I'M DONE!

"I'm DONE!"

 

"What is she done with?" You may ask. Let me show you this little graphic, and it will answer your question:

I won. I did it.

*collapses*

This has had got to be the most exhausting month of my life. But I have never felt so accomplished. Never.
Remember in this post that I mentioned my word goal would be 20,000, or maybe even 15,000 thousand if I had to lower it?

That was my original goal, but from the beginning I knew I wanted to do the 50,000. So I tried for it. And guess what?

I won.

So, there you have it. I did NaNoWriMo. I  finished NaNoWriMo.
Was it hard?
Absolutely.
Will I do it again?
Without a doubt.

How far away are you from finishing?

 

If you have finished...

 

 

CONGRATULATIONS!

Byeeeeee!
-Katie Grace

Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

I have to step back and remind myself each year what Thanksgiving is really about. It's about giving thanks, not the delicious turkey or yummy bread rolls. (Though, it's hard to not think about the bread rolls when Thanksgiving comes around. They are just so good.)

In regards to the holiday, I made a little word mash describing some of the things I'm thankful for.

What are three things you are thankful for?



Byeeeee!
- Katie

A #Shelfie For You

Hello!

I've been tagged by the wonderful Ghost Ryter for the Shelfie award. It's like a selfie...of your bookshelf, therefore being a shelfie. ;) (Interesting new term, eh?)

Here's my bookshelf.

Ta-da! (If the pictures don't turn out very big, click on them, and then I assure you, they will. :)

 

Even though all those books are on my bookshelf, I really only consider the middle shelf to be 'my' books. Those are my favorites. The top and bottom shelf are those that we've collected through the earlier years, and are no longer on my best books list, but needed to be put somewhere in the house. So they went to me. (And this is only a very small percentage of the books we own. My family loves books. We have a lot of them.) I would've put the Lord of the Rings on the middle shelf, but I ran out of room. :/

 

Here's a closer look of my middle shelf. :)

 

 

Going from left to right, we first have my collection of books from my favorite author(s): Molly Evangeline and Jaye L. Knight. And after that is the rest of my Christian fantasy books.
 

 

 

Here's the next half. From left to right again... First we have a collect of Sci-Fi/Contemporary. Then, starting at "Princess Academy," are my non-Christian books. Near the end is my very small collection of writing books. :)

 

I always love having real-life copies of books that are available for me to reread. Like I've mentioned in other posts, I reread a lot. So when I see good deals on paperback copies or am willing to spend the regular cost for my favorite book, I will do so.

 

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And now I get to tag some other wonderful bloggers to share their collection of books with me. (This is completely voluntary)

Click on their blog titles and it will lead you to their blogs.

 

Alea Harper at Elvish Pens, Fantastical Writings

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Leilani Sunblade at Dreams and Dragons

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Jaye L. Knight at Jaye L. Knight.

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H.M. Wilson at Plottinger Twist

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Victoria M. at Inkdrops and City Lights

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Mickayla at The Bubblegum Ballerina

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Emily at A Writer's Heart

 

And for those of you whom I did not nominate but still want to participate, go ahead! Make sure you share the post with me. I'd love to see your bookshelves!

 

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Tell me, have you read any of the books above? Do you share any of my favorites?

 

Byeeee!

- Katie Grace

 

The King's Scrolls Cover Reveal and Giveaway!

Hello everyone!

This is a very exciting blog post for me. :) I am participating in revealing the cover for the to-be best book ever of 2015: The King's Scrolls. Be sure to read all the way to the end of the post for a special excerpt and giveaway! Before I get to revealing the beautiful cover, here's a bit about the book:

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Following the harrowing events that brought them to Landale Forest, Jace and Kyrin have settled comfortably into their new lives and the mission of protecting those under the emperor’s persecution. The fast approach of winter brings with it the anticipation of a quiet few months ahead. That is until the arrival of four mysterious, dragon-riding cretes who seek aid in a mission of great importance—not only to their own people, but to all followers of Elôm.

 

Hidden in the vast mining valley north of Valcré, a faithful crete has spent years sharing his knowledge with the destitute miners and their families and is known to possess what may be Arcacia’s last surviving copies of the King’s Scrolls—the Word of Elôm. Joining the cretes, those in Landale must find the crete teacher and bring him to safety, but it is a race against time. Should Daican’s men find him first, execution and the destruction of the Scrolls is certain.

 

When disaster strikes, all seems lost. Could Elôm have a plan even in the enemy’s triumph?

 

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Sounds epic, doesn't it? It will be totally awesome, I can assure you. This is definitely a book you'll want to put on your to-read list. And speaking of to-read lists, there isn't a better way of reminding yourself and spreading the word than by adding The King's Scrolls on Goodreads!

 

 

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Enough of the words.*dramatic music* I now present to you, the cover of... The King's Scrolls!

 

*squeals* Isn't it awesome? I don't understand how Jaye can make such amazing covers. I can't wait to display it on my bookshelf. :)

 

And just to add to the awesomeness of this post, here's an excerpt of the book:

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 The other younger crete took a swig of his coffee and set his eyes past her. Kyrin peeked over her shoulder at Kaden who, of course, was staring at the dragon. The female creature stared back in mutual interest.

“Go ahead,” the crete said suddenly. “You can touch her. She loves attention, and she’ll only attack if I tell her to.” A sly glint sparkled in his spring-green eyes.

Besides Jace, Kyrin had never seen anyone with such bright and colorful eyes as these cretes.

Kaden looked at him, his brows rising. “You can do that?”

The crete nodded. “Dragons are highly intelligent. You can teach them almost any command. Storm here is young, but she learns fast.”

Kyrin smiled at the delight in her brother’s eyes as he stepped closer to the dragon and ran his hand over her bluish-gray neck scales. A grin split his face.

“She’s so smooth. Kyrin, come and feel it.”

Kyrin stepped to his side and laid her hand on the dragon. The scales were indeed very smooth, reminding her of the polished marble stair-railings in Auréa Palace, but they weren’t cold. Warmth radiated through them. The dragon, still watching them, let out a little rumble, almost like a giant cat’s purr.

“I told you she liked attention,” the crete said, grinning.

Kyrin chuckled and glanced at Jace to see if he wanted to touch the dragon, but he made no move to come closer. This certainly had more to do with the crete than the dragon. He was very fond of any type of animal. She faced the crete again.

“So they can breathe fire?”

 “For short bursts, but that’s usually all it takes to deter any threat.”

“That’s incredible,” Kaden breathed.

 

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Jaye L. Knight is a homeschool graduated indie author with a passion for writing Christian fantasy and clean new adult fiction. Armed with an active imagination and love for adventure, Jaye weaves stories of truth, faith, and courage with the message that even in the deepest darkness, God’s love shines as a light to offer hope. She has been penning stories since the age of eight and resides in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.

 

You can connect with Jaye on her website, blog, Facebook, Google+, and Twitter.

 

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And finally, to celebrate her revealing of the cover, Jaye is giving away one of her handcrafted quill pen necklaces and a $5 Amazon gift card! Enter for a chance to win using the form below! U.S. entries only please.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

Byeeee!

- Katie Grace

 

Make sure to visit all the other bloggers participating in the cover reveal! http://jayelknight.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-kings-scrolls-cover-reveal-giveaway.html

 

The Best Blogging Buddies Award

I got nominated by Victoria M.  Katheline Hansen, AND  H.M. Wilson for the Best Blogging Buddies Award. Thank you so much, Victoria! Here are the rules in which you must follow:

1. You must make a post to show your award on your main blog.
2. You must tag the person who nominated you in your post.
3. You must nominate all of your best buddies, and those whom you want to become best buddies with, who, to your knowledge, have not been nominated, for this award.
4. You must ask your buddies at least 15 questions on your post.
5. You must answer all of the questions your buddies ask you. On your post.

Here are the question's Victoria asked me. My answers will be in blue.

1.Would you rather go to New Zealand or England?

...That's hard. I'm actually not quite sure. It would be awesome to see some of the places they filmed The Lord of the Rings on in New Zealand, but I'd love to be surround by English accents.

*thinks*

Yeah. I'd have to choose New Zealand.

2. If you could meet any dead person who is not an author, who would it be?

Heh. I like the, "Not an author," part. :)

Hm. Oh! One of the disciples. It would be so interesting to hear their personal accounts of them traveling with Jesus.

3. If you had a time machine with which you can only go to the future or to the past, which would you prefer?

Huh. (Why am I having such a hard time answering these questions?)

The future.

4. Why to the above?

 I'm super curious, so I often think about what will happen. If I can travel to any time in the future, it'd be later, so I don't spoil anything that happens in my life.

5. Do you prefer guy singers or woman singer?

*blinks* I honestly don't know. I listen to guy singers more, just because of the songs we own, but I am totally fine with listening to women sing. *shrugs* I'll just say that I don't have a preference. :)

6. Favorite composer?

Hm... I'm going to say BrunuhVille. They compose and play such epic music that I constantly listen to for writing. It's awesome, and you should go listen to their songs.

7. Are you curly-headed or straight?

Straight. Sometimes my hair does this weird wavy thing, but most of the time it stays pretty straight.

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And here are the question's Katheline asked. My answers will be in purple this time.

1. Summer or winter?

Summer. Definitely summer. Winter and I are  not good friends.

 2. Favorite candy?

Er... I like skittles.

 3. Travel to Australia or France?

Hm. Both seem awesome. Eh.... *scrunches face* Why do decisions have to be so hard! Maybe Australia? *sighs* Yeah. Australia.

 4. Favorite subject?

Writing... :) Or reading... *laughs* I'm not sure if those even counts. :D

 5. Favorite Disney movie? (Yes, of course I asked that question! XD)

I like them all, but I really like Tangled.

 6. Harry Potter or Hunger Games?

Harry Potter.

 7. What is your favorite book in the series you chose above?

*thinks* I don't have a clear favorite.

 8. Ice cream or cookies?

Cookies!! :P

 9. Favorite type of food?

*laughs* Pizza, of course.

 10. Biology or chemistry?

I haven't done either of them yet...

 11. Chocolate or vanilla?

Vanilla ice cream, chocolate cake.

 12. Dog or cat?

I'm not a huge animal person. I don't really have a preference.

 13. Skydiving or paragliding?

Whatever's safer. :P I'm not afraid of heights, but I'm not exactly comfortable around them either. I'd rather stay on the ground.

 14. Rock climbing or ziplining?

Ziplining!

 15. Morning person or night owl?

I am such a night owl. My mind doesn't think very well in the morning. That's why I do most of my writing at night.

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My answers to the questions from H.M. Wilson will be in green.

1. What would your pen-name be if you chose to publish under one?

Katie Grace. That's already the name I use for everything in the blogosphere. Grace is actually my middle name, so thanks Mom and Dad for making it work out so perfectly. :)

2. If you could travel into any book of your choice, which one would it be & why?

I wouldn't want to travel into a book. Why? Because all the books I read are about epic adventures where I'd easily freak out and die. I wouldn't live long in a book. :P

 3. If you could become any character, who would it be?

Okay. I'm going to cheat for this one too. I honestly don't want to be a character. My own life is plenty fine, thank you. While the thought of dragons is amazing; I'd rather not be battling one.

4. Who is your favorite author?

Heh. For those of you who know me well this will be quite obvious. Fantasy author Jaye L. Knight.

 5. Favorite Writing Quote?

I really like this one.

 6. Fantasy or Sci-Fi?

Those are the two genres I read in most, but my favorite of the two has to be fantasy.

 7. Fiction or NonFiction?

Fiction. Definitely.

 8. Favorite time period?

Does the twentieth century count? :P

 9. Contemporary or Classic?

Contemporary.

 10. Best hero?

Er... I actually know a lot of great heroes from my reading. I think my favorite would have to be Jace from Resistance.

11. Best villain?

The Moon Master from The Moon Master's Ball in the Five Glass Slippers collection.

12. Best soundtrack?

I usually don't listen to certain soundtracks while writing. I often take specific songs I like from a soundtrack and put them onto my own writing playlist.

13. Favorite writing song?

Eternal Forest by BrunuhVille.

 14. A word you wish was said more often?

I don't think I know of one...

(My answers are quite creative, right? xP)

 15. Favorite blog?

You really can't make me choose. Some of my favorites are the ones I nominated below. Make sure to pay them a visit because they are all super awesome. :)

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I went a little crazy on the nomination part... I kept thinking of people I wanted to nominate. xP

Alea Harper at Elvish Pens Fantastical Writings.

Marissa at Spreading Smiles.

Rcubed at Random Rants by Rcubed.

Emily at A Writer's Heart.

Ana Adeline at Butterflies of the Imagination.

Ghost Ryter at Anything, Everything.

Hannah at Plottinger Twist.

Anna at Truth of the Lens

My questions:

1. Where is your favorite place to write?

2. Favorite board game?

3. What's your favorite joke?

4. Best writing tip you've ever received?

5. Favorite movie?

6. What's a time when you've laughed your hardest?

7. Who's your favorite character that you've created? Describe them a little, if you can.

8. What's your favorite thing to do besides writing and reading?

9. Movies or books and why?

10. Ebooks or paperback? Why?

11. Beaches or mountains?

12. Favorite type of music?

13. Okay. Hard question. List your top three favorite books/series.

14. What time of day can you get the most things done?

15. And, finally, if there was only one book you could read for the rest of your life, what would it be? (Minus the Bible)

Byeeeee!

- Katie

Pass this cute little owl on with the award! :)

Top Ten Tuesday

Hello everyone!

Today I am participating in a weekly blog meme held over at The Broke and the Bookish called Top Ten Tuesday. This weeks topic? List the top ten books you want to reread.

I reread books a lot. I've probably reread more old books than I've read new books. A good book deserves another read, don't you agree?

 

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The Top Ten Books I Want to Reread:

 

*looks at bookshelf and Goodreads*

 



 1. Orphan's Song by Gillian Bronte Adams.

I just read this book a couple weeks ago, but I have recently received the actual BOOK in the mail a few days ago, so I want to have the experience of reading it in my hands.

*Random Question* Do you prefer electronic books or paperback? Why?

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2. Red Rain by Aubrey Hansen:

 

I suppose I'm cheating a little bit, just because I've never actually read this book. About a year ago my sister and I listened to the audiobook which is free on the author's website. I remember it being really good, and I want to get around to listening to it again.

 

 

 

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3. On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson:

 

That is one long title. :)

 

I have read this so long ago that I have completely forgotten what it is even about. I have yet to read the last one, The Warden and the Wolf King, but as soon as I start (and finish!) rereading the series, then I'll try to get ahold of the last one somehow.  



 

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First book in the Trilogy

4. The Door Within Trilogy by Wayne Thomas Batson:

It's been awhile since I've read these books as well. (Gah! I have so many books to read !!) I own the first and the last, so I'll have to pester the library for the second. :) 

 

 

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5. Dragon Slippers (Dragon Slippers Series) by Jessica Day George:

 

(Is counting all the series as one reread considered as cheating?)

 

Like many of the books above, I haven't read these in a long time, and basically have forgotten the entirety of the plot. :P I remember really liking them, so that's a good sign. :)

 

*laughs* I was looking on Google images for the cover of the first book and searched, "Dragon Slippers." This came up:



 

 

     Literal dragon slippers.

     I want some.

 

 

 

 

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6. Princess of the Midnight Ball (A Series of Fairy Tale Retellings) by Jessica Day George:

 

I read this before the Dragon Slipper books (above). I liked some books in the series more than others, and I think this was my favorite. I can't really remember due to time and bad memory. :P That's what rereading is for, right? It's going to be like a whole new book! :)

 

 

 

 

 

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7. The Giver by Lois Lowry:

 

I read this book, watched the movie, and now want to read the book again. (For those of you that are wondering, I really enjoyed the movie and it didn't stray that far from the book. It was appropriate, too, which I most definitely appreciate) I own this book, so once I have time I can read it right away. :)

 



 

 

 

 

 

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8. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien:

 

In anticipation of the final chapter of the movie, I want to read this before December so I can see how far they stray from the book. :/ (I'm a little disappointed that the producers didn't stick with the plot of the book very closely, but, the basic plot is the same at least, right? They still hunt down Smaug the dragon. ;)

Regardless of things the movie changes and things it does not, I am i-n-c-r-e-d-i-b-l-y excited for The Battle of the Five Armies to come out! (Though I would like the title to be, "There and Back Again." Enough with the movie, though. The point is about rereading the book. :P)

I think the last time I read this book when I was 11, so my time has come to reread the epic tale. :)

 

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9. Um.... Etc. (End of Thinking Capacity)

 

Heh.

I can't think of any more, so before you say, "But you're supposed to list TEN books you want to reread," I just want to point out that if you add up (in context) all the books above, it comes out to be seventeen books.

I need help.

"Yeah, Katie. You wanna reread seventeen books, rewrite your own, and read a bunch of new books by the end of the year? Good idea! Let's forget the option of sleep."

 

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Byeeee!

- Katie

 

What are some books you want to reread? Tell me in the comments!