E. G. Bella

Happy Friday!

I’m back to do another blog tag (another one that I’ve politely pirated from this blog).

This one is super in-depth! I’ve enjoyed reading the answers of several other writers, so I thought I’d join in. Maybe you’ll learn far more about me than you’d like to know, but that’s a risk I’m willing to take, haha. Hopefully you enjoy it – and I’d love if you stick around until the end to share some fun facts about yourself!

Here are the rules:

• link back to the person who created the tag. (That would be Savannah, right here).
• thank the person who tagged you  (I wasn’t tagged, but I found this open tag on Low Expectations, right here.)
• share the tag graphic (see above!)
• tag eleven bloggers 

And now for the questions…

Vital Stats And Appearance

(pen)Name: E. G. Bella

Nicknames: I usually go by Bella. Some people prefer E. G. though, and that works too!

Birthday: It’s in August (A magician…um, writer…can’t reveal all her secrets… *swirls cape*).

Hair color and length: My hair is a medium blonde and currently goes about six inches below my shoulders. It’s somewhat curly/frizzy too, so finding an accurate length can be tricky sometimes.

Eye color: Blue. And again, medium – not very light, not very dark.

Braces/piercings/tattoos: I had Invisalign – a form of braces – for a year and a half, but no piercings or tattoos (needles!).

Righty or lefty: Righty. I had a phase of trying to learn to be ambidextrous, but I kind of gave it up when everything was so much slower and sloppier, haha. I still try sometimes though.

Ethnicity: I believe Caucasian is the right term here. I’m a hodge-podge of a few different ethnicities, but the Norwegian blood is what has shown most, appearance-wise.

Firsts

First novel written: If this includes unfinished works, than my first novel was technically a ‘horse book’. I was very into books like Heartland when I was younger, so that’s what I decided to write about. Honestly, I don’t remember what my main storyline was, but I got about two chapters in, and I’m pretty sure I had something tragic planned for my main character’s horse… I promise I’m not this cruel in real life.

First novel completed: This would be my Star Wars spin-off novel (which later became a series). I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to share it publicly – due to copyrights and that fun stuff – but I still plan to go back and finish that series. It’s very near to my heart, and I had a lot of fun writing it. Also the main character was a girl my age at the time (eleven), and she got away with saying all the fiery, sarcastic things I would never even dare to, haha.

Award for writing: None. I’ve been a semifinalist in a novel contest twice, and won an informal short story contest though, which was really encouraging.

First publication: The Toymaker’s Doll – an allegorical ‘short’ story published in December of 2021. This is another story that’s very dear to me, and sharing it has been a very humbling, fulfilling experience.

Conference: I’ve attended two virtual writing conferences – both One Year Adventure Novel (OYAN) Summer Workshops – and in three weeks, I hope to attend in-person for the first time!

Query/Pitch: I’ve only done several ‘mock pitches’ with Allen Arnold during the aforementioned conferences, and those were nerve-wracking enough! I know some day I’ll probably do a real query/pitch, but I will need to improve before then, haha.

Favorites

Novel (that you wrote): Oh no, how am I supposed to answer this? I genuinely have things I love in all my novels (or else I wouldn’t write them), but I guess if I have to choose…I’d say it’s the Star Wars novel/series I mentioned earlier. Partly nostalgia, I suppose, but I also just love all the characters, plot elements, and themes.

Genre: Currently either dystopian or medieval fiction. I’ll read almost any genre though, and also really like historical fictions, fantasies, and certain contemporary and science fiction novels. I read a lot of non-fiction too.

Author: Ah, another hard question! I have so many favorite authors. One of them that I’ve been reading a lot of recently is Nadine Brandes. Between her creative and gripping plots, relatable characters, moving themes, and absolutely beautiful writing style, I’ve yet to read a story of hers that I don’t really like.

Writing Music: Any emotional instrumentals. Music with words tends to distract me. Sometimes I’ll use classical music, sometimes piano versions of Christian songs, sometimes soundtracks…it just depends on my mood and what I’m writing.

Time to Write: Either mid-morning, when my brain is at full power, or late at night, when my brain has called it quits and can’t second-guess everything I write. I don’t have many in-between modes, haha.

Writing Snack/Drink: I don’t eat while I write, just because it slows me down and I’m paranoid about my keyboard getting sticky. But I always have my water bottle with me, and drink quite a bit of sparkling water as well.

Movie: Again, I have a lot of favorite movies, but for the sake of choosing one, I’ll say Treasure Planet. It’s a very underrated but well-done movie. The humor is great, the sci-fi spin on Treasure Island is clever, and I especially like the growth and depth of all the characters.

Writing Memory: Hmm, one of my favorites was while writing chapter 8 of Cabin Girl. It was one of those rare moments when inspiration comes easily, and I just kept piling more and more disasters onto my poor heroine. The result was a really fun section to write, and a chapter that I’m consistently told is one of the most tense ones in the book – which I consider a success, haha.

Childhood Book: I used to read the Mandie books by Lois Gladys Leppard a lot, and the third one in the series was the first book I ever remember making me cry. It seems like a weird thing to remember fondly, but it shows how invested I was in those stories. I liked mysteries at that age, and enjoyed Mandie and Joe’s sleuthing.

Currently

Reading: Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed by Philip Hallie, Operation Grendel by Daniel Schwabauer, and The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer. So far, I’m enjoying all three!

Writing: Cabin Girl finishing touches, and the first draft of a medieval novel (not going to share details yet, but you’ll be hearing more about it, haha).

Listening to: Téir Abhaile Riú by Celtic Woman (specifically this amazing rendition). I absolutely love Irish/Celtic/Gaelic music, and I’m on that kind of a kick right now. I’ve also been listening to more hymns lately, such as It is Well (With My Soul) and Amazing Grace.

Watching: Not much, actually. I’m probably forgetting something, but I just haven’t had as much time for movies lately. I’d like to re-watch The Hunger Games movies soon though.

Learning: That I truly am completely lost without the Lord, and that relying on Him is not just one way to a fulfilling life – but the Way. Writing wise, I’m learning to develop better habits and focusing strategies.

Future

Want To Be Published: Yes, absolutely! I’ve started down this path, and hope to publish many more stories as the years continue – novels and short stories.

Indie or Traditional: Ideally both some day, but I’m focusing on indie publishing. I’ve discussed why in previous posts, but it just fits me and my personal writing priorities better – at least right now.

Wildest Goal: To be a full-time author, able to support a family through my writing. Is it possible? Realistically, it’s not common, but it has been done before. Stranger things have happened! I like the quote, “Shoot for the heavens, and you’ll still land among the stars.” I’ll do my best and follow God’s leading, and see where He places me.

I would like to tag:

1. Kate @ Once Upon an Ordinary
2. Maribeth Barber
3. Raina @ Enthralled by Love
4. Saraina Whitney
5. Vanessa Hall
6. Kristina Hall
7. Kristianne @ Whimsical Wanderings
8. Liesl @ Quote, Unquote
9. Jordyn @ Indie Edits By J
10. Grace A. Johnson
11. E. M. Colton

This was such a fun tag! I feel very exposed, haha, but these were very good questions, and I hope you’ve enjoyed this as much as I have. Thanks for joining me! Did anything surprise you? Do you share any of my ‘vital stats’, favorites, or future goals?

I’d love to learn more about YOU, so if you want to do this, consider this your tag! Or if you’d rather, feel free to answer any or all of the questions in the comments below. I look forward to hearing from you!

Recent Posts:

• Aliferous Book Review (& Author Interview!)
• 15 Helpful Quotes About Perfectionism
• My Favorite Things About Being an Author
• Valentine Book Tag
• My 2024 Growth Word