Tag: Reader

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N.E.W.T.’s Magical Readathon TBR August List

Avery Hemlock
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Longtime followers of the blog will remember I participated in O.W.L.’s Magical Readthon back in April. I had a lot of fun and met the requirements of my chosen career as a Writer/Journalist. I also picked up a few extra O.W.L.’s. I wasn’t the best student, but since I was participating in Camp NaNoWriMo at the same time I think I did pretty well.

For those of you unfamiliar with the two part readathon I’ll leave a link to Book Roast’s YouTube announcement video. As the creator the readathons she’ll explain them better than I ever could.

As in the books series, the N.E.W.T. challenge is more difficult than the O.W.L. challenge. Since I’ve just began writing the sixth book in my Hemlock Wolf Pack Series and will be writing during August (when am I not writing?) I’ve been more strategic about what I want to do next month.

To Recap Which O.W.L.s I received in April:

  • Astronomy
  • Care of Magical Creatures
  • Charms
  • Herbology
  • History of Magic
  • Muggle Studies

I received 6 out of 12 O.W.L.s which isn’t too shabby. In August I’ll be focused on just 3 core subjects: History of Magic, Muggle Studies, and Astronomy.

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Most readers are familiar with the N.E.W.T.’s grading scale, but for those of you who aren’t here’s the short version.

A for Acceptable.

E for Exceeds Expectations

O for Outstanding

I’ll be trying for an O in each of my chosen subjects. If I finish all 9 books needed for that I’ll look at prompts for the other subjects I received O.W.L.s in.

For my career as a writer/journalist in the wizarding world I’ll need:

  • History of Magic – Exceeds Expectations
  • Muggle Studies – Acceptable
  • One chosen subject (Astronomy) – Acceptable

TBR August 2019

History of Magic:

Acceptable: Read a Fantasy Book

Riverkeep
The RiverKeep by Martin Stewart

Exceeds Expectation: Read a book with a map.

Yes, The Griffin Mage Trilogy is technically more than one book, but I own them as a collection.

Exceeds Expectations: Reread an old favorite or a classic

See the source image
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Muggle Studies

Acceptable: A Cover that includes an actual photo element

Eleven Things I Promised by Catherine Clark

Exceeds Expectations: A Books set in our real world

I figured I’d need something to cheer me up after the Fault in Our Stars so I chose Comet’s Tale.

Outstanding: Book written by a person of Color

Willow Trees Don’t Weep

Astronomy

Acceptable: Moon on the cover or anywhere in the title

Outrun the Moon by [Lee, Stacey]
Out Run the Moon

Exceeds Expectations: Word night in the book title or series name

Dragon's Oath (House of Night Book 1) by [Cast, P. C., Cast, Kristin]
Dragon’s Oath a House of Night Novella

Outstanding: Read a scifi book or a book with stars on the cover

We Are All Made of Stars: A Novel by [Coleman, Rowan]
We are All Made of Stars

What wizarding career are you pursuing in August? Let me know in the comments!

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Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon TBR: August 2-3, 2019

Avery Hemlock

With all the writing I’ve done this year I feel so behind on my reading. I’m 4 books behind at the time of writing this. (Mid-July 2019) I’m really looking forward to taking a day away from the keyboard to dive into some books for the day.

This is my second time participating in a Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon. I really enjoyed it back in April, but I learned a few things about myself. First, I have to move around. I’m the sort who has a bit of trouble sitting still for hours on end. So, this time I’ll be taking more frequent breaks to move around. I think I wrote a readathon tips back in April, but I’ll be writing another one this time around now that I have a better plan.

If you’ve never heard of Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon it’s a day to set aside for reading. You don’t have to read for the full 24 hours. I certainly don’t plan to. Me without sleep is like taking a bone from a dog. It’s never a good idea. There are a lot of games, giveaways, etc. So, be sure to check out the website for more information.

This time the readathon will begin on August 2nd at 8PM EST and end the following night at the same time. If you need help figuring out which time the readathon starts for you check out this timezone converter. I never know what my sleep schedule will be like. So, this year I’m not going to time my reading. I’m just going to count up the books.

Since the N.E.W.T.s Magical Readathon also takes place all of August I’m taking advantage of Dewey’s to get a good start on my books for the month. I’ll post soon that readathon too.

Last time I made the mistake of planning my day a little too much and felt a little stuck in what I was reading. This time I’m going to give myself a little more variety and not worry as much about how much I read.

Riverkeep

That’s my planned reading for the day. I likely won’t make it through all 3 books, but if I do I’ll just pull more from my N.E.W.T.’s Readathon List.

What are you reading for Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon this August? Let me know in the comments.




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Reader Q&A

Avery Hemlock

This post has been a long time coming. I apologize for running a little later than I thought I might. I was really excited to hear what you guys wanted to know about the Hemlock Wolf Pack Saga.

Anna asks: How do you come up with the names and what one is your favorite book and why?

Hi Anna! Thanks for your wonderful questions.

Names can be complicated. A lot of the names for my book characters are borrowed from role play characters I played when I was younger. I’ve altered a lot of them to keep them separate from my awesome memories, but I do use a lot of them. For minor characters I have a baby names book that lives on my desk to thumb through if I’m stuck. Sometimes, the names just come to me from the mysterious place that drops ideas into the brains of writers.

I’m always a little shy to answer which book is my favorite, because I don’t want to sway readers on which book, they should like best. If I had to pick one it would be Omega Sight. Monta was so much fun to write. He’s from the part of the country I was born too and really trying to overcome prejudices he grew up with both about himself and other people. Also, Ross and Monta loved to argue for the make up sex. It took them a while to get it right, but when they did they made a lovely happy family. Monta is still one of my favorite characters.

Rachel asks: Two questions: 1) what made you decide to write MPreg 2) are you going to miss this series.

Hi Rachel! Thank you for asking!

Mpreg was a big part of my old role plays. I don’t remember how they were first added in. I think it was just to thumb out noses at science that said two people of the same gender couldn’t have a baby together. It took the real-world frustration and did something about it – at least in the role play. Also, I’ve never lived within ‘normal’ gender binary. So, why should my characters?

Then a friend introduced me to the concept of Mpreg romances as novels. I knew I had to try my hand at it.

If the Hemlock Wolf Pack Saga were to end, I would miss it, but there are some big things coming up in future books. I’ll keep writing the Saga as long as there are readers who enjoy it.

Sabella asks: Do you have an idea of how a story will turn out before you begin writing? Also, can’t wait for Sky’s story.

Hi Sabella! I wish I knew how long books would be. In the beginning of the Hemlock Wolf Pack Saga I definitely had a better grasp of just how long the stories would be. Now, I can guess, but most of them end up a bit longer than I thought. As a reader, I know that books in series tend to grow as the series progresses, but I never understood why until I was working on Healer’s Oath (AKA Doctor Bane’s Book.) There are a lot more characters and forces at play and to do justice for the series I need to give them all the time they need to tell the story.

I’m so excited to write Sky’s story! I’ve had it mostly planned since he and Darian came into my head. Yes, they’re twins so they came together. Okay, I’ll admit Darian came first. That’s why he’s the Hemlock Wolf Pack Patriarch and soon to be Pack Alpha. There are still a few books before Sky comes home. I know Darian and Bane are excitedly waiting on his return, but it’ll take something really impactful happening to bring Sky home. There are a lot of scars between him and his twin and old wounds heal slowly. Just talking about Sky’s story makes me want to work on book 5. That way I can write Sky’s story sooner. In future books there will definitely be more dragons.

Karsyn asks What is your favorite locale of your books and why do you like it the most?

Hi Karsyn! My favorite location was introduced in Omega Sight. At the very top of Hemlock Mountain sits a statue of Juda and Frost the founders of the Hemlock Wolf Pack. It’s a beautiful monument to what the pair went through to start and maintain their family. Eventually there will be a prequel where I finally share Juda and Frost’s story. I’ve shared bits and pieces including a few scenes of a play based on Juda’s life in my stand alone Ardan’s Oath, but I want to share the story that brought all of the Hemlock’s to where they are now.