July Wrap-Up

Another month gone and you all know what that means. Time for my monthly wrap-up!


Life

A lot happened in this month. Honestly I'm a little surprised by how much happened. For one I bought a car which is terrifying for sure. My uncle and cousin from Texas came to visit and we went to the zoo and had a grand old time. Also we went to the Medieval Faire. I went as a pirate dragon queen (as opposed to the pirate dragon king *winks at certain someones*).

Reading

I've been in a bit of a reading slump for most of the month, but I think toward the end of the month, I finally got out of it.

The King's Daughter by R.F. Gammon

5 stars

Beta Read//Rishatta Woods// Fire and Ice

The Story Peddler by Lindsay Franklin
4 stars
Story Time// Magical Ribbons// Christian Themes

The Story Raider by Lindsay Franklin
5 stars
Adventure//Search for a Cure// Long Live the Queen

TV

Shocking as it is, this was actually my first time watching this classic. It was actually pretty good. I was somewhat worried that it would be like Top Gun and a classic for no reason, but it actually stood on its own.

Went to see this in theaters with my whole family including my uncle, cousin, and grandparents. It was an enjoyable movie, with a lot of fresh humor and warm feels.

*incoherent sobbing* Annnnddd we are moving on...

Okay, so this movie was actually AMAZING. I loved it so much. It was a nonstop adrenaline rush which for this adrenaline junkie is perfectly ideal. It is rated R I think, mostly for violence and language, but beyond that point I would 100% recommend.

Surprised to say that this is my first Batman solo movie I have seen (notwithstanding The Lego Batman Movie), which is just outrageous given that he is my favorite DC superhero. Needless to say I found this movie extremely enjoyable. The Joker was an amazing villain, oh my word, he probably made the movie. Still a hardcore Wonderbat fan though...

I laughed, I cried, I cried some more. Farewell childhood!

*still more incoherent sobbing* MY ROOOOSSSSEEEEE IS GOOONNNEEEE!!! I've only seen the first few episodes so far, but I do not appreciate all the reminders of Rose they keep throwing in there. Each one is a punch to the feels.

Finished up Justice League Season Two and am now onto Justice League Unlimited Season One. If you think the reason I am watching this is to see my precious Wonderbat ship sail then you are 100% correct.

Art

So I asked if y'all wanted to see more of my artwork and the answer was a resounding 'yes'. I decided to add a section to my wrap-ups for a few pieces of artwork I do throughout the month. I did so much drawing this month, probably the most drawing I have ever done in such a short period of time. But here are a few of my favorites.

A couple portrait I did of Faith's characters from her WIP Not the Chosen One

Jaye and Ravven from my own Of Gold and Iron

More of Faith's characters, but I'm not saying who or what book they are from

Same for this one XD

My own attempt at drawing Wonderbat fan art

When I said I was obsessed, I meant it

Writing

This month was Camp NaNo and I focused on My Time in Amar books two and three. I started Season of Subterfuge. But mostly I focused on Time of Trepidation. I wrote more than 35k in it (which wasn't anywhere near my goal for camp, but oh well), and now only have a couple of chapters left in it. I'm hoping to finish up this draft this week. I've already decided that September 1st will be the day that I republish it. If you want to have the chance to be an ARC reviewer you can sign up here.

On top of that, I wrote a piece of flash fiction for Havok. Also they accepted another one of my stories which will be published on August 12th so don't miss that!

Well that's all for this month. How was your July? Did any of you participate in Camp NaNo this month? Do any of you ship Wonderbat as well? Comment Below!

Announcements//Updates//And more

So I think I should start this off by saying that I did not actually finish A Time of Trepidation, Pirates, and Lost Princesses this week as I would have liked. I did write 12,000 words and now I only have less than five chapters left.



via GIPHY

So much so that I have an announcement... and that is that I have finally decided on a rerelease date for ToT. Are you ready for it???

*drum roll please*

September 1st!

With that said, this is the call for advanced readers and people who want to be a part of this book's release. I've provided a link to the form you can fill out to say how you would like to be a part of this release.

Sign Up Here

I can't believe that this is actually happening guys!!! It's been so long, this book was soooooo hard to write *sobs for eternity* I will be so happy to finally have it out of my hair, not gonna lie...

Speaking of what else is happening. August 8th is coming up fast, so a final reminder to draw your fanart and send it in if you haven't yet.

The rules:

• The pictures must be of either characters or scenes of any of my Amar books I've written. That would include: A Week of Werewolves, Faeries, and Fancy Dresses; A Certain Sort of Madness; as well as any piratey things you want to draw from A Time of Trepidation, Pirates, and Lost Princesses. (no vulgar content is allowed; because that is obviously not in my books)
• No payments required, submit as many pictures as you would like to boost your chances at winning.
• Email your pictures to me at nicky(dot)chapelway(at)gmail(dot)com
• The subject of your email should be "Amar Drawing Contest"
• Submissions end on August 8th, 2019

The prizes:

First place will win signed copies of the first three of the My Time in Amar books. A Week of Werewolves, Faeries, and Fancy Dresses; A Time of Trepidation, Pirates, and Lost Princesses; and be one of the first to receive a copy of A Season of Subterfuge, Courtiers, and War Councils when it releases. The will also have a character named and created off of them in A Season of Subterfuge, Courtiers, and War Councils.

On top of these two things, they will win a print of a picture where I drew of ALL OF my main teenage characters from both my Amar series (that I have up to this point, anyway).

Please don't mock the picture, I know I'm no artist, but I'm sure since it's the author's rendition it will be worth something in the future! When/if this series becomes famous XD

And I know that some of you are looking very closely at who is standing next to who. I know I would be. Just know that even if each of these relationships between the characters does happen at a certain point in the story, that doesn't mean that it stays that way forever. So don't get too excited *chuckles like the evil overlord I am*

The winner will also receive a paper copy of the official map of Amar:

Also drawn by moi

Second Place will win signed copies of both A Certain Sort of Madness and A Week of Werewolves, Faeires, and Fancy Dresses as well as their choice of either the map or a copy of the character drawing.

Third Place will win their choice of a signed copy of either A Certain Sort of Madness or A Week of Werewolves, Faeries, and Fancy Dresses as well as their choice of either the map or a copy of the character drawing.

Anyway, that is all I have for today. Hopefully you all are as excited for the upcoming release of Time of Trepidation as I am. What are your most anticipated upcoming releases? Comment below!

Camp NaNo: Goals and Progress

Here we are in July. It's the middle of the year and the middle of yet another Camp NaNo. Which of course I am participating in because it turns out that I can't turns down a challenge, specifically a writing one.

Last April my project was A Matter of Curiosity, but in July I decided to focus on the other end of Amar. My goal was to write 75k in My Time in Amar book 3 A Season of Subterfuge, Courtiers, and War Councils.

Of course that plan fell apart before July even began.

Unfortunately I was unable to finish A Time of Trepidation in June so I am still very actively working on it. In the first week of camp I decided that I should add Time of Trepidation to that goal because honestly I have gotten very little written in Season of Subterfuge between work and rewriting book 2. So now I'm just trying to write 75k as a collective chunk in those stories.

I'm hoping to finish up Time of Trepidation this week maybe??? (I am being totally unrealistic, like I always am). But then maybe not this time. I'm only a chapter (and like three POVs but who is keeping track?) away from the climax. Then I'm going to focus fully on Season of Subterfuge. At least that is the game plan.

I'm a bit behind on my goal, and by a bit I would say, oh about 20k. I'm only at 18k and I'm supposed to be 40k this late in the game. Honestly I don't want to lower my goal though because I do still want to get that much written so watch me scramble like mad these next couple of weeks.

My projects:

A Time of Trepidation, Pirates, and Lost Princesses

Their journey has only just begun...

After surviving a week trapped in the magical world of Amar; Chelsea, Easton, Clint, and Bobby are still no closer to accomplishing the mysterious quest that binds them to Amar. In a desperate attempt to figure out what this quest is, they decide to follow the instructions of an ominous book of poetry that was written over seven hundred years ago. Inside this book are several mysterious, almost prophetic poems that tell of four heroes who are the only ones who can save Amar from a dark fate. The poems also warn that one of the four will betray the other three, one will be left behind, and one will die.

Full of trepidation over what these poems could mean for them all, Chelsea and her friends journey to the Bextian Sea where they must find a golden amulet that has the potential to finally reveal what this quest is. Alas, nothing goes according to plan and Chelsea must soon find a way to survive a savage mermaid attack, a vengeful pirate king, and a sudden declaration of love from her childhood friend. All added to the stress of being trapped in a magical world, and the worry that these foreboding poems might actually be prophecies foretelling the future of her and her friends.

I am almost through this beast. I have even selected a tentative release date. Stay tuned next week for more information there. In a 100% Time of Trepidation-centric post.

A Season of Subterfuge, Courtiers, and War Councils

And introducing book 3 with the rough blurb I wrote up for it. It doesn't really have any huge spoilers, but it does share some things that happen in book 2. Just so you are warned.

Savior, soldier, or sacrifice?

Thrust into a fight seven hundred years in the making, Chelsea and her friends find themselves against an immortal emperor. If they return the true heir of Ione to her rightful throne, then they will finally be free of the magical world of Amar. But that’s easier said than done. Killing Emperor Axius is out of the question, this leaves them with the option of dethroning him. To do that, they need the support of the other kingdoms of Amar. But who would follow four kids into battle?

Chelsea and her friends journey across Amar to find a ruler who will call a War Council for them so that they can make their case. Assuming that they can survive assassins sent by Axius long enough to do so, that is. Chelsea finds herself in the northern kingdom of Rinbroch with Easton as her only ally. In this kingdom, ballrooms are the battlegrounds, and coy smiles hide deadly intents. And everyone with any amount of power seems to want them dead. As if having to constantly be on guard to avoid death via a poisoned drink or an assassin's blade is not enough, Chelsea also has to face her conflicting feelings for Easton.

Survival isn’t enough. They have to find a way to start this war. And they have to win it. Or else they will never get home. And Amar may still fall no matter what they do.

That is all for today, I had better get to writing these stories, eh? Are any of you doing Camp NaNo this year? If so, what are your projects? Do you think I will rally and actually manage to meet my goal or if it is a lost cause? Comment below!

MY HAVOK STORY!!!!

Just a short post for today, but my story that I wrote for Havok is finally up! (and yes I am totally freaking out about that). If you aren't a member of Havok, this is the only day you can read it, so I suggest you don't dally XD

Go, read it, tell me what you think. Then join me in the celebration *dances around with cake*

It's based off of a 1950's song and I'm curious if any of you can guess it. If you do you could get entered in a drawing Havok is doing for a $10 Amazon gift card. So make sure that you comment. That and I really want to see what you all think of it XD

What are you waiting for? Go read it! Meep.

Read My Story

Ship it or RIP it blogging collab with Faith

 Today I have a fun surprise for you. I'm doing a blogging collaboration with the awesome Faith. We decided to swap some of our characters and mix them together and see if we would ship it or if we had to RIP it. So without further ado, I'll share the pairings that I got.






Captain Derek Terarnthien, The Pentegreens series by R.F. Gammon

Princess Elisabeth White, A Winter Dark and Deadly by Nicki Chapelway

An interesting combo that's for sure. I'm assuming that in order for them to meet that Derek would be a member of Elisabeth's guard. That would give them plenty of time to grow close. Both Derek and Elisabeth are very duty oriented and noblehearted. They are both dedicated to what they do. At first all their similarities seem like a good thing, but I think they are too similar. As the princess of Havenkeep, Elisabeth needs to marry a noble or a fellow ruler. And neither Elisabeth or Derek are ones to challenge the rules to be together.

My final decision? RIP it.

Aleria, An Apprentice of Death by Nicki Chapelway

Lucas Burns, Watched by R.F. Gammon

Another extremely interesting pairing. Actually, let's just assume for a moment that all of these pairings are going to be very interesting. Lucas is a flirty, popular, rule breaker. Aleria is a cocky assassin. My first thought was that she would kill him right off the bat. But then I got to thinking. Lucas is an easy going guy who everyone loves. And Aleria is not immune to flirtations.

My final decision? Actually, I'm going to say ship it. Assuming Lucas survives the first encounter I think they would get along just fine.



Clarence Redow, The Pentergreens series by R.F. Gammon

Jaye MacCullagh, Of Gold and Iron by Nicki Chapelway

So Clarence is the captain of the guard's son. He's sweet and dutiful and carefree. Jaye is a human guardian who protects the world against faeries. She's antisocial and snarky.

My decision? This is a hard pass. RIP for sure. These kids would only fight.

Rishatta Woods, The Pentegreens Series by R.F. Gammon

Chelsea Welling, My Time in Amar by Nicki Chapelway

Rishatta Woods is a troubled soul who isn't sure what he should do with his evil father. Chelsea is a victim of circumstance who just wants to get home. These two actually have a lot in common. For one they both worry, a lot. They are also both pretty stubborn, so they would probably argue quite a bit. Ultimately though I feel like what Rish really needs is love. And Chelsea has a lot of love to share. She is loyal to a very great fault.

My decision? Ship it. I think these two kids would be good for each other.






Keo, Not the Chosen One by R.F. Gammon

Alicia Hareton, A Certain Sort of Madness by Nicki Chapelway

This isn't even a question. Keo is twenty-six and Alicia is only fifteen. RIP this a hundred times and hide the evidence.

I do think that these starry eyed dreamers would make great friends though.





Easton Moncrief, My Time in Amar by Nicki Chapelway

Mel Alltote, Watched by R.F. Gammon

Easton is a dedicated and kind soul. He's studious and cool headed. Mel is a distracted worrywart who doesn't always apply herself to school and one of her favorite things is sleeping. Mel has a bunch of siblings and Easton is an only child. Still, I think that Easton would be a good influence on Mel. And in return Mel can help Easton loosen up some.

My final decision? Ship it



.

Dante Moretti III, A Certain Sort of Madness by Nicki Chapelway

Kariana Winslet, The Pentergreens Series by R.F. Gammon

These two actually have a lot in common. Neither are particularly social, they both had rough childhoods. They are fiercely loyal to the few friends they have. They also spend a lot of time pretending to be people that they are not. I think that they would actually really like each other if they got to know each other. The problem is I don't think they would ever get to know each other. Neither one is outgoing enough to try it. These two aren't really big on building relationships. Any happenstance between the two of them would have them parting ways still as strangers.

My decision? RIP it.

Ravven Crowe, Of Gold and Iron by Nicki Chapelway

Esma Pentegreen, The Pentegreens Series by Nicki Chapelway

Ravven is an arrogant and solitary faerie. He is manipulative, cruel, and most of all lonely. Esma is a sweet naive princess. At first thought this unlikely pairing doesn't work out. However, both Ravven and Esma have a sort of innocence in common. Plus Esma is a softy and can often see the goodness even in monsters. I think she would give Ravven the chance that he needs.

My decision? This was the hardest one for me to choose. I'm not going to lie. But ultimately I'm going to Ship it.

Dirk, An Apprentice of Death by Nicki Chapelway

Cass Tennant, Not the Chosen One by R.F. Gammon

 Dirk is an elite guardsman raised to serve a cruel king after having been kidnapped from an orphanage as a boy. He's cocky and loves a thrill. Cass is a rebellious teen, who loves to break rules. Dirk is an easy going guy who would get along with pretty much everyone he meets. Plus I've heard that Cassie has pet dragons. And Dirk certainly has a thing for chicks who have dealings with dragons.

My decision? Ship it. Not only would these two make an awesome couple, they would also be best friends.



Cedric Mooraven, A Winter Dark and Deadly by Nicki Chapelway

Eira Garson, The Pentegreens Series by R.F. Gammon


Cedric is a dark prince who grew up in exile after his father lost a war. He has a wicked sense of humor and angering people is one of his favorite hobbies. Eira is a sweet girl with a ridiculously frightening power. At first glance, this seems like a bad pairing. But Eira's power would definitely appeal to Cedric. He would see finding a way to make her an ally as a way to make his father proud of him. Because in all reality Cedric never really cared about power or prestige, he's only ever wanted to feel loved. Something that I think Eira will gladly give him.

My decision? Ship it.

Annnnnd, that's the end of that. But don't forget to stop over to Faith's blog and see the pairings that she got!

Farewell June

Okay wow. If any of you see who made off with June report them. Please.

Life

I don't know about any of you, but I had a very rainy June. Toward the end of June my workload lightened and I was able to get a lot done. I finally organized my bookshelf and now it looks amazing. I drew quite a bit. This is one piece I did from a scene I was working on for A Time of Trepidation, Pirates, and Lost Princesses.

Reading

Flight of the Raven by Morgan L. Busse
4.5 stars
Fantasy//Unlikely Couple//Christian

Defy Me by Tahereh Mafi
4.5 Stars
Short//No Answers// Warner

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller
4.5 stars
Pirates// Trickery// Betrayal

Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller
4.5 stars
Sirens// Treasure// Swashbuckling

Son of War, Daughter of Chaos by Janette Rallison
5 stars!
Favorites//Egyptian//Swoonworthy

Heart of the Curiosity by H.L. Burke
4 stars.
Steampunk// Theaters// Clock work

Movies

This movie had an interesting concept, but it could have been done much better. Hayden Christensen did a good job as teh irresponsible kid who never grew up, and of course I'm always down for Samuel L. Jackson as a bad guy. But the heroine in this story was a joke, and ruined my enjoyment somewhat.

Amazing, this movie was absolutely amazing. The music was great, the characters relatable, and the jokes made me laugh. This movie in no way replaces the original, but it was a nice addition. Especially to this lover of live action movies.

As a Spider-Man fan I can never condone the killing of a Peter Parker. And this movie does way too much of that. Still I was curious, seeing that this movie is a meme classic so I decided to take a chance. I pleasantly surprised by how funny this movie is. The animation made me a little dizzy. And be ready for some emotionally traumatizing scenes.

Speaking of emotional trauma... *trails off in incoherent sobbing*

A good finale to both the movies and the TV series (or at least what I've seen of the series). Obviously it could never hold a candle to the first one though, and that fills me with unrealistic expectations. Still it was pleasingly humorous in its own rights.

Cheesy, corny, kinda boring, and it only played one song over and over. This movie is a classic.

This movie had me laughing from its title and I didn't stop all the way through. Just like all of the other Lego Movies, I loved it XD

Writing:

This month I continued with the 100-for-100 challenge with my Sci-Fi story before finally deciding to give up on the last day of the month XD

I've written quite a bit in Time of Trepidation and now I have less than ten chapters to go!

That's all for this month. Have you seen any of the movies I've seen? Have any of your read Janette Rallison before (btw, no is the wrong answer XD)? Do you think that I should put up more of my artwork on this blog? Comment Below!