That Word Disparage

This segment of my blog is inspired by Victoria Grace Howell Word definition that we get as part of her weekly Writerly Bundles and by me when I come across words I have a vague sense of the meaning but not a complete sense of the word.

I often come upon words that I either haven't heard of before I can't remember the meaning. These posts are for those words and in hopes of helping others remember the meanings and introduce them to words they may not know.

Our next word is...

Disparage

Where I Found It

I think this another case of having seen the word and realised I liked the sound of it. It really could have been from anywhere. Most likely some kind of book. 

A Time to Die Review

Firstly, thank you to Nadine Brandes and Enclave Publishing for my ebook review copy. 

I've been wanting to read A Time to Die since probably the year it came out when my former youth group leader wrote a post on Facebook about it. It was likely not too much longer after that that I started to follow Nadine's blog. Each time another book comes out I have wished I could join the excitement, but couldn't really at all. With this review opportunity I was really excited for. I have heard so many good things about A Time to Die. 

Honestly even though I have read reviews and knew the blurb of the book I was in no way prepared for what was to come. 

Parvin Blackwater has wasted her life. At only seventeen, she has one year left according to the Clock by her bedside.

In a last-ditch effort to make a difference, she tries to rescue Radicals from the crooked justice system. But when the authorities find out about her illegal activity, they cast her through the Wall -- her people's death sentence.

What she finds on the other side about the world, about eternity, and about herself changes Parvin forever and might just save her people. But her Clock is running out. 

All You Need To Know

Relating With Parvin

I found it really easy to relate with Parvin and her search for purpose. I'm 17 and at the age where we are expected to know what we want to do. The last couple of years I have had a struggle with exactly what I wanted to do knowing that I have always wanted to be a teacher and realising that I am more passionate about writing stories. In the end with lots of prayer I left it in God's hand and then I suddenly realised that I could do both. I know quite a few of my friends still struggle with knowing what to do and so I totally understand where Parvin is coming from. 

The Other Characters

I really liked what we saw of Reid and only wish there had been more of him in the book. I do wonder exactly what he got up to during his six months away. I feel there is still so much we could learn about him.

Jude. I wasn't really sure whether I liked him or not, but then I did. But there was also a moment where I both liked him and hated him. There is so much to learn about him. I know there is and a moment. There is so much more I would say but I don't want to spoil anything either.

Solomon Hawke. He was kind of there in the beginning and then he was thread throughout. If there's more to learn about Jude there is definitely more to learn about Solomon too. He may be the kindest enforcer I ever meet though. At least we know there is one though. That's a good thing. Isn't it?

Albinos they were interesting and definitely unique. Willow I liked and their culture was interesting but severe.

Skelley Chase well as I wrote in my goodreads update. I hate Skelley Chase and what is it with lemons. Seriously? He is a strange guy.

The Setting

I think the world was so unique, the wall, the two sides so different. I think the new technology was interesting and unique like the emoticon and the tune chip. I think it would be really cool to have a tune chip but not sure I would want one inserted at the same time.

On Wednesday night I had a dream that I was at a bookstore and I was buying A Time to Speak. I think  that's confirmation that I will definitely be continuing the series. It was weird but a good dream for a bookworm.

A Couple of Quotes

I'm starting to love when God lodges thoughts in my head. They come in my own voice, but they're so far from my own doing that I know it's Him. It's such a delicious form of guidance.  - Parvin

- This quote is so accurate for how I feel God talk to me sometimes. It was one of those quotes I just had to write down because it was so totally agreeable. 

The more I strive the more I'm sledge-hammered with surprises. - Parvin

- I loved this one because I also believe that it is accurate. Sometimes life is just all full of surprises. 

A Time to Rise Pre Order Swag!

Overall

It was instant love reading A Time to Die. The further I read the more I didn't know what to expect. What was going to happen to Parvin? Would she survive? What was with that clock of hers? Who's Jude? So many questions, so much I discovered and still need to discover.

In my rating system I would give it an....

A+ 

Almost a week ago now I had a dream where I was in a bookstore and saw A Time to Speak and knew I needed to buy it. I guess that is one way that says I definitely will be buying all the series in hard copy. You can never go past holding a real book. :D

Don't forget if you preorder A Time to Rise you also can get A Time to Rise Pre Order Swag! 

You can connect with Nadine Brandes through her Website, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Thanks for reading :)

Have you read A Time to Die or the rest of the Out of Time series? What do you think of them?    

Beautiful People September

I'm participating in Beautiful People again this month. Beautiful People is a link up hosted by Cait @Paperfury and Sky @ Further up and Further in that helps us get to know our characters and books better. I've certainly been finding it helpful.

This month I am taking a break from Samuel James and instead doing a character from a new story that I am coming up with and considering doing for Nanowrimo. Now this story idea has had a strange development really I should tell you all about it sometime. It's a modern/medieval fantasy that I'm really excited about. It's the first story I have begun to use Scrivener for as well and I loved that aspect of it too.

So his name is Prince James. I think he should have a last name too but I'm not sure what it is yet.

How did you come up with this character?

How did I come up with this character? Well. If I'm honest this story started as a medieval fantasy and somehow turned to a modern place setting of the same country and I suddenly found myself in this guys head. I'm really not totally sure how it happened. #lost

Have they ever been starving? Why? And what did they eat to break the fast?

Well yes and no. Yes, I think there was one time Prince James is very much starved but he was really too drugged up with a particularly type of drug to really notice. He was kidnapped and it was quite complicated. James would also consider the many times when he was younger and was very sick starved but he did survive. 

Do they have a talent or skill they are proud of?

Prince James is quite proud of the fact that he knows swordplay. In his day and age it is quite an unusual skill to have especially for a member of the royal family. He finds it quite relaxing and he was strangely drawn to learning it. 

List three things that would make them lose their temper. 

It's not really that often he finds himself particularly angry. As a Prince he has had to learn to try and be himself. 

Almost forgot to actually answer the question. He hates it when others are being treated unfairly and believes all should have equality. Reading that favourite history book try and not to disturb him, it can cause him to bite back unintentionally (with words of course ;) If you hurt his family especially his little sister watch out. You never know what will happen. A strange calm when he is that mad. 

What is their favourite type of weather? Least Favourite?

Prince James loves a sunny day because he loves to imagine that he is in the ancient times and able to practice swordplay with the the people back then. 

What is their Hogwarts house and/ or MBTI personality? 

So I don't really know that much about Harry Potter and can't really say which one he is in. And Prince James is ISFJ. 

Are they more likely to worry about present problems, or freak out about the future?

He is more likely to worry about present problems as a prince. Even though he is technically second in line he has had to deal with many things due the rest of the royal family being inconveniently away. The future he worries about from time to times that his older brother will be kept at exile forever. James has never wanted to be king. 

What is their favourite thing to drink?

Cinnamon Hot Chocolate. After a hard days work nothing beats a Cinnamon Hot Chocolate. To be honest that sound quite nice maybe I should try it sometime. Since I came up with it on the spot just then. 

What is their favourite colour? Least favourite?

Pale blue. He loves looking up at the sky on a good day weather wise and seeing the pale blue sky with some clouds scattered about. When he was little his Father's best friend went to work painting it on his bedroom room overflowing to the top part of his bedroom walls. Let's just say that he found it comforting and that he definitely loved his father's best friend even better after this. I don't know if he has a least favourite colour yet though.

What is a book that changed their life?

History. Prince James loved reading into history when he was younger but he especially enjoyed. The Three Princes by Zoltan which was about three princes who varied in age but were close and went through some strange difficulties. James always felt more connected to them somehow.

What do you think of Prince James? Did you do Beautiful People this month?

That Word Ethos

This segment of my blog is inspired by Victoria Grace Howell Word definition that we get as part of her weekly Writerly Bundles and by me when I come across words I have a vague sense of the meaning but not a complete sense of the word.

I often come upon words that I either haven't heard of before I can't remember the meaning. These posts are for those words and in hopes of helping others remember the meanings and introduce them to words they may not know.

Our next word is...

Ethos

Where I Found It 

I know I saw this word on a blog somewhere, but evidently I didn't copy the link but still I liked the way it rolled off my tongue where I first read it wherever it was.

Crown of Midnight: UP UP UP

If you read my review of Throne of Glass you would've been away that I wasn't really sure if I would end up reading the next book so you might be surprised to be getting another review in the same series so soon. The reason for this is that a few weeks a go (in August) a man at church gave me Crown of Midnight and said I could have it. I was so shocked and then absolutely excited to start reading it.

My Earlier Thoughts

As I read Crown of Midnight I realised I was reading it with a refreshing look to what I had for Throne of Glass. Maybe it was the excitement of being given a book by a man I only vaguely know but still I was looking at it in a new light than the last.

I was definitely intrigued right from the start to see how she would deal with her current situation. How would one deal with it especially with one like the king as their 'boss'.

I loved her relationship with Chaol. Though, I do wish that Dorian and her appeared to be more friend like.

More Thorough 

There are so many things to say that I don't know what to say exactly and that probably makes no sense. What I mean is that I absolutely loved Crown of Midnight. For reason I was really excited to read it even after my disappointing feelings I had from Throne of Glass. I loved that we learnt so much more about Celaena. So much more. Also slightly in accordance to Celaena we met Mort. I liked him snarky as he maybe. Though wow in that she went through so much. There were so many feels. It was all fine (sort of) and then suddenly everything blew up. 

Whoosh! 

:D Celaena became someone that I can hardly describe she was so, my feelings are so hard to comprehend.  

We received hints at what the king was planning which was a drastically draft (not even sure what I mean by that). Dorian, he is getting rather exciting. How will he keep it up (what you ask? you will find out if you read it) and we learnt more about the world and everything.

Celaena has gone through much in the past and she still has so much to go through (that I don't know yet).

To Round It Up

I loved Crown of Midnight thoroughly. This may not be most thorough or coherent review but I loved the books so much. It brought me such excitement and entertainment to my day and was the perfect book to read for longs hours without needing a break (other books can leave you needing one). I think I will be reading Assassins Blade shortly because someone suggested in a review I skimmed and I think it wouldn't be a bad idea before I go onto the next book. At the end of Throne of Glass I wasn't totally sure if I would continue the series, now I am definitely sure I will. So much more excitement to come. :D

Have you read this book? What did you think about it? Did live up to any expectations? Do you plan to read on? 

Naming Charcters

Characters are our beloved darlings. We love them to pieces and put them through so much (so they can grow mind you). For me when I create my characters they sometimes don't get names straight away. It's not to punish them at all it's just that none have come to mind and I might put off naming them until much later. Somehow even without the names the characters move around with just as much personality as if they do have names. The hard thing about it is I can't just pick a name out of a hat and it becomes their name forever. It just doesn't work like that (most of the time). 

My naming processes

1. It drops in

Sometimes a name just drops in and fits the character. It just fits. I don't need to change their name at all. I'm grateful when this happens because (they won't have to go nameless for months if I'm feeling particular clueless as to their names) Other times when it drops in I will try it out for a little while and end up searching for a new one. 

For Graeme his name just came. It fit and stuck. I think the day before it could have been Gray though. One thing I did do those is look up the different spellings because I didn't like the spelling of it like this: Graham. I had imagined it the other

When I was writing my novel for campnanowrimo July Samuel James actually began as Benjamin. At first had thought that Benjamin did fit him but then as I was writing it had suddenly changed to Samuel before I had even realised it. 

2. Name Generators

I have done this for both first and surnames, but probably more often for last names as they are the hardest to think of. I generally go through them and pick a few that I like the sound of and then I test them out and decide if one fits or suits my character.

De Haven is a last name I found in an a surname generator. When I was little I gave my favourite toy a last name by chopping up my own. It ended up being Obson. 

3. Off The Top of My Head

Lastly I try and think of the many names I might know or have heard of and see if they fit a character. This way doesn't always work as some names pop up many times while trying to think up a new name (two characters cannot have the same name).

I'm fairly sure I've had a couple of Michaels in one old story and one newer one. I only have a vague memory of the older story now though as I hadn't really started writing them down as much back then. Which means the newer character is getting the name.

4. It starts with a letter

Then there are the times where I feel like I want a name to start with a certain letter. I don't generally know why but I a letter comes to mind for the start of the name I just need to figure out the rest. 

This happened with my character Keira Stanford. Her last name I knew I wanted to start with S and a few days later Stanford came to mind.

5. Swapping

Sometimes my characters swap names or it switch from one character to another. For example in the WIP I'm exploring I was looking of name ideas at Fantasy Name Generator and I found Zane and gave it to one character. It didn't stick to him and instead he got named James (which was a dropping sort of name) and his best friend was suddenly Zane. 

Bonus: The Definition

Another thing I do is look up the definition to my characters names. I find this interesting to do but it doesn't affect whether the name stays or not. I remember at one point a had a whole list of my family's name definitions with some character name meanings as well.

What about you? Do you find it easy to find names for your characters? Do you find the definition for your character's name or is it something you've never thought of before?