Highlights Of September 2017

   September has been a huge month of ups and downs - it was basically a long cycle of hectic and epic all at once. But I loved it xD.

 

   Okay, how about we address that smol piece of news I have in my post title image?

   I'M GOING TO REALM MAKERS 2018! 

   I'd talked to my dad about it, and he said he'd think about it - and then he surprised me on my birthday by telling me that we are going to St. Louis in July (because he's epic like that)! I'm wildly excited, and I'm really hoping I'll be able to meet some of y'all there ;).

   Not much other life-y stuff happened this much (but JUST WATCH I'll hit publish on this post and then remember something super important and cool that happened during September), other than school starting up. *runs and hides* But we won't talk about that.

   I also finally redid all of my blog pages, which I've been wanting to do for MONTHS. So glad that I finally got around to that xD. 

   I wrote 45, 947 words this month.

   What even. 

   So I almost did an accidental NaNoWriMo in September?? I don't know how that happened, but I think the Rooglewood writing contest has something to do with it xD. I've been slaving away at Asher Grey, and I'm STILL feeling a little stressed that I'm not going to get it done on time. But I'm almost ready to find some alphas for it, so I guess I'm making strides? xD (anyone interested in being an alpha?)

   All that being said, it's be kind of quiet on the writing front (except for Asher Grey). But October is #NANOPREP, so maybe this is the crazy calm before the storm? We shall see xD.  

   ... *crickets*

   So Savannah does NOT have a giant pile of 'books she read this month'! Seriously - I read all the Jennifer A. Nielson books in August, but I wasn't able to include them in August's monthly highlights, so I'm sticking them here because I want to talk about them. (let's ignore the fact that I only read four books this month, okay? xD)  

   - Mark Of The Thief Trilogy by Jennifer A. Nielson. Oh my good gracious you guys, THIS TRILOGY.. Nielson has the best writing style, and I adored the Mark Of The Thief series. Which is funny, since normally I don't read books that are set in ancient Rome. But I ADORED Mark Of The Thief - and I reviewed the final book of the series if you want to get more of my thoughts on it  The Mark Of The Thief Trilogy gets a solid four and a half stars from me! 

   - Jackaby by William Ritter. Why on earth did I wait so long to read this book? I'd known about Jackaby for awhile, but ... it kind of got buried by the rest of my tbr. Oops. But I'm SO GLAD that I finally picked it up, because it was amazing. I can't wait to get my hands on the second book, I need more Jackaby! xD This books gets an awesome four stars from me.  

   - Forest Born by Shannon Hale. I've read a couple of Shannon Hale books before, but I think this one might be my favorite. It's the fourth book in its series ... and I've actually only read the first. But the fourth wasn't confusing, so I guess it almost can work as a standalone? xD The characters were wonderful, and I loved the main character, so this book gets four stars from me! 

   On another bookish note, I won The Bone House from the epic Deborah O' Carroll this month - and I'm so excited to read it! It's the second book in a series that I've been DYING to finish, so I can't wait to see what it's like. (also - it's a blue book, so I may be biased towards it <3)

 

   - Jane Maree launched her author website this month, and it's amazing, so definitely check that out.

   - Aimee and Caroline started the Friendly Neighborhood Journal, which seems like it's going to be SUPER cool.

   - Rosalie did a post on getting sticker residue off of books, and while I haven't tried her method yet, I seriously need to!

   - Go Teen Writers posted about books in the public domain, and it was incredibly interesting to read. Now I want to retell a story that's a little more abnormal to retell :D.

   - Tracey did a gorgeous post called hey, dreamer that I absolutely loved.

   - Julia also did a super epic post, so you need to check that out, too.

    - Jonathan posted about reworking major elements in your story, which was a super helpful post because I am the WORST at reworking major elements xD. 

   - Nadine Brandes and Mary Horton both posted about writer's conferences, which were especially fun to read now because I know that I'll be going to a conference, too! *is still excited* xD (also, it's official that Mary has the most GORGEOUS artistic journal <3)

   Also, Bright Eyes posted their BEST PODCASTS this month, and Bryan Davis released a new book. And the cover for Legendary (Caraval #2) was revealed and OH GRACIOUS, it's gorgeous <3 <3. So a lot of exciting stuff happened in September. I was estatic xD.

   October is going to be super school-heavy (... and I'll be prepping for NaNoWriMo. GOOD GRACIOUS, is it already that time again??), so I definitely won't be posting nearly as much as I did in September. We're going back to a sane posting schedule, y'all xD. But I'm hoping to get up a birthday book haul, a book review of Scorpio Races, AND a nano prep post, so you'll get to see those!

   Have an epic and beautiful October, my friends <3.

~ Savannah Grace

so, how was your September? let's chat!

Blogoversary Bash Wrapup + Winners Announcement

   GRACIOUS, can you believe that it's over?

   This blogoversary bash has been AH-MAZING. I loved reading through and replying to all of your epic comments, and reading your thoughts on the guest posts that went up. You all are the best! <3

   Now, just in case you were wondering, I am going to slow the posting schedule back down in October. I have another post going up on September 30th (monthly highlights), but after that I'll be going back to post every three or four days. It's a much less hectic posting schedule xD.

   Anyways. It's time to announce WINNERS! (I'll be surprised if you didn't already skip all the way down the post just to see this part)

   The winner of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland is ...

Hann Remraf!

   Congratulations, Hann! I'm thrilled that you won the book - it's such a fun read, and I hope you enjoy it! I'll be emailing you shortly about how to get it to you ;).  

   The winner of the writing contest + a hardcover copy of Inkheart is ...
 

  Vera!

   Well done, Vera! Your entry was stunning, I thoroughly enjoyed it and felt like I was there. I'll be emailing you shortly so that we can discuss the details about that ;).

   CONGRATS to both of you girls, I'm excited to get your prizes to you!

   Thank you all SO MUCH for joining in this blogoversary bash - it wouldn't have been half as fun without you <3 <3. I'm looking forward to next September!

~ Savannah Grace 

thank you all for joining in this blogoversary bash with me, you're all the best <3

4 Tips For Breaking The "Strong Female Character" Trope - a guest post by Christine Smith

   Today's the day on which I post the final guest post of the blogoversary bash (I'll be posting the blogoversary wrapup tomorrow)! The wonderful Christine Smith is here to talk to you all about creating strong female characters, and I can tell you all that it's an epic post. SO (after a quick aside in which I say that today's the very last day to enter the writing contest AND giveaway! ;)), I'll step out of her way, shall I?

   *exit Savannah*

We see them everywhere. In books, TV shows, movies—the Strong Female Character. But are they actually strong? Or just girls who are good at using their fists...unrealistically?

Here's the thing, we do need strong female characters. We females want heroines we can look up to, females conquering battles and inspiring us to rise up and be better people. But, sadly, this culture's view of “strength” seems to have stopped at the physical definition of the word and rarely goes deeper. These girls slapped with the label “strong female character” are, in reality, just “action girls”. Girls who run around punching and kicking and throwing out rude sarcastic remarks every time they open their mouths. I don't know about you, but that doesn't exactly inspire me to be a better person. I want real heroines. Actually real females, instead of some unrealistic macho girl trying too hard to be a guy.

I am so honored to be on Savannah's amazing blog today to share with you guys 4 tips on how to break away from this action girl trope and write actual real, strong FEMALES.

1.) WITS BEAT STRENGTH ANY DAY

As I've already ranted about, most “strong female characters” these days are just girls who can punch really, really hard. Rather unrealistically hard... I may get in trouble for this, but here it is: Girls don't have the same build as guys. There. It's been said. Yes, girls can be strong and do some serious damage. Absolutely yes. But I just don't find it realistic when like 87% of females in fiction can easily take down 20 guys with their bare hands. Besides, that's rather...boring. When I'm reading, I love to see the characters come up with utterly convoluted and clever plots to taking down the baddies. Instead of just...beating them up.

Let's look at Katniss from The Hunger Games. She didn't go into the arena with plans of facing everyone with her bare hands. She knew she couldn't beat Cato in hand-to-hand combat. Of course not, that'd be absurd. So what did she do? She used her wits and the actual realistic skills she did have. She used her archery skills to shoot an arrow into the explosives to destroy Cato and the Career's food supply. She set up traps to get her own food. She used her small size to her advantage to climb up trees to get away from the enemy.

Katniss survives the Hunger Games in a realistic fashion because she used her brains and know-how instead of just diving in there and beating everyone up. That would have been a pretty short and lame story if pure physical strength resolved everything.

Again I say, females of course can be physically strong. But let's please stop putting all value in muscles and leaving smarts and wits behind. If I read about a girl taking down 20 bad guys via her wits I am much more inspired than watching her unrealistic punch them all to death.

2.) LET THEM HAVE EMOTIONS

This is the big one, guys! This world seems to be putting shame on girls for actually feeling things. We're just weak, puny things if we as much as shed a single tear. There's this misguided view that holding in your emotions is strength. No, no, no, no.

Having emotions is strength.

Hating people and locking yourself away is easy. But showing love, kindness, being selfless—that's where true strength comes in. And don't we love characters who are deep and complex and feel things? Yet, strangely, this world seems to be demanding all females be presented as the emotionless, macho type. Because if they're anything else, they're weak.

What's funny is, fangirls go crazy when a male character shows any type of emotion. But when a GIRL shows emotion? Welp, let's pull out the torches and pitchforks because how dare the producers create such a weak female character?????

People feel things. Male or female. God gave us emotions. Emotions are a good thing. And I'm insulted when girls are presented as these stone-hearted things.

So let your female character cry sometimes. Let them love. Let them just be HUMAN. Because humans feel things. And God created females to be nurturers. Most of us have that in our nature, and it's nothing to be ashamed by.

Now, if you have a character who purposely locks away their emotions for whatever reason, that's okay! (I've written a female or two like that myself.) Just remember, most people who lock away their emotions have been through trauma or some sort to cause it, and probably are actually full of emotion. And I'm allll for the sassy, sarcastic girls. Sarcasm = LIFE. But if a character is only there to give snarky quips and rude comments, they can feel really flat and boring after a time. I've seen so many female characters like this, and it gets tiring when there's no heart within them at all.

Let's return to the Katniss example. She's not exactly the most kindhearted girl around. She can definitely have a cold-shoulder. And yet she still loves so deeply. She risked her life for her sister. She went through unimaginable trauma to keep her loved ones safe and bring a better world. Katniss lived a hard life so of course her heart is a little hardened too. But she's deep. She feels so, so much. She was scared and cried and loved. But Katniss is by no means considered a weak female character because of these things. She was strong because of her emotions. It's the very thing that drove her forward.

I repeat: People feel things. Everyone has emotions. Everyone has depth. And we like deep characters. If all a character does is beat people up and throw out discouraging snarky comments and show no emotion to speak of, eventually we're gonna get bored with them.

3.) THERE IS NO SHAME IN ASKING FOR HELP

This is a tricky one. Because there is nothing more satisfying than seeing our protagonist solve a problem on their own when it seems as if all the odds are against them. Opposed to when someone comes busting in and saving them at the VERY. LAST. SECOND. No one wants to see that cop-out.

BUT.

There is also no shame in asking for help when you really, truly need it. It actually takes strength to do it! I know personally, because I have a really, really hard time asking people for help. And sometimes I get myself in a jam all because I wouldn't swallow my pride and just ask. It doesn't make me weak asking, it just proves I'm human and can't do every single thing on the planet. And yet, it seems like we expect that from characters. Female characters especially are labeled weak and helpless if they get aid from someone else. Because then they're immediately considered the “damsel in distress.” The “strong female characters” are not allowed to ask for help. EVER. Especially from a man. *gasp* The horror!

But people have different skill sets and strengths. Males and females have different skill sets and strengths. And sometimes, whoever we are, we need help from someone who can do things we can't. And they may need us to do things they can't. That's how the world goes round. We can't all do everything. We put our differences together and form a team. Katniss probably wouldn't have won the Hunger Games on her own if she hadn't have had Haymitch, Peeta, Cinna, and even Effie aiding her along the way. And she and Rue worked together to destroy Cato's and the other Career's food supply. But they were most certainly not damsels in distress.

Asking for aid and forming teams can be a good thing. I absolutely love it when characters end up assembling epic teams and solving problems together. Humans were created to work with others humans. Again, that's how the world goes round.

Of course, if you have a character whose very nature detests asking for help and is a loner, this is different. But then isn't it so satisfying when those types of characters finally do ask for help and form a team? A lot of fun character arcs and climaxes can be created with that!

So yes, it's wonderful having characters who can conquer problems on their own. It can definitely be problematic if the protagonist only ever gets out of a jam because other people are constantly saving them. BUT it's also perfectly fine and good for your character to ask for help every now and again. It won't take away from your “strong female character”. It'll just show she's HUMAN. And is strong and confident enough to accept help from others.

4.) ALLOW THEM TO BE FEMININE

And here we have probably the biggest problem with female characters of today—they're not allowed to be GIRLS. They're all forced to be macho and cold-shouldered and detest things like wearing pink and sewing.

Now, I'm going to say right off the bat that I 100% understand not all females are ultra girly. AND THAT IS FINE. If you have a tomboy-ish female character, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But if you want to create a girly female character, THAT IS OKAY.

It seems like we're not allowed to have those anymore—female characters who enjoy pretty things or like girly activities or have gentle, caring spirits. But human beings in general were created to appreciate beautiful things. And if someone is shaming you for being kind then there's something seriously wrong.

Not all female characters have to be crude, sword-wielding gals who blanch at the thought of something like dress shopping. Goodness knows we have plenty of those. What I think we need more of are female characters who aren't shamed in wearing frills or sitting at the sidelines healing instead of fighting because they actually don't take satisfaction in beating people up. Girls who take pleasure in providing for their loved ones by cooking and cleaning and sewing, and seeing these things as the important tasks they are and not degrading work. (Because, excuse me, but a world without food or clothes or nothing ever being clean is not a world I want to live in.) To me, that is true strength.

So next time you're worried about giving your female character girly traits, DON'T. Being feminine is a beautiful thing and not something we should ever have to kill off or be ashamed of. Femininity is just as important as masculinity. We need a world with both of these things. Not merely one or the other.

_____________________________

Most of these points applies to both both female and male characters. But they're something I especially see in females. In this new trend of “action girls”.

But when it comes down to it, the key to creating good characters is this: Make them human beings.  Don't try to force some kind of agenda on your characters. Trust me, readers will notice if you do. Just let them be what feels natural. Let them have emotions and cry and love and ask for help when they need it. Let them be real.

And then you will have a truly Strong Character.

what do you think about the strong female character trope?

who are some of your favorite strong female characters?

feel free to chat with Christine in the comments!

10 Truths And 2 Lies - The Results

   I had a ton of fun watching you guys make your guesses on the 10 truths and 2 lies post, and now it's time for you guys to find out which 2 were the REAL lies. Are you ready?  

The two lies were ... 

1. I wear contacts

    Nope - I've worn glasses since I was really young. But you never see me wearing them in vlogs or pictures because of the ridiculously annoying lights that reflect in them. Plus, I mostly only need them for reading. But HEY, now you know that I have them!

AND

9. I've only read the Harry Potter series once

   Hahaha. Are you kidding me? I love the Harry Potter series so much, there's no way I could have only read it once! I actually have two copies of some of the books ... but the huge, hardcover doubles are serving as bookends. Otherwise all my books go toppling to the floor *coughs*.

   CONGRATS to Hanna, wisdomcreates, and Madeline J. Rose for guessing the answers correctly! You each get three extra entries into the giveaway ;).

   But besides that, you guys are probably wondering about the truths I told, too, huh? Shall I tell you about them?

   2. I sleep with a notebook and pens under my pillow. 

   Well, duh. What ELSE am I supposed to do when the plot bunnies hit me at three in the morning? Instead of letting them fester (... and then be forgotten, because who even remembers the things they think up at midnight ...), I blindly scribble it down and hope I can make out my handwriting in the morning xD.

   3. I own less than 50 ebooks. 

   I am ... not an ebook girl. I've got almost nothing against them, but I just don't buy them much when I could buy a physical copy of it instead! (or ... you know, utilize the library.)

   You just can't read some books in ebook form. Like Inkheart xD. 

4. I kept a dream diary for four years. 

   Dedication, yes? xD I started when I was ten, and petered off when I was fourteen. I started keeping an actual diary around that age. But trust me, keeping a dream diary is AMAZING when it comes to creating story ideas. Now and then I still flip through mine to find new inspiration. And I desperately wish I'd have kept going - because, even if I don't dream much, my dreams tend to have pretty good plotlines, strange though they may be. Maybe I need to start up again ...

5. I had a private blog before I started Scattered Scribblings

   Yup, yup! I did have a private blog (which went through multiple titles - I was very indecisive. Still am xD) for a few years before I started Scattered Scribblings. This was actually one of my old headers for it ...

   Blue's my favorite color, so it was only natural xD.

   6. I'm not an early bird.

   Most authors seem to be night owls. I am one of them. ALL the plot bunnies are nocturnal, and come creeping out of their warrens at night. I'm also beginning to wonder if my muse is nocturnal, because IT ALWAYS AWAKENS AT NIGHT. Thus, I must stay up at night too. Go figure. 

7. I've ridden on a Ferris wheel and a rollercoaster.

   Yup, yup. I loved the Ferris wheel (it was glorious <3) and hated the rollercoaster (it was very shaky). Just no. But if I had the chance, I would definitely try out another rollercoaster, because why not?

8. I'm a quarter Korean. 

   I am indeed! Which means my hair does NOT hold a curl, but hey - I can put up with the pros and cons xD. 

 
10. Buffalo chicken pizza is my favorite.

   OH GRACIOUS, YES. Pepperoni pizza, cheese pizza, supreme pizza - I love all the pizza that I've tried so far (except barbecue pizza which is gross), but buffalo chicken pizza is my ultimate favorite. 

11. I rarely buy notebooks. 

   This is actually true! But ... it's also a little tricky. I don't buy notebooks MUCH, but when I do buy them, I buy a LOT. The last time I bought notebooks, I bought sixteen-or-so, which I'm hoping is enough to last me a year? Time shall tell, seeing as I use up notebooks pretty fast (I've already filled four of those sixteen notebooks, so THE STATS DO NOT LOOK GOOD for them lasting me a year xD).

12. I've purposefully ripped up books before.

   Uhm. Well. Yes? I promise it's not as bad as it sounds xD.

   One of the books I ripped up was a copy of Prince Caspian that had (somehow) been left outside during a rainstorm. I figured it would be cool to take out some of the wet pages and let them dry so I could tape them on my wall. Turns out, it WAS a cool idea. I've still got two of those pages on my wall xD.

   And the other book I tore up was an really worn copy of a book that I didn't like, so I ... uh, ripped that one up and turned it into origami flowers. Which are actually really cool and fun to make, even if they DO take awhile to make ;).

   See? I DO have pretty valid excuses for having ripped up a book xD.  

   There ya have it, readers! Hope you were amused by hearing some of my stranger stories ;).   

~ Savannah Grace 

do you own more or less than 50 ebooks? 

have you ever ripped up a book?

How Stalking People Can Help Make Your Characters More Real - a guest post by Hannah White

   Morning, readers! Guess who's guest posting today? The epic Hannah White from Ink Blots And Coffee Stains is here to give y'all a few tips for how stalking people can make your characters more realistic (because, come on now, what kind of author doesn't watch people?).

   [quick aside: y'all only have four more days to enter the writing contest! If you're planning to, you better act fast]
 
   Alrighty, I'll go ahead and step aside now so that you guys can read Hannah's wonderful words.

   *exit Savannah*

I want to quickly give a huge thank you to Savannah for letting me guest post on her absolutely lovely blog! I’ve followed Scattered Scribblings for quite a while now, and it’s such a privilege to get to come visit and write to the rest of the awesome people that hang out here.

Now, on with the post!

Let’s face it: we all stalk people.

We might not do it to the caliber that criminals and creepy guys in TV shows do, but we do watch people. We tend to be a bit nosy, dropping ease on the particularly loud couple in the aisle next to you, or the family of five in line in front of you.

It’s part of being observant. But have you ever thought about just how beneficial stalking people could be?

Allow me to shed some light on the subject.

I’m not really sure how it started, but when I was around twelve or so and realized just how awesome keeping a journal could be, I started to make notes of people I saw. Little quirks about them that drew my notice, enough so that I wanted to make a note of them.

What kind of things, you ask? I took a little trip down memory lane to find these special notes, just for you.

*Blue hair with white highlights.

*Hunches shoulders and purses lips and squinting – normal driving posture

*Thick chin

*Silky smooth hair

*Mouse-ish face—small and beady

*High, tittering laugh

Do you get the picture?

They’re little things that are, well, little, but somehow can make the difference between a cardboard cutout and a living, breathing being. Sometimes just one physical detail to ground us in the character is more helpful than hair/eye color and a description of the person’s shirt or height.

The real value is in the little things. Phrases people say that are distinct, different gaits, a person’s “relaxed” expression. (Do they naturally look angry? Sad? Happy?) If you watch people, you’ll notice all these little questions have answers. Because real people have these. Real people have little quirks.

Look around at people. Notice them. Notice what they wear. Do they wear bright colors or are they always dressed in dark? If they wear bright colors, why do you think that is? Don’t let yourself be confined to what you see. Feel free to use your imagination. (If you see someone with a mohawk that makes you think of a bald person with red tattoos, write down a bald person with red tattoos.) If you have a character that wears bright colors, you might consider how that reflects his/her personality.

What about phrases? Is there a certain word your character likes? Where did they pick it up? At home, work, school? A favorite book or TV show? Have you heard the phrase before? How do you think that person has been raised differently than you, given the way they speak? Is their grammar poor?

What about specific words to replace others? For example, I made a note when someone called my feet “clod-hoppers”. (I think he had a history in farming? It’s been a few years :P ) Some people might call a bag a purse, or a sack, or a satchel. Some people might call a phone a cell, a tablet, or a telephone. Having characters call things by certain names shines a light into their past. And if your main character meets someone new and they both have different words for the same thing, that grounds you in the reality that these characters are different, and you begin to forget they were created, not born.

What about a person’s voice? Is there anything noticeable about your main character’s voice? Is it high or low? Is it higher for a man’s voice, or low for a girl’s voice? Is it soft or loud? Whiney or musical? Are they insecure about it, or can they not get enough of their own words?

What about a person’s hair? Is it long or short? Do they use gel, or do they let it go wild and free? Do they wear it up or down? Do they use headbands? Do they wear hats? What kinds of hats? Do they like to spike it up in the front? Do they curl it frequently? Is it always different, or always the same? How does that reflect character?

What are their tells? Do they blink really hard when they’re lying? Do they swallow, or fiddle with their hands, or maintain eye contact and hold perfectly still? What about when they’re happy? Does their nose crinkle up? Do their eye brows scrunch up in their forehead? Do they purse their lips, or do they smile wide and huge?

In a world full of stories, we want our books—and our characters—to stand out. We want them to draw attention. And little details like these are so easy to overlook. Who cares if your main character likes to wear their hair in a messy bun and looks like a completely different person when she takes it down? Who would notice if that one guy walks leaning slightly to his right?

We might not even notice details like this when we’re reading (if they’re given). But somehow, little things like these bring life and blood to your story. It makes those characters breathe. It makes them stand out in the world of black and white.

Why?

Because we can connect to them. We see them everywhere we go, even if we don’t stop to consciously pay attention to them. We can imagine a girl who never takes off her sweater, no matter the temperature. That’s a marker we can remember her by. We can remember the boy who showers so much because he doesn’t want to smell, that his hands always smell like pineapples from the lotion he steals from his mom’s bathroom.

These are the things that stick out.

These are the things we remember.

So pay attention. Take notes. Figure out what it is about a person that makes them significant in your mind, and infuse it into your writing. It just might be that missing piece to your character that you’ve been looking for.

do you get character ideas from watching people?

where have you found some of your coolest character ideas?

feel free to chat with Hannah in the comments!

Wanted: A Superhero To Save The World - BLOG TOUR (Book Spotlight And Author Interview With Bryan Davis)

   I would ask you to guess what book was recently released, but I think you've guess it by the title :D. Wanted: A Superhero To Save The World by Bryan Davis came out 9 days ago, and it's Mr. Davis's first middle grade book. I'm so excited to dig into it and see what it's like!

Eddie Hertz is smart, real smart. He has to be. What other twelve-year-old patrols the streets of Nirvana alone, hoping to foil the schemes of the evil Mephisto? Since Eddie is small for his age, he trusts in his Batman-style gadgets belt and acrobatic skills as well as lots of experience, like knowing how to swing across dark alleys without being seen.

Eddie has a dream, to become like Damocles, Nirvana’s great superhero. To make that dream come true, Eddie invented a device that is supposed to give him superpowers, but using it on himself is dangerous, maybe even fatal. He doesn’t have the nerve to try it.

When Mephisto unleashes an earthquake machine on the city, Eddie gets a surprising teammate — his quirky eight-year-old sister, Samantha, who comes up with an unexpected way to help Eddie in the frantic battle to prevent the biggest earthquake of all.

Since Damocles has lost his ability to help in physical form, Eddie and Samantha are the only hope for Nirvana and the world.

View it on Goodreads --- View it on Amazon 

Bryan Davis is the author of the Dragons in Our Midst, Oracles of Fire, Children of the Bard, the Reapers Trilogy, Dragons of Starlight, Tales of Starlight, and the Time Echoes Trilogy, fantasy/science fiction/dystopian novels for youth and adults. His first novel, Raising Dragons, was released in July of 2004, and several books in that series have hit various bestseller lists, including Eye of the Oracle, which hit number one on the CBA Young Adult best-seller list in January of 2007.

Bryan was born in 1958 and grew up in the eastern U.S. From the time he taught himself how to read before school age, through his seminary years and beyond, he has demonstrated a passion for the written word, reading and writing in many disciplines and genres, including theology, fiction, devotionals, poetry, and humor.

Bryan is a graduate of the University of Florida (B.S. in Industrial Engineering). In high school, he was valedictorian of his class and won various academic awards. He was also a member of the National Honor Society and voted Most Likely to Succeed.
Bryan and his wife, Susie, work together as an author/editor team to create his imaginative tales.

   Website - Book Purchase Site - Facebook - Author Writing Blog 

   Wanted: A Superhero To Save The World looks like it's going to be an amazing book - I read the excerpt of it on Amazon, and I'm dying to get my hands on a paperback copy! (and the cover has a good deal of blue on it, and you guys all know how biased I am when it comes to blue books) Mr. Davis has kindly agreed to be interviewed here today, so let's get on to that, shall we? (my words are in bold, his are normal)

   Savannah Grace: when did you start writing, and what inspired you to do it?

   Bryan Davis: I began writing about 23 years ago as a way to get my children interested in the craft. We created a story together and added to it bit by bit until it became a full-length novel. I enjoyed the process so much and saw how my children were impacted by the story’s themes, I decided to get more training by reading books on writing and going to writers’ conferences.

   Out of all your novels, which was the hardest to write?

   Eye of the Oracle, the first book in the Oracles of Fire series, was the hardest to write. Normally it takes me about four months to write a fully edited novel. This one took six months, and since I put a lot of personally relevant issues into the story, the themes and their emotional impact drained me to the core.

   How long did it take you to get your first novel published after you started trying?

   Getting published the first time turned out to be an eight-year learning journey. During that journey, I accumulated more than 200 rejections. It was sometimes tough to push the discouragement to the side and carry on, and I am grateful for the encouragement I received through the difficult years.

   Every author has to play favorites at least a little bit – who are some of your favorite characters that you’ve written?

   I enjoy writing strong, virtuous characters who inspire me, such as Adrian Masters in the Tales of Starlight series, Bonnie Silver in Dragons in our Midst, Nathan Shepherd in Time Echoes, and Phoenix in the Reapers Trilogy.

I also enjoy putting a little of myself into a few characters. From Dragons in our Midst, Professor Hamilton reflects my analytical side, Jared Bannister reveals my fatherly side, and a trio of females, Bonnie Silver, Sapphira, and Acacia display my spiritual ideals.

   How do you decide on your character’s names?

   Some character names pop into my head, and they feel right. I get quite a few other names from baby naming websites. In those sites, I often look for old names with meanings that match a character’s qualities. A source I have used for dragon names is an online fantasy-name generator. I took a few of the suggested names and tweaked them to my liking.

   Do you normally plot out your books before you write them, or do you just start writing and see what happens?

   I am what is often called a seat-of-the-pants writer. I have a basic premise in mind and maybe a main character, but I have no idea how the story will progress. I just sit down and start writing about a character’s ordinary world, then I ruin that world with some sort of crisis event.

   That event creates an object of desire, a goal that the character wants to achieve. Most of the rest of the story follows how the character pursues that goal, though I don’t know what will happen until I actually sit and type it out.

   What inspired you to try writing a MG book?

   My main reason for writing a middle-grade novel is simple. Parents and teachers at schools, homeschool groups, and conferences have told me that they have readers who couldn’t handle the young adult books I had written. The size and content were too intimidating. I wanted to reach younger readers, so I created a story that is much more within their reach.

   How has God shown Himself to you through your writing process?

   Whenever I write timeless themes in my stories, such as self-sacrifice, courage, forgiveness, etc, I often learn more about spiritual truths through circumstances in my own life. I submit to you the following story as one example in which God revealed that He wanted to guide my writing process. http://www.daviscrossing.com/DimeTwoPennies.pdf

   Those were wonderful answers, Mr. Davis - thank you for sharing them with us! I had a lot of fun with this interview, and the story you shared with us was incredible. (to the rest of you - read that story that he linked to. It's powerful.)

   Before I close out this post - there are two giveaways going on for this blog tour! The first one is a simple rafflecopter drawing (click the link to get to the rafflecopter), but the second one has a bit of a twist ;). To enter the second giveaway - the Grand Prize giveaway! (again, click the link) -  you'll need to find a number in each post in this blog tour, add them up, and and plug the sum into the giveaway in order to gain entry. Good luck finding all the numbers! Here are the rest of the blog tour stops ...      

Wednesday, September 20th

Tour Kickoff @ The Author’s Chair

Book Spotlight @ Backing Books

Book review and YOU WRITE: About Bryan Davis @ Zerina Blossom’s Books

Book Spotlight and Review @ The Spooky Bookshelf

Book Spotlight and Author Interview @ Scattered Scribblings

Book Review and Character Interview @ Light and Shadows

Thursday, September 21st

Book Spotlight and YOU WRITE: About Bryan Davis @ Red Lettering

Spotlight and Author Interview @ The Reader Addict

Spotlight and YOU WRITE: About Bryan Davis @ target verified

Book Review and Character Interview @ Hidden Doorways

Book Review @ Ashley Bogner

Book Review @ The Page Dreamer

Friday, September 22nd

Book Spotlight and Character Interview @ Story of Fire

Book Review @ Inkwell

Book Spotlight and Character Interview @ Liv K. Fisher

Book Review @ writinganyone

Spotlight and YOU WRITE: About Superheroes @ Dreams and Dragons

Author Interview and YOU WRITE: About Bryan Davis @ March to a Different Drum

Book Spotlight @ Author Jaye L. Knight

Saturday, September 23rd

Author Interview @ Jessi L. Roberts, author

Book Spotlight and Character Interview @ Book Lovers Life

Book Review and Character Interview @ Verbosity Reviews

Book Spotlight, Author Interview and YOU WRITE: Superheroes @ Creature of Graphite

Character Interview @ Wanderer’s Pen

Book Spotlight and Author Interview @ Adventure Awaits

   Best of luck finding all the numbers, bookdragons! Have an epic September <3.

~ Savannah Grace

have you read this book yet?

what's your favorite Bryan Davis book?