Buccaneer Blogfest: FINAL POST - Everyone. Is. Amazing.

This. It was just...so amazing. You guys have no idea, absolutely none. My first actual bloghop, and it’s finally complete (three days late ;_; ). I’ve never felt such a drive to post on my blog before, and it’s because of all the amazing people who participated. Everyone had wonderful things to say on their own blogs, and every since one of them had so much kindness. It’s hard to find such kindness in the world anymore, and even if you have to find it through the internet, so be it.

Look at how many followers I’ve gotten. When I started this bloghop, I had twenty-two followers. Now I have forty-six.

Forty-six.

Numbers don’t mean much, but to me, that is SOMETHING ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. I know that there are at least forty-six people out there who are curious to know what I have to say about several different things. I know there are forty-six people out there who want to know what my blog’s going to become, and I sincerely hope that each of those forty-six followers can achieve every dream and aspiration they have. They deserve it.

This entire experience has just been a lot of fun. I’ve done a lot of things I never thought I could do properly (interviews, giveaways, sharing my WIP...). I’ve gotten awards from the people I’ve met, which is even more amazing. But I am sad to see it go because I’m afraid my inspiration to post will disappear along with it. Just look at how late this blog post went up!

Although, I guess that’s up to me. As a blogger with forty-six amazing followers, I have to make each and every post count and I have to make sure they’re on time!

I’ll cut it there. (: I thank EVERYONE who looked at my blog before, during, and after this bloghop. I thank every one of my new followers and anyone who just happened to glance at my blog. I thank Sharon Bayliss for starting up this amazing journey over the seven seas of blogging. And with that, my ship is going to break out into my own waters instead of sharing it with you guys...but hopefully, and surely, we will meet again, mateys!

Yo-ho, yo-ho, a writer’s life for me... *Sets sail*

Buccaneer Blogfest: GIVEAWAY, MATEYS! PRECIOUS BOUNTY!

I was planning to give a book away.

;_; Sadly this isn't the case. I'm only seventeen (As of five days!) so I don't have my own money account to buy stuff with on Amazon. So FFFFFFFF to that idea. INSTEAD, I am giving away a homemade craft.

Have any of you ever heard of KINGDOM HEARTS: BIRTH BY SLEEP?

It's okay if you haven't! :P I'll explain. In the game, friendship is a VERY big theme. It struck a chord in me and I took it upon myself to start crafting the so-called 'WAYFINDERS' the main character share, which is a very important symbol of their friendship.

A main theme of my book is also friendship, learning to trust those who you thought you couldn't and re-learning how to trust after a period of distrust. Yada yada.

That's one of the Wayfinders I made. I am offering JUST ONE of these homemade beauties to the lucky winner of this rafflecopter contest. (: Also, heads up, it can be ANY TWO COLORS that you want. You'll also pick a third color for the centerpiece.

 By this I hope to extend my friendship to all of those who participated in his bloghop, whether they find themselves the winner of this giveaway or not! Good luck and thanks in advance for participating!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Me Fave'rit Authors!

This is my definition of favorite authors: Authors who, when I finish the books, I think about the books for days on end. When I see a book by them at the bookstore, I grab it and plan to buy it without hesitation, hardback or paperback. They are authors that I admire and aspire to match, authors who I would give a limb to meet. I own every one of their books that I see on the shelves, and I never pass up a chance to reread them.

So when I considered putting J.K. Rowling on this list, she didn’t meet the criteria. She has so many other books aside from the Harry Potter books out, but I am not interested in any of them.

I considered putting Suzanne Collins on the list, but really, I didn’t care for Mockingjay. I’m waiting for the books to come out in paperback, no matter how long it takes. If I loved her more, I wouldn’t wait.

So that leaves me with Julie Kagawa and Markus Zusak.

I read The Book Thief when I turned fifteen, and I was just...in...LOVE. I cried, I laughed, I rejoiced, I did everything Zusak tried to induce in the book.

I read The Iron Fey saga back in February of last year and I’ve read all of the books four times since. The characters, the fantastical settings, the magical world, the flawless plot. Everything!

The worlds that these two authors create are exceptional, flowing, and magical. The skill these two possess is phenomenal, and that is all I have to say about it. I love them, and that’s what this post is about. Zusak and Kagawa to write foreverrr!

Buccanneer Blogfest Week 3: What the Captain's Reading!

Last three books I’ve read? Arrrgh, if you wish, mateys!

INHERITANCE BY CHRISTOPHER PAOLINI

ZOMBIE WHISPERER BY CATERINA TORRES

INSURGENT BY VERONICA ROTH

INHERITANCE was a great, delectable book you should savor while you read. Yesss, it’s incredibly long... That’s about the only downside though. That’s IT. (Aside from the 100 page resolution.) The story is written wonderfully and the characters are all as fun as ever. There are NO loose ends left after the book is complete, and though a lot of people I’ve spoken to about it hated the ending, I found it satisfactory. It accomplished what needed to be accomplished. What I like most about it is that it’s the end of a series that DOESN’T go back on something that was said in an earlier book. Nothing changes, and everything is explained. It’s fantastic.

ZOMBIE WHISPERER BY CATERINA TORRES

GET. THIS. BOOK! You can look at a review I posted here earlier if you want more details. Basically, this woman named Jane Smith gets wrapped up in the zombie apocalypse, much more than she’d care to—especially since she can talk to, understand, and control them. Caterina is a new author, but the book is fantastic. I highly recommend it. The story has a wonderful pace, awe-inspiring descriptions, and gasp-inducing plot twists!

INSURGENT BY VERONICA ROTH

...Eh... I’m going to review this book on Thursday. INSURGENT is the sequel to the book DIVERGENT. I don’t like the main character Tris in this book as much as I did in the first. She seems a lot... Well, not weaker, but...delusional, almost. There were parts of the book in which I could not put the damn thing down, and then there were parts in which it took me forever to pick it up. I actually went an entire week one time before I forced myself to get through the part I was on, mainly because of Tris’ attitude. She turns from an ‘I must be strong!’ person into a “my life is terrible” person, and I didn’t like it. You’ll get a review on Thursday and I’m probably going to quote all this, lmao.

WHAT I'M READING NOW: THE IMMORTAL RULES BY JULIA KAGAWA

Have you read The Iron Fey saga by this lady? SHE. IS. AMAZING. READ. IT!! Oh my gawh. Julie Kagawa is one of the most amazing authors of the YA genre, I swear by it. Since I’ve not even started this book yet, it just has a bookmark sitting in it, I can’t tell you anything about it yet. But I can FEEL IT IN MY BONES. It’s going to be good.

By the way, to all of my followers:


Just a quick thank you for giving my blog a chance and following me, and just in general being the totally awesome people that you are. (: You have no idea how much I appreciate you guys!

Interview with ASHLEY VAANDERE, mateys!

This is a long'un, lads and lasses... 'pologies for that! I hope you stick through, because I would love to see what you guys think of my character!

Well, I dragged Ashley away from the journey to find her brother and brought her to the Flame Writer blog for a quick hello!

ASHLEY: *Waves and turns to leave*

Stop it. Your brother will be fine for like five minutes. Alright...here we go!

FLAME WRITER: Alright, if you could change something about yourself, what would you change?

ASHLEY: My neediness. I rely on so many people for opinions, for help, for advice... I’d like to be able to rely on myself. When I can’t, it makes me feel useless.

FLAME WRITER: We can all relate to that. What’s your biggest fear?

ASHLEY: Losing anyone or anything close to me... *Glances off to the side* And I’m afraid it will be my fault, that I’m the catalyst that would cause me to lose them.

FLAME WRITER: I love this one. If you found a genie in a magic lamp, what would your three wishes be?

ASHLEY: *Grins* I’d like to end the war that me and my friends are in for wish one, ten million dollars for wish 2, and more wishes for wish 3.

FLAME WRITER: Niiice. What is your happiest memory and most frightening memory?

ASHLEY: My happiest would probably be... *Raises eyebrow* I’m going to say it’s my seventh birthday when pretty much everyone played a game of Hide-and-Seek. As for my most frightening, isn’t that a spoiler? Am I allowed to say...? (Keep it vague.) Uh... Well, basically, I try to kill my brother and I can’t stop myself. That’s my most frightening.

FLAME WRITER: What sort of activities did you participate in when in school?

ASHLEY: Basketball and volleyball. They’re fun and fast games and don’t have too much authority involved because you share the leadership. Football is too messy. Cheerleading feels like there’s a leader involved. I hate authority.

FLAME WRITER: What’s your greatest talent (aside from controlling fire)?

ASHLEY: I would say being able to relate to people. I can understand a lot of people and the situations they’re in, so I can sympathize with them and make them feel like they have a friend.

FLAME WRITER: What’s your relationship with your parents like?

ASHLEY: I love them so much. I’m more of a mommy’s girl—Alex is daddy’s boy. My family was like the freakin’ Brady Bunch. Mom’s usually home more, which was why I related to her more. Alex went to work with Dad a lot when we were younger. That doesn’t mean I love him any less though.

FLAME WRITER: Do you say what’s on your mind?

ASHLEY: God, I’d hope so. Then I’d feel like crap about having so many people who hate me. *Grins* It’s not hard to get the tyrant of the world to put you on his Red List if you piss him off a few times.

FLAME WRITER: Do you have a pet?

ASHLEY: I have a white Chihuahua named Snow. She is SO CUTE. The neighbors hate her though. I don’t get it...

FLAME WRITER: What character trait do you think is most important? Why?

ASHLEY: Bravery, that way I’m not afraid to protect those I care about.

FLAME WRITER: What is your biggest fault?

ASHLEY: My arrogance, and I pay for it later.

FLAME WRITER: What would be your advice to anyone with a goal in mind?

ASHLEY: Persevere. Never give up. There will always be friends who are there to help you, so never let yourself give up, or you’ll be letting them down. Don’t let yourself doubt.

And that’s all the time we have! Ashley’s going to get back to searching for her brother, and I’ve taken up enough of your time. Thank you for learning more about my protagonist, and soon I’ll head off to check the interview with your cap’n in chiefs! Thanks for your time, and I’ll see ya next time on the big blue sea, lads and lasses!

The Blog Hop list expired!? D:

Interview with JUHI FRAGRANT! (Buccaneer Blogfest Day 3)

Before we begin, I want to apologize to anyone who's been on my blog and have been experiencing issues such as the page loading to the very bottom and an ad popping up, particularly when attempting to post comments. The wonderful RC Lewis discovered that the cause of the problem was a calendar I had at the bottom of the page. Thanks for not letting it drive you away, and I'm so glad it's fixed now! (:

BUCCANEER BLOGFEST DAY 3: INTERVIEW WITH

JUHI FRAGRANT

After Juhi and I got into contact with each other (our ships are on vastly different parts of the world, methinks) I realized just how intensely cool she was! This is my first ever interview so I kind of winged it. You should all sooo go check Juhi's stuff out!

Juhi: Wait yer questions, lass.

FlameWriter: Thanks, Juhi! Let me know if any questions are offensive—that's the last thing I want to do.

Juhi: Don't worry about offending. Most normal everyday people are not as sensitive as the newsmakers shouting and screaming from the rooftops make them out to be!

FlameWriter: On your blog, you explain that your teacher gave you the idea to start writing. How old were you?

Juhi: I was 9, I guess. 

Our English lessons in school were pretty awesome. We composed poetry, wrote essays, stories, advertisements, letters, debated about Shakespearean quotes...the whole bag of tricks. And most of our English teachers came up with excellently imaginative prompts.

For example, once we had to write a letter pretending we were misers! That was a fun afternoon. It was fun to read each other's miserly letters.

FlameWriter:  Many of the names you use in your stories and on the blog in general have Hindu origins. What, if anything (other than the storytelling when you were younger), made you so interested? (To the readers: This is one of the questions I feared might be offensive. (: )

Juhi: Like everybody I think and thus write according to my environment. I am an Indian Hindu. And so I am and always have been surrounded by lovely and mesmerising stories of Indian Gods, Goddesses, Heroes and Heroines. The lyrical Sanskrit words have always entranced me. And naturally they just bleed into my stories and poetry.

FlameWriter: Who is your favorite deity?

Juhi: All the Gods and Goddesses in the Hindu pantheon are equally interesting and have beautiful stories and tales attached to them. But I guess Krishn is the one who attracts me the most. He is a prankster with a heart of gold. He is the embodiment of love. He is a complete ladies' man, and reels you in with his wickedly bewitching smile and flute.

He is also a great thinker and philosopher. The Bhagavad Geeta, the most sacred and revered of Hindu scriptures, because it reveals the secret to a happy life are his words, literally.

(Juhi had a picture here she wanted to share, but my blog doesn't like it. Juhi, maybe post it in the comments? (: )

FlameWriter: All we writers suffer from procrastination. Do you have anything that you use to try and get over yours? Bribery, rewards?

Juhi: I scold myself! I say "Juhi! Get writing. NOW!!!"

FlameWriter: What is one of your WIPs about?

Juhi: Ooh, my favourite subject to talk about! The story that I am currently writing is about a handsome, but shy scientist who invents a time-machine and takes his history buff step-daughter back to a city in the Indus Valley Civilisation. While there, they meet really interesting characters like Dutta, who is a hoity-toity rhino-trainer......are you hooked yet? (Yes!)

FlameWriter: If there were any writing advice you could publicly decry, what would it be?

Juhi: All writing advise, except "WRITE".

FlameWriter: If there were any writing advice you could publicly promote, what would it be?

Juhi: Write! 

Scold, bribe, reward, hoodwink yourself into writing.

FlameWriter: This is your first blog hop. (Mine too!) How's it going so far?

Juhi: People around me have been advising/asking me to set up a blog for ages. Infact the moment I tell someone new, that I write, the next words out of their mouths is "Do you have a blog?" 

So I finally bit the bullet and I am so glad I did. And I thank each and everyone of the people who gave me such great advise. Because along with the expected discipline and critiques that I wanted for my writing, I now also know about exciting things like blog hops which I am thoroughly enjoying. Meeting new people, reading new stories! Its like Diwali and Christmas rolled into one!

FlameWriter: I'm the kind of person who just as to ask, so: Do you listen to music when you write? If so, what kind?

Juhi: No, I don't listen to music while writing. I like to give music my complete attention and am completely immersed when listening to songs, melodies or tunes that I enjoy.

FlameWriter: Last question! What are your ideals/views on writing?

Juhi: I enjoy writing. I love the process of thinking up characters, their names, and then observing their habits, their ticks, their pet peeves, how they'll talk to each other, how they roll their eyes at me, when I ask them to hurry along.

I like the sense of accomplishment, the satisfaction I experience when I write something down.

And I am absolutely crazy about those moments when I pick up my old diaries and look up something and wonder, did I really, REALLY write that!? 

Interviewing her was so much fun! She had such interesting characters and I thought it was so great to see where she gets the inspiration for her ideas! I hope you find her answers as fun as I did, and I hope you all go help her out in her blogateering ventures!

Sailin' out to seas of high lore 'til next time, mateys! Arrrgh!

Arrrgh, Mateys!

I caught up to this blogfest before the first day was out -- grr, otherwise I might've had to send someone over the plank! *Waves hook around* So now our brigade of lads and lasses are sailing together o'er the seven seas, and...what, too dramatic? Oh, fine. We're led by Captain Sharon Bayliss and Captain Court Young!

Make sure you head over and check the blogfest out with the button o'er yonder --->
(Somewhere on the right side of the page. Ye'll know it when ye see it!)

Well, it's July 9th, which is INTRODUCTION DAY!

Don't comment on the cat on my shoulder. I don't have a parrot. Lemme give ye contact info first.

TWITTER: twitter.com/Kendra503

This is my blog, of course. And for some privacy reasons I'll withhold my Facebook account. If you wish for my e-mail for any reason please contact me on Twitter and ask for it. If you really want my Facebook account, you can ask for that too. Arrrgh.

Info-time! I'm a 16-year-old writer of YA, as of yet, not published. I have a ton of WIPs, but my top priority is one about elemental-users. Currently in the editing stage. You'll learn more next week! I started writing when I was in 3rd grade. The book I wrote (31 pages long) was about psychic kittens. I planned to make it a big series, but I lost the sequel to the first and gave up after that.

As for genres, I stick to Urban Fantasy. I'm exploring Fantasy and Paranormal.

I have a bunch of interests that don't pertain to writing...I think. As so many of you will see by exploring my blog a little, I love weird music. Think the background music of Final Fantasy. That's what I listen to. There's another interest: Final Fantasy. I loved Final Fantasy XIII. I also enjoy Kingdom Hearts.

Er... I like almost any kind of book, as long as it has SOME supernatural element in there somewhere. And as long as the characters have a good voice and are likeable. I really need a new bookshelf.

I live in The-Middle-of-Nowhere, IL; USA. I'm a senior in high school (or, at least I am in August). I'm currently jobless, but you know, maybe I'll be a published author before long. Maybe. Wouldn't it be awesome? Hm, what about some other hobbies... I like to drive for no reason (my parents get so angry about the gas-guzzling), I like to run, and I like cats. I like dogs too but I have cats, SO.

I don't really hang out with people in RL. Sad, I know. But that's what school is for, for me. :P But I DO have friends in RL...I promise.

That's all I've got for today. If you're curious for more, go to my About Me page. (: With that, mateys, take a gander to the rest of the wonderful crew mates participating in this lengthy voyage for the treasure we call exposure! Also, I'VE GOT A JAR OF DIRT~