Nanowrimo Spotlight: Sally Peddle

Good morning, friends and followers, and welcome back to my Nanowrimo Spotlight interview series. Today I’d like you to meet Sally P…

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Hi! I am Sally and I am a Newfoundlander living in Alberta. I have been writing stories since I was in about 5th grade and I can’t stop. I get an idea and I have to get it out in print or else it literally consumes all my thoughts. I have been doing nano for the last 4 years and I have managed to squeak out a win each time. Last year was for sure the most difficult one for me because I decided to write something out side of my comfort zone (no action, not much drama, a minimum of…uh…love I guess). I was so bored with myself by the end of it that I promised myself that this year, no matter how typical it is of me I am going to stick with what I love and what I myself would like to read in a story. After all I am mostly writing for myself. I have no intentions to be published, even though I imagine it would be a delight to see a book of my own in print. If you want to have a looky loo at my nano profile here it is.

What are you writing about this year?
I initially had no idea but this past weekend I was in the mountains and I found myself getting inspired. Not so much by the mountains themselves but by a little tale about one of the hotels we visited. Seems that in the 1930’s a bride slipped to her death on a stair case there, on her wedding night no less. Not to say I find inspiration in tragedy but I did start feeling a spark. She reportedly haunts the hotel which got me wondering what if all this time she’s tried to possess other brides getting married at the hotel. Or what if she tried to run off the grooms? Or perhaps she’s lovely and helpful and adds beautiful, magical touches to weddings. OR maybe yet she spys on guests who look like her beloved and then one day one of them can see her. I obviously haven’t fleshed it all out yet but the ideas keep coming so I am getting very excited.

What is your favorite movie – you have to pick just one!

Nanowrimo Spotlight: Brad Bailey

Well, it’s less than a week until November starts! My region had their Kick-off party this afternoon, and it was a lot of fun. Good luck to everybody out there who’ll be participating this year! This evening, I have a spotlight interview from Brad. First off, here’s what Brad has to say about his Nano history…

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Last year was my first year doing NaNo, and I won the challenge. Last year, my favorite part was my brother and Dad being impressed when I told them I had finished the day after Thanksgiving, having gone up to Colorado to visit them and still getting it all done. That, and the whiskey distillery tour they took me on.

What are you writing about this year?

This year, I’m still juggling between three different ideas. The first one feels a bit too much like a Jack Reacher story, so I’m leaning towards on of the other two ideas. Which are either a YA journey novel, or an… You know what, I’m still not even really sure what the third idea is yet.

What is your favorite movie – you have to pick just one!

The Shawshank Redemption is the best movie ever.

What advice would you give to all your fellow Wrimos?
Part of it comes from my military background. Once I committed to the idea of doing NaNoWriMo, I would not allow myself to fail, no matter what got in the way. You make time every day to do other things that probably matter way less. Make this a committment. The other part is this: the requirement is not that it be any good, just that it be 50,000 words or more. And preferably finished.

Sneaky Ninja question! Are you more of a planner, or a spontaneous person?
I’m more spontaneous, but am trying to become more of a planner.

I’m a guitar player, and my music can be found at http://bradbaileygtr.bandcamp.com, as well as iTunes and all the usual suspects. My website, bradbaileymusic.com, is marginally kept up to date with my performances and projects. I was in the Army for almost nine years, and went to Iraq twice. NaNo would have been a great way to fill that November I spent at the port in Kuwait watching shipping containers be loaded onto a cargo ship.

Thanks for dropping by, Brad!

Nanowrimo Spotlight: Allison W.—Author and Stigma Fighter

Good afternoon, and welcome back to my ongoing Nanowrimo Spotlight series. Today, I’m pleased to introduce you to fellow Municipal Liaison Allison; you can find Allison on Twitter as @AlliW_writes and also on Facebook. So here’s Allison:

I’ve been doing NaNoWriMo for a few years now (since 2012), but I’m super excited to be a Municipal Liaison for my region this year. The first year I actually won was 2013 — it was finally the kick in the pants I needed to finish a project.

What are you writing about this year?
I’m writing a sequel to my second novel, Waiting for You. This year’s project is titled Forget Me Not. It focuses on my female lead, Kylie Lewis, and her search for her father. I had gotten about 20,000 words during Camp NaNo this past summer, but I think I’m going to scratch what I had written and start over.

What is your favorite movie – you have to pick just one!
Ugh, tough question! After some careful thought, I’d have to say To Kill a Mockingbird (also one of my favorite books). I love Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch.

What advice would you give to all your fellow Wrimos?
Stick with it! Don’t worry if what you’ve written is the greatest — just write! You can always go back after November and edit.

Sneaky Ninja question! What fictional character are you most like?

Nanowrimo Spotlight: Sage

And hello again! I hope you’ll really like tonight’s spotlight interview. Tonight, I talk to Sage, who can be found on Nanowrimo as sockspower, and also shares her writing over at Wattpad. Hi, Sage!

My experience with NaNo has been a pleasant one, overall. This will be my fourth year competing, and I’ve successfully completed two of my previous three attempts. I’ve found the NaNo community to be a beacon of support and positivity geared towards nurturing writers in a productive environment that truly enables them to embrace their potential. I never would have had the courage to share my work had it not been for this community.

What are you writing about this year?

My novel this year is entitled Anastasis, and in it, I’ll be intertwining a little bit of  Fantasy into my traditional YA style while incorporating a touch of romance as well. As my blurb reads:

Lyall Campbell had one thing on her mind her first month of senior year: get through it as quickly as possible and move to the next chapter of her life. Sheltered in a rural community all of her life, Lyall never had to deal with much more than the cattiness and gossip that often accompanied small-town life. But when Alexander Gravarie literally stumbles into her life, her plans for a quick, quiet senior year spiral out of control. She has a natural disdain for anything that gets in the way of her ambitions, but for some reason, she finds herself drawn to the new student. When she and the school’s new arrival are paired together for a class project, she realizes that there is more to him than meets the eye.

This story retains both my tendency towards YA and my old habit of retaining romance as a subplot, while incorporating my love of history and fantasy, and I’m honestly just really excited about it. Anastasis means resurrection or rebirth in Greek, and that has a double meaning for me. The first meaning will be revealed within the plot, but the second is more personal to me. This will be the first piece of serious writing I’ve done in about a year and a half, as most of my time has been taken up with school, family events, and editing projects. I can’t wait to see how things turn out.

What is your favorite movie – you have to pick just one!

Nanowrimo Spotlight: Littleletterslost.com Author, Hannah

Good evening, friends and followers. I’ve got a new spotlight interview for you, so let’s get to know Hannah, who blogs at Little Letters Lost. Take it away, Hannah!

I’m hoping this will be my 8th Office of Letters and Light event win.  My favorite memories from years past include meeting my wonderful datefriend, Pan, at a NaNo write-in.

What are you writing about this year?
This year I’m probably going to be working on my Hunger Games Fanfiction, Where There’s a Will.  It’s a submit-your-own-character, alternate-universe fic in which every tribute has to be a volunteer.

What is your favorite movie – you have to pick just one!
My favorite movie is Blue is the Warmest Color, for sure.

What advice would you give to all your fellow Wrimos?
Write, write, write!  Go to write-ins.  Do word-wars.  Go on the forums.  Participate!  Make NaNo a lifestyle.

Sneaky Ninja question! Out of your favourite fictional characters, who’s the smartest and what makes you think so? 
Out of my favorite fictional characters, the smartest is probably Enjolras from Les Miserables.  He planned a whole revolution, regardless of the result.

Nanowrimo Spotlight: Fiona Kat

Well hello again, friends and followers. Let’s get this year’s Nanowrimo spotlight season started! First off, I’m happy to shine the spotlight on Fiona Kat, who blogs at Streams & Desolations, and has a Redbubble art portfolio! So here’s Fiona:

This year will mark my third Nanowrimo in a row. I first heard about it in 2013 on a writers’ forum and decided to take the plunge. I love the craziness of it. I mean, it’s utterly absurd to make the commitment to write 50,000+ words in a mere 30 days. But I did it, I managed it, and here I am. Probably my favourite memories are the small things: those little victories over the word count goals; and the fact that afterwards I could look at my work and say, “I just wrote a 50,000 word manuscript and survived to tell the tale.” I was able to connect with other in-real-life friends who also love writing. I love getting the ideas out of my head and onto paper. After my first Nanowrimo I felt that I could really openly take myself seriously as someone who writes, and enabled me to talk to friends and family about it, which is positive.

What are you writing about this year?
This year I’m writing a fantasy story that’s been brewing in the back of my mind for several years. The central character is a young woman who has secret telepathic and telekinetic abilities. Up until now she planned to live a quiet life as a hermit within the confines of a religious order. However, when the religious elders need to find a pawn they can use to play their political power games, she is chosen as someone they mistakenly think will obey their instructions and is reluctantly thrown into the spotlight. The story picks up where she is suddenly given a whole lot of influence and power – and to the dismay of the elders, she intends to use it to her own advantage. I’m really excited to finally give life to this story. I’ve only really felt ready to tackle it now. I hope I do my imagination justice.

What is your favorite movie – you have to pick just one!
That would have to be Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. I vividly remember the night I first saw that film. It’s in no way an exaggeration to say that it changed the course of my life. I was twelve years old, they were showing the Original Trilogy on tv, and it really opened up my imagination and sparked a lifelong love for sci-fi. As a complete geek of a kid who struggled to make friends, Star Wars gave me the sense I could be part of something bigger and far more exciting than the mundane routine of being a high school kid in a small rural town. I really related to Luke Skywalker, being a bored and frustrated country kid always looking up at the skies and hoping to be out there seeking adventure. Unfortunately, in my reality interstellar travel just isn’t practical. Maybe when the kids are older.

What advice would you give to all your fellow Wrimos?

Looking for Wrimo Spotlight interviews again, in 2015!

(Shamlessly recycled…)

It’s that time of year. The Nanowrimo website has finally refreshed, and I want to do some interviews with people who are doing Nano here in my blog.

The interviews will start going up as soon as I can get them coming in, and will run through November 30th. If you’re interested, either leave a comment (with an email address I can use to get back to you,) or email me at chriskelworth at gmail dot com!

What’s involved? I’d like to get a little background from all of my interviewees about their level of Nano experience. I’m going to ask a few standard questions in each interview, along with one sneaky ninja question to try to take you off guard. 😉 I’d also like everybody to include up to 200 words to tell us about yourself, your Nano novel, or something you’re interested in, or shamelessly plug your website, your book, your twitter feed, or whatever. For extra visual appeal, you can include a small image (400*400 pixels, or I’ll shrink it down myself) to serve as a visual aid to your answers, help you promote something, or share a picture because you think it’s cool – but no photographs of yourself, please. Think outside the box! Pictures and 200 word blurbs are not required.

If you’d like to take a look at some of the interviews from previous years, you can find them here.

You can take some time to answer your questions over email, but hopefully you can get back to me within a week of getting the interview. You don’t need have your own blog or link back to me; if you’re doing Nano and interested in filling out the interview, I’d love to spotlight you. Thanks all, and I’m looking forward to doing this one more time.