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Death Comes in April

by Kellyn Roth |
March 8, 2017

This may be crazy, but I’ve decided to try to write 15,000 words in April for Camp NaNoWriMo. My project is Once a Stratton, a historical fiction novel set in the 1850s (1855-1858).
What is Camp NaNoWriMo? Well, if you’ve been following me long, you know what NaNoWriMo is (if not, it’s a basically a writing challenge). Camp NaNoWriMo is a much more relaxed version of NaNoWriMo. I can answer any questions about it in the comments.
Anyway, my goal is to write 15,000 words in April. But wait, you say. What’s Once a Stratton about? Well, I anticipated that question, so you can now find a summary (and my awful WIP cover) on the Works-in-Progress page.
I also started a Pinterest boardΒ for Once a Stratton, which I’m slowly adding to. (I’m working a lot on my Pinterest boards just now, actually … I’m trying to get all my information sorted!)
Thanks for reading,
~Kellyn Roth

  1. Are you participating in Camp NaNo? If so, would you like to join my cabin? Comment with your Camp NaNo username, and I’ll invite you!
  2. What do you think of Once a Stratton? Does it sound like a good book?
  3. Have you read any good books set in the Antebellum South? Let me know about them, because I can’t find a single historical novel set in that era!

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55 Responses

  1. Yay! Camp Nano! I’ve decided I’m actually going to try because I spectacularly failed at normal nano. Also I just realized I have never read a book in the antebellum south??? Like what??? I’ve read so many books but I can’t think of a single one in the antebellum south… Well that just makes me more excited to read your story 😊 (also my username is northernireland πŸ˜‰)

    1. Yeah, it’s weird. I haven’t either … except I guess the Elsie Dinsmore books …
      (you’re hot … XD let’s hope I found you and not some random other person or this could be awkward …)

      1. I didn’t get the reference for a moment and I was so confused and yes I am πŸ˜‰ You did find me and not another random person πŸ™‚

        1. It’s a random reference that no one but myself gets because it’s a book few read … πŸ˜‰ Whew, good, ’cause that would have been EXTREMELY awkward …

          1. At least it’s not it person. Probably my favorite thing I’ve ever done is run up to someone screaming my friend’s name and hug them really tight. Spoiler alert, it wasn’t my friend πŸ˜‰

            1. Wow, that’s … really awkward. I’m continually mistaking people for people who aren’t who I thought they were. (Yeah, that makes sense …) But yeah, they weren’t that people … and they give me weird looks. Like, “Why are you screaming that random name across the parking lot …?”

              1. I have the great curse of overusing the words “Hey mom…” or “Hey dad”….. let me tell you its gotten me into some really awkward situations……..

          1. Thank you so much!!!! I’m going to have to awkwardly beg my other blogger/nano friends to re-invite me to their cabins πŸ™

  2. 1. Yep! I’m going to be writing a MG novel about dragons (which you may have heard me mention once or twice). And sure, that sounds fun! Mine is bookishgirl23, but I probably need to make my novel first…heheh.
    2. Yes! I’m so excited to read it!
    3. Ummm… *doesn’t know what the Antebellum South is* So, probably not.

    1. 1. Yes, I’ve heard you mention that once or twice. I want to read it! I actually really enjoy MG dragon fiction, believe it or not. πŸ˜› But yeah, I can’t invite you until you create a project … but no hurry. πŸ™‚
      2.Yay! *can’t think of anything else to say*
      3.pre-Civil War South, basically. And I’m starting to wonder if such a book exists …

      1. 1. Yay! I mean, if you didn’t like dragons that might be a problem… I love them. I have to leave like right now, but maybe I can do it when I get back!
        3. Um…I’m sure there’s books like that! Somewhere…

  3. Wow, Kellyn, ‘Once A Stratton’ sounds super amazing! Does it take place during the Civil War, or not? Either way- I love this era/setting! πŸ™‚ This story sounds interesting…. you can write it! And you can certainly hit 15,000 in April! πŸ™‚
    I am doing Camp NaNo, God willing! πŸ™‚ My goal is to rewrite what I can in Seek…. but I am just really hoping I have time. But, gotta be optimistic! πŸ™‚ πŸ˜› I’d love to join your cabin, too! (I didn’t have a cabin last year…) My Camp NaNo username is The Peculiar Messenger.

    1. It starts about six years before the Civil War and goes until about … three years before? That’s actually what Antebellum means … “before the war.” (I had to Google it … I’d heard the word but I wasn’t sure …)
      I can’t invite you until you create a project, but when you do, I’ll definitely invite you. πŸ™‚

  4. I’ve never heard of Camp NaNoWriMo before this… (although it sounded familiar until I figured out that it was from the creators of NaNoWriMo.) I’d like to do it, but I honestly haven’t planned or thought of something I could write… Maybe next year or whenever the next one is? πŸ™‚

    1. The next one is in July, and then April of 2018. If you ever want to participate, let me know … I’d love to help you get organized (though you … probably don’t need my help … I should stop offering stuff like this to people … I don’t want to make it seem like I think you can’t do it yourself or anything …)

            1. I’m looking on my notifications and now it looks like a smile. I visited your blog (not through the reader) and commented on your blog. I thought that the smiley face was a bored face… oops. πŸ˜‰

  5. First, agh Once A Stratton sounds so cool, especially with the whole “I can’t deal with slavery” thing!
    Are you participating in Camp NaNo? If so, would you like to join my cabin? Comment with your Camp NaNo username, and I’ll invite you!: I am participating in Camp NaNo, but I already have a cabin. πŸ˜› I’m being QUITE courageous and shooting for 17,500 and ALSO participating in NaPoWriMo. *smacks forehead* What am I getting myself into…
    What do you think of Once a Stratton? Does it sound like a good book?: It sounds super interesting! I am really for equality and all that, so hearing ths portion of “enslaving human beings regardless of color” thing made me really excited. XD
    Have you read any good books set in the Antebellum South? Let me know about them, because I can’t find a single historical novel set in that era!: No, I haven’t! Probably because I rarely read books with settings that take place in our world, hahaha…

    1. Well, good luck with that! I know you can do it! (okay, I don’t, but I still think you can do it … although I really don’t know a lot about NaPoWriMo … but I hope you’re able to do it.)
      Yeah, slavery was a very bad thing. It’s always awful when people decide that some of their fellow human beings are insuperior (spellcheck is telling me that’s not a word … but I can’t figure out what word I’m looking for) for some reason or another. Kinda sucks. But yeah, it was awful back then … good thing it’s better now. πŸ™‚
      So we both need to read different genres … πŸ˜› Haha, just kidding!

      1. I shall try. XD They’re probably not going to be quality poems, but whatever. πŸ˜›
        I know. I’m glad you’re addressing it in your book! πŸ˜€ (Do you mean inferior?)

  6. Good luck on NaNo!
    Antebellum means pre-war, right? ‘Cause post is after… Anyway, I have, actually! I don’t recommend it in anyway, shape, or forum, but the first… quarter I think? of the Elsie Dinsmore series is set in pre-Civil War south. I don’t remember which state. Like I said, I really don’t recommend it, theologically wise, writing wise, character wise… it was an unfortunate series. It did give me most of my vocab, though, so it has that going for it. Anyway. And there’s also Turn Homeward, Hanalee, which is /much/ better. It takes place during the war, but from a southern girl’s perspective and it has glimpses of life before the war.

    1. Yes, antebellum means before the war. I’ve actually read most of the Elsie Dinsmore series … and I think North Carolina, wasn’t it? Or South Carolina … or Virginia. One of those. I don’t know if it was ever stated. Thank you, I’ll look that up! πŸ™‚

      1. Try again now. I defined my writing project so it may work now. It’s Bek@h B00(the o’s are zeros, I’m not sure if that’s clear in this font XD )

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