Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.
The awesome co-hosts for the July 6 posting of the IWSG are J Lenni Dorner, Janet Alcorn, PJ Colando, Jenni Enzor, and Diane Burton!
Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.
Remember, the question is optional!
Today’s Question: If you could live in any book world, which one would you choose?
I love this question, so whichever admin suggested it, thank you! But it’s a hard one to answer because there are so many book worlds I’d like to dive into. If I have the option of leaving whenever I want, then I’d be much more adventurous in my choice–Moby Dick for example, or Kidnapped. I’d like to “socialize” with Gatsby in the 20s, go back to any of Zane Grey’s westerns, or jump into Dune and actually see those spice worms as Herbert imagined them, not Hollywood’s version. And wouldn’t it be fun to ride along with Holmes and Watson while they solve crimes?
Enough. Obviously, I need many lifetimes to explore the book worlds that fascinate me. So how about if I indulge one of my fantasies and enter a book that I created? I’d like to know more about the main character after I wrote The End. What happened to her?
I’d like to think that Carlie (The Princess of Las Pulgas) finished college and went on to live a well-rounded life. Maybe she married Juan Pacheco. I can imagine that happening, but I’d also like it if she was extremely successful as a business executive or a mover and shaker on the national scene as an advocate for those who need a strong voice. She’d understand the need for advocacy.
Authors, I’m sure you’ve all had thoughts about the lives your characters went on to live. I think that’s one of the fascinating parts of being an author. You live with a lot of interesting people in your head, who don’t go away.
Onward to some HOT news!
The IWSG Book Club has two super books in the spotlight for July
Magic at Midnight by Ronel Janse van Vuuren
The stickers for Shattered arrived last week. They’re very shiny. Here’s how the cover looks with them included.
Quote of the Week: “Sometimes I don’t even know why I’m writing what I’m writing…
I’m just following these people around and taking notes.”
― P. Anastasia
If I like the book that I read, I want to live in its world for just a bit.
Teresa
Love the sticker for Shattered. Congratulations. Like you, I’m curious about what happens to my characters after I leave them. That’s one of the reasons I like writing series. Even then, I’m curious. Hope you have a great month.
I’ve only managed one series and that was by accident. But I do think it’s a much fun for authors to track characters through their next adventures as it is for readers.
that quote says it all – we know so much more about our characters than our stories can share. I love how we authors can answer reader questions about their lives without having to put much thought into it because we know them so well!
we live in a thousand different worlds inside our heads!
hope all is well with you
And how exciting that is! Imagine only living in the “real” world.
Great book picks to live your adventures in:)
Those stickers are wonderful.
Very shiny!
Your response captures the delight of reading in just about any time — and any place. Reminds me of when I was a kid picking out books by their thickness. I found Quo Vadis and Two Years Before the Mast that way. Yes, I devoured Zane Grey one summer while staying with grandparents. Congratulations on your award. Much deserved!
Thank you, Beth. Books by thickness used to be my measure too, but I went for slim volumes when I had a book report due! Bad girl.
I’m pretty sure I’d go with the World of Harry Potter. It’s just so magical!
Lauren
I love magical.
Hi Lee – I’m not exactly sure where I’d like to be … but as long as it was temporary I’d be happy appreciating that period of life. Sounds like your Princess needs a follow up … just enjoy your creative writing – cheers Hilary
Temporary residence in fiction…I love it. Indeed, I do!
So many good book worlds. It’s tough to pick. How about we just visit them all for a month each. 😉
I think that’s a splendid idea. Shall we go together?
Hi, Cheryl-Lee!
As you know, at least one Editorial Review on Amazon expresses a wish for a sequel to The Princess of Las Pulgas. The rationale given is that Carlie and supporting characters are artfully developed and captivating, and the story about devastating loss, the White Mind phenomenon and resulting culture shock is powerful and compelling. If you write a sequel, you could “future pace” your protagonist and implement the ideas mentioned in your answer to the Question of the Month. I can envision a scenario in which she assumes a leadership role as an advocate for the marginalized masses.
The shiny award sticker on the cover of Shattered draws attention to your work and let’s readers know that a HQ novel awaits them.
Enjoy the rest of your week and month, dear friend Cheryl-Lee!
My goodness! I have a review? No, let me rephrase that and ask, “I have a review that actually asks for a sequel to Princess?” I had no idea, but of course, I’m off to see who that fabulous human is. Thanks, Shady. You always come up with such interesting things to share with me.
Congratulations on the award! Hooray!
It’s fun to imagine our characters after the book ends. 🙂
Hi YV! Great to hear from you.
Congratulations on your award! It’s well deserved.
There are so many worlds out there. Luckily, we can visit as many as we’d like.
And glad to hear you’re making it through everything life’s throwing your way…even if not always smoothly. Thank heavens these times pass by, too.
All things pass, but when they’re not particularly pleasant things, it seems as if you’re in an endless bog with no way out. Here’s to saying goodbye to 2020 and 2021 with less-than-fond memories. Thanks for the visit, Tonja!
Congratulations on your award!
I love your thoughts on Carlie’s life after your book, too. I love that book and now I’m thinking of rereading it.
I started thinking of my character’s in my books, too. What would they do next?
Thanks, Tyrean. And wow…a reread. That’s something I hear get every day. 🙂
Congratulations on the award and the shiny sticker!
I’m open to exploring quite a few different worlds, for a short time. I mean, I absolutely love Middle Earth, and Narnia too, but they can get rather hazardous, and I do like a hot shower at the end of the day… or the week (since I happily backpack for a week, I ought to be able to handle a less modern world for a week).
I’d kind of like to hang out in Jemima Pett’s Viridian System world, as long as I get to hang with Pete and Lars. I kind of have a crush on them both…
I hear you about the hot shower. A week of camping heightens the wonder and luxury of it, doesn’t it?
I’m sure Jemima will be thrilled to hear what you’ve said about her characters.
Hahaha, I love that a lot of us are picking the world we created out of sheer curiosity and for what comes next or wanting to indulge into the depths of it. It would definitely be interesting to see where our characters lead us. 😀
Those characters do have a lot of influence on our lives, don’t they?
Absolutely! 😀
A few people picked worlds that scare me terribly. Somehow I’m gonna use that in writing, just don’t know how yet.
Thinking about where your character is now is a really great way to take on the question today. Cool idea.
For the IWSG July prompt asking which book world I would live in, I narrowed it down to three choices.
One is a short-story I published. One is from a popular series. And one is better known from television, but there are books. It’s all on my blog.
“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” – Warren Buffett
Over at Operation Awesome, our Pass or Pages query contest is open this week with July’s family saga genre. Know any writers who might want to enter?
J Lenni Dorner (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Co-host of the #AtoZchallenge, OperationAwesome6 Debut Author Interviewer, Reference& Speculative Fiction Author
Have you put the call out on FB? If not, I’d be glad to post about the contest. And I’ll stop by Operation Awesome to see what’s up!
There are many worlds that I’d like to visit and see just so I could leave when I was ready. Visiting ones own world would be good since one would know the rules and how best to navigate. At least I hope they would.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
If I really could visit one of the book worlds I created, I’d be ever so careful about what I put into that world while writing it.
I wouldn’t mind swanning around in F Scott Fitzgerald’s worlds awhile. All that glitz and glamour and hedonism. Probably soon get sick of it!
Too much caviar and champagne…well, over a prolonged period. So I agree. Dip in. Dip out. But enjoy the heck out of while there.
There are definitely a lot of worlds to choose from. It would be fun to visit many of them, but I think I’d prefer to live in the world I’m in. Too many unknowns and dangers in the others. 🙂
I suppose that no matter where we live, there are dangers. That seems to come with the gift of life.
Hi Lee!
Love your world choices 😉 I’d need that “only temporarily” stipulation as well.
Are you teasing about returning to Carlie’s story? Because I’d dearly love to know how it goes.
I’ll admit that I’ve been temped to go back into Carlie’s world and trace her life forward. I just haven’t done it.
That’s a great idea to live in a book you’ve written. You know the world. Your know the rules. A wonderful selection altogether.
If only we could create the rules for our real world. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?
I enjoyed The Princess of Las Pulgas. The characters were real. And yes, I hoped Carlie went to college too. Great post! Have a beautiful day!
Thank you, Victoria. I think I’ll give The Princess an MA in sociology.
There are so many worlds to choose from… Of course you’d want to live in a world you created. I think that’s why we create the worlds of our novels. We want to be in them.
We have so many chances to be in different places when we write stories. How great that is, heh?
So many worlds to explore. I guess that’s why we read. I like to imagine what happens to the characters after the final chapter.
I think that Libby Brown will go on to be a strong advocate for Paralympics and adaptive sports and independent living for people recovering from spinal cord injuries.
I do hope so, Mary. Thanks for these thoughts.
Yes! Me too. Not enough time to live in all the book worlds I would like to try. And be able to leave when I’m ready. And have a few conveniences of my real life handy, too 🙂
We want it all, don’t we? Why not?
Love that shiny sticker. Luckily, thanks to so many authors I do get to visit a LOT of different worlds, times, places.
I would still love to spend time with the Ents. And to look for the Entwives…
Those Ents were particularly enchanting. I still believe they exist and are the trees around me.
I really enjoyed The Princess of Pulgas. Love the update albeit speculative. And Shattered–darn! I’ve read that one (loved it, too) so can’t take advantage of NetGalley.
Thank you, Jacqui. I appreciate a comment like this coming from such an excellent author.
I’m like you – I’d love to visit so many of the worlds I’ve read about, especially in various historical settings.
Your book is rocking in the new bling. Love it!
Yes. Let’s pick a book and visit together. What a hoot!
It’s great thinking of how our characters’ lives might continue on in the future.
They really do take on lives of their own once we give them a story.
It is amazing how characters take on a life of their own once they’re on paper.
Congrats on the award!
Only writers get it. I love a lot of books written by others, but when I remember the people in them, it’s different than when I remember the people in the books I’ve written.
Congratulations on that fancy sticker on your book. I’ve answered this question in a couple of blogs, but the book would I would like to explore would be Mark Twain in “Roughing It.” I’ve done so much research (a dissertation) and writing on Nevada in the 19th Century, I might as well go back and see how it was at the time!
I love that time period in our history. You picked an excellent world to inhabit.
Your book cover looks great with the sticker!
Thank you, Diane.
I definitely have a lot of voices in my head. LOL
Pretty, shiny, and well-deserved. Congrats!
Hi Melissa,
Here’s to more voices in your head!
That sticker looks fabulous–congratulations! I hadn’t thought about inhabiting one of my own fictional worlds (silly me). My current WIP is set where I grew up, so that one would be fun to (re)inhabit. I miss home.
Now you probably won’t be able to shake that idea. I think it would be either quite interesting or very disappointing to return to my childhood home for a visit as an adult.
YAY! The stickers looks awesome. I would totally book hop too. Some are great for a visit but too scary long term. 🙂
You’re right about the scary factor. That’s why I’d need the option to duck out.
Hi,
You’ve summarized the answer very nicely. We authors live in a world with people who don’t go away. They may take a little vacation, but they always come back. 🙂
Have a lovely month of July.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange
Hi,
You’ve summarised that very nicely. We authors live in worlds with people that don’t go away. Sometimes they take a little vacation but they always come back. 🙂
Have a lovely month of July.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange
I’ve often thought of introducing characters from one book to characters in another. That should make my brain short circuit!
So many places…
That might have been my question but I’d have to go look to be sure.
Yes. Too many to choose only one.
So many great worlds to choose – I’d go along with you on those journeys.
Excited to see Bloo Moose in the book club! Thanks to the group for choosing it! I’m not sure how many romance readers are in the group, but I hope some people enjoy it!
I’m not a big romance reader, Jemi, but I enjoy your books.
Thank you! That made my day 🙂