2-year blogging anniversary

Hello, friends! It’s been about a month since I last blogged, and I’m afraid I must warn you not to expect any kind of consistency from me for a while yet. I’m busy with school, work, college prep, and all kinds of graduation-related things. Then, of course, I will actually start college.

So my blogging may be somewhat inconsistent this summer/fall; but don’t worry, I have no intention of stopping. I love it too much to consider that.

Anyway, as you can probably tell, the point of this post is that I’ve been blogging for two years! (Well, really six years, but two on a public site.) I published my first “official” blog post on this blog on April 22, 2019. I was a shy sixteen-year-old and very much a newbie when it came to online interaction, but I am so glad I took the step to make my blog public — I’ve made so many friends, found like-minded creators and readers, and had a great deal of fun over the past two years. And I’m no longer a stranger to talking online (though I may still be a little shy sometimes ;)).

All right, on to the actual post…

⟡ stats ⟡

• My most viewed post of all time is announcing the Hope in Disaster short story contest! I really enjoyed hosting and judging this contest last year with my friends Charis and Kiki. If you’re interested, you can read the winning stories here.
• I’ve had 27,617 views, 2,785 likes, and 1,723 comments.
• I currently have 333 followers, which is a nice symmetrical number and also makes me very thankful. Obviously, followers aren’t the most important part of blogging, and I’d far rather have ten loyal readers than a thousand who don’t care about me (and, to be clear, I’m certain that less than half of those 333 people actually read/comment on my blog). But. It’s still pretty incredible to know that hundreds of people are interested in my content and writing. So thank you.

⟡ Q & A ⟡

Thanks to everyone who asked questions! I hope you enjoy learning more about me. Let the interrogation commence!

ask me questions! ⟡ a Q&A to celebrate 2 years of blogging

Hello and welcome! I think the title of this posts pretty much sums it up… I’ve been blogging for (almost) 2 years, so to celebrate, I’m asking you all to ask me questions!

I’ve never done a Q&A before, mainly because I find them to be overdone (generally) among bloggers I follow, and it gets repetitive if people keep asking the same questions. But since I’ve never done one before, there’s no way for it to be overdone or repetitive, eh? 😉

I’d love questions about literally anything (though, you know, I’m not going to give out personal info). So throw all your burning questions at me — the things you’ve wanted to know for the past couple of years but never dared to ask! (Mundane things are fine too. My favorite color is probably blue, if you were wondering. Or rose gold.)

You can also, if you wish, make assumptions about me. (I think that’s kind of the same thing as a questionnaire, only it’s framed differently. So… do either/both!)

Type out all your questions/assumptions/random thoughts in the comments, and I’ll answer ’em all in another post soon.

Tally ho!

the stories are true,

~ m a y a ~

P.S. I’m going to be gone on vacation next week, so even though my “official” blogging anniversary is April 22, the actual post will be later. (If you want a good laugh, search through my archives and find the post from April 22, 2019. It’s… something.)

I need your help! // take my reader survey

Hello and welcome, friends!

As the title of my post says, I need your help today. I’ve created a survey for all my blog and email list readers: a collection of questions about my theme, brand, and writing style.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about why I write and what audience I’m writing for, and I think this will help me figure that out even more. And I’m really excited to see your answers to questions like “which of my WIPs are you most excited about?” and “which font best encapsulates my brand?” 😀

The survey should take 10-15 minutes to fill out, depending on how fast you type and how detailed your answers are. (You can even finish it in 5 if you don’t want to leave long responses!) Afterwards (if you check this option), I’ll send you an email with charts and screenshots breaking down all the answers and talking about what I’m going to do next.

Thank you in advance for your time and I hope you have fun taking this!

click here to take the survey

Have a lovely day, friends.

~ the stories are true ~

meet the book blogger tag

Hey friends! I’m back!

I’ve been lacking motivation to post lately, but hey, it helps when you get tagged/find good tags multiple times in a week 😂 In order not to fall massively behind on all these tags, I’ve decided to do one. (And yes, I do enjoy them. I’m not doing it because I “have” to — tags are honestly quite fun.)

Thank you to Jan @ The Doodlecrafter, who (sort of) tagged me for the Meet the Book Blogger Tag! (That is, I found it on her blog, and she tagged anyone who was interested.) This tag was created by the Bibliomavens.

who is your all-time favorite book character?

Picking one favorite character is like picking a favorite book! Which is to say… I do have an answer (as I also have an answer for the “favorite book” question):

how to get back into writing // tips for inspiration + consistency

Hey there, friends! I’m sorry it’s been a while since I last posted. I’ve been busy with school and other stuff, and I also haven’t had much motivation to blog. Honestly, I haven’t had much motivation to write at all lately. But a conversation with a friend the other day reminded me that I need to get back into it, so last night I sat down and wrote 2k words (on a brand-new project instead of my WIP, oops). Then that gave me the idea to blog about how to get back into writing… so here we are! I hope this post inspires you to start writing again too — or just to stay motivated 🙂

Even if you’re not a writer, these tips can help you get back into anything you need to be doing (school, art, chores, etc.), though there are some writer-specific tips.

⯎ accountability ⯎

This is, truly, the #1 thing that will get you back into writing! Having somebody there to remind you to write is so helpful. Here are some ideas…

fantasy fandoms galore // two tags for fantasy month :)

Hello, fellow fantasy lovers! I’ve been tagged by the lovely Meg for the “get to know the fantasy reader” tag, since this tag is all about fantasy, I thought it was the perfect post for fantasy month. I’m also doing the official fantasy month tag/Instagram challenge, which I discovered on Christine’s blog!

If you haven’t heard of fantasy month, check out Jenelle’s post for all the details.

And, though this post is very long (sorry), be sure to stick around until the end for an awesome quiz to help you figure out which of the many books I mention in this post is right for you!

⟡ get to know the fantasy reader ⟡

If you could be the hero/heroine in a fantasy novel, who would be the author and what’s one trope you insist be in the story?

I know so many amazing writers that this is a really difficult question, but I think I have to say Christine. I absolutely love her characters and worldbuilding and all the little snippets she shares, and I would love to be in one of her stories!

Well… maybe I don’t want to be in any novel? I don’t really want to be a character just because all my darkest secrets would be out there for the world to see 😉

I’m not exactly an expert on the subject of tropes, but maybe the Chosen One? I think I’d like to be a chosen one with special powers.

the Disney character blog tag // feat. my charries and lots of fanart

Hi, I’m back to do another tag!

They’re an awfully handy way to write a blog post when you don’t have ideas, and I like how they let me link to some of my favorite bloggers 😉

Today I’m doing the Disney character blog tag, which was created, and for which I was tagged, by E.K. Seaver Thanks for tagging me, Emily!

Note: all fanart in this post was not made by, or for, me. Sources credited. 😀

⟡ rules ⟡

• link back to the tag’s creator
• link back to the person who tagged you (both of these rules point you to Emily! thank you, Em)
• pick 10-12 of your favorite Disney characters
• choose which of your cast of characters (from your current or a former WIP) reminds you of those princesses and tell us why
• tag 4-7 other people
• (optional) use the graphic Emily created for the tag (above)

Note: Emily told me I could use Marvel characters too 😉 And I took that to mean Star Wars counts as well.

I decided to pick main characters from my WIPs and match each to a Disney character!

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Kalrona (Remnant) ⟡ Loki (MCU)

Annnd… no one is surprised 🙈 Kalrona was literally inspired by Loki, so… yeah. He’s a prince of an immortal kingdom, he has long dark hair, and he likes to laugh at others’ pain. I hope he doesn’t just read like a Loki copy, except that if it weren’t plagiarism I’d wish he did because Loki is the perfect character for my story 😝

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introducing Red Raven // February is Fantasy Month!

My fantastical fellowship of friends…

This (awesome) linkup/gathering/giveaway/PARTY is hosted by the lovely Jenelle Schmidt. Check out her original post for info on how to join in the fun! The basic concept is that in February, anyone who wants to can participate by posting about anything fantasy-related. This year’s theme is “fandoms,” but I actually didn’t know that when I wrote this post… so I’m sticking with my original plan, to tell you all about my WIP idea Red Raven.

I talk a lot about Remnant (my main WIP) on my blog, but I haven’t really talked about Red Raven at all. Today that changes! Red Raven is a placeholder title for an adult fantasy novel with themes of orthodoxy and doctrine, salvation and forgiveness, and societal norms. It’s a placeholder title — I probably will change it if I ever finish it just because there’s already a published book called Red Rising (and in my first month on Goodreads I must’ve seen fifty books with “raven” in the title 😂). But it’s perfect because Red and Raven are the middle names of two of my main characters and I love the alliteration!

So, I’m pleased to introduce my new-ish (I had the idea in 2019 or 2020) pre-WIP (as in, it’s not exactly in process yet, except for brainstorming and inspiration collecting)… Red Raven.

(That was confusing, sorry xP)

Note: there are a lot of images in this post, and none of them are mine, but I didn’t cite sources due to the sheer amount. If you own an image and want me to credit you or take it down, please let me know ASAP!

the story

This is the part I’m the most shaky on… *laughs nervously* Red Raven is a romance. A story of class and culture. A novel about religion and the things we do to make sure no one challenges our beliefs. About the terrible steps we’ll take to pursue immortality. The outcasts of society who take it down, and the ones who build it up.

the Liebster award x2 // in which I am interrogated

I have been tagged for the Liebster award!

Twice!

Thank you so much to Grace A. Johnson and E.K. Seaver for tagging me. Both of them are amazing writers and bloggers so go check them out!

✰ rules ✰

• thank the blogger who nominated you (gratias tibi ago, Grace and Emily!)
• answer the eleven questions he/she asked
• nominate eleven more bloggers for the award (and notify them of their nominations)
• ask your eleven nominated bloggers eleven new questions

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✰ Grace’s questions ✰

1 // When did you first start your blog?

I started this blog in April of 2019 (almost two years ago, wow). You can read my first post here if you like. It’s a little cringey and very different than how I blog now, but I’m glad I started back then… it’s given me courage and a writing voice and an audience and so many friends.

meet my MC wrap-up // ft. tons of amazing characters (and my MC Aionladon)!

It’s time to meet everyone’s MCs!

Back at the beginning of January, I created a linkup for writers. Basically, it’s a list of 10 questions for bloggers to answer about their MC (main character) — or any character they wanted — in a post, then link back to mine so I could compile a list. Well, now the time has come to share that list with the world!! I hope you all enjoy meeting your fellow writers’ incredible characters.

And after I share all your posts, I’m going to introduce you to my MC, Aionladon Rynael!

(If you want to do the linkup now, feel free to use my questions/link back to my post, but I won’t be sharing it, so it’ll function more like a tag from now on.)

meet the MCs

Weez @ Caught Daydreaming // Gar + Alistair
Theia Grace, Writer // Hanna Lee
Liesl @ Quote, Unquote // Austin Blake Finch
Havalah Ruth Peirce // Lysander Emmanuel Dowding-Ellis
E.B. Roshan @ Shards of Sevia // Dunya Durband
Issabelle @ Teen Writers’ Nook // Keenum of Cedulnia
Heather @ The Frozen Library // AK + V
Joy Caroline Author // Temira
Callie @ Callie’s Corner // Idos Rakai Iskar
Lemon Duck @ World of Chronicles // Eileen Byrd
Mia @ Windows // Violet Blake
Jacob Unger // Tobias Hrothgar
Mary @ Wild Writing Dreams // Will
Evelyn Brooks // Andrew Erelius + Hope Kildara
Grace A. Johnson // Rina Blackstone
Ryan Elizabeth Writes // Jae-young Song
Jen @ Living Outside the Lines // Maelle
S.J. Barnard // Lisa Joule Johnson
Alexa @ A Fangirl’s Hideaway // Bentley

Thank you so much to everyone who participated! I didn’t expect this many of you to do it and I so loved meeting your MCs. 😀

And now it’s time to introduce my MC…