1. If your character’s house burned down, and they were left with nothing but the clothes on their back, what would they do? Where would they go?
Ryan is in Avary's story, and... well, let's just say he's a bit of a loner. A gypsy. So, he rents out places and then quickly moves on a few months later. I'm not sure if having his house burn down would even phase him. Still, if it did, he'd probably rebound quickly and then find another place to live.

2. Are they happy with where they are in life, or would they like to move on?
HAHAHA.

*ahem* Excuse me.

Ryan is usually never satisfied. Well, he can be satisfied, but it usually doesn't last long. So the downside of his gypsy-ish personality is that he has a case of the wanderlust and definitely wants to move on. All. The. Stinking. Time.

3. Are they well-paid?
Ryan doesn't usually have a set job for very long. He's kind of like a hobo in the Great Depression days; he does whatever he can to make a buck. So, it really depends on the time, place, and job he has. Though I can say this, he has never been and probably never will be well-off. Usually, he has just enough to scrape by.

4. Can they read?
No, actually, he can't. At first I had put it down as a 'yes', but I think it would add an interesting twist to the plot if he couldn't read.

Beautiful People: Where you come up with dastardly deeds and interesting plot devices, all useful in torturing your characters.

5. What languages do they speak?
English. And sarcasm.

6. What is their biggest mistake?
Dropping out of school and leaving his family behind.

7. What did they play with most as a child?
A spinning top, along with a few toy cars. He would lay on his stomach, watching the top spin round and round on the floor. Also, he fashioned a bow and arrow out of sticks.

8. What are their thoughts on politics?
He's really apathetic, to be honest. Sad to say, I don't really think he cares. Politics bother him, no matter who's running for office, and he has more important things to worry about, like getting his next meal.

9. What is their expected life time?
Um... in a normal world, Ryan would live a happy life, settle down, raise a family, and die at a ripe old age.

This is not a normal world.

Due to several interesting occurrences (*cough*torturousplotdevices*cough*) he suddenly finds himself at risk of losing himself forever.

So, the answer to this question would be... nobody knows. In fact, his time on earth might be cut drastically short.

10. If they were falsely accused of murder, what would they do? How would they react?
He would take it with jaw clenched, all the while having anger bottled up inside. He'd do well to keep a hold on his emotions, so well, in fact, that he'd stuff them down into the deepest depths of his soul, never to be seen again. Speaking of never being seen again, that's exactly what Ryan would do. He'd take the accusations, and then he'd leave, running away to another place where no one knew him.


"I'm a runner, not a fighter." -Ryan

And I love you but I leave you
I don't want you but I need you
You know it's you who calls me back here
You've got a gypsy-soul to blameAnd you were born for leavin'...
[Colder Weather]

And now, I would like to introduce my very first vlog, starring me, Georgie, and Fin. :)



Anna Mittower, you won the typewriter print donated by Emily @ Anna Delores Photography!

Keaghan, you won the Shakespeare Inspiration Dice donated by Jennifer @ Palimpsestic!

Charity, you won the ornament donated by Faith from Inspirations by Faith!

Ashley, you won the notecards donated by Marguerite @ Piccadilly Post!

Melody, you won the author silhouette by Kirsten @ Hello Grey Day!

Winners, please email me at mountainfireflower[at]gmail[dot]com. Please email me by this weekend, otherwise we shall have to choose different winners.

Also, Anna, Ashley, and Melody, you get a choice on which prize you get, so please include that in your email.

Thanks for entering, and congratulations to those who won!

You may be able to bribe us into doing more vlogs. Just leave lots of offerings of cereal, rainbows, and other pleasant things.

I was hoping to do a vlog, but the time got away from me and I didn't have a chance. However, Fin and Georgie did put a vlog together, so you should go watch it! I'm basically writing here to announce the same thing they did: The Author's Giveaway is officially over. We'll be announcing the winners someday very soon, so keep your eyes open for that!

And now I shall add a few random notes to make this post more interesting.

First of all... this video is wonderful.

On a writing-related note, I've been replotting Avary's story, and I'm coming up with some great ideas. So excited. I love writing (when my characters cooperate, that is).

And, lastly, I got a haircut. Just a little trim, really, but much of my evening consisted of wandering aimlessly around the mall. If you saw a girl looking slightly dazed carrying a "Keep Calm and Rock Out" notebook... yeah, that was probably me. ;)

(In addition to a haircut, I also got a Pinterest. Yup, I caved. And... I like it a lot. Find me here.)

Lots of you have asked if Beautiful People would be continuing this year, and the answer is yes! Georgie and I are really excited to start it up again.

Just a quick brush-up on the basics: Beautiful People is a blog meme for writers hosted by Georgie Penn and I. Basically, we post questions, and you answer them about your characters. It's designed to help you get to know your characters better and on a deeper level. (You can find out more by reading the introductory post and the FAQ.)

We've tried to keep these neutral so you can answer them regardless of genre. However, if you do write fantasy or sci/fi, try to adapt them so that they do fit your genre, or pose the question as if your character was in a modern world.

Oh, and feel free to submit your own questions as well. Just leave them in a comment on either my blog or Georgie's.

I'd like to thank The Director @ Castles, Quills, and Cameras. She suggested that we try writing up scenarios and then asking how your character would respond. Thanks so much, Teedee! ;) We loved your idea, and hopefully it'll help BP be even more interesting. :P

Here is this month's round of questions.

1. If your character’s house burned down, and they were left with nothing but the clothes on their back, what would they do? Where would they go?
2. Are they happy with where they are in life, or would they like to move on?
3. Are they well-paid?
4. Can they read?
5. What languages do they speak?
6. What is their biggest mistake?
7. What did they play with most as a child?
8. What are their thoughts on politics?
9. What is their expected life time?
10. If they were falsely accused of murder, what would they do? How would they react?




Also, there are only three more days to enter The Author's Giveaway! Some of you have been unable to comment on my blog because of technical reasons. If this is the case, and you wanted to enter the giveaway but couldn't, please send me an email (mountainfireflower [at] gmail [dot] com).

If you haven't entered yet, you can find out how by clicking here.

Alright, here is the question which you shall answer in order to be entered in the ever-awesome Author's Giveaway:

Who is your favorite literary character, and why?

For me, I'd have to say Lucy Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia. (Picking my favorite was hard though since I have so many. Way too many. Flynn Rider for one.)

As for why... I just love her steadfast faith in Aslan, her childlike innocence, and how valiant she is.

As for why I like Flynn Rider... well, that's a whole different story. :P

Now it's your turn to answer, then head on over to Fin & Georgie's blogs now to answer their questions too. If you answer all three questions, you get entered into the giveaway 3 times. You can answer by either commenting on each post, or post all three answers on your own blog. We would also be grateful if you included a link back to the giveaway. If you decide to do this, comment with the link to the post so we are able to read your answers! Pretty simple, right?

You can see the prizes for the giveaway by clicking here.

When I was little, I wanted to be an inventor.

I kept thinking of ways I could make things better, make things different. Change the world.

I used to think it was weird that I could find amusement in staring at anything and everything. Or that I pretended I was somewhere else. My imagination was on overdrive then. Still is.

I used to think it was strange that I felt hope and joy in the most ordinary things. Staring out my window for example. Pretending I was someone else, somewhere else. Dreaming about extraordinary in the midst of my daily life.

Lately, I've discovered I'm a dreamer. It's when I'm dreaming that I feel alive. It's when I'm dreaming that I feel like... me. I've been trying to "grow up" and stuff down my imagination, but God's been showing me that it's okay to be a dreamer. And really, maybe that wasn't as weird as I had once thought.

So this is for the dreamers. The ones who think they're alone. They're the ones with stardust in their eyes as they sit and look for beauty in everything. Those who think that reality is a lovely place, but they wouldn't want to live there.

This is for the ones who love. Who love deeply. Fully. Who believe that life is more than just what we can see. The ones who believe that there's a Man out there who loves perfectly. Completely. Truly.

This is for the artists. The whimsical, creative types. The ones who can't help but paint, whether it's with paintbrushes, canvases, or words. The ones who return full circle to find out that they are indeed dreamers, and lovers, and artists. All at the same time.

Life isn't perfect, but it can be wonderful. Thank you to the dreamers for making the world a better place.

This is for you. And for me. And for all of those who dream.

Even though you may feel it, you're not strange. There are thousands of others like you.

You're not alone.

This set pretty sums up my life for the past couple of days. It was made by my dear friend Tessa.

(She makes brilliant Polyvore sets. She has also just become aware of the awesomeness of Ireland and Celtic Thunder.)

Welcome to my world. I'll see you in Ireland. ;)

On a side note, I'm hoping to emerge from my blogging break pretty soon. Until then, happy 2012!