Snippet Sunday #2

It’s Snippet Sunday time!!! I haven’t done a Snippet Sunday post in a while, so this is long overdue… 

 

How To Participate In Snippet Sunday: 

  • Share a snippet of your current writing project. It can be a sentence, a paragraph, a bit of dialogue, a poem, a chapter… You get the picture!… 
  • Link your post back to Samantha’s blog, where Snippet Sunday first began! 
  • Drop a link to your post in the comments so I can see it!
  • Have fun, be bookish, and stay writerly! 

 

For a bit of context, this snippet comes from my current project, which is a fantasy novel by the working title of Wishes. It started when I was given a positively hideous assignment for the poetry unit in my English class last year. The reason I passed that assignment was because I ended up writing all the poems as though they pertained to my story to make it slightly less tortuous, and this anagram is one of them that I ended up keeping. It sets up the theme of my story SO well, and I think I’ll probably put it at the front of the book kind of like a mini prologue. 

 

Perfection Flawed 

 

It’s best to keep a common truth, 

Lest a darkened storm should brew. 

For if a lie is seen outside, 

Then flawed perfection hides inside! 

The Handwriting Tag

I wasn’t officially tagged for this tag, but I’ve seen it around on several blogs and thought it would be a good way for you to get to know me! I won’t tag anyone either, but if you want to do it, feel free to leave a link to your post in the comments. 

 

The Rules: 

  1. Write your name. 

  2. Write your blog name. 

  3. Write your favorite word and it’s definition. 

  4. Write something nice. 

  5. Write the name of your favorite song right now. 

  6. What are you writing with? 

  7. Write a fun fact about yourself. 

  8. Write/draw your favorite emoticon. 

  9. Write a silly message. 

  10. Write who you’re tagging. 

 

My Answers: 

The Handwriting Tag

Since most of you probably can’t read braille, and if you can read braille, you most likely can’t see well enough to read what’s in that picture, I’ll be a nice person and give you a typed transcript of my answers… 

  1. Cheyenne Raphael 

  2. Cheyenne Raphael Writes 

  3. pelican: An aquatic bird of the tropical or warm water family. (there’s an inside joke there.)

  4. all of you people reading this are awesome!!! 

  5. I Am Invincible by Cassadee Pope 

  1. A slate and stylus. (That’s a braille thing, so here’s a pic for you sightlings.) 

Slate And stylus

  1. I got to zip line at night! 

  2. The “face with tears of joy” is the one I use the most. 😂 

  3. The aardvark ate the anteater’s breakfast! I am now scared of the Flexy Keyboard app because it predicted that correctly…. 

  4. Since I wasn’t tagged, I won’t tag anyone either, but feel free to do it if you want! And don’t forget to leave a link in the comments so I can see your answers! 

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (warnings before all spoilers!)

HP Cursed Child Cover

Title: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child 

Author: J. K. Rolling 

Series: Harry Potter, (Book 8)

Genre: Theater 

Pages: 320 

Publisher: Pottermore 

Published: July 31, 2016 

 

Synopsis: 

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John TiffanyHarry Potter and the Cursed Child is a new play by Jack Thorne. It is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage.

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is one play presented in two Parts, which are intended to be seen in order on the same day (matinee and evening) or on two consecutive evenings.

*Image from pottermore.com 
*Synopsis from: harrypottertheplay.com 



Harry Potter and the Cursed child was weird, and dark, and twisted, and sad, and terrible, and beautiful, and amazing all rolled into one, and I am giving it five stars! I was somewhat doubtful that Cursed Child would be worth reading since it was written as a script for a play, but I bought it as soon as it was released in the Kindle edition, (because who wouldn’t jump at the chance to be back in the Potterverse?), and now I understand why J. K. Rolling chose to write it in that form. There is simply too much action and switching among view point characters to cram it all into a book. The original seven Harry Potter books were also filled with action, but they could be shown through the eyes of one character, one scene at a time. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child also has a pretty… tangled timeline… (you’ll catch the underlying meaning to that when you read it), and that would have most likely made for a confusing mess were it displayed in the form of a novel like the first seven books. Rather than being confusing or hard to read as I expected, reading Cursed Child was like reading a movie. It was a very quick read because of it being written as a script, and I was able to clearly picture each scene and hear the emotion behind each character’s words.

I won’t spoil anything, but the beginning of Cursed Child almost tore my poor little “dumbledork” heart to shreds! I hated forty-year-old Harry and wished I could slap him across the face so he’d shut up and listen for once! And I spent a good chunk of the book internally screaming, “Albus Severus Potter you are a blithering idiot and you are acting even stupider than your dad at this age!” But then the end of the book redeemed Harry and Albus, and I saw a side of Draco Malfoy that I thought I’d never see. Anyone who reads Cursed Child should be prepared to cry in heartbreak and then relief multiple times, and then with joy when the last word is spoken. J. K. Rolling did it again, just like I knew she would! She wrote a wonderfully magical story that shows a lesson that isn’t even evident until the very end, and one day I hope that I can evoke as much emotion through the words of my characters as she does through the words of Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore. I honestly can’t say much more than that without terribly spoiling things, so I’ll move on and share a few quotes that I highlighted as I was reading. Be forewarned… One of the quotes is a mild spoiler, so watch out for the screaming alert! 

 

Quotes from The Cursed: 

■Albus Dumbledore: “You must see him as he is, Harry. You must look for what’s wounding him.” 

■Draco Malfoy: “Tom Riddle didn’t emerge from his dark place. And so Tom Riddle became Lord Voldemort.” 

 

SPOILER ALERT!!! 

■Severus Snape: “Sometimes costs are made to be borne.” 

END SPOILER ALERT!!! 

■Albus Potter: Oh I’m not going to be a wizard, I’m going into pigeon racing.” 

■Harry Potter: “They were great men, with huge flaws, and you know what—those flaws almost made them greater.” 

 

 

Find It ON: 

Amazon 

iBooks 

 

What do you think? 

Have you read Cursed Child? are you planning to read it or see the performance? I’d love to know what you think in the comments. If you haven’t read it yet, you are nothing but a muggle! Hopefully I didn’t spoil anything, but if I did… Alas… earwax!

The Get to Know Me Tag

Hi guys! I wasn’t officially tagged for this tag, but I found it over on The Quirky Book Nerd, and I thought it would be a fun way for you to get to know me a little bit so I don’t seem like some random blogger with a robot personality. I won’t tag anyone else since no one exactly tagged me either, but feel free to do it if you want and leave me a link in the comments so I can see your answers. 

Vital Stats 

Name: Cheyenne 

Nicknames: None

Birthday: November 18th 

Star Sign: ♏︎ 

Occupation: High school student and hopefully future author! 

 

Appearance 

Hair Color: Brown 

Hair Length: Really long… Like almost to my waste long…

Eye Color: Blue

Best feature: Umm… I honestly have no idea what to put here… Are we talking physical features or personality traits??? I’m gonna go with personality traits and say my ability to always crack a blind joke! 

Braces: Not anymore!!! I had them for three years in elementary school. 

Piercings: just one in each ear. 

Tattoos: None, and I don’t ever plan to have any. I’m just not real wild about putting something permanent on my body… 

Right Or Left Handed: Right

 

Firsts 

Real Holiday: Umm… I think that would be when I was seven and we went to the beach for a week. 

Best Friend: I met my first best friend in Kindergarten, but we have since grown apart. 

Award: I’ve been on the honor roll every year in school, so does that count? I’ve also won lots of blue ribbons for my crafts that I’ve entered in the county fair, and I won first place in my state Braille Challenge when I was in sixth grade. 

Sport: Does yoga count? 

Concert: I played in my school band concert against my will in seventh grade, and that’s the only concert I’ve ever attended either as a player or a spectator. 

 

Favorites 

Film: It’s a toss-up between Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Mockingjay. 

TV Show: I don’t watch a lot of TV, so the last show I really kept up with was the Vampire Diaries. 

Color: Purple 

Song: How bout five of my favorite songs? 

■I Am Invincible by Cassadee Pope 

■Warrior by Demi Lovato 

■Fight Song by Rachel Platten 

https://youtu.be/xo1VInw-SKc 

■Roots And Wings by Miranda Lambert 

https://youtu.be/QGWqRk7Y8TQ

■something In The Water by Carrie Underwood 

https://youtu.be/YVEHJ9C-H9I 

FYI… all of these songs have inspired my current writing project in some way. 

Restaurant: Red Lobster, Applebees, or Cracker Barrel 

Shop: Barnes & Noble? I usually buy everything online. 😉 

Books: That is a terrible question to ask a bookworm like myself! I refuse to answer it because my favorite books change by the week! 

Shoes: Yellow Box flip-flops in the Summer/cowboy boots in the Winter 

 

Currently 

Feeling: Sleepy… 

Single Or Taken: Single 

Eating: Nothing right this minute 

Thinking About: This blog post and how I can’t wait to spend a week with my awesome friend and fellow blogger, (Macy @ Unicorn Nerdiness!) 

Watching: This video: 

https://youtu.be/qoSMGWX7fms 

Wearing: An old worn-out T-shirt and fuzzy pajama pants. 

 

Future 

Want Children: Hmmm… If I do have kids, I’ll probably adopt. 

Want to be married: Maybe… Ask me in a few years! 

Careers in Mind: My dream job is to be a young adult author, but I’m also interested in a career in psychology, preferably as a children’s councilor. Web design is also a possible option, as I’ve been learning HTML coding. 

Where you want to live: Hawaii would be nice!!! That’ll probably never happen, but a girl can dream, right?! 

 

Do You Believe In… 

God: Absolutely! 

Miracles: Yes! 

Love at first sight: Umm… No… cracks silent blind joke I think it is possible to have a connection to someone on the first meeting, but I also think love takes time. 

Ghosts: Yes 

Aliens: Yes, I do believe that there are other levels of existence out there, but I don’t think that aliens are the little green men we see in the movies. 

Soul Mates: Yes, definitely! 

Heaven: Yes, definitely! 

Hell: Not exactly the one we’re taught about… 

Kissing on the first date: no, not really… 

Yourself: Yes! I got this! 🙂 

 

What Do You Think? 

Do you agree with my answers? Would you have answered anything differently? Let me know in the comments, or drop me a link to your own tag post! 

Book Review: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Carry On Cover

Title: Carry On 

Author: Rainbow Rowell 

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press 

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance 

Published: October 6, 2015

Pages: 384 

Synopsis: 

Simon Snow is the worst Chosen One who’s ever been chosen.

That’s what his roommate, Baz, says. And Baz might be evil and a vampire and a complete git, but he’s probably right.

Half the time, Simon can’t even make his wand work, and the other half, he sets something on fire. His mentor’s avoiding him, his girlfriend broke up with him, and there’s a magic-eating monster running around wearing Simon’s face. Baz would be having a field day with all this, if he were here—it’s their last year at the Watford School of Magicks, and Simon’s infuriating nemesis didn’t even bother to show up.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, and a mystery. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story — but far, far more monsters.

 

*Synopsis and cover art from www.rainbowrowell.com. 

 

☆☆☆☆☆

I am giving Cary On five out of five stars because it is absolutely amazing! If you’ve read Fangirl, (click here for my review), you will understand the meaning behind Carry On a bit better. In fangirl, Cath is writing fictional fan fiction for a fictional fantasy series, and Carry On is Cath’s fictional fan fiction brought to life by Rainbow Rowell! A lot of people are criticizing Cary On for being a rip off of Harry Potter, but honestly I don’t see that. Yes, it features a school of magic, a dark creature trying to harm magic, spells that relate to common words and phrases, and a young chosen one who seems like the worst chosen one ever, but the story still seems to be a world away from the Potterverse in my opinion. Harry Potter has a more fantastical flow to the words, like it’s set in a far away world, while Carry On is set in the modern world, and has a more modern flow to it. I would consider HP full on fantasy, while Carry On to me is “modern fantasy,: if there is such a genre. 

I absolutely LOVE the romance in Carry On, and that coming from me is a huge complement since I’ve been called an “anti romantic” for my views of romance in YA literature. It’s amazing to me that Rainbow Rowell was able to turn two complete enemies around and make them fall for each other in one single book.

**Possible romantic spoiler alert!!! Baz and simon are sO awesome together, and I was shipping them even as I was reading Fangirl. I love how the little bit of diversity in Carry On seemed perfectly natural, unlike in some books when it seems forced, or like it’s there simply for the sake of being diverse. 

**Possible spoiler ended… 

Carry On is meant to be the eighth book in the fictional Simon Snow series that is portrayed in Fangirl, and I would honestly love to see Rainbow Rowell publish the other seven books. I really like how Carry On encompasses so much world building and character development in one novel without it seeming overwhelming, but I really would love to spend more time in the Simon Snow universe. In short, Carry On is amazing, and you should totally read it if you A: read Fangirl and loved it, or B: like YA romance/fantasy and want something a little bit different to read. 

Buy it now at: 
Let’s start a discussion! 

Have you read Carry On? Do you agree or disagree with my thoughts? I’d love to know what you think in the comments or on twitter @writergirl1999! 

Book Review: Fangirl

Fangirl Cover

Title: fangirl 

Author: rainbow Rowell 

Publisher: st. Martin’s Press 

Copyright: September 10, 2013 

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary, Romance 

Pages: 445 

Synopsis: 

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, everybody is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath it’s something more. Fandom is life. It’s what got her and her sister, Wren, through losing their mom. It’s what kept them close.

And now that she’s starting college, introverted Cath isn’t sure what’s supposed to get her through. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fanfiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind? 

 

*Synopsis and cover art from www.rainbowrowell.com 

 

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

I am giving Fangirl four out of five stars. I really love the characters, but I wasn’t that impressed with the plot… Honestly there was nothing that surprised me about it, and I would’ve given it a lower rating had it not been for the amazing characters. Cath, the main character, is someone I can really identify with. She’s the nerdy girl who loves books and writing, and who doesn’t really understand other people her age. I could totally see myself feeling the way Cath does about college. She’s the kind of person who over-analyzes every situation before she actually gets into it, and that is one of my biggest faults. Cath also writes fan fiction for a fictional fantasy series, and you get little snippets of what she’s writing at the start of each chapter. It’s almost like you’re reading two books in one, and I was completely fascinated with how that was done. Rainbow Rowell also published the story that Cath was writing during Fangirl, and I am currently in the midst of reading it. I can’t wait to review that as well because so far it is amazing! Cath’s writing in Fangirl features some diverse, (LGBTQ), characters, and I think that incorporating them into a YA contemporary novel was very well done! 

Fangirl is not the sort of thing I normally read, (I usually won’t touch it if it doesn’t involve magic or SciFi), but lots of people kept telling me to read it. I’m so glad I did, mostly because I’m a sucker for character focused stories and well-written diversity of any kind. It’s the kind of book that anyone can pretty much enjoy because it captures a bit of real life between the pages. It really gives you something to connect with because it demonstrates how you are going to grow up and away from things, and how it’s ok to let that happen. It shows that the things that used to make you who you are will not always define you as well as they once did, and that it’s ok to let other things define you as you grow and change. In short, (before I continue to ramble), Fangirl probably isn’t for you if you like twisting, surprising plots, but it does give you some things to think about. I’m really glad I stepped outside my fantasy bubble and gave it a chance. 

 

Let’s start A Discussion 

Have you read Fangirl? Do you agree with my thoughts? I’d love to know what you think in the comments! 

Snippet Sunday #1 

It’s finally Snippet Sunday time! I’ve been waiting for this all week! don’t know what I’m talking about? Snippet Sunday is where I share a bit of my writing on this blog every Sunday. Feel free to join in the fun and link to your post in the comments below. 

 

How To Participate In Snippet Sunday 

  • Share a snippet of your current work in progress. It can be a sentence, a scene, a bit of dialogue, a poem, or even an entire chapter. 
  • Link your post back to Samantha Reed, the awesome blogger who originally created Snippet Sunday. 
  • Have lots of fun sharing your writing with the blogosphere! 
  • Feel free to drop a link to your post in the comments below this post so I can enjoy your writing as well. 
  • And it is done! Your Snippet Sunday is now complete! 

For a bit of context, this snippet comes from my Camp NaNoWriMo project. It’s a YA fantasy novel by the working title of Wishes about magic, murder, and things that go unseen. 

 

The Snippet 

I wish I could be like them: blind and deaf to everything that no one should ever have to see or hear. 

The Music Tag

Hi Guys! I ran across this tag on Word Wonders, and while it doesn’t exactly pertain to writing, I am going to post it because music tends to inspire a lot of what I write, especially the personalities of my characters. 

 

The Rules 

*Link the blogger who tagged you. 

*Pick the first ten songs that come on shuffle, (no skipping!) 

*Write your favorite lyric/verse from each song. 

*Tag other bloggers. 

 

My Songs 

  1. Run Daddy Run” (from the Hunger Games soundtrack), by Miranda Lambert and the pistol Annies 

“Momma’s been crying  in the kitchen, 

Sister’s been afraid of the dark, 

And I’ve been gathering the pieces, 

Of all these shattered hearts.” 

This song, and these lyrics especially, have been greatly influencing one of the characters in my current WIP. I listen to it every time I sit down to start writing from Diana’s perspective. 

  1. Eyes Open (also from the Hunger Games soundtrack), by Taylor swift 

Everybody’s waiting for you to break down
Everybody’s watching to see the fallout
Even when you’re sleeping, sleeping
Keep your ey-eyes open” 

Again, this pertains a lot to my current story because every body’s kind of out to get everybody else in my story world right now, and if my characters don’t watch their backs, they might end up with their throats being cut by a corrupted shaman lady. 

3. Let Your Tears Fall by Kelly Clarkson 

It’s not a crime to fall apart sometimes
It’s not a crime to ask why to ask why, you cry
Let your tears fall
Let your tears fall” 

4. Just A Dream by Carrie Underwood 

“Baby why’d you leave me

Why’d you have to go?
I was counting on forever, now I’ll never know
I can’t even breathe
It’s like I’m looking from a distance
Standing in the background
Everybody’s saying, he’s not coming home now
This can’t be happening to me
This is just a dream” 

5. No Cure For Crazy by Kellie Pickler 

“Now I ain’t prim and proper

No country clubbing, champagne popper
Dropping names, sipping Sonoma wine 

I’ll be barefoot on the bar
White lightning buzz from a mason jar
Chasing my whiskey with a damn good time 

Well there ain’t no cure for crazy
I ain’t sorry baby
Wheels fell off of my trailer
Daddy taught me how to curse like a sailor 

I’m an all-night, long neck, train wreck
Two queens short of a full deck
Good luck trying to save me
There ain’t no cure, no cure for crazy” 

6. Brave by Sara Bareilles 

“Everybody’s been stared down by the enemy

Fallen for the fear
And done some disappearing,
Bow down to the mighty
Don’t run, just stop holding your tongue 

Maybe there’s a way out of the cage where you live
Maybe one of these days you can let the light in
Show me how big your brave is” 

7. Dirt Road Prayer by Lauren Alaina 

“And so I go where the green grass grows 

The weeds are high and the sun hangs low
Look to the sky and I say, hello
Like it’s the very first time
It doesn’t matter how long it’s been
I can talk to God like he’s my best friend
Take my heart lay it down again right there
In a dirt road prayer” 

8. Safe & Sound by Taylor Swift 

I remember tears streaming down your face
When I said, “I’ll never let you go”
When all those shadows almost killed your light
I remember you said, “Don’t leave me here alone”
But all that’s dead and gone and passed tonight 

Just close your eyes 

The sun is going down
You’ll be alright
No one can hurt you now
Come morning light
You and I’ll be safe and sound” 

9. I Am Invincible by Cassadee Pope 

Cracks run through these walls, But they still stand strong
Oh heart covered in scars, But my fear is gone
Oh I will fight, I will survive 

I’m invincible
I’m unbreakable
I’m a diamond cut to last
I’m unstoppable
I’m a hero
Like a phoenix from the ash
Oh-ah, oh-ah, oh-ah-ooh
Nothing gonna make me break or shatter
No one’s gonna tell me that I don’t matter, no” 

I absolutely LOVE this song, and now it’s stuck in my head again… It also goes along with the eventual transformation that my story is going to achieve, so that makes it even better! 

10. Fight Song by Rachel Platten 

Like a small boat
On the ocean
Sending big waves
Into motion
Like how a single word
Can make a heart open
I might only have one match
But I can make an explosion 

And all those things I didn’t say
Wrecking balls inside my brain
I will scream them loud tonight
Can you hear my voice this time? 

This is my fight song
Take back my life song
Prove I’m alright song
My power’s turned on
Starting right now I’ll be strong
I’ll play my fight song
And I don’t really care if nobody else believes
‘Cause I’ve still got a lot of fight left in me” 


I Tag 

* Em at Keystrokeblog.com 

* Universenotebook 

* Anyone else who wants to do it. 

Welcome to the Blog of the Bookish and Writerly!

Hello and welcome to the blog of a writerly bookworm! I’m Cheyenne Raphael, (or that’s my future pen name anyway.) I write young adult fantasy and read a lot. I’m also blind as a bat, (minus the sonar hearing), so I use braille and screen-reading software to read, write, and maintain this blog. Please excuse any odd things like the occasional misplaced picture or oddly colored font… I won’t catch visual things like that unless it pops up in the blog coding, so clue me into anything really weird!

On this blog you can expect to find all sorts of things, including the unexpected! I post book reviews, writing tips and tricks, snippets of my own writing, stuff about the blind and visually impaired, and random life stuff that happens to pop up in my writerly mind! I love hearing from my followers, so feel free to drop me a comment with a post suggestion or just general feedback. If you’d like to know more about me, go here! And if you’d like to contact me directly, go here! I look forward to chatting with all you fellow writers and bookworms!