Saturday 22 August 2015

Beautiful People: The Friendship Edition // VLOG Q&A NOW OPEN

Good day to you my friends. I hope you're in fine fettle.*

* I never know how to start blog posts and end up writing rubbish like that. Feel free to throw me in a lake with my hands tied.

Anyway. First things first. My last post was something of an appreciation post, saying thank you to you wonderful lot for being my 100 followers. I told you that I was thinking of making a Q&A vlog to mark the occasion, and this is going to go ahead!

I've already received a few questions. Please send in more by:

commenting -- remember, you can set it to anonymous if you'd like!

emailing me at emmilobb@gmail.com

~ or tweeting me @Emily__Etc

(Please send questions. If not it'll just be me looking awkwardly at the camera and all things shall be very very tragic.)

A couple of you also expressed interest in some sort of survey ... anyone else up for that? Tell me in the comments!

Finally, a reminder that there will be a giveaway. So stay tuned. 

Anyway. Today I'm linking up with Beautiful People, the monthly writing meme hosted by Paper Fury and Further Up & Further In!

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This month, in honour of International Friendship Day on August 2nd, it's the Friendship Edition.

I will once again be answering questions for my (now complete) untitled first novel.


Corrie is the MC and narrator, but her friends are hugely important in her life.

There are four of them in the group: Corrie Thrace, Selected as a writer; Freddie Talvace, a mage, Selected for his magic; Mel Oswald, working as a waiter in Teyvanidan's poor district; and Jem Sperling, working as a messenger around the city.

1. How long have they known each other, and how close are they?

As friends go they are a pretty new group. Corrie met Freddie because they were both Selected from Mallowwick together, and then on their first day in Teyvanidan they found themselves doing a detention together. She met Mel about a month later, and then Jem about a month after that, and that's when the four of them became a unit.


2. What’s their earliest memory of being best friends?
I understand this question is more geared towards childhood bezzies, but we can roll with it.


So there's this day where Corrie's going to a ball. And she gets ready at Mel's house. But when they're walking back to the palace, a summer storm starts, so Mel -- who vaguely knows Jem -- yanks them into his house as they're passing. Freddie also pitches -- he knows Jem, too, because they've worked together.

Then there's a leak in Jem's roof and Freddie fixes it with magic and they have to clean the house (hence Corrie mentioning "mucking in") and ... yeah. That's the first day. 

3. Do they fight? How long do they typically fight for?
Not a lot. As the excitement in the novel keys up, with revolution and civil war, there is a lot of strain for them, not to mention points at which various members of the group are missing and the others don't know if they're dead or alive. Under these circumstances, they can be forgiven for being a bit snappy. But they could never stay angry for long.
Corrie fights with Jem more than the other two, because their personalities are more similar. Likewise, Freddie and Mel fight more with each other than with Corrie or Jem.

4. Are their personalities similar or do they compliment each other?
Corrie and Jem are similar in that they are quiet, more prone to repressing their feelings than sharing them. Freddie and Mel are louder, more effusive. They compliment each other overall.

This is from the same scene as the one above. Mel is waltzing into Jem's house even though she barely knows him, and Corrie is very embarrassed.

5. Who is the leader of their friendship (if anyone)?
Hmm, good question. I'd say they all adopt leadership roles in different ways. Jem is the most practical, but Corrie also becomes pretty good at making decisions as the book progresses. Freddie and Mel are crucial for morale.

6. Do have any secrets from each other?
Not many. Initially Freddie does, but we worm that one out of him pretty quickly. ~evil author laughter~
Oh, apart from Jem. He's a highly secretive animal. He has a MASSIVE secret -- I'm talking HUGE -- that isn't revealed until the start of Book Two. Oh, Jem. Why can't you learn to trust more?

7. How well do they know each other’s quirks and habits?
Well! You can't be best friends with someone and not know their quirks and habits (maybe that's just my opinion, but I'm sure it's correct).

8. What kind of things do they like to do together?
Oh, normal things. Escaping pyscho queens. Rescuing people in mortal peril. Caring for dying mothers. Just regular friend things.

OK, I jest. There's not a lot to do -- no cinemas, no concerts, no shopping centres ... you know, fantasy -- but they like to walk around the city a lot. And go to the sea (Teyvanidan is a coastal city). They all love the sea.

9. Describe each character’s fashion style (use pictures if you’d like!) How are their styles different/similar?
Ha! Tough one. Because ... fantasy.

[Note: I do not own or claim ownership to any of these images. All were found on Pinterest.]

Corrie

I have no "character picture" for Corrie. I can't. I know that I'll never see her face, because she looks too much like me.


cute shoes! it can either be a little formal or casual. and don't miss the pretty floral dress in the back ground ;)

I shared this picture in my last BP post. So, the time period is loosely 17th century, thus these clothes would not exist, but Corrie is very brogues.

.

hands

Again, not accurate to the time period ... but those block-colour, simple dresses? That's what Corrie wears.

Mel


.

Mel's hair is actually auburn/golden, but for some reason, this beautiful gal reminds me of her. Don't really know why.

Full Length Patchwork Skirt in Blues and Browns | damselinthisdress - Clothing on ArtFire ~ exactly what Mel would wear. Gah but I don't want to change her hair colour again!!

Yes! This is exactly what she'd wear!
Ugh, why don't I own it?



Also very Mel.

Kid shoes, 1795-1805. Charleston Museum
And these babies!

Freddie 

.

Funnily, this is the best character picture I have for Freddie. (I drew this picture -- see it here -- and so for a whole year, I was "drawing Freddie". Which was fun.)


A good one, except his hair is black.

Pyrokinesis - Fox

He's a mage! He can throw fire! Yay!

(None of those showed his style, and I'm sorry.)

Jem

.

This is kinda Jem ... except it's not. He would never do that moody camera stare! And he is definitely not that model-boy handsome! I WON'T ALLOW IT! FIGHT THE SYSTEM! MY CHARACTERS HAVE SPOTS! SPOTS, I TELL YOU!
~runs off screaming to burn some villages~

Oh, and those clothes are clearly modern. So I've again failed to answer the question.


Bonus: Corrie/Jem (they be my OTP)


Days of old colouredby ~charter-magic

Yeah, so it's not Victorian. Depuff the sleeves, lose the curls and the bustle ... and that's pretty good!
(Except Jem's not that feminine-looking. Nor is Corrie, to be honest.)

Corrie and Jem.

I LOVE THIS PICTURE. CORRIE/JEM, I WILL GO DOWN WITH THIS SHIP.


10. How would their lives be different without each other?
Oh, very different. Mel would probably be OK -- she's good at making friends, she'd have found someone else, and she'd be a lot safer, not caught up in war and revolution! But Freddie would be drifting -- I actually don't want to think what he'd have done to himself by now -- Corrie would be miserable, and Jem .... oh, baby Jem. ~hugs Jem forever~ Don't even suggest a life without them! Ssh, Jem, don't listen to the mean question!

So. If you got to the end of that monster, well done! And if you're here via the link-up, welcome! Link me up to your own BP post.

Remember, send in your questions for the Q&A vlog via comments, email or Twitter. Send as many as you like. And tell me: would you be interested in a survey?

16 comments:

  1. Ah, this foursome sounds perfect! :D I love this sort of friendship in books. And I had to laugh sympathetically at all your captions for the character pictures. It's so hard finding faces for characters! My two mains have been in my head so long, and I have such a paradoxically clear/fuzzy picture of them, that I doubt there will ever be an image that clicks. XD

    The excerpts were fabulous, by the way! The whole FEEL of this fantasy world is straight up my alley, I tell ya.

    (Oh, and surveys: sure, I'd answer one, but I'm not sure such a new reader's opinion counts...)
    (And questions. Okay. Um. Favorite writing weather? Do you write in silence or with music (and if music, what kind)? And could you debunk one English stereotype for us non-British people? LOL.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are! :') I'm sure I'll never find a proper pic for any of them. Hair, sure. Face, definitely not.

      THANK YOU! That's so kind! I'm so glad! ~dances~

      (Grand! It totally does!)
      (Brilliant, thanks, Tracey! That last one is fun ;) )

      Emily @ Emily Etc.

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    2. Yeah, the hair is a lot easier to find than the face. *pouts*

      ^___^ *dances too*

      (Sweet! And SEE: nobody I talk to ever says "Grand!" like that. It's adorable.)
      (Heheh, I look forward to it. ;) )

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    3. True!

      Hahaha I don't even know where that expression is from :')

      Delete
  2. STAHP TORMENTING US WITH ALL THESE SECRETS. I WANNA KNOW THE THINGS. *runs off screaming after you to help burn the villages* Basically the post was 10000% full of win. xD I LOVED IT. I love their styles and the cutely shippable couple pictures and, zomg, fight the system! YUSSSS. You are my new favourite bean.

    *whispers* We aren't very kind to fantasy in our questions now, are we?!? AGH. We'll work on this. xD

    Thanks for linking up!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOOK. If Corrie can't even know the things yet neither can you XD
      ARSON! ~leers madly~
      I'm glad you loved it! :D I love their styles to, NOT THAT YOU CAN REALLY SEE THEM! #failonmypart
      Yes the pictures are adorable. Corrie/Jem, actually, best ship ever (though I'm not doing very well at a ship name ... Jorrie? Cem? Not great.)

      No, you're not! XD

      Always a pleasure! :)

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  3. But.....but.......but....... I need to know the things! *bounces up and down on impatient feet*
    The characters are just so awesome - I feel like I ship Corrie and Jem already and I hardly even know them.
    I love, love, LOVE Mel's style - it almost has a nod to steampunky/gypsy dress!

    Questions for the vlog - If you were a lemon meringue pie, which part would you be?
    - Favourite piece of stationary you currently have on your desk?
    - Two amazing book covers that you have recently encountered?
    - If you could control an element, which would it be?
    - Favourite recipe from recently?

    I am VERY EXITED for this vlog! *does a happy dance*. Can't wait!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You will! SOME DAY SOON! :D :D
      Same with me and Amara and Boy (who I've been alternating calling Felix and Ridian in my head, hope you don't mind. Or Kite. This is a cool name because then there ship name would be Amarite ... am I right?).
      I KNOW?? She's so cool! :'D

      Thanks pal.

      ME TOO!

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  4. Okay, so up until question #4 I thought Mel was a guy and Jem was a girl. Then I was like, "Oh, nope. No, I think I've got that switched around." I tend to get things muddled in my head. XD

    Question #6 in which you say that Jem is immensely secretive. Aka in which I now adore Jem and hope the best to him (though I have a feeling all my best wishes will go for naught as book two comes along).

    I saw Freddie's picture and was, "Wait! I have seen this. She drew this! Oh wow, she drew her character!" That is so cool. :) And your reaction to that first Jem pic! *dies laughing* But I feel you. What is with the whole flawless, intense stare thing? We want personality!

    I would definitely fill out a survey. Plus, I will email you some questions for that vlog. *dances* Can't wait!

    You've reminded me that I haven't done mine BP yet. I was considering doing Oddball/Rocky. But perhaps I should make it ultimately confusing and interview all the foursome. You know, for the fun of it. ;)

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Haha nope but easy mistake to make! (Not when you read the actual book though. Hopefully.)

      OH JEM! ~bleeding heart slithers into a puddle~ He's actually not that secretive ... scrolling back and reading what I wrote, "Jem is a highly secretive animal", I think I gave the wrong impression. I guess he's just worried about burdening other people with his problems. And he wants to shake off his past. He wants that a lot.
      But I'm glad you love him because I do too (can you tell?) and when you are MY BETA (this is going to happen don't argue) you will love him even more and we can have a fan club, me, you and Corrie :') (That got quite weird quite quickly ... sorry .... again, don't argue ... )

      I love that picture. And Freddie!
      RIGHT?? I deeply resent that Jem pic. It's not a Jem pic at all. I don't even know why I added it.

      Great! And thanks :)

      Ooh, exciting! Of course I'll be stalking your blog at some point (I've been offline for a few days but look, I'm back!) and you know I'd dearly love to read that post, so, uh ... I hope you did write it!

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    2. "worried about burdening other people with his problems." I really like this Jem guy. I think we'd "get" each other. I think you're right. Corrie and us will have to have our own Jem fan club. :)

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    3. YES! (I'm taking that as a signed-in-blood agreement to beta. No backing out.)

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    4. Definitely not backing out. Are you kidding me?! I will beta!

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    5. YES! So many motivations to redraft :')

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  5. AGHHH YOUR BOOK SOUNDS AMAZING!!
    Also questions..... hmmmm....
    What is the most recent piece of artwork you've done?
    What is your favorite food?
    If you could travel anywhere where would you go?
    If you could meet any person alive today, who would you meet?

    Sorry I haven't been coming by your blog lately!! It's good to be back reading again :)
    -July, http://julyaemmance.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. THANK YOU!!!! That makes me so happy, honestly, thank you July! :D

      Thanks! Going to film vlog tomorrow :)

      So nice to have you back! I will of course be round soon!

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Thanks for commenting! :)