.

 

See question #3? I’ve been writing seriously for ten years, and only now do I have a novel I think might be publishing-worthy. (And it’s not even done. Revisions take time.) As a young writer, I dreamt of being a breakout bestseller at age sixteen. All those other authors with stories about hundreds of rejections and years of waiting? Ha, that wouldn’t happen to ME. Fast forward to today, and I’m honest-to-goodness glad it’s a longer journey than I once thought. Sixteen-year-old me was not ready. That book I was writing at the time wasn’t ready. Great gobs of gravy, I’m not sure if I’m 100% ready now, but I’m a lot closer than before. Your journey will look different, but be willing to see the big picture and Take. Your. Time.

 

The thing is, if you’re serious about this, you’re going to need patience by the truckload. Determination, humility, a willingness to learn, and courage help a lot too. Writing is easy. Writing well takes a lot of practice and a lot of guts. And publishing? Well, I’ll let you know how that goes! See the big picture. It will keep you from getting discouraged when you feel stuck.

 

6. What book still has you reeling from its plot twist?

 
It’s so hard to pick just one! But since we’re talking about YA, I’ll point to one of my favorite YA fantasy books, The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen. A number of my Goodreads friends say that they saw the twist coming, but for some reason I did not. Maybe knowing there is a twist makes it easier to see coming?

Anyway, it surprised me! Suddenly the plot clicked in a way it hadn’t before, and niggling little things that had bothered me started to make sense. It was epic. Go read it. The rest of the Ascendance Trilogy is a lot of fun too.

 

7. What books are you most anticipating for this year?

 

FAAAAAAAWWWWKKKEESSSSSS.

Ahem. I’ve only read one book by Nadine Brandes so far, but I am ridiculously excited about her historical fantasy coming out next month! Because hey, it’s historical fantasy, and I do not have enough of that wonderfulness in my life. Also it involves the Gunpowder Plot (y’know, Guy Fawkes and blowing up the king and all that jazz?). And it involves masks. And magic. And the cover is gorgeous. And Nadine Brandes wrote it. So I am all the excited.

 
I’m also looking forward to reading A Thousand Perfect Notes, C.G. Drews’ recent debut! It’s Cait from Paper Fury, people! Our very own queen of the universe! So I’m very happy for her and can’t wait to have my heart broken by her book.
 

Some other books that have been out for a while, but are among the “highly anticipated” books on my TBR this year . . .

 

The Scorpio Races and All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater. The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron. Wanted: a Superhero to Save the World by Bryan Davis. Stars Above by Marissa Meyer. By Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson. The Evaporation of Sofi Snow by Mary Weber. (I’d better stop.)

 

8. In your opinion, which YA book/series has the most unique premise?

 

Excuse me? How am I supposed to answer that?

 

Pardon me while I go stare at my Goodreads shelves.

 

. . .

 

Okay. I’m back. The problem is that all my favorites have something unique about them, whether it’s fairytales in space (The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer), the non-burning of the Library of Alexandria (The Great Library series by Rachel Caine), or a spiritual journey in the midst of a creepy small town (Solitary Tales by Travis Thrasher).

 

But I honestly can’t think of anything quite like the mashup of awesomeness found in the triplet series Dragons in Our Midst / Oracles of Fire / Children of the Bard by Bryan Davis. Where else can you read about dragons, Arthurian legend, Biblical history, and sci-fi technology in one storyworld? These books span Earth across literal millennia, plumb the depths of Hades, ascend to Heaven, and venture into realms straight out of the author’s imagination. Rereading them this year has been awesome.

 

9. What is your all-time favorite quote from YA?

 

I’m no good at these “all-time favorite” questions, so I’ll cop out and offer you two quotes I like–one amusing and the other deep.

 

First, from Winter by Marissa Meyer:

 
“Did you see any rice in there? Maybe we could fill Cinder’s head with it.”

 
Everyone stared at him.

 
“You know, to . . . absorb the moisture, or something. Isn’t that a thing?”

 
“We’re not putting rice in my head.”

 

Second, from my current read, Enoch’s Ghost by Bryan Davis:

Sapphira held the brick with the red diode close to the photometer. “You can’t do this alone, Ashley.”

 
She released her hair, leaving a bloody smear. “I couldn’t reach Larry. I already tried.”

 
“I don’t mean Larry.” Sapphira’s eyes once again blazed. “I think you know exactly what I mean.”

 
Ashley looked up at her and stared. “If you mean have faith, that’s what I’m trying to do.”

 
“I know you’re trying.” Sapphira laid a hand on Ashley’s cheek. A ripple of fire rode along Sapphira’s forearm and crept into her hand. “You have been trying all your life.”

 
Ashley closed her eyes. Heavenly warmth radiated into her cheek and flowed throughout her body, loosening her muscles and draining her tension.

 
“Relax, Ashley, and let Jehovah work through you. Faith asks that you let his power flow, not your anxiety, not your fears, and not your sweat. His power.”

 

10. What books do you most hope will have a movie adaptation?

 
Ooooh, that’s a good question. My one caveat with this list is that these movies have to be made really well or not at all. Ha.
 
  • The Lunar Chronicles // Marissa Meyer
    • If they get the casting right and use top-notch special effects, this could be epic!
  • Solitary Tales // Travis Thrasher
    • These would be so. stinking. creepy. Especially with a good composer for the soundtrack!
  • Rangers Apprentice // John Flanagan
    • Again, good casting, please! But how fun would it be to see these adventures on the big screen? I think a TV show would work a lot better than a movie series in this case.
  • Illusionarium // Heather Dixon
    • Because I just want a steampunk movie.
  • The Montmorency books // Eleanor Updale
    • Set in Victorian London, with the main character living the dual life of a gentleman and a criminal, this could be a fun set of movies. It’s been forever since I read them, but now I want to reread . . .
  • My own books!
    • Come on, every writer dreams of this, right?
 

Thanks for the tag, Lisa! It rescued me on a day my brain didn’t want to cooperate with blogging, and it was fun to boot.

 

I hereby tag:

 

Chloe @ Faeries and Folklore*
Kaitlyn @ Animal Jam Jumble*
Hanna @ Taking My Time
Josiah @ The Steadfast Pen
Savannah @ Inspiring Writes
Victoria Grace Howell @ Wanderer’s Pen
You, if you want to steal it!

*You both are YA readers, not necessarily YA writers, but go ahead and tweak the first five questions to suit yourselves. 🙂

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Subplots and Storylines – May 2018

Tracey Dyck 30 Comments

Happy Saturday, everyone! By the time this post goes up, it’ll be almost Sunday. Oops. It actually feels like I just wrote my last S&S post a week ago, but May is over already. Who on earth gave it permission to go so fast? It’s been a really good month. For one thing, it was unseasonably warm, and the days were full of gardening, ice cream, and peppermint tans.*

*This is when a bookworm sits out in the sun to read and ends up with limbs that are pink on top and still winter-white on the bottom.

For another, May was also full of friend-stuff. Confession: although I love all my friends dearly, I am also an introvert who guards her alone time and likes her social life to have . . . gaps in between. But this month I decided that my introversion, while valid, does not have to mean I’m stingy with my time! So I ended up face-timing a writer friend, shopping with a college friend, inviting another friend over for dinner, and then taking a six-hour road trip to another pal’s place for a weekend. (All of you extroverts may take this moment to laugh at me making a big deal over only four social events.)

Anyway, ’twas all very fun! I’d never road-tripped anywhere by myself before, so it was like a mini-vacation. The friend I visited (whom I haven’t seen in a year) lives on a farm with horses and bees and the most affectionate, slobbery, big dogs I’ve ever met.

And now on to the story-related happenings of May: the ones I watched, read, and wrote.

Screen Subplots

Justice League

Recommendation: do not watch this half a week after seeing Infinity War, because it will pale in comparison. It seems like Justice League was trying to be a DC version of Avengers and it just . . . didn’t work for me at all. The plot wasn’t cohesive, none of the major characters had any personal stakes in their cause, the villain was a negative number on the Scariness Scale, and Clark Kent’s face was botched by poor CGI. The best part of the movie was the presence of Wonder Woman and the introduction of the Flash. (Except Grant Gustin brought the character to life so, so much better in the TV show than Ezra Miller does in this flick.)

My brother reviewed the movie over on The Steadfast Pen a while back, and he went into more detail about some of the things that didn’t quite work.

Spider-Man 2

Watched this with my siblings and ahhh, the cringe! The nostalgia! Sadly, it was far less cool this time around than it was the first time I saw it. But it’s one of those movies that’s still fun to see, if only for the fact that my siblings and I had way too much fun joking about it.

The Death Cure

Still every bit as good as when I saw it in theaters! I might even go so far as to say it was the strongest movie in the trilogy. More thoughts were shared in February’s Subplots and Storylines post!

Emma (BBC 2009 version)

I LOVED IT SO MUCH. This is only the second Jane Austen movie I’ve seen–the first being Pride and Prejudice, the one with Kiera Knightley–and I thoroughly enjoyed all four hours of it. So much that I want to go buy it right now.

Emma is the sort of person who believes she is always right, and it was rewarding to see the crumbling of her matchmaking plans force her to grow in humility. And Mr. Knightley . . . I didn’t think anyone could top Mr. Darcy, but Knightley might have just done it for me. He and Emma have the sort of bantering/bickering sort of friendship that grows between two stubborn people who aren’t afraid to speak their minds. His loyalty and honesty was fantastic.

There was a plethora of other vibrant characters gracing the screen too: the worrisome Mr. Woodhouse (“They might do something reprehensible–like open the windows!”), kind governess Anne Taylor, empty-headed Harriet Smith, snobbish Mr. Elton, charismatic Frank Churchill, incessantly talkative Mrs. Bates, and reserved Jane Fairfax. Speaking of Mrs. Bates, I found the picnic scene surprisingly convicting–if you’ve watched it, you might know why.

But seriously. Mr. Knightley. Excellent character right there. I must read the book.
Period Drama Confessions! gif

Page Storylines

Eye of the Oracle // Bryan Davis

Well, I’ve finished rereading the Dragons in Our Midst series this year, so it was time to kick off the Oracles of Fire series! Returning to this huge story was really enjoyable. I’m in awe of Bryan Davis’s ability to weave a single story through millennia–literally, because the book starts just before the Great Flood and ends in the modern day.

Sapphira and Elam remain some of my favorite characters; so do Makaidos* and Thigocia! It was neat to refresh my memory on all the connections between the dragons and other important characters–both heroes and villains–throughout history. But lest you think this tome is boring, oh no! Battles with demonic Watchers, the toils of underground slaves, portal jumping, the growth of a Nephilim army, and so much more jumps off the page.

*Makaidos is probably one of my favorite dragons ever.

Plus the foreshadowing is spectacular. New readers could pick this up without much trouble, but readers of Dragons in Our Midst will catch dozens of hints.

5 stars!

The Sea of Monsters // Rick Riordan

I read primarily YA, so whenever I dip my toes in MG (middle grade), I’m fascinated and amused by the different approach. But before I go all writer nerd on you, here’s what I noticed as a reader.

I loved the humor, the taxi of death, Tyson, Percy’s water navigation skills, the sirens, the man-eating sheep, and the shouted conversation about Nobody.* The villain’s plan, although revealed a little late, was great too. On the negative side, the plot matched that of the first book almost beat for beat, and there could have been some more introspection at certain moments that needed a reaction.

*”I REMEMBER YOU!”

Thankfully, Percy didn’t suffer the fate of the unchanged-protagonist-who-learned-nothing-in-the-previous-book. He was stronger, braver, and more at ease with his gifts, even if he was simultaneously more upset with his father. I’m looking forward to finally continuing the Percy Jackson series.

4.5 stars!

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone // J.K. Rowling

Hello, my name is Tracey Dyck, I’m 22 years old, and this was my first foray into the world of Harry Potter.

Yes. You may all gasp.

But guess what? I’m utterly enchanted! This made me laugh out loud multiple times, and made me want to visit Hogwarts for myself. Harry is a wonderful hero–sympathetic, clever, relatable, and unexpectedly brave. Ron and Hermione make for brilliant friends. The whole cast of characters, in fact, was distinct and charming.

I did have some quibbles. There were times when the lying and sneaking around actually weren’t necessary–and it did seem that Harry and his pals could have faced more consequences for their frequent breaches. Hagrid, though I love him, was revealed to be a bit less worthy of respect than I thought, which was too bad. And I still can’t figure out how Harry and Ron chucked pipes and bathroom taps at the troll–did they rip them right out of the wall or what? (Seriously, someone please enlighten me.)

But the deft writing style, magical wonder, and pop-off-the-page characters make this a book I’ll probably buy. It may have taken me two decades to get to Hogwarts, but I’ll be visiting again real soon.

4.5 stars!

Gravestone (audiobook) // Travis Thrasher

What better way to make a road trip pass by quickly than to listen to an audiobook? Although I did briefly question the wisdom of listening to a creepy story whilst driving through remote countryside. Heh.

This sequel to Solitary is a dark and winding road, much like the mountain path leading up to the Crag’s Inn where Chris works. It’s gloomy. It’s sad at times, intense in others, but just like the inn, there are rays of light beginning to penetrate Chris’s messed-up world.

The plot kept me on my toes as I tried to figure out who to trust. Even though I’ve read this book before, that was five years ago, and I forgot some of the twists. There were genuinely creepy moments standing in stark contrast to several sweet interactions and thought-provoking conversations. Chris’s emotions are very real–the grief, the anger, the confusion, the weariness, the fear.

Looking forward to revisiting the rest of the series. 5 stars!

Written Subplots

Despite the fact that I am so behind on my writing goals, this was actually a pretty productive month. (More on those goals in an upcoming post, I think.)

During the first half of May, I finished compiling beta reader feedback on The Brightest Thread. This covered chapters 20 through 31. I also reviewed the feedback forms I had sent them, which resulted in a document almost fifty pages long.

Because my head was swirling with all the helpful reactions and advice from about a dozen different people, I cracked open a fresh, new notebook to scribble in while I edit. This will be the place I nail down the biggest issues to fix in each chapter and brainstorm how to patch them up.

And then . . . in the second half of May, I dove into ACTUAL EDITING. I love this stage of the writing process! But it’s also challenging right now. In the past couple of weeks, I’ve rewritten my opening several times (bringing me up to about six different versions of chapter one, including one that was split into two chapters because it got so long). Just when I thought I might be on the right track, some sage feedback from a mentor opened my eyes to several blunders I’d made while trying to correct the original chapter’s mistakes. Sometimes you have to make a mess in order to clean up, you know?

So as June unfolds, I’ll keep hammering away at chapter one. It’s a tricky beast, for some reason, but I just know there’s a smashing good opening to be found somewhere!

By the by, once editing is really in full swing this summer, I plan to put together a walk-through post of my editing process, since some of you writerly types have shown interest.

On another writing note, Realm Makers is less than 50 days away now! Say what?! This month I scheduled my mentor appointment and two agent appointments, which makes the conference feel incredibly real and incredibly close. I also submitted the first ten pages of The Brightest Thread for a paid critique appointment . . . which now feels a bit silly, since I’m reworking those pages entirely anyway. But perhaps I’ll still glean something valuable from the feedback?

Yet another writing thingamajig that went down this May was a brainstorming/planning session for a Very Secret Project. I shall not breathe a word of it yet, but it’s coming along. Simmering busily in the back of my mind while I go about my work and editing and other such things. I have tentatively planned to reveal this project sometime this summer, so keep your eyes peeled!*

*Is this not just the weirdest phrase? The thought of putting a potato peeler anywhere near my eyeballs is horrendous.

So yes! That was May!

I hung out with actual people, went on a road trip, got a peppermint tan, hopped back on the Percy Jackson train, and at very long last caught the Harry Potter train too. (Speaking of trains, I’m so happy to finally understand what platform nine and three-quarters means.) I’ve not had this much writing news to share in a long time, and it feels good. Also I seem to be footnote-happy today. So there you have it. My summer break is off to a lovely start.

Now tell me, how are you? Do you like road trips? Harry Potter: yay or nay? Any guesses as to the nature of the Very Secret Project? What are your summer plans, folks?

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Subplots and Storylines – April 2018

Tracey Dyck 20 Comments

(I almost wrote Subplots and Services. What even? Is that some kind of shop offering services for authors struggling with their plots? Do book mechanics work there? “Yup, not to worry, Mr. Author. Your subplot about the orphan hero just needed a little tune-up.”)

(. . . I don’t know where my brain goes sometimes, to be honest.)

Parenthetical intro aside, hello! How is everyone? It’s crazy to think that a third of the year has whooshed by already. But I’m not too sad because it’s finally summer break! The snow has melted at last and it’s looking like spring out there.

Blogging nearly fell by the wayside during April, since college was incredibly busy with projects wrapping up, quizzes being crammed in, and final exams happening. Now that year one of business school is done, I’m free for the summer! College was a lot of hard work, but I don’t regret it–rather, I’m excited about where this new knowledge might take me in the future.

In other news . . .

  • I bought my flights to and from Realm Makers, so that’s another item to check off the list!
  • Two family members plus a grandma had birthdays in April, which amounted to much celebrating and good food.
  • During exam week, I went on a spontaneous cleaning spree and also reorganized my bookshelves. Such a satisfying feeling!

That’s about it for life-y stuff, really. School swallowed everything! But I did manage to watch and read a few things.

Screen Subplots

Once Upon a Time season 4 and 6

I think I watched only two or three episodes all month, but season 6 is improving, I’d say!



Piglet’s Big Movie

I still love the Hundred Acre Wood, you guys, and I don’t plan to ever grow out of it. This here is one of my favorite Pooh movies. It’s so precious! Piglet just wants to be important enough to be useful. When he goes missing, his friends set out to find him. Being the brilliant fluffbrains they are, they decide Piglet’s scrapbook can show them where he is. As they go along, the memories inside remind them of all the ways Piglet has helped in the past. It’s rather sweet.

My only quibble is that I got my DVD secondhand, and because it’s scratched, it skips my favorite line: “Kanga, is that a fish in that tree?”

I’m a kid at heart, all right?

Avengers: Infinity War


I AM NOT OKAY. NOT OKAY AT ALL. But I loooooved the movie! It was completely epic and well worth going to the theater for! Marvel’s been building up to this for years, so it’s payoff time–and wow, they delivered. (I didn’t get enough of certain characters, but there were a lot of them sharing the screen, so that’s understandable. And some of them may get more attention in the fourth Avengers movie.) I’m zipping my lips and not saying anything more right now, since . . . you know . . . #thanosdemandsyoursilence. Maybe I’ll talk more about it once it comes out on DVD/Blu-ray.

Page Storylines



The Returning // Rachelle Dekker

I started this one in March and it took me a couple weeks to finish, thanks to schoolwork. Reading a book too slowly tends to skew my perception of it, but I’ll try to present balanced thoughts.

Firstly, I didn’t feel as connected to the heroine, Elise, as I was expecting to (partially because of my reading pace), and there were too many secondary characters to keep track of. The group dynamic would have been a lot stronger had the cast been smaller or been introduced more gradually.

That being said, there were some truly beautiful scenes that nearly moved me to tears, particularly one that took place in a hospital. With a strong theme centered around identity, this book approached the topic in a thoughtful, refreshing way. References to God were a little vague–referring mostly to “He,” “the light,” and sometimes “the Father”–but from the right vantage point, it’s easy to see how Dekker is referring to the immense love and power living in us through Christ.

Speaking of which, I was hoping she would finally clarify who Aaron’s character is supposed to represent, but she didn’t. It’s unclear whether he is an allegorical image of Jesus, a regular human being, or a prophet-like character similar to John the Baptist. I’m all for writing outside the box, but in this case, I’m not even sure where the box is.

There were parts I liked in The Returning, don’t get me wrong. But this didn’t feel like the strongest book in the trilogy, which is unfortunate, seeing as it’s the finale. You can check out my review on Goodreads for a few more thoughts. Wavering between 3.5 and 4 stars on this one.

Tears of a Dragon // Bryan Davis


Of all four Dragons in Our Midst books, this is the one I remembered the least plot-wise. So it was rather fun to return to it and refresh my memory! This time around, I especially appreciated how Bryan Davis concluded the series. If I didn’t know there were eight more books following DIOM, I would be content with this ending. It’s solid and satisfying. (But there are definitely a few things that make me very glad the story continues in Oracles of Fire!)

The main characters of Tears of a Dragon have all grown and changed significantly since the first book, and it shows. Elements introduced earlier gain greater importance as resurrected dragons face off with the Watchers, and Billy and Bonnie seek to free several key characters from another dimension called Dragon’s Rest. The core story thread, Billy’s relationship with his father, becomes even more compelling here too. I just love these characters so much!

And that ending . . . it still brought tears to my eyes, even though I’ve read it a few times! 5 stars all the way!

(I know I’ve been talking about Dragons in Our Midst in every S&S post this year, since I’m rereading it, but would you guys be interested in a spotlight post on the series? With it fresh in my memory, I feel it would be fitting to pay tribute to something that’s been such a big influence on me.)



The Story Peddler // Lindsay A. Franklin


I fangirled over this brand new novel earlier this week! If you missed it, you can see my review HERE. 5 stars!

Written Subplots

Eheheh . . . heh . . .

*crickets*

Not much to see here at all. Like I said. Final exams. They are a black hole.

But I did submit a flash fiction piece to Splickety, which I mentioned last month as something I wanted to do. It wasn’t chosen, but I’ll write another flash fiction and try again! Truth be told, this little 600-some word story has the glimmerings of an entire novel* behind it, so it wasn’t a waste.

*Something along the lines of Jennifer Nielsen’s Ascendance trilogy, but a little darker and with a stronger fantasy vibe. Very twisty. Very stabby.

Right at the end of April, I also managed to compile beta feedback on a few more chapters of The Brightest Thread. Just chapters 16 through 18, though. It’s fun to relive the story through my beta readers’ eyes.

Happy May, my friends!

How was your April? Read anything wonderful? Students, are you slogging through your last stretch of school? (You can do it! I’m sending you reviving unicorns and memory-enhancing wizard brews!) Do we need Subplots and Services to be a real shop or what?! And tell me honestly, would you like a spotlight post on Dragons in Our Midst?

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Beautiful People – Favorites Edition

Tracey Dyck 17 Comments
The Beautiful People blog link-up is saying farewell (for now, at least). I’ve had such fun joining in over the last few years, exploring my characters and getting to meet those of other writers. It’s sad to see this meme go, but it’s been a great ride, hasn’t it? To wave goodbye, the inimitable Cait @ Paper Fury and Sky @ Further Up and Further In are doing a throwback edition with a bunch of favorite questions! Let’s jump right in.

Favourite genre to write in?

FANTASY. Really, I love almost everything under the wide umbrella of speculative fiction, but fantasy is my literary homeland. (In fact, I wrote a whole post last summer about why I love it and why it’s important, which you can read HERE.)

What book (a real actual published book!) do you think your character would benefit from reading?

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Well, if we’re talking about the characters of my sort-of-WIP* The Brightest Thread, then Luci should read The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood by Charles Perrault. For obvious reasons, of course. She might find hope that her sleeping curse can be broken.
Hadrian, on the other hand, should not read that fairy tale, because Perrault’s prince barely has to lift a finger to rescue the princess, while Hadrian has a long and difficult road ahead of him. Instead, he could try Raven’s Ladder by Jeffrey Overstreet. I think he’d find much common ground with the main character, King Cal-Raven.

*I say “sort of” because I’ve barely had time to work on it lately, and yet I still claim #amediting on Instagram, so . . . ?

Favourite piece of dialogue you’ve written?

Hw can I answer that? Dialogue is one of my favorite things to write, and there are way too many fun snippets I could choose from! But for the sake of continuity, let’s stick with The Brightest Thread, and I’ll try to find something not too spoilery . . . Ah, how about this one from chapter one?

Queen Riar pressed closer to the cradle. “We thought you were—“


“Dead?” Vyntyri wove between tables toward the front. Commoners shrank back on all sides.


“Or locked in enchantment,” Riar replied. “You’ve not been seen in fifty years.”


Vyntyri laughed, a smile on her pale lips. “How happy for you then, to discover neither tale is true. Still, was it not . . . rude of you, Riar, neglecting to invite me to your daughter’s christening?”


Riar’s face tightened. “Forgive me. I am not in the habit of inviting dead people to parties.”


What did your character want to be when they grew up, and what did they actually become?

Luci just wanted adventure out in the rolling green mountains of Iror. She wanted dragon flights and travel and the freedom to roam. Instead, she spends decades trapped in sleep, with only the warped adventures found in other people’s dreams to keep her occupied. They are stranger adventures than she might find in the waking world, to be sure, but they aren’t real.

Prince Hadrian wanted to grow things. He wanted to grow his garden and grow his kingdom—and to marry the two goals by helping the sick and oppressed in Bauglind with the medicinal plants he nurtures. But Bauglind is in pretty bad shape, and there are those who would make it even worse if they got the chance, so he becomes strong, noble, and unyielding. He becomes king material, even if he doesn’t believe he’s ready for the crown.
[via Pinterest]

Favourite character name(s)?

I love finding the perfect name! Okay, correction, I don’t always love the search—the poking and twiddling and combing through baby name sites, the dictionary, and Google translate—but I love it once I’ve found the right name that clicks with the character.

In TBT, I’m quite fond of Luci’s name. First, because I find the shortened version sweet and simple. Second, because her full name, Alucinora, is actually inspired by the Latin word alucinor, which means to dream/wander in the mind.

I also like Reverie, because it’s as whimsical as her character. And Queen Riar, because it’s a bit like briar, as in Briar Rose. And Aleida, just because. Also Hadrian just because. How about we say that pretty much ALL the character names are my favorite?

What makes your character feel loved, and who was the last person to make them feel that way?

Luci feels loved when she’s understood and truly seen. The last person to make her feel that way was either Aleida, her kingdom’s fairy steward and her dearest friend, or Hadrian (depending on which point of the story we’re talking about). But after certain spoilery events, Luci has trouble even letting herself be seen, and so closes herself off to love in all of its forms.

Hadrian, too, feels loved when he’s understood, but also when he’s believed in. There aren’t many people who make him feel that way. Reverie, who is his kingdom’s fairy steward, believes in him wholeheartedly. And a doctor in the slums of the capital city shares his vision of a better kingdom, and thus believes in him too. But Luci becomes the only person to truly understand his heart.

Favourite character you’ve ever written?

Gosh darn it, WHY would you make me CHOOSE? I have favorite protagonists, antagonists, side characters, allegorical characters, favorite everyone!
Fine.

If I must . . .

This sounds like a copout answer, but it’s true—Luci and Hadrian, individually and as a couple, are among my favorite characters ever. That’s one reason I still love TBT, even after almost three years of working on it off and on. They each carry a little piece of me, pieces I never intended to plant within them but somehow did anyway. Each took on a life of their own, until they felt like living, breathing people in my mind.

If your character were permanently leaving town, what would they easily throw out? What would they refuse to part with? (Why?)

Luci would throw out her harp. She hates playing music anyway, even if she’s fairy-gifted to be perfect at it. She’d refuse to part with the little model dragon hanging from the ceiling of her room, because it’s ugly and imperfect and represents freedom to her. Plus, she’d probably want to take along the roughest, hardiest dress she could find. After all, if she’s leaving home, she’s bound to encounter some adventures for which her royal attire is not suited.
Hadrian would gladly throw out any of the fancy trappings of princehood, but he’d keep his sword, his plants, and his gardening notes. The sword because he enjoys swordplay (but not the real reasons that demand using it—those times are unwelcome necessities); and the plants and notes because he’s just a plant nerd.

Favourite tropes to write!

Any trope involving dragons. Royalty, lost or otherwise. The power of true love, but in a non-cliché way that’s actually grounded in a genuine relationship and meaningful sacrifice. Good vs. evil against a sweeping fantasy backdrop. Shapeshifters. Elemental powers. I’m also still attached to the stigmatized Chosen One trope, guys. (In the back of my mind, I’ve been brewing some ideas for how to subvert that one and make it more believable and interesting. Nothing’s fully formed yet, but I will return to my poorly-named Journeys of the Chosen series one day.)

Which story has your heart and won’t let go?

The Brightest Thread, absolutely. It’s the kind of story I love, full of so many story ingredients that excite me, populated by characters who (as I mentioned before) feel real, and so naturally I’m head over heels for this thing!

But the Journeys of the Chosen series (you might remember me chatting about The Prophet’s Quest and The Prophet’s Key many, many moons ago) won’t let me go either, no matter how many times I put it aside. I know I’ll return to it one day, and I know that when I do, it’s going to be the biggest, baddest, awesomest rewrite in my entire writing history! It’s a humongous project already, so it will take a lot of work to tear it down, find the gold in the rubble, and rebuild it from the ground up. Honestly, that’s what it needs. And I think it has the potential to be one of those passion projects or soul-works or whatever you might call an idea that’s so big and so close to your heart that it makes you gulp.

[via Pinterest]

Favourite relationship between characters you’ve written?

Luci and Hadrian are just too precious for this world and I adore them together! But since all I’ve been doing is gushing about TBT, we’ll just keep moving right along now.

Toni Morrison once said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” What are the books that you want to see more of, and what “holes” do you think need filling in the literary world?

So many! I could write a whole post about this topic! But here’s a short version:

  • I want speculative fiction that feels REAL. I think that’s one reason tropes become tired and worn—because they’re presented in a flat, two-dimensional way with little care given to what it might really feel like to be a “chosen one,” to be a superhero, to be sent to another world, to fight in a battle, or anything. I want all my senses engaged, I want the emotion to pop, I want the world to be so beautifully balanced that I forget it’s the product of the author’s imagination. This kind of cohesiveness is a tall order, but it’s often the missing ingredient in books I read.
  • I want more family relationships. Parents and siblings are usually missing, dead, or dysfunctional.
  • I want characters to stop withholding information for no other reason than to increase the tension. #guiltyofthisone
  • I want fantasy with lower, more personal stakes. You don’t have to save the world every time. #guiltyagain
  • I want clean, yet gritty, books that take mainstream YA by storm. Yeah, Christian authors, I’m talking to you! I want you on the NYT bestsellers list, I want you to be the talk of the bookish community, and I think it’s possible for you to get there without being preachy or weird. Without slamming people who disagree with your worldview, and without feeling the need to write a conversion story in every single book. (Although there is a place for that.) (Okay, I really do need to write a post on this, because I have ALL THE THOUGHTS.)

Favourite pinterest board / aesthetic for a book?

I made this collage for The Brightest Thread while participating in WIP Joy on Instagram this month!

Favourite time periods & settings to work with?

Eheheh . . . medieval fantasy? It’s a comfortable, fun setting to work with for me, but I want to keep broadening my horizons and finding new cultures to inspire my fantasies too! I deviated a little bit with Mirrors Never Lie by writing a primitive Nordic-inspired culture.

Real historical time periods intimidate me, because you could lose yourself in research for months! Modern day North America is easier, but I’m still learning how to make things sound probable and authentic. (And how to research real settings better.)

When people are done reading your book, what feeling do you want them to come away with?

I love this question! When readers turn the final page of The Brightest Thread one day, I hope they sigh and smile softly. I hope their hearts are full. I hope they feel a little braver when it comes to opening themselves up. I hope that the weary and disillusioned find some hope. I hope they dare to dream. I hope they feel noticed, seen, and loved. And I hope they feel like they’ve come home after a heart-pounding adventure.

Well, we’ve come to the end. What’s your favorite character, friends? (That you’ve written, if you’re a writer, or that you’ve read about, if not?) What kinds of books do you see a need for? And to Beautiful People, I bid you adieu!

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