Picture of the Day: 

My cat, Buddy--a critic of literary works. 

Quote of the Day: 

"Your life is what your thoughts make it." 

-Marcus Aurelius 

Hello, dearest readers! (I am not sure how many of you there are, but I appreciate your loyalty nonetheless.) I am quite eager to kick-start this blog into life one more time, and plan on updating quite a bit more often than I have been recently. (One post is more than what I have been doing recently, but I do plan on trying harder than that.) 

I am not sure what to put in here today. I have not made any literary strides, I have not dreamt up some great new novel that I am going to be pursuing. I have done nothing but be in a certain shade of frenzy--you see, I have decided to step way out of my comfort zone and try a mission trip.

Not just any mission trip.

A month long stay in El Salvador and Honduras. 

Am I crazy? Maybe. But you all should be aware of this already. 

I do not know, quite honestly, what I am thinking. I have panicked more than once to a friend who has been way more patient than she needs to be. In fact, I count her as one of the most stable and gentle people in my life right now, and I doubt she even realizes how much she is changing me already. 

In this past year (or so) I have met some amazing people. One of whom is a fellow writer. He spends a lot of his time on missions out of country, and one of the ones he does is in Nigeria. I admire this young man, and despite the fact I took a very long break from writing (nearly three or four months, I'd say), when he asked me to write something about his trip in Nigeria, I felt obligated to try. 

So, today, I am going to share this story--I won't explain anything. I want to see if you can tell me what it is about. I cannot say I am happy with it, but I can say I did my best. 

Here it is--I call it "Three Hundred Candles". It is a short-short-story. 

A single crater was left behind to stand in testament of hate and misunderstanding, but there were three hundred candles shining out against the darkness.

The air stood still, as if the city itself held its breath. After such a deafening explosion of sound and debris, the crowded street seemed silent. Horror painted the faces of those who still stood, in the same way red now streaked across the colorless stone of the earth. Tears fell to mix with the blood upon the ground; faces turned upward to a sky that was so clear, so blue, it could have mocked what it had witnessed.

The attack had been meant to level their spirits with the same force it had leveled their walls, but not a single person stood alone. Hands were locked together in a living, breathing chain, a tangible link from one body to the next. Not only did it share the burden of fear and surprise, but joined together hope and love, spirit and heart, and shared the strength of a promise.

That promise kept trembling legs from caving in defeat. That promise caught the tears of weeping women, men and children. That promise offered the only sustaining comfort that the afflicted could handle—it promised life. Life beyond physical pain, a life beyond the challenges of this world. A life where Love truly reigns.

It offered peace, a promise so sweet, that some had tried to find peace of their own in twisted, gnarled lies that ensnared them like thorny vines. The crater was testament to the trap’s danger; but what they found was nothing like that sweet promise at all. It was not peace, but it was dark. What the misguided sought came at the price of brown stains on the street, on the rock of a broken wall, in the dirt of the earth. It came at the price of life and wholeness.

Bent in silence, bowed in prayer, hopeful hands began to clear away the rubble. Terror met its match. Work was as steady as the tears, and slowly, brick by leveled brick, the street began to heal. No one spoke, but there was light in their silence.

It was something no bomb could extinguish; it was something so beautiful, so stark in contrast to the tumult, that even those who had not come, those who did not believe, stood and watched in marvel—and they found their eyes strained against the brightness.

A single crater was left behind to stand in testament of hate and misunderstanding, but there were three hundred candles shining out against the darkness.

There you have it, folks. A short-short-story about my friend's trip to Nigeria. Please let me know what you think. I am eager to know.

Also, if you are interested in donating to help my friends and I make it to El Salvador and Honduras for a month, check out this blog. It has a page for donations using paypal. Quick, easy, and so helpful you won't even know how much we are thankful.

I thank you for your time, reader.
Happy writing.
God bless.

Picture of the Day: 

RIP Sophie Madeline -- we all love you and miss you oodles already.

Quote of the Day:

"Hope is necessary in every condition." 
-Samuel Johnson

Hello, dear readers! I hope this entry finds you well. I am sorry to say that I have not really thought much of this tired old blog, but tonight, as it approaches three in the morning, I found myself thinking that perhaps this is the company I needed. Perhaps it is time to give this old blog one last chance--so here it goes: a long awaited update.

I have not been able to do much work on my pirate novel since finishing it sometime in the past six months. I am finally handing it to someone to proofread this week, and I cannot thank that friend enough for offering to be my poor guinea pig. Hopefully, an update can follow soon in which I tell you that I am sending it out to try my hand at being published. Until then, though, that one has been on hold.

I have pretty much left many things on hold--my writing has become something of a passing fancy that sits on a back burner. Nonetheless, I have dabbled in perhaps two things since finishing my novel, and one is a simple scene that I am going to post for you today. 

This one was partially inspired by a song. I don't know much about the characters in this scene (just enough to make this all the more tragic), and I don't know if I will ever pick them up and turn them into a novel. However, I felt the urge to write this, and partially I believe it is because of a song that I listened to. I will post the link at the end of this and let you take a listen for yourself. 

So without much other talk, I give you the scene: 

            “Are you scared?” He asked.

            “Aren’t you?” Her voice was unsteady, trembling the same as her hands and spirit.

            He could see her eyes were wet, streaking lines down her cheeks. He could see fear in them as plain as a candle in darkness. Somehow, he managed a smile for her, and pulled her close against his chest. “No.” There was a resounding slam; the sound of wood on wood, the shuffle of heavy boots. She caught her breath. “It’s going to be a beautiful place,” he murmured. “A place where we’ll be together, and I’ll marry you. A place where things will be perfect.”

            She pressed her cheek against him, and he could feel the wet heat of her tears as they soaked through his clothes to his skin. The footsteps were getting closer. He felt her hands clench tighter to the cotton of his shirt.

            “We’ll start a family,” he told her. “We’ll grow old together. We’ll be safe.”

            “Safe,” she repeated quietly.

            “Doesn’t that sound nice?” He asked. The boots were outside their door. The bark of voices sounding like hunting dogs right outside their dark little room. She said nothing, but he felt her nod. “We just have to be brave first,” he promised. “Then we will be together again.”

            The door rattled, and she huddled closer. Another kick shook the door in its frame, and he wrapped his arms tighter around her and kissed the top of her head.

            “I love you,” he managed to whisper. Then, the door splintered open and the air was filled with pink mist and lead.

Maybe someday I will flesh this out into a full fledged story. But right now, I am going to let it lie. I have no clue what to do with it!

So now for the song, and this will complete a rather short entry. Still, reader, I cannot be to disappointed--I have an update and entry. Something I haven't had since January! 

I am not normally a Taylor Swift fan--I just cannot seem to get past her sound being so childish. But this song caught my attention when my sister played it from her room. The lyrics are fantastic, and I love the sound the Civil Wars added (they have a wonderful harmony and you should check them out when you get the chance, reader. You won't be disappointed!). 
There you have it! A quick update. 
I am not dead, and neither is this blog! Not yet anyway. 
Happy writing!And perhaps today more than ever we celebrate the reader, too.It takes all kinds. 

Picture of the Day: 

My puppy certainly loves to look at me with sad, sad eyes. 

Quote of the Day: 

"A word is a bud attempting to become a twig. How can one not dream while writing? It is the pen which dreams. The blank page gives the right to dream." 

-Gaston Bachelard

Greetings my readers! I have been gone so long now I do not even recall the last thing I have spoken to you about, so I will just barrel forward and hope you can keep up. Ready? Okay.

So, having finished the Pirate Novel, I do believe I have finally given it a name. I am very excited about this fact, as naming pieces might be the hardest thing for me to do. Ever. The title I am working with? I am glad you asked. Right now it stands like this: 

Children of the Hallow:

The Hallow's Rising

We will see  how this pans out, as I may very well come up with something better. Until then, feedback on what you think of the title would be sublime. (In case you cannot tell, Children of the Hallow is meant to be the series title. If you couldn't, well, now you know.) I have thought way too long on this, boys and girls. Something needs to get chosen before my sanity vanishes faster than Liam can dismiss orders.

That being said, before I delve into work on book two, I pounded out a chapter to a new story series--basically, it delves into fairy tales, our world and the pair of siblings Peyton and Alexander Rhodes. It is quite a fresh story, if I may say so. I am quite pleased with the new style I am able to flex. I love Liam, but sometimes I enjoy the nice snarky comment to spice things up. Since this particular story closely follows a sixteen year old girl (Peyton), snarkiness pools from the page. I love it. 

Speaking of fun witty banter, I found out that Rick Riordan actually has a blogger page. Guess who I subscribed to immediately? 

I am dreadfully slow with my reading these days--I put down books and get wrapped up in other things and simply have not read the way I should. Nonetheless, I am now halfway through his Son of Neptune--guys, it is EVERY bit as amazing as his other things. Pick it up if you haven't already. So worth it.

That is all for now, guys. Mainly I wanted to gauge opinions on the title. So, please, please, please, leave me a comment with an opinion. I flip flop on it. Is it good? Is it not? Is there something that I could change to make it better? 

CAN YOU ANSWER THIS QUESTION WITHOUT READING IT? 

So many inquiries, so little time. 

Happy writing, my readers! And, if writing is not your thing, happy reading. Both are invaluable. 

Picture of the Day: 

A bookstore in Hay On Wye, Wales that is literally in an old castle.

Quote of the Day: 

"Every artist was first an amateur." 

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hello, my dearest Readers! May I start by saying Happy New Year! I have been away for quite a long time, but rest assured I have not vanished. (You are not lucky enough for that! Ha!) In fact, I have some news that is absolutely fantastic--and it may lead to things even more fantastic. Huzzah! 

Okay, before the year vanished something amazing happened. On December 21, 2011 at 10:09pm, I, your resident blogger and aspiring novelist, finished my first draft of my Pirate Novel. 

Yes. Finished. Completed. Final period, celebratory dance, and immediate print-off. Done. 

I have never been so excited in my life! I have already started looking at publishers and agents, but so far I am so happy that it is done I have not really made any efforts toward them yet. My sister and friend are taking a look at the rough-draft manuscript, and my little sister is going to give me what I hope to be the best title for my work! (I have, as of yet, come up empty on that account.) 

I will be able to keep you updated on this progress as I attempt to wiggle my way into the business and make a name for myself. I am nervous about trying to sell my book in query letters and the like, but I am most ready to give it a shot! 

Prayers would be most appreciated as I undertake this endeavor. And, I would like to ask that you to add to them a person I know. He also finished his manuscript, and my friends and I will be taking a look at that for him too. Hopefully we will both be on our way to a published piece by the end of this year! 

Keep writing--it is key to creativity. And, if you cannot do that, keep reading! It does take both for this world to go around. 

Picture of the Day:

A rainbow at the local park.

Quote of the Day:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-- / I took the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference.

-Robert Frost

Hello, readers! I have been away again. I regret to say that for about the same amount of time I have been absent, I have also been negligent on my writing. Yes, if the pirate novel was a baby, child services would have come and taken it away by now. I am absolutely horrible at this "stick-to-your-writing" thing. But I have managed to find time enough to jump back in today to let you know what I have been up to. 

Sadly, I am afraid you shall be disappointed. In the four-some-odd weeks I have been away, vowing work on this novel and a quick finish I have added a total of one page. Yes, and it is not even a good page. However, I haven't trashed it yet, so I guess I am making some kind of progress.

Unfortunately that is really all I have to update you on. Things aren't going poorly, they just aren't going anywhere. Maybe someday this thing will be finished, and I bet once it is I won't even have the heart to submit it for publication! Too much work, I tell you. 

I think the only reason I am sticking to it is to prove to myself I can finish something I start--which, thus far, I haven't been able to do. 

I have finally been able to start my job at the Disney Store. Yes, I am a huge Disney fan. I blame the movies for my unrealistic expectations for life, love and hair. But I digress again. I find that a lot of the songs relate to me in a way that is very special, and I still enjoy Friday nights watching Beauty and the Beast, Hercules, Lady and the Tramp, etc. So, in commemoration for my new job and state of mind, I give you a song that is stuck in my head that will not escape:

If you haven't seen this movie, we are no longer friends. 

I kid.

Kind of.
Have a wonderful week, and hopefully this pitiful update will be coupled with something better soon. For right now, I am off! Perhaps I will meet Liam and Jarek for a date with adventure and excitement, but recently, they have simply been standing me up. We shall see.

Picture of the Day: 

A lovely lake in Ireland.

Quote of the Day: 

"Everyone is a genius. However, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life thinking it is stupid." 

-Albert Einstein.

Well, readers. I must say this week has been a long one full of doubts of various kinds. The most glaring one, however, has been my sudden pitfall of despair over my novel. Yes, I am talking about the same novel I have been gushing about progress in. My pirate story is suddenly feeling very malformed, as if the plot that sounded super amazing in my head no longer has a hint of believability once it falls to paper.

Believability very well could destroy me here.

I want to make sure that nothing far-fetched appears to be going on, however, nothing but the far-fetched seems to be occurring at all. It is making me highly frustrated. That is all on this for now; I am going to simply power through it, get it all down on paper and worry about the rest of it later. If I stop now and panic, it will never get finished--and I do not want that at all.

So, on with other things, I would like to post some music of great inspiration to me lately. It is more classical music! Yay! Yo-Yo Ma will begin the list here, because this version of this particular composition is nearly on repeat. It is amazingly done, and has truly inspired me to want to learn to play an instrument. Ironically enough, though, it is not the cello I want to learn. 

Technicalities.

However, bad news? It will not let me embed this video. So, instead, please click this to get to it. Promise, it is worth it in the end, and if you don't think so you merely wasted a click. Tragic. 

If clicking was too much for you, then simply move on to this: 

I love music. Really. It is proof to me that there is a God. It has power to change emotions, set you free, connect you with someone else for no other reason than mutual appreciation. Art is amazing. Music is like life.
I also really want to learn the piano, but I have never thought that my talents lied in physical instruments. I may have to scrounge up the money to try, though. I would feel much better about my love of music knowing I could participate with something other than dance. 
Chopin has been a soundtrack for me as I have written over the past few days. It is amazing to just feel the emotion, hear it, be moved by it, and inspired. 
Too bad it has not appeared to have helped my believability. I suppose I will just have to keep going. There is no turning back now. I have put too much work into this to stop now!






Enjoy the music, my readers. I shall leave you now to your own fancies and wild imaginings. 
Happy writing! And, if you are not of the writing sort, may you have happy reading. 
It takes both kinds of people to make this life worth it. Just like composers need their listeners, the world needs her readers.

Picture of the Day:

The birthday cake my sister and I made for my nephew, who is a pokemon fanatic!

Quote of the Day:

"The man who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore."

-Dale Carnegie

Hello, my dearest readers! I find that my life has gotten very busy as of late, and has afforded me very little time for keeping those who are interested up on my writing adventures. Today, on this peaceful Sunday, I find it quite perfect to simply update--but I doubt this update will hardly be simple! 

For the first order of business, let me begin by saying that I have kept up with my writing very well! I have broken two hundred pages in the pirate story, and that sits me comfortable at chapter sixteen. However, the downside to this is that I haven't gotten very far plot-wise. And, while the lines are spaced at one and a half for easier editing, I fear that it may mean I need to split the book into two installments. I cannot quite decide if this is a good thing, a bad thing, or something that really does not matter, but I have been pondering it a lot lately. I have also been madly wondering where I would split the story, since for the sake of ease I would think that one whole book would be better. Nonetheless, I am sticking with my current goal: get the whole story drafted once, then worry with the particulars. This has, undoubtedly, helped me get this far, and will keep me pressing forward. If I decide to break it up, it will only be a little bit of editing required! 

Still, if you have an opinion on whether or not one long book is better than a broken set, please let me know. I am curious to see what readers think (other than myself); would you rather buy a single book of around five hundred pages, or two books around three hundred pages? Post in the comments, if you please. 

Next order of business, I find that I have been very lax in updating my book of the month. Well, it is freshly October, and I am going to pick this up again! So, allow me to introduce you to our star this time around. 

Sabriel by Garth Nix

Sabriel is a book I read sometime in middle school, and it (and the following two in the trilogy) have kept its place on my shelf! This is a darkish fantasy, which I find appropriate for October. I would not say the book is overly terrifying, but there are certainly some darker moments, scenes and themes in this book that make it simultaneously a page turner, engrossing, and perfect for someone who wants a little thrill in their life. So, let me explain this lovely piece of high fantasy!

Garth Nix is simply a master in general--his style is easy to read and interesting (a difficult combination to achieve, I have found!) Well, if you like that, this is certainly a book for you. Sabriel follows the adventure of a young woman of the same name who is the daughter of the Abhorsen; The Abhorsen being a very powerful necromancer. 

As the book opens, Sabriel's father is gone, and scary things are beginning to happen around the land. A dark shadow tries to force its way through the Wall, undoubtedly to consume and harm all of the people. However, it is Sabriel who has to rise to fight it. She gets a very strange message from her father (probably one of the coolest scenes in the opening of the book, though to pick it as the coolest scene from the entire novel would be hard--it is full of galloping action!) and begins to set out on her way.

She is only armed with her own bravery and the set of the seven bells of The Abhorsen, magical items that can alter and persuade death differently depending on the tone. 

Really, I cannot even begin to describe how amazing this book is, only that Garth Nix showed his worth in this series! I regret to say that this fleeting description cannot possibly do it justice. I implore you to simply find the book, open to the first page and start to read. If you are not hooked by the second turn, I would be sincerely surprised. It is a fantastic novel--perfect for the month of October! 

Lastly, I would like to divulge a little bit about my writing journey. I discovered as I was writing the other day that I gave Liam no real talent to speak of. (I suppose most authors have the opposite problem. However, in crafting this prince, I seem to have left out the things he can do.) I decided on something through the course of writing that slightly surprised me, and I would like to share it with you. 

On a ship of the most dastardly pirates the seas have ever known, it is revealed that Liam is actually a fine musician; he plays the violin, the violoncello and sings. I believe this fits him well, however much it surprised me to write it, as he is a young man of the poetic and romantic sort and would undoubtedly take to music. Aside from that, it not only puts him at a further contrast from his company, but also adds the dimension of a little-known pirate fact: after the surgeon and the cooper, a musician was a pirate's prized possession. Let's face it, long days on the sea could get very dull with no entertainment. Even for the members of the famed Grey Hallow, boredom is not an option.

My Liam has proven himself useful after all. And talented. Who would have thought? 

So, in honor of Liam and his hidden skills, I leave you this song for your listening pleasure. It is taken from the Master and Commander: Far Side of the World soundtrack, and is the very piece that I was listening to when I wrote in his musical affinity. May it inspire you the same as it did me. 

And, as always, happy writing! And, if you are not of the writing sort, happy reading. It takes both kinds for the world to turn. 

Boccherini - La Musica Notturna Delle Strade Di Madrid. No, 6, Op. 30