The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme with a prompt featuring a book related question. The hop begins on a Friday and ends on a Thursday and should hopefully give people the opportunity to learn something new about the blogger.
The Book Blogger Hop can be found on Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer and obviously my answers can be found here!
I’m going to deliver a cop out answer and say ‘nothing.’
Why?
Because despite me reading multiple books and going ‘this is the exact type of story that I love to write’ if I had written the book that I had just gushed about then it wouldn’t be the same book at all and so I wouldn’t be able to love that book.
Phew. Time travel.
Ok, not really.
One example that comes to mind is the one book I keep going on about – Uprooted by Naomi Novik. I love Uprooted because of the way it is.
However, if I take a deep, introspective look I know that part of the reason I love it so much is because it’s exactly the type of story I want to write/ have got outlined myself; adult fairy tale, strong female friendships, magic and witches, romantic subplots, antagonists to lovers and complex villains. Plus it has deep dark woods and I friggin’ adore those too.
It’s an adult fairy tale of wonders.
I want to write an adult fairy tale of wonders. It wouldn’t (and shouldn’t) be Uprooted but I could create my own story containing similar ingredients. It would just be a different cake.
What I wish I could do (and actually I say ‘wish’ as though I’m not in charge of this) is finish all the WIP’s that my mind keeps sprouting and starting before self-doubt creeps in and pushes them away.
I currently have 6 active short story ideas and 10 active novel ideas. I say ‘active’ because these are the ones that I have narrowed down after discarding the rest.
Here are some of those active novel ideas summed up in a single bland sentence which doesn’t convey the sheer level of caffeine and hysteria which has been poured into them so far:-
- Supernatural horror in a ‘weird west’ mining town where the main character tries to break free from the demon that has corrupted three generations of her family
- Retelling of Bluebeard set in a decaying French chateaux and containing more than a dash of Satan worship
- Fantasy where three witch sisters try to solve the murder of their mother while fighting their own personal demons (the call of the dark, love, and an unwanted gift for necromancy FYI)
- Retelling of Little Red Riding Hood where a main character is oppressed by the people of her isolated forest village until a mysterious stranger arrive (gosh, who could that be?!)
- Fantasy with a taste of gothic ghost story where the earth witch main character tries to remove a curse from a Lord’s estate and wakes up something that should have been left sleeping
That’s only half. The rest are a mix of fairy tale and um, fantasy. None are set in modern times and all are for adults. There’s definitely a trend of what I like and I guess I like my fiction like I like my chocolate – dark. And er, filled with caramel magicky goodness?
Help me. No seriously, help me. I have no idea what I’m doing.
This is why I wouldn’t ‘wish’ there was another writer’s book I had written because I’m kind of wishing I could write my own. Until then, I’ll leave the rest in the hands of the experts.
Claire @ The Brit Lit Blog discusses 24 British Books Out in May
Jennifer @ Tar Heel Reader stokes the flames of my murderess in fiction problem by reviewing The Trial of Lizzie Borden by Cara Robertson
Kelly @ Another Book in the Wall asks What Makes YA Books so Popular?
Sophie @ Beware of the Reader questions the Do’s and Don’ts in YA Reads: What Do You Want Your Kids to Read About?
Kathy @ Pages Below the Vaulted Sky has articulated beautifully In Defence of Romance: What It Can Do In a Fantasy Story (Or Any Story)
Imyril @ One More has launched Wyrd and Wonder, a month celebration of all things fantastical. I’m sobbing that I discovered this so late!
Enter my Giveaway!
The deadline for this is today – Sunday 5th May so if you want to enter and haven’t done so already please make sure you do. I’d hate for you to miss it!
I am giving away a MasterClass from the awesome MasterClass people. That’s a whole class for free! You can learn things – for free! You can have fun – for free!
What’s not to love?
Rules can be found at the bottom of my original Giveaway post (here) and the place to enter can be found here. (All you need to do is fill in the contact form with the class you would want to win and press ‘submit).’
It’s that easy.
If you have questions please let me know and if you’re having trouble with the contact form – please let me know.
I want someone to win so don’t be shy if you want to be in for a chance.
Names will go into a random generator (paper slips, a bowl plus my husband – it’s incredibly high tech) and the winner will be announced on my blog!
Now this is a bit cheeky of me but originally I was going to announce the winner on Wednesday 16th May however I am now going to announce the winner on Monday 20th May.
It’s all because of a cheeky extended hiatus…
I have annual leave next week (whoop!) and so you’d think that I’d be dedicating my time to blog posts and blog hopping and all things blog interactiony but alas no, I shan’t be doing any of those things.
Instead my plan is to enjoy my week off with my husband as we participate in all the organised fun that I’ve got planned.
Originally my planned hiatus was going to be one week only but on account of Real Life piling up I have gotten behind on a) writing blog posts, b) responding to comments on my blog and c) writing any of those 10000000 WIP’s that I’ve briefly mentioned among other things.
In order to allow myself some time to catch up on blogging, writing, reading and Real Life I am extending my one week hiatus into two.
See you in a few weeks!
So how about it – any books you wish you’d written? Or do you have books/ stories of your own that you are yearning and burning to write?
Feel free to share as I will always provide encouragement to all ventures!
I am totally up for joining writing groups by the way – if anyone knows any let me know!
The BookNook UK 
I feel the exact same way! I really, really wish I could write a book like The Book Thief (but with fantastical elements), but I definitely don’t wish I’d written The Book Thief itself. And eeeeeee I love seeing all your WIPs! And it’s a relief to know that I’m not the only one who has dozens of story ideas going on at once. 😀 I think I’m actually incapable of drafting any story that ISN’T fantasy in some way. All my contemporary story ideas start out as contemporary for like, the first 10% of the planning stage, and then they slowly get more and more fantastical.
And I’m thinking of doing like a “Love Letter to Fantasy” post for May 31st to close off Wyrd and Wonder, talking about why I love fantasy, what made me fall in love with fantasy, what I’d like to see more in the genre, etc. And if you want to join me on that…? 😀
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Oh I have far too many story ideas going on. I need to actually start outlining and writing some of them because I just keep adding to the pile. You my friend are a fantasy writer 😉 Sometimes I think of contemporary ideas but they don’t excite me as much as the fantastical and I think if someone isn’t excited writing something then people aren’t going to be excited reading it!
That sounds like an absolutely fantastic post and a great way to end Wyrd and Wonder. I totally missed the boat on that one this year but I’m hoping to be ahead of the game next time!
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ooh I love your blackbeard idea- I’d read that! I totally get what you mean about not wishing to have written a beloved book, cos then that book wouldn’t exist and we wouldn’t be able to love it (you put that so much better than I just did lol!)
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Thank you! I’m also glad I made some sense re. writing a book that I loved so much. I felt like I was trying to explain time travel!
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I am LOVING your WIPs already. Seriously, if you ever write an entire book, let me know first because I know it’ll be right up my alley. I mean, dark/gothic fairy tale premises? Sooooo deliciously complex and intriguing. Don’t ever doubt yourself because your WIPs legit sound amazing!!! (I swear) ❤
By the way, I've finished Uprooted last week. I am totally seeing why you love it so much! 😊
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Oh thank you, your words have made me smile. I truly have a worrying lean towards dark fairy tales for adults and I can’t get enough of them to read! I like reading them in YA but lately I’ve wanted something more from them and seem to be judging YA versions harshly when they don’t deliver.
I believe someone once said, ‘if you want it – write it.’ Maybe, I could have made that up!
Yay! I hope you liked it? I seriously push that book like a creepy book pusher.
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Ohhh girl, me too. I’ve seen way too many sugary fairy tales at this point in my life, and I’m getting a major hankering for the darker stuff. Like, I love Heartless by Marissa Meyer despite the fact that execution is far from perfect; there’s a lack of darker retellings/tales nowadays, so I latch onto even the mediocre ones I come across lol.
And hell yes I loved it! Oh my goodness, I was seriously on edge the entire way through. Thank you creepily pushing the book on me! You’re the one who helped overcome my wariness for the hype; I’d been putting Uprooted off for years, but I am so glad that I did finally read it. 😁❤️
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I enjoyed Heartless but I think I would have preferred it more if she had written it for adults and gone darker with it because I think that would have added something more. But I think that’s just me desperately wanting that kind of thing!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! I need to get round to reading Spinning Silver now and if I enjoy it I’ll totally be creep pushing that one on you too!
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Exactly! It would’ve been great if it had gone even darker; readers are super starved of soft horror in retellings, it would’ve been a hit.
And hehe there may be no need! I enjoyed Uprooted so much that I have been eyeing Spinning Silver each time I passed it in the bookstore! My brain just keeps going there. 😉 But if I do forget, I give you full permission to creepily push it on me!
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Aww, thank you for linking to my post! I hope you have a lovely break with your Husband! That sounds like such fun! ❤
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Thank you very much!
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Weird West and Bluebeard please! Xxx
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You got it! 😉
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Bluebeard & satan worship?? I’d read that! 😀
Enjoy your holiday! 🙂
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Thank you!
Oh I love you Norrie, that’s hilarious because I was thinking ‘no one is going to ever want to read a Bluebeard retelling with satan worship. I’m concerned that I even want to write the darn thing!’ 😛
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Thank you for sharing my review! I hope you have a wonderful hiatus with some adventure! ♥️
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You’re welcome and thank you very much! x
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First enjoy your week! Second thank you for the shoutout! And third I would love a Blue Beard retelling as it seems to me that is one that has not been used and overused!
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Thank you very much and you’re welcome!
I know, Bluebeard retellings are hard to come by and I reeaaaally don’t see Disney making an adaptation anytime soon (thank goodness!)
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