The Christmas Character Tag

Hullo! Remember me? Possibly not, because I have been gone so long. But never fear, I am yet alive (and for those who care, yes, so is Moonscript...very much so).

Work has eased up a little bit, so I popped over to the blogging world and discovered this fun tag from a blogger friend, Sarah!

Here's how the rules go!

1. Acknowledge the person who tagged you. Thanking them is nice, but not necessary. You can be annoyed at them if you like. (Though, if you're annoyed, why are you doing the tag anyway?)
2. Pick your characters. I advise having several, though not too many. They can all be from the same story, or they can be from different stories. If they're from different stories, make sure to specify who's from the same story.
3. Answer the questions. This should be self-explanatory.
4. Tag people. If you want. Don't tag more people than you have characters in the tag. If you don't want to tag anyone, you can do that too.
5. Listen to your favorite Christmas song. Because putting the effort in to write a post deserves a reward, my friend!

So. My characters. I will pull them from my fantasy book, Moonscript.....I would LOVE to include characters from the entire series, but new characters or the development of the original ones is a bit...spoilery.

All right, so my cast.....Tellie, fourteen year old chipper orphan girl...her best friend, the dependable young Kelm...Errance, the distrustful former captive who barely knows what a good time is, so we'll see how this goes....Tryss, the mother hen who watches over them all....Coren, the swashbuckling smuggler and his sassy partner, Zizain.

1. If any of your characters are from Earth: what are some of their Christmas traditions? If your characters aren't from Earth: does their world have an equivalent to Christmas, and if so, how do they celebrate it?

Nope. Not from earth. From a world called Orim, and while there are indeed holidays in their world, there is not a Christmas one yet, because in this time of history God's redemption plan for the world has not yet happened, so really there is no holiday that could compare to Christmas exactly. BUT. Because they are *my* characters I tote them wherever I go, so if I want them to come and celebrate Christmas, they shall do it!

2. Which of your characters gets the most into Christmas? The least? Who gets annoyed at the commercialization, and who doesn't care because it's CHRISTMAS?

Tellie loves anything that involves family and love and cozy traditions, so celebrating Christmas would be like giving her a little slice of heaven. As mentioned before, Errance would not know what to do with Christmas. He's learning to live again currently, so we'll have to give him a measure of grace. However as the kids have more and more fun, he may start to unthaw....Tryss would be completely disgusted with commercialization, because what a disgrace to distract from true spiritual meaning and the joy of the heart-given gift (honestly what is the world coming to?) Kelm, on the other hand, is the apprentice of a merchant, so he would be totally about how to sell and buy the coolest things.

3. All the characters try to decorate a Christmas tree together. What happens?

Errance is the prince of Aselvia, kingdom of the earth elves, and he would not understand why you have to cut a tree when you could just grow one in your house and never let it die. Still, decorating trees is something that may have a special place in the vaults of his memory so he would watch on....muttering things about the tree being crooked and that's what comes of crummy tree stands.....Kelm and Tellie would argue over how to do decorations, and Tryss would go in after they were finished and fix everything.



4. What's each character's favorite Christmas song?

Tryss loves Silent Night. When you're a caretaker of noisy children, its the dream that matters. Tellie goes about singing I'll be Home for Christmas or There's Always Tomorrow and tries to get Errance to duo with her, but he's having none of it. Kelm would belt out Frosty the Snowman.Coren and Zizain love anything upbeat that they can dance to.

5. Can your characters agree on a Christmas movie to watch together? What happens if they try?

Tellie would love to watch Hallmark Christmas movies and Tryss would remind her that they aren't realistic, but she secretly enjoys them too. However, the guys are not going to go for that, so how about something more traditional......It's A Wonderful Life! And then at the end, Errance is going to be sitting there, quivering inside from both anger and desperate hope, wondering how he got suckered into a movie anyway.

6. Speaking of which, who cries at Christmas movies? Anyone? 

Tellie cries at happy endings because she herself wants one so terribly. Tryss might cry if the actor is doing a really convincing sob job. Kelm wouldn't cry unless a dog died. Errance only cries inside.

7. What's each character's favorite Christmas treat?

 Tryss would loooove creme brulee. Kelm would spend days on his Gingerbread house and then decide it deserved a place on the mantle instead of his stomach, which is an incredible sacrifice for a growing young man. Tellie drinks hot chocolate and starts to chow down sweet cakes, but then remembers she has a round little figure and worries over it getting rounder (silly thing, it's Christmas!) 



8. Who among your characters likes eggnog? Who thinks it's disgusting?

Tryss would love it, and say how much it reminds her of her people's milthi moth milk, and everybody else who had been enjoying it thoroughly would suddenly lose their appetite.

9. Who's meeting who under the mistletoe? Who's catching those people and teasing them about it forever?

Kelm would be waiting for Tellie to walk by, totally shy but stoically determined (and hoping he is not going to get his face laughed off). Coren and Zizain would both appear there at the same time, grin slyly at each other for a second and then coolly saunter on by (each breathing a little sigh of disappointment). If Errance or Tryss happened to come together under the mistletoe...............Errance would be out of there like a shot but not before Tellie and Kelm saw them and went "Ooooooooooooooo" and made Tryss blush like a rose.

10. Who makes all the Christmas cookies and other treats? Who eats all the Christmas cookies?

Tryss is the eldest of 13 children and is used to being her sibling's caretaker, so is quite handy on making a tasty snack. She'd try to get Tellie to stay and help her, insisting a girl ought to be able to cook, but after Tellie mixes up the measurements for the baking soda and baking powder, she lets the poor girl go. Kelm comes by and starts eating the cookies, but didn't realize Tryss likes her food spicy, so he is back to chugging eggnog. Coren and Zizain proceed to stuff the cookies in each other's mouths. Errance abstains because you just can't trust food that sparkles.

11. Who stays (or used to stay) up late waiting for Santa?  

Tellie. She's a dreamer like that. And if she'd been brought up believing in Santa Claus, she would be one of those poor little kids whose hearts are utterly crushed. 


12. What would each character say Christmas isn't Christmas without?

Tellie: Family is what matters most! Not that I would know....or...or maybe since I'm without one, I know most of all.
Kelm: You can't have Christmas without liiiights, and trees, and ho-ho-hos!
Tryss: It's the spirit that really counts. Christmas begins in the heart, and it supposed to be an unselfish season, so even if things aren't going well for you, you still can bring joy to others.
Errance: ........I don't know if I can even believe in Christmas.
Coren: There are always people out there without Christmas.....they're hurting, they're scared, and the best thing we could do on this holy day is get out there and bring them aid. *looks in interest at Errance*
Zizain: Mizoltole, of courze. (winks)

And here's an old comic I did of my character's celebrating Christmas...well, about half of these characters aren't mine, but a friend's. Because if you are friends with another author, its hilarious to see how your characters interact. (And no, these characters of mine are not limited to Moonscript time *gasp, spoilers*)

Now for the tag!

Bryn at https://todaybybryn.wordpress.com/
Shantelle at  http://shantellemaryh.blogspot.com/
Olivia at http://oliviakfisher.blogspot.com/
And anyone else who thinks this is fun!

Book Review--Fallen Star by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

She is a Knight of Farthestshore, a woman of courage ... and secrets. She has faced many perils in her time, but nothing has prepared her for the evil she is about to encounter in the treacherous Wood Between.

Through My Window

What I LOVED: Old friends! We have more familiar faces than just Beana in this story (though that's all I'll say), and how delicious it is to be traveling on those beautifully written words through the Wood and its terrors (of which the Unicorn has always been a favorite). And baby versions of favorite characters. Yes, we always need those because it creates a lot of "DAAAAAAW" moments. Such a perfect prequel to Veiled Rose!

What I didn't like: The ending was....rather abrupt. Granted, readers know just what happened soon after thanks to Veiled Rose, but nevertheless a tiny bit more closure would have been nice. Also, at the ending, there was the use of a potion as provided and used by the heroes. I've always appreciated the "otherness" of the magic system Anne Elisabeth writes and I was perturbed to see something so common and of poor repute to be used by some of our favorite people. I hope it doesn't occur more in future books, which it probably won't because of its specific purpose.

Of course, every Goldstone Fan needs to read this because its GOLDSTONE. I severely advise anyone who has not to go and begin with Book 1 and at least read to Book 3, because this story relies on knowing what has happened before and what will happen in the future.

In short, regardless of any little thing I frowned at, I love this story. Because who doesn't love an old friend? :)

Book Review--Once: Six Historically inspired Fairytales

 Through My Window

Overall, an excellent collection!! I was so excited to read this set of stories and I was not disappointed!

The Mountain of the Wolf--5 stars--This western completely transported me back to that rugged time era and I eagerly rode alongside our hero and heroine to unravel a mystery and see justice done. Buuuuut.....for the life of me, once I was done, I had *noooo* idea which fairytale I had just read a retelling of. It wasn't till a few hours later that I was like, "OH.....duh....the answer is in the title" Still, even though I did eventually recognize it, it was a very subtle background tone.

She But Sleepth--3 stars--weeeell.....I was a little thrown off by the heroine of the tale and got disgruntled by several turns in the story, especially the ending. But it was very cool to read about the true historical legend....its such a strange sad one and perfectly fitting for a Sleeping Beauty retelling.

Rumbled---4 stars---I liked the voice of this tale and it is certainly an exciting new setting on the classic tale. However, it is still very much like the original which is great but also.....well, frustrating for those who found the original frustrating. But it was also more deeply and emotionally explored.

Sweet Remembrance--5 stars--This. is. so. sad. Anyone who has read or watched The Little Match Girl already knows its sad. But have that girl grow up a bit, throw in a tragic love story, and set the story in the world of Polish Jew ghettos under the cruelty of the Nazi.... and yeah.....you get a reeeeally sad story. But also, it is touched with the eternal hope that lights up even the darkest places.

Death Be Not Proud--3 stars--I certainly loved the authentic and surprising feel to this era. But the tale was a murder mystery and I'm not incredibly fond of murder mystery. It also likes to completely leave out important parts until later so you are mislead on what is actually happening. Aaaaand while I love that in movies and in certain books, I got confused by this one. Possibly because I was reading too fast, lol. (Come on, how are you supposed to read slow in a murder mystery?)

With Blossoms Gold--5 stars--So I am already a very big fan of Hayden Wand. 90% of the reason I bought this book was so that I could read this story at the end. Which is why I read the story first. And of course, I loved it! Sweetly written, epically fraught, satisfyingly paced and concluded! A work of storytelling art!

Goldstone Wood Fan Fiction Contest

Hey dear blog readers of mine....who also happen to be Goldstone Wood Imps... Did you know that the Goldstone Wood Fan Fiction Contest is up and the stories are being voted on? This year it is kind of a small contest, but the poems and short stories within are beautiful and endearing as ever! You have until the 11th of September to vote and all the time you need to write the authors praise. :)

Travel on over!

Book Review--Five Magic Spindles

 

 Through My Window 

 

 

THIS. This is the fairytale collection I've been waiting for from Rooglewood Press. I certainly did not expect it, since Sleeping Beauty isn't a story of much interest for me, but each and every story in here STUNNED me with brilliant originality, gorgeous, unique writing, and perfectly crafted, paced, and concluded plot.

The Man on the Buckskin Horse: The first is a Western, and while I *may* not have recognized it as a Sleeping Beauty story without being told, each important aspect of the tale is nevertheless represented. Our POV, a midwife instead of a good fairy, has the cheekiest voice that never fails to amuse (especially while she's noting that gunman's looks!)

Guardian of Our Beauty: We travel far back in time and to a foreign yet familiar land set in a time of ziggurats and leviathans and pagan gods. Our heroine is determined to fulfill a prophecy and save her land, but she wishes it required more than just sleeping for hundred years. As it happens, the prophecy will require much more, as her special gifts and bright determination will need to help guide an unlikely hero to save her land.

The Ghost of Briardale: Delightfully wonky and so creative. Elves, dwarves, swamp-beasts, and yes, even true heroes a thing of the past. Believe in them or anything else strange (like say, a ghost) and you get declared insane and toted off the asylum in the dense, dangerous swamp. But as that ghost won't keep harassing our poor hapless hero, he might just need to listen up to her pleas and save the elf kingdom concealed in the asylum, wake the sleeping princess, and overthrow the vengeful witch...Really cute characters, surprising twists!

Spindle Cursed: Following a more classic old fantasy feel, we are deeply acquainted with the valiant prince (girls, he's a legit knight in shining armor without wearing...the armor...), his faithful 2nd-hand man, the princess frustrated by the lack of true love in all previous kisses she's received, her kooky fairy guardian, and the cunning Lady Regent whose chance has finally come to claim control of the kingdom--after all, when one has a dragon, who tells you no? Oh, that's right--knights in shining armor. And 2nd-hand mans, princesses, and kooky faeries might just want in on some of that action too...

Out of the Tomb: Okay, the first thing I did was zip to this final story because I've been wanting to read that ever since seeing its summary.

JUST WOW

THIS is my type of girl and guy story....

When embittered survivalist, tomb raider Tanza, accidentally wakes a missing prince from his 100 year stasis sleep, she discovers she's not so heartless as to abandon him, especially since his last memories were of tortured near death at the hands of the rebels that went on to destroy his entire kingdom and family. Things have changed since then. Their world has been taken over the alien human empire, bringing in new technologies, corruptions, and conveniences. While the prince's royal roots may have been rotten, he himself took on the responsibility of the 14 virtue names given him that were supposed to guide him through life. Of course, Tanza's difficult life has no room for virtue and Prince Auren will just have to learn the hard way...

Every aspect of this story is flawless and gripping! Yes, its sci-fi, but a world just coming out of a post-revolution and regicide era, where old cars are still sputtering about, and vengeful terrorists strike without mercy. Our heroes struggles, sacrifices, and triumphs are truly something to cheer.

The Character Challenge

With great story comes great characters. But what really makes for great characters, what plants them in the readers mind? Must we all come up with unique, charming, utterly witty and completely fascinating lads and lasses? Perhaps one brilliant character will be enough to gain attention, even though the rest of your cast lacks color, but well, they can't ALL be brilliant, can they?

But perhaps they don't all need to be brilliant. Perhaps they simply need to be alive.

You can give your character a plot. You can give them motivations and struggles. And yet. They could still be stale. People aren't boring. People aren't always predictable. They pulse with myriads of emotions, feelings, and thoughts.

Pixar. Avatar: The Last Airbender. Terry Pratchett's Discworld. Goldstone Wood. These stories have not one, not two, not three, but entire casts of unforgettable characters. And why? Is it the huge things they do in the plot? Their great accomplishments, failures? Nah, it's really just because they're them. And that covers a lot things.

So to create truly great characters, you're going to have to do a lot of behind the scenes. Some of it may never even come out in a story you write. But you'll know them. Simply knowing them will effect everything. You'll know how they'll respond to the twists and hurdles you throw at them, what their relationship with other people will be, how they will effect the world around them. As their personality comes out, you'll see their motivations, their frustrations, their *gasp* flaws, and *horror* not everybody is going to like them, cause people are simply too varied to have the same preferences.

This is a journey, a friendship, a commitment even. And here are a few challenges that helped me on my way.

The Serious

What kind of childhood did your character have? Their relationship with their families? Write a short story of them when there were young and something happened that would affect their later life.

 
Be aware of the culture and lifestyle your character is accustomed to and how they may feel in different parts of the world. What would shock them, what would interest...

What sort of education was your character given and is it realistic with their state of life? Are they acting according to the type of education provided them?

Nervous habits. Most of us have them. Whether you just have so much energy and bounce your knee (and drive the composed person next to you nuts) or hum when you're happy (hopefully you're by someone who appreciates musical joy) or scratch your head when you're stressed....its just something we do. And some may find it endearing, some may find it annoying, but its just a part of who we are.

What did your character think of romance as a child and what do they think of it now? In view of romance are they optimistic, pessimistic, uncertain, or do they just really prefer to observe and enjoy other people's romance?

(There's always that nosy match-maker...)

Can you imagine your character grown up with kids? Kids have a way of testing patience, temper, and dignity. What exactly might come out in your character if they were a parent?

Is there something rather simple that your character is afraid of? Why do they fear it?

What kind of humor does your character have? Humor is a huge part of life and most people have a certain kind. Have you noticed that most favorite characters in books or movies are the most popular. Sometimes I suspect the villains are more popular because they are more clever and jokester. Understanding the amusement or cynicism of their soul can bring them such life.

 The Silly 

(and every bit as important, in my opinion)

If your character was invited to a big dance party....and they could dance ANY dance they wanted (ignoring restriction of time period and culture)...how would they dance?

Are there any Disney songs that can be altered to fit your story and character? I've seen this employed by Jaye L. Knights fans and had quite a bit of amusement with it myself.

Comic courtesy of my brother

Find another close writing friend whose stories you know well, and ask if they'd be interested in your characters exchange letters. See what your character is like when they can pour out their feelings and inner struggle onto paper. Writing back and forth is a great for character honesty and encouragement, not to mention for their authors. I found this endlessly valuable...also, it gave me loads of material written by an intimate 1st person POV by my character of their short and long term response to events in the story. Also the communing characters just MIGHT become best buddies.

One little exercise the Big Hero 6 creators used that I found interesting was picturing a chair in an empty room and what each character would do if entering that room.

Imagine your characters celebrating a holiday with some of their family and friends.

Hope you all enjoy this challenge and learn some fun new things about the people you are privileged to bring to life!

Book Review: Defy by Tricia Mingerink

The war for Acktar has begun.

With his betrayal revealed, former Blade Leith Torren flees into the Sheered Rock Hills, pursued by King Respen’s vengeful Blades.

Left behind at Nalgar Castle, Renna Faythe tries to find her purpose, yet that purpose isn’t what she expected.

Brandi Faythe has been torn from her sister, and that isn’t all right. If Leith can’t rescue Renna, Brandi will take matters into her own hands.

War demands sacrifice. Courage falters. Who will find the strength to defy King Respen?

Acktar rests on one hope:

The Leader is ready.

 Through My Window

The Blades of Acktar series comes to a close....but as it turns out, that does not mean its the end of the story, expect more sequels or stories. However, this book is a very nice and well rounded close to the tense trilogy.

The idea of the story is great....an assassin in a special force under an evil king goes rogue after being saved by his enemies and must learn to walk the way of redemption.

Unfortunately, I really wish each book had gone through more drafts and a stricter editor, especially the last two. Some of the writing feels inconsistent with the time and setting, and the style is just a bit younger in feel than the subject.

That being said, Tricia clearly knows the way of a good story, and as this is her first series, her writing will only improve from here.

Throughout the series, the storyline is fairly predictable, and in most ways, that continues. But really, its predictable in ways you want it to be. And this time, there were also some twists or refreshing takes that I was not expecting. For example, The Leader does not follow the standard of his archetype, but has a personality and behavior fitting to his past.  And Renna, who always seemed like your basic Christian good girl ended up wiser and more mature than I expected.

I'd recommend it to tweens and young teens who don't mind some violence, readers looking for a good Christian fantasy who don't have a evil editor living inside them, or anybody who loves everything Assassin and wishes there were more stories about them of redemption, rather than revenge. 

About the Author

 

Tricia Mingerink is a twenty-something, book-loving, horse-riding country girl. She lives in Michigan with her family and their pack of pets. When she isn’t writing, she can be found pursuing backwoods adventures across the country.
You can connect with her on Facebook, Pinterest, Goodreads, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog.

Blog Tour

May 26

• Author Interview & Book Review – Soleil Bourdon
• Book Review – Claire Banschbach
• Author Interview & Book Review – Hope Brockway
• Book Spotlight – Gabrielle Nadig

May 27

• Book Review – Rachael Steele
• Book Spotlight – Mandy Fender
• Book Spotlight & Review – Jesseca Wheaton
• Book Spotlight – Micailah Cialella

May 30

• Author Interview & Book Review – Gabriela Paige
• Author Interview & Book Review – Alyssa Van Fossen

May 31 – Release Day!

• Book Release Announcement – Tricia Mingerink

June 1

• Author Interview & Book Review – Jessica Dowell
• Book Review – Hannah M. Rodes
• Author Interview & Book Review – Ivy Rose
• Book Review – Hannah Williams

June 2

• Book Review – Jaye L. Knight
• Book Review – Abby Cashen
• Book Spotlight – Faith Potts
• Facebook Party! 

June 3

• Book Review – Shantelle Hannu
• Book Review – Bethany Reinstedt
• Book Review & Spotlight – Jonathan Trout