nuggiedraws

On the Winonah

| Ardin Patterson

Yesterday after work my family and I went on a boat tour of the Muskoka on the Winonah II. It was really neat. I like learning new things, especially history. I find it interesting.

The folks that lived on the islands were an extremely friendly bunch, waving as we sailed along the lake. The tour was two hours, but it really didn’t feel that long, and the lemonade was lovely since I was siting in the sun. My one arm is more tanned than the other now, but I’ve been needing a tan all summer so at this point I could care less about the evenness of it.

Afterwards we popped in to see our folks, and got to see my cousins baby for the first time! I couldn’t believe how big her other child has gotten since I last saw them. We also dropped my friends birthday gift off and then met up online later to play games via social distance. I’ve always been a person who valued the time I spent with others but with the pandemic, and not seeing anyone for so long I’ve truly come to cherish it. I’m a family person, and it was hard enough for me not seeing my folks and friends while I was off at university…but this has been so different. Although I’m a person who can entertain myself for extended periods of time without interacting with people, I hate missing out on time with my family. It’s really sad that most of us haven’t seen one another since Thanksgiving 2019! Time has flown by so fast that these last few years feel more like one…big…mesh of time.

In conversations with co-workers I think that many of us have become nostalgic for the simple things like brunch and coffee dates with friends, going to the movies, conversations with the wonderful folks making your drink at Starbucks, seeing another persons smile, holding a new baby, giving piggyback rides and high fives and slaps on the back.

The optimist in me has learned to appreciate the sound of another persons voice, their eyes, decorative masks, someone’s outfit, waving wildly to great someone. Thinking this way has been a comfort to me…and I often try to on days when I get frustrated about the fact that I haven’t been able to spend Saturdays with my Dad and sister going to our favourite art store, and then going to Dairy Queen. It was something I always looked forward to and haven’t been able to do since 2019. I’ve watched some of my favourite places go out of business…and it’s so sad.

I’m glad I got to get out of town for a day and just relax on a big ship, and sit in the sun and watch the water. I also found a cute blue beetle looking thing. Not sure what it was and to be honest I’m not a huge fan of bugs but this bug was pretty.

The change was nice for a day.

If you haven’t heard yet, my debut novel Vermin is out! It’s been a long time coming and I’m so thankful for everyone who helped make this book possible.

I thought I would feature this drawing of my character Roland that my sister did for me, which features the cover as a backdrop. You can find her artwork @nuggiedraws on Instagram!

Vermin is Out Tomorrow

| Ardin Patterson

Tomorrow is my novels debut! I’m thrilled! Ecstatic! Totally pumped! I don’t think there are enough words to express how absolutely, incredibly excited I am to have this book out in the world.

I would definitely love to do signings and things in the future but with the pandemic, it’s difficult so instead I’ll be having a small celebration with my family.

This past week was filled with so many wonderful events, and I’m so grateful that I get to share my release with my family and friends.

Thank you so much to everyone who has added Vermin to their reading list, shared posts about it on social media and expressed support. It means so much to me, and I hope you enjoy the book as much as I enjoyed writing it!

If you haven’t already, check out @nuggiedraws on instagram to see the character art she did for the first book. I absolutely adore her take on my characters!

  • Nicholas Slayden @nuggiedraws
  • Rose Crispin @nuggiedraws
  • Roland Crispin @nuggiedraws
  • Dianna Warren @nuggiedraws
  • Peter Rissing by @nuggiedraws

A handful of songs featured throughout the series will be available to listen to this week, along with a sample reading!

I can’t wait to share the world of Vermin with you!

Tomorrow’s the day!

Meet Dianna – Art by @nuggiedraws

| Ardin Patterson

We’re nearing the release date for Vermin and I’m so excited. I’ve been trying to think of how I’d like to celebrate the release date but I haven’t decided yet. Maybe I’ll just have cake?

I’ve been trying to think of what I want to post for today’s blog post, and thought that I would share another one of the pictures I had commissioned by @nuggiedraws.

Dianna by @nuggiedraws

This is Dianna, Peter’s younger cousin. They’re close and grew up together, but they also tend to get on one another’s nerves.

Dianna is an only child, and grew up on a small farm with her mother and father. They have a few apple trees along the property, and keep chickens. Her relationship with her parents is strained. Despite loving them, she still feels guilty about something that happened in the past.

One of my favourite things about her character is that when she sets her mind to do something, there is no stopping her. She’s also a very caring person, and puts a lot of thought into the decisions she makes, especially when those decisions concern those closest to her.

In this picture Dianna is wearing her hair out, but when she was younger she always had it braided into pigtails. She still braids it, usually when she’s doing work or before she goes to sleep. Other times she has it up, or pinned back. She also wears a lot of scarves and sweaters. She doesn’t have a favourite outfit, but she does have a favourite yellow purse.

Heart is Now Available

| Ardin Patterson

Heart is available to listen to on Youtube and Instagram! The artwork for this project was created by my lovely sister @nuggiedraws. You can find her on Instagram!

There are three songs in total: Heart, Artist and Juliet’s Song.

I wrote Heart and Juliet’s Song back when I was in the 10th Grade.

I wrote Juliet’s Song for an animated project I made for my English class at the time. Initially it was played on the piano and yes, it is based on the play Romeo and Juliet. I re-recorded and used the song again in university for one of my Shakespeare course finals…and then decided to return to it again to create an acoustic version on the guitar.

Heart, the title track I wrote the same year. If I’m being honest, it isn’t the most emo song I’ve ever written. It’s pretty sad though. It was one of the first songs I wrote with my guitar. The song kept resurfacing over the years at different points in my life. At times I wish the song were longer, but at the same time I don’t think it needs to be. It always just felt right. It’s definitely the most personal song I’ve released. I actually shared the song when I entered the Zepeto Idol competition on Instagram a while back.

Artist I wrote initially as a poem this year and ended up putting music to it on a whim. I actually wrote the song while procrastinating a chapter edit for my debut. Whenever I get stuck on a scene, I try writing something else, like a poem to inspire me. In this case it worked but then I ended up with this recording hanging out on my laptop…and then, I decided that for once I’d actually share the music I’d written versus a cover song.

I hope you enjoy listening to Heart and that you’ll check out @nuggiedraws (I have her gif on my blogs homepage! Cute right?)

Then I Woke Up and New Music Coming Soon!

| Ardin Patterson

Hi!

I know I’ve posted a lot lately haha. I’ve just been trying to update all of my stuff. I’m really proud of this recording because I’ve been trying really hard to get better at singing and playing the guitar at the same time (multitasking can be hard sometimes!).

I think my guitar teacher would be proud! I miss going to guitar classes…and recording things in person but physical distancing means keeping the people in my life safe and healthy.

I think I was about twelve or thirteen when I first heard this song. It was originally performed by The Clique Girlz. I don’t know what it was about their music, maybe it was that they were around the same age as me, but I connected with them. This song especially. Although I don’t mind babysitting. I’m pretty crafty and I already watch cartoons.

Anyway, I recorded a bunch of original music that I’m really excited to share with you in the near future. I’m also extremely excited because my sister @nuggiedraws is letting me use her artwork for the tracks! You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

I wonder if I can convince my sister to record a track with me? We haven’t made up a silly song together in what seems like ages!

Editing Update: Fantastic Feedback!

| Ardin Patterson

Having a second set of eyes read over my work is extremely helpful. I can’t even express how much weight is lifted from my shoulders after receiving feedback from my editor (or even a beta reader).

I sent in a scene to my editor over the weekend that I had been stuck on it since August. After a month of wrestling with it I finally sent it to her. I wish I’d sent it sooner because her feedback cleared up everything I was struggling with! She pinpointed sections that I myself was unhappy with and provided solutions to how to improve (or remove) them. She also noted the sections within the scene that were stronger and pointed out that if I added a little more emphasis to those sections it would make the scene flow better and be stronger as a whole.

I’m so happy. I feel like I can breathe again. Sure, there’s still a lot to do in regards to editing but I’m grateful for the insight she provided.

@nuggiedraws
Art by @nuggiedraws