R.F. Gammon Author: February 2019

A Heart-Shaped Box of OTPs Linkup: HOW ABOUT SOME MORE VALENTINE'S DAY STUFF

by R.F. Gammon - February 25, 2019

Greetings one and all! I originally had a different post planned for today, but after seeing this one over on my favorite Christine's blog, I decided that I was going to do this challenge.

It originates over at the blog of Lianne Taimenlore <-----(follow this link for the original post), and I LOVED it! Who doesn't love a chance to squeal over all their favorite fictional couples, after all?

So with that...let's jump right into this!

(Book covers in this post credit to Goodreads; gifs are from Giphy. The fanart was found on pinterest. I own none of the art shown here; all credit to the owners.)

1. Original Chocolate Heart--The OTP that started it all

My mum says she has no idea what this would be for me, but I'm thinking maaaaaybe Duchess and Thomas O'Malley from The Aristocats? I feel like I remember being very, very angry that they had so much standing in the way of their happiness. But basically, old Disney animated couples. Beauty and the Beast and Lady and the Tramp rank pretty high here too.

Tell me this isn't sweet

2. Dark Chocolate--the OTP with the most drama

Oh, goodness, that's a hard one, now isn't it?

We're going to go with Eanrin and Imraldera from Tales of Goldstone Wood. If only they weren't both so obstinately stubborn! That moment in Shadow Hand was far from sufficient. *glowers*

3. Caramel filled--the OTP that's simple and sweet

I know, I know, it's not necessarily canon, but we're going to go with Rey and Finn in The Force Awakens. They're just so little and cute and that forehead kiss at the end--ADORABLE. I squeal.

My babies

4. Raspberry chocolate: The Forbidden Love OTP

Honestly, I'm not really a fan of this trope? It irritates me. xD But...I can make a case for a couple of such ships, and so...let's go with Winter and Jacin from The Lunar Chronicles.

are they not precious?!

5. White Chocolate: The odd OTP you still manage to love

Ummm...we're going to go with Fiyero and Elphaba from Wicked (the musical, thank you very much. I haven't read the book and I have heard Things Regarding the Book that make me hesitant to do so.) But they're my FAVORITES, and their love duet is one of the pinnacles of musical theater, imo.

Not the best gif, sorry...but this is a musical, remember...xD

6. Peanut Butter Chocolate - The OTP everybody and their sisters ship

Is this even a question? Obviously Jude and Cardan of Holly Black's The Cruel Prince. Jude is literally my favorite and I adore her so very much. And Cardan, while he's a TRAIN WRECK of epic proportions, is also awesome. Normally I'd be all over this for toxicity, but I think the story itself is very much aware of that, and oh well. xD

This one made me laugh SO HARD

7. Cherry-filled: The OTP you fear no one knows about

My precious Inkheart babies, Mo and Resa. Yes, I know they're the parents. No, their ship is no less important just because they're already, ya know, married. I know a lot of people who were all in for Meggie and Farid in Inkheart; the only real ship I had in the whole series was Moresa. Please and thanks. XD

Mo and Resa- didn't think I could hate Mortola more until here---- but Resa gets her voice back!! :)

This was literally the only picture of them I could find...whoops. But THE BABIES THE BAAAABBIIIIESSSSS

8. Chocolate with almonds: the fun and nutty OTP

Nick and (Lady) Cordelia from The Beast of Talesend! These children! I've still only read the first 2 and I desperately want more, but I already ship these fools with all my heart. I will slam their faces together if I have to. They need to get. Their. Act. Together. Now, preferably. xD

I love them SO MUCH

9. Chocolate with Coconut: the OTP who came from different backgrounds

Sarai and Lazlo Strange from Strange the Dreamer are the definition of different backgrounds. She's a hated, blue-skinned girl living in secret inside a floating stone statue (yeah, really) with the ability to inflict nightmares on anybody she wants. And then Lazlo is the sweetest cinnamon roll librarian in the world--one of my favorite things is that he wants SO BADLY to hold a grudge against the guy he hates, he just can't. So presh. So refresh. <3

*quietly squeals*

10. Mint Chocolate: The OTP you'll love til you die

I agonized over this one forever, but I think the only answer could be Leo/Lionheart and Rose Red/Varvare in Veiled Rose and Moonblood. The babies! They're so precious! I adore them with all my heart, and I'm still salty that we got cheated at the end of Moonblood. There had better be another book where they get their closure, the way Shadow Hand hinted (and if you think I was reading that last one solely for the Leo cameos and brief mentions of Rosie, you are 100% correct.)

11. Orange Creme: The OTP you never expected to love

This position definitely goes to Luka and Yael in Wolf by Wolf. She's a spy and basically shapeshifter who's out trying to save the world from Hitler and the Nazis (oh, and she's a Jewish concentration camp survivor). And then there's Luka, who's the Reich's golden child and a professional motorcyclisst (I'm 90% sure.) I don't usually dig star-crossed bad-boy romance, but oh, this one was SO MUCH GOOD. <3

12. Salted caramel: the OTP that worked the most on their relationship

Leith and Renna from Blades of Acktar! I mean, think of all those two had to go through in order to be together. They're such mature people about it, but THEY SUFFER SO MUCH MY WORD. *hugs the poor babies tightly*

13. Chocolate covered raisins: The young OTP you know will work out someday

I have several of these, actually? But I'm going with Lucky and Lincoln from the Hard Pan Trilogy. I used to hate that they were crushing like that when they were eleven. But now that I'm old and jaded (hee hee), I just see them as such sweet innocent little babies and they BETTER get married someday <3

LOOK IT'S EVEN ON THE COVER

14. Chocolate jalapeno: the OTP that can't be together but you ship it anyway

I promised myself going into this that I would NOT ship my own characters on this tag, because JUST TOO MANY SPOILERS OKAY?! And also, that's not fair to the other characters I know and love. But I have to mention my own babies Derek and Kariana here. There's so many times when I'm writing and I just want to bang their heads together and scream "What is wrong with you two?!" at them until they get together. UGH UGH UGH.

But, since that's cheating...we'll go with my other massive non-canon ship, which would be Aragorn and Eowyn! I mean, I'm glad they both ended up happy, but...I STILL SHIP THEM SOOOOO MUUUUUCH okay?!

are they not cute? She was good for Aragorn, man, and he was good for her. You will not and cannot convince me otherwise.

15. Ferrero Rocher: the best dressed/best-looking OTP

Sir Percy Blakeney and Marguerite, of course! (ala The Scarlet Pimpernel) No one can call them out for their fashion choices, and Sir Percy is perfectly qualified to do so to others. Oh, that scene in the movie makes me cry tears of joyous laughter.

ALSO THE CUTEST AND HE'S FANTASTIC OKAY

16. Chocolate covered coffee bean: the energetic OTP that keeps you on your toes

Dante and Alicia from A Certain Sort of Madness! I mean, Alicia's the energetic one who just sort of drags everyone else, including Dante, along, but...SHE HAS THE ENERGY OF TWENTY MEN. *dies of exhaustion*

17. Chocolate dipped strawberry: The OTP that's just absolutely adorable

*raises lighted match*

*holds it above head, lifted over a huge pile of dynamite labelled "opinions of angry fangirls"*

*takes a deep breath*

*this is why I hate love triangles*

SOKEEFE!!!!!!!!

*drops the match and flees*

We Sokeefe shippers at this point: LOOKIT THEY'RE HOLDING HAAAAAAANDS SUCCESS

18. Chocolate with nougat: The OTP that's full of fluff and nonsense

What is this "fluff" you speak of? I do not read "fluff". *sighs* But, since I'm expected to provide one of these... we'll go with Elle and Darien from Geekerella. That book was cute, okay? I don't read contemporary and I don't like romance books but I still gave it four stars. So...yeah.

or insert any Gail Carson Levine characters here because they're usually pretty cute without baggage

19. Chocolate with walnuts: the OTP with the bumpiest relationship

YES, I KNOW WE ONLY HAVE ONE OF THEIR BOOKS IN OUR HANDS SO FAR (but the second one comes out TOMOORRRRRROOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW! *squeals*), but even so, I think I can easily give this award to Kestra and Simon from The Traitor's Game. I ship them so hard it's not even funny. MY CHILDREN. If Jennifer Nielsen hurts them, so help me...

*screams forever because THIS BOOK*

20. Chocolate butterscotch: the OTP with the best banter

This one is going to have to be a tie between two because I simply must work Howl and Sophie in here someplace--whatever would we do without them? But I also have to mention Cedric and Elisabeth, one of my favorite ships of ever, from Nicki Chapelway's Winter Cursed and A Winter Dark and Deadly. Their sass is legit the best thing of ever. Cedric could win the Sarcasm Olympics (and probably has).

going with the movie because easier to find stuff from the movie

also look the new cover has both of them!!!!! much excite!!!!!

So anyway...THESE ARE MY SHIPS! Are you shocked? Are you bewildered? And remember, this linkup is still going for a little while longer, so be sure and join it during February! It's SO fun :D (also torture but we can't have everything)

Chat with me! Who are some of your favorite OTPs? Which of mine were the most surprising vs. least surprising in your opinion? Do you agree with me that Aragorn and Eowyn were made for each other? Let me know in the comments!

30 comments

My Characters in Song Lyrics//Aesthetics

by R.F. Gammon - February 18, 2019

39 comments

COVER REVEAL: A Winter Dark and Deadlly by Nicki Chapelway

by R.F. Gammon - February 13, 2019

No, this is is not the cover. This is the cover of the first book, which hopefully will be what shows up in my Blogger feed xD xD

I know I just posted...but today I have a cover reveal for you! (Yes, another one. Nicki Chapelway rolls books off the presses like her fingers are made of ink.)

Among Nicki's many amazing books is her Snow White retelling series. The first book is a novella, A Winter Grim and Lonely (you can find my blog tour post for that one here), and the second is also a novella, Winter Cursed. But the third one is a full-length novel! It's 80 chapters, it's AMAZING, and it has an absolutely gorgeous cover that I'm THRILLED to get to reveal to you!!!!

So now....
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This is probably boring, but I'm writing this in a panic five minutes after waking up because I forgot to do it before...
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Still going...
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*goes back to bed*
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TA DA!!!!!!!!!

Here's a synopsis:

Mirror...Mirror...

Elisabeth risked her life to defeat her stepmother and reclaim her crown, but her courtiers have a different idea of who should rule. Her twenty-first birthday is still years away, and it seems that if she does not marry they will give her throne to another regent until she comes of age.

All will fall.

However, she wonders if it will even come to that when she discovers that despite everything she has been told, her stepmother Ismena is still alive and bent on reclaiming her crown- as well as her beauty. Rumor has it that Ismena is searching for a mystical weapon in Mooraven that has the power to end them all. Elisabeth intends to find it first, but how much is she truly willing to risk to save her kingdom?

There is no fairest...

Winter is coming and with it war. However, Elisabeth’s court is determined to sit idly by and watch the threat from afar. With nowhere else to turn, she is forced to seek an alliance with the only person who can help her. Cedric saved her once, but can Elisabeth rely on him when he is obviously lying to her?

Of them all.

With a kingdom on the brink of war, Elisabeth quickly learns that there is no one she can fully trust. Not even herself with her control over her ice magic slipping and her heart yearning for the dark prince. Through it all, one thing becomes dangerously clear… the queen who has the most power is the one who will rule.

*flails* Doesn't it sound amazing? I haven't read all of it, but I have read some, and I can honestly tell you that it's AWESOME. Nicki has pushed the publishing date out a bit in order to produce the very best story possible, but it's coming soon!!!!!

16 comments

10 Male Characters I Will Love Forever

by R.F. Gammon - February 11, 2019

34 comments

How to Effectively Torture Your Characters: A Guide from the Master

by R.F. Gammon - February 04, 2019

Hello, everyone! I think this is some of the first "writing advice" I've done on this blog, and that makes me a bit nervous, as I'd hardly consider myself a professional. But I do think I have some experience in this topic, and edits on the second book in my series are only making that stronger (*coughs hysterically*). So today's post is on how to torture your characters effectively!

1. Figure out their worst fear and play to that.

In my series, I have this villain who is an absolutely soulless, bloodthirsty assassin. She doesn't flinch at killing dozens of people and she's never failed a mission. She's hardcore and she's cruel--and she likes to think she has no soft side.

But the thing is, she's also insecure, because she's only human and it's not like there's much she can do about THAT. So as the series progresses, she starts to grapple more and more with the ultimate evil, the thing she fears most of all--her conscience.

Obviously this sort of point doesn't only apply only to villains--if your protagonist's worst fear is losing everything, make it seem like they will. If their ultimate goal is to protect someone they love, dangle that person just out of their reach. Don't let them win easily--don't just make it hard for them to attain the goals, but turn around and use the goal itself to make their lives harder.

2. Don't heap ALL the torture on one character.

It would be ridiculously easy for me to make one of my characters the scapegoat and let everyone else drift along. But I can't do that, for balance reasons. Esma, my protagonist, suffers, but I also have to make sure that my side characters go through pain and trauma as well. Otherwise, it seems like the entire universe is out to get that one person (if you're writing a book where that's your goal, of course, feel free to avoid this step, but I recommend still not making one person the only one who suffers). This makes it super easy for your protagonist to be holier-than-thou or be a loud sufferer, and neither of those are fun traits to read about.

3. But at the same time...don't torture all the characters EXCEPT for one.

I have one character who's sort of the happy-go-lucky, cheerful, optimistic type in each of my stories. I have to--it's like my version of comic relief. In the Pentegreens Series, that would be Derek Ternarnthien; in Watched, my other WIP that I've talked about here some, it would be either Jeannie or Bryce. The thing I have to watch out for is that I don't let that person slide through the conflict unscathed. They have a better attitude, perhaps, than my train wreck characters, but that doesn't mean they get off easier. In fact, Derek may well be the character who suffers the most in the end...*sniffles* *cries*

4. Death is NOT a bad thing...but do NOT kill people for no reason, I beg of thee.

I'm definitely not one of those authors who shies away from killing the important characters. At the moment I'm counting on my fingers the number of important characters who die in the Pentegreen series and there's, er, eight or nine of them. *chokes and backs away* My goodness, I'm outdoing myself here, and that's not even counting characters who I plan to kill in the Watched series and the super-secret project. I think Sweat and Gold is the only story I've written where the stakes were something other than death. So...yeah, if death is something that fits your story, don't shy away from it! Go for it! Kill people!

But please, please, please, if you're going to kill people, make sure it has a purpose. Give them a reason for dying. Otherwise, it just feels LAZY. I'm thinking of Mockingjay at the moment--I know most people who are interested in the Hunger Games have probably read or seen it at this point, but I won't name any names here. I'll just say that two people die in the last book, and they are THE WRONG PEOPLE, someone else should have died both times, and IT WAS STUPID AND USELESS. It didn't make me sad, it didn't break my feels--it just made me ANGRY. Both times.

Moral of the story: If you're going to kill someone, kill them the way the Important Character in THG book 1 dies (y'all know who that is.) Do NOT kill them the way people die in Mockingjay.

5. Give your characters breaks between the problems.

I'm one of those people who needs to see both the painful bits, where the stakes are high and there's lots of screaming and blood and fighting; and the calm bits, where the characters get a break. In one of my books, there's a scene towards the beginning where three of my characters are running from bounty hunters through the woods. It's (hopefully) a tense scene, and there's a lot going on--but then I give them time to rest and recuperate and sass each other afterward.

I did this same thing with pretty much the first third of my third Pentegreen book (whoops). The ending of book 2 is pretty brutal on a couple of my characters, and they needed a chance to recover if they were to get through what I had ahead for them. So they get time to cry and be emotional and hug it out and form new relationships that weren't there before, but then they're off and running again, and that's how it should be. Balance is key.

That's about all I have to say on the subject...what do you guys think? Do you enjoy torturing your characters? (I think we writers are all sociopaths xD) Do you have any advice on this particular topic? Are you very anxious about my characters now? Chat with me in the comments below!

30 comments

A Heart-Shaped Box of OTPs Linkup: HOW ABOUT SOME MORE VALENTINE'S DAY STUFF

1. Original Chocolate Heart--The OTP that started it all

2. Dark Chocolate--the OTP with the most drama

3. Caramel filled--the OTP that's simple and sweet

4. Raspberry chocolate: The Forbidden Love OTP

5. White Chocolate: The odd OTP you still manage to love

6. Peanut Butter Chocolate - The OTP everybody and their sisters ship

7. Cherry-filled: The OTP you fear no one knows about

8. Chocolate with almonds: the fun and nutty OTP

9. Chocolate with Coconut: the OTP who came from different backgrounds

10. Mint Chocolate: The OTP you'll love til you die

11. Orange Creme: The OTP you never expected to love

12. Salted caramel: the OTP that worked the most on their relationship

13. Chocolate covered raisins: The young OTP you know will work out someday

14. Chocolate jalapeno: the OTP that can't be together but you ship it anyway

15. Ferrero Rocher: the best dressed/best-looking OTP

16. Chocolate covered coffee bean: the energetic OTP that keeps you on your toes

17. Chocolate dipped strawberry: The OTP that's just absolutely adorable

18. Chocolate with nougat: The OTP that's full of fluff and nonsense

19. Chocolate with walnuts: the OTP with the bumpiest relationship

20. Chocolate butterscotch: the OTP with the best banter

My Characters in Song Lyrics//Aesthetics

The Characters...and the songs.

COVER REVEAL: A Winter Dark and Deadlly by Nicki Chapelway

10 Male Characters I Will Love Forever

10. Dustfinger [Inkheart by Cornelia Funke]

9. Leith Torren [The Blades of Acktar]

8. Keefe Sencen [Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger]

7. Janner Igiby [The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson]

6. Lazlo Strange [Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor]

5. Aragorn II [Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien]

4. Eomer [Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien]

3. Tony Stark [Marvel]

2. Obi-Wan Kenobi [Star Wars, George Lucas]

And number 1....

Prince Leonard Lionheart of Southlands [Tales of Goldstone Wood by Anne Elisabeth Stengl]

How to Effectively Torture Your Characters: A Guide from the Master

1. Figure out their worst fear and play to that.

2. Don't heap ALL the torture on one character.

3. But at the same time...don't torture all the characters EXCEPT for one.

4. Death is NOT a bad thing...but do NOT kill people for no reason, I beg of thee.

5. Give your characters breaks between the problems.

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