Tickled Pink

This morning, when I woke up, I remembered something:

The Go Teen Writers prompt winners are announced today. 


I've never gotten up so fast in my life. It helped that I'd left the page open in my browser, so all that kept me away from the news was a tiny little reload button (well, I also had to open the laptop and log in- but that's aside from my point). And what greeted me when I read the list?

Honorable Mention

P.R. Golden

I didn't even get into third place, and I don't care. Because while winning is fine, getting into Honorable Mention out of 82 other writers, while being judged by published authors? I think that's really, really cool.
As usual, I did not get nervous until right before who wins is decided. Try being half asleep, then suddenly remembering the winners for a judged writing contest--that you entered--are going to be announced the next morning. Especially when you are torn between jumping around from joy at having made it as far as you did or sitting petrified with that horribly unsure fear that you wouldn't win, that you weren't good enough. Nasty stuff, I tell you.

But it doesn't matter. You know why? Because I, P.R. Golden (my pen name, FYI) are hereafter and forever more tickled pink. Pink from hope, that someday, my books will sit snugly on the shelf in the bestseller aisle for many years to come, that one of these days I will have my very own author website, with all kind of slick JavaScript, HTML and CSS. Because let's face it, only 3 or 4 authors I know of have a truly nice website, and that's not counting J.K. Rowling, because hers is pretty epic.

Speaking of J.K. Rowling, Pottermore's opening soon. I'm glad, because it's been in Beta for a very long time. It looks pretty safe as well, since users can't truly interact and you have to choose one of the user names they generate for you when you sign up. It all looks pretty awesome.

Also, for your enjoyment, here is the piece of writing I entered:

Mira was the type of girl who didn’t care what anyone thought. But when her entire future rode on someone’s opinion, she didn’t have a choice.
“Posture, Mira. Your spine must be an elegant, graceful I.” Madame Pettit glared, rapping her solid wooden cane at the base of her charge’s spine. Mira winced, but stood straighter, ignoring the pain flowing warmly up her back as she pirouetted again.
“Dismissed,” the judge said suddenly, waving his hand at the right side of the room. Mira smiled proudly. At least until she realized her position. She froze, but then raced from the room, a trail of tears in her wake.

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!

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.

Updates, Spice and Everything Nice

Hey, I noticed something- one of my most popular posts of all time is the Luxsoka one I did after a Fiend Friend In Need aired.  With 291 page views. 

Whoa. Okay... heheh. 

Speaking of the Clone Wars... THE SEASON FINALE AIRS NEXT WEEK!!!!!  Ahem. Fangirl moment there... 

Anyway, I have some reservations because one: Ventress is being 'baptized' into black magic, as StarWars.com says (in Mother Talzin's section). Ummmm, wha?! 

I love Fantasy and Mythology and writing Sword and Sorcery is fun and all, but come on. I think they're going way too far. This is Sci-Fi, not whatever you call this atrocity. I want explosions, not magic. It really is just the Force, but the way it is presented as... dark magic, well, yeah. In fact, I just recently saw the original Nightsister arc a couple weeks ago. I only enjoyed Anakin and Obi-Wan, and even then I was still glad I had skipped those episodes originally. 

Anyway...

I am suddenly tempted to remake my blog all white with pink for the accents. Yes, you read/heard right. Of course, I will keep this design for a bit more. Something where the accents could go from pink, to blue to purple or whatever and there won't be major changes. It still bugs me I can't make the changes I really want to with Minima yet. Oh well, a little more trial and error won't hurt anything. ;)

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!

A Friend In Need... of a KISS!

Here are my thoughts on the latest Clone Wars Episode:


1. After Ahsoka saved Lux and brought him to her ship, he pulled a gun on her. She turned it on him, but he tazered her.
2. They were discussing plans when Deathwatch walked in. As Ahsoka was pretending to be Lux's betrothed, they kissed. 

(Only, their heads were moving. So, yeah.... oh, and I think Ahsoka was enjoying it a little. Just a little.)

3. Ahsoka was dragged back to Deathwatch's camp via liquid cables after Deathwatch subdued her.
4. Ahsoka was AWESOME. Nuff' said.
5. And when Lux left in a escape pod, Ahsoka was like: But we can change the Galaxy together!
Um, WHERE have we heard this before? *coughaniandpadmècough*

So, to my and many other fans' horror and disgust, Luxsoka has come to be, albeit however lightly.


A raging Annika Elipton signing off! May the Force (and all things not Luxsoka related) be with you!