Author: Libby May
I’m Not Here!
Hello! This isn’t actually me! Ok, yes it is. But at the same time it’s not. At the time you’re reading this, I will be somewhere on the east coast. Not exactly sure yet… maybe New York City?
Let me back up a bit. Last September my family and I were like “Hmm. We need to plan our next family vacation.” Once every couple years we go on big trips. One year we visited San Diego, Santa Cruz, Los Angeles, and Disneyland. Two years after that we made a donut around Nevada, going to Salt Lake City, the Grand Canyon, San Diego Zoo and San Fransisco. This year my mom really really really didn’t want to go to California. So on a whim she suggested we strike out and go to New York. It was a laughing sort of suggestion.
Now, eight months later, we’re going. We spent the time saving, planning, gawking at the fact that we’re actually going, and getting excited.
But no, we’re not only going to New York. This is a big deal. A huge trip. We’re going to be on the road for three weeks. We’re taking full advantage of it.
I am going to post all these goodies, photos and fun stories when we get back though. For now I wanted to share different types of music I enjoy listening to. Just cuz I want to. This blog is for sharing things I like, right?
Writing Music
I listen to both instrumental and lyrical music when I write. It really depends on my mood. Some of my favorites are Jazz albums.
Songs by Hallal Music which is an acapella group.
I also really like the Tron Legacy music soundtrack for more intense scenes or when I’m writing dystopia.
Jamming Sessions
When my sisters and I are home alone, we like to turn the speakers up and sing our hearts out. These sort of songs are awesome and make me smile and sometimes we dance and other times we float. It’s a lot of fun to hang out and enjoy each others music.
One song I really like is by Alessia Cara.
Another is from the cartoon “Mr. Peabody and Sherman.” I just love the lyrics and the way that the emotion is played through the music. It’s a good song!
And then of course we have The Greatest Showman. I haven’t seen the movie and don’t think I plan to, but the soundtrack y’all THE SOUNDTRACK!
Worship Songs!
Majority of what I listen to is Christian music, worship music. Just good, soul filling songs! Here are a few of my most favorite.
This playlist has 496 songs on it at the moment, and is forever growing. If you have a Spotify go ahead and give it a follow!
That’s all for this week. See you later!
~Libby
Dawn Chandler: Blog Tour
Hello Girls! Welcome back for yet another Blog Tour! I had the honor of jumping in on this one later in the game, however, I am excited to share this book with you all!
I reached out to Eliza via Instagram a couple weeks ago and let her know I was interested in participating in this blog tour. I love helping authors! Staying true to my standards, however, I requested a review copy so I could know exactly what I was talking about when I went to write this tour post. Guess what? I enjoyed the book!
Before we get into the review, let me show you the adorable cover:
This little story is aimed for ages 9-12 but after reading it I can recommend it to girls up to 16 years old too! It was very clean, entertaining, fun to read and the thread of hope and lesson was so well ingrained into the story that I personally enjoyed it!
Dawn Chandler likes the way her life is— or was. She liked going to the mall with her best friend, excelling at middle school, and attending church with her family. Typical life for a twelve-year-old in the city of Fresno.
When Dawn’s parents announced they were going to homeschool her, on her birthday no less, she felt like her world was falling apart. Normal kids are supposed to go to school, not read books at home. To make matters worse, they may be leaving the only home she’s ever known.
What are her parents thinking?
Before making the final moving decision, the Chandler family visits Lone Pine, a small town between Mt. Whitney and Death Valley. While there, Dawn and her siblings become acquainted with their eccentric great uncle, explore the new area, and meet a large homeschooling family. All of this makes the ‘vacation’ more bearable. Still, Dawn isn’t sure if she can make the move and leave everything she’s familiar with behind.
Can Dawn learn the values of faith, family, and contentment?
Review
When I started reading this story, I did it for the blog tour, for the sake of leaving a review, but after I finished, I was very sad that I had come to the end of the story. I connected with the characters and liked them as my own friends. I saw the colors and felt the snow and understood the things that Dawn was going through. It reflected on some of the things that I’m going through, and it both encouraged me and made me smile.
Some of my very favorite points that this particular book touched on were homeschoolers being normal too. The way that Dawn handled her troubles with her best friend Abigail were very very sweet and encouraging to watch, and the character arc, though pretty rough in a spot or two, worked very smoothly from beginning to end. I also admired so much the fact that this book was so CLEAN and yet so fun! I couldn’t be more excited to share this with my own sisters, and that’s why I’m so excited to share with you girls on my blog! I highly recommend checking it out! You can add it to your goodreads here.
Giveaway
Dawn Chandler comes out May 18th, which is Saturday. You can pre-order the Kindle version via a link in Eliza’s blog! However, if you’d like to join in the wonderful giveaway to try and win a paper copy, here’s the box!
a Rafflecopter giveawayIt’s honestly so hard to find clean, wholesome, and yet not vain books for girls. I’m so happy with this book, I’m excited to get it onto our family bookshelf soon. You should too! Finding contentment, as well as a good attitude when obeying our parents in things we don’t quite understand is something all of us struggle with and have to learn.
About the Author
Eliza Noel is a home school graduate with passion for Jesus, people, and literature. Growing up, her favorite books were always Nancy Drew, Anne of Green Gables, and Pride and Prejudice. Around age twelve she wanted to read something with positive values in a modern setting, but couldn’t find what she was looking for. So she wrote it.
When not doing something book-related (reading, writing, blogging, bookstagramming), Eliza works at her day jobs, spends time with her many younger siblings, longboards, has coffee with friends, eats chocolate, and listens to music. California is home, but she would like to travel more and feels she could learn to be content anywhere.
You can follow her writing journey and see snippets of her everyday life on elizanoelauthor.blogspot.com or by following @elizanoelauthor on social media.
Her blog: http://elizanoelauthor.blogspot.com/ Is also the base for all the blog tour goodies, so don’t forget to check it out! Thank you guys for reading.
Live, laugh, and love, girls!
~Libby
Defined
Never ever let people define you. Never let their words, their actions, their behavior make you doubt yourself as a person. Never let their judgment or their prejudice or their issues undermine who you are and what you are and how your blessed and what has taken place in your life and how much you’ve grown and are growing. Don’t let someone’s blunt comment or elaborate rant or even their absence snatch from you the confidence that you have inside. They do not own it. They cannot have it. You are not defined by their opinion or their presence. You are loved, you are forgiven, you are blessed and adopted and renamed and righteous in the priceless,precious blood of our Savior Jesus, the Creator of the universe. He came to earth and lived a sinless life, and suffered beating and humiliation and died on Calvary to show you how much HE loves you and what He thinks of you and the depth of His dedication to you, love, is beyond your comprehension. He has given His flesh and blood so He could claim you as His own. He sees in you His beloved and is His heart and His Bride. You are the Bride of the Son of the Living God and if anyone ever tries to take that humble confidence from you then turn away and leave. You are not defined by their opinion. You are defined by the person that He has made you, the person that He is shaping you to become, the person that He already sees you as, and loves you, and died for you and the person that He waits patiently for the day when He can finally take you as His Bride and show you just how much He loves you.
This applies not only to people outside, people who speak or don’t or look, cast glances, or ignore you. This also applies to your inner doubts and thoughts, whether planted there by someone or simply planted there by Satan. Yes I say it. Never in this life will God send you doubts about your own self worth. That is always always always the enemy. It’s lies, attacks to throw you off. Don’t listen to them. There is no truth in them. You are loved and forgiven. Remember the lengths that our God went to to save you.
We fail sometimes to deflect those attacks, but there are two important things to remember. First, you will ALWAYS get back up if you’re saved. And second, never ever doubt your position in salvation. It was not by works nor by glory that you earned your salvation but by the blood of God that you have been purchased. You are non-refundable. And God has throw away the receipt because He is so in love with you He’s washed you clean and He will NEVER let you go.
That’s all for today.
Live, Laugh, And love, Girls. 😀
~Libby
April Nano Wrap-Up
Hello all my dears! I hope you had a wonderful amazing April! May is here now and we have sunshine and flowers and… well soon at least. In my head spring starts in May, so now I’m finally getting excited for summer XD
Today I completely forgot that I didn’t have a post scheduled, so I apologize in advance if this is a bit messy and hurried. I have to make dinner in 15 minutes XD.
First, I was in the Wordsmiths Cabin this year. Penny and I decided to jump on in since she knew quite a few people on there. Jo and Chloe and Tess and Liz and Emmie thank you guys for your awesomeness and encouragement. You guys were always sharing snippets which were so much fun to read. I loved the little game we had going all month and I finally learned what a word crawl is. XD
This month for Camp I continued my Playgrounds and Black Markers project that I started in November. As I’m writing this I have a total of 6 chapters and the epilogue to finish it. That’s a little less than 15k words.
I originally set my goal to 35,000 words for the month of April, however, after I counted up that I needed to completely finish the novel, I decide to shoot for the stars and set my goal at 63,000. Towards the end of the month, the last week I think, I could see that as hard as I was working, 63k wasn’t going to happen. Since I had originally planned 35k I figured it’s very fair to lower my goal down to 55k and I reached it! This brings Playgrounds and Black Markers to a rough word count of 125,000. That’s almost twice as huge as Dewdrops and Butterflies, but I’m not all that worried. XD
Since I’m almost down writing this book, I figured it’s finally time to make my Pinterest board public. Up until now it’s been completely private and none of the pins have showed in the side widget that I have for my Pinterest account. That will now change. Click here to scroll through this aesthetically heartbreaking wonderful board.
In other news, my Alpha files for Dewdrops and Butterflies have finally been completely sent out, and my third (or forth? I lost count) of edits will be starting soon.
How was your April? Did you do NaNoWriMo? Are you excited for Summer? Let me know in the comments!
Live, Laugh, and Love, girls.
~Libby
A Question of Loyalty: BLOG TOUR
*tries not to hyperventilate*
*fails miserably*
*is the living image of a fangirl*
Guys guys guys hang on guess WHAT?!?
Ok. So there’s this book series that I absolutely love set in World War Two about amazing people with amazing hearts and backstories and lives and passions and missions and GUYS IT’S SO GOOD! It’s called The Questions of War series by Jesseca Wheaton. Well.. If you haven’t heard about Jesseca yet you haven’t been around for too long (That’s alright, I have a lot of new followers, thank you!) Jesseca is one of my F.A.V.O.R.I.T.E authors that ever lived seriously. Her book I Don’t Dance was one of my favorites and I ordered it the day it was released, as well as participated in the blog tour. I seriously don’t ever order books like this buy GUYS that’s how good Jesseca’s work is!!!
Well, ok, let’s try and make some sense here. So almost two years ago I came across my first experience with Jesseca’s work, The Question of Honor and I was hooked. I laughed and I cried and I absolutely adored every single character, even the supposed villain of the story, though there was this subtle distaste for him. Only the best kind of appropriate feelings towards these characters. The Questions of Honor is about our character David… and it’s amazing and like I said, I was hooked on this series. I was following Jesseca via Goodreads and stumbled on an update where she was offering free review Ecopy of the sequel A Question of Courage. I signed up faster than my phone could type XD. However I ordered a paper copy into my local library (I usually do that to support indie authors) and gobbled up that precious thing in one night, staying up past midnight. I fell so hard for the characters yet again, and yes, I laughed and I cried. It was beautiful.
And now.. can you believe…. THE THIRD BOOK IS FINALLY OUT!!!!!
I did get files to participate as a beta reader cuz guys, I mean seriously, how could I say no?! *weeps like a child* It was amazing and stunning and just as amazing and adding and beautiful as the previous two and GUYS THE SERIES IS COMPLETE so now I’m going to get my hands on three paper copies of my very very very own and you have NO idea how excited I was about this!
A Man. A Brother. A Traitor.
The war has taken everything Micah Wilson has ever held dear, and with all his being he wishes he could do something to stop the heartache. But he often wonders if he’ll ever be able to move on after the war, or forget the brother who left six years before. How can God still have a plan when it seems that the world around him is falling to pieces, to say nothing of his own heart?
Ann Sullivan has seen two brothers changed by the war. And she’s resolved to do something to stop the pain she sees in their eyes from becoming a reality for so many others. The world is on the brink of Normandy when her nursing unit is shipped to England and, while there, an unexpected encounter promises to change her own life . . . forever. But it’s only the beginning. As the war in Europe rages on, Ann is caught in the crossfires. And when the unthinkable happens, she comes face to face with the evil of the Third Reich. Is it possible that the reality of it all is more deadly than even her worst nightmares?
Erich Essler never questioned his duty to his country. All his life he’s struggled to live up to his father’s expectations, and bring honor to the Essler name. But when the man he thought of as his only friend turns out to be the enemy, he can no longer rid himself of the questions that continue to torment him. Is what he’s doing really honorable? And does he owe his loyalty to his country . . . or a higher power?
Freedom for Europe dawns on the distant horizon. But in the midst of the fight, four lives will be forever changed, and their loyalty to God and Country brought into question.
So am I the only person hyperventilating right now because I LOVE THIS SO MUCH GUYS!! I’ve grown to love these characters as my own and seeing them continue to grow, get to know others and seek God’s will in their lives is my favorite thing ever no I’m not crying you are…
You can add it to your TBR on Goodreads here, order a copy via Amazon here, and find the center of the whole blog tour party here on Jesseca’s blog!
Of course there is a giveaway, I’m glad you asked.
a Rafflecopter giveawayThe prizes are the best thing… A SIGNED COPY OF THE BOOK ITSELF!
Without a doubt this is one of the best book series that I’ve ever read, and Jesseca is such a sweet godly young lady that puts so much heart into her work. I’ve been following her blog and work for a little while now and I always smile when I see her in my inbox. However, this is what she wanted me to tell y’all about her…
About the Author
Jesseca is a daughter, sister, and a child of God. Her days are spent reading, cooking, spending time with siblings, or playing piano. And writing, of course! At an early age words fascinated her, and her love for the printed page has only grown. She lives with her parents and seven siblings in the sunny state of Kansas, and she’s convinced there’s no place like home.
So that’s that. I’m so excited it’s not even funny. (Or maybe it is) Anyway, you guys should know by now that I love love books and these are no exception. I cannot encourage you enough to add this series to your TBR and get copies of all of them into your local library, or better yet! On your own bookshelf!
I hope you had a blessed wonderful Resurrection Sunday. Live, Laugh, and Love, girls!
~Libby
Too Fast
Too fast. It’s all too fast.
Life, time, tasks, chores, appointments, deadlines, news, calls and texts, cars, bikes, STRESS.
God didn’t make it that way. God made clouds.
God made sand and water and trees and horses. He made laughter and smiles and voices face to face. He also created us.
We humans are not built for this quick, fast paced, constant bombardment of the modern world. Can we handle it? Of course. Do we get used to it? Yes. But is it good for us? Is it the way that God created the human bodies and minds to live?
When I think about how God made us I think this,
And this,
I think of the colors of the sky, the types of trees, the animals that we interact with. It’s all so much slower, so much more enjoyable to appreciate, to spend time with.
The beauty is something our eyes can recognize, but it stimulates more than our two sense of sounds and sight. Take this picture for example. The light of the sun is warm, the rays melting on your skin. The dandelions are soft, as you walk through the field. The earth beneath the grass is cold, damp to your feet, and the air smells like green and wild and sweet and happiness. You see the beauty, you hear the wind, but you taste the freshness of the air, you smell it, you feel it.
This is how we’re created to function and live.
I know we hear it all the time. Put down your phone, get outside. But girls, there’s a reason. DO it. Put down your phone, get off Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube, Facebook for the day and let your eyes rest from the fast fast fast too fast flashing of lights, information from all sides, opinions, worldviews, whining, quotes, emojis…
Feel the sun on your face. Go outside and slow down.
~Live Laugh and love,
Libby
Interviewing Rose
Hello. Today I’ve arranged an interview with my main character from Dewdrops and Butterflies, Rose. Combining questions a normal interview would have with some people on my Instagram asked, (I shall post a link to my Instagram soon) I got a decent list, so let’s get started, shall we?
Rose will be in Bold and I will be normal.
Hello dear! It’s such a pleasure to sit down and chat with you again!
If that’s what you call it. It’s been a while since the first *whispers* and I hoped last time, we did this.
Don’t worry, I promise it’ll be fun. You want to tell us a little bit about yourself before you start answering questions?
*shrugs* Sure, whatever you want. I’m Rose, my full name is Rose Ann Wells. I’m 14 years old and I live with my mom and dad. I like earth and being left alone and food.
And Butterfly lights. Don’t forget to mention those. You really are a masterpiece, you know that?
Ugh… ok? I don’t know what that’s supposed to me. Can we start on the questions?
Of course. Our first question is: Are you happy?
Yup.
That’s it? You don’t want to elaborate more?
Nope.
Ok… Next question. If you could travel anywhere in the world where would it be?
Oh this is fun. Um. I would go to San Francisco and then I would go to New York and then I would fly back to LA and then I would fly away to London and live there.
That sounds like an adventure! Why would you do it that way?
So no one could find me. It’s really easy to blend in to the crowds and I’d be able to see all the sights and then in Britain I would be surrounded by the accent and country side and no one would know me.
Ok… Interesting. Alright next question. Who is your favorite celebrity?
I don’t have one. I like cereal and warm houses and clean shoes and cats. I don’t like famous people.
You don’t like people in general, though. Could you pretend to though, just for the interview?
I do like people. I just don’t like adults, or kids who have long noses, or a goverment job.
So you don’t like social workers and police officers?
Stop making everything public! I’m trying to stay under the radar here!
Sorry sorry! Ok back to the questions. What is your biggest dream and your greatest fear.
Whats with all these philosophical questions. Can’t you ask like what my favorite color is? Or better yet, maybe I can ask YOU questions.
We can do both of those things after we go through the list.
Ok. Well, my biggest dream is…
You can share your thoughts Rose. It’s safe here.
I really want my own apartment. Just a place to call my own, where nobody tells me what to do and nobody is yelling and I get to decorate it the way I want to.
You will! You get to do that when you graduate school and get a job to support yourself. It takes work though.
But that’s in such a long long time! Years, and I want it now.
And I just want to hug you. But since you’re fictional I can’t. I guess we’ll just have to both survive. Ok, what’s your greatest fear.
…
We can skip that question if you want.
…
Rose it’s ok. Next question, dogs or cats?
*whispers* Mom
What?
It’s Mom. I’m scared of her all that time.
Love, I give you my word that things will turn out ok, alright? Can you trust me on that?
I don’t know how you can do that, but I just want to be free of everything already!
You will be. You’ll get there. Don’t give up. Follow what you think is best. Everything will turn out exactly how it’s supposed to. (I know cuz I read the end).
That’s reassuring. You’re the author. You knew the ending while you were still writing the beginning. While you were writing me now, and tomorrow and the day after. Nothing has changed.
Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there. Buckle your seatbelt. Life is about to get a whole lot more wild.
I don’t have a seatbelt. And I don’t like being tied down. Also cats. Dogs are nice, but cat’s are nicer.
Ok. Why?
*shrugs* cuz? Does it have to have a reason behind it?
No it doesn’t always. Cookies or Ice cream?
Brownies in ice cream.
What is your favorite color?
Purple.
You make interviewing so interesting.
Sorry, I can be more detailed if you like. The color of the sky sometimes rarely when the sun goes down and it’s between blue and red.
XD Ok we get the point. Last questions-
I thought I got to ask the last question!
You will, right after this one. If you could change your name, what would you change it to and why?
Umm. I never thought about that before. Maybe Kayla, cuz of my black hair and your other character Kayla. Or maybe Jasmine because I feel like that name is spicy and I am spicy.
Oh dear are you now. Alright. XD What is your question for me.
… Am I going to be ok? Like, I know I’m going to be alive, *eyes widen* at least I hope. But am I going to be ok here? *taps heart* Am I ever going to be able to rest?
Love… I love you. God loves you. You can always trust Him to lead you to the best possible place for you to be. Yes. You’re going to be alright. You’re going to be ok. You’re going to find peace.
Thank you. Can I go now?
Yes. Thank you for talking with us and answering the questions. Take care of yourself. I’ll see you soon. We’ll all see you soon.
How soon?
September. Dewdrops and Butterflies is scheduled to publish in September.
*Que excited squeals from everyone*
*except me because now I’m totally freaking out that I made it public finally*
Ok. I’ll see you then. Goodbye.
Rose hopped off her chair and gave me a wave before turning to the door, but she hesitated. Quickly she turned back and hugged me tightly, then ran out the door without a backwards glance. She is going to be ok. She’s going to be fine.
But things will get worse before they get better.
There you go you guys! What did you think? What are your thoughts on Rose? Are you curious? CAN YOU BELIEVE ITS SCHEDULED TO PUBLISH IN SEPTEMBER?! I THINK IM GOING TO PANIC! Should I do interviews like this for other characters? Let me know in the comments!
Till next week. Live laugh and love, girls!
~Libby
Fandom: Explained
Hallooo So today is totally gonna be off topic and completely have nothing to do with what I normally post about, but that’s ok, right? Cuz it is my blog sooo… Without further ado I’m going to give you guys a basic rundown of what a fandom is and my thoughts about it/them/etc.
Fandom
A fandom is something that has a fan base. This can be a movie, a sport, a person, a book/series/trilogy/etc. or pretty much anything else other people who are about as crazy as you are associate with. Fandoms most often pop up among teenagers however are not limited to the years between 13-19 as there are many younger or older citizens of a fandom.
Popular established fandoms include (but are not limited to): Thunderbirds Are Go, Cozi Zulsdorff, The Questions of War trilogy, (these are fandoms I associate with however as Penny will not fail to mention in the comments,) More popular fandoms include Star Wars (This is more like a fan-universe than a fandom), Marvel, The Hunger Games, Harry Styles and/or others.
How to join a fandom.
Look. If you look into something more than, say your dad would, if you connect with other fans, (if it’s a person, interact with/stalk that person via social media), or join theories, get overly excited over new information or blog tours (*coughs* The Questions of War *coughs*) or trailers or whatever, you have pretty much joined a fandom.
My Journey to a fandom
Before last year I never called it a fandom and I did not have access to fellow fangirls. However since last year I joined the TAG fandom and it’s been a blast! Penny of course introduced me to mostly the name itself and then things spiraled from there (That makes it sound like a bad thing)
Fangirl or Fanboy
So…. I’m a girl, so to me fangirl is the normal term. Fanboy seems…. a little odd, so I prefer just “fan” for the opposite gender. Fangirl is a more extreme version of a fan. If you enjoy a movie, you can be a fan. But if your interaction pretty much ends there you’re not a fangirl. HOWEVER
Legitimacy of a Fangirl
If you have been a fangirl for two weeks or two years or twenty years, you are equally as legitimate of a fan. Don’t let anyone tell you anything else. I would not recommend actively challenging a person who prides themselves in years of experience, but you can carry the title with as much happiness as it brings you. The only thing separating you from being a fangirl is your decision to join the fandom (citizenships are FREELY given out with no questions asked ever [there’s no one monitoring the borders since no one poses anyone else any danger])
Fanfiction
There are certain things in the fandom that you need to be aware of. One of these things are called fan fictions. I am very sure most of you have heard of these. Fanfictions are stories told by fans in the fandom world (Say, if it was a TAG fan fiction, the story would involve one or more of the Tracy brothers, and be set in 2060 where holograms are normal but flying cars are not etc.) Fan fictions vary from exact settings and characters to time travel, fantasy, additional characters, deaths of characters and lots of other stuff.
A caution about fanfictions. Write them with all your heart if you want to. Do not read other peoples fanfictions. Unless you personally spoke to the writer and know what to expect, you’re about 100 times better off without reading it. Fanfictions are where characters go to die. Sometimes they don’t die, but other awful things happen to them. Painful things. And they are not always safe for children. So just a word of caution.
Another form of fanfiction is called “Imagine” and is most used when writing about a real person like a celebrity or specific character in a movie. More details below.
Canon and non-canon in fanfiction (in movies or books)
Canon means original. Canon means it is from the actual movie/book/series/story/comic you get the idea. If a couple (or “ship” which we discuss in a bit) is canon, it means that the original author wrote that couple to be together in the original manuscript that was then made public. If it’s non-canon it means that the original manuscript/story does not have those two people together specifically, but fans may have created the “ship.”
Imagines
In an Imagine (I know… it sounds weird but that’s what it’s called) usually there is your fandom person and then there is other people. The reason it is called an imagine is most often because you’re supposed to “imagine” that you are in the story. Most of the time it will be written in second person (Meaning, you did this, he did that, you said this back).
Y/n Y/m/n Y/l/n/
Usually writers of Imagines write “you” under the name y/n. Your Name. Your Middle Name, and Your Last Name. But they will create a complete character under that name. Because of course there’s no way for them to know every single person that reads the Imagine. Like fanfictions, it’s just better to avoid them.
Ships
Ohhhh the big one. Ships.
A ship is a relationship. When you ship a couple, it means you believe they are meant for each other, or you want to see them together. As mentioned above, a canon ship means that the relationship between the two people is confirmed or written in the original story (This is also when fans say a “ship has sailed” which means it’s been confirmed)(One thing I do not know yet is where exactly the ship is sailing to, towards the fandom or away from it?). A non-canon means it has not been confirmed or is not an official relationship (when a relationship is not confirmed or one of the two develops a canon relationship with another character, fans say that the “ship has sunk” (Sunk ships are painful I’ve experienced it myself *is looking are you Penny*). Keep an eye out for these. Ships get so huge that it’s often hard to discern if they are canon or not, even as you watch/read the story. Feel free to join ships you like, but keep in mind their vulnerability if they are non-canon. Have fun!
Another fun fact about ships. Ships almost always have names. For example a ship between and Justin and a Rebecca would be called “Justecca” (or it can be modified to be Jesseca). If you’re joining a ship usually it will already have a name. Keep a lookout 😉 Normally it’s a combination of the two names.
Also, someone’s ship may be called an “OTP” (One True Pairing) which don’t have a fancy thing like sinking or sailing because it’s not actually a ship (thanks Penny for confirming this).
Headcanons
Headcanons are ideas or little facts fans have about someone. For example a popular TAG fandom headcanon is that Virgil is the doctor of the family. Another is that Alan had a twin who died at birth, who’s name was Walter. There is nothing at all about this sort of thing in the story or show but fans have made them up they sort of stick to the characters. You’re welcome to adopt headcanons and come up with your own, or avoid them. That’s the beauty of a fandom. Everything thats non-canon is up to you. But you’re all welcome to come up with it.
Note for Christian Girls.
Fandoms are insane. And wild. And full of the world. It’s easy to get all caught up in the fun and stories and people who understand your rants and squeal with you and thats fun! But don’t lose sight of what matters. It’s very very easy to get distracted from what is most important. Keep your heart pure, you’re minds clean, your language untainted and your eyes on God. Don’t let a fandom stand between you and God. Pay special attention to this and make sure that it’s not threatened. God is most important. God is the top of everything. Run your thoughts and conversations and ideas by Him always, first. Keep God as your center, even in a fandom.
So theres that! Fandom explained! Did I miss anything? Do you have any other questions? By no means do I know everything about a fandom, but I know a little, and I’m open to learning more!
Did you enjoy this post? Would you like more random/ lighthearted posts like this one? Let me know in the comments!
Live, Laugh, and Love my girls!
~Libby
Happy Endings
Hello my friends! Welcome back to yet another post!
Happy endings is something I think all of us want. Happily ever after, success, reaching those goals we’ve been striving for. I personally want a happy ending.
What about in writing? It’s the never ending debate in books and movies and stories. The outcome of the people and characters we’ve come to know and relate to and love. In the shoes of an author it’s something we have to always consider and think about. I read a quote, though I don’t remember where it was anymore. It went like this: “An event your character can walk away from is a book your reader will walk away from.”
We want our stories to effect our character and our readers in a deeper way than just as entertainment. We want our characters to learn something from what they went through. We want the story to tug at the heartstrings of our readers. When I write I want some day in the future for my reader to smile wistfully for a moment and remember that one book they read about a girl named Rose. I want them to wish they could remember the name so they could read it again.
What though, does this mean our stories can’t have happy endings? Does a cliche ending, something we can guess, make the story bad? I was debating this but guys, I came to this conclusion. We need happy endings. There’s other ways to make a story good without leaving the character destroyed at the end.
Life itself isn’t always it’s kindest to us and when we read, we want to feel, but we want it to leave us happy, or satisfied when we close the book at the words “The End.” When I read a book, I’m alright if a close family member of the main character dies during the course of the book. I’m ok if there is severe world issues, if it’s a dystopia, I’m alright if the entire system crumbles. What I want is the character to come away stronger, better, wiser, more able to love, a new point in life or a new focus for their energy. I want to come away at the end knowing that the character that I just spent the last hour with will be ok. That they will be better because of what happened.
You know why? Because we go through so much in life. There are already so many seemingly unhappy endings in the world. Cruel influences and tragic happenings. If we can find those events to relate to in a book we connect, but we also want to know that we can do this. There is a reason for what’s going on. We’re strong enough. We have purpose. We are not drifting along for nothing. We can make a difference, get through this, help someone, find love, live with reason.
As a Christian author myself, I do my best to put purpose into everything that happens in my book because I want my readers to know that guys, God has something He’s doing, even if we don’t understand just now. When we read books we’re more able to see the big picture that the main character might not see. That helps us understand that there is Someone bigger than us that’s taking care of everything. Everything is happening for a reason.
So maybe that’s it. Maybe we don’t always need happy endings in books. But we need one thread in all books we read. Hope. When I read a book and come away feeling hopeful, I know that that was a good book.
At the end of a book that I’m currently re-reading, I’ve remembered that at the end the main character dies. Completely. No coming back. But I loved this book to bits and I’m reading it again. Why? Because Hope. Thomas shut his eyes and dreamed, and the hope that ran through his veins, and the hope that we knew that there was more. There was life. Everything was going to be ok even as the blood was drained from his body.
Everything is going to be ok.
It may not be the happiest possible ending, but when we’re empowered to believe that everything will be ok because it will, then that is a good book.
Dear girls, everything will be ok.
Don’t feel bad making a happy ending in your story. There is no shame in a happy ending. 😀 After all, we have the happiest ending waiting for us, no?
~Libby
Still That Girl
Hello! I hope you’re having a good week! I’m going to be doing a couple things here on this blog in the next couple weeks so hang tight.
My book Dewdrops and Butterflies is on schedule for publishing on…
Ah, don’t you wish you could know the date! There is currently no set 100% date but guys, end of September time. It’s coming so cloooooseeee!! So, to get my audience (you guys) excited and ready for this debut that I’ve been working on and to give you an idea of how very very hard I’ve been working and sort of the process and the challenges and the thoughts I went through, a lot of my posts from now on are going to be talking about my characters, my methods of writing and fun tips and tricks I’ve learned. I hope you’ll join me for this journey to publishing and thank you for reading!
Now, onto today’s post. Guys posts like these are my favorite kind to write. So most likely they’ll tend to stay the same XD.
Life the last year has been… Good. I didn’t notice anything extremely awful. God has blessed me with an amazing family and amazing experiences, I’m getting close to finishing my school and graduating. I met my best friend over Camp Nano in July and… It’s been nice. Calm. I’ve been getting my breath back.
I didn’t… know that things had changed from before. I didn’t know what happened changed me. A lot of my friends have grown up and moved forward. Ethan and Tanya had their baby boy and he’s gorgeous. The character I named Joseph has gone to Bible college and come back with a girl that he’s marrying in June and I’m so happy for them. I’m not as close to any of them as I used to be. On one hand that made me sad. I had no close friends, people to have Sunday parties with. They had their spouses or girlfriend/boyfriends. They’d graduated before me, and move forward in life. I felt left behind, but I’ve been trusting God in His timing. And I still am. On the other hand it was exciting, seeing that God had other plans for me and pursuing those plans.
I want to share a song with you guys that I listen to periodically. It’s in a large playlist I have and so whenever it comes on I listen. Last week I was doing chores and it came on and hearing the words washed over me in unbelievable awe. I couldn’t believe how… It spoke to me. It spoke of me. I never thought I would relate but I did. The truth that the words spoke into my heart almost knocked the breath out of me.
“You were young, you were free
And you dared to believe
You could be the girl
Who could change the world.
Then your life took a turn
And you fell, and it hurt
But you’re still that girl
And you’re gonna change this world“
I… Never thought of myself as a girl who would change the world. But I did want to change my world. I wanted to help other girls and encourage others to seek relationships with God, to guard their hearts. I wanted to be there for girls and I wanted to make a difference in their lives. I wanted girls to not remember my name, not remember my face, but I wanted them to remember back when they were young and think “That girl, she changed my life. She listened when no one else would.” Or “Her post really convicted me.” “Her life and work inspired me to be my best.” “She made a difference.”
I wanted to bring Jesus glory, you know? And I was throwing my everything into doing that. Fellowship and friendship and laughter and Bible studies and it was so much work but even as I was physically exhausted I was spiritually energized. I loved it.
But then things happened. And I fell harder than I admitted.
My relationship with Jesus didn’t suffer, but my dedication to… others I guess, did. My Bible study get togethers stopped all together. I smiled when I went to church, but I didn’t make new friends. I didn’t reach out to get to know others. I was… knocked off my feet. It wasn’t self pity. I was just… hurt. Shocked. But I didn’t know it.
I withdrew. I was trying to hold tight to what was mine and be content with that.
Life was good, but I was dreary. I smiled and laughed and I tried to be my best, but that old me was gone. I didn’t know what happened to her. I was starting to lose hope that I would ever have her back. I was starting to settle for this being the new me. Maybe my personality had changed. I wasn’t… B. R. B. anymore. I wanted to be but she. wasn’t. there.
And then… I don’t know what happened. It wasn’t sudden and it was at the same time. It took almost exactly a year to get my feet back under me. So many things fell into place… I.. can breath again.
This last week all I wanted to do was smile and dance and pray for others and read my Bible. Girls I don’t know what happened but Praise God it did.
I’m back.
I’m still that girl. I’m still going to change this place I call my world. I feel like nobody can stop me so long as I have God on my side and I’m ready to better myself, instead of hang onto who I was. I’m not terrified to move. I’m not scared to let my emotions show anymore, because I’m back. I’m happy again. I’m loud and I laugh and guys it feels so good to be back.
I’ve found me. I’m still that girl. And I’m so happy.
So what do I want to say? If you’re struggling through a down time in your life, even if you don’t quite know that you are, hang in there. You are still that girl. You’re still inside, and you will get through this. You will overcome and you will heal and you will come out the other side with a song of worship on your lips.
Stick to Jesus, know who you can trust and trust them. Pray for yourself and have others pray for you and smile as much as you can. You’re still that girl.
Live, love and LAUGH girls.
~Libby.
P.S. What do you guy’s think of the update? The colors? Fonts? Is it easier to read? Let me know in the comments!