The Liebster Award #2

I was tagged by the fabulous Darque Dreamer Reads for the Liebster Award, and as the questions are always different I thought I’d give it another bash! (Check out my first go here.)

The rules also appear to have changed since June when I did this award, back then there was no list of eleven random facts about me, so at least I won’t be duplicating any of those! Let’s do this…

Liebster award 2 Lyndsey's Book Blog

The Rules:

1. Thank the person who nominated you.

2. Give 11 random facts about you.

3. Answer the 11 questions they gave you.

4. Nominate 11 blogs.

5. Give them 11 questions to answer.

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Eleven Facts About Me…

  1. I am now the proud fur-mum of two pointers! We adopted Woody a couple of months ago from the GSP Rescue charity, he’s 7 and was originally used as a gun dog in France. He and Bailey (2) are best friends now and keep each other company while we’re out 🙂
  2. I don’t have a middle name, and I’ve always felt like I was missing out. I used to pretend it was Ann when I was a kid – original I know! Probably because my nan’s middle name is Ann…
  3. My dad chose the name Lyndsey, after Lindsey Buckingham from Fleetwood Mac. He added the extra Y because he thought it would look girlier (Lindsey Buckingham is a bloke). Thanks Dad. Apparently they couldn’t think of anything that went with Lyndsey, hence the lack of middle name.
  4. I’m currently preparing for NaNoWriMo next month, I’m diving back into a project I started in July for Camp Nano before giving up and focusing on Pitch Wars. I’ve just decided to add a secondary timeline and POV character, with absolutely no experience or knowledge of how to do this. Wish me luck! Any tips or links to helpful blogs would be greatly appreciated!
  5. I love the countryside and pretty much hate the city. I can see the benefits of living centrally, for work, shopping, public transport etc. but I just can’t imagine living there long term. I need wide open spaces, greenery and to be able to see the stars at night. I’ve lived in a lot of different places, and I’ve always preferred living in rural areas to urban ones.
  6. I like crafting in my spare time, I find it really therapeutic. I’ve tried loads of different things, Scrabble art, paper cutting, candle making, soap making etc. I always like to have a project on the go, so since I started writing it’s been that, but I still love to try my hand at different crafts.
  7. My favourite colour is turquoise and…
  8. …my favourite animals are dolphins.
  9. I love red lipstick. I wear MAC Ruby Woo at the moment, but I’ve gotten into those matte lip paint things so I might try a red one of those as mine is a nude/taupe colour.
  10. The best holiday I’ve ever been on was for my mum’s wedding in 2014. It was a cruise in the Caribbean, me and my husband flew out a week early so we had some time to ourselves, and then my mum and stepdad stayed a week later so they did too. Both parts were absolutely wonderful, spending time alone together in such a gorgeous setting and then getting to celebrate my mum’s wedding on a beautiful beach in St Thomas. It was heaven.
  11. I’m a fan of bucket lists, I had one for my twenties that I’m currently in the process of achieving the last goal, and right on time as I turned 29 in August! My list for my thirties consists of ten things to learn/do and places to visit. Things like scuba diving and skiing, and places like Hawaii and Vegas. Funnily enough, writing a book was never on my list, I suppose I didn’t think I’d really ever do it so putting a time limit on it (even a whole decade) would have felt like setting myself up for failure. So there you go, not only have I achieved all my ten goals for my twenties, I’ve also written a novel! Go me.pink divider

    Eleven Answers…

    Have you read a book with a perfect ending?

    The only book I can think of with a perfect ending that stayed with me is Harry Potter. I remember feeling really satisfied and content with how J. K. Rowling wrapped up the series and gave us a little glimpse into the future. All was well.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone JK Rowling Lyndsey's Book Blog

  1. Does your favourite movie have a perfect ending?

    I don’t really have a favourite movie, but the ones I love where I can remember the ending are the really ambiguous ones that leave you with questions, like Inception and Shutter Island.

    Why did you start your blog?

    I wanted somewhere I could share my writing journey with fellow writers, maybe build a readership of people who’d like to buy my books when they’re released, and hopefully make some friends. It’s also a nice sort of journal of how far I’ve come in the writing/publishing journey.

    Do you have a follower goal in mind?

    I honestly didn’t expect to gain a single follower, so definitely not. I’d love more, but I’m so happy with the number I have (around 320) and I’m grateful to anyone who finds my rambling interesting enough to read!

    What advice would you give to your beginner blog self?

    Interact with other similar blogs, chat in the comments and take part in blog hops and memes!

    Where is the best place you have visited?

    I’ve been lucky enough to visit so many amazing places. Rome is absolutely stunning, so much history and beauty in one city. Italy on the whole is amazing, Pompeii was fascinating and Venice is obviously gorgeous. If I could only visit one country ever again for the rest of my life it would be Italy. For the food and wine alone!

    Who is the most inspirational person in your life?

    My mum. Is that really lame? She’s the person I look up to most, our paths and ambitions are completely different, but I see how hard she’s worked to get to where she is and I’m really proud of her, and hope I’m just as successful in my own way one day.

    What is your favourite book or movie genre?

    My favourite book genre is fantasy, but I’ve got really eclectic taste in movies. I love sci-fi/fantasy, but I also like suspenseful thrillers and crime, superhero movies, slushy chick flicks and comedies. I’ll watch almost anything if it’s a good story. I’m trying to branch out a bit more with my reading as I know I’m probably missing out by being so selective!

    If you could write yourself in to a book or movie, which one would you be a character in?

    Harry Potter, every day of the week.

     

    Do you like going to concerts?

    I do, I love concerts, I go with my Dad mainly and my younger brother too. I used to always be at small indie gigs, or seeing whoever was playing the Student Union that week. Nowadays I go to some sit down City Hall concerts as well as grungy dive bar gigs.

    What is one food you absolutely hate?

    Artichoke *gags*.

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    Nominations

    I’ve been away for a while so I’m a little (OK, a lot) out of the loop right now, that’s why I’m not going to nominate eleven bloggers, I’m just going to leave this one as an open invitation. I’ll give my eleven questions so anyone who fancies having a go at this award can answer those and just tag me in your post so I can come and see it!

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    Eleven Questions…

    1. Name a blogger you admire and whose blog you love.
    2. If you had to blog about something else, what would your new blog subject be?
    3. Do your family and IRL friends know about your blog, and do they read it?
    4. What was your favourite book as a child?
    5. How do you feel about book to movie/TV adaptations?
    6. What’s your dream job?
    7. Where’s the last place you went on vacation?
    8. What are you hoping for this Christmas?
    9. How did you meet your best friend?
    10. If you could have any superpower what would it be?
    11. What would your superhero name be?

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And there you have it! I can’t wait to read your answers and get to know you all a little better, don’t forget to tag me in your posts 🙂

 

Lyndsey

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Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Raise your hand if you’re years behind the curve and have only just gotten to the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer? *Raises hand*

I buddy-read Cinder with one of my Goodreads groups back in July and I actually burned through it way quicker than I should have and skipped ahead of the rest of the group. Sorry guys! But it’s a really great read if you love fairy tale retellings with a twist. Sci-fi isn’t usually my first choice, but I enjoyed this fresh take on a much-loved classic.

TL;DR Cinder, a cyborg, lives in New Beijing and works on a market stall as a mechanic. One day, the prince drops by with an android he needs her to take a look at, but a plague breakout shuts down the market. Cinder’s evil step-mother sells her to a medical study which is testing the plague on cyborgs and looking for a cure. There she discovers the truth about herself and the moon-residing beings called Lunars…

Cinder by Marissa Meyer Lyndsey's Book Blog

3.5 stars

Cinder is set in a futuristic, fantasy version of China, and the Moon is now home to a colony of humanoid creatures called Lunars who possess the ability to manipulate Earthans. A deadly plague has killed thousands of people, and a medical study has been set up to test potential cures on cyborgs – people who are part human, part robot.

“I’m sure I’ll feel much more grateful when I find a guy who thinks complex wiring in a girl is a turn-on.”

As a cyborg, Cinder is treated like a second class citizen, not least by her step-mother, Adri, who blames her for the death of her father years earlier. After an outbreak of plague at a nearby stall forces Cinder to flee the market, and her sweet but spoilt step-sister Peony falls ill, Adri sells Cinder to the medical study out of spite. Desperate to help save her sister’s life, Cinder goes willingly and works with the doctors to discover why she didn’t become infected, but was able to pass the disease on to Peony.

“Imagine there was a cure, but finding it would cost you everything. It would completely ruin your life. What would you do?”

In the meantime, Cinder keeps bumping into the handsome and charming Prince Kai, whose android needs fixing after crashing in possession of an important message. Unfortunately, she’s a little busy being a test subject and trying to hide the fact she’s a cyborg from him to actually fix the robot. That is, until the Lunar Queen decides to make a rare visit to Earth, and specifically to New Beijing, to talk potential marriage plans with the King.

“Prince Kai! Check my fan, I think I’m overheating.”

And, what would any Cinderella retelling be without a ball? Prince Kai convinces Cinder to join him at the ball thrown in honour of the Lunar delegation’s visit, but with no dress and an old, ill-fitting robot foot, how can she possibly accompany the most eligible bachelor in the whole of the Eastern Commonwealth to the biggest party in decades?

“She was a cyborg, and she would never go to a ball.”

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As fairy tale retellings go, Cinder is an incredibly inventive and fresh take on an old classic. There are just enough familiar elements to keep it in line with the original, and plenty of new twists to make it a fun read for fairy tale fans (the robot foot instead of a glass slipper is a cool update!).

I gave Cinder 3.5 stars, because whilst I enjoyed it I wasn’t gripped like I hoped. Usually fairy tale retellings are my jam, but sci-fi isn’t, so I didn’t love this one as much as I wanted to. I still plan to carry on reading the rest of the series as that cliffhanger ending was a killer! And I’m hoping to enjoy each book more and more as I get accustomed to the sci-fi elements and get more invested in the characters.

Have you read the Lunar Chronicles? Did you instantly love them, or does the series get better with each book? I’m hoping to read Scarlet next year at some point, once my raging TBR starts to dwindle. Maybe I’ll love another protagonist better, I’m not sure what it was about Cinder that just didn’t click with me, so maybe me and Scarlet will get along better!

 

Lyndsey

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Cinder Marissa Meyer Lyndsey's Book Blog

Writing dual timelines

Hello friends! This month, I’m taking you guys along on another research mission for my current WIP, COCKLE SHELLS AND SILVER BELLS. After outlining the plot months ago, I’ve now decided to add a second timeline set forty years earlier, using a secret diary as the mode of delivery for my additional POV. I’ve never done anything like this before, so I’ve been reading everything I can on the subject, and I thought some of you might be interested in what I’ve learned.

Adding a second timeline

Whose point of view?

So you’ve decided to add a secondary timeline to your novel, but you’re not quite sure how to go about it. First things first, you need to decide whether the POV will be your MC, or another character. Are you trying to show how earlier events lead to your character’s current situation? Was it their own doing, or a parent/ancestor? Maybe you’re writing a thriller or crime novel and want to include a timeline with one of the killer’s previous victims to show what could happen to your MC if they don’t get away. Dual timelines can (and should) both build tension and include exposition to keep your readers’ interest, so keep that in mind when deciding whose POV to use.

How to frame it

There are several ways you could frame the second timeline, aside from simply stating the name and date at the beginning of each chapter. Here are a few fun ideas:

  • A diary or letters
  • Flashbacks/memories
  • Cassette tapes, a la 13 Reasons Why (or a vlog perhaps)
  • Police records and interviews, a la Carrie
Dual timelines Lyndsey's Book Blog
How often should you switch between timelines?

Next, you need to think about the weight you want to give your secondary timeline. Is it strong enough to take up 50% of the novel? Is it more of a supporting subplot? It’s your choice how much of the story is spent in timeline number two, but it should be a significant enough amount that it couldn’t be cut without seriously affecting the story.

Whether you alternate every single chapter, or throw in a flashback every fifty pages, make sure your secondary timeline plot is essential to the story. You don’t want readers to skip to the next chapter whenever they reach a time change, but don’t worry too much about readers preferring one to the other – they probably will.

Writing your dual timeline novel

There are two main methods for writing your novel once you’ve decided on your two POVs and their plot points:

  • Write each timeline continuously and alternate them during editing.
  • Flip between timelines and write the novel as you intend it to be read.

Each has their merits, and it’s up to you to decide which one works best for you and your story. For my WIP, I plan to write through the main story from start to finish, leaving bullet points in the places where the diary entries will come up so I know which bits of narrative exposition have been revealed. Then I’ll go back and write the diary so I can really immerse myself in my second POV character and her 1970s time period.

A few final tips

As with any multi POV novel, your character voices need to be distinct. Even if your second timeline is still in your MCs voice, it should be clear that something has changed, especially if your character is considerably younger/older in your two timelines.

Make the transition between POVs connected in some way, i.e. make the exposition relevant to the main timeline and your MCs current conflict. If you’re writing a mystery, you could include a series of clues and red herrings, and use each time change to reveal the significance, or insignificance, of each one. This will keep your readers guessing and make sure they don’t skim over your secondary timeline, as they’d miss crucial exposition.

Read as many books with a similar narrative style to your planned WIP as possible before you start. This is where I’m up to with my outlining, so if you have any recommendations of books with a secondary timeline and POV using diaries or letters pop them in the comments please!

I hope you found that as useful as I did! It’s not as daunting as it seems at first glance, all it takes to write a novel with two timelines and two POV characters is a little extra planning and research. Good thing I’m a card carrying plotter then!

Until next time!

Lyndsey

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Writing dual timelines Lyndsey's Book Blog