Authors Challenge June 2019

 The challenge I took on for May finished up Friday. I've chosen this new challenge, also from Debra Torres as one of the four (yes, four!) I've taken up this month. 

#AuthorsChallenge2019 Prompts

• Day 1 - Introduction - Since I've done this before, I kept it simple. "My name is Melody. My pen name is Robin McElveen." I have to be honest and say I was uncertain about whether or not to share that particular photo of me. I love to wear scarves on windy days to protect my ears. And this scarf is a favorite. I just had to snap a photo. 
• Day 2 - Digital or paper editing? - Once I edited on a paper manuscript, I have to say that became my favorite method, but it's pricey. I can't always work on paper, so I do a little of both.
•  Day 3 - Motto - Keep it simple, but still be yourself. I have such a hard time balancing my chatty default function with what actually needs to go into a novel. And for the record, I'm only chatty when it comes to people I know well or typing on a keyboard. 
• Day 4 -  Inspirational Object - I don't really do the 'inspirational object' thing, but my youngest gave me a chicken shrinky-dink that she made. (This happened a couple of years ago.) There wasn't a hole in the top so I couldn't make it a pendant. I stuck it to the front of my bullet journal, which is still mostly empty, and wrote those words on it. :) People and nature and music really are my inspiration to write. The chicken reminds me of my daughter, reminding me of my family in general, thereby reminding me of why I write.
•  Day 5 - An Imaginary Animal - Since my world is a fantasy world, all the animals are imaginary but I base them on animals and mythological creatures because how else are you supposed to do that? The snow leopard is similar to the tunnel cat that shows up in book 2, my current WIP. These animals can be trained to hunt. The lion dog (mythological) is the inspiration for one of the special beasts in book 4. And the bull (I guess...unless it's an aurox...but it still may be considered a bull), is similar to the bix'n in book 1.
•  Day 6 - WIP Fun Facts - This is pretty self-explanatory. :) 
• Day 7 - A Short Scene or Segment -
  

  ...When they came to a clearing, Tor called a halt for relief and refreshment. Aon chose a fallen log for a seat and was surprised to find Liha sitting beside him soon after.
  “Hello,” he offered nervously.
  “Hi.” Her reply was quiet but she offered a small smile which put him very much at ease.
  He smiled broadly in return. “Aren’t you a bit young for m’sa’filam?”
  “Oh, yes. I’m just traveling with A’ada.”
  “You’re Liha, right?”
  “Yes.”
  “Did you need something from me, Liha?” He smiled as her name rolled pleasantly off his tongue. It fit her shining countenance. She shook her head.
  “Oh.” Now he didn’t know whether to keep talking or just focus on the jerked meat hiding somewhere in his pack. It was strange that the girl would choose to sit near him rather than her own traveling companions.
  “Well,” she began sheepishly, a becoming blush staining her cheeks, “I was hoping to learn more about where you come from.”
  “Hmmm, I guess I might be willing to talk about home.” He paused for a minute to watch the brightening of her eyes. For a child, she was a beauty. “That is, if you would be willing to tell me of yours. I’ve never been to the Tanderali cities before.”
  “If it’s Tanderali cities you want to know of,” the fierce growl came from behind and above the two startling both, “I can tell you of Turmali City.” Zec’s fangs showed clearly in the broad smile belied by the menacing scowl he wore with it.
  “Zec?” Liha’s voice trembled and her brow wrinkled. “What’s wrong?”
  He turned to her and stepped over the log to sit on her other side. “Nothing,” he snapped.
  “It can’t be nothing. Something is clearly bothering you, Tanderali.” Aon was pretty sure why the tall, dark blue Genzetti interrupted them. The child was pretty, indeed no one would deny that. But she was still a child. Ah, well, ‘to the appit tree it’s parsh’, as the elders back home would say.
  “Well, nothing is wrong now.” Zec still wore his frown, though it softened. He propped his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands in between them, leaning over.
  “Where’s your travel sack?” Liha was all concern, completely oblivious to her own charm and the danger of sitting alone with strange males. Zec tensed again and Aon wanted to chuckle. He didn’t know why but this child either didn’t know or didn’t care at all about propriety. It had to be the first, though Aon didn’t understand why.
  “Over near Master Tor.” He refused to look at her, his terse reply too harsh. Aon watched as her companion worked hard to tamp down his anger.
  “Are you in the habit of making girls cry, Tanderali?” Aon’s wry tone nearly undid all his labor until he turned to see the truth of the words he spoke.
  “Ah, Li! I’m sorry.” He reached out toward her cheek and wiped away the tear which escaped with one thumb. Aon raised an eyebrow. How close were these two? ... ~taken from Over Land & Under Stone (Children of Y'Dahnndrya book 2) by Robin McElveen

• Day 8 - Website Start-up Tips - When prompted to share website tips, this is what I came up with.
  1. Choose carefully. Read the fine print.
  2. Ask questions. Clarify things you don't understand.
  3. Choose designs that reflect both you and your work.
  4. Don't be afraid to freshen the look of your site every now and again. But you shouldn't be afraid to keep it if you really like it.
• Day 9 - Movie About A Writer - If you guys haven't seen "Agatha & the Truth of Murder" you should definitely give it a try, especially if you are a die-hard fan of Agatha Christie. The movie was a fun, family friendly mystery I think any Christie fan would really enjoy.
• Day 10 - A Writing Triumph - I think it must always be considered a triumph to find your book displayed on a public bookshelf, either in a store or in a library, especially when you're self-published. My only problem with this picture is that my book is for young adults, while the other books on the shelf look like they're probably for 3rd grade and under. o.O I hope our library will adjust this soon so YA books will actually be seen by the people who are most likely to read them. At least I know kids won't be reading anything terribly beyond them in this book. It's also making me reconsider labeling my book so specifically. I may switch the genre of my books to simple fantasy or epic fantasy. :/ 
• Day 11 - A Fish Tale - "Ponyo" is the tale of a little magical being, sort of like a strange mermaid, who wishes to be human. It's an interesting spin on Anderson's "The Little Mermaid". The art in this movie is just as fantastic as the other Studio Ghibli films Hayao Miyazaki has worked on. If you haven't seen it, you really should, even if you only do so for the art.
• Day 12 - 'Adopt A Pet' Ad - Feeling down? Needing a connection? Craving acceptance? You, Friend, need a bizhal! Guaranteed to lighten the darkest of moods and stir the warmth of life within you. Half-price today only! ...If you want to know more about bizhals, you can read 'Ripples: Children of Y'Dahnndrya' book 1 in my series. The link is on the home page. :)
• Day 13 - Fun Pen Names - If I ever decide to write romance, it'll be a clean-read type of romance and I'd use this pen name: M.E. Ellodie. Cute, eh?
• Day 14 - You'll notice that day 14 is missing. It was a Follow Loop day and I was so very busy I didn't have time to type all that information. Plus, I think everyone knows how I feel about loops.
• Day 15 - Best Book Review Blogs - I don't follow many of these, but Maggie LeClerc is a good friend who recently started a book review blog called Arcturus Book Reviews. If you enjoy history, military, biography, and fiction books, you'll want to check it out. 
• Day 16 - Favorite Dad Character - I couldn't choose just one. So I picked two. The first is Takashi Yamada from My Neighbors the Yamadas. They're the only disfunctional family in a movie or on TV that I can tolerate and Takashi Yamada cracks me up. He tries so hard and he's so tired but he keeps going. Second is Mr. Bennet of Pride & Prejudice. I have enjoyed this movie in every incarnation that I've seen, those true to the Jane Austen novel. I haven't seen any of the spin-offs but I'm sure there are some fun ones out there.
• Day 17 - Flash Fiction-100 Words -
  

  “Ugh! Not again,” Nali groaned, baring her budding fangs. The treehouse remained out of reach. Her o’boer and his friends had dared her to try entering when they built it last Ek’shi and hung that rope through the floor. She’d been trying to climb it ever since.
  She gave the rope a vicious tug and swung it away from her. The knot on the end thumped her hard on its return. “Why can’t I do it?” she wailed, falling to her knees. “I just wanted to be close to o’boer,” she mumbled. “It’s all I have left of him now.”

• Day 18 - My TBR List - To see a small portion of that, you should visit my Goodreads bookshelf for those I'm wanting to read. It grows faster than I can put a dent in it.  
• Day 19 - I Still Remember... - Cassette tapes, 8-Tracks, record players, box TVs on legs, rabbit-ear antennae, good singers before autotune and other voice altering programs, non-digital cartoons, cartoons with only guy characters (which was fine with me, btw, if it fit the story), and so much more! 
• Day 20 - If I Were An Animal - I'd be a snarly pallas cat. I feel like this has got to be my spirit animal since I think I've made every expression the google search pulled up.
  Want to see more images of me? (aka Pallas Cat awesomeness) Click here to see what Google has to offer on this fascinating creature. Seriously... Every. Dang. Expression...
• Day 21 - A Good Summer Book - Come to Me Alive by Leah Atwood - This is a sweet, inspirational romance by an indie who gives her all in everything she does. Want to support an indie author? Then Leah Atwood is an excellent choice! (I shared more awesome indies in the photo whose work I greatly enjoyed over the past year. I hope you'll check them all out!)
  
• Day 22 - Cover Art - By far, the cover for OLUS is my absolute favorite of all the covers I've created. I hope I don't have to change it when I complete the rewrite.
• Day 23 - Funny Scene - There aren't many (if any) funny scenes in OLUS. It's actually a pretty serious book overall. Also, humor isn't my strong point. I guess the train wreck in the photo is apt considering how troublesome it's been to get OLUS written in a way I find pleasant. :/ That's kinda humorous...I guess...
• Day 24 - Pop Culture Quote - “Doesn't matter what the press says. Doesn't matter what the politicians or the mobs say. Doesn't matter if the whole country decides that something wrong is something right. This nation was founded on one principle above all else: The requirement that we stand up for what we believe, no matter the odds or the consequences. When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree beside the river of truth, and tell the whole world -- "No, YOU move.” ― J. Michael Straczynski, Civil War: The Amazing Spider-Man 
• Day 25 - Join the July Challenge - I don't know if I'll join the July author's challenge because I can't take on more than two. Camp Nano is going to keep me pretty busy. I'm going to wait and see what the prompts are before hopping on board.
•  Day 26 - Dear Reader -
  Dear Reader, Dear Reader, please keep in mind when you pick up my book and read every page, I've shared a small portion of myself with you. I worked very hard to create a tale to entertain you and share my thoughts with you. The way I perceive the world around me is reflected within the tale.
  

  Dear Reader, when you pick up my book and sail through the ocean of words within, please don't expect it to be like someone else's tale. Their tale is theirs and mine is mine and no two tales are the same. Dig deeper, dear Reader, and I'm certain you'll see what I mean.
  Dear Reader, when you pick up my book and turn every leaf, please take your time. Life forces us to move so quickly but a story invites you to be still a moment and take things in. Be energized, refreshed, renewed, and at ease.
  Dear Reader, when you pick up my book and peel back the cover, please know you are appreciated for taking the time to discover a new tale. Know that I send out thoughts and prayers for you and hope my stories will brighten your day.
  Dear Reader, when you turn the final page and snap the cover closed, please consider leaving a review. I want to do my best work and share that with you. If I know what you liked and what you didn't, you're helping me become a better writer.
  Dear Reader, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

• Day 27 - The Oldest Person I Know - My husband's grandmother is the oldest person I know. She's also like no one else I've ever met. When John brought me to meet his family for the first time, we stopped by her house first to surprise her. She surprised us by fixing biscuits and gravy. I love her feisty nature and love of laughter. I wish she and my maternal grandmother could meet. They're very different but they both love the Lord and would do all they could to support their children. When I think of both of them, I can only hope I'll be as full of life, loving, and supportive as they have been.
•  Day 29 - Writing Brand Tagline - I don't really have one.
• Day 30 - Three Writing Wishes -
  1. To keep improving
  2. To be positive-minded more often
  3. To encourage other writers

And now for the slideshow!