2/27/2024 5 Comments What's Their Name? Writer's TagHello everyone! Today we're doing something a little different. I was recently tagged to do the "What's Their Name? Writer's Tag"! Isn't that great? I have always wanted to do blogger tags (ever since I read almost all of them on R.M. Archer's website years before I even thought about blogging), and talking about my fictional characters is always something I'm up for. Also, this is the perfect chance for me to introduce my new character, Shea Holmes, to ya'll! Thanks so much to Miley Simmonds for creating this tag, and Blooming Grace for tagging me! Here are the rules:
What's their name? Shea Locke Morstan-Holmes What's their role? Technically, her friend Joan Watson is the narrator for Book 1 (Scarlet Studies), but Shea is one of the main characters as well. Do they love anyone? Being a foster child, Shea didn't receive a lot of love, so she makes sure to give it to everyone who will accept it. She really loves her adopted family, and her friends at college. Romantically? On paper, not right now, because I've only begun "official" work on Book 1. But I've already thought ahead to the end of the series, when she may or may not (no really, she may not) have a significant other. Do they have any relatives? Shea's adopted family is really the only family worth talking about. Her adopted dad, Donovan Holmes, is a writer of mystery novels and spends a lot of time birdwatching. Shea's adopted mother, Irene Holmes, works as a cook for the local church and is a freelance wedding photographer. Shea has a biological brother, Mycroft, who is eight years older and works for the FBI as a criminal profiler. Shea and Mycroft don't talk much, due to their huge age gap and lack of similar tastes. Inspiration for character? Well, I knew I wanted to do a female Sherlock Holmes story, because I've always loved Sherlock Holmes and the one book I know of that has a female Sherlock was kinda meh to me. So I created Shea. Shea's name came out of an attempt to replicate Sherlock's name, and it was thanks to a writing buddy that her middle name came to be. Backstory? After Shea's mother, Elisabeth Morstan, died when she was six, Calvin Morstan neglected her and Mycroft. By the time their dad lost custody of the kids due to child negligence, Mycroft was 18, but Shea entered the foster care system. She bounced around between several homes before landing in San Diego at the Holmes' residence. There, she found the family she needed and was adopted. Dreams? Fears? Shea wants to become a detective, whether for the police department or as a private consultant. Her greatest fear is being left behind, either by friends or family, because of her personality. Friends? Shea is a member of her school's theater club, although she's not much of a thespian. However, this is where she meets Joan Watson, a criminal justice major, Michelle (Mickey) Stanford, a journalism major, and Tobias (Toby) Gregson, a double major criminal justice-psych major. They have all become good friends/part-time detective partners. What's the story's name? Scarlet Studies Story blurb? To say that criminal studies major Joan Watson is a fish out of water might be an understatement. After eighteen years of putting up with her grief-stricken family, she moves from a small Detroit suburb to the bustling campus of San Diego State University. When she befriends Shea, a budding detective, and Toby, a cute but reserved theater nerd, she begins to feel like she has found her group of misfits. But when Toby’s precocious roommate is murdered and suspicion falls on his shoulders, Joan and Shea find themselves the next targets of a cold-blooded killer, with their mind bent on one thing: revenge. (This is very subject to change, seeings how I wrote this in less than 30 minutes.) What are her habits? Shea is super precise about her routine, and so she has a ton of routines I won't list here (mostly because I haven't thought about them XD). Random fact? Shea often signs to herself when thinking through a case, which is due to the fact that her mother (and later brother) taught her ASL and English as a child. She's kept up her ASL education since being adopted and is very quite fluent (though she doesn't get to show it off very often). Personality? Introverted and reserved, but enjoys hearing other people's stories. Realist by nature, but wants to be optimistic about life. Is an Enneagram 5w4 on the Enneagram, and an ISTJ (and a Ravenclaw, if she were into the Harry Potter thing.) Hobbies? Listening to rock music, especially Skillet and Evanescence. Singing, though she rarely gets the opportunity. Playing and listening to piano and violin compositions. Playing violin. Reading mystery novels. Attempting to write mystery novels. Inspiration for the story? I wanted to write a series about female Sherlock Holmes (see above), in a vein similar to the BBC Sherlock show, but a ton cleaner and with Christian themes. The rest fell into place after that. Anything else? She has jet black straight hair and green eyes. Just thought I'd throw that in there. ;) And then there's the tags! :D Bree Pembrook at Laughs and Literature Rebekah Morris at Read Another Page Issabelle Perry at Into My Writing Journey Katherine Perry at Katherine Perry Bethany Willcock at Vintage Volumes And anyone else who wants to do this tag is totally welcome. That's all for now!
Until next week, ~Cate
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Heyo everyone! Today's blog post is another blog collab with another amazing author friend, Issabelle Perry! Issabelle is publishing her debut novel, Don't Let Me Go, with Sky's the Limit Press. let me share a little bit about her book, and then we'll get to the fun stuff! Don't Let Me Go by Issabelle PerryWhen truth is a crime... Soviet Russia, 1929: Maksim Lenkov is tired of his past haunting him. An ex-Bolshevik and supporter of the revolution over ten years earlier that toppled the Romanov dynasty, Maksm has never forgotten his guilt over not saving the tsar and his family—especially a certain beautiful grand duchess. Tatiana Romanova had stolen his heart before the Bolsheviks took her life. Maksim has spent the last ten years hunting down her killers to no avail and doing anything possible to resist Soviet rule. This is why when a young, spunky British girl appears out of nowhere, claiming she has the Soviet secret police on her heels and needs help escaping the country, Maksim is compelled to aid her. Especially since she says to have information that would ruin the USSR’s push for influence on Western Europe and, more importantly, information that connects to one Bolshevik whom Maksim knows well. A man who was there the night of Tatiana’s murder. This could be his chance to finally avenge the Romanovs and find peace with his past. But is his new ally all she claims to be or could she be an informer for the secret police? When the OGPU draws closer, how far will Maksim go to serve justice? Inspired by true events, Don’t Let Me Go is a gripping, page-turning novel that explores the power of hope in the midst of darkness and the strength of love over evil. Oh. My. Goodness! Doesn't that sound like amazing? I cannot wait to read it! :D Russian History Trivia TimeOkay, so here's how this works. I asked Issabelle Perry a bunch of questions about different topics in Russian history, and she sent me her answers. I'll say if she was correct or not, and occasionally provide a little commentary. Ready? Let's go! :D C: What was the name of the first dog in space? I: Well, I know there was a dog sent in space, but I honestly have no clue what his name was. Hmm what would I name a Soviet dog? Gruffy? Stalin Jr? 😂 C: Her name was Laika, and she was a husky-terrier mix. I like Stalin Jr. though. XD C: When was Tsar Alexander II assassinated, and who was his successor? I: I should know this date because this is actually what the opening scene in the third book of my Lost Empire series is about, but I couldn’t tell you off the top of my head. WAIT. I think I can figure this out. I’m pretty sure Nicholas Romanov was thirteen the time his grandfather was assassinated so I would just need to count up thirteen years from his birth. However, I don’t remember the year of his birth, but he was 50 in 1918, I’m pretty sure, so I’m gonna count back 50 years and then count up thirteen. If my calculations are correct… Alexander II died in 1881. His successor was Tsar Alexander III. C: Okay first of all, incredible math skills there! Yes, it was Tsar Alexander III. Alexander II was assassinated on March 13, 1881. (Random side fact: Julius Caesar was killed on the Ides of March, which happens to be the 15th of March, making their death dates only off by two days. Coincidence? I wonder...) I: HAHAHA I was right! *happy dance* I knew my overly complicated calculations would get me somewhere! *mentally high fives myself* C: Who sold Alaska to the United States, Alexander II or Catherine the Great? I: Well, I’m gonna guess Alexander II (I’m 89% certain I’m right on this) because I have a vague memory of reading something about this. C: Nice one! It was Alexander II (he's also the one who bought it). C: What medical condition did Alexei Romanov have? I: Alexei Romanov had hemophilia. C: Okay, you know you had that one in the bag. XD I: Hehehe, Ikr. When I saw the question I was like, yes this is my moment!!! XD I should've planned some grand reveal to show off my super awesome russian knowledge. 😏 C: Who were the Molsheviks (not the Bolsheviks)? (NOTE TO READERS: The Molsheviks do not exist. I meant the Mensheviks. Kids, this is why you need to fact-check yourself with Google sometimes. XD) I: Um… I don’t have a clue. My first guess would be an opposing political party or faction in the socialist political group during the time of the Bolsheviks, like the Mensheviks were, but I feel like this name would have stuck out to me. C: Okay, I'm giving you the point on this one because they were actually called the Mensheviks and I didn't spellcheck before writing that down. *facepalm* I: Ooo yaay!! I was starting to think maybe I didn't pay as much attention to the political parties of that time as I thought I had. But I get that. C: Nope. Totally my fault. XD C: What date was Bloody Sunday? I: Rats, I apparently stink at dates. I’m pretty sure it was 1905… in February? January? Ya just gonna have to tell me on this one. 😂 C: January 22, 1905, to be exact. I: I should get half a point on this one for almost being there. 😂 C: Given. ;) C: Who was Vera Zasulich, and how did she make Russian history? I: Never heard of her, but her name is pretty awesome so I’m hoping she did something equally awesome. C: Er...she was the first female who tried to assassinate someone in Russia. She also started the age of terrorism, which ended when Tsar Alexander II was assassinated. Sorry, not so awesome. :/ I: Ooof yeah, not that awesome but she might would be an intriguing character in a novel... *mind starts spinning with ideas* C: What was the first official city in the Russian Empire? I: I’m gonna guess Moscow, but it could be St. Petersburg. C: It was technically Kievan Rus, which was found by King Rurik, a Varangian chieftain. His great-grandson went on to become Vladimir the Great, who united the Russian Empire and is sometimes called "Vladimir the Russian Viking". I: AH! I should've known that. *facepalm* That's pretty epic! I mean, if I were a Russian king, I would want to be known as Vladimir the Russian Viking too. C: What primary source was written about the Norman theory, which claimed that the Vikings controlled the Slavic tribes that later became Russia? I: Oh, I’ll know the name when I hear it, but I can’t tell you right off the top of my head. (I’m beginning to understand what google is for now.) C: It's known as "The Primary Chronicle" by Nestor, a Slavic monk. I: Man, it was right on the tip of me tongue! I was thinking it ended with chronicle but couldn't remember the first part. C: Well most people call it "Chronicle" so you kind of already had it. 😄 C: Okay, last question!! Who gave the bubonic plague to the Russians? I: Gruffy the Soviet dog. 😂 I’m actually really curious to know the answer to this question now! C: *shakes head* Ha ha, nice try. Gruffy may have been the name of a Mongol, whose people gave the Russians the bubonic plague when they invaded Russia. I: Lol, yes, we will hereby dub the name of one of the Mongols as Gruffy. XD C: Done and done. XD Okay, that's all for now! You guys should totally check out Is' website if you haven't already, and put Don't Let Me Go on your TBR shelf. Comment below how many of these questions you got right! (And swing over to Is' blog on Friday, where I try my hand at Russian history trivia!) Until next week! ~Cate All About Issabelle Perry![]() Issabelle Perry is a proud Jesus follower, an extroverted writer of historical fiction, and a homeschool graduate. When she’s not writing, you can find her reading, jamming to Skillet, bullet journaling, studying Russian, hunting for Narnia in wardrobes, or envisioning herself wielding a magnificent sword (but due to her clumsiness, let’s hope that never happens). This self-proclaimed exclamation mark enthusiast can be found hanging out at Teen Writers’ Nook, a community of teen authors she co-founded in 2020. Issabelle is the author of Don’t Let Me Go (releasing early 2024 with Sky’s the Limit Press), May We Make Them Proud, and several short works. Currently, she is a proofreader for Havok Publishing and the co-editor for the Imagine and Tell Me You Love Me anthologies. What she’s probably doing right now is fangirling about her favorite books to random people or scanning the pantries for chocolate. Subscribe to her newsletter to stay up-to-date on book releases and writing projects: https://vintagelyizzy.ck.page/newsletter Blog: https://intomywritingjourney.wordpress.com/ 2/13/2024 0 Comments My Favorite Worldbuilding ToolsLast week, I talked about worldbuilding lessons that I’ve learned as a history major (here’s the link to that blog post if you want to see it!). Today I’m switching gears and talking about the best tools that I’ve used in my worldbuilding. I’ve been unofficially creating worlds as long as I’ve been reading fantasy (which is about the same time I started writing, so at least over a decade), but I didn’t start actually trying to build those worlds until I was in my teen years and honing my hobby-turned-passion. So, today I’m going to go over some of my favorite resources for the beginner worldbuilder. Books
Software(s)
Websites
These are just a few of my favorite worldbuilding tools. Do you have certain tools you like to use in your worldbuilding? Comment below and let me know!
Hey everyone! Today I'm doing a blog swap with a good writing friend, R.M. Archer! I have been a huge fan of her writing and her blog posts on worldbuilding. A link to her website is listed below so you can check out all of her amazing work. And now, I'll pass you on to her! When you pour time into building a world, you want it to serve its fullest purpose—especially if you’ve spent a lot of time on it. You want all of that work to pay off with more than just a pretty backdrop. The question is, how do you accomplish that and truly get the most out of your worldbuilding? Deepen Your CharactersYour characters should be impacted by the world in which they’ve grown up. Their surroundings, their upbringing, and the society they live in should shape how they see the world and interact within it. Besides that, they should also know something about the world they live in (even if they’re not experts). They should have opinions on things that are important to them and know how to engage with the world around them, even if they can’t tell you the entire history of their world. (Even real-world historians don’t claim to know everything!) If you’re struggling to deepen your characters or make your world meaningful to them, look at how your world might impact one’s thinking or expectations about life. See what habits might be fostered in the type of society you’ve built, or what might be frowned upon. You can also look at this in reverse and use your characters to deepen your world, as you learn what your character learns or allude to details through them. Even if these details have no true depth behind them, they can say something about your world and give your readers the illusion of greater depth than you’ve discovered. (If you’re interested in learning more about how to convey years of depth without years of worldbuilding, this idea of the illusion of depth is something I cover at greater length in my course The Worldbuilding Toolbox.) Shape Your PlotThere are a couple of ways that your world can shape your plot (and if you’re like me and prefer worldbuilding to plotting, these can be very helpful). First, your world can offer plot tools. This is sort of a shallow use of worldbuilding, but it can be helpful and it can work. One example of the setting providing a plot tool would be the tauntaun on Hoth serving as shelter and warmth in The Empire Strikes Back. The tauntaun doesn’t shape the story much, but its aid is invaluable to the characters. If your aim is to create a world that supports the story but isn’t especially complex, you may end up with a fair number of “plot tool” uses for your setting. Just make sure that they make sense and have been set up ahead of time so that they don’t become a deux ex machina. Second, however, your plot can be more tightly interwoven with your world as you develop more fundamental systems (e.g. magic systems, cultural structure, political machinations, etc.), which ought to fundamentally dictate some of your story’s direction. With a more complex world, you begin to open doors to stories that “could not have been told (or not so economically) in any other way.” Here you look to your world and its systems to find out what is believable to occur within this world and what would likely happen next based on the motivations and behaviors that you’ve already mapped out for your world. Support Your Theme(s)Themes can—and often should—arise naturally out of the problems and beliefs of your created society and world. At least, they should feel like they’ve arisen naturally. Your world should have problems—even if they stem from nothing more than poor human judgment. Different cultures will be prone to different problems, and thus different lessons to be learned from those weaknesses. If you’re struggling to find the theme of your story, look to your story world and ask what weaknesses might naturally arise from its surroundings, its values, or its structure. If you already know what theme you want to emphasize, ask what sort of setting or society might best highlight that theme with its strengths and weaknesses and use that to guide your worldbuilding efforts. Inspire Future StoriesIf you’ve created a fleshed-out world—or even if you’ve created a relatively shallow world with a few notable details you’re excited to explore—you can draw on this to inspire future stories as you discover characters, themes, or settings you’re interested in writing more about. While worldbuilding is often cautioned as a time-suck that distracts from writing, you can turn it to your advantage and use it to write more as you take fascinating pieces of your world and spin them into full stories. There are four ways you can get the most out of your worldbuilding, putting it to use for your story without becoming derailed in the details. I hope this post has inspired you! If you’d like, comment below with one way your world has impacted your story thus far. ![]() R.M. Archer has been writing for nearly as long as she can remember and has always been fascinated by fantastical worlds. Now, she not only builds her own but also teaches others to think deeply about the worlds they build and the values they weave in with them. Her blog—as well as her other worldbuilding resources and published works—can be found at rmarcher.com. |
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