Highlights Of March 2018

   March swept by ten times faster than April did - want to hear all that went on?

Well, 'twas a quiet month again, mostly just me trying to juggle 101 writing projects, blogging things, and schoolwork. But I did do some pretty fun things! I got to video chat with the lovely Alea Harper, which was really fun, and of course Ariel snuck in and did her fair share of chatting, too xD.

Ooh, also - I finally watched Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them! I've been wanting to see this movie since before it came out, but it was one that I wanted to watch with my sisters and they were busy catching up on their oodles of T.V. shows. So when the trailer for The Crimes Of Grindewald released, I convinced them that we JUST HAD TO SEE IT and they finally agreed xD. And it was such a good movie - I'll probably review it at some point, but right now I'll just say that 1) I am giving it 4.5 stars, 2) Newt is the bestest main character of ever, and 3) if you get me (almost) any of Newt's creatures as a present we will be friends forever xD. It was such a good movie! Have any of you seen it?    

I got published for the first time! Splickety Magazine acquired my piece of flash fiction, Shoot Straight, for their Dystopian Disaster issue. They've actually acquired a piece for their upcoming April issue, too - so keep an eye out for that!

But besides that - I have an EXTREMELY full plate right now (if any of you read my Get To Know Me Tag, Writer's Edition, you will know this very well ;D). More pieces of flash fiction, a few short stories, my full-length manuscript that's still in zero-draft mode, and a couple other projects that I'm thinking on working on. It's crazy, but I love it. So much fun <3.

Also April Camp NaNoWriMo is coming. *runs and hides* (Ariel proofread this post and read that as "runs and dies" so uh ... if I don't come ever come back, you know why. NaNoWriMo finally slayed me xD)  

   Would you look at that - one reread and three books that I am reviewing/have already reviewed. So there's not much I can say in this section except here is my review of A Refuge Assured, and my reviews of The Tethered World and The Dressmaker's Secret are coming soon! (and everyone knows my views on The Scorpio Races already, 'cause I've reviewed that one too)

- Madeline debunked a bunch of myths about pirates and used lots of PotC gifs to do it, which was a ton of fun (one can never have too many PotC gifs xD). 

- Kendra Ardnek wrote a post entitle I am not a hand that I really enjoyed.

- Victoria wrote a post about characters who are jerks becoming our favorites later on in the book, and it was such a fun post to read. I always fall for the once-jerks, they're so fun xD.

- Faith (aka Florid Sword) and Christine did vlogs for the blogoversaries (Faith's first and Christine's seventh!), so definitely go check them out. They're both such sweet gals <3.

- my good friend Hanna posted about magic, and I loved it so much.

- The Hardworking Creative launched early this month, and I'm excited to see where it goes!

- my friend Micaiah won the One Teen Story contest and I AM SO PROUD OF HER <3 

- and, if you didn't catch this earlier - THE CRIMES OF GRINDEWALD HAS A TRAILER. OH GRACIOUS. Who else has already watched it multiple times? November can't come fast enough!

   More interviews (perhaps one very special one?), answers to the epic questions asked in the Ask The Author post, book reviews - the regular fun stuff ... and a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! ;D. I can't wait to show you what I've got planned! 

   Have an epic April, oh scribbling scribes <3.

~ Savannah Grace

have you watched Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them?

what kind of writer projects are you juggling right now?

The Get To Know Me Tag // Writer's Edition

    So guess who finally created a tag? (like they said they would a million years ago?)

    Technically it's almost cheating, as I kinda revamped an old tag (such an old one that I don't know what genius created it) - the wonderful Get To Know Me Tag that swept the blogosphere about a year ago -  and turned it into a shiny new one, but who's asking?

    Get ready for the Get To Know Me tag, writer style. 

   - link back to the person who created the tag (*sheepishly raises hand*) - 

   - thank the person who tagged you - 

   - share the tag graphic (optional, optional! I know it won't go with everyone's blog design) - 

   - tag eleven bloggers -  

Vital Stats And Appearance:

(pen)Name: Savannah Grace

Nicknames: Savan (by my sisters), Savvy (by my friends, both in real life and on the internet), Sav (same with this one). Also, Nobody's Cat and Apocalypse, by my sisters (...long story).

Birthday: September 11th.

Hair color and length: Dark brown, just past my elbows.

Eye color: Brown

Braces/piercings/tattoos: none, none, and none (though I draw with sharpies on my arm so much that I might as well have a tattoo xD)

Righty or lefty: Righty! (though I absolutely wish I was ambidextrous)

Ethnicity: A quarter Korean, and a whole mish-mash of other things. But if asked, I just respond with "part Korean" to make things easy xD.

Firsts: 

First novel written: I wrote it at the age of ... well, around ten, and it was a total rip-off of The Black Stallion, but with fantasy elements (which also made it a rip-off of my favorite video game, Final Fantasy) 

First novel completed: Oh, gracious. Well, I had a private blog between the years 2013 and 2016 (when I started this one), and I wrote multiple serial stories on there for my friends. One of them ended up being 80k words long when it was finished, so ... yeah, I guess that was probably my first novel ;D. 

Award for writing: Dear me, I certainly haven't received any awards that are worth mentioning! They only one I can remember is when I got first place in one of Tessa Emily Hall's Monday minute challenge, when I was about thirteen. It was a very small thing, but it was the first recognition my writing had ever received, so of course I was on cloud nine.  

First publication: I haven't published any novels yet, but my first publication was a piece of flash fiction in Splickety magazine's Dystopian Disaster issue (which released just  a week or two ago!)

Conference: None yet - but I'm going to Realm Makers this July! I'm so incredibly excited :D. 

Query/Pitch: None yet, for either category! My stories aren't quite far enough along for that, but soon.

Favorites:

Novel (that you wrote): Oh gracious. I'm going to cheat and name two - Asher Grey (it's a novella, so technically it doesn't fit here) and Killing Snow (which is a novel that I haven't finished yet, but that I'm the farthest along in so CHEATING ALL AROUND but *shrugs*). Love those two <3.

Genre: anything that falls under the vast umbrella of Speculative Fiction. Seriously, I've dabbled in so many speculative fiction genres, you guys have no idea xD.

Author: NOPE *flees away from the question* ... but I guess I do have to answer it? Huh. Okay well #cheating is going to happen again because I'm just going to pick THREE OF my favorites, which would be Nadine Brandes, Mary Weber, and Andrew Peterson. Their creativity/books/overall epicness is just flat out inspiring.

Writing Music: Oh, gracious. The music always changes depending on what I'm writing. When I'm writing The Chained Circus, it's a lot of Imagine Dragons. While I was writing the first draft of my Theseus and The Minotaur retelling, it was three specific songs - Lost Boy by Ruth B., True Colors by Zedd, and Fix You by Coldplay. I've got a ton of stories on my plate right now, but at this very minute I'm working on an untitled short story, and it's three songs are Safe and Sound (covered by Madilyn Bailey), Falling Slowly (covered by Addison Agen), and She Used To Be Mine (covered by Addison Agen). Am I writing a sad short story? Yes, yes I am xD.

Time To Write: On the computer in the morning, in my notebook at night. Afternoons and I don't get along.

Writing Snack/Drink: I don't snack while I'm writing (I. Would. Be. Distracted), and if I drank anything I'd totally spill it, but I certainly bribe myself with treats to hit certain word goals (candy, people <3). Usually Starbursts or jellybeans. Starbursts are life.

Movie: Oh, dear me. There's so many movies that have inspired me to do big, epic, writer-ly things ... but at the moment I'd probably have to say the four Hunger Games movies.

Writing Memory: Guys. I've been writing for seven years - I have a lot of memories! Seriously, there's no way for me to pin down one favorite. Though, one that I particularly love was when my sisters and I went to a camp for a day with some of our friends, and we were all sitting around one of the wooden picnic tables and eating lunch while talking about Killing Snow (said friends were currently reading it), and ranting/raving about the things I'd done in the story so far (I might have killed a character. I might have gotten yelled at. I'M NOT TELLING xD).

Childhood Book: I HAVE SO MANY. There was Strange Birds, which I loved so much, and then the entire Avalon series by Rachel Roberts. My sisters and I were obsessed with those books when we were little. 

Currently:

Reading: Entwined by Heather Dixon (a beloved reread), and The Dressmaker's Secret by Kellyn Roth (I'm halfway through and I can't wait to see where it goes!)

Writing: three-ish pieces to submit to Splickety, a short story for the Blank Page Challenge, a Theseus and the Minotaur short story retelling, and the zero-draft of my novel The Chained Circus (I has a full plate, you guys - A FULL PLATE).

Listening to: nothing right this second, but I've had Andrew Peterson's new song - Is He Worthy? - stuck in my head ever since he released it.

Watching: kinda sorta watching The Voice and American Idol with my sisters (they are hardcore fans, I just write/edit and kinda sorta watch with them, haha xD), and Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them (for the first time! Because I am late! But I am LOVING it so far! xD)

Learning: That things in the publishing world sometimes move very slowly and I. Need. To. Be. Patient xD.

Future:

Want To Be Published: absolutely! I just had my first piece published in Splickety magazine's Dystopian Disaster issue a week or so ago, but I am currently working towards getting my first novella/novel published. It's a slow but steady process ;).

Indie or Traditional: good gracious. As of now, I think I'm leaning more towards being traditionally published if I can, but my views are not secured. It could all very easily change, because I love the control that indie publishing gives you xD.

Wildest Goal: Be a NYT bestseller (maybe with my debut novel?), and speak at a writers conference shortly after/before I turn twenty. Hey, A GIRL CAN DREAM xD.

Katie Grace @ A Writer's Faith

Gray Marie @ Writing Is Life

Lisa Elis @ Inkwell

Ivie @ Ivie Writies

Danielle @ Snapper

Faith (aka Florid Sword) @ The Writer's Song

Christine Smith @ Musings Of An Elf

Deborah O' Carroll @ The Road Of A Writer

True Shaw @ A True Writer

Rosalie @ Penprints

Tracey Dyck @ Adventure Awaits

~ Savannah Grace

what is your wildest writing goal?

if you do this tag (feel free to steal it), drop a link so I can check it out!

Book Review - A Refuge Assured by Jocelyn Green

   *gasps* What is this? A historical fiction book fraternizing with my usually speculative-only preferences? It's unheard of!

   ... which means you guys will probably want to hear about why I so enjoyed this book ;D.

4 Stars

   Four stars! For historical fiction! That ranks as pretty big in my book - and it also shows me that I shouldn't judge a book by its genre  as much as I do ;D. A Refuge Assured was a lovely surprise that I enjoyed greatly, and I'm excited to tell you guys why.

From The Back Cover 

Lacemaker Vivienne Rivard never imagined her craft could threaten her life. Yet in revolutionary France, it is a death sentence when the nobility, and those associated with them, are forced to the guillotine. Vivienne flees to Philadelphia but finds the same dangers lurking in the French Quarter, as revolutionary sympathizers threaten the life of a young boy left in her care, who some suspect to be the Dauphin. Can the French settlement, Asylum, offer permanent refuge?

Militiaman Liam Delaney proudly served in the American Revolution, but now that the new government has imposed an oppressive tax that impacts his family, he barely recognizes the democracy he fought for. He wants only to cultivate the land of his hard-won farm near Asylum, but soon finds himself drawn into the escalating tension of the Whiskey Rebellion. When he meets a beautiful young Frenchwoman recently arrived from Paris, they will be drawn together in surprising ways to fight for the peace and safety for which they long.

View A Refuge Assured on Goodreads --- View A Refuge Assured on Amazon

- The setting. Obviously it wasn't a setting that I was used to, seeing as A Refuge Assured is historical fiction and I'm not usually a fan of this genre, but OH! I loved it so much, and the author did really well with it. The details were all woven in so well, and everything was super realistic. I was surprised by just how vivid the setting was - it gets many points from moi!  

- Vivienne. I didn't expect to get attached to the main character in this book so quickly, but I sympathized with Vivienne right off the bat, and was rooting for her within a matter of pages. Jocelyn Green did a great job of writing a likable, strong heroine. I love Vivienne so much, and she was an epic main character <3.

- The plot. Gracious, the plot was good! I seriously couldn't stop reading - every time I put it down, I wanted to pick it right back up again. I was intrigued by everything going on the entire time I was reading, and the plot had me guessing so many times. It was lots of fun, and I loved it. I didn't expect a historical fiction book to have such an awesome plot, but OH MY was I wrong. (I think I shall have to get rid of this bias against historical fiction - it may never be my favorite genre, but I can certainly like books written in it!)       

- A smol bit of the book was dry. Only a small part! Very small! And honestly, I think the reason I had a bit of a hard time was because I am a little biased against historical fiction? But this book taught me that THAT IS WRONG and I can absolutely love a historical fiction book. Absolutely.

   I had such a book hangover from A Refuge Assured, you guys have no idea. And that's because it was such an epic read! The characters were amazing and so well-written, and the details were all woven in so well that it was like the author had been there herself. Due to it being written for older readers, I'd only recommend it to ages 15 or 16+, but to any and all of my readers of that age who love historical fiction (or even if you don't - like me!), I'd definitely recommend giving this book a shot.  

~ Savannah Grace

have you read A Refuge Assured?

what's your favorite historical fiction book?

7 Books For Your Spring Reading List + 7 Books On Mine

   Guess what's happening in my neck of the woods?

   It's warming up.

   Which means its time for me to share a boatload of Spring reads with you guys! Who's ready for their tbr to grow even closer to the breaking point?  

- Reclaiming Shilo Snow -

   You knew this one was going to be on here, you knew it! How could I write up this list without including Reclaiming Shilo Snow? It's currently the only five star book that I've read in 2018, and IT IS EPIC. This book is the sequel to The Evaporation Of Sofi Snow, and there was no case of sequel blues - in fact, I rather think it knocked the first book out of the water! I definitely recommend it <3.

- Unwritten Melody - 

   I haven't read this book in quite awhile (and I'm overdue for a reread!), but I remember adoring it when I did! Tessa Emily Hall is a master with words, and I breezed through this story, even though I only had an eBook copy of it (which is saying something, because I sometimes drag my feet when it comes to eBooks). And if I recall correctly, it has a very Spring feel to it, so Unwritten Melody is perfect for this list!  

- Five Glass Slippers -

   This one is an anthology of Cinderella retellings, and every single novella in here is fantastic. I especially love The Moon Master's Ball, but I am biased because I love any story that has something to do with the circus ;D. But since all of the stories in here are sweet and short enough to read in a couple days, I think its perfect for Spring reading when life is really busy.

- The Princess Academy - 

   How could I make a list of spring reads without mentioning The Princess Academy? I've reread this book so many times (because Shannon Hale is a master), and now that its Spring I have the urge to crack it open and dive into this beautiful story again. If you haven't read this one yet, what are you waiting for? Add it to your Spring reading pile! ;D 

- Some Kind Of Happiness - 

   Some Kind Of Happiness! <3 Katie Grace over at A Writer's Faith flailed over this book so much that I had to read it, and OH gracious. It was never something I would have picked up on my own, so thank goodness for Katie because I LOVE this book. The characters are golden and the plot is golden and the prose is golden and the theme - you guys just need to read this one, okay? Do it xD.  

- Keeper Of The Lost City - 

   Who doesn't need a middle grade book in their life now and then? Keeper of The Lost Cities is one of the best middle grade series that I know of, and I enjoy it so much. Plus it's six books long (the author is working on the seventh and I. Am. Excitement!), so 'twill keep you very busy. Also, a warning: you probably won't be able to put them down. You better clear out a good chunk of time for these epic books before you starts them! 

- Artemis Fowl -

   Artemis Fowl! <3 My sister and read these books together a year or two ago, and books are always that much better when I read them with Skylar, haha. Eoin Colfer writes some epic books, but Artemis Fowl is probably my favorite. All the characters are golden, and Eoin Colfer has a real knack with words and wit. This is one of the series where there were multiple points where I'd go "okay - now the author has literally driven himself into a hole, he really can't pull this off" - and he did it every. Time! So if you're looking for a fun series to keep you busy this Spring, definitely check out Artemis Fowl.

   And there are the seven books I'd command suggest you pile up onto your TBR, because you're going to want to get them read this Spring ;). And now it is time for seven more books to make a flying leap onto your Spring reading list, because here are the books that I'm dying to read this season ...

+ The Selection by Kiera Cass

   Wow - for Spring books, those are some pretty dark covers xD. But, as you can see, there's a whole truckload of books that I'm itching to read this Spring! Some of them are old and I should have read them a zillion years ago (*cough* especially The Selection *cough*), but most of them are hot off the press.

   Anyone want to guess which one I'm the most excited to read? The Traitor's Game (#favoriteauthor)! Jennifer A. Nielsen always tells a great story with epic characters, and her books have never disappointed me. I'll definitely be reviewing that book when I get my hands on it - I'm excited! This is going to be a Spring of very epic reads ;D. 

~ Savannah Grace

have you read any books on this list?

what books are you hoping to read this Spring?

Featured Creator - March // MELANIE J. MORGAN

   So - we've had both a multi-talented podcaster and musician here for my Featured Creator series, and guess who's here today to chat with us for this third installment? The incredible artist MELANIE J. MORGAN.

   I met this lovely human being through the Rooglewood writing contest (I've met so many awesome people through that contest, you guys <3), and I'm super excited for you guys to get to meet her! Shall we get started then?

A few epic Melanie-things you should check out...

an awesome sketch of my villain that Melanie did for me

go see Melanie's fantastic artwork at her ArtStation

her Facebook 

her YouTube

Savannah Grace: Heya, Melanie - I'm super excited to have you and all of your epic creativity on Scattered Scribblings today! What are a few quirks about yourself that people might be surprised to know?

Melanie J. Morgan: 1). If the world were made of only peanut butter, I'd eat the whole thing a bite at a time.

2). My favorite show is Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, a spin-off of a show about children's card games and probably the most potent spiritually allegorical story I've ever seen (in its Native Japanese with English subtitles)...I can, have and will still play said children's card games.

3). I have a HUGE weakness for well-cared-for long hair on men, the strong, righteous silent type, motorcycles, epic power ballads in musicals, beautiful draft horses, fantasy armor, and cats in all shapes, sizes, and degrees of fluffiness (that last part isn't surprising at all...).

4). When I grow old, I'm probably gonna be that Granny who sits on her porch in the sunshine, knitting, listening to Skillet, and watching Pacific Rim.

Savannah: DRAFT HORSES, oh gracious <3. Good to see we already have something in common! :D Okay, so we already know you are an epic artist (I shared her drawing that she did of my villain from Forgotten in this post), but I'm dying to know - what are three of your favorite pieces of art that you’ve done?

'Always Come Back For You' by Melanie Morgan

Melanie: That's a hard one. Much of my stuff is close to me for different reasons. The Seabreeze collection thus far has the best and most interesting pieces, a few of them definite contenders for "Favorite", but, while not aesthetically my best work, "Always Come Back for You" holds a REALLY special place in my heart. The third, I'm not sure I could decide on. I love my storyboards, some better crafted than others ("Prince of My Dreams" is precious to me, even if it is old and drawn with tons of flaws, and features some AWESOME musical help, including my family's late kitty, who lent his ehm...unique vocal chords; and the ongoing "Etanun's Lament", which is portionally done and available to view, but it's a REALLY exciting project that's actually going to be redone and put into Animatic form with the help of some AMAZINGLY talented people). I know they're not "polished pieces" or anything, but they are very important to me. Also, I have a feeling some new "favorites" are in the works right now, so if anyone's interested, keep an eyeball out!

Savannah: Ooh, I love the Seabreeze collection like crazy, you did an amazing job with all of those pieces! What are your favorite mediums to use when drawing? 

Melanie: Well, my favorite classic medium is watercolors and ink. Yes, together, the soft vibrant colors contrasted with a stark black is just SO beautiful to me. Otherwise, I just use computer programs like Photoshop, Corel Painter, and Painttool Sai. I don't exactly have a lot of room for a ton of art supplies and having the "Undo" button is just SO useful. Plus, I'm super sketchy, so being able to clean up my work and separate it with lots of layers is super handy, so even I can party with the big boys and their clean, polished work...I mean, well, to an extent.

Savannah: To quite a large extent, in my opinion! I can paint about as well as a toddler and that's it, so I'm always incredibly impressed by anyone who can do gorgeous art like you can. Okay, and now I'm curious...who are some of your favorite artists whose art and creativity you admire?

Melanie: Glen Keane (Disney's supervising animator of The Beast and Ariel, mastermind behind Tangled), Tom and Tony Bancroft (Disney's supervising animator of Mushu and co-director of Mulan, respectively, they're both AWESOME) and Dominic Carola (head of production for Premise Entertainment) are the first to come to mind. They're SUCH wonderful, talented men with hearts for God who've helped my peers and I as students (Tony Bancroft even allowed me to interview him over the phone for my Making of a

'Etunan's Lament' by Melanie Morgan

Christian Leader course in college, he was SO fantastic and so gracious and did NOT need to help me as much as he did). 

I fell in love with Glen Keane's passion for the Lord that he poured into his work, I've shared his interview on the Beast's Transformation with every single person in which the topic of the film came up, and I still go back and watch it every time my creative heart needs a little boost. Just listening to him speak, you can feel the Lord's presence emanating off of him, and it's SO inspiring. If I can't meet him in this life, I can't wait to party with him in the next. Oh, and Michaelangelo and Auguste Rodin. Their work is gorgeous. Just flat out gorgeous.

Savannah: *gasps* You got to interview Tony Bancroft? That's incredibly cool - I bet you were on cloud nine, and he probably had some really neat this to say.  And what advice would you give to aspiring artists?

Melanie: DON'T. GIVE. UP. No matter what other people say, no matter what society tells you, do NOT let it have any power over you. Yes, you may think your stuff isn't as good as you'd like it to be right now, but MAKE NO MISTAKE. Someone out there in the world NEEDS your art. Not anyone else's. YOURS. You may never meet these people, you may never hear from them or even know they exist. But you were given a mission, and the work of your hands will touch someone's life in ways that are beyond your understanding. So whatever you do, don't give up. 

DO. NOT. COMPARE. Comparison is creativity's murderer. There's a reason that saying's a thing. Don't compare your behind-the-scenes to everyone else's highlight reel. Each person out there is just like you, with hopes and struggles and hurts. And each artist out there is a potential teacher for you. If you admire their work, learn from them, study their art, even ask questions (again, they're just like you, they're not that scary). And don't be intimidated by tutorials or other people's artwork in general. They are a teaching tool for you, learn from them. 
 

Encourage your fellow artists, those you admire and those you feel a rivalry with. Chances are, you could end up with a new, dear friend that you never would've had otherwise. Whatever you do, don't compare your stuff to theirs, that only opens doors for the darkness to get in, and your heart will only suffer for it, plus you might pass up the opportunity to make new friends. Befriending your peers and people in your future industry is a priceless thing. You can learn so much, and in return, as iron sharpens iron, you could be a positive influence on their lives.

Don't let yourself have an existential crisis over your "style". In your life, you'll learn different things from different artists. You tend to pick up on details you like about other artists' work, and all that mushed in together tends to become your style. So your style is an effect, not something you have to actively strive to create. Yes, learning a number of different styles and imitation of different styles is useful for work and visual communication, but if you fall in love with another artist's style, don't be depressed if you can't truly replicate it. You have your own path, your own story that is uniquely yours, that no one else can replicate. You'll be fine.

Savannah: ... whoa, okay, so I'm speechless now xD. Your answer was just <3. Seriously, how do I respond to something that epic? (except to say that I think all of that beautiful advice goes for ANY creative souls!) Thank you for that, Melanie. Now I'm inspired to go do something epic!

Alright, back to you - do you have any creative outlets besides drawing/art?
 

Melanie: I'm a storyboard artist by trade, so I'm basically the person between the script and what's on screen. I decide visually how the story is told and how it communicates to the audience. Soooo it's not too much of a stretch to imagine I'm a writer as well. I also knit scarves and make jewelry occasionally and I'm a costumer. I make costumes, props, and am working on learning costume armor right now. I've been working on costumes on and off for around 11 years, so I'm...decent at it, I suppose.

Savannah: GRACIOUS, 11 years? I bet the costumes you make are beautiful <3. And, from what I've seen at your writing, you are just as epic with words are you are with art! What genre do you like to write in? 

Melanie: I love worldbuilding, so it usually ends up being some sort of fantasy conglomeration? Sci-Fi, Steampunk, Traditional Fantasy, Cyberpunk, yada yada yada. Basically anything that's not set in our current world and super realistic and stuff. I think there's only one story in the works that does take place in our modern world, and I'm writing it with my best friend of 20 years, so it's got a special exception. I love pushing the envelopes of imagination and adventure and action and romance and intrigue and mystery and all that good stuff. I love creating new worlds and immersing people in them. I also won't deny my penchant for subtle, witty satire. Basically, I like a story that make its audience feel things, things that make your heart soar, mourn, squeal, sigh, and be thoroughly and completely satisfied by its end (And yes, I like all that stuff in one package, thank you).

Savannah: "soar, mourn, squeal, sigh, and be thoroughly and completely satisfied by its end" - did I mention that I'd DYING to read more of your work? Those are all the things that I adore in a book <3. What’s your favorite thing that you’ve written? A piece of fanart? A completed novel? A novella?   
 

Melanie: Wait, something finished? Finished or not, how do I choose my favorite child?? Well, the only things that are COMPLETED stories (I have tons of unfinished things and fanfiction pieces strewn across the internet), are Seabreeze (a Goldstone Wood fanfiction) and A Snow White Short Story that may become a novel. I write under a pseudonym, so I don't wanna give too much away just yet. I have a fairy tale collection in the works (a collection of 7), a novel-length fanfiction piece I'll release online only, a slew of spin-offs, a trilogy, and a number of one-shot novels lined up...my goodness...

Usually my favorite is just whatever I'm working on at any point, then it just kind of joins my shelf of gold-guilded favorites when it's done (The shelf is just about empty right now because I've had a terrible time finishing things). Seabreeze, for instance, is something I love (also doubles in pieces of fanart category), though I know the story definitely has issues. I'm a big proponent of allowing a little room for imperfection in your old stuff. Imperfection is, well, human, so everything I create is so sentimental to whatever place I am in my life at the time I'm writing it. And looking back on it is like looking into the heart of another person, so I can't just choose an absolute favorite, because each thing I write is a window into myself, my past, my present, where I come from, and where I hope to go.

Savannah: And I just went back and read Seabreeze and GRACIOUS, my poor heart </3. That story is so gorgeous, I can't. Out of all the fanfiction I've ever read up to this point, Seabreeze is my absolute favorite. Okay, last question and we'll leave you to your epic creativity - who are three of your greatest inspirations, and why?

Melanie: Well, Yeshua of Nazareth (Yes, I'm weird and like His Aramaic), Creator, and Holy Spirit, obviously, I wouldn't be anywhere without Him. I went through some rough inner demons in my life and I say with absolute confidence I would no longer exist here without His love, inspiration, and faithfulness. Even just going outside and seeing his creativity, listening for His voice, and reading the greatest story of all--the one He wrote Himself, is enough inspiration for me. And that doesn't even BEGIN to cover how I feel listening to a good Worship song.

My mother. I know this sounds super cliché, but, well, historically I've had a hard time keeping friends. Very few of my peers have stuck with me through thick and thin, and those that have, they have their own lives now, their own families, so I always feel a little on the outside. I've always felt alone. My mother is the one person who has supported me and been with me through everything, the one human person I don't feel anxious talking to, the one human person I know won't leave me of her own volition. And she's given me so much inspiration to KEEP doing what I'm doing, no matter what horrible things I feel about myself.

Glen Keane, as I mentioned before. His zeal for the Lord and how that flows into his work as an animator, artist, and storyteller, oh MAN I hope the Lord can do that in my work someday. I don't mean being as "successful" or anything, I want my work to REACH people the way his work has. And his unwavering heart for God, oh JEEBERS, if I could choose any mentor in the world...

Savannah: Oh gracious, yes, Glen Keane's work is amazing - Tangled is an epic movie. And I LOVED what you had to say about your mom! Moms are some of the most amazing people in the world <3. Thank you so much for being here today, Melanie! It was epic getting to chat with you. You're an epic human being! Keep blessing the word with your talent <3. 

Melanie J. Morgan is an ambitious prairie dog living in the cornfields of Pennsylvania, oft masquerading as a storyboard artist and a writer who, in reality, oversees younglings who sell people popcorn in a theater of the film variety. The prairie dog has made her nest with a cowardly dog, a mischievous cat, and parents who tolerate her strange, hermitlike ways. She consumes stories as fuel (particularly any good, epic story of any medium that is not live action film/TV) and has a terrible habit of suckering her coworkers into doing vocals and music for her storyboards. It would be wise not to allow her to see your talents if you do not wish to be recruited. The prairie dog is deceptively devious.

   Guys - how incredible is Melanie? She's such an inspirational, sweet person, and her artwork is INCREDIBLE. I hope y'all had fun getting to hear from this lovely human being.

   Okay, a quick note before I sign off and let Melanie take over the comment section - I updated the My Writings pages with a new thing called The InnerCircle. I'd be pleased as punch if you guys would stop over and check it out ;).

   Alrighty, I hope you guys had fun reading that interview! I've got a ton more fun stuff coming up, so make sure to stick around ;).

~ Savannah Grace 

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chat with Melanie in the comments!