Highlights Of January 2018

   January started off 2018 perfectly (and can you believe that I DIDN'T have a hard time writing '2018' up there in that title? Maybe I was actually ready for the new year to start xD)! It was a fairly quiet month lifewise, but I wrote a lot of words and watched some fun movies (The Greatest Showman not being one of them, sadly - I WILL GET TO IT.). Want to hear about it? 

Life has been really quiet lately. January was full of school (I've been plowing ahead so that I can start my summer break early, and hopefully get my WIP all written before Realm Makers), hanging out with my family (and laughing way too hard because my sisters are hilarious), and preparing blog-ish things. And pretending that I'm an artist as I doodle in my journal, even though I hardly have an artistic bone in my body xD. But it's been lots of fun! I'm glad January was a bit of a calm month, so that I had plenty of time to do the things that needed doing.<3

Well, since I finished Forgotten, and anything to do with that story is out of my hands until April, I picked up my beloved Killing Snow and started the rewrite that its been so desperately needing. And I wrote 26k words for it this month, so that's a pretty happy number for me ;).

Oh, and I can't forget - the lovely Melaine J. Morgan has been working on character sketches for the contestants of the Rooglewood writing contest, and her sketches are STELLAR, especially since she's doing them in such a short time frame! I adore the sketch she did of my villain from Forgotten, The Adder. Want to see it?

   I love it so much <3. (even if he is the villain xD)

*gasps* THREE books? And two of those were assigned school reading? Is this a record low that I see??

Yes. Yes, it is.

But I do have an excuse! This was a reading slump month, and I reread half or parts of a lot of books ... and couldn't add them to the list because I wasn't reading them to finish them, just to revisit my favorite chapters. So technically, I did read a fair amount, but not so many FULL books xD. 

- On The Edge Of The Dark Sea Of Darkness by Andrew Peterson. This was a reread that I already knew I was going to enjoy, because I adore this series. And I think this is only the second time I've read it, so #shame (even though I only discovered it late last year xD). But I'm giving it four stars again, and I can't wait to go revisit the second book in this series!   

Ooh, what is this? A new section in my Highlights post? Oh yeah.(and it was very last-minute, which is why there is no image for this section like there should be xD)

So I normally don't watch that many movies, but I've been utilizing Netflix lately - and maybe that's why I didn't read as many books this month, haha. Three of the movies were re-watches (Beauty and the Beast, Moana, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), but two of them were new, and I LOVED them both...

- The Jungle Book. Randomly decided to give this one a shot when I saw it on Netflix, and one of my closest friends told me that it was really good - and it didn't disappoint! The characters were awesome, and the animation was EPIC. Bagheera might have been my favorite ... but then, I'm sometimes partial to black panthers. They are cool xD. This movie gets four stars from me!

- The Hunger Games. OOH, LOOKY WHO FINALLY SAW THIS MOVIE. I'm wildly late to the game, but I wanted to wait and watch this one with the rest of my family (...and maybe I was slightly worried about how the book-to-movie adaption would go xD). I have a ton to say about this one - probably could manage to put a whole post together - but, in a nutshell, it was very good and I really enjoyed watching it, but I like the books better. Still, this one gets 4.5 stars from me.    
 

 

- I helped the lovely authoress Rebekah Eddy redesign her blog, and it was a TON of fun, I love helping out people around the blogosphere <3.

- speaking of which - everyone scramble over to a new blog that just popped up in the blogosphere, A True Writer! True's such an epic, friendly person, and I had a lot of fun giving her a hand in setting up her first public blog <3.

- my friend Micaiah Saldana celebrated her first blogoversary at the beginning of the month, so y'all should hop on over there and check her out! (and my friend Mary Horton celebrated her two-year blogoversary, so also check her out! Her new design is gorgeous <3) 

- Nadine Brandes did a very timely post on if we should try to forgot the past, which I really loved.  (and her recap of her time at BeaulitfulCon was also fun to read)

- Sarah of The Introverted Extrovert posted about four different ways to journal the Bible, which was really neat (now I need a new Bible with extra-large margins so that I can art in them xD).

-  Esther of The Pen of a Ready Writer has been doing a blog series that's sort of a countdown to the announcement of the Rooglewood writing contest winners, and it's been fun so far, so if any of you are waiting impatiently for the announcement to happen, you should go check her out ;).

- Burning Youth did some EPIC posts this month (like this one and this one), but my favorite was probably Beloved Child, I loved it <3.

    I can't say much - not without giving away #surprises - but I've got some fun things planned for February, and I can't wait to show y'all! New editions to my ongoing blog series, a cool book review, and some other special posts are all that I shall mention. AND before I end this post - you guys are probably wondering who won the ebook copy of The Tethered World, huh? Well, THE WINNER IS: Kendra Lynne. Congrats, Kendra! If you could comment your email down below (I won't moderate it, so the internet doesn't know what it is;)), that should get to you soon.

   ... and that about wraps this up! I hope y'all had an epic January, and that February is just as awesome <3.

~ Savannah Grace

how was your January? 

what are some book-to-movie adaptions you've seen? 

chat with me, y'all <3

 

Featured Author - January // HEATHER FITZGERALD (+giveaway!)

   I think it's time to start playing the game entitled 'how many new blog series can Savannah start in 2018?'

   Apparently the answer is 'too many', because here we are with my first featured author of 2018! I met Heather FitzGerald through the Rooglewood contest, when I beta read her AMAZING entry. She's the sweetest lady, and I'm excited to share my interview of Heather with y'all!

   Shall we get right to it then?

   A few awesome Heather-things you should check out: 

 “Normal” means different things to different people. For sixteen-year-old Sadie Larcen, family dynamics look a little different than most. Parents with oddball occupations? Normal. Five homeschooled siblings—one with autism? Normal.

Police knocking on the door and parents gone missing? Definitely not normal!

When Sadie uncovers the reasons behind her parents’ disappearance and the truth about her heritage, she despairs of ever feeling normal again. Especially when she learns that her mother’s interest in Bigfoot, Dwarves, and other lore extends beyond her popular blog. Sadie’s family has been entrusted with keeping the secrets of the Tethered World—home to creatures that once roamed the Garden of Eden.
Sadie and her siblings must venture into this land to rescue their parents. Stepping out of reality and into a world she never knew existed is a journey Sadie fears and resents. But she chooses to risk all to save her family.
She’s just not sure she will survive in the process.

her first novel, The Tethered World 

the other books in the series, The Flaming Sword and The Genesis Tree 

her website, heatherllfitzgerald.com

Savannah Grace: Hey, Heather! It's great to have you here, I'm really excited to interview you. Alright, obvious question first - what genre do you write in, and why do you enjoy it so much?

Heather FitzGerald: I write fantasy! Isn’t that the only genre there is, LOL? Thanks to the Chronicles of Narnia, I have fallen in love with the possibilities that fantasy offers. It is similar to Jesus using parables to make a point in the Bible. Fantasy is a wonderful platform for sharing epic truths and painting a picture of impossibilities that seem within the grasp of the ordinary. Plus, I don’t have to do a lot of research to make sure I have all the historical facts just so, which worked out well when I was homeschooling my four kids. My world, my rules, so to speak ;)

Savannah: Oh, gracious - YES, I'm exactly the same. I love having it be "my world, my rules", haha. And I love how you consider fantasy a platform for sharing epic truths, that's so cool. Out of all the books you written (whether they're published or not!), which one is your favorite?

Heather: My third book, The Genesis Tree, was very complex. Though all of the stories are my babies, in this case I’d have to favor this one over the others, at least a little! As the third story of a trilogy, I had loose ends to tie up and high stakes to make it a satisfying ending to the adventure. Though stressful, it was a real journey of faith and it allowed me to cling to the Lord in new ways. I took some big risks in the storyline which have shocked many readers but in a good way. That’s all I can say because…spoilers :) Plus, I grew a lot as a writer from book 1 to book 3. I think my writing improved and that gives The Genesis Tree a little bit of an edge too.

I also have a Narnia spin-off that I’ve been working on for years! I want to establish myself as a writer before I dare present it to the world and to CS Lewis fans. But I’d say that this particular story is my other favorite!

Savannah: Ooh, a Narnia spin-off sounds really neat. And I'm very excited to get to The Genesis Tree! I'm reading your first book, The Tethered World, right now, and I can't wait to see how everything turns out. Speaking of which - the covers for your Tethered World Chronicles series are gorgeous! Which of the three is your favorite, and why?

Heather: Thank you for saying so! I’ve had very good feedback about them, although I’ve had judges feedback that said they were not good and looked too Indie! That just shows how subjective art can be. I’m very thankful that my publisher, Mountain Brook Ink, allowed me a lot of input on my covers. I’m enough of an artist myself to have serious opinions about such things, and I was stressed, frankly, about how my books would be represented by the covers. The stories are quirky and I wanted that reflected in the first book in particular—so the first impression of the series would be the right one.

We went through maaaany mock ups for The Tethered World. Do you know how hard it is to find stock photos of things that only exist in your head? Not an easy task! Since my publisher is a small, independent press, we didn’t have the luxury of original artwork. Stock photos and a terrific graphic artist, Lynette Bonner, are what we had to work with. So…all that to say: The Tethered World is my favorite cover! I feel like we captured the quirkiness with the large, glowing mushrooms, as well as the fantasy/mystery element with the dragon. I had a small creative meltdown right before I found the mushroom picture and I’m thankful my publisher was patient with me while I found JUST the right thing! That was probably way more of an answer than you wanted :-D

Savannah: Well you all did a WONDERFUL job with the final cover - I would absolutely pick up a book that looked like any of those three! Lynette Bonner is quite talented. The dragon and mushrooms on book one fit it so well, I'm glad you  were able to find those before the cover was finalized! And, as far as I've read, the inside of the book is just as great as the outside, and I especially love your characters. Are any of the characters you’ve written based on people you know in real life?

Heather: Yes! Four of the characters in my stories are based on actual people, and most of the names (from characters to locations) are creative uses of friends or family members’ names as a way of showing them some love. For example, Revonika is really code for Veronica.

Brady is based on my nephew and how well he interacts with my son who is autistic. The character of Brock (who is Brady’s twin) is loosely based on my son, although my son has less “typically autistic” characteristics than Brock. I wanted readers to be able to identify with Brock right off so I made him a bit more stereotypical.

Aunt Jules is based on my BFF since third grade who still calls me chipmunk and other pet names :) Of course, my friend is much younger than Jules but they share the same bubbly personality.

And finally, Uncle Brent, who plays a bigger role in the third book, is based on my cousin whom I adore. He used to be a chemist, not a pharmacist, however.

Savannah: It's so neat that Brock is loosely based on your own son - so far, he's my favorite character <3. Are you currently working on any new novels?

Heather: Like you, I just finished a novella which I entered into a contest. The contest, for your readers’ sake, was a retelling of Snow White. I had fun mashing together the story of Snow White and that of Esther in the Bible. The judges will be picking five stories…so here’s to hoping that you and I might share that honor!

Beyond that, I have several stories that I’ve begun and am praying about which one to concentrate on more fully. They are mystery/fantasy stories, mostly. I’m always dabbling on my Narnia spin off as well. And one of these days I shall dust off some children’s books that I wrote when my kids were younger! Right now they are simply taking up space on my computer :)

Savannah: YES, it would be amazing if we get to be two of the winners. And I can attest to that fact that your Snow White retelling is beautiful and very deserving of being in the Snow White anthology <3. Now, besides writing, do you have any other creative outlets?

Heather: Actually, yes! For the past 15 years I’ve been teaching ballet at a fine art school for homeschoolers. And the last two years I’ve added a creative writing class as well (we have expanded beyond creative arts and have grown to nearly 1,000 students!). I also enjoy decorating and the occasional watercolor painting. My house is my palate, most of the time, however.

Savannah: You teach ballet? Oh, that's so neat - I've always had two left feet, so dancers shall forever amaze me. And your creative writing class sounds so cool, it's really neat that you're helping others to learn how to bring their own stories from the mind onto paper. Speaking of stories - who are a few of your favorite lesser-known authors?

Heather: Hmmm. I am reading Janalyn Voigt’s Dawnsinger fantasy right now and I’m so, so impressed with her writing! She has the most exquisite prose and has woven a lovely high fantasy with a Christian worldview that is very subtle. I’m not sure if you would consider Anne Elisabeth Stengl lesser-known but I’ve enjoyed her fantasy stories. Oh! And Andrew Peterson’s Wingfeather Saga is fabulous. I love his music (he tells stories with his songs) and his novels are great family reading.

Savannah: You like the Wingfeather Saga? Epicness, so do I! And I agree that Andrew Peterson's music is wonderful (he has one song called The Reckoning that my sisters have pegged as one of "my songs", haha) <3. What’s the last five-star book you read, and why did you enjoy it so much?

Heather: The first two that come to mind is the An Ember in the Ashes series by Sabaa Tahir—creative world building, engaging characters, sweeping prose and clean! A great combination. I also loved the Inkheart trilogy by Cornelia Funke. Such an excellent adventure! Gripping situations, believable characters and world, and it’s one of those books that made me think, “I wish I had thought of that!” Her main characters are “silver tongued” and can read characters from books into our world…but it is a lot more complicated than that!

Savannah: Yes, definitely more complicated than that - I've read the whole trilogy multiple times, and I STILL don't know exactly how to describe them! Okay, here's a tougher question: What’s the biggest thing that has happened to you during your writer/author career, and why was it so meaningful to you?

Heather: Definitely the biggest and most meaningful thing was having The Tethered World and The Flaming Sword double final in the Oregon Christian Writer’s Cascade Awards last year! I was shocked when both books held two of the three Spec-fiction spots (against an award winning Bethany House author, none the less!) and then The Flaming Sword actually WON! Say what??? They announced the winner by reading the first line of their book. When they started reading mine I panicked for a second, wondering if I recognized it or not. Ha! I was in shock—in the best of ways!

Savannah: Oh my gracious - and YOU WON? That's seriously so epic, now I'm even more excited to get my hands on The Flaming Sword! It sounds like it's going to be amazing <3. It always inspires me when I hear about authors doing so well with their books. Which leads me to the next question - who are three of your greatest inspirations, and why?

Heather: C.S. Lewis’ writings are always inspiring. But his Narnia books get credit for launching me into the realm of writing. Corrie Ten Boom is also such an inspiration and I love her biography The Hiding Place. It is such a compelling book and her passion for Christ and people are so all-encompassing and really stretch me as a Christian. And I’d have to say my family inspires me in a myriad of ways. They all have strengths that I lack and I love seeing how their gifts are at work, which challenges me to use mine.

Savannah: Corrie Ten Boom really does have an amazing story, and C.S. Lewis is one of the best authors out there, I love Narnia so much. It's cool that his books got you into writing! Alright, one last question before we shut this thing down and let you get back to your epic writing ;). What’s one big goal you have for 2018?

Heather: Well, I’ve entered The Genesis Tree in a few contests so it would be fabulous to see it do well in one or more. However, that’s quite out of my hands so I’m not sure if that qualifies as a goal :) I guess writing-wise my goal is to settle on my next book and dive in. And I hope to explore more of my Narnia spin-off plot, even though I’m a pantser and not a plotter. It is such a big project which I have underestimated while working on it in the past—before I was published. Lastly, I want to attend at least one writer’s conference since I’ve never been to more than a one day type seminar.

Savannah: *highfives fellow pantser* I'm a pantser for a good portion of my drafts, so I hope your plotting ventures go well! And BEST OF LUCK in the contests, I hope The Genesis Tree does wonderfully. I'm looking forward to seeing where you go with your next books, Heather! And thank you so much for being here today, I had lots of fun.

Heather: Thank you so much for your interest in my stories, Savannah, and for hosting me on your blog! I’m thankful to have met you and made a new writing friend :)

Heather L.L. FitzGerald writes from her home in Texas, while dreaming of being back in the Pacific Northwest, where she grew up. She’s been married for 28 years and has four grown children and one grand baby (so far!). Her YA fantasy is available through Amazon or may be ordered through any book retailer. Books include The Tethered World (OCW Cascade Award finalist), and The Flaming Sword (OCW Cascade Award winner, Speculative Fiction), and The Genesis Tree. Connect with Heather: website/blog (free eBook with newsletter sign up),  Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram.

 

   Isn't she the best? I'm so glad I got to know her. <3 And you guys are probably about ready for me to talk about the giveaway, huh? xD Well, this one's easy...

   Leave a comment below, and one random commenter will get an ebook copy of Heather's lovely novel, The Tethered World! I'll announce the winner in my January highlights post on the 31st, so hurry up and scurry over to the comment section to show Heather some love! 

~ Savannah Grace

what was the last five-star book you read?

go ahead and chat with Heather in the comments!

 

The Cliche Flip: mentors edition

   So 2018 has rolled in and brought a huge bundle of new, shiny things with it - including my new writer-ly blog series (along the Featured Creator series, which started one post ago, so make sure to check that out if you haven't!)...

   Welcome, one and all, to the Cliche Flip.

   Let's see if we can knock some originality into the cliches we've put in our books.

   Oh, who's that I see coming down the weather-beaten trail? He has a long cloak, a face worn from the trials he's been through, and a gnarled walking stick in his hand. And he's old, definitely old. Want to know what category I immediately sort this character into?

Mentor.

Cliche 1: Age.
Almost every mentor I've seen is at least over the age of forty, and if not, they're definitely older than the main character. And this does make sense! A mentor is supposed to teach and guide the main character, and a lot of wisdom comes with age. BUT there doesn't mean there is no way around this cliche.

Cliche FLIP: Age.  

So we'll flip that cliche right around and think of an idea or two to eliminate this cliche from some of our stories. Why not have a character this is, for some reason or other, stuck at a young age, yet they have lived a lot of years? (say, an eleven year old that had actually lived a hundred years) That would be neat.

Cliche 2: Wise And Kind.
All lot of mentors are mostly forgiving, willing to look over faults because the main character is "still learning", and normally knows the answers to all lot of the characters' questions. BUT if you overuse this, the mentor can become a 'fly-on-the-wall' type character, and a lot of your readers will find them boring. Not saying that your mentor can't be wise and kind (there are so many great mentor characters like this), but there are so ways to freshen up this cliche.

Cliche FLIP: Wise And Kind.

I know what you're all expecting me to say - let your mentor sometimes be a brat! Let your mentor not know all the answers! BUT I feel like this is also sometimes overused, so I have some different advice today. Your mentor doesn't always have to be all there. Maybe your mentor is seriously scatterbrained, or he/she has some really weird quirks (like always singing 'somewhere over the rainbow' whenever it starts raining because they think it's good luck). And this is only one of the ways can take your mentor from becoming stereotypical and cliche to unique and tons of fun.

Cliche 3: Death. 

Why do all the mentors have to die? I could list multiples right off the top of my head. It has become a cliche for mentors to die (I've used this cliche myself *cough*), and I think some of us are getting tired of it. A while sometimes it does make a lot of sense for the mentor to be the one dying, I think there are some ways for us to flip this around ...

Cliche FLIP: Death.

Oh, come now - there are plenty of (*cough* worse *cough*) alternatives to death. But here are a few interesting ones: maybe your mentor can be captured (and probably tortured, because sometimes authors are mean) by the opposite side, and the opposite side can mess with his brain and return him to the good side as an unknowing spy. Or your mentor can accidentally spring a trap that causes the HERO'S death, and then the mentor has to figure out a way to fix his mistakes and still save the world. There are lots of fun things to play with, you guys - the mentor doesn't always have to die xD. 

ALRIGHT, so there's a couple cliche flips to get your writer-ly brains running with some new, fresh ideas. And if that isn't enough, here are some mentor-ly writing prompts if your character needs a little more help, or you just want something fun to play with (*cough* me *cough*) ...  

   So I hope I've helped you rethink some things about the "mentor character" type! I'm pretty excited for The Cliche Flip to become a monthly thing. Go ahead and leave some other character types you'd like to see me flip down in the comments, and take a crack at guessing what February's type is going to be (I've already picked that one out, haha). I'm curious to see what all of your thoughts on this are. And chat with each other to create some other cliche flips! It's so much fun when we all mess around in the comment section ;). 

   And now, if your muse starts feeding you ideas for some pretty quirky mentors ... well, don't blame me xD.

~ Savannah Grace 

who's your favorite literary mentor?

what are some of your cliche flips for mentor characters?

Featured Creator - Janurary // ABBIE EMMONS

   So I've got some surprises for y'all today. Surprise No. 1 = I'm starting a new blog series! I'll be featuring a new and EPIC creator of music/art/stories/etc (can you see why I'm calling this featured CREATOR instead of something more restrictive? xD), each month, and it's going to be OODLES of fun.

   Surprise No. 2 = today I'm interviewing the lovely singer/songwriter/blogger/writer/MULTI-TALENTED WONDER-HUMAN Abbie Emmons! Lets have a round of applause for this lovely human bean and get right on to the post ;).

   A few epic Abbie-things you should check out:

her YouTube channel, Abbiee Emmons

her epic blog and website, Abbiee.com

her beautimous Instagram, @abbieeoffical 

   Now, onto the interview...

Savannah Grace: Thanks for being here today, Abbie! For those of you who don't know, Abbie is an EPIC musician (*points up at the YouTube video for proof*), whether she's covering songs or singing originals. When did you first start writing your own music, Abbie?

photo credit Abbie

Abbie Emmons: Hi, Savannah! I'm so stoked and honored to be here. Thank you for featuring me on your lovely blog today! Alright, I'll just jump right in. I think I first started writing music when I was about 10 years old. I've played piano since I was 8 years old, but I didn't take lessons for very long. I just learned the basics and decided that was enough. I've always been kind of a rebel, and I think it's important to mention how few piano lessons I actually took because I feel that was a BIG part of my creative beginnings. I had free time + some knowledge of how to play an instrument…and with that combination, I just started making things. It wasn't until I was 13 years old that I started taking songwriting seriously. Granted, most of my songs had no meaning to me — but that's when I started to think: "I could make a career out of this." OBVIOUSLY THAT IS A BIG DREAM. Music is one of the hardest industries to get into, but my parents are incredibly supportive and always told me that if I love something, I can find a way to do it. And, I'm happy to report, several years later, that I'm now a published indie artist! :)

Grace: Since you were 10? WOW - that's dedication, even without lessons xD. I think it's super cool that you're kind of a "musical rebel" though - and I can definitely relate to the fact that not playing by the rules can help your creativity along. Speaking of piano, do you play all the instruments for your own music videos? (and what's your favorite instrument?)

Emmons: Ahh, thank you! I've always loved being a musical rebel — even if it means I have to explain why I don't read sheet music or take voice lessons. I think creativity is stifled when you put yourself in a box…so I try to think outside the box whenever I can :). ☺

As for the instruments, yes! I play piano, ukulele, and some guitar — any other sounds you hear in my music is either generated from my stage piano (which is basically an electric keyboard with every instrument sound imaginable) or everyday objects (like a light switch clicking in the beginning of Back To Normal.) In special cases, I'll hire someone to play an instrument for one of my songs, such as the drums in You Only Die Once, played by a professional drummer…although I would love to learn the drums in future!

Grace: Ha, I don't read sheet music simply because I CAN'T - my musical sister is always trying to convince me to start lessons again, but I guess I'll have to tell her that I'm a rebel, too xD. It's so epic that you like thinking outside the box like that. But now I'm getting off topic, haha xD.  

Ooh, a stage piano - very cool! Back To Normal was an awesome music video, it's neat that you've figured out how to use everyday objects in your videos sometime. Which of your music videos did you have the most fun creating?

Emmons: That's a good question! The video that was the most fun to create was probably my mashup cover of Hello / Alive. Me and my dad built a room out of black material, and we shot the whole video in the dark, with only a backlight, a soft box, and a smoke machine. It was also a blizzard that day, so it was super cold in my garage! But it was so much fun to create that video.

Grace: I LOVE THAT VIDEO <3 ❤. Honestly, I think it's one of your very best, so all your hard work on it paid off. And shooting a video in the dark sounds like a ton of fun ;D 😂. Okay, tricky question now - who are three of your favorite lesser-known artists?

Emmons: Thank you so much! It was a lot of fun. Oooh, that is a tricky question! Especially since most of my favorite artists are lesser-known. (not to sound like a snobby hipster lol) I would have to say: Zayde Wølf, Royal Deluxe, and Built By Titan. Some of my favorite music right there!

Grace: Ooh, cool - I haven't heard of those three before (Zayde Wolf is an epic name though xD), but I might have to check them out now!

So anyone who's read your blog has probably heard how passionate you are about people being multi-talented - and they probably also know that YOU are multi-talented! What are some of the other creative things that you like to do besides singing/songwriting?

Emmons: Lots of things! I'm so glad you brought that up because it's a huge part of what I do and who I am… the whole multitalented thing is a movement that I hope to create though my art and blog. I think it's really important to remember that we are all talented in our own special ways, and there is so much untapped potential and creativity in all of us!

In addition to music, I LOVE LOVE LOVE writing. It's probably the other single-most important thing in my life. I've been making up stories since I was 7 years old, and the fascination has only grown since then. I also love Karate, videography, and blogging (of course) among lots of other things!

Grace: And you're doing a fantastic job with spreading the multitalented movement - you and your blog + art say it so well! It's so, so cool that you do so many other creative things besides your singing and songwriting. Hey, speaking of your writing, what novel are you currently working on?

Emmons: Thank you so much! That means a lot to me. ☺ I'm currently working on editing lots of first drafts — three books which I wrote last year. It's been going surprisingly well so far!

Grace: Ooh, first draft editing. Either you love it or you hate it xD. I'm glad that its been going well for you so far! I can't wait to read one of your masterpieces 😉. And you also created the book trailer and covers for K. A. Emmons' books, didn't you? They're GORGEOUS - how long did it take you to design them?

Emmons: Thank you!! Yes, I made the trailer for Kate's book, as well as the cover for the second book in the series, Worlds Beneath. The first book's cover was designed by someone else, but I tried to keep with the same theme so that all the books look similar in design. (And of course I had lots of direction from my sister. We make a good team! Haha.)

It took several days to put together both the trailer and the cover. For the cover, I was only trying to make a "concept" to show the other designer… but by the time I was finished with it, Kate decided to use my concept as the real thing. So it worked out perfectly!

Grace: You did an EPIC job with the cover for the second book, it makes me want to pick it up so bad xD. Kate's books look like they're amazing, I really need to get my hands on them ;)😉. What's the last five-star book you read, Abbie, and why did you enjoy it so much? 

photo credit Abbie

Emmons: Thank you! Yes, you should definitely grab a copy of Kate's book! It is AMAZING, in my totally unbiased opinion ;). 😉

Oooh, that's a good question. The last five-star book I read would have to be Messenger by Lois Lowry. It's the third book in The Giver series and it totally blew me away! I'm still reading the last book in the series and super intrigued and inspired by the hidden depths in Lowry's writing. I hope to discover many more five-star reads in 2018!!

Grace: Ooh, I've heard of Messenger. I think I read a little of The Giver, but I never finished it. Now I might have to!

Now, about your blog (which you guys NEED TO CHECK OUT, her blog is goals, and her posts are always inspirational) - how do you come up with content for your blog? And how did you chose the design that you currently have? (it's beautiful, by the way)

Emmons: That's a great question! The inspiration for my blog content comes from lots of things, actually. Most of the time, I write about what I experience and learn. I've started writing more posts about creativity, productivity, and self-development. So most of the inspiration comes out of things that happen to me… like habits that boost my confidence or tricks that help me edit a novel. My goal is always to help the reader in some way — so I try to ask myself: "what would I be interested in reading on someone else's blog?" and I write posts from that perspective :). ☺

Aw, thank you so much! I love the clean, minimalist look! And teal + coral pink is my favorite color scheme so…yeah! That's kind of how I decided what my blog should look like.

Grace: Creativity, productivity, and self-development are some of the best words to describe what your blog is about. And you do such a good job with your posts! They're always make me want to get up and DO something xD. (and I agree that a clean, minimalist look is great. It makes your blog so pretty and easy to read ;)😉)

Okay, ONE last question before we wrap this thing up. Who are three of your greatest inspirations, and why?

Emmons: I agree!! And, if I do say so myself, your blog design is BEAUTIFUL. I love the new header! :) ☺

Wow, that's a great question. I would have to say that my three greatest inspirations are the amazing people I live with: my mom, my dad, and my sister. They always uplift me, encourage me, and push me to be better. But outside of my family, I would have to say that my biggest inspiration is Martin Luther King, Jr. I aspire to be even half as loving, forgiving, and brave as he was. Also, I have an obsession with writing his quotes on sticky notes and putting them all over my room — something everyone should do! It's so inspiring to surround yourself with the words of your greatest hero. 10/10 recommend.

Grace: Aw, thank you so much! And Alea Harper did the header for me, so I can't take credit for that beautiful thing. <3 . <3

It's so cool that, outside of your family, Martin Luther King,  Jr. is one of your biggest inspirations. And oh gracious, surrounding yourself with the words of your greatest hero sounds EPIC. And my bookshelf space is pretty blank right now, so I might have to start gathering some quotes of my own xD.

And that was the last question! Thank you so much for being here today, Abbie, this was a lot of fun. You're an epic creator and human bean! ;) 😉

Emmons: Thank you so much for inviting me, Savannah!! It's been an honor and a pleasure to be interviewed by you! :)

 My name is Abbie Emmons and I help creative, multi-talented people chase their dreams by making a living doing something they love. My blog focuses on inspiration, productivity, and the tools you will need to be a free spirit in a world that wants to put you in a box. I'm also a musician, writer, traveler, dreamer, YouTuber, and professional waffle-eater.

website - blog - youtube - instagram

   So I hope you guys had a ton of fun with that - I had a blast interviewing Abbie, she's such a fun, inspiring person! And you guys can look forward to more posts like this every month. It's going to be a blast ;).

~ Savannah Grace

who are some of your favorite music artists?

feel free to chat with Abbie in the comments!