OH. MY. GOD!
*hardcore fangirls*
*hyperventilates*
*dies*
Bahahaha! Okay. I’m not dead, but I am amazing! Well, at least, I feel amazing! Hahahaha! Why is that? Well, I’ll tell you…
I MET V.E. SCHWAB!
Boom, bitches! 😝
I was beyond ecstatic when I found out that my local bookstore was gonna be hosting an author meet-and-greet and signing with the one, the only, V.E. Schwab. I was dying! And I owe this lovely event to Epic Reads as they’re the ones who brought her to my Midwest hometown. THANK YOU! (finally! hahaha! 😂)
VE Schwab is such an amazing person who is really open with writers and readers. She knows who she is, and she supports everyone to be who they are. Not to mention, she offered some amazing writing advice: Handwrite that first draft. This has actually helped me to get started on a new novel and I’m so thankful!
In addition to V.E. Schwab, there were two author lovely, amazing YA authors.
Joelle Charbonneau was promoting her brand new release, Dividing Eden, but she’s also the author of Need, and The Testing series. I do believe this woman has a foot in almost every YA genre: fantasy, scifi, and contemporary mystery. That kind of cross-over appeal is insane! And I’m so ashamed I haven’t read her books, but Need has been on my TBR for a while. 😋 (And everyone knows about the struggles of my endless TBR. Hee hee!)
Joelle is a very energetic person. She can talk a mile a minute at ease and is so relatable that you forget she’s a famous author. It was such a blast chatting with her!
And to really round out the YA genres with some horror, Madeleine Roux was there promoting her new release, House of Furies. She’s also the author of the Asylum series, Allison Hewitt Is Trapped, and Sadie Walker Is Stranded. In addition to being an author, Madeleine loves playing video games. If only she had time for a Twitch stream. That’d be epic! 😄
Not to mention, she’s pretty much the edgiest author ever with tattoos, an epic haircut, and facial piercings. She’s who she is and I respect her so much for that! 😃
What I really loved about this event was the way it was done. Rather than a panel where the authors all sit behind a table and talk about their books or just answer questions, the audience was split into three groups. Each author would then sit in front of the group like it was story time and we would just chat. It was so informal and so much nicer than the pressurized atmosphere of panels. I couldn’t have asked for a better time! Well, maybe if I could’ve gotten signed books from every author. 😜
Sadly, I was on limited spending money and, since it was already a pay-to-attend event, I could only afford to buy one book. While I would’ve liked to get a copy of each of these wonderful authors’ novels, I chose a copy of Our Dark Duet. That way I have no excuse to not finish this amazing duology! 😊
Omg that sounds awesome!! Ever since I moved from Atlanta I haven’t been able to attend any book events/author signings 😦
I’ve heard good things about Dividing Eden and I also own (but have yet to read) A Darker Shade of Magic. Schwab’s books sound sooo good so I’m really excited to read this series as well as This Savage Song! As for Dividing Eden I’m sort of waiting to see if it lives up to the hype or not before I add it to my purchase list on my next book run 😉
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Hee hee! I like the concept behind Dividing Eden, but I’m worried it will either be too nice or too cliche. So, I’m hesitant to pick it up, especially with my physical TBR being such chaos at the moment. 😝 But hopefully I’ll get to This Savage Song soon. It’s been hiding on my desk. Hahahaha!
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I’m SO jealous! There might not be many book signings with famous authors in the Midwest, but I’m pretty sure there are a lot more than rural Denmark! 😛 I would probably have to go to London to find an event with a native English speaking author
What’s the best book signing event you’ve ever been to? 🙂
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Oh no! Yes, I’m sure there aren’t very many in Denmark, unfortunately. 😦 But isn’t that such a beautiful country? Why wouldn’t authors want to go there? 🙂
I’ve actually only been to two. :p VE Schwab and Kiera Cass (many years ago.) Though, I have a couple more coming up that I’ll share as well. 🙂 I hope you get the chance to see an author in person some day. Who would you most like to see?
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Well, Denmark is supposedly among the happiest countries in the world – maybe that could lure some authors to this tiny country 😛
Still, it’s pretty cool you’ve met V.E. Schwab and Kiera Cass 🙂 I look forward to hearing about the other events you’re going to. Will they be the same type of event as the one you just went to?
As for who I would most like to see, I should probably say J.K. Rowling, but I’m going to go for Ilona Andrews – I just love her urban fantasy books. Of course, if I could get a hold of a time machine, I would love to meet Jane Austen! Now that would be amazing 😀 What about you?
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Ohhh! That’s an awesome perk! I’d visit if I was an author! 😄
I’m not sure. They’re gonna be at a different bookstore and I believe hosted by a different tour host. We shall see. ☺
Hahaha! Yeah, I’m not big on meeting JKR either. Overrated in my opinion. 😕 Hmm. Someone suggested George RR Martin. He’d be pretty cool to meet. 😀
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I’ll remind you that you said that when you’re a famous author 😉
I look forward to it! Are you thinking about doing any book festivals this year? I did some research for a blog post on the topic and now I really want to attend one! There’s quite a lot of them in the U.S. – they might even have one or two in the Midwest 😉
Uhh, GRRM would definitely be interesting to meet. One might even be able to get some secret info on the future ASoIaF novels! That would be cool 😀
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Hee hee! I hope you do. It’ll give me an opportunity to visit you and your country! (I love traveling! 😄)
Unfortunately, no. Most book festivals are either too far away or too expensive… or both. 😂 I am a struggling graduate student. So money and time are tight at the moment. Maybe in the future, though. 😊
Hahah! Insider info would be really cool! 😀But I need to read the ones that are already published first. Oops! Hee hee!
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You’ll be very welcome here! The summer is pretty crap here, though, and the winters are long and dark – but other than that, it’s great! 😛
Ah, yes. Money and time – something I could definitely use more of too. I need to win the lottery or something (though, I would probably have to start actually buying lottery tickets to win something 😂). I know there’s a big book festival in Copenhagen this autumn which I might try to attend, but it’ll probably be expensive, so I’ll have to start saving (or win the lottery…)
Yeah, it’ll probably not be super helpful to learn all his secrets if you haven’t read the books yet, but then he might be more inclined to actually tell you everything! 😀
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Hahaha! Winters where I come from are super dark too! 😂 Why are your summers crap?
Bahahaha! I don’t play the lottery either, but my dad does. 😉 Oo! I hope you get to go!
But then wouldn’t all his secrets be massive spoilers?! 😲
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Well, summers here tend to be rather wet. Lots of rain and not much sun. However, this year seems to have been particularly bad. We’ve had A LOT of rain in July and a lot of windy weather too. It doesn’t help that the temperature hasn’t been about 25 degrees (celsius) even once this month. I’m pretty sure G.R.R. Martin was thinking of Scandinavia when he wrote about the crazy winters that lasted years in ASoIaF. 😛
I hope I get to go too! 🙂
True
Maybe it’s just better not to know. I’m the kind of person who wants to know what happens, but then regrets knowing everything when I do 😂
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Oo! Your summer sounds wonderful! 😀 When can I come to visit? 😛
Hahaha! I think that’s most readers, actually. 😂
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… Well, that’s one way to put it, I guess 😛
August tends to be an alright month to visit – we usually get one or two days of sunshine 😛 But if you don’t mind rain, then you’re welcome whenever you have the time 😀
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Woo hoo! I’ll see you in 6 years… when I finish grad school. 😂
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Great! I’ll put the kettle o- eh, I’ll…. I can’t wait! 😀
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😂
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So awesome you could meet them! What an honor 😍 Most authors don’t come to europe tho
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Awww! That’s so sad, Klara! Maybe they just don’t realize how many amazing fans they have over there. (And airfare from the US is VERY expensive. sigh) Who would you most want to meet if you could?
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From the living authors I’d like to see J.R.R Martin the most. His books are amazing and the historical details are mind-blowing. But he’ll probably never come to Europe
But there is still hope 😍 JK Rowling would be awesome too😍 though tbh to fly to London for a signing session is just too expensive. .
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Ah! George R. R. Martin is pretty epic and he seems like a really cool guy (I’ve seen a few video interviews.) He is pretty much the grand master of writing high fantasy now. Definitely would be worth it. Though money is an issue. I understand.
Not sure I’d want to meet JK Rowling, personally. I’ve tried to go back and re-read her books and was thoroughly unimpressed by her writing ability and I didn’t enjoy 5-7 originally anyway.
But who knows. I’m on the wrong continent and maybe it’d be different if I knew she was gonna be nearby.
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Maybe, so you are not a Harry Potter fan? George RR Martin is a genious when it comes to writing and story telling. And he has quite the political opinions and isn’t shy when it comes to express them. It would be wonderful to meet him
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Oh. I’m a fan, but… I think the writing was sub-par and it’s overhyped.
Still, I’m a diehard Slytherin and will protect my house to the very end! 😀
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It is overhyped 😂 I for one didn’t much enjoy the first two books, simply because I felt like the characters were a little flat. But considering the targeted age, I could forgive JK Rowling. I think I will still go and buy stuff at the HP store in London 😍 Love the merch haha
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HAHAHA! I totally love the merch! I bought a wand and a Slytherin scarf in HP World down in Florida. :p I totally defend my house, but I definitely think the writing was sub-par.
So, I think it’s more about the fandom than the real story, you know?
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Haha I know 😀 I do love the last book of the series even though I thought it was a little too stretched out. I don’t think a book has to be perfect for someone to be part of the fandom
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So true! You can love the elements of the fandom, and just how proud the fandom is, but not like the series. I personally didn’t like the ending of the series.
But I thought it was too perfect. :p
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It was a little too perfect but I think it did fit the overall construction. A monther’s love saves Harry twice. That is kind of poetic. I did like the series though I would have wanted the characters to be deeper and more developed. She does display teenagers fairly well but Harry doesn’t seem to think much throughout the series if you know what I mean 😁
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Bahahaha. Looking back on it, Harry is such a passive character. Things happen to him rather than the other way around. That kind of MC is not even allowed nowadays.
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Haha true 😂 but I liked him nontheless. To Rowling’s credit, the books would have been longer if not for her editor.
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OMG YOU’RE SO LUCKY! I’M SO JEALOUS, I WANNA MEET HER SO BADDD.
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Hahah! I was just in the right place at the right time. Maybe you will get the chance to meet her someday, too! 😄
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I’m glad you had such a great time and I’m sure I’ll get to meet her one day too and it’ll be great haha
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Thank you! And I’m sure you will, too! 😀
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It was AMAZING Melanie! I wish I could meet all these authors too. I’m so happy you had a blast 😉
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Aw! Thanks, Sophie! I hope you get to meet these amazing women too! 😄
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Love the blue in your hair! And so awesome that you got to meet these ladies. The author I would most love to meet is Anne Rice.
I’m not sure you’ve seen our post about it, but we’re about to launch our special division for indie authors at the firm (www.blackcatastrophy.com) , and we’d love to post some of your book reviews, author news, etc. It’s not just limited to indie authors. Throw ’em all at us.
Let me know if you’re interested!
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Aw! Thank you! I finally work a job where I can dye my hair again. Bahahaha! (It’s actually washed out to a silver now. :p Oops.)
Oo! She’s a really good choice. I haven’t read her books, but goodness knows I’ve heard of the movie adaptations! She would be amazing to meet! 😀 adds more books to TBR even though I shouldn’t
That sounds really cool, Alexis! I love the name, too! I’ll take a look at it and would love to know more. 😀 Maybe chat about it on Twitter DM?
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Haha, I’m working on my silver hair. No luck. Curse of being a brunet.
You haven’t read any Anne Rice? You need to. She’s an amazing writer. I would say of any author she probably influenced me the most.
Awesome! Not Twitter DM though. I get so much spam, that I keep missing messages there. 😦 Shoot me an email: https://alexischateau.com/email/
Can’t wait to hear from you! ^_^
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Oh! You’re going for the silver hair? I imagine that takes a LOT of bleach jobs. 0.0 Are you doing full or partial dye?
I have not. sigh Though, to be honest, I’m not big on paranormal or horror. Nor is anyone I know. Thus, my excuse is that I was never exposed to her or her style in the format of books.
But I’d like to! (I’ve been trying to get more into horror lately, anyway.)
Ah! I feel you! I’ll definitely send you an email! 😀
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Well just silver tips and streaks. You can probably tell from my pictures that a part of my hair is already bleached. Just trying to push them further to the grey/silver side.
That’s one of my favourite genres. Fantasy and paranormal are very closely entertained. I love both.
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Ohhh! Now I see it. It was so subtle I hardly noticed, but I imagine it takes a while. (I had a few Korean friends who went through the bleaching cycle and I remember it taking FOREVER.) How long have you been working on this?
See and I find paranormal to be VERY different from fantasy. However, I often view fantasy in the high fantasy aspect whereas paranormal, in my mind, errs on the side of Urban fantasy (which I hardly consider fantasy most days. :p is super weird about classifications)
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It’s more obvious in person, I think. It didn’t take long. I had it done professionally last year and have just been touching it up with peroxide since. It’s getting a little lighter but I’ve got a long way to go.
Paranormal and urban fantasy? That doesn’t describe Anne Rice at all. Her paranormal books, especially the vampires, are more like historical fiction. I’ve read books from her around 800 AD. Her werewolf series and the last addition to the Vampire Chronicles are the only modern ones and even then, definitely not urban. All her characters are old world classy people, who for some reason listen to Beethoven at 27…
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Wow. Last year? That sounds like some dedication. I definitely don’t think I would have the willpower to wait that long.
(But I also don’t do much with my hair in general. :p)
Ohhhh! I see ‘vampires’ and I assume paranormal/urban fantasy. That’s generally where they fit, but historical fiction would be really cool! 😀
What’s wrong with Beethoven? He’s such a boss! :p
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I bleached it last year. Just been spraying it with peroxide to lighten it further over the past 2 months or so now that the blue and green is out.
Haha, you can blame Twilight for that. But vampires are a part of folklore and tend to be tales told in the past.
Nothing wrong with him. Just not many people our age would be able to guess the song and the key it’s playing in.
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Hahahaha! I think you underestimate our generation! 😂 All you need to do is run into someone who played/plays classical music. 😉
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Haha, I don’t mean that. I mean she makes it appear as if it’s the norm. If you ever get around to reading her books, you’ll see what I mean.
All her characters listen to the same music, read the same books, and are usually based in Louisiana. I love her and think she’s a great writer, but those are constants in her book. The lead character is also usually a blue eyed blonde male, and of Irish American heritage.
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Ohhhh! That’s really interesting. I will keep an eye for that whenever I find time to read her books. 😜
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OMG! That’s AMAZING! It’s my DREAM to talk to VE Schwab in person! Though I think I might get too nervous and I wouldn’t even remember how to talk haha (I might just sink into a puddle and melt into the floor) 🙂
Good luck on the novel that you’re writing! Hoping that we can read it some day 🙂
By the way! I nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award!
https://sophiexli.wordpress.com/2017/07/21/100-followers-and-the-versatile-blogger-award/
I wouldn’t be surprised at all if you’ve already done this 🙂
Cheers,
Sophie
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Bahahaha! You’d be a very adorable puddle, Sophie. :p And don’t worry. I’ve got enough confidence for the both of us. I’ll lend you some. 😀
Okay. I seriously just went: “What novel?” Bahahahaha! this is what happens when I prep my posts days-weeks in advance. And thank you! I’m hoping I get to share my novels, too. 🙂 crosses fingers for query letters that are out right now
Aww! Thank you so much, Sophie! I don’t even know what awards I’ve gotten any more. :p (It’s been almost two years. hahahaha) But I will definitely check out the fun facts about you! 😀
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Wow you’ve sent in query letters?! Good luck!! I’ll cross my fingers for you as well 🙂
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Haha! Yes, this is my second novel I’ve queried. :p Thank you! Here’s hoping. 🙂
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That’s great that you’re keeping at it!! Hoping to hear good news 🙂
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Always! You have to keep at it because your life isn’t made of just one story, nor will your writing career. And you will get rejected more times than you care to remember. (aaand I have a horrible ability to focus on a single story. Too many ideas trying to grab my attention. It’s a miracle if I actually finish a book. sigh)
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Haha I know what you mean! It is easier now because I am so engrossed in my story and I love my characters so much, so that’s practically all that’s on my mind. But when I come up with a new idea I write it down and save it for later 🙂 (if I don’t write it down I will forget for sure!)
I haven’t started querying yet but it does sound like a tough process. But even Stephen King has a few rejections before he made it big 🙂 I guess the lesson is to keep trying!
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Hahaha! My brain is too easily consumed by new ideas that it just drops the one I’m working on. Stupid brain. 😜
And yes. Querying is like shooting an invisible fish… in an endless ocean. You could be the best writer on the planet, but if that agent doesn’t like your story just enough, it doesn’t matter. (I actually experienced this just recently with a personal rejection.) Oh well. Back to querying. 😜
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Oh gosh, querying does sound like quite a beast
and it sucks that it depends on the opinion of one agent… Keep it up though! I think it helps to have a good online presence (which you do!) 🙂
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Hee hee! Thanks! Rejection is just part of life and if you can’t handle it, you’ll never make it as an author. But continuing to write has actually continued to improve my writing and my voice. The more novels you write, the more I feel you understand what it takes to write a good novel and find your own style. 🙂
I know you’re writing a novel, too, but I can’t remember if I asked you much about it. How far along are you? Do you want to self or indie pub? 🙂
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I agree that being able to handle rejection and ploughing onward is so important. And I definitely found that my writing got so much better after I began writing (and reading) more consistently this year.
I am on my 4th draft right now (maybe 30% through haha). It is my first real novel, since I have done a few nanowrimos before but haven’t really gotten around to editing. I want to focus on becoming a better writer and finding my style first before thinking about publishing. Maybe I will put it on watt pad when I am done 🙂 Not sure if I want to write contemporary or fantasy yet (my current one is contemporary) 🙂 what genre do you write?
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Wattpad is difficult to get involved in. It can be quite time-consuming because it’s a lot of self-promo and reading others’ work so they’ll read yours. I tried it, but it wasn’t really for me. I’d rather spend that time writing my novels because that’s what’ll help me in the long run. But I know people who have done it and have become popular. So, who knows. 🙂
I write YA Scifi. Do you enjoy world-building? That could be a good way to determine fantasy vs contemp.
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I looked into watt pad a bit and it does sound time consuming. I’m not sure if I will have time to read other people’s novels along with actual books that I want to read! And I get what you mean about wanting more time to write. I might give it a shot anyway, but at least it’s good to go in with realistic expectations 🙂
That’s cool that you write sci-fi! To be honest I haven’t done much worldbuilding haha! After my current novel is finished, I might experiment with that 🙂
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Mm! I gave it a shot, as well. Just relaying my findings. 😜 Maybe you will have better success.
Ah! World-building is my favorite part of writing!!! 😂 So much so that apparently I’m Dungeon Master for D&D should my bro, SIL, and I ever play. Hahaha!
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It’s definitely great to hear your experience about watt pad since I will know what to expect 🙂
Haha that’s great that you love worldbuilding. Seems like sci-fi would be right up your alley 🙂 I am a bit nervous but excited to try it for my next project (low fantasy/supernatural)!
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Haha! Yes. Scifi is quite up my alley (especially being a scientist.) The world is usually the first thing I start with for ideas. 🙂 Best of luck with your next project! Sounds exciting! Let me know if you want a writer friend to chat/vent/brainstorm with.
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Thank you! I’ll have to tie up this project first! (almost 50k and only half-ish way through haha… I think now I know what you mean in that I am starting to get excited about new projects!)
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Hee hee! I’m really bad at finish projects. New shiny projects are just so tantalizing. :p
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Haha that is definitely my struggle right now!!
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I must kill you now!!! Schwab AND Roux???! SO LUCKY!!!
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Bahahaha! You can’t kill me? If you do, you’ll never get your Dark Side cookies. 😉
And yes, I felt very lucky. I’ll have a few more of these posts coming up in the next few months. Apparently there now bringing author events to the Mitten state. Woo!
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I guess I will let you live. Maybe I need to come visit you so I can meet them too!! I’m surprised I haven’t heard of any events near me in AZ.
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Hahaha! You wouldn’t be the first to do so. A friend actually did come from out of state for Schwab. 😜 And that is surprising. I know there are a lot in Utah. (That’s… kind of close… right? O.o)
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Hmm, I don’t know. Lol.
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AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 Omg this is AMAZING! How exciting!!! fangirls for you Also your blue hair is amazing! So exciting!
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Hee hee! It is very exciting. And I guess my hair is exciting, too. :p Thank you! Glad you like it! 😀
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What an amazing event! So glad you got to go to this! And yes! I agree with the previous comment that your hair is amazing!
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It was an amazing event! 😀 And I’m happy we finally are getting author events in the area. 3 more in the next 3 months. Though, I’ll hardly be able to compete with you. :p
Awww! Thank you! It’s lost the blue now and is silver, but that’s what I was going for originally anyway. Hahaha! Color is so hard to keep up on. :p
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That’s so great! Author events are definitely my favorite thing. And that’s such a fab one that you guys got!
Well, then mission accomplished. LOL. I pretty much just leave mine as close to its natural shade as I can stand these days, because I don’t want to get it done all the time anymore!
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Right?! I watched my mom dye her hair endlessly growing up and I was just like: “Nope. I ain’t got time or money for that.” 😂
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I mean, seriously. There is no money for that when you have to buy books! LOL.
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I loved being there with you…are you coming to Susan’s event?
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I should be. It’s on my calendar.
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This is so awesome!
Unrelated by your hair is amazing. Seriously I love it!! 😍
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Hahaha! Thank you! 😀 I’m glad you like it. (Secret: It was supposed to be silver. 😂 Oh, hair dye, you fickle beast.)
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