I FINISHED MY BOOK | snippets + aesthetics

hi i just finished MY FIRST BOOK EVER. so yea, i'm freaking out, xD. and yes, i'm going to overload y'all with lots of random snippets, aesthetics from my pinterest board, and just overall freaking out. :D

and i just realized that i've been posting about my wip two weeks in a row...so sorry xD. i promise next week will be different :D

okay, so I've been doing the 100-4-100 challenge (hosted by the amazing Go Teen Writers//go check them out, they're awesome), and I finished my book on Monday, August 20. SO FREAKING EXCITED!

Because it's my first book completed. Cover to cover. Chapter 1 to Chapter 50 something (my chapters are really short, fyi).

It's a YA contemporary, 285 pages, and 54,211 words. It's called "The Day We Met".

I cried when I finished it, because this story is so precious + personal. I also cried while I was writing it, which is a first for me, bc usually I only cry during movies (and certain books *cough* HARRY POTTER)

I'm so excited to edit it (weird i know), and it needs A LOT of editing. oh well xD I'm planning on waiting at least two months (bc #senioryear) until editing it, and then I'll order a spiral bound, double spaced copy off Lulu bc I edit better on paper.


And as soon as I finished, I ran downstairs and told my mom that I finished writing my first book. And then had the cutest conversation with my little brother, who tried to convince me to publish it now. xD

So then Mom took me to get my nails done, and the next day we got coffee at Panera. To celebrate. xD

basically, this post is me freaking out, lots of excited + incoherent rambling, some snippets, and lots of aesthetics.

Okay, so before all the snippets + aesthetics, here's a really rough synopsis:

her dream is to write a novel. 

his is to leave an impact on the world. 

When aspiring author Evynne Olson meets Chad Everton in a coffee shop, they quickly become best friends, bonding over coffee and fandoms. They soon realize they are more alike than they originally thought, and decide to start a blog to record their adventures. They embark on a quest to co-write a novel. Their story is sunny and hopeful, full of light and friendship and iced coffee. A story that resembles their own friendship. 

And when it seems like darkness is swallowing their dreams, how can they change the world? 

                                      

So, it needs a lot of editing/tweaking, but I think it describes my story pretty well. :) less formally, "The Day We Met" is:

two overly caffeinated teenagers attempt to write a book together without any prior novel-writing experience. they decide to start a blog in addition to their New York Times Bestseller's List future novel. 

lots of binge-watching of The Office + Sherlock, and numerous geeky conversations about Marvel films and comic books. 

also, they want to change the world of literature. specifically, young adult lit.

Also, the day after I finished it, I ordered a first draft copy off Lulu, and spent an exorbitant amount of time on the cover (because for some reason, it took me forever to upload my pictures). The picture is from Pinterest, so obviously I won't be using it for the real cover if I ever publish it. But since it's just for my own personal use, I thought it would be okay. :)

And originally, the mock cover was going to something completely different, but I saw this ^^ adorable picture on Pinterest, and instantly, I knew that sunflowers are exactly the aesthetic for my book.

okay, on to the snippets + aesthetics!

all photos below are from pinterest + canva

sunshine // iced coffee // driving at night // fresh flowers // overly caffeinated 

hands cupping mugs of warm tea // typing into the late night // friendship // spattered watercolors

purple rimmed eyes // chipped nail polish // laughing too hard // ink stained fingers

tangled earbuds // star sprinkled sky // musty smell of old books // incoherent texts

SOUNDTRACK 

because why not? i'm already overwhelming y'all with snippets + aesthetics, xD

vanilla twilight | owl city

you will be found | dear evan hansen

dreamers | for king & country

to the sky | owl city 

joy | for king & country

history has its eyes on you | hamilton

to be human | sia 

fireflies | owl city

character. evynne 

black coffee at night // reads too fast // messy scrawly handwriting // afraid to fail

her main goals in life are to write a book, go to college, + get a job to support herself. sometimes described as too practical.

character. chad

drinks way too much tea // too happy // wants to be remembered // glass half full 

he has too many impossible dreams, but is determined to accomplish all of them. sometimes described as naive or too optimistic.

okay, that's it. sorry for such a long, rambling + disorganized post, but I'm still just in shock + so happy that I finished my book! and I can't wait until my first draft copy arrives from Lulu...definitely not going to stalk the mailbox until it comes, xD.

so, what do y'all think? 

what WIP are you currently working on? 

and when did you finish your first book?

<3 <3,

allison riera

the language of worlds

Hey y'all! Today I'm going to do The Language of Worlds bimonthly linkup, all about your WIP's characters. Check out Liv's post for more details, if you want to do this (bc it's open to everyone! :D).

So, for this linkup I'm going to use my current WIP, the day we met. which i'm almost done with!! one chapter left! 

where does your character live, 

and how does that affect them?

There's two main characters, Evynne and Chad. They live in a small town (North Creek) in Texas, although I'm considering switching it to Mississippi. No matter what though, they'll end up living in small town in the South. :)

It affects them as they live in a small town, where they know basically everyone.

if they could book a vacation to anywhere

in the world, where would they go and why?

Hmm, Evynne would go to England to visit King's Cross Station, 221B Baker Street, and the cafe featured in BBC #Sherlock. Because she's a huge and unapologetic geek. :D

Chad would go to New York City, to visit Broadway (and hopefully see #Hamilton), Rockefeller Center, etc. But mainly, he'd just want to go somewhere with his family and Evynne. 

on a scale from 1 (low) to 10 (high), 

how ambitious are they?

Evynne is probably a five, as she wants to do a lot of things, but doesn't think she'll ever actually finish or accomplish her goals. 

Chad is a nine, as he has lots of wild dreams and actually has the motivation and desire to go accomplish them. 

what do they want to achieve long-term?

Evynne wants to finish high school, go to college, and graduate with a degree that'll help her get a job. Writing is one of her passions, and eventually she wants to finish one of her stories. Potentially even publish it. 

Chad wants to get a job that he enjoys, no matter what the paycheck is. Currently, he's considering becoming a writer full time. He also wants to pursue happiness, to make the world a better place.

who inspires them?

They both inspire each other. 

Chad inspires Evynne to be more optimistic, to look for the rainbows instead of seeing just the rain clouds. He inspires her to follow her dreams, no matter how hard or unattainable they seem. 

Evynne inspires Chad to be more practical, to be more organized and productive with his time. To know that in order to fulfill his dreams and goals, it takes hard work and perseverance. 

how would they handle seclusion?

An introvert through and through, Evynne wouldn't mind seclusion (for a reasonable period of time). She needs alone time after spending a lot of time with friends, just to recharge. 

A mix between introvert and extrovert, Chad wouldn't mind seclusion for a little while...and then he would start to go crazy if left alone for a long time. 

are they a cat person, or dog person?

They're both definitely cat people. Evynne really wants to get a cat, but one of her brothers is allergic, so she has to wait until she has an apartment of her own (and she's already planned it out: it'll be a black and white cat named Sherlock). 

what's their favorite type of weather?

Evynne's favorite type of weather is a classic fall day: crisp air, gentle breeze, and crunchy leaves. 

Chad's favorite kind of weather is a cold, snowy day where there's no school and all day is spent sledding and building snowmen and snowball fights. 

when they're hungry, does it show? how?

For Evynne, yes definitely. Sometimes she doesn't eat (because when she's stressed, she either doesn't have time or just isn't hungry). But when she doesn't eat....she gets irritable and grumpy. Hangry. xD

Chad....no, because he never skips meals. So whenever he's hungry, he'd just go get food. Yup. :D

what's one Bible verse they would identify

with?

Evynne: 

Matthew 11:28-30

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Chad: 

John 14:27

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

are y'all going to do this linkup? 

random question:
current favorite tv show? 

<3 <3,

allison riera

get to know me tag | writer's edition

I've been wanting to do this tag for awhile, and then Danielle tagged me <3 thank you!! 

fyi, all pics below are from pinterest. 

 ~link back to the person who created the tag~ 

   ~thank the person who tagged you~

thank you, Danielle! <3 <3

  ~share the tag graphic (optional, optional! I know it won't go with everyone's blog design)~ 

  ~tag eleven bloggers~ 

//vital stats + appearance//

pen name: Allison Riera. 

nicknames: my dad used to call me "Spunk" when I was younger....my youngest brother called me "Allisonnnnnnn" for about a year....another brother called me "Ack" when we were young....now, none lol

birthday: in the summer :)

hair color + length: brown curly hair that's either incredibly frizzy or, on certain occasions, actually okay xD

eye color: hazel

braces/piercings/tattoos: used to but now they're off #finally/ears are pierced/not yet but maybe one day :D 

righty or lefty: righty

ethnicity: mixture of Spanish, German, and Norwegian

//firsts//

first novel written: uhhh, I wrote a book (more like a mini novella, it was so short) for my dad's birthday when I was twelve-ish. It was called "Tears of an Ocean" and was incredibly depressing. That was back when I was obsessed with the Titantic don't ask xD and the plot was basically two street kids get adopted by rich British people and then they go to America on the Titanic and then all the guys die and the girls survive but are heartbroken. yup. 

first novel completed: "The Island Story" that I wrote for my one of my brothers as an ongoing birthday/Christmas present for several years. Based off our own crazy, awesome family and the island we go to for family reunions. Basically a ripoff of 39 Clues. But somehow I finished it and went on to write two more, "Catherine's Clue" and "Winter at the Island". awesome titles, allison 

award for writing: I won second place in an essay contest, if that counts. Other than that, nope. :D

first publication: nothing yet. :) My goal is to self-publish my current WIPs, the day we met and unforgettable, soon. but we'll see :))

conference: not yet. I really want to go to Realm Makers sometime soon. maybe next year? And, my goal is to go to BookCon next year. :D

query/pitch: nope. 

//favorites//

novel (that you wrote): my current WIPs the day we met and unforgettable. 

genre: to read? contemporary and dystopian. to write? contemporary. though i really want to write a dystopian/speculative book about superheroes. 

author: WHYYYYY. I can't name just one, so here are some of my favorites: 

• j. k. rowling
• suzanne collins
• maggie stiefvater
• nadine brandes
• k.a. emmons
• marissa meyer

writing music: oh gravity//basically anything by peter + evynne hollens//any classical music//the wonder woman soundtrack

time to write: at night, on the couch in the family room with all my family and the tv on (#americanpickers or #foodnetwork). honestly though, any time is good for me. especially mornings with coffee :D

writing snack/drink: coffee (hot or iced). tea. seltzer water. chocolate. popcorn.

movie: WHYYYYY. again, I can't name just one. here are some of my favorites: 

• the winter soldier (my favorite marvel movie)
• north by northwest
• wonder woman
• the empire strikes back

writing memory: writing in one of my many notebooks (before I got my laptop, George--and yes i named my laptop) at night and my dad coming in and asking me about what I was writing. I would always answer with "my Great American novel" and my dad would grin and say he couldn't wait to read it. he would always call me john-boy too:)) #waltons

childhood book: narnia. the trixie belden series. elsie dinsmore series. controversial i know, but one day i will write a post why i will always love the elsie dinsmore series 

//currently//

reading:  a lot, xD. i have this bad habit of reading like eight books at once. here are all the books i'm currently reading: 

• "twilight" bc i have to read it so i'm allowed to critique it. :P
• "the brothers karamazov" for school
• "fawkes" by nadine brandes
• "a thousand perfect notes" by c.g. drews

writing: the day we met for the Go Teen Writers 100-4-100 challenge. AND I JUST HIT 50K ON IT! so excited :D only three chapters left and it's done. :D

listening to: THE HAMILTON SOUNDTRACK :D for like the sixtieth time #ssshh also, Dear Evan Hansen. Owl City. Twenty One Pilots. 

watching: JEOPARDY every night xD//studio c//bones//sherlock//AND THE OFFICE (literally my friend and i are binge-watching this. we're already on the third season xD)

learning: writing is not easy. when you get tired of your story, take a break (cue hamilton music, lol). writing a book is definitely not easy. family is precious and you should postpone writing to spend time with them. every moment should be treasured. pray about anything and everything. choose to be happy. 

//future//

want to be published: YES. :P

indie or traditional: before I entered the blogging world, I never heard of self-publishing. But now, indie publishing is my current ambition. It's the perfect solution to balancing writing with my other passion (forensic science) and gives me control over my writing. although, I am open to both, so we'll see what happens :D.

wildest goal: to open a coffee shop + bookstore (full of all writerly friends' books) that's open twenty four hours, so you can get the next book in a series asap. :D

anyone who is still emotionally scarred from "Infinity War" sobbing x_x

or, 
anyone who wants to do this tag :)

because so many people have already done this xD

what's your favorite writing music?
also, favorite movie? 

<3 <3, 

allison riera

july | highlights

hey my july recap is late. xD. i should have posted it last week but i completely forgot how many days there were in july. *facepalm* it's been a crazy couple of weeks. anyway, enjoy my late july recap! :D

july was a month of swim team, iced coffee, binge-writing, and comfort reading. it flew by so fast, with lots of fun days, late nights, calligraphy, and watercolors.

... I watched Ant-Man and the Wasp. IT WAS AMAZING. it also broke my heart (#thatpostcreditscene). Funny: we watched it with friends, and their dad said there was only one post credit scene. So we all gathered up our stuff and left the theater. We were in the hallway when he checked again and said there was actually two! So we sprinted back into the theater and arrived just in time. To see the ant playing the drums. xDDDD

... Incredibles 2. AWESOME.

... i went to my grandparents' house for a weekend. we went kayaking and got pizza and spent nearly a whole day just reading and drinking coffee and doing the crossword puzzle. and binging "say yes to the dress" and "midsomer murders". *heart eyes*

... i started this blog! it took me forever to understand blogger and header images and centering, but i finally figured stuff out (a lot of googling and asking some other bloggers for help). and it took a lot of courage to actually push the publish button. but i'm excited to see where this blog will take me :) and it's a lot of fun!

... i got a job! at this tiny cute bagel place. it's so much fun working there :))

... the Go Teen Writers 100-4-100 challenge! i'm at 47k and on track to finish by the end of the challenge (august 31). so excited to FINALLY finish one of my stories :)

blue lily, lily blue 

FIVE STARS // magic and friendship and love // gansey & adam & blue & ronan & noah // murder squash song //  language tho

the mystery of the blue train

four stars // puzzling and twisting // hercule poirot

a caribbean mystery 

FIVE STARS // miss marple // i predicted the ending!!! 

crooked house

four stars // creepy // murder mystery // standalone 

the mysterious mr. quin

four stars // strange and fantasy ish murder mysteries // unique

murder after hours

FIVE STARS // hercule poirot // murder mystery

the seven dials mystery

four stars // intriguing // kinda slow in middle // THAT ENDING

towards zero

FIVE STARS // murder mystery // the ending 0_0

the word is murder

DNF // strange and slightly annoying 

 

fawkes by nadine brandes

i'm so excited to read this! i LOVED her out of time series...and this book looks amazing. and that cover *heart eyes*

broken wings by shannon dittemore

i've been waiting to get my hands on the other two angel eyes books after devouring the first one :)) 

dark halo by shannon dittemore

a thousand perfect notes by c.g. drews

i've been waiting to read this...and it will probably break my heart *sobs*

and porch swing girl by taylor bennett on kindle! which i have already devoured and absolutely love. 

in conclusion, july was a pretty great month :)). looking forward to august, several trips in the future, and yes, senior year :D. 

how was your july? 

favorite summer read so far? 

<3 <3, 

allison riera