The Literary Dinner Party Tag

And just as I promised, I am here today with a tag! :D A little later than I had planned, but sometimes things don't go as planned. :P

I was tagged by Ivie over at Ivie Writes to do this tag. Thanks, Ivie! :)

In this tag, you get to host a party and choose eleven characters from different books that you would invite. Doesn't it sound like so much fun? :D I've been watching this tag go around to different blogs, and finally, I was tagged! Woohoo!

A character who can/likes to cook

  

BURNDEE!! <3 Actually, if I remember correctly, he's a baker, but he's going to be my cook for this party. :)

A character who has the money to fund this party

Umm. . . I literally can't think of one. :P

A character who might cause a scene

I think Scarlet would. I mean, if you've read this book, you probably remember the scene she caused in the beginning, haha.

A character who is amusing

Martyn for sure. He is so snarky. ;)

A character who is super popular

Percy Jackson is really popular. And the reason I put The Son of Neptune is because not only is he really popular at Camp Half-Blood, he also becomes pretty popular in New Rome.

One villain

Of all the villains I can think of/remember, I would want Erich the most. Even though he's a villain, I really like his character. *whispers* I also have hope for him. ;)

One couple- doesn't have to be romantic

Leith and Renna, of course. :) They're one of my favorite couples. <3 *sighs contentedly*

One hero

Haha, I totally didn't know what to do for this one. I was going to go with one of the Pevensie children, but I couldn't pick one, so I decided to go with Prince Caspian.

One underappreciated character

I think Frank Zhang is an underappreciated character. Everyone is all about Percy and Jason. And even Leo gets more attention. I really like Frank, he's like a big sweetheart. :)

One character of your own choosing

And my last guest is Jace! I love Jace so much, he's an amazing character. <3

And those are my literary dinner party guests! This is going to be a pretty cool, and interesting, party. :D

Apparently, I'm supposed to tag people now, but I'm not going to. Instead, I'm going to leave this open for anyone who wants to do it! So if you would really like to do this tag, consider yourself tagged by yours truly. :)

2018 Goals

Hey, guys! Yeah, I know. Two weeks ago I said I was back, but then I didn't post last week. . . I meant to, but things got a little crazy. But I'm here today! :D And with a goals post. ;) 

Apparently, I set some pretty lofty goals for 2017. . . Let's go over those, and you'll know why I say that. *is really bad with intros* :P

~ 2017 Goals ~

// Write the rough draft of 1 book //

I did that! I wrote the rough draft of Strangers. :D Well, I had some parts written before but I had to edit those a little bit. I still consider it a rough draft because it's so bad. I also wrote the first 20k of Roping the Overcomer for Camp NaNo in April. (If you're new to the blog, or just want to know more about those WIP, you can go to My Writings page)

// Edit 2 books //

Yeah, no, that didn't happen. I don't think I did any editing last year except the parts for Strangers. So I can only give myself like a third of a book for this goal. :P

// Read 70 books //

I totally thought this was an achievable goal because I read 63 books in 2016. But I guess not because I only read 48 books in 2017. Although, I don't think that's too bad considering I read next to nothing from June until December. Yeah, that was kind of a weird reading slump. :P

// Beta read 1 book //

Okay, guys, I honestly think I crushed this goal. ;) I beta read three books last year.

Found by Audrey Caylin

Dandelion Dust by Faith Potts

Andora's Folly by Abigayle Claire

And not only that, I'm also alpha reading two other books! :D

R+B by Madison Guy

Quantum Gears by Marrok MacIntyre

At the beginning of 2017, I didn't really know what alpha or beta reading was. But I signed up to read quite a few books, and I've learned a lot. I actually feel like I kinda know what I'm doing now. ;P

// Journal more //

Yeah, no. That didn't happen. I think I journaled less last year than I did in 2016. :P

// Take 2 English classes //

I didn't do this one either. I have sets of Great Courses on writing topics. I started them last year, but haven't made it all the way through yet. But I'm learning a lot!

// Study the Bible more and strengthen my relationship with God //

YES!! I did this, and it was amazing! I feel so much closer to God now than I did before. :) I feel like I passed a huge milestone last year, and it makes me so happy. To be honest, even though I didn't meet many of my goals for last year, I'm glad I met this one. :)

 You may remember that back in September I decided that I was going to make a Bible TBR. Here is the list of books that I shared with you:

And I read all of them! :D Along with those though, I also read 1, 2, 3 John, Colossians, Galatians, Song of Solomon, and 1 Timothy. :)

~ 2018 Goals ~

 // Write the second draft of Strangers //

I'm excited about this. :D Some of you know that I sent out Strangers to my alpha readers this past November. They aren't finished yet, but right now my plan is to work on the second draft in the next two or three months. That may change though, it all depends.

// Write at least 1 rough draft //

I have two novels that I've been working on outlines for, so I know I'll write at least one of them this year, if not both. (I'm trying to create achievable goals here. I've learned my lesson from last year :P)

// Read 50 books //

Okay, hopefully, I have an achievable reading goal for this year. I lowered it last year to 70, thinking that was reasonable. That proved to not be the case, so 50 it is.

// Finish reading the Bible //

I'm going, to be honest with all of you. I haven't read the whole Bible. But I'm really close, so this year I'm going to finish it. :D

// Finish lectures //

Like I said earlier, I started the lectures last year. I have three sets, and I want to finish them all this year. I may also be taking a writing course through an actual college this year too, but I'm not making any promises. :P

// Journal //

Yes, I know, this was kind of a fail last year, but I'm going to try harder this year. And one of the reasons is, I think 2018 is going to be a year that I'll want to look back on. :)

And there are my goals for 2018! :)

I was tagged to do three tags in the past two-ish months so I will be doing those in the next few weeks. Don't worry guys, I haven't forgotten them. I waited forever to get tagged, I'm not going to just not do them. ;P And, just so you know, I will be doing one of them this Wednesday so you can come back to see that.

What about you? What are some of your goals for 2018? :)

The Allegiance Blog Tour

I'm back! :D From an. . . unintentional hiatus. . . :P It wasn't on purpose, I promise! I've just had a lot on my mind in the past month, and never really thought about blogging. But I'm trying to get back into it. Anywho. . .

Welcome to the Allegiance Blog Tour!! :D

About the Book

Two countries, two choices, one life.

When Kyraenean slave Celeste risks her life to reach the free nation of Etraea, a country filled with technology and wealth, she unknowingly sets off a chain of events that will change her life forever.

After escaping her new owner, Celeste awakens in the home of an Etraean soldier, sworn to protect the fragile peace.

For Corporal Mick Haynes, life is simple. Follow the rules, do your job and work your way up the ranks. Getting shot and finding a wanted slave at his family's farm wasn't part of the plan.

When a Kyraenean bounty hunter locates Celeste, Mick's loyalty will be stretched to the limit.

With war on the horizon, Celeste faces two impossible choices. Both securing her freedom, but both at a cost she could never have imagined.

Will Etraea provide the freedom she's longed for or shackle her to an entirely new master?

Purchase on Amazon

About the Author

Sarah Addison-Fox is a New Zealand-born home-schooling mother of two who loves action-packed, clean fantasy with strong heroines. She has an astonishing amount of nail polish, has all her creative writing credentials shoved in a draw somewhere, and has a husband who, after 27 years, can still make her blush. When she's not working on both her Christian YA fantasy series, Allegiance or Renegades, she can be found fangirling on Goodreads or sending GIFs on Twitter.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Goodreads

And I have the privilege of interviewing this beautiful woman! :D

Welcome, Sarah, and thank you so much for being with us today! I'm so excited to have you on the blog. :D My first question for you is, why do you write?

That's a great question. One I love to answer because it shows just how awesome and in control God really is.
I'd always dabbled with writing, but it wasn't until I had a bad MS flare up and lost the ability to control my right arm that my priorities shifted. I realised that time was short and that if I didn't start writing, I might never get the chance. I believe wholeheartedly that were it not for the diagnosis of MS a year and a half ago, I would never have completed my first book, let alone written two complete series.
I'm a huge fan of Michael Jnr, and I credit him a lot for motivating me after hearing him speaking about understanding your 'why'.
I'd always known writing was my passion, but until this year, I never understood 'why' I should be writing. As soon as I understood that it was in God's plan for my life, I found that my entire focus changed. Instead of thinking and dwelling on what might happen, I got lost in my character's worlds, and began to think about how I could help other people through the gift of words.

Wow, what an inspiring and powerful testimony!! <33 And what inspired you to write the Allegiance series?

The inspiration came from my desire to make people aware of why slavery still exists today. I wanted to show what Freedom really means.

What is your favorite part of the whole writing and publishing process?

I love the creative process of writing a first draft, but what really lights me up is hearing from readers who understand what I'm trying to achieve. Writing is a lonely process, and quite often authors have no idea if readers like their work.
I try to make a point of telling authors I admire how much their stories touch me. The reason I do this, is because I never got the opportunity to tell an author how much her work meant to me before she and her son died in a car crash. I think that was another reason I knew I had to get the words out as quickly as possible. Life is so fleeting.

Why did you choose to self-publish?

I'm of the generation of writers who never had the opportunity to self-publish until recently. I never really attempted to publish traditionally before now and I honestly don't think I could have survived the constant rejection most authors face. I remember being at a writing conference where a published author read out seven of her rejection letters. She said she had hundreds of them!
Now that I have gone the Indie route, I wouldn't have it any other way. I want to have control, and I don't want the added pressure of contracts, deadlines and feeling obligated to write a certain way.

What is your favorite genre to write in?

Fantasy. Definitely. I can write contemporary, but I get bored, and find I start to want to create new worlds. Fantasy gives me the scope to create, with no boundaries, no rules and no one to correct me if I get something wrong.

What do you do in your spare time?

I don't have a huge amount of spare time these days. When my husband is home, we watch lots of action adventure movies, or we binge watching comedy programs. I'm happiest spending time with my family, just being silly. Because I want to support the Indie community, I spend a lot of my free time reading and reviewing other authors works.

And my last question is, do you have any advice for aspiring indie authors?

Don't compare yourself to other authors, and learn to separate opinion from fact. Just because someone doesn't like your work, doesn't mean it's bad. There will always be naysayers, and you will never please everyone. Your unique voice is a gift, so write to the best of your abilities, recognise you have strengths and make the most of them.


And there you have it! Thanks for stopping by, guys! Now go and buy Sarah's book and follow her on her social media! :)