Time again, for this month’s round-up.

September’s games were #AuthorConfession, #JLBooklove, #TweepWriter & #WIPTruthorDare.

#AuthorConfession

1. I’m Drew and my WIP is my House Valerius series. Currently working on the 3rd novel along with a couple of short stories.
2. Favourite thing about my WIP? That there’s still more of the world to explore.
3. Ash gets embarrassed when the people he’s supposed to lead are more capable and know more than he does.
4. Three things about my WIP. 1 – It’s the 3rd book. 2 – I don’t think anyone will come out of this one happy. 3 – I don’t think it will end here.
5. Three things about me. Do these need to be true things? 1. I’ve lived in the US for almost 9 years. 2. I’ve sung on television. 3. I’ve a bit of a comic book geek.
6. Ash’s most important (as in the one that had the most impact) memory is the death of his mother & its aftermath.
7. Probably Quinn. He certainly seems to get the funnier lines anyways…
8. I think the majority of my core cast would survive since they all have Watchmen training. Somebody might get bitten trying to save one of the others but otherwise, the problem would be when they ran out of fresh blood.
9. Ash (as of book 3): scarred, determined, lost.
10. Katniss would do well with most of my plot lines & it would open up some others since she can go out in daylight. 
11. Large black coffee. I’m a simplistic creature when it comes to beverages.
12. I suppose either a new book or Blu-ray. Although I’ve bought a bunch of books lately without doing much worth rewarding.
13. Best compliment – “awed at how you brought me right into that room with what was happening”.
14. The main conflict is Ash (MC) versus De Vries. De Vries wants to destroy the Ceteri society and put the blame on Ash.
15. The first thing that comes to mind is what’s involved in transporting a corpse overseas. Could be worse, I suppose.
16. I’d like to think it’s the dialogue but who am I to judge?
17. Audiobook – The Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie Book – Johnny Alucard by Kim Newman.
18. It would probably be more cheerful. And I suspect there would be fewer gunfights.
19. Sour gummi bears. Or something similar.
20. Normally I’d say Doc, although the events of House In Exile might make him more like Grumpy.
21. I can think of plenty of places & times to visit for one reason or another. Mostly I wouldn’t change things but, if I was being selfish, I’d find my younger self and tell me to take better care of myself.
22. I do like taking walks in the autumn. It’s cool and I can enjoy the colours.
23. Aside from here? I’m on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
24. For what it’s worth, I’m trying a different look. 
25. It’s the same order as it is anywhere else; large black coffee.
26. 47,500. Give or take.
27. Let’s go with a classic. Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin.
28. Unless you’re very, very lucky, it’s probably something you’ll encounter a lot. Best learn to deal with it early on.
29. Some newer friends today  @ChrisKnoblaugh @LouCadle @WordsBySC @ChelseaDeVries
30. I have a pretty good recall for books, movies and tv shows. It amazes my wife at times, but I’ve never yet had a good answer for her.      

#JLBookLove

1. Drew, again. Writer of the House Valerius series. Thinker of random thoughts. Frequent dispenser of trivia.
2. Prince of Wallachia & King of Vampires, he had wooed & won Victoria, persuading her to abandon her widow’s black. – Anno Dracula
3. It has to be Casablanca.
4. Just for the record, I have nothing against scones…
5. Going clockwise from top left: Diesel, Callie, Oliver & Clyde.
6. This is what I came up with on the day,.I suppose I could have used it for #4 as well.
7. Reading snack? Hmm, peanuts maybe…
8. Because he’s Batman. Do I really need another reason?  
9. Just now, I’d favour Jamie Madox’s ability to clone/copy himself and then re-absorb the experiences and knowledge of each one.      
10. Technically no superpowers but I do find the Joker fascinating… in his many different versions. 
11. I’ve seen nearly all the Marvel and DC universe movies and I’m still going to say The Dark Knight. 
12. I have a list: Catwoman – couldn’t use the silver cutlery. Black Cat – ditto. Harley Quinn – I’d like to live to have dessert. Black Widow – I’d be worried I was being used as cover. Poison Ivy – Couldn’t have a salad. Zatanna – Could be interesting 🙂
13. What makes a superhero? Being from another planet helps. Or certain types of radiation but I can’t recommend that…
14. There are plenty of people I admire but I’m not sure I have a real-life hero.
15. I was always more for mythology than fairy tales but I suppose I always liked the story of Scheherazade.
16. I’ll pick one of the less obvious ones. King Fergus from Brave. 
17. A fairy tale to live in? Not sure I have a good answer to this one.
18. Does the parrot from Aladdin count?                           
19. It’s okay but I’m not sure it has the longevity of some of the others.
20. This year, it will be Merlin. No, I will not be flying like this.
21. Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman. A very twisted version of Snow White.
22. We have tickets to go see IT tonight, does that answer your question?
23. It’s rare for me to find a book scary but I was weirded out by chapters of The Stand about how the virus was being passed on.
24. I’m not sure I could give you a single favourite but I will give you one that may not be as well known as some of the others I could pick. 
25. I always thought ‘Salem’s Lot was creepy, the way the town is slowly taken over…
26. I think my best one (no photo unfortunately) was as John Doe from Se7en. And I did have a box with me…
27. Sully from Monsters Inc. 
28. Odd? All my fears seem to be perfectly reasonable to me. But the closest that I have to a phobia is vertigo…
29. Recommended: Paternus – @UnDyrk Darklands – @MLSpencer1 Whispers in the Alders – @HA_Callum The Midnight Circle – @jaylenejacobus
30. Best Twitter Friends? Tricky but… @LeopardKingSaga @LexiIsAWriter @UnDyrk @dmnewlun @BunnyDarkness @jaylenejacobus @annieperception @RamblingRiter @HA_Callum  @MLSpencer1 @tenofswordsbook @paullavender6 @authorCM_Turner @solscript 

#TweepWriter

1. I’m Drew and most of my writing is in the urban fantasy field. I do have some shorter pieces in other genres though. 
2. I read a fair mix of genres; fantasy, science fiction, mystery, some historical, etc. 
3. So far, I’ve not had a lot of luck planning ahead of time. So I guess that makes me a gardener rather than an architect.
4. If I’m at home, I’ll write on the couch. If I’m on my break at work, usually I’ll write at my desk.
5. I can be found here, along with occasional writing, reviews, rants, moans & assorted nonsense.
6. Not sure if I really need anything but I do like to have some kind of background noise, just to keep my brain off-balance.
7. Some authors that I can come back to again and again: J.R.R. Tolkien, Kim Newman, James Ellroy, Neil Gaiman & the late Terry Pratchett.
8. I’m a terrible judge when it comes to myself but I like to think this is one of my better moments. 
9. Generous & supportive peoples, all of them: @LexiIsAWriter @LeopardKingSaga @BunnyDarkness @UnDyrk @HHaydenWriter @dmnewlun @HA_Callum @TheRiseofNazil @_JM_Sullivan @paullavender6 @MLSpencer1 @authorCM_Turner @RamblingRiter @raimeygallant @tenofswordsbook
10. It can be just about anything. If I knew what was likely to inspire me, I’d keep it around more often.
11. I usually try to have a back-up project so that if I get stuck with one I can switch tracks…
12. I enjoy the film versions of Trainspotting & L.A. Confidential. Different from the books, for obvious reasons, but still quality.
13. Here are some non-series related short pieces. Some people seemed to like The Priest or Night Work
14. Somewhere close to water. I usually find that relaxing and inspiring in equal measure.
15. Beverage, please. Coffee, preferably.
16. The only one I can think of is from when I was a youngling. Jennifer Connolly as Sarah in the classic, Labyrinth. 
17. Usually just the one space. If I do have two, it’s most likely a mistake on my part,
18. I try to. Not sure how well I do, though.
19. That it’s not as easy as most people seem to assume…
20. I remember writing things for primary school classes, one influenced by Narnia, one by Star Trek. Not sure which came first.
21. Either Misery or Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas.
22. Concentrate more on getting the words out than on getting them right. I think I lost a lot of time worrying about that…
23. There are plenty of worlds I wouldn’t mind visiting but I think Ankh-Morpork just has the edge.
24. Something can be an overnight success but I think the term ‘classic’ is something that takes time to be confirmed.
25. Reading mostly, or I do enjoy my movies…
26. Either the ability to duplicate myself or the ability to mentally communicate with machines. Typing at the speed of thought….
27. When The Levee Breaks – Led Zeppelin
28. I’ve never liked broccoli. Recurring joke: The first meal Britt ever made me was chicken & broccoli. I said nothing & ate it.
29. My main one is that I never get enough done…
30. I’m neither. I suspect indie is the way to go, if I’m ever brave enough to try.

#WIPTruthOrDare

1. Truth – Ash prefers the autumn. The nights getting longer means more freedom for him.
2. Dare – I stopped at the edge of the treeline and looked out toward the house. It was a good sixty feet away and nothing but a swathe of green grass before it. It would be a killing ground without some kind of distraction.
3. Truth – A secret about Ash? He’s scared he’s more like De Vries than he’d like to admit.
4. Truth – Ash doesn’t really have a day job, not in the usual sense. He is heir to House Valerius but that’s more birthright than anything else.                                              Dare – “Kid, ya look like hell.” Quinn told me. “Ain’t surprising, after everything, but ya gotta ease down some. Take a day ta let yer body catch up.” My attempt at a reply was stolen by a yawn that nearly dislocated my jaw.
5. Dare – It was impossible to look at Shadowcroft and not remember everything the place meant. It had been my world until recently. Until De Vries. I looked away, turning back to the others instead. “Burn it.” I told them.
6. Truth – Ash used to enjoy spending time in Shadowcroft’s library, as much for the quiet as for the books. Dare – We stood there watching the flames lick up the sides of the old building. I heard my grandmother let out a heavy sigh. “There were hundreds of books in the library. A good many of them were very valuable, some irreplaceable.” “They’ll be alright,” I told her quietly. “They were moved to the storerooms in the caverns below. They’ll be safe enough there until we can come back.”
7. Dare – It wasn’t raining heavily; there no cloudburst or downpour that I could wait out for a few minutes. Instead, there was a steady drizzle that hung constantly in the air. It seeped into my clothes, leaving me sodden.
8. Truth – Just the usual places: my desk at work & the couch at home.
9. Dare – I fought the urge to put a hand up to my face, self-consciously wanting to cover the partially healed scars there.
10. Truth – Ash never really knew his paternal grandparents but he did get on well with his maternal grandmother. Dare – I thought briefly about getting on the ferry to Ireland & visiting my grandmother. I hadn’t seen her in years. But House Corcoran had never been a stronger House and my grandmother was close to five hundred years old…
11. Truth – Although’s he’s never said as much, Ash’s hero is his father Matthias. And he’ll be a difficult one to live up to.
12. Truth – I think it’s around 2am. My characters have been driving for a while and they’ve lost track a little bit.
13. Dare – I swept some loose leaves off the porch then sank back into one of the wooden rockers, enjoying the evening air.
14. Truth – Not sure which he’d prefer but both are going to happen in House In Exile.
15. Truth – 45,428
16. Dare – The leaves were cold and damp. They glued themselves against me, giving my movements a faint whispering quality.
17. Truth – Not a country but the Ceteri ruling Cabal is made up of the Lords & Ladies of the seven most powerful houses. Dare – “Course, Ah ain’t seen the guy since 1987.” Quinn told me. “Ah think Ah still owe him twenty bucks.”
18. Truth – Yes, they do. Its the main thing Ash is eating at the beginning of House In Exile.
19. Truth – I don’t think Ash has ever met a pirate, although I suspect other members of his family might have.
20. Dare – I clipped some of the stray branches from the bush, clearing my view of the house, I was as close as I dared.
21. Dare – Keeping this short in case of spoilers. There was just time to see his expression change before I shot him in the head.
22. Dare – I scrabbled, fingers raking through the dry dirt. Eventually, they touched metal and I dragged the magazine free. I rolled, guiding the magazine into its slot on instinct, hoping that it was clean enough to not to jam.
23. Truth – The question of prophecies hasn’t come up but I would doubt Ash puts any store in them.
24. Truth – Does Ash lie during House In Exile? I think it’s fairly safe to say he will. Dare – Ash’s 2 lies & 1 truth for House In Exile. 1 He’ll join the Cabal. 2 He’ll lose another friend. 3 He’ll be severely hurt.
25. Truth – Like myself, Ash prefers Granny Smith apples.
26. Dare – The harvest moon had already risen, flooding the valley with pale silver light, leaving it almost bright as day.
27. Truth – I’m sure he had to at some point, as punishment if nothing else. And mowing the lawn probably wasn’t fun, when it had to be in the middle of the night. Dare – Dead leaves spiralled about the parking lot. The now naked branches they had fallen from swayed in the breeze.
28. Dare – Well, I suppose that is kind of appropriate.
29. Truth – I doubt going through the fruit bins at the supermarket counts….Dare – I sliced the apple, using the knife to lift the strips up to my mouth. Even though I was nowhere near him, De Vries’ man kept his eyes on the knife, anxious that I would tire of the apple & go to work on him instead. 
30. Truth – The Ceteri don’t celebrate the harvest. They do mark the winter solstice, with a ritual challenge for leadership.

As always, many thanks to the hosts.