non-fiction has epic potential

I swear I didn't edit this, outside of graduated tint.

Once, there was a little boy with a rock. He came in while his sister was boiling water. He looked around, then pointed to the rock and said,
"Earth."
He glanced the the gas flame on the stove. "Fire."
He blew into the air. "Air."
He pointed at the pot. "Water."

He then left his sister to melt at how good of a job she'd done.

The End.

Wouldn't having elemental powers be awesome?

....

Eh, to each their own. Anyhow, that story is true. And so epic.

happy friday,
if you find a way to Republic City, tell me.

New Blog Design//Description of Changes!

Hiya! Annika here. Over the last few days I have been tweaking my blog's design, and I'm very happy with the results. I thought's I'd go over and list the changes for you curious folk :)

Change: I have disabled copy and paste. The only thing you can copy now will be the codes for my new buttons.
Why: Because as a writer, I have no sympathy for or about the idea of my work -posts and snippets- being stolen. I know this will provide a hindrance to those who wish to quote and credit me on their own blog with good intentions, but this is just as a precaution.

Change: New header!
Why: Well, I wanted a header originally, but I was just starting out and had this idea all writing blogs had a vintage, forest-y, autumn colors feel about them. Yep, and I now know that isn't true. The main reason my blog design changed so often before was I was learning, wanted to try different things and because I was unsure about using hot pink, which is a color I love above all others. I have no idea how, but somehow hearts got in the mix, as you've seen over the last few days. I guess since I love writing, they fit right in.

Change: New Buttons.
Why: Actually, the header I have now was inspired by the buttons. As you can see, hearts are still a going theme. If you have my button on your blog, please switch out the one you have for one of the new ones. The first one is circular and the last two are square. 

Change: Blog Lovin' gadget. 
Why:  I've been seeing this on a few blogs, so I went to the site, On a whim, I searched my own blog, and it turned out there's one person who follows me through it! So, I've decided to go on and add the gadget.

Change: I've finally figured out how to make the post title grow bigger (or smaller) and change color when hovered over.
Why: I've always wanted to do this, since I thought it looked cute. It was a little trial and error, but I'm very happy about the results.


Also, have you heard? Picnik is closing! Nah, kidding. Most people on the internet have known and been enraged about it for more than a couple months. I used to think everyone was overreacting and all, since I was using fotoflexer more then.

But I used it to create my newest blog design images, and I'm blown away by the results with the (now free) premium features. There are some things it can't do, but a lot of people use it. I also realized we'd lose many of the awesome fonts that seem pretty much exclusive to it as well.

Well, good news:  a website called dafont.com has tons of downloadable fonts that include Star Wars (search for Jedi, not Star Wars), Harry Potter and the Hunger Games. It's very easy to find most fonts featured on Picnik, so set aside some time, open Fonts and get ready to extract some files. You can only use them in word, Paint or other text using programs that came with your computer, though. You might edit your images in Picnik, Picasa, fotoflexer etc., but to use your installed fonts you'll have to open them in Paint or word.

Q&A with CinderScoria!

Hiya! Annika here. Today I'm going to interview a friend and and fellow nanoer of mine. I hope you enjoy this! 

*** 

Q: This probably isn’t a question, but how about you introduce your awesome self to our readers? XD

A: Oh! Sure, no prob! *waves cheekily* Whaddup, people? I’m Jasmine, AKA CinderScoria. Most people just call me Cinder though!

Q: You have an interesting take on the forever warring angels and demons in your novel, The Lucky One. But they’re not fighting by human standards of good and evil. They’re acting on their own merits, traditions and values. What made you decide to take on this view?

A: I had this scene pop into my head, where Lucky learns that Ava and Brock are a demon and an angel, respectively. But Lucky automatically assumes that Ava’s the angel, and she gets annoyed by it. It made me think that maybe demons aren’t perpetually evil, you know? Maybe angels just seized the humans’ good vs. evil perspective and painted them as the bad guys. And then that scene grew into a book and… well, you know the rest.

Q: What inspires you?

A: For writing? Music does. Other writers do. Contests especially, because I’m very competitive and I love prompts. I also have great friends who encourage me and my writing, so that’s another thing.

Q: Do you have any other hobbies or likes you’d like to share?

A: I sing and act. Majorly. If I could do all three—singing, writing, and acting—as a career, I would. I also play the piano and the guitar, and I am a bit of a linguist.

Q: If your book is published (and it will be ;D) do you ever think there is a chance some people will try to ban it? What do you think of that?

A: Oh gosh, yes. When I started writing it I didn’t realize how controversial it would get, but I am taking a lot of things from the Bible—which I have read and respect—that could anger some people. Gabriel, for instance, is a character in my book. So is God (or Adam, as I call him) and Lucifer. It takes the idea that they’re not good and evil, they’re just races in a misunderstanding that has lasted for… a very long time. It’s fiction, but at the same time it’s really cutting it close on the line.

Q: What is your favorite genre to write?

A: Mystery and action, actually. This is my first time writing fantasy. I love crime thrillers.

Q: Who is your favorite author?

A: Gah, I have to pick one? James Patterson is tied with Rick Riordan. And Gorman Korman.

Q: What is your favorite book or book series?

A: My all-time favorite book series is the Hardy Boys. I grew up with them. LOVE them. I also love the Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus series, and the Chronicles of Nick (Infinity and Invincible) series. My all-time favorite book is… Princess Academy. Probably. But there are so many of them, I just don’t know.

Q: Who, in your opinion, is the most awesomesauce character in literature?

A: Oh, I can’t choose one. There’re too many. Book literature, I’d have to say… Nick Gautier (Chronicles of Nick). I have died of laughter reading his snarky remarks. He is so awesome. Um, movies and television, it’s a serious tie between Riley Poole (National Treasure) and Carlos Garcia (Big Time Rush). DON’T LAUGH. They’re both amazingly epic, and I like Carlos because he’s one of the first genuinely happy-go-lucky guys I’ve seen. So there.

Q: What author do you aspire to be like?

A: Either Ally Carter or Rick Riordan. I love their plot styles and the way they incorporate danger and humor. It clicks so well with them!

Q: Do you plan out your novels or just wing it?

A: I plan them. Every single step. And even then it goes way off course. I’ve edited The Lucky One, like, nine times and it’s still in the editing stage.

Q: Do you have anything else you’d like to say?

A: Um, stay in school, kids, and stay true to your heart. Honestly, I’m youthful and I’m proud to say that I like the things I like and I don’t care what other people think. It doesn’t matter what they say—it’s your life and you can live it the way you want to.
Yeah, I’m not good at cheesy advice-giving sessions.
Thanks for interviewing me!

Oh Cinder, you are very, very welcome! Again, I hope you enjoyed this!  Be sure to check out her awesome novel, The Lucky One, on Wattpad!

Literary Heroine Blog Party!

Hiya! Annika here. Ashley over at Cheery-O  did one of these, and I thought it was really neat, so here we are! 


Introduce yourself!  Divulge your life's vision, likes, dislikes, aspirations, or something completely random!

• 
  
• Likes? Writing, Blogging, RPing, learning new things. Not to mention... Star Wars and Artemis Fowl! And Harry Potter. And Anne of Green Gables. And Percy Jackson and the- you get the point ;) Dreams... hmnn... beign a bestselling author, definitely. 
• 
  
• What, to you, forms the essence of a true heroine? 

• 
  
• One who is kind, well educated, resourceful, outspoken and just. And a major book worm.
• 
  
• Share (up to) four heroines of literature that you most admire and relate to.  

• 
  
• Anne Shirley, Marguerite St. Just and... Annabeth Chase.

• Five of your favorite historical novels?  

• Anne of Green Gabels, Rainbow Valley, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Anne of the Island and  Anne's House of Dreams  
• 
  
• Out of those five books who is your favorite main character and why? 

Anne. She is kind, resourceful and her antics are heartwarming.

• Out of those five books who is your favorite secondary character and why? 

• Gilbert Blythe or the Scarlet Pimpernel. They are both kind and heroic.

If you were to plan out your dream vacation, where would you travel to - and what would you plan to do there? 

• 
  
• Egypt! Or England... or Paris? I would write in Paris, explore England and find a lost tomb in Egypt!

• What is your favorite time period and culture to read about? 
• 
  
• 
  
• Tudor England and Ancient Egypt!

• You have been invited to perform at the local charity concert. Singing, comedy, recitation - what is your act comprised of? 
• 
  
• Easy. I would read my book out loud, alternating the voices for each character!

• If you were to attend a party where each guest was to portray a heroine of literature, who would you select to represent? 
• 
  
• Elizabeth Benett or Anne of Green Gables, if we're going old school. For a book from now? Hermione Granger!

• What are your sentiments on the subject of chocolate? 
• 
  
• Not completely crazy about it, but yes, I like it quite a bit.

• Favorite author(s)? 
• 
  
• Rick Riordan, Eoin Colfer, J.K. Rolwing, Lisi Harrison, Gail Carson Levine, L.M. Montgomery and E.D. Baker  

• Besides essentials, what would you take on a visiting voyage to a foreign land? 
• 
  
• Books. And a computer. 

• In which century were most of the books you read written? 
• The 21st! 

• In your opinion, the ultimate hero in literature is…
• 
  
• It's a tie between Harry Potter and Percy Jackson!

• Describe your ideal dwelling place. 

• Big, cozy with a bigggg study and tons of inspiration and pink! Plus some Tudor touches and roses! And a perfect writing place...
•  

Sum up your fashion style in five words. 

• 
  
• Pink, chic, comfortable, action, fun!

• Have you ever wanted to change a character’s name? 
• 
  
• Actually... No!

• In your opinion, the most dastardly villain of all literature is... 
• 
  
• Lord Voldemort! Oh yes, his noseless villainy is delightful! 

• Three favorite Non-fiction books? 
• 
  
• 
  
• I don't read non-fiction much... but perhaps Writing Magic by Gail Carson Levine,  most books on Egypt :)

• Your duties met for the day, how would you choose to spend a carefree summer afternoon? 
• 
  
• 
  
• Writing and reading outside... 

• 
  
• Create a verbal sketch of your dream hat - in such a way as will best portray your true character. 
• 
  
• Hats?! Hmnn, not really my style, but a sparkly pink beret!

• Share the most significant event(s) that have marked your life in the past year. 

• Winning nanowrimo and having my first finished novel.

• Share the Bible passage(s) that have been most inspiring to you recently.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” - the Holy Bible, 

• 1 Corinthians 13:4–8

Artemis Fowl...

Okay, I will admit when I first heard about it, I thought it was just another crummy series with another anti-social anti-hero. But for the sake of it, I picked up Eternity Code and Opal Deception, the latter of which I'm reading now.   

They are just amazing! I mean, the villains are ingenious, the hero isn't too good, and his alienation and awkwardness among others around his age is relateable, in a twisted way. And the plots keep you on the edge of your seat right till the last page. 

Artemis is seriously the male personification of awesomeness (Ahsoka being the female one.)

One of the things I really like about this series is the blend of Fantasy and Sci-Fi. I love both genres and are constantly torn between them, so this is a fresh breath of air.

So with that, I only have one thing to tell you if you have a minute:

            Pick up a copy Artemis Fowl. You won't regret it.

P.S. I don't really like how they keep trying to show him as a short, playing-dress-up type of kid in a suit. In the graphic novel, he looks 7, not 13, in my opinion. I see him as a sharp, tall, pale boy with black hair and narrow eyes, not... a baby faced dude with red glasses.

Less is More When It Comes to Blog Designs

Hey, see that adorable little list of blogs on my sidebar and the marquee? No, wait. The blogroll loves to pull a disappearing act and erase all my links. So it's just the marquee now. But I think I'll list the main reasons why I choose read these blogs:  

• 
  
• They're funny
• They make me think
• I can relate to the author 
• It's interesting in general
• I have something in common with the author
• It has an awesome design

And the list goes on. But, I think I need to elaborate on the last one, as while the others depend on the person and their writing skills, that could be remedied . 'Awesome Design'  does not mean some kind of neon colored nightmare template with tons of curly, eye watering fonts with just about every gadget imaginable and ads galore.

No.

Awesome Design, in my book, equals simple, easy to read, neat, presentable, and compact. The things that impress me when it comes to blog's design may be a drop down accordion menu, a well made header or even a neat image that changes to another one when you hover your mouse instead of a header.

Have you ever had that disappointment when you come across a blog with a neat design, but one week later you find it on some free blog templates site? That is one of the worst feelings. Ever.

Okay, not really; I was just joking. Still, it is kind of a let down. But you almost can't blame people. Most blogs with a custom, really nice design almost always use Minima. It's a great template, but it's almost impossible to do more than some amateur changes without a good amount of knowledge about HTML and/or CSS. Preferably HTML, since, unlike with the new templates, HTML does more on an everyday basis when it comes to the old ones.  To help you out, I have a few resources and tutorials:

• Getting Your Blog Ready For Designing
• How to Create a Drop-Down/Accordion/Toggle Menu
• Create a Dropdown Menu For Your Labels
• w3schools.com's HTML Tutorials
• w3schools.com's CSS Tutorials
• 'Grab My Button' Code Generator 
• Custom Mouseover Image Generator
• Practice Your HTML Here
• Fotoflexer (Online Image Editor)
• How To Center Your Header
• Make a Disappearing Navigation Bar!

Also, here is the code for making a button/content/text marquee:

Paste as many button codes as you want to in there! Just erase the capitalized text. Also, make sure to check that it works using the 'Practice Your HTML Here' link above before pasting it into an HTML gadget.

If you are using the new blogger dashboard, do this to achieve Minima: 

1. Go to your Dashboard

2. Click onYour Blog

3.Click on the Wrench in the upper right-hand corner. This will take you to the old Blogger interface

4.Go to Edit HTML

5. Scroll to bottom and click Old Template

6. Choose Minima and click Save. Click the 'Try Updated Blogger Interface' link at the top of the page. 

Have fun!

Spotlight Author: Gail Carson Levine

Hello! Annika here. Today on Spotlight, we're going to talk about one of my favoritest authors ever: Gail Carson Levine.

I came upon this outstanding author by chance a couple years ago. I was milling around in the paperback section, thinking there weren't any more good books. Boy was I wrong. Ella Enchanted caught my eye. It looked like it would be a gook book, so I brought it home and started reading... it was AMAZING! 

The fantasy world seemed so real, the characters right next to you, the danger your own! And Ella was just a darling, like an old friend. I read it again sometime later. Still I was blown away! 

Now, I will admit I've only read a few of Gail's books. But the ones I have read were superb. After I was done with Ella, I discovered the Princess Tales, retellings of old fairy tales that usually featured a princess or a to be princess. The only downside was that they were a quick read, as I read them in about two hours, even with distractions. But they were still very entertaining, with good morals, plots and characters overall. 

Now, for something that kept me just as captivated as Ella: Fairest. 

Enter Ava, a chubby, frying-pan-black haired girl, an orphan that was adopted by innkeepers. But there is one thing about her that is more beautiful than any of the other characters: Her singing voice. In the language they speak in the book, Ava actually means 'lark'. Despite her looks, she is one of the best characters I've read in a book in a long time. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes outstanding books and fantasy. 

And now, to a book I'm actually reading now: Writing Magic. I bought it because I kind of needed a writing book and I wanted to learn some of the master's fantasy writing secrets. It's really good and I'm about halfway through, but I can say it's improved my writing already and even induced a few new ideas!

Well, that's today's post. May the Force be with you!

Present Tense, Stylized Lists and Other Things of Note

       

The cloaked maiden floats through the hall, her dress, which is the color of a sky that can't choose between sunny or cloudy, trailing behind her. You can't see her face, but somehow you know she is beautiful . As she walks away over the black and white tiles, you are left alone in the grand, deserted hallways. 

An attempt at present-tense... Nah, still don't like writing it. 

Also, I noticed that Qui from Freckles and Pointe Shoes has this neat little thing where she does these type of stylized lists. I think I'll try it:

<< Loving >>

Writing

Blogging

Star Wars

Followers <3

<< Wishing >>

That August would come

That it was NaNoWriMo every month

<< Listening >>

Unstoppable- China Anne McClain

Watch Me- Bella Thorne and Zendaya

                                                               Hit the Lights- Selena Gomez

  

              

Days Like Golden Honey?

Ever had one of those days like golden honey? Well, I love those types of days. There's something magical, something special about them. Something that makes you wanna dance. Like, when you made up with the person who asked to see your novel (and even sent them some of it)? Where you discover you have ten followers (thanksies Sarah!)? That one of your favorite blogs isn't dead and even has a beast new design? That maybe math isn't so hard? That your crazy new Forum is going great? Your new favicon finally showed up? Days when you feel like you could touch the sky? Do anything? Yepo. I'm having one of those. And I can't wait to see what the rest of it brings :)

A Writer's Friend: Yarny

Hiya! Annika here. First, we're going to talk about something that I find completely epic: Yarny.
It helped me win NaNoWriMo and now I do all my original fiction in it. It's simple, easy on the eyes and has a fun aura about it.

Okay, I joined while it was in Beta, so now I will always have free unlimited titles. I think everyone does, but I'm not sure... Anyway, people always say the snippets are good and all, but I rarely use them, mostly because I write everything in one 'snippet'. It was a life saver during NaNo, as it let me write on computers other than my own. It saves automatically and is completely secure. I seriously can't wait for the offline mode, where you don't have to have an internet connection. Also, if you're a NaNo winner, you get a discount on the premium!      

Spotlight Author: Lisi Harrison

Hiya! Annika here. I have a brand new series: Spotlight Author. It's when I pick one of my favorite authors and spotlight him/her.

 This week's author is none other than... drumroll please... Lisi Harrison! Born Elyse E. Gottlieb, this Candian born author might have not even been able to shop at the GAP as a kid, but her glamorous YA books have taken America's tweens and teens by storm. She is the author of NYT Bestselling serieses The Clique,  Alphas and Monster High. All personal favorites for me. I have rarely tried to acquire all the books in a series, but I find myself eagerly devouring each one in each series. There's only a few Clique books I haven't read, one Alphas book and one Monster High Book.

But, there is a downside to reading such high quality books: other YA books that are similar in style and genre come off as cheesy, overdone and pale. There are few authors who match up with her, and those are to name another day.

Okay, truth be told I didn't much like the Clique at first, as at nine years old I thought the books were- I don't know... I was still reading the Ramona books then, mind you. Of course, the more I read them the more I realized how good they were.  I preferred Claire, who's sweet as the gummies she likes so much, even Massie, who made me want to tear my hair out sometimes, grew on me. Alicia, Dylan and Kristen did too. 

After Clique ended February 2011 (D8), I became more interested in Lisi's other series: Alphas. At first I wasn't sure. I mean, I can read a book overnight if I want to, but with Belle of the Brawl I just put it off. Finally, I finished it after a month. My library card didn't take kindly to that. I scooped up the first and last ones during the summer. I. Was. Hooked. I couldn't believe how Lisi blended glamour and sci-fi. One moment a super cute outfit was described, the next it was revealed it had climate adapting qualities! Alpha Island was just epic. And the ending was just epic. I would tell you, but I don't want to ruin that surprise. 

And last, but not least, I finally got to Monster High. At first I didn't have a high opinion of it. But then I read it. It was amazing! I loved Cleo de Nile (I started on the second book) because she reminded me of myself, in a way. Besides, she's an Egyptian Princess! I love Egypt. But the one who I really could relate to was Frankie Stein. Even if she was the daughter of Frankenstein, she was sweet as can be, green skin and all. After that I like Draculaura, then Clawdeen and Melody Carver. 

Well, that's all folks, Annika Elipton signing off! May the Force be with you!