A-Z challenge for L, M, N and a bunch of other letters . . .

Wow, I’ve been falling behind in this A-Z challenge. But just like in writing books, falling behind is okay. What matters is that you keep trying.

L is for luck. Ever since I was a child, I’ve had this strange skill—finding four leaf clovers. When I was little, I could put my hand on the ground and there’d be two or three four leaf clovers there. I must’ve found hundreds of them as a child.

M is for Missouri. I grew up in Missouri. I can still remember the summers that were so hot that it felt like your face melted off when you stepped outside. (Imagine sticking your face near an oven). And the winters with the snow that never lasted long enough for more than a few snow days. I remember chasing fireflies and the sting of mosquito bites. The lapping of water and the smell of worms and mud as I sat at a lake, fishing with my parents. Remember, the more details, the more real your setting will be.

N is for notes. I don’t do this as often as I should, but sometimes I take notes about life events to remember how that moment in time feels. When I read the seventh Harry Potter book for the first time, I ended up staying up for like 40 some hours because I had to work and then had other plans and then stayed up all night reading. After I finished, I wrote down how I felt so that if I ever had a character who was exhausted, I’d know what it felt like.

O is for oops. I’m accident prone. I’m messy. That’s life and I’m okay with it.

P is for pearls. I love pearls. I wore them at my wedding. It was a strand of pearls that my mom always wore and she gave them to me a few years ago. I think pearls are so classy. Does your character have any favorite jewelry? Do they have something special that was given to them from a loved one?

Q is for quiet. Do you write in silence? I can’t. I have to have distractions or I can’t focus. If I’m alone in an empty room, I don’t write, but if there are people coming and going or a tv on, I can write a lot. Do distractions help your writing or slow it down?

I, J, and K

I is for icecream. I love the stuff. Chocolate, vanilla it is all so delicious. I don’t have a favorite flavor, because it depends on my mood.

J is for Jessica. My older sister named me. She refused to pick any boy names because she refused to accept a brother. Lucky for me, she got her younger sister. She insisted I was named Jessica.

K is for kids. I don’t have any yet myself, but aren’t they great? When my nephew was little, he was obsessed with the letter t. When we would drive anywhere, if he saw a t on a sign he would yell, “A t! A T!”

G and H are for . . .

Gamer. I love video games. I grew up on Mario and Zelda. I’ve played a bit of World of Warcraft. My husband and I have recently started playing game called Pathfinder  (It’s like Dungeons and Dragons). I like it because you create a character and then every decision you make is based on what that character would do. So it’s sort of like writing a book, only the other characters are written by someone else and half the fun is when they do something completely unexpected.

H is for . . . Hedgehog. I own a hedgehog. He is the most adorable pincushion ever. His name is Olivander. He’s only a few months old.

Todays letters were both very unrelated and quirky, but that’s who I am. Do your characters have quirks? If they’re human they should. What are they?

F is for . . .

Family. My family is the most important part of my life. I have a very small family. Just my husband and me. And a very big family of parents and a sister and cousins and three beautiful nieces and a handsome nephew. I also have an even bigger family of fellow writers.

Each and every one of my family members have shaped my life in a million ways.

Big or small, how has your family influenced your writing?

How does your character's family influence who they are and the decisions they make?

E is for . . .

Extrovert. I’m an extrovert. But I’m also an introvert. In fact whenever I take any sort of test to discover if I am more introverted or extroverted, I always score right down the middle.

How does this apply to writing?

Make your characters real. Real people are not 100% introverts, 100% of the time. Don’t stopper the creation of a wonderful, life-like character because you think they must be one way or the other. Real people are an awesome mix, so real characters should be too!

A-Z Challenge Letters A-D Catch-up

I’m a little late jumping on the A-Z blogging challenge, but here I am.

My theme for this challenge is introducing myself, so hold on to your hats kids—you’re about to learn some random stuff. I hope to get to know my followers better as well.

Since I missed A-D this is going to be my massive catch up post. :D

A is for Author. I write books. I’ve been creating stories for as long as I can remember (Free time in first grade? Yup, I was writing). I haven’t published anything yet, but I have some big plans in the works.

B is for Biology. Here’s where it gets all random. I have a degree in biology. Science plus fantasy novels? Yes, yes it is a strange mix.

C is for Cat. I’m a little obsessed with cats. Not like in a crazy cat lady way, but you can guarantee if I visit someone and they have a cat, that cat is getting like 98% of my attention. I have two gorgeous cats (Stop by my blog long enough and you’re sure to hear stories of their antics).

D is for Dog. Okay, so as much as I love cats, I really love all animals. There is nothing better than being welcomed home by two excited dogs. I have two adorable puppies.

Well, now here is your part of the challenge! Do you write? What is your big dream? Do you have any quirky traits like a biologist/fantasy author mash-up? What is the one thing that can attract 98% of your attention?