Partially Frozen Lake.

Fire

happy sts! how do you pick character names? is there any particular reason to why you picked certain names for you OCs?

Oh, I love this question! Thank you so much for asking!

As much as I’d love to say that all of my character names are carefully chosen for them, it actually depends entirely on my mood and if I’m currently really into a particular book/show/podcast/etc. The characters I’ve been working with most lately are Oliver, Juno, Shiloh, and Maggie. Oliver and Maggie essentially just got their names from random generators (and I just made sure the generated name seemed right for their personalities).

Juno, however, I actually named after Juno Steel from The Penumbra Podcast. I adore his character in the podcast and, while my Juno isn’t really that similar to him, I wanted to have that sort of personal connection. When I chose Shiloh’s name, I, again, pulled from a character I (at least used to) like. She’s actually named after Shiloh (an adorable beagle) from the children’s book Saving Shiloh, which I read a ton as a kid.

I know I have tons of other characters I didn’t mention here, but that’s generally how my name choosing works. It’s either almost entirely random or connected to something else I love. (And, in the case of a super old WIP, it’s just a self-insert.)

Thank you again, @feathered-inkling, for asking me this! I’d love to get more questions sent about my writing (especially as I slowly share more of it)! And if you have anything you want to add to this, I’d love to see how other writers go about naming their characters.

The Legend Series (Legend, Prodigy, and Champion) By Marie Lu ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is seriously one of the best series I’ve ever read. The author gets you hooked on the characters and you just want them to be happy and she does such a great job of using that against you 😒. Anyway, I say they’re a must read for anyone if you like some adventure, action, and romance!

Rebel, Bully, Geek, Pariah by Erin Jade Lange ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book was absolutely amazing. The four main characters have the reputations that are listed in the title; you'd never really expect to find a situation where all four of them would get together and get along but this book sets that up nicely- even if it is thanks to some very serious crimes. The relationships and back stories of the characters are so real feeling that when I finished reading it yesterday I was actually sad that I had to let those characters go. A story that can get the reader emotionally attached like that is something that I recommend to anyone and everyone.

Up To This Pointe by Jennifer Longo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is absolutely a beautiful book. I enjoyed how it went back and forth between Harper’s time Antarctica and the events that led up to her going there. The characters are all awesome and I truly felt bad while reliving the hardships Harper went through. I definitely recommend this book to anyone that enjoys YA books, fun relationships between characters, and a nice amount of conflict.

Instructions For The End Of The World by Jamie Kain ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I absolutely loved this book. The relationship between Nicole and Izzy, her sister, developed dramatically through the book but not under very nice conditions. Nicole's view of her dad, whom she always listened to without question before, changes as well and it's surprising to look at how much backstory was given to her parents compared to many other books I've read. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read YA books or just likes reading in general because it's definitely an enjoyable story.

The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I read this back in February and unfortunately didn't have time to review it until now. I absolutely loved it! The backgrounds of the characters are even more complex than books with linear timelines. The main character, Nix (I believe), was tempted by so many different things to try to save herself from an uncertain future or not even a future at all. Her problem solving was beyond something I've experienced in any other book. I highly recommend this book!

I hope that you get to see your book at your favorite bookstore someday.

COVID-19 Support

Hi, everyone! I try to keep this blog as on topic as possible but I wanted to talk a bit about the impact COVID-19 has had on a lot of us.

First, I want to express to anyone that may need to hear it that it’s completely valid and understandable to be scared right now. Many of our lives have been completely uprooted thanks to this pandemic. Many of us have lost our jobs, been abruptly sent home from school, worried about our health, and dealt with difficulties staying home and away from others.

As cheesy as it may sound, no one is alone in this. We all, technically, have easy access to our friends and family still thanks to social media/texting. It can be difficult to actually reach out to others, however, and to help out with that I’d like to offer my support to all of you that may need it.

I know that most—if not all—of you that read this are not at all close to me, nor have I previously spoken with almost any of you, but if you need someone to talk to right now—about anything, really—feel free to message me. As long as your message doesn’t strike me as odd or threatening, I’ll gladly reply. If you want to talk anonymously, feel free to send me anonymous asks and I’ll gladly respond to them. Keeping our community happy and healthy is one of the most important things we can do right now and I really hope you’re all doing okay right now.

Stay safe out there,

Sonja