Cone Things

I'm sorry, but I'm still not sure when Do You Take This Quest? is going to be out. It will probably be mid-January, however, at the rate some of my editors are going ...

But I have some wonderfully delicious snippets that I would like to share from book three, and, as ya'll know by now, I'm not going to do a title reveal for that until after Take is published.

So ... I'm going to share them with you ... without titles! I didn't do much writing beyond it and Take last month, you see. Mixed in will be some stuff from Take as well, but I'm not going to tell you what is from which.

“I’d tell you good morning, but it doesn’t appear to be morning yet,” Madeleine remarked, sitting down opposite [Rosamond].


Eric can be so clumsy sometimes. Today he fell into a tree. It was pretty funny, because the cone things fell out on his head. I liked those cone things, so I latter gathered them up and stashed them. Maybe I’ll throw them at his head next time we fight.

“So, friends, are you here to give me the information I seek?”

  “No, we are here to rot away when we die,” returned the quick-tongued. “Are you here to let us out?”

  “Fools!” exclaimed Mordreth. “I could set you free today, and I could release you from your servitude, yet you mock me.”

  “You could also follow your brother out to sea and see if the pirates would be nice enough to kill you as well.”

Unfortunately, there was a storm that night.

  Actually, to call it a storm would do it justice. It was more of a deluge.

“Hello! You’re supposed to be letting me in!” Arthur shouted up at them again. They continued to ignore him. “Hello! It’s me! Prince Arthur!”

  He finally got a response. “Young man, Prince Arthur is dead. You may stop with the practical joke. You don’t want us to come down and stop it for you.”

  Arthur opened his mouth, but could find no response. Dead? Was Mordreth really claiming that he was dead? That would be just like him, wouldn’t it?

“What didst he have to do with birds?” questioned Doranna.

  “Nothing,” whispered Rosamond.

  “But she said fowl! Fowls are birds – even I know that!”

  “Nay, sweet cousin,” said Dick. “She said foul, which meaneth horrid and distasteful.”

  “Oh, well, it soundeth the lame to me!”

“Beautiful!”

  “Splendid!”

  “Magnifique!”

  “It’s a dress. I hate dresses.”

“Girl, are you trying to keep people out of the castle?”

  Robin’s head shot up to see that Robin Hood and various members of his band standing in the circle of the entry way. She opened her mouth for a second, but then shut it; she bit her lip, then said, “Of course I am.” Then she looked back down at the sword she was polishing and returned to it with a vengeance.

  “May I ask why?”

  Robin glanced up for half a second. “Because I feel like it.”

“Ah,” said Push, “but do not judge man by cover! I am ruthless!” He struck a declarative pose. “I once push Duke O’Gair into oven!”

“Uhh … I’m not Robert …”

  Robin pulled away instantly, and gave the young man’s face a good look. “No you’re not,” she exclaimed, taking a few steps backwards and drawing her sword. “How dare you be impersonating my brother!”

Robin turned to Arthur. “Hello,” she said. “How good are you with a sword?”

  “I suppose that will have to do,” said the old man with a shake of his head as Arthur sank helplessly to the floor and put his head in his hands.

“I don’t know,” said Robin Hood. “But there must be a logical explanation – though it might be as logical as Cube Roots …”

  “Cube Roots?”

  “Cube Roots,” confirmed Robin Hood.

“Um, Robin?”

  Robin briefly glanced up from the sword she was polishing. “Yes?”

  “I … uh, Casperl has instructed me to go around asking people how they are coming and so, um –.”

  “Catch.”

  Instinctively, Arthur put up his hands. Barely had he done so than he found a sword hilt in them – the very sword that Robin had been polishing. A moment later, Auroren’s blade was crossed with the blade of the sword he had in his hand.

  For the next minute or so, Arthur could do little more than fend off Auroren’s blade as best he could. He was almost relieved when a well-executed twist of Robin’s sword sent his sword flying out of her hand and into her left hand.

  A moment after that, she was again seated and polishing the sword.

“A wooden practice sword,” Arthur admitted. “It’s all I’ve ever used until just now … it was the only thing I could smuggle out of the castle.”

  She snorted. “Well, I don’t envy you there. I hate wooden swords. They’re cheep imitations and I always loose with one.”

  “You …”

  “And on the flip side, Robert can actually win with one. So, I don’t begrudge them their existence … I just wish that they and their existence would leave me alone.”

“Ah, but with wet hair, you could catch cold and die. I wouldn’t want that happening to you. Why ever did you take that last swim?”

  “You threw me in.”

I love this egg. I want one for my Nutcracker collection

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I also did some writing on HaV Academy, so I have a snippet from there as well.

“No, no we don’t,” Mr. Dially agreed with a laugh. “Well, then, what do you plan to do with yourself for the rest of the afternoon if you aren’t going to be spending your last day of freedom doing what you know you want to be doing.”

  Roxanne frowned at her dad’s thinly-veiled hint. “I dunno. Make you another torture chamber, maybe?”

  “I really don’t need another torture chamber, dear, though I appreciate the offer,” said Mr. Dially. “I’m sorry, but you’re just going to have to come up with something else to do.”

Oh, and if you'd like to participate in Snippets, just head on over to Katie's Blog and link up!

A Christmas Wish from my Characters.

I've talked with various of my characters and they've agreed to come over and wish all of you Merry Christmas.

Or, well, most of them have. Some I've had to force ... others ... they're going to skip this year.

Some I had to explain what Christmas is, first.

So, anyways, here's some Christmas Wishes from my characters. I've sorted them by book, by the way, oh, and allowed them to interact within book. Sometimes I had to step in and make a comment.

Infiltration:

   Tiger: May the Blessings of Yshew be with you! Kendra says that your Christmas falls during our Month of Blessings, and that's the greeting that we give friends and family during the Month of Blessings. Of course, you're also supposed to do something for your friends and family to bless them as well.
   Snap: And eat up any food that might spoil during winter.
   Tiger: But that's not the point of the Month of Blessings, merely an nice side part. Hum. This internet stuff, I never shall understand why you and Kendra like it so much, Snap. It makes for a very impersonal world. How is one to bless their friends if they're connected only by a glowing screen?
   Snap: Never gave much thought to that, we don't have the Month of Blessings in Limbo.
   Tiger: Oh, well. Oh! I know! We can impart to our friends some of the knowledge that we possess!
   Snap: Sounds good.
   Tiger: Okay, my advice to you is this: a mix of honey and oregano are good for sore throats.
   Snap: And it tastes horrid.
   Tiger: Snap!
   Snap: Oh, well, I guess it's my turn. Hmmmm ... Oh, I know! Never slam the bakery door when you have a cake in the oven. It can cause the cake to fall. I learned that one the hard way.
   Tiger: I'm sure you did.
   Me: I posted a story about Tiger yesterday, for those of you who are interested.

Water Princess, Fire Prince:

   Clara: Marley was dead.
   Andrew: Clara, we're supposed to be wishing Kendra's readers a merry Christmas.
   Clara: Bah, humbug.
   Andrew: *Sigh.* Clara's not usually this way. I think she's upset because Kendra forced her to watch the Barbie version of the Christmas Carol on Saturday.
   Me: Hey! I didn't force her to, I invited her so that we could have some character-author bonding time.
   Clara: Ebeneezer Scrooge is not a famous opera singer.
   Me: And Barbie is not a guy.
   Clara: Bah, humbug.
   Me: Just tell everyone merry Christmas.
   Clara: Fine. Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. All that.
   Andrew: Yes, Merry Christmas.

Silivock

   Lillillil: Perisna Soup!
   Rikkard: Princess Lillillil, the term Kendra instructed us to use was Merry Christmas. 
   Lillillil: Kendra doesn't even like the name Mary.
   Rikkard: Lillillil, not Mary, Merry. Its a human term for happy.
   Lillillil: Why should I be happy that it's the birthday of Yova's Son is today and everyone is ignoring Him!!!!
   Rikkard: Kendra has assured us that she and most everyone who reads her blog do not ignore Jesus. The people who ignore Jesus are the ones who also ignore Yova the rest of year.
   Lillillil: Kendra says that they put popcorn on trees for Christmas - and she gave me some popcorn! It's really good! It's even better than Swissa cakes!
   Rikkard: Lillillil, can you stay on topic.
   Lillillil: But Rikkie! I'm tired of the topic!
   Rikkard: Just say "Merry Christmas."
   Lillillil: Popcorn trees!
   Rikkard: Sometimes I don't know why I bother.
   Lillillil: It's because you love me!
   Rikkard: It's because your father will have me killed if I don't ... Merry Christmas.
   Lillillil: Merry Christmas! And he does so love me!

Bookania: 

   Robin: Don't fall off the page.
   Robert: Uh, Robin ...
   Robin: Oh, right! *Eye roll* Happy Turning of the Page!
   Robert: You would think you'd have that down by now.
   Robin: It's just more of that you've got to say this right and not do this wrong rigmarole stuff ...
   Robert: Oh ... never mind. Anyways, Kendra says that since she still doesn't have Do You Take This Quest? ready for release, she'll let you in on a tidbit of world building. We don't celebrate Christmas in Bookania.
   Robin: *snorts* I'm glad we don't. From what Kendra tells us about it, it's weirder than anything we have here.
   Robert: But it's closest equivalent is the Turning of the Page, although New Year's would be a closer equivalent as far as what we're celebrate.
   Robin: Yep. We all get together and talk about the last year and about how it could have gone better or worse, resolve to do better next year, and exchange presents.
   Robert: Pretty much. We also have a feast or two.
   Robin: You haven't told them to not fall off the page.
   Robert: That's Robin's personal greeting for this time. The actual greeting is Happy Turning of the Page. Kendra says that she actually mentioned this festival twice in Do You Take This Quest?
   Robin: And it's not me that mentions it.
   Robert: No, it's not. Kendra says that it's a mystery character who says it.
   Robin: Terrific.

The Ankulen:

   Jen: Thanks so much to Kendra who's allowing us to write this on her blog. Merry Christmas!!!!! I ought to get myself a blog, ought I not?
   Tisha: Oh, yes, that would be such fun!
   Chris: And thanks to Kendra also for letting us wish you a Merry Christmas too!!! Not many people let the imaginary friends of other people write on their blogs!
   Megan: Merry Christmas!
   Derek: Personally, I'm worried about Kendra.
   Jen: Oh, why? She's a nice girl, and very understanding ...
   Derek: She's too understanding. She figured out way too quickly that that story you're writing was real. Crazy real.
   Jen: Well, Kendra's an Anka, too, I guess.
   Derek: Has she shown you her world?
   Jen: No ... but I've read her books. They're very good. Not all Anka and Anku can show their worlds to others beyond the written word.
   Chris: Hey, Derek, have a cookie! *Holds out a Christmas Cookie*
   Derek: *eyes cookie* Let me guess, you made this?
   Chris: I put on the sprinkles.
   Derek: Throws up hands. You've got them as kids again, Jen!
   Jen: Kids are more fun to bake cookies with, Derek.
   Megan: Baking cookies just isn't the same without kids, you know!
   Derek: You're all hopeless! All of you!
   Jen: Hey, let's sing a Christmas Carol!
   Derek: You're changing the subject.
   Jen: Yes, I am. Hey, Kendra wrote a really cool song called "Down in a Manger." Let's sing that!
   Derek: No.
   Jen: Yes! One, two, three -
  *All, with the exception of Derek, sing This Song*

And there we go. No these aren't all of my characters. Indeed it's far from it. They're just the ones I could talk into doing this. And, no, Jen is not aware that she herself is a character, nor are Derek and Megan. They are amusing at times when I talk to them.

Anyways, Have a very Merry Christmas, hope you enjoy whatever you're getting, and have fun!

Oh, and I think I'm going to search my Mom's Computer for a nice picture ...

Or ... Nevermind. I can't find anything on mom's computer. Have a picture of a scarf instead. I've posted this picture before ... but anyways ...

Tigerlilly at Christmas

The following story is probably the first story of any length that I ever finished. I think I was nine or ten. (I'm basing this off the fact that Sugar Maple isn't here, but Starlilly is.)

This is an early writing of what has since become Infiltration. I have modified the world some since then, though, and a few names have been changed. Tigerlilly's name has been split into Tiger Lilly, Marigold has become Mary Gold. Buckhyde became Elkhyde. Christmas is no longer celebrated like this in the Rowa. Instead they have the Month of Blessings (which is a combination of Christmas, Thanksgiving, and perhaps some other holidays).

However, this is a very sweet story (I think, anyways) and it shows how far I've come in my writing.

I have one other bit of completed Tiger Lilly writing dating from this time, but it's written on paper (and has a really cute illustration. I might share it at one point. (I also have several unfinished story starts ... including one that was simply a retelling of The Hobbit ... that one was quickly dropped, though it was the one when Tiger first became an herbalist)

So, without further ado ....

Find some Eggs!

Tigerlilly at Christmas


   Once upon a time in a place called the Rowa lived the Elvings.  The Elvings are half elf and half something else.  Girls are named after flowers, and boys are named after trees and bushes, and last names come from Animal body parts.
   This story is about a girl named Tiger Lilly Bunnietoes.  Tigerlilly had curly brown hair witch she got from her pa, Aspen Bunnietoes, blue eyes, and like most Elvings she had hairy feet.
   Her ma’s name was Daffodil Bunnitoes.  She also had a sister whose name was Marigold Bunnietoes.  She had so many cousins I won’t even begin to name them.
   Every year at Christmas time there is held by one of the high Officers, and every kid gets a present.
   On Christmas Morning Tigerlilly would run downstairs, but not to see what’s under the tree, they don’t even have tree.  She’s running downstairs to start breakfast.  When every one is up and breakfast has been eaten then it’s present time.  There present time is much different than ours, it begins with present hiding, one at a time they hide a present in others room, then it’s find time.  “I’d like to know why we do Christmas this way.”  Tigerlilly said once.  
   Her ma answered, “On the first Christmas long before I was even born, the Shepard’s just had to find Jesus and they only one clue, the clue was that he was in a stable, but witch one?  The reason why we follow stars to find the nativity Jesus is because The Wise men followed the star to find the real Jesus.” 
   “Speaking of stars,” said Aspen  “It’s time to do the stars.”  So Aspen took out the hunk of stars and put them in a line. Then when they led to the nativity Jesus he said to young Marigold, “The trick is to follow the stars.” Tigerlilly and Daffodil followed on behind.
   After they found the nativity Jesus it was lunchtime and they went to the place where everyone ate on Christmas day called the Food Center. They had a grand feast and afterwards Tigerlilly went and played outside with her friends Magnolia and Blueberry Eaglewing.  They had a grand time playing zoom tag I guess you need to know what zoom tag is. It is a form of tag played by the Elvings; first you have the player that was chosen to tag first hold still for ten seconds and then run around and tag anther player then that player dose the same. When the thing is over she and her sister receives a present each.  Marigold got a sewing kit and Tigerlilly got some cooking utincles.  Then they headed home.
   When they got home they went strait to Grandma and Grandpa Buckhyd’s compartment in their tree home.  Tigerlilly ran strait for Aunt Paintbrush and gave her a big hug.  Marigold ran strait for Aunt Wisteria and asked if she could hold Baby Starlilly, Starlilly was Aunt Wisteria’s new baby. Everyone was there including Tigerlilly’s cousins from the far north of the Rowa. Everyone there got a nice present. It was fun, but Tigerlilly was getting very tired, so they went to their rooms and went to sleep.
   Tiger Lilly wondered what next year would bring. Would it be a nice one too? Would the Rowa be the same?  Soon she went to sleep, ready for the next day and what it would bring her and her family and friends.


The End

The Dirty Girl

I have decided to not do a random post today, and instead do a bit of character development. On Monday (I think, it may have been Saturday) I mentioned that Jakob from Water Princess, Fire Prince was a bit too flat for my likings.

What I know about Jakob is limited mostly to his position in life and how Clara and Jill Anna view him. I know that he is the eldest son of Lord Erik of Upper Klarand, (And, for those of you who are wondering, Erik was named before Eric, and their namings have nothing in common.) and that Clara views him as not as uppity as the rest of the royal family (he's the only one to whom she reveals the secret of many of her skills, such as Fencing, for the longest time) and Jill Anna has an ... um ... hopeless crush on him that she will not admit to anyone. (Clara literally forces it out of her!)

But who he is, and what lies at his heart - I don't know that. So, today, I'm going to dig an important event out of his past. I won't tell you why it's important, but it's very important.

Oh, and grrrrr ... I do not have a picture of Jakob. (I'm still not even sure what he looks like. I might have something in its document, but I'm not sure ...) So .....

Look at the snow that fell two years ago instead!

And you can imagine it pink, because snow is pink in Jakob's world.

Oh! Look! I found a picture of Jakob in Pinterest! It's a bit modern but ... it works

Via Pinterest

(And now for the actual writing ....)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lor'Son Jakob wandered about in the library, eyes fixed on the spines as he waited for one to jump out at him. At long last, he paused and pulled a thinner volume off of the shelf. The words on the cover read Through the Mountain.

Jakob then wandered over to the nearest chair and sat down to peruse the book. There was something about the legends - particularly Klarand's legends - that drew his attention. Perhaps it was because they were the history of his world, perhaps because they showed times when all hope seemed lost, and yet Jeptha still brought them out of it. Perhaps it was because Jakob couldn't help but compare the desperation of those days to the desperation of this.

Some days, he wondered why nothing was done against the Lady Dragon - about Amber. Didn't anyone care that she had torn apart the land, that she didn't belong there?

But Jakob knew that everyone felt the same as he. The reason nothing was done was that nothing could be done. They had to wait for the Water Princess and Fire Prince to arrive. Only then could the Dragon be defeated.

As Jakob stared at the words that formed the story he was reading, he sent a silent prayer that that day might be soon, and that he might be of assistance to the Water Princess and Fire Prince.

The silence was shattered by the cry of a girl. Instantly, Jakob's head shot up as he looked for the girl. A moment later, he sighted a girl hidden in the shadows at the edge of the room. She wasn't looking at him.

Laying the book aside, Jakob stood up and started walking towards the girl.

At the sound of his step, she looked up, and her brown eyes met his with an almost wild expression. She was on her feet in a moment, thrusting her hand behind her back, as if she were hiding something. She was not tall - but she was covered in dirt and grime. For a moment, they just stared at each other.

"Who - who are you?" Jakob questioned. Was she a servant? But the servants weren't allowed to be this filthy. And what would a peasant be doing in the castle?

She hesitated. "Jill," she said at last. Then she broken into a run. There was a knife in her hand.

Jakob ran after her, but as soon as she rounded a corner, she was gone.

Eggs are just so pretty

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh, and I had some sort of Guest post on Jack's blog yesterday. I would have posted about it yesterday, but my brain wasn't working. No matter, you can go check it out now. And check out her new book while you're at it.

Garlic is Good For you!

- The Derao is free for the next several days.
- I drew that cover art.
- It looked horrid.
- But then I ran it through some editing features on my picture editing program (picasa)
- Now it looks terrific
- It looks exactly how I wanted it to look.
- It sends chills down my spine.
- Of all my cover arts, this one's my favorite.
- I drew an ax last night.
- One with a golden handle and silver axhead.
- And it's set with emeralds.
- It's Casperl's ax.
- I'd show you a picture, but mom's computer doesn't talk to my SD card.
- My toes are cold.
- I ought to wear socks, but I don't.

This is Maryanne's favorite Egg

- I have a character named Xially.
- Two, actually.
- In the same series.
- I don't know why.
- Xially is pronounced k'sially.
- Which is the proper pronunciation of the letter x.
- The name derao appeared when I got tired of writing "dragon" and just started typing.
- Funny how that happens sometimes.
- I have no idea why I named Lukas Lukas.
- Tabitha is named after my best friend at age 6.
- I like the name Tabitha.
- I have three characters with that name.
- Although one of them it's spelled Tabetha.
- Lukas is in no way related to Eric's brother (who has the same name)
- Or, at least, not to my knowledge.
- I have random ideas for a prequel that takes place 300 years prior to Sew.
- It would be very interesting.
- It would involve a princess who is obsessed with running away, faints often, and has a sword that turns bushes into fruit.
- Her name's Regina.
- As well as Robin's ancestress Lady Robyn.
- Who Robin was named after.
- I'll wait a year or two before I write it though.
- CreateSpace has issues with the file I fed it this morning.
- Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.....................
- Oh, well. As long as it takes the final story, I guess.
- V. wants me to write my chapter of Behind the Rainbow.
- I guess I'd better go work on it, then.
- God be w' ye!

A Few More Random Things

- I like talking about random things
- It means I don't have to think so hard.
- Do You Take This Quest? is fully formatted now ...
- I'm now waiting for it to show up again on my Kindle so I can read through it again.
- Oh, and I need to figure out how to convert word documents to PDF files on my Mom's computer.
- I worked on The Ankulen some this morning, too.
- The Ankulen needs severe work on its first several chapters. After that, it flows pretty well
- I mean, don't you think it's a bad thing when not even the author can get into a book?
- I like where I begin it, and what happens ...
- It just needs to flow better.
- I also read through book 3 this morning - and had to read portions aloud to my sister.
- She thought those portions very funny.
- A half-asleep Robin is a very funny thing.
- Arthur's not sure what to make of Robin, though.
- I love the closing scene for Do You Take This Quest?
- Rocks or feathers?
- I worked on the notebook version of Water Princess, Fire Prince. 
- Clara is teaching Andrew how to ask a girl to dance is a funny thing indeed.
- I can't wait until she gets to the actual teaching him to dance.
- The plot is thickening!
- I like popcorn.
- I realized that Jakob, a major character in WP,FP is flat too.
- But at least he's not a main character.
- I think I'll be able to beef him up on the computer, though.
- I can't wait to introduce Granite!
- He just might be one of my favorite male characters.
- He's a very complicated person.
- I want a sword for Christmas.
- And a pair of Fairy Wings.
- My mom is funny.
- This post needs some sort of picture.

- That'll do.
- Even though it has Sew's old cover.
- I love Robin.
- She has lots of great lines.

More Randomousity

- Miss Jack released her book today:

- I found these really cute fingerless gloves at old navy a few weeks ago.
- They're purple and fuchsia, two of my three favorite colors.
- I found my camera last night.
- Now to get the batteries charged
- Oh, and find a SD reader that will read the SD card.
- My laptop's built-in one was the only one that would.
- Sigh.
- It was on my desk under a bunch of papers.
- I've come to the realization that the reason Reuben (as well as Tyler and Noraeto) are flat is that they aren't essential to the plot.
- I'd written the book three times without them, and won the war just fine.
- I need to figure out how to make them essential, since Rizkan law will not allow a queen to reign without a King.
- Or a King to reign without a Queen.
- They like a balanced leadership.
- I'm almost in tears over this, book 2 of the Rizkaland legends is practically my baby!
- The girl's stories are wonderful - heart-wrenching, even.
- The guys, however. Meh.
- Sigh, but at least Andrew (the hero of book 1) bleeds when I cut him.
- Or, at least, I think he does.
- I've never actually cut him.
- I ought to get back to Do You Take This QUest?

A few random Things

- My lap top is completely dead.
- RIP Algebra Black Clickety Clack.
- I've only two chapters left to enter into Do You Take This Quest?
- Then I'll be only waiting for my editors to get through it.
- Robert and I had a nice long talk yesterday about what it would take to get him to go on another quest.
- We ended up having to knock out every ally he has.
- I don't think I could do that.
- Least ways, not and have the book have a happy ending.
- My brother used to have a dusty keyboard.
- He doesn't anymore.
- For sake of easiness,  my brother will henceforth be known as Sam the Scholar on my blog.
- There's a story behind that, but I don't think I want to expound it.
- My brain hurts.
- V. Kathie will stay V. Kathie, but I'll call my littlest sister Sunshine.
- My sister and I are writing a book together.
- It's quite interesting, really, thanks to our very different writing styles.
- We're writing alternating chapters.
- I hope our readers don't get dizzy.
- V, I don't write present tense.
- Okay, well I do (thinks of the Interruptions) but they are not for long sustained periods of time.
- The interruptions in Take might not make sense until book 3.
- Don't forget there's a guessing game for book 3's title!
- "Don't worry Father, I left my pet dragon in my own Reality."
- That's a line from one of my books that's been rolling around in my head.
- It amuses me.
- The girl who said it amuses me too.
- Anyone know how to keep one's characters from jumping on one's bed?
- I like big pillows!
- I ain't never been known to use bad English!
- But that's usually only when I'm talking.
- It's funny. I can go from a sophisticated English accent, to a low down Su'then one in moments.
- I have a pair of triplets in one of my books who the two ways to identify them is the color they wear and the accent they use.
- The eldest of that set used to be my favorite character.
- I think she's still number four.
- I need to figure out what to do about her King. He's flat.
- I was talking to the Cloud Sprites last night, and I learned that Bookania hasn't had a proper sunset in at least three hundred years.
- I think I'll put the explanation to that in book 3.
- I stole the explanation from Greek mythology.
- But I really doubt that any of you will be able to guess which one until I reveal it.
- Sunrises are beautiful, though.
- Three of the cloud sprites are mentioned in Take.
- Two appeared in Sew.
- I din't mention the name of the first one you saw in Sew. 
- But I do mention her name in Take. 

- I have no idea what that picture's there for.
- It's just there.
- I did some knitting last night.
- I play a knitting auntie in the play that my sister wrote.
- I'm also the narrator.
- My brain hurts.
- I ought to get back to writing Take.
- Good-bye!
- Did you know that Good-bye came from "God be w' ye?"
- I'm considering going back to saying the full thing.
- God be w' ye!

Interview with Jessica Grayson

What's this? I've gone and found yet another December publishing author to interview?

Aye, that I have. Dear readers, please welcome ... (insert drumroll and trumpets)

Jessica Grayson of Safirewriter!

 Her book is available on Kindle

 And as a paperback

And isn't her cover art just stunning? Personally, I'd like it for my RPS. (a work in progress that's been bugging me quite a bit of late)

This book in on my wishlist, and I'm eager to read it. Just reading the snippets that she's posted on her blog and on pinterest, I'm sure that this is a terrific young writer.

But, anyways, On to the Interview!

1.      Tell us about your book.

            Annabeth's War is the story of a girl fighting for her father, king and country as Lord Raburn attempts to take the throne. She is the only thing that stands between Lord Raburn, and his desire for power.

2.      Because of my obsession with titles, I’d like to know, why did you entitle your bookAnnabeth’s War?

            The original title of the book was By the Sword. However upon completion it changed to Annabeth's War simply because of the theme that runs through the story.

3.      From initial inspiration to publication, how long did it take you to write your book?

            21 months.

4.      I’ve heard that your genre is one that a fellow blogger has newly christened “Epic.”           Could you please explain this genre?

I'll be officially filing Annabeth's War under Historic Fantasy, but epic is probably best described as a factious land where morals are held in high, and the stakes higher.

5.      Introduce us to your favorite character. Why are they your favorite? (Yes, I know, I’m being cruel, making you pick favorites …)

            Hmm cold brutality it is then, it's difficult to pick, so difficult. I'll go with Annabeth. I love Annabeth, for her courage and strength. Give up was never part of her vocabulary.

6.      Tell us about some other projects we can expect to see from you in the near (or not so near …) future

            Captive of Raven Castle, is the story of a princess whose heart is torn between one country and the two men trying to rule it. One is her father the rightful king, the other a rebel usurper, but which is which?

7.      How old were you when you discovered the amazing art of writing books? Why did you choose to pursue it?

            I wasn't keen on writing in school. However fiction proved to be a different story all together. At age twelve I asked God for a purpose in life. During a sermon my pastor gave I felt God ask me to be His ready writer, I said yes! And I've been writing ever since.

8.      If you were ever to find yourself in the middle of a war would you survive?

            It all depends on whose side I am on. I've always been the sidekick type. So it all depends on what kind of hero I got stuck following…or if I ended up being the sidekick who ends up dying for the cause. In other words I really have no idea.

9.      Which authors do you find the most inspiring?

            Most are unpublished, however the ones that you can actually read, would be Lois Walfrid Johnson, G. A. Henty, E.D.E.N. Southworth, Louisa May Alcott, L.M. Montgomery…and a long list too long to mention here.

10.  What is your favorite writing medium and location?

            I've always loved the feel of pen and paper but actually getting production it doesn't go very far. So my laptop Bunburry, is my favorite medium, while sitting on my bed because that is the only place I can really think in peace and quiet.

Computer Troubles (AGAIN!!!)

Hi, I'm just popping by to tell you that Algae is having issues again.

(Algae's my computer, if thou wilt remember)

However, instead of her harddrive crashing or something simple like that ... she's and the charger cord have decided that they don't want to talk. They've been giving each other the cold shoulder for several days now, but I could at least make them cooperate when she was closed.

Now they won't talk at all.

So I'm on my Mom's computer (luckily I have everything really important accessible over here.) So ... more delays and such, since I know that Mom won't let me spend all of my time on her computer. I might be able to put Take on a USB and work on it on my brother's computer, but there are no promises there. I'm not sure his computer will read the file.

Not that he would appreciate me spending all my time on his computer either.

So, that's all. Pardon me while I return to Take and trying to figure out how to type on my Mom's keyboard ...

Do You Take this Cover?

And here's the day you've been waiting for!

The day ye see the lovely Cover that will soon be infiltrating Amazon ...

(MUCH thanks to Cousin Tenya)

Go ahead, take the time to ooh and ahh ...

I won't mind.

And you can also compare it to the cover of it's prequel. Do they look like they belong in the same series?

If you love these, be sure to pop over to my Cousin's blog and tell her!

Unfortunately, BroYo, the cover artist doesn't have a blog, but I can convey any of your compliments to her on Sunday.

Two Frogs

This is a shorter Fairy Tale. More of a Fable really. My brain doesn't want to put up with anything longer today. To read without my commentary. Yes, I know, it's been forever since I last did one of these. Sigh, maybe I'll get back into the groove once I have Take published.

Once upon a time in the country of Japan there lived two frogs, one of whom made his home in a ditch near the town of Osaka, on the sea coast, while the other dwelt in a clear little stream which ran through the city of Kioto. At such a great distance apart, they had never even heard of each other; but, funnily enough, the idea came into both their heads at once that they should like to see a little of the world, and the frog who lived at Kioto wanted to visit Osaka, and the frog who lived at Osaka wished to go to Kioto, where the great Mikado had his palace.

Isn't that the way things work? Frogs decide to see the world, so off they go. Never mind the fact that frogs don't usually decide to see the world.

So one fine morning in the spring they both set out along the road that led from Kioto to Osaka, one from one end and the other from the other. The journey was more tiring than they expected, for they did not know much about travelling, and half way between the two towns there arose a mountain which had to be climbed. It took them a long time and a great many hops to reach the top, but there they were at last, and what was the surprise of each to see another frog before him!

As if they had never seen another frog before in their life!

Here's one!

They looked at each other for a moment without speaking, and then fell into conversation, explaining the cause of their meeting so far from their homes. It was delightful to find that they both felt the same wish--to learn a little more of their native country--and as there was no sort of hurry they stretched themselves out in a cool, damp place, and agreed that they would have a good rest before they parted to go their ways.

Hum, I wonder if one is a girl frog and the other is a boy frog - that way they can get married and live happily ever after!

'What a pity we are not bigger,' said the Osaka frog; 'for then we could see both towns from here, and tell if it is worth our while going on.'

Ah, the trials of being a frog!

'Oh, that is easily managed,' returned the Kioto frog. 'We have only got to stand up on our hind legs, and hold on to each other, and then we can each look at the town he is travelling to.'

And hope that they don't fall over on such skinny legs.

This idea pleased the Osaka frog so much that he at once jumped up and put his front paws on the shoulders of his friend, who had risen also. There they both stood, stretching themselves as high as they could, and holding each other tightly, so that they might not fall down. The Kioto frog turned his nose towards Osaka, and the Osaka frog turned his nose towards Kioto; but the foolish things forgot that when they stood up their great eyes lay in the backs of their heads, and that though their noses might point to the places to which they wanted to go their eyes beheld the places from which they had come.

Hey! The writer of this actually remembers that frog anatomy is different from human.

'Dear me!' cried the Osaka frog, 'Kioto is exactly like Osaka. It is certainly not worth such a long journey. I shall go home!'

Other than the fact that it's upside down.

'If I had had any idea that Osaka was only a copy of Kioto I should never have travelled all this way,' exclaimed the frog from Kioto, and as he spoke he took his hands from his friend's shoulders, and they both fell down on the grass. Then they took a polite farewell of each other, and set off for home again, and to the end of their lives they believed that Osaka and Kioto, which are as different to look at as two towns can be, were as like as two peas.

And the moral of the story is: Everywhere's the same!!

Oh, and don't forget that frogs have their eyes in different places than humans!!

The Light of Yeshua

I think I've mentioned before that my cousin, Tenya Sharp Ingalls, is an author too.

The one that designed Sew, It's a Quest's lovely cover art, that is.

Well, she removed her novel from Amazon a few months ago for revision reasons, but this morning she just published a new book: Light of Yeshua.

Yes, you may assume from her last name that her husband is related to Laura Ingalls Wilder. Her husband is also a Messianic Jew. (from what I understand)

(On another note, I've been told that my own (real) last name is of Jewish origin.)

The Light of Yeshua is a devotion guide for Hanukkah/Chaunukiah - for Christians!

I've been reading it, it's really good! So pick up your copy now!

Guess the Title Contest!

I think I mentioned on Sunday that I wanted to have a contest/giveaway thing.

If I did, great! If I didn't, well, here's the deal:

(Oh, and even if I did already post about this, it won't hurt to reiterate it)

Okay, as you probably already know, I'm about to publish Do You Take This Quest? which is book 2 of the Bookania Quests. You might also know that I've been withholding the title of book 3.

There's a good reason for this. You see, I want to hold a contest and see if you guys can guess it!!!

Okay, Clues:

1. It has the word Quest.
2. It is based on a quote from one of Shakespeare's Histories.
3. A well-known quote, though. I actually haven't read or watched that particular play yet. I need to.

Basic Summery: (Please note, there won't be any plot spoilers for Take in this)

Arthur now has his allies. Now to get back his kingdom. Oh, and discover all the secrets that his new allies (and old ones) have.

Working cover art that I drew last summer shortly after coming up with the plot:

I'm actually quite proud of this picture. The column and grass parts at least. the sword leaves much to be desired.

And Prize:

I'm not quite sure yet. I'm thinking a plate of bacon and eggs:

Minus the plate. Plates don't ship well. Besides, I don't think my mom would let me give away one of her plates.

I could do green eggs and bacon though ...

I'll allow as many guesses as you can think of. The person who gets closest to the actual title wins. Contest will be closed when I finally publish Do You Take This Quest? and I do the official title reveal.

Oh, and those of you who are my friends on NaNo or have seen my list of titles, please refrain from shouting out the answer. You may whistle in the background, though!

Interview with Miss Jack Lewis Baillot

Today I get to interview Miss Jack Lewis Baillot.

She blogs over at her blog, However Improbable ... but the most important thing is that she is going to self publish her book Haphazardly Implausible in just a week or two.

And so I get to interview her about her book.

One. Summarize your book in fifteen words. If you find this impossible you may raise your limit to a thousand.

Hm...does the hm count?
An adventure filled with airships and misfit characters who learn they are more then what they assume.
Aw, seventeen...I was so close too.

Two. I'm curious, and I have an obsession with book titles. How did you come up with the title Haphazardly Implausible?

Oh, this is sad. I've been waiting for a long while for someone to ask this one. Now I feel bad that the person who finally asked did so on an interview and I must say, “Can't say! Sorry!”
I mean, I could say...but I'm hoping to hold a guessing game and see who gets it first. It might be easier when the other books come out, but I can give a hint now.
I got the idea from a very famous quote. Grin And I hope that wasn't too evil of an answer...

Three. When did you realize you were called to slavery of the pen? Or did you always know?

I kind of always knew. I was probably born weird, and with my imagination a million miles away. When I was little I would tell stories to my siblings and imagine how different my life would be were I living in a different time and place. I would spend my afternoons sitting outside, staring off into space, seeing what no one else could.
However, I was thirteen when I found ways to write down these wonderful adventures my mind went on. And ever since then I knew I wanted to be an author when I grew up. (This has annoyed some of my friends who were turning eighteen and had no clue what they wanted to do with their lives. It always made me wonder what it might be like to not know. Personally, I think it might be a bit of fun. Kind of like a grand mystery one must solve.)

Four. I've not read any Steampunk, but from what my mom has read she says that it seems like Historical Fiction stuffed with Sci-Fi and lightly sprinkled with Fantasy. Do you agree or disagree with her assessment?

Wow, I think she's spot on. I don't think all Steampunk has fantasy elements, but a lot of them do. I want to use this description from now on though. I've had the hardest time trying to explain Steampunk and this sums it up so nicely.
So aye, I very much agree with her. It is like getting to re-write history, and add in all kinds of machines of your own creation. I find it a lot of fun.

(Note from Kendra: Feel free to use the description.)

Five. Do you have any current projects you are willing to disclose to us?

Hm, I have a lot of projects – some might be out rather soon as they just need editing, but I've yet to pick which will be next on the editing list.
Writing wise? Well, there is my NaNo book, and The Broken Blade. I've mentioned this one off and on on my blog and hope to start writing it again when the first wild months of publication pass. Also, there is book two in this current series. Sadly though, I cannot say too much on them, they are kind of waiting until I figure out what is going to happen with publication.

Six. I hear you have a pet hedgehog named John (who is incredibly adorable, I may add). Does he have anything he would like to say to us?

Yes, he says he does. I shall let him say it though. Smirk
I like you, because you think I am adorable. And I am hoping time goes faster because Jack is writing this while we wait for midnight and NaNo to start and I want to write my book. And I am hungry too....

(Note from Kendra: This was written just before midnight October 1st. John has his own blog, by the way.)

Seven. What was the hardest part of your book to write?

The ending.
I didn't plan on liking the story so much when I started it. In fact, the first draft I hated. Peter irked me so badly I wanted someone else to be the main character. So I scrapped that one and started over, and let Peter be himself. And over the next few weeks I grew very fond of him but I began to notice something. Very slowly, my beloved Peter was changing. Not in any bad ways, but he was...I can't really say because of spoilers, but basically...he was growing up. And I knew that, in book two, he would be different. Of course, I still liked him, but I missed him as well. If that makes sense. I am sure you other writers will understand. So, to say good bye to my little boy Peter was very crushing.

Eight. If you had a time machine and could go anywhere in time, where would you go?

Oh, I must just pick one place? Oh, this is going to be hard.
Grabs a flower and pulls off pedals while saying “Ben, Wallace, Ben, Wallace, Ben, Wallace, Ben, Wallace, Ben.”
I guess Ben Fane wins. I would go back to the Civil War and I would track him down and we would end up being best friends and having all kinds of fun together. (It helps that I have the same name of his real life best friend.)

Nine. What do you do when you aren't writing?

People do things besides writing?
Wait, no, I do have a life. You know, kind of.

I like to read, a lot. Unless I find the book boring and the plot too obvious. And I love going for walks and looking for spies. I watch movies a bit, such as Doctor Who...okay, so I watch that a lot. And when I can get them away from work long enough I spend time with my very busy family. And John who is my constant companion.

I also avoid my characters, some of which come after me with swords when I try and take a holiday. Some of them are just so ill tempered.

Ten. Which authors do you find most inspiring?

Aw, I love listing them!

Philip Reeve, for his wonderful imagination and the world he created in Larklight.

Rick Riordan. Even though I believe in just one God, I do enjoy his books. Rather, his characters. I love Percy, because he isn't the typical, “I can do everything,” hero. Very often he is clueless, he is absent minded, and he doesn't like to think things through too well. But he is loyal to his friends, and he has one of the quirkiest senses of humors I've ever read. (Also, I must admit, I think a dyslexic hero is kind of cool.)

Arthur Slade. Like Mr. Reeve, he is a very nice author who won me over when he took the time to help me when I was thinking of traditional publishing. On top of this, though, he wrote a very fun Steampunk series which is filled with a colourful cast of characters. He is one of the few authors I've read who was able to pull off having a lot of characters without making it confusing.

William Joyce. I love his take on the North Pole and Siberia. It was so magical and quaint with just the right amount of adventure.

C.S. Lewis. (Of course I had to mention him, seeing as how I was given his name and all) But the world he created in Narnia, what better place for a kid to spend a winter's day?

Let's see. Now I shall quicken my list. The fellow who wrote Peter Pan, the chap who wrote The Wind in the Willows, and Brain Jacques. And J.R.R. Tolkien for reasons you can guess.

Yep, so there it is, my list.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh, and she has a collection of Short Stories already out.

The Makilien Trilogy

This is another post for Miss Jack's Giveaway.

Today, I'm actually going to shout out an entire series. The Makilien Trilogy. I'm not 100 percent this is legal, but it's the last book that's new, (as in, it only came out a few weeks ago) and it wouldn't sound right to only talk about the last book in a series and not give any of ye any back history of course.

I discovered the author of this wonderful trilogy on my own author page on Amazon. (The "People who bought books by this author also bought books by these authors list. She's not there anymore, but anyways.[Oh, wait, It must have reset last night, she's back on]) The cover arts of her fantasy books really caught my eye - and her websites and trailers were amazing.

Unfortunately, I did not have the money to buy it. But I added her blog to my google reader and went about my merry way.

And then one bright day, she posted a "FREE ebooks to anyone who'll review my books!"

And I gave a shout of hooray and sent her a email volunteering to read and review Truth, book 1. After that, I offered to read and review Courage and then ... well, Trust wasn't out yet at the time.

So I offered r&;r her historical fiction series. (but this post is not about the the historical fiction series)

When Trust came out I was pleased and delighted to find that she had a special introductory and Christmas price of only 99 cents! Since I just so happened to have 99 cents in my Amazon gift card balance, I snatched it up.

See what I mean about these covers?

And I only had the first two to look at when I discovered her.

I have reviewed Truth and Courage on the O. Scarlett! Blog.

While there were a few drawbacks to these books (such as the fact that Courage has a bit of a redundant feel and the fact that I'm not completely in love with Makilien's character) I loved this trilogy.

This was a lovely allegorical series (remember, one of my two faves when it comes to fantasy is allegory). In book 1, there's Manian, a Jesus character. The one complaint I have in that area is the fact that, in book 3, Manian was only mentioned once. I personally think that Jesus is more important than that. Elohim is a constant of the series, however.

The official website for this trilogy, by the way, is here: http://www.makilien.com.

I am now sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for her next fantasy series to come out.

The Frog that Would Be Prince

Miss Jack Lewis Baillot, a blogger friend of mine, is about to publish her first book, Haphazardly Implausible. And, instead of having her readers do the normal shout-out for her giveaway, she wants us to shout out other people's books. (Oh, and tell why as well, but anyways.)

Here's a Link to the Giveaway.

This can be any book (as long as it's been recently published) and you can even do multiple books for multiple entries. (but you'll have to do them up in separate blog entries).

The first book that came to my mind when she posted this challenge was The Frog Who Would Be Prince.

Those who know me know that, though I love good fantasy in general, there are two types in particular that I love more than any other: Good Christian Allegory and a Good Fairy Tale Retelling.

So when I saw a book with the title The Frog Who Would Be Prince show up on my Kindle, (My Mom has a habit of sending books that she thinks I might like to my Kindle) I thought "Oh! Frog Prince retelling! I ought to read that." I don't remember if I pulled up the cover and description before I read it or not. It's not something I often do.

I must confess that it took me a few tries to get into the book ... but that was only the first few clicks of my kindle. I was soon HOOKED. I have a review Here that I posted on the O.Scarlett! Blog. I highly recommend this book to any who enjoyed Sew, It's a Quest. The flavor of humor is very similar.

Unfortunately, Norm DaPloom, the author of this amazing read, does not have any other books, nor does he even have a website or anything like that. Just this lovely little book. (That I really ought to read to my younger brother and cousins ...)

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Oh, and while I'm on the subject of Jack, she posted a lovely shout out about me (and Sew, It's a Quest in particular) on her blog today as the kick-off for her Book Count-down thingy.

I'm Sorry to Disappoint, but ...

Do You Take This Quest? will not be out today.

I'm awfully sorry. I was looking forward to this as much as ya'll were.

But I got stuck on chapter 13. The reason: Chapter 13 didn't exist. Half the content that is in it was in what was previously chapter 16, the other half was stuff  I realized the book needed after I finished writing the book. I'm still not done with it.

I'm almost done, I hope, but, anyways.

Also, I still don't have my cover, and it hasn't finished going through my editors (namely, my Gma, Uncle S. and Auntie V.) I've been sending them it chapter by chapter for them to edit. Gma and Auntie V are on 8. I forget where Uncle S is, but he's behind them.

I do hope, however, to have the book out before Christmas. Trust me, this is cutting into editing time for The Ankulen (which I plan to publish sometime this spring. Probably late spring.) and I was planning on writing some short stories for my next collection. I have the titles for the four I plan to publish sometime this summer, I just need to write them. (The titles being The Woodchopper Quince; Saffron and the Ogre; Unforgiven; and CinderEddy) They have plots, too. Ogre isn't well plotted yet, but I've actually written Unforgiven all the way through in play format (and it's on my WIP list). Which will be the title book? I haven't decided yet. Possibly Woodchopper.

Not only that, but I didn't finish book 3 for NaNo. Sigh. I got 17,000 some odd words, most of which I really like, but I don't think it flows properly. The beginning was too fast, that's for certain. So ... I'm not sure when I'll have that out. I was hoping for an August publication like I had for Sew. Maybe I'll do it in October. (Not November or December, though. They are henceforth not off limits for publication)

But ....

I do have some good news!

Sew, It's a Quest will be free for the next five days!




This was the actual reason I wanted Take out today, since these are the last five days available to this quarter's round of free days. I should have waited a week or two to resubscribe back in September, but I wasn't thinking.

Oh, well. Enjoy reading Sew, and make sure you leave a review somewhere. I love reviews. They make my brain hurt less. Even if they aren't favorable, they still mean that someone took the time to read my book - and to write a review, right?

And ... hmmm ... I feel like a contest ... I know! How about a guessing game for the title of book 3.

Clues:
1. It contains the word Quest. (Not all of the Bookania quest will, but this one does)
2. It is based on a Shakespeare quote.
3. It is from one of Shakespeare's Histories.
4. The actual Shakespeare quote does not include the word Quest. (Similar to the way that wedding vows don't actually contain the word Quest, either). Except for the "Quest" I have the quote word for word.

Have fun guessing!!! I'll come up with a prize later when my brain is working. Contest will be closed when Take is out and I reveal the official book 3 title. Oh, and those of you who are my friends on NaNo, please refrain from shouting out the answer, though you are allowed to snicker in the background going "It's a genius title!"