When I Have Nothing to Read... II

By Sara E Thompto

Everyone has their favorite reads - the ones they devour over and over again throughout the years. Especially when they need a solid book after reading something not-so-solid, or when they simply don't know what else to read. 

A few weeks ago Bivie blogged about her "repeat books" or books she enjoys reading over and over again. Well, today I’m going to share with you a few of mine…

Sarah Dessen Novels

Although I've reread all of her books a dozen times, I have three favorite Sarah Dessen novels I’ve turned back to more so than others. The Truth about Forever is a personal favorite, as is Just Listen, and This Lullaby.

Although each of her books have their own twists and turns, the simple math of a Sarah Dessen book is pretty much always the same: family drama + self identity/awareness issues + boy troubles = a really good, well written, easy read. They’re my go to books when I want something quick and pleasant. I know the formula of her work and it’s a comfort to curl up with one of her novels, especially after reading a book I didn’t particularly enjoy. Her books are always just plain good, and The Truth about Forever, Just Listen, and This Lullaby are the best.

The Fountainhead by Ayan Rand

Honestly, I’m not sure it’s the storyline that makes this book worth reading… but the way Rand writers her characters is absolutely brilliant.

The fountainhead follows Howard Roark through decades of his life as he follows his passion for architecture. He will not bend to the will of others. He will not work for anyone he feels is lesser than him. He has an aesthetic and he sticks to it. No questions. End of story. That is Howard Roark.  But that doesn’t mean it’s simple. He goes for periods of time without work, he’s wrongfully sued and must fight everyone, every step of the way to make a name for himself.

Then there is Dominique Francon, (lightly put - Howard Roark's love interest) who could quite possibly be the best written character ever. Dominique Francon makes Ayan Rands long drawn out speeches worth the read, and is the reason why The Fountainhead is a book I re-read often.

The Harry Potter Series

I have easily read each of the Harry Potter books a dozen times each.

Like many, I started reading the Harry Potter series at a young age. I think I started reading the books when the 3rd book was released, and the 4th was being talked about in the news. So, around 2000. Harry Potter was 11, I was around 12. It just worked. I was so excited. I was one of the kids who pre-ordered the book… and then carried it around with me until I was done reading. Which was never long because I stayed up almost all night, skipped meals, and didn’t really do much of anything until every last page of the newest book was consumed.

The best part of the series is I felt like the books kind of grew up, as I grew up. The books start out child-like. There is nothing too harsh about them. No cussing. Harry finds out he is a wizard. You know the base of the story, which is the villain, Voldemort, is a bad guy who did a ton of awful things (to put it very mildly). Harry, as a wee little baby, put a stop to Voldemort. From the start, no one really knows how or why. Many mysteries are set up straight from the beginning book. But, in the grand scheme of the series, the first couple books aren’t overly emotional.

From there, the series kind of propels forward. The characters grow up. A few solid swear words are thrown into the mix. Angsty teen behavior happens. Romances take place. The series grows more dark as Voldemort rises to power once again.  

Trust me when I write this -- the series is brilliant. J.K. Rollings intertwines events from book to book. People who are casually mentioned in one book have greater importance in another. Events, items, and places that are discussed for only a sentence, become greatly significant in later installments. Again, I’ll say it (and mean it) - the Harry Potter series is brilliant. I turn back to this series quite often. Especially to the seventh book, which I feel wraps up the series well.

White Oleander by Janet Fitch

This book, quite simply, is dark and twisty, which I like from time to time.

From main character Astrid’s point of view we learn the story of a complicated mother/daughter relationship twisted by murder and control, even after the mother is sentenced to prison. Astrid faces years of abuse and neglect going from one foster home to another. Each time Astrid is able to start to cope with the life she now leads, or even thrive, her mother seems to be able to find a way to rip it out from under her.

In the end White Oleander is a coming of age story about learning to let go in order to know how to move forward.

The book is beautifully written and author Janet Fitch paints an intricate story, laced with beautiful descriptions of art, and the emotions and bond formed through art, which is the main concept that bonds mother and daughter in this novel.

I was once told by someone that a good book is easy to spot because it is well worn.
As you can tell by this photo, I feel these books are definitely worth reading. 

Although there are many books I would recommend - these are my go-to "loves." If you haven't read these books, I strongly suggest going out and picking up a copy next time you're looking for a good read!

Do you have a book you always go back to read over and over again? Leave the name in the comments. Suggestions are always welcome!

Series 5, Post 2: How I Design Stationery, Why I Design Stationery

By Kristin Bivens

Several weeks back, when Sara proposed this series, I was concerned I'd have nothing to say on my own design method.

Because, quite honestly, I don't really think I have a design method.

Sara asked, "Don't you have some sort of standard or aesthetic you strive for?"

But I couldn't think of any.

Since we've started SHPP, I typically just sit down at my Macbook and stare at the screen, play around with tools until inspiration strikes. I may have a certain feeling I'd like to try for in the design, but the idea usually just hits me like a ton of bricks. I put out a lot of crap in the meantime, simply because I don't have much direction. There are moments when one design is my limit for the day and there are other moments when I can't stop. Among all of those designs, there is typically a "diamond" that makes me feel accomplished, as if maybe I'm a real artist or something like that.

Here's one of my first designs from the Shiny Happy People Collection, and it is still one of my favorites. I had absolutely no idea how my program even worked when I started designing this. And chances are, I could never recreate that background if I tried. But maybe that is a good thing?

I do tend to have a "style" in my designs, but I represent my own personal tastes in my art work. I tend to not think of others. For me, designing and creating is an expression of myself, more of a personal need to create and put myself on the page. It is my contribution to the world. My designs probably have more of a niche market because of my personal taste, but I just can't design something I don't like. Let someone else design that.

In my creativity and design, I tend to end up with kitschy, "undesigned" designs. Meaning that I like my stuff to be slightly "off." For example, my drawn "color your own" postcards. I'm not a great drawer, but that is what makes these postcards fun!

My favorite designs so far, have been my writing stationery designs. I've always been a huge fan of paper, just regular old paper, since I was a child. I've been having fun creating my own paper designs and even printing them off in my own office. Here's a few stationery designs that I've been working on.

Throughout the process, I feel as though my paper stationery designs are my best work, the most fun work for me. Not only that, but I'm figuring out more about how the program I use works, which is allowing me to get funkier with my designs. Hope you like what you see when you see a design by me! I'll keep them coming. I just can't promise what they're going to look like. But you'll see me somewhere on the page. 

Series 5, Post 1: How I Design Stationery, Why I Design Stationery

By Sara E Thompto

I love paper products - journals, postcards, note pads, note cards, and just good solid letter paper; stationery is one of my favorite things to purchase. And, this past year it has become one of my most favorite things to create as well.

It started with some apple postcards for the Niles, MI apple festival. I work with the adobe creative suite and curved lines have always been an issue for me in Illustrator. Well, I made an apple, and I was pumped. An apple! A curvy red apple. I was (am still) proud of that apple. So I went design crazy and came up with a whole set of apple themed postcards. They were cute, simple, and somewhat kitschy. I loved them. Unfortunately, I was one of the only ones, because only a few actually sold.

"You are the Apple of my Eye" Postcard

Oh well. They were cute anyway.

Then the holiday season began and I started thinking about holiday cards. This time I studied trending color schemes and thought of what other people might like verse my own taste. I turned out five simple, colorful, cute designs. These sold much better! Not brilliant, but better. As I mailed packs of holiday cards out to purchasers, I knew I was hooked on designing stationery. I wanted to create more. I loved the feeling of designing something and sharing it with others in a physical and usable form.

"Happy Holidays" Postcard

Bivie and I discussed it, for all of five seconds because she loves stationery too, and we decided to add stationery to our publishing business we were working on developing.

From there the designs kind of exploded out of me.

I love to create and the ideas are always flowing. Most of the time I’ll be working my day job and an idea will hit me. I’ll quickly jot it down and when I get home from work, I’ll get right back to work and make it happen.

Front: "I sent this Postcard to let you know I'm not dead.."
Back: Unless something catastrophic happend since I posted this.
[In which case I'm sorry for my bad taste in postcards]."

Othertimes it takes a bit more. I’ll have an idea, but I’m not sure how to execute the idea yet. These type of designs are my favorite; the ones where I push my boundaries, learn new ways to handle design tools, or even explore different mediums.

Most recently I wanted to create a piece where birds were intermingling and reacting to splashes of ink. It was loosely inspired by the visual effects in The Huntsman, mixed with the pattern crushed berries made on my moms driveway. I could picture the image in my head but with my current skill level I couldn't create it from scratch with Illustrator or Photoshop. So, for the first time ever I used India Ink with a  paint brush.

With the blank sheet of paper before me, I was actually nervous. It was new, I had never used the medium before. Hell, I didn't even have experience hand drawing birds, let alone with ink and brush. My wife was sitting across from me, drawing her own drawing, and hackling me for being afraid to put brush to paper. It was just the push I needed. In the end I had fun playing with the ink, and enjoyed seeing how it interacted with the paper, and water too.

The drawing ended up turning out well. At least as well as I had hoped it would.

"Birds Flying" Notecards

This type of design is an achievement, if for no other reason than I didn't let the fact that I had no experience intimidate me out of doing it.

I like to take my time to make sure I’m confidant the design is strong. Part of that is knowing when to move forward and when to step back.

Since last fall (almost a year now) I have been trying to create buildings and famous structures.

Well… I’m not that good at trying to recreate architecture. In fact, I’ve deleted more files and crumpled more pieces of paper trying to form this idea, than any other idea. Sure, I could buy the graphic, but where is the fun in that?

Finally one weekend I decided maybe I just needed to put more time into it. With six graphics to create, I dove into the design once more. Five hours later, I had an Eiffel Tower graphic.

Five hours. One graphic.

Maybe I’m being hard on myself, but I feel like it should have taken me two or less. Not to mention I still have five other structures left to design. But, that was the first time I actually created an architectural structure, which is why, after thinking about it some more, I’m perfectly fine with it taking me five hours to create only one element of a design.

It’s fun for me to challenge myself with ideas. It’s one of the reasons I’m so passionate when I talk about them with other people.

I like clean lines, I like designs that aren’t cluttered with unnecessary elements, and I try for basic color combinations or colors that vibrate off each other. Those are the basic elements of my designs. I definitely break from my mold and try new techniques but my clean, simple, colorful esthetic is usually what I aim to achieve.

With almost a year under my belt and dozens of designs, it’s hard to believe that my push toward stationery started because I was proud of an apple. But, I’ve learned it wasn’t so much the apple as much as it was achieving something I didn’t think I could do.

"Birch Trees" - Notecard

I’m excited to continue designing stationery and hope you enjoy seeing the finished products!

When I have nothing to read. . .

By Kristin Bivens

Let me paint a picture for you. You've just finished your book. You're not sure what to read next. Sure, you have options sitting on the bookshelf, completely unread. But, you have to admit, none of them catch your attention at this particular point in time. So what do you do? Do you spend money on a new book even though you shouldn't be spending the money? Your Nook is fully charged and waiting for a download.

But stop. You have plenty of books to read. Alright fine, you decide. You'll read one of your "go to" books.

For me, my "go to" books are books that no matter how many times I've read them, they don't get old. I  am always discovering something new within the story.

So what are the books I turn to when nothing else sounds good? Well, here you go.

the old faithfuls

1. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

I really can't say how many times I've read this book in the last few years, but it is a book I attempt to read at least once a year. I have three different copies of the book, so obviously, I have to cycle through each copy. There's just something about the crazy in the book that I love. It's an easy read, especially since I've read it so many times. Plus, it's always good to read about someone crazier than you.

2. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

When I first read The Great Gatsby a few years back, I wasn't so sure about it. I didn't really "get it." I'm not sure where my head was during the time I was reading it, but it just didn't really do anything for me. But, I knew there had to be something I was missing. Eventually, I realized that this book was a classic so there had to be something to it, something to make the crowds swoon. So, I reread it. And then it all sort of clicked for me. I understood what was happening, I understood why the book was a classic. I absolutely love the scenery of this book. The 1920's were such a rich cultural time that I love seeing the lives played out in the story and in that setting. Gatsby turned into one of those books that I enjoy reading over and over again and each time it gets better and better.

3. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

I mean, I don't feel like I really need to explain myself here because all you need to know is Harry Potter. But, I'll explain to you why this particular Harry Potter is my book of choice. Severus Snape is by far my favorite character in the Harry Potter series. In this book, as the Harry Potter fans know, the Half Blood Prince is Snape so this book basically revolves around him, though you don't know that at the start! I like this book for a good read simply because of that. Snape is my favorite! And, of course, Dumbledore dies, which is pretty heartbreaking. It's also the last book of the crew being in school at Hogwarts and the start of the epic ending. What could be better?

4. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

I have five different copies of Alice in Wonderland, simply because they make some awesome versions of that book. I also enjoy reading the book and hope to someday understand what in the world is going on. The imagery is vivid and there's always something new to remember. There's always a scene I've forgotten about or never thought too much about before. It's always fun, no matter what.

Series 4, Post 4: Tired Words and Synonyms to Consider

By Sara E Thompto

When I was in grade school, I use to overuse a thesaurus when writing my papers. I was a classic case of what Urban Dictionary would call a “thesaurasizer;” someone who turns to the thesaurus too often. Half of my papers probably didn’t make sense because I was using the wrong synonym.

Although I’m not perfect at choosing the right wording all the time, I think I’ve improved a bit since grade school.

However by becoming more aware of how I present my own writing, I’ve also become more aware of how others write as well. And lately I’ve noticed instead of over thesaurasizing (we’ll pretend that’s a word), it appears people are content repeating the same bland words over and over again. Blogs, news stories, novels, and even quips on social media seem to be repeating the same words endlessly, making everything blend together, so much so, I want to start handing out thesauruses.

So, in honor of my new found annoyance, here are 5 words that need to be put to death… or at least set on the sidelines for a bit.

Amazing: astounding, bewildering, breathtaking, extraordinary, impressive, marvelous, miraculous, spectacular, staggering, startling, striking, stunning, stupefying, stupendous, wondrous, hair-raising, thrilling, spine-tingling, fantastic, remarkable... the list could really go on forever.

Actually: genuinely, veritably, decidedly, right on, certainly, positively, clearly, indeed, plainly, completely. The only thing “actually” is better than is "really" which I wont even get into because it's way past overused.

Literally: completely, plainly, precisely, simply, explicitly, no mistake, on the dot, truly. Please, please, please do not use “literally” when you do not genuinely mean something is literal.

Interesting: alluring, amusing, attractive, compelling, curious, delightful, intriguing, lovely, pleasing, refreshing, stimulating, engaging, fascinating, impressive, thought-provoking, enthralling, entrancing… this list could go on as well. There are so many more direct ways of clearly stating you find something appealing, than simply saying “interesting.”

Delicious: appetizing, delectable, delightful, enjoyable, enticing, exquisite, temping, yummy, spicy, sweet, tasty, savory, rich, pleasant, divine, mouthwatering, tasteful, gratifying. What in particular made it “delicious?”

I’m not saying you should never use these words. If you recently visited an interesting restaurant and the food was literally so delicious you actually have no other way to express how amazing your experience was - fair enough, use those words. But if you find yourself choosing these same words on a regular basis, try switching it up. After all, each experience you have is unique, so why choose to describe it the same way?

Do you have certain words you keep seeing lately and believe they are tired? Leave your comments below!

Rainbow Rowell: Read her books!

By Kristin Bivens

If you haven't read Rainbow Rowell's books, or you've never heard of Rainbow Rowell, and you love some young adult books, you definitely need to pick of Eleanor & Park or Fangirl as soon as possible!

I read Eleanor & Park last summer, picking it up mostly because the cover was awesome and the names of the main characters were even better. It dove deeper into children with troubled childhoods more than I thought it would've. It was so touching, so sweet. There's nothing like young, awkward romance.

I just finished Fangirl, Rowell's newest release, and I literally could not put the book down. The story revolves around Cath, one half of a twin set, who is in her first year of college. She's the nerdier sister, the more awkward sister of the two. Her sister, Wren, is popular, starts to party as soon as she gets to the dorm and generally has more luck with boys.

That is, until Cath meets Levi, her roommate's boyfriend (or is he?). Levi is my favorite character in the book. He's funny. He's happy. He sounds like he has awesome hair. And he likes the awkward girl. That's even better! You watch for months as they interact, never going beyond the surface. The relationship pulls at you the entire time. You want them to get together so bad because they are just so dang cute together.

Throughout the book, Rowell has written snippets of this magical series called Simon Snow. It's a bit like a Harry Potter type of obsession for Cath and she writes fan fiction for it. You almost get two stories in one---Cath's story and Simon's story. For a nerd like me who loves Harry Potter, it was a perfect addition to an already great story. Though, I do have to say, some of the longer bits of the Simon Snow story did start to drag on.

In Fangirl, as in Eleanor & Park, the main character has a bit of a weird childhood. Her mom left when she was a child, on the September 11th to be exact, and her dad is a bit of a manic depressive. You have to watch as Cath deals with the issue of leaving her dad alone and living on her own in college. Though her twin sister attends the same college, they barely see each other, which is a new way of living for Cath.

All the while, Cath is discovering that maybe she isn't a writer like she thought she was. Maybe she only knows how to take someone else's world, Simon Snow's to be exact, and write about that.

Fangirl is a bit about discovering yourself, apart from what you've known for so long, and finding where you belong. What makes a story better than that?

Series 4, Post 3: When is it OK or Not OK to Kill a Main Character?

By Sara E Thompto

Image courtesy of sakhorn38 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Lately I’ve been reading quite a few books where the main character, or one of the main characters, die. And to put it mildly, the death’s seem to be kind of pointless, which really ruins the whole book (or series).

I’m personally not against books where an important character, or even the main character, dies. It can be the thing in the book that makes or breaks the storyline. But, if you’re going to kill off the character, in which the majority of the book or series surrounds, an author has an obligation to do it the “right” way. Meaning it's written in a way where it fits the plot and the death is executed well. Because a poorly executed death can take what could have been a phenomenal piece of writing, and completely bulldoze the entire story to the ground.

After long thought about deaths of main characters, this is what I’ve come up with…

Some of the Most Popular Reasons to Kill off a Main Character

• Rallies a call to action: By killing your main character or one of your lead characters, it rallies the other characters into taking some sort of action; ie: making a broken group come together as one to solve a problem or setting another character onto a path or revenge that pushes forward the story line.

• Saving Others (hero/heroine) or Completing the Mission:  The main character, with their last bit of life, leaps forward and kills the antagonist, saving all of his or her friends. Or maybe the self-detonation feature has stopped working on a bomb, and the only way to set it off is to manually do it, with no chance at getting away. Either of these scenarios are situations that would make your characters death understandable.
• Illness: Whether mental or physical illness, this is the type of plotline where death often happens. With this story it’s already in readers minds that death is a possibility, so it’s really all about how the rest of the book makes them feel. Is it about hope and inspiration or will it be more raw and about wading through the emotions associated with death.
• Their spouse, love, good friend, or child has already died: When a loved one dies and you feel the grief of the main character, it eases the impact on the reader if the main character dies as well. Usually if a writer creates such strong emotion about the death of the main characters loved one, the reader gets sucked into that character's world and, within the story, suddenly the main characters death makes more sense (which could go into the category of mental illness).

Thing to Consider if You’re Going to Kill off Your Main Character

• Foreshadow the death: Don’t give it away (unless it’s something like a terminal illness and the book is specifically about death) but work up towards the death. Even if it’s a “surprise” death, you can still start to add in foreshadowing. If it’s a battle, discuss the dangers that are involved. If the killer is another character you've discussed, perhaps bring into the story line how they seem unstable or seem to be emotional, above the norm. Have a confrontation. Maybe the character discusses their views of the afterlife? There are numerous ways to bring up a possible death without blatantly spelling it out.
• Make sure it’s well written: Your readers stuck with you for your entire story, whether 10 pages or an entire series, and they deserve a good death scene. Your work as an author also deserves a good death scene. The death scene, along with the aftermath, is not a good time to skimp on writing. Emotions and details and descriptions are important. We all like to think our writing is solid, but I strongly suggest getting feedback from multiple people who have come to know the character as well.
• Give the readers time to grieve: Do not end the book right after the death of the main character without some sort of small wrap up. Allow some time for the readers to become adjusted to the death of the character before simply posting “the end” and if you can manage to show life moving on, this is an added bonus for the grieving process.
• Show why the death was needed: Through your writing, either with build up or after the death, make it crystal clear why it was important for the main character to die. Why wasn’t there another way feasible way for this story to end?

If you cannot answer the question posted in the last sentence, perhaps you should read the next section closely.

When you Should NOT kill Your Main Character

• When you can’t think of anything else: Never, and I mean never, kill your main character simply because you cannot think of another ending. Your readers deserve more than that, and your work deserves more.
• Just because it’s ironic: Irony is a great tool for a plot twist. But, an ironic death for the sake of an ironic death is not a good excuse to kill of your main character. There still has to be some other point (causing a call to action by another character, saving others, or because it is really what the story is all about).
• Because you didn’t want another “happy ending” book: I understand this reason. It seems feasible enough. There are many books out there that make out too happy in the end, and the book becomes forgettable. However, you have still created a world in which readers have become attached to your main character. If you kill them simply because you don’t want “another happy ending” then you didn’t think hard enough. There are many directions a book can take to not be cliché with a perfectly tied up happy ending.

Do you have any tips for writers on when you think it’s ok or not ok to kill off a main character? Be sure to leave a comment!