Monthly Highlights - June 2017

   June flew by way quicker than I thought it could - I would say that it was an amazing month (and I think it was?), but honestly, it went rushing away too fast for me to really remember xD.

   - Our nest-full of baby robins fledged - funny thing was, one of my sisters and I were standing next to the nest, trying to take a picture of the last bird before it left, and it jumped up and flew away (directly in front of our faces!) right after the shutter clicked xD.

   - Celebrating my younger sister's birthday with cake, ice cream, presents, and tons of jumping on our trampoline!

   - Buying LOTS of books. I only mention one of the books I got down in the 'Bookish' section (it was the only brand-new book that I got, all the others were used - in almost perfect condition (because I am the pickiest bookdragon to ever live), but still used xD), though in reality, I'm overloaded with books right now. My TBR has exploded and my bookshelf is about to topple over and crush me. Send help xD. 

   - Fireworks. I know, I know - it's not even July yet, but people in my neighborhood light 'em early xD. It's SO much fun to jump in our trampoline late in the evening and hear tons of bangs - and the 4th is one of my favorite holidays, so every loud boom makes me even more excited! 
 

   The words were so scattered.

   I was literally everywhere, writing everything xD. So let's see what I can unscramble to tell y'all, huh?

   - I wrote ... well, around 11,040 words in June. I think. Maybe. Honestly I only have a rough estimate because, as I said, I was very scattered. But hey - there's the best estimate I can give you xD. And despite the fact that my words were everywhere, June was a pretty okay month for writing.

   - The Snow White retelling/s are happening, people! The retelling idea that I initially had is coming together, slowly but surely. I'm hoping to get the zero and hopefully the first draft of it done in June ;). And then, besides that, dozens of other retelling ideas have been bombarding me and demanding to be written. I'm currently leaving (most of) them on the back burner and seeing which ones survive the longest xD.

   - I've been itching to post another short story on here (like I did with 10 'Till Midnight and The Testing) ... so maybe that will happen in July/August? We shall see? Who can tell? (+ July is going to be a killer month, so if I don't die from sheer stress, I guess I'll have to post one just to celebrate. Maybe xD)

   - The Lost Kingdom Of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine. All of Gail Carson Levine's books are fun for a lighter read, and The Lost Kingdom Of Bamarre didn't disappoint! I think it was actually supposed to be a retelling of Rapunzel, which I didn't know going into the story, but it was pretty easy to realize once I got into the book. However, I did feel like it was just kind of thrown in there? Most retellings feel like the original fairytale is completely meshed into the book, but it felt like Rapunzel was tossed randomly into The Lost Kingdom Of Bamarre just so that it could be a retelling. All that said, the book was still a wonderful work of art, and I give it a shiny four stars.     

   - Harry Potter And The Cursed Child by [who?]. So many mixed thoughts on this one - I don't really consider it part of the Harry Potter series (that series ended at seven books and will STAY at seven books *crosses arms*), and if I did I don't think I'd like it much - but if I view it as more of a fanfiction, then it's pretty good. A lot of people seem to have trouble reading this book, seeing as it's written in script-form, and I always have trouble for the first few pages ... but then I start seeing it as a movie in my head, and filling in the details where there are none. And it was a lot of fun :D. Four stars!  

   - The Evaporation Of Sofi Snow by Mary Weber. Um. I'm not really sure what to say about it? I wanted to like it so bad - it's been so hyped lately, and the premise was one of the best that I've read. But honestly, it didn't hold up for me. I was actually planning to review it, but I'm not sure if I want to review a book that I can't give a very good rating? I have a feeling that this is going to be a very unpopular opinion, but there it is. I'll give it three stars - and if it weren't for the fact that I still think the idea of the story itself was so good, it would probably only be two and a half.

   - The Warden And The Wolf King by Andrew Peterson. I literally had to write my thoughts about this book last because OH MY. My mind's still reeling from this book, and I read it at the beginning of the month. Such incredible things were done in a MIDDLE GRADE book that I have never seen done in a YA book. We've got to step up our game, writers xD. But all of that aside - this book inspired me and made me want to write better stories. And it also reduced me to a puddle of feels and made me want to reread it promptly. So it gets five stars from me!

   Also, I bought a brand-new copy of Heartless (and if you know me, you know I don't buy brand new copies very often. Even if they smell amazing and it's so much fun to find room for just one more on my overly full shelves xD)! It's so gorgeous and aesthetic and so perfect for book-pictures.

   I just love it so much <3.

   (and if you want more of my bookish thoughts, you can find my book review of Resistance, by Jaye L. Knight, over on the Pursue Magazine blog!)

 

   - Mary introduced us to her AMAZING-sounding new novella, Behind The Velvet Curtain. I want the thing so bad, I could die.

   - The amazing Alea Harper got a literary agent - I'm so so excited for her!

   - Victoria did an awesome post on how to make our stories deeper, by comparing the new and the old Beauty And The Beast movies.

   - Julia published a book of her poetry and OH MY does it look gorgeous <3. 

   - Jane Maree posted three ways to get rid of impossibly persistent story ideas - and shared some of her awesome snippets in the same post, so it gets extra points xD.

   - Abbiee did a hilarious post/tag that SHE CREATED about old and apparently horrendous stories that she had written when she was younger. I loved it and I may or may not steal the tag and do it in July xD.

   Well, July is going to be a KILLER month for me, seeing as I'm participating in Camp NaNoWriMo (with a bigger goal than I had last time), whilst juggling life (tons of stuff going on in that area) and studying for my ACT test.

   All that being said, July's going to be a month full of lighter posts that are mostly just for fun - and I think you guys are going to be having a lot of fun, too (*cough* check back on July 3rd for something really special *cough*)!

~ Savannah Grace 

   How was your June? Did we read any of the same books? Have you written / are you writing any retellings?

Letting Others Read Your Work: A Guest Post By Hanna Rothfuss

   Hey, all! I'm only popping in for a quick second, because I'm not the one posting today ;). Instead, my awesome and talented writer-friend Hanna Rothfuss from Taking My Time is here to talk to y'all about letting others read your writing - which, in my experience, is both terrifying and completely worth it xD. Shall we let her get on with it, then?

   Hello, readers! I’m barging into Savannah’s blog today to talk about a scary subject: letting others read your work. It’s a question every writer has to ask at some point or another, even if they don’t really know they’re asking it: Should I let others read my writing?

   I didn’t happen to ask myself this question for a long time. I started making up stories before I learned how to write, so my “writing” career started by dictating to a family member. As I began writing myself, I continued to let my family read my stories. I was blessed with a very supportive, encouraging family and the idea of letting others read my stories didn’t scare me. (As long as I didn’t have to read them out loud--something I still struggle with!) Everyone told me they were great, and I was a great writer.

   When I started a blog when I was thirteen, it only felt natural to start posting stories. It wasn’t until then that I realized how scary sharing your work can be.

   I got upset once when someone critiqued my writing. When I told my Dad about it, he said there will always be people who dislike my writing. He added that there will probably always be people who say so. I think this is true for all writers. So does that mean we shouldn’t let others read our work? Should we just write for ourselves and bury our precious papers in a drawer? Or--safer yet!--keep our thoughts inside our heads and quit writing?

   My answer to these questions is a resounding no. This post contains two reasons why.

1. It Helps The Author 

   Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron so one person sharpens another.” One reason I believe it’s invaluable to let others read your work is how helpful it can be. Handing someone something you wrote and asking them to look for problems is hard--especially if you think they’ll actually do it! But having proofreaders makes your story so much better. Having a second person to tell you if something makes sense or if something is grammatically correct makes your writing better. (Just now, I typed your instead of you’re. If my word processor hadn’t caught it and underlined it in red, I probably wouldn’t have noticed!)

   It’s also a good idea to ask people with more life experience than you to proofread. They can coach you through writing things you’ve never felt or done. In the last story I posted on my blog, my main character was a hunter. I asked my parents to proofread it before I posted it. After reading the first chapter, my Dad and I sat down to talk about it. He said, “Hanna, you’ve never shot a deer.” We went back through the scene and revised it with Dad’s added experience deer hunting in mind. I had written from the point of my knowledge of archery. With my Dad’s added knowledge, we came up with something much better than I had done alone. One of my friends even e-mailed me after I posted the story on my blog and asked if I had ever been bowhunting!

   Before we move on to point two, there’s one more thing I want to say about proofreaders: Needing proofreaders doesn’t make you a bad writer, or your story unoriginal. Trust me, your proofreaders couldn’t sit down and write your story without you! No one else can write your story.

2. It Blesses The Readers

   What is it that makes sharing your work so scary in the first place? Well, people can love it, or they can hate it. To be honest, they both scare me. It hurts when people dislike your work, but others loving it almost scares me more.

   Because when you share a story, it’s not all yours anymore. I mean, it’s still your story, you’re the author, and you probably know it better than anyone else. But you’re not the only one that loves it and cares about it anymore. If someone loves your story, they’ll claim it. I feel a sense of possessiveness about my favorite stories--that book is my copy, that series is my favorite. I love them, and it makes me sad when others dislike them. When people fall in love with your world or your characters, they’ll get protective too. They might even get mad at you if you’re not nice to their favorite character.

   And it scares me a bit to let my stories out of my control like that.

   But I still share my work, because I know it blesses others. Think of your favorite book. Now ask yourself: What if the author had gotten scared and just not written and/or published that story? Scary thought, huh? I’ve read early-draft stories that weren’t even completely edited, and still been inspired by them. Stories bless people, writers! Please share them with us.

   *applauds* That was super insightful, thanks for sharing it with us, Hanna! I've had a couple of betas and alphas for Killing Snow, and even though it's so scary to let my work out of my hands - even for only a few weeks! - it's always worth it in the end!  

   Now, scamper on over to Hanna's blog, Taking My Time, and check out the guest post that I did over there! ((especially if you're a fan of Lord Of The Rings or Narnia ;))

~ Savannah Grace

   Have you ever had proofreaders or beta readers (or any other eyes than yours) go over your story? How did it go? Go ahead and ask Hanna any questions you have in the comments!

Character Interviews with David Sullivan from A Question Of Honor (by Jesseca Wheaton)

   Today I'm interviewing the epic character, David Sullivan, from the equally incredible book A Question Of Honor. (I reviewed A Question Of Honor (a YA historical fiction novel) a little while back, if you want to read more about it before the character interview)

    There will be spoilers in this post for those who haven't read the book so proceed with utmost caution, oh bookdragons xD.

    Savannah Grace: So, I've heard that you're a pilot, David - what's your favorite thing about flying, and what's the hardest?

   David Sullivan: Favorite thing? It's a variety of things. For one, the freedom I feel. There's no feeling quite like the weightlessness of flight. When the ground falls away beneath you and the sun is the only limit. You feel totally and completely free. As if, nothing can ever hold you back. It's something priceless.
   The hardest thing? Landing. For one, because I have to leave the sky. The other because it's often difficult to land on the many different kinds of runways. And over in England, it's not often guaranteed that we'll get a runway. If our plane gets hit, we have to land in any flat place we can find, which is often dangerous.
   Sorry, that was a long answer. ;P

   SG: That's fine! Flying sounds SO amazing (well, maybe not the landing part xD), I hope I can try it someday! What kind of plane do you fly?

   David: Right now I fly a J-2 piper cub. It was what most of us who were in the Army Air Force during WWII were first trained in. After the war, they were transformed into crop dusters, which is what I use it for now on the farm.

 
   SG: Very cool. Okay, tougher questions now - leaving Elaine to fight in World War 2 must have been a very hard decision for you. Why were you convinced that it was the right choice to make?

    David: To be honest, I wasn't. I'm not sure one can ever be convinced when they make a decision like that. For such a long time afterwards I worried that I had heard God wrong. That perhaps, I should have gone overseas. Not before I was called, anyway. But a good friend helped to remind me of why I had made the decision. Why I had felt a peace about it. And he pushed me back to Christ. And it was there, at the feet of Jesus, that I knew I had made the right choice. Because God doesn't give peace about a decision that is wrong.

    SG: "Because God doesn't give peace about a decision that is wrong" Agreed in full. And what was one of the hardest choices you had to make during World War 2?

   David: Leaving my family was one. and then leaving them again the second time was yet another hard decision. I think the second time was harder than the first, though. I had tasted the bitter taste of war. And everything in me screamed to stay where it was safe and treasure the loved ones I had left. But if I had learned anything, it was that God will never lead us wrong. And where He calls, we must follow. Even if it's something that our natural mind can't see any point in.

   SG: I'm glad you were brave enough to make those hard decisions, because they were obviously the right ones in the end :). Who helped hold you together through all of World War 2?

    David: Who? Well, to name one person would be impossible. Jesus, of course. I'm not sure I ever would have made it through the war with my sanity if He wasn't by my side. Also, Gil. He helped me through many struggles, both before and during the war. Elaine was a huge strength, always praying for me, and loving me enough to let me go where God was calling me. Also, my brother Rafe. I'm not even sure what all I can say to express the bond we have.

    SG: It's so awesome that you had people to stand by you during the war.
   Okay, almost done here - do you think any good came out of Erich taking Joyanna hostage?

   David: Did any good come from it? Yes. Without that happening, I would never have met Joyanna. I would never have been able to know the priceless treasure she is, and the sun that she brings to our life. What Erich meant for evil, to help Germany, God used for good. He gave me a daughter, and Joy a new home in a land where she'll never have to live in fear.

   
   SG: I can't help but be a LITTLE glad that Joy was was captured, too - she's such a sweetheart <3.
    Alright, final question - do you think that any good came out of World War 2 (other than Joyanna ;)) for you?

    David: Oh, that's a hard question to answer. I don't think we’ll ever really be able to see how God brings good from things like that until we get to the other side of glory.
   I pray that it brought me closer to God, and in a way, I know it did. I had to depend on Him like never before. Also, it brought me closer to my family. It's made me appreciate many things that I took for granted before. Often little things, such as a carefree smile, or the ability to walk down the road without fear of attack. Things I had never considered before.

   SG: I think all hard things bring us a little closer to God :). 

. And that was the end of this interview! Thanks for popping in, David, I loved hearing your answers to my questions! 


~ Savannah Grace

   Do you like Historical Fiction? What's your favorite historical fiction book? (and make sure to check back here in a few days - one of my friends will be posting in my stead!)