Welcome to Tales of the Lonely Sun!

Hello and welcome!

Tales of the Lonely Sun is a blog for writers and readers who want to celebrate the light that literature can spread rather than the darkness that is so prevalent in today’s world. It is run by Carlye Krul, Merie Shen, Jorja Ayres, and Mya Gray. We are all teenagers, followers of Jesus, avid readers, and fiction writers. You can expect posts about writing and reading as well as author interviews/guest posts twice a week.

To help you get to know us better, we put together this ten-question Q&A:

Q&A About Us

What is your name and 5 words that describe you?

Jorja: My name is Jorja Ayres (pronounced Georgia Airs) and 5 words that describe me are: talkative, perfectionist, unique, tall and a total fangirl. 

Carlye: My name is Carlye Krul. I would probably describe myself as thoughtful, a daydreamer, patient, passionate, and organized.

Mya: My name is Mya Gray. I would call myself quiet, creative, a daydreamer, bookish, and a hermit.

Merie: My name is Merie Shen. Five words that describe me? Introvert, artist, dreamer, storyteller, and spy. Or fairytales. Either one of those last ones work.

Are you a morning or night person?

Jorja: Night person all the way. I would wake up at noon and go to bed at 3 am every day if I could.

Carlye: I’m definitely a night owl. Night time is when I thrive and feel productive. It’s always so quiet and calm and I can be alone.

Mya: Definitely a night person. I don’t like to sleep. I’d rather stay up all night reading or writing. #sleepisfortheweak 

Merie: SLEEP IS NOT FOR THE WEAK Sleep is healthy and that’s why I wake up at 7-8 a.m. every morning because I like it.

What’s your MBTI type?

Jorja:  Every time I take the official MBTI test I get a different result, but I think that I am an ISTJ. I like practical applications and clear guidelines. Sometimes I’m more of an INFJ, though, depends on the day. I am also an ambivert, I’m somewhere between the introvert and extrovert sides of the spectrum. I prefer time one on one or in small groups with close friends to being alone or being in large groups of people.

Carlye: I’m an INFJ and an introvert. I love to be alone in quiet places with a book and music playing opposed to being out on the town with a crowd of people. I’m not comfortable around large groups of people- or even smaller groups and prefer to be alone by myself. I always care for other people before myself, which isn’t always good. I also tend to spend more time in my head than in reality. 

Mya: I’m an INFP-T and 100% an introvert. xD I do not at all enjoy social gatherings… they exhaust and frighten me. I’d rather spend time alone or with one or two close friends. 

Merie: INFJ-introvert. But, like, I’m a different person from Carlye, so don’t get us confused. Even though we do occasionally say and think the same things at the same time. It’s creepy but true.

Movie you could rewatch a million times?

Jorja: Tangled, no question. It embodies my love of fairy tales and Disney, and the character development is to die for. 

Carlye: Either Lord of the Rings because Legolas and Aragorn, or Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time because Dastan was my first movie character crush and my older sister never lets me forget it.

Mya: I don’t like movies… but a show I could rewatch a million times is Stranger Things. ❤

Merie: … Kung Fu Panda 2?

What/who got you into reading and writing? 

Jorja: Probably my mom. She has always been a reader and she read books with me from a very young age. Reading has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember and I can’t really imagine my life without it.

Carlye: I don’t really know who got me into reading, I’ve always loved books. I remember in Kindergarten I wasn’t good at reading and was jealous of a girl who could read. In Grade one I started reading the old Nancy Drews. It snowballed from there and now I can’t go a day without reading.

Mya: I’ve always liked reading, but Keeper of the Lost Cities is what turned me into a book-devouring fangirl. It was then I started shipping characters, creating fan art and fan fiction, and eagerly awaiting sequels. That was when books became a huge part of my life. I was inspired to write my first book because of Keeper of the Lost Cities.

Merie: We had these Korean fairytale picture books that I loved when I was a little kid. Ever since I’ve had a soft spot for fairytales, which is how Shannon Hale’s Ever After High trilogy got me into both reading and writing. 

Favourite books/ series and favourite authors?

Jorja: Tough question. I love the Lunar Chronicles, Keeper of the Lost Cities, Heist Society, and Stargirl to name a few. My top three authors are Marissa Meyer, Shannon Messenger, and Ally Carter.

Carlye: Um… why do we pick such tough questions? I really like Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger, Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, the Kiki Strike trilogy by Kristen Miller, Gilt Hollow by Lorie Langdon, and any book written either by Sara Ella, Andrew Klavan, or Evan Angler..

Mya: My favorite book (and series) is Keeper of the Lost Cities. Some other favorites are Lockwood and Co, Out of Time, Percy Jackson, The Lunar Chronicles, and In 27 Days. 

Merie: That’s actually an impossible question, since I can never choose favorites, but I’ll say that I love Redwall, the Ever After High trilogy, Foxcraft, the Infidel Books, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the Anne of Green Gables books, The Westing Game, and the Mission League series. Author favorites are anything by Nadine Brandes, Kyle Robert Shultz, Melanie Cellier, Lewis Caroll, and of course, C.S. Lewis. (I’m probably forgetting someone, but who cares.)

Favorite quote from a book?

Jorja: This one depends on my mood or what I am currently reading. As of right now I love “She was a girl. A living girl, smart and sweet and awkward and unusual, and she was worth far more than they could ever realize.” from Cress by Marissa Meyer. 

Carlye: I don’t have a specific quote, but maybe “Quiet people keep their secrets to themselves. That’s what makes them interesting…and usually worth the wait.” from Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City by Kristen Miller

Mya: I don’t know what my favorite quote from a book is, but this is a bookish quote I’ve been loving lately: “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” ― C.S. Lewis

Merie: This kind of question always gets me. I never think about bookish quotes… but I do know that the famous C.S. Lewis once said: “A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a children’s story in the slightest.” He also said: “The world does not need more Christian literature. What it needs is more Christians writing good literature.”

Planner or Pantser when it comes to writing? 

Jorja: I’m a plantser, so somewhere between the two. I write an outline and then as I write a better story usually emerges so I change the outline and continue on from there. I change my outline a lot. 

Carlye: Planner all the way. I love lists, charts, and just organization in general. I do let my story go where it wants to go, but within limits. It’s just how it works. 

Mya: I’m also a plantser. I brainstorm and write down notes or ideas before I start, but I end up changing a lot as I go. 

Merie: I can’t work without an outline, thank ya very much. I do a lot of story development while I’m writing, but I don’t really change it– so expect planning posts from this writer.

Book/s that made you cry?

Jorja: I don’t often cry when reading books, although I always feel very deeply, but I did cry when I reread Of Enemies and Endings by Shelby Bach for the fifth or sixth time. I’m not exactly sure why I cried but I did so I guess it counts. 

Carlye: I always don’t cry often while reading. I get sad and emotional over lots of books, but tears rarely roll down my cheeks. But I did cry when reading the ending of Champion by Marie Lu, Allegiant by Veronica Roth, and All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven.

Mya: I cry during many of the books I read. I just deeply empathize with the characters and feel what they’re feeling, so I get really emotional while reading. Some of the books that made me cry the most were Lodestar by Shannon Messenger, Nightfall by Shannon Messenger, Fawkes by Nadine Brandes, Prodigy by Marie Lu, Champion by Marie Lu, Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, Hollow Boy by Jonathan Stroud, Unbreakable by Sara Ella, Allegiant by Veronica Roth, Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys, and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Hehe… Do you believe me now that I cry a lot during books?

Merie: I don’t like to waste my tears on fictional characters. #tearsarefortheweak (jk jk just getting back at you, Mya) 

What is your writing strength?

Jorja: My favorite part of the writing process is editing, and I like to think that I am pretty good at it. As Ernest Hemingway said, “The only kind of writing is rewriting.” Editing is the part of writing where I can unleash my inner perfectionist and turn words on paper into a cohesive story and I think there is something beautiful about that. 

Carlye: I’m a very tough critic on myself, so I don’t think I have a writing strength. Maybe just how organized and through I am when writing, researching, and planning. (Jorja note: she’s being modest, Carlye is the most organized person I know) 

Mya: This is pretty specific, but I think one of my biggest writing strengths is conveying emotion. I love using description to make readers feel like they are there in the story. My characters are part of me and have real, vivid emotions that I pour out on the page. I hope my readers can relate to and empathize with them. I also love writing dramatic and suspenseful scenes. 😀

Merie: I’m probably best at looking at the ordinary and changing it into the extraordinary. No one likes to call something they wrote cliched, and I like finding ways to turn things around. That’s the reason why I am so passionate about worldbuilding, which is one of the most commonly overlooked factors of the writing world. I love seeing the richness and creativity of different peoples’ cultures, but too many books these days are lacking in that. And we certainly can’t have that, can we?

That wraps up our get to know you Q&A! We hope you guys enjoyed it! If you’re a blogger and are interested in being a part of the TotLS blog tour, click here.