February Writing Update.

Today is the last day of February, and I'm here to tell you how I'm doing with my writing.

This month, I was supposed to finish CinderEddy.
Write Unforgiven.
Finish editing Do You Take This Quest?
Write draft 2 of The Ankulen
And write at least 100 words a day on The New Division.

Well ... I didn't finish CinderEddy, though I did make a little bit of progress. Not much though. Sigh. Short stories are supposed to be easy, aren't they?

I didn't even touch Unforgiven. I'm not sure how to start it. The only way I've ever completed it is in play format, and you introduce plays in a very different way than you do stories. Sigh. This little story is one that's very close to my heart ... it just doesn't like getting written. And it's not the character's fault, because both Keely and Carlin are wonderfully cooperative. It's just ... getting it going, since I'm not sure where the story begins.

I'm ashamed to say that I really haven't worked with Do You Take This Quest? this month. Some conversation with my mom and my kindle as we walked down the road, but that's about it. We're on chapter ... six or seven, I don't remember which. Actually making the changes she's suggesting ... I'm on chapter two. Sigh. Since this is a 23 chapter book, that's not exactly good. My brain ... just doesn't want to think about Robin, Madeleine and Arthur right now, though I love all of them dearly. I ought to force it to think about them ... but I don't have the gumption. There's a cold/flu going around, and it's sapping everyone. I'm not sure I've been down with the flu part, but the cold ... ugh. At least I'm not coughing anymore.

The Ankulen, though, is what has mostly captured my attention. I don't think I've ever connected with a character as well as I have Jen, nor has there been a story so close to my heart. I thought I loved the story the first time I wrote it ... but now ... oh! There's depth to this story I hadn't even glimpsed the first time, plot twists I hadn't noticed, character quirks I'd barely guessed. I think I just crossed the half-way point chapter-wise, but I'm not sure. I don't know how close I am to the middle of chapter 13, and this is a 25 chapter book. It's almost 30,000 words long at the moment, so I'm pleased to say that I'm fully expecting it to be a full-length novel. About 8,000 of those words have been typed up into the computer.

However, with only three exceptions, I have managed to write at least 100 words a day on The New Division. Not all of those words have come easily, and most of them have been horrid, but they are words. This is a story that I've been wanting to write, but haven't had the courage to actually do so. There's a lot of heavy stuff in this book, and a lot of uncharted waters to wade through. I don't even know how it's going to end, which is scary for me since, usually, that's the one thing I do know for certain.

Interesting fact, last night I was on my mom's computer and had The New Division on the screen and The Ankulen on the desk in front of me, and, yes, I was working on both at the same time. (One of my weapons against writer's block. Have two things to think about. Your brain will be forced to come up with something). Within seconds of each other, I had knocked both Chris (TA) and Jaqob (TND) unconscious - for completely different reason, and completely different ways, and I'm not sure I was planning either of them until they happened.

There was a whirring sound, a flash of light, and Jaqob fell over, unmoving.

For a few seconds, Alistaar just stood there stunned, as he gazed at Jaqob’s body, then he whirled on the man, opening his mouth, but was unable to form any words.

  “Oh, fear not, youth, I didn’t take his life – Elonodi forbids the taking of life, even if it belongs to a cursed Harsha,” said the man.

- The New Division

  Then she cocked her head to the side. "This may be painful, Chris, but not as painful as your betrayal is to me."

  Without hesitation, she struck Chris on the forehead with the Ankulen. He winced, and I could see the pain in his eyes before he collapsed, unconscious. He didn't even let out a whimper.

- The Ankulen

Oh, I've also been plotting on a Secret Project. I can't tell you what it is until it has a title, but it is related to the Secret Project that some of my readers may have heard mentioned on another person's blog. That's all I can say.

So ... there you have what I've been up to, and, hopefully, within a month or two, I'll have my own laptop again. I've been babysitting for an aunt every other week, and I've almost saved enough money to buy a successor for Algae. Then I'll take the new computer to my computer-fixing uncle, and he'll transfer all of Algae's old files, and I won't have to rely on mom's computer, and can access my own pictures again.

Because, really, trying to use a combination of your mom's, sister's, and brother's computers, and a android isn't exactly the most convenient thing in the world.

Oh, and no, I haven't even thought about book three. Okay, well, I've thought about it, but not the scene I'm stuck on. Who knew a crazy dream sequence could be so hard?

Maybe we got the Wrong Address

Via Pinterest

It is nearly the end of February, and I've decided to finally post my snippets from December and January. Due to the lack of Algae, I haven't been able to write as much as I would like. I did write quite a bit in notebooks ... but ... it's not as easy to share notebook writings.

But I do have some writing on the computer, so I will some snippets. Mostly The Ankulen and Do You Take This Quest? but some other stories might slide in. Head over here if you would like to join in.

  Madeleine was in the middle of a glare war. She threw up her hands. “Will you two please figure out how to get along?”

  Both Robin and Shira folded their arms. Neither said anything.

  “You two are so much alike,” said Madeleine, standing up. “Have your glaring contest, then. Just don’t hurt each other.”

  Shira was on her feet in a moment. “Thou art not leaving me with her.”

  “Fine, you don’t have to have a glaring contest. Honestly, I thought you two were having fun, and was getting out of your way.”

  Shira’s face contorted into something between disbelief and rage – but Robin just snorted. “Of course we were having fun. And it seems that I just won.”

  “Thou didst not win,” said Shira, whirling back around to glare at Robin.

- Do You Take This Quest?

  “It looks like a meteor struck,” I commented, indicating the barren land.

  “I suppose it does,” agreed Chris. “If only the cause were as simple as that.”

  “Are you sure this is my imagination?” I hesitantly asked. “Maybe we got the wrong address or something …”

- The Ankulen

  “I actually can’t tell much of a difference between whose sewing is whose,” remarked Robin. “She seems to be imitating your style Robert. Is that legal?”

  Robert laughed. “It is if I’m letting her.”

- Do You Take This Quest?

  “Well, well, well,” said Pearis, in the same condescending voice that Joan used when talking to people of inferior rank to herself, “if it isn’t one of those girls that Robin dragged in the other day. They said you were all over a hundred years old, didn’t they?”

  “Verily,” said Serendipity. “We were under a spell that rendered us in an enchanted sleep for an hundred years.”

  “Well,” said Pearis, “I almost didn’t believe it – how could people be over a hundred years old and yet look so young?”

  “An enchantment, as I said before,” said Serendipity.

  “But then I saw you and your hair,” continued Pearis, seeming not to notice what Serendipity had said. “And I knew that it had to be true. Concerning you, at least.”

- Do You Take This Quest?

Shasta put a tentative foot out onto the flowstone. It was solid enough – but it moved so fast she soon found herself seated on her rear. At least she was still on the stationary ground and hadn't fallen onto the flowstone.

-The Nine Gems of Virtue

  “Why don’t you ask her to dance?” questioned the old man.

  “Oh, but Grandfather, I couldn’t – I can’t dance at all, and she’s already dancing with someone else!”

  “Her brother, I’m sure,” said the old man. 

- Do You Take This Quest?

  “Glowbeetles,” said Chris, the only one of us who was not hampered by the low ceiling. “You put them in all of the caves. They’re really handy.”

  “And they seem to like hair,” I commented, knocking several more to the floor.

  “Yes, so they seem,” agreed Tisha, brushing several out of her hair. “I’d never noticed that eight years ago.”

  “Perhaps because we were shorter eight years ago,” I pointed out.

  “Quite likely, Jen.”

- The Ankulen

  Since he got no negative response from the suit of armor, Edward decided that the answer must be in the positive.

- CinderEddy

  “That may be the case,” said I, “but wishful thinking isn’t going to get us anywhere. Let’s … let’s start looking.” I stood up and, after carefully positioning the notebook and pencil on a nearby stump, began kicking at the dead leaves that carpeted the ground at my feet, looking for the glint of gold.

  I saw none.

  “This is going to take a while,” I muttered.

- The Ankulen

  I raised both of my eyebrows as I lifted my wrist, holding the Ankulen like I’ve seen spies hold their communicator watches in movies. “Attention Ankulen. Bring me Tisha.” Self-consciously, I loswered my wrist. “Like that? What’s supposed to happen?”

  He laughed and shook his head. “You have to tap it!”

  “Tap it?”

  “Yes, tap the gem,” said Chris. “Then you say ‘Bring me Tisha.’”

- The Ankulen

  “Robin,” said Queen Charlotte, as Meg placed the sword on a desk. “Brides don’t usually carry swords.”

  “Brides usually aren’t the best swordsman in the world,” Robin countered.

- Do You Take This Quest?

  “Oh! That’s terrible.” Tisha’s voice was panicked. “We must find a way to – oh! Jen, do you have any idea where the Ankulen might be?”

  “I thought we had already come to the conclusion that your guess was as good as mine.” I gave her a pointed look.

- The Ankulen

E - Erran

Via Pinterest

E - Sir Erran

When I wrote about Sir Christofer, I mentioned that there are few people who question the fact that Chris is the finest knight in the land.

Sir Erran is one of those few people.

I don't remember planning Sir Erran, though I might have. I was at a dum dee dum dee dum part of the story, and I wanted Jen to meet one more person from her imagination before a Really Important Event happened.

So I thought, hey! Chris had indicated earlier that there were other knights - why don't I have her get attacked by dragons so one of the other knights could help her?

So ... that's what I did. The scene that followed provided Jen with both amusement - and frustration. You see, at that point in the story, Chris and Tisha aren't with her, so she doesn't have their side of the story, just Sir Errans. Also, Sir Erran doesn't realize that she is Lady Jenifer and insists on helping her on the quest that she won't tell him about.

"It is a blight to the honor of every knight that you are without protection," Sir Erran Declared, striking a heroic pose. "No, I cannot allow you to continue alone. If you insist on endangering yourself, then I must insist on accompanying you so that I may protect you."

"I would much prefer continuing on my own," I countered.

"But I insist!"

I gave a defeated sigh. "Fine. If you insist."

- The Ankulen

According to the story he tells Jen on the way, she made him up as competition for Sir Christofer. From time to time, the two bold knights would meet, and Sir Erran would challenge Sir Chris's position. Lady Jenifer would then set up a competition.

Because Chris was Jen's favorite, he always won.

Sir Erran represents those people who rebel against God because if He were a loving God, surely he wouldn't let this happen to them, or that happen to their neighbors.

Oh, he knows that Lady Jenifer exists - he's met her several times in person - but he thinks that she is unfair and plays favorites. As Jen points out however,

"But she was behind him, what of that? She couldn't choose every knight to he her personal protector. She didn't even need one."

- The Ankulen

And the Winners are ...

First, a thank-you note for the lovely presents that everyone gave me for my birthday ...

Andrea C: Thank-you for the lovely coffee mug - I've placed it on my shelf and labeled it with one of my special "Kendra-only" labels. I'm not sure I'll take you up on the offer for coffee, though, since I'm not a coffee person (too bitter for my taste). How about Hot Chocolate?

Kiri Liz: Thank-you for the lovely short story. Wow! You managed to cram so much into so little space, seemingly effortlessly! I can only imagine what your 100,000 word novels have packed into them.

Mom: Those are the toy tractor keys. Honestly, the John Deer beeper button was a dead giveaway. Thanks for the thought, though.

V: I did ask for it, didn't I? Oh, and it's spelled kernel, not curnal. You could also spell it Colonel but that's only if you're in the military.

Miss Melody Muffin: Oooh!!! Lovely Scarf! Thank-you! Sigh, I wish I could figure out how to make eye holes while knitting ... I mean, I know how to do it in theory ... but in practice ... it eludes me.

Robyn Hoode: Thank-you for the Magic Mirror. It turned out to be Snow White's. I've been using it to help me answer questions in school.

Sarah Holman: Thank-you for the books! I can't wait to read them! I'll be writing reviews for them on the O.Scarlett blog at some point or another. (Once I have my own computer again. My reviewing has been one thing that I have dropped since Algae's demise.)


And now for the Givaway winners! As I said before, I chose three, and here they are:

1. Miss Melody Muffin!
2. Sarah Holman!
3. Kiri Liz!

I happen to have all of your email addresses already, so I'll be emailing you tonight with your prize details - since you get to pick which of my writings you want to read.

Oh, and keep posting on Rescue Me! and Finding North, and feel free to join in on those stories if you haven't already. Rescue Me has turned out to be quite an interesting story, to say the least. Kendra's Clues indeed.

Rescue Me - Chapter 2

Since the comments on Rescue Me are trying to fall off the page, I thought I would start a new thread.

Here's the first one:
http://knittedbygodsplan.blogspot.com/2013/02/rescue-me.html

Basically what has happened so far is, I've was kidnapped by King Rosck and hid in the Room of Eternal Books. Ransom notes have been sent out to various people, calling for a flower called the Quicklythummy. A dwarf named Flewder gave us a map, and we had to play Kendra's Clues to figure out how to get down a cliff.

The answer was "Call for the Super villain ROCKS."

Below I have listed the last 11 comments to remind us what has happened.

The Map!

Any who wants to join in, feel free to do so, just bring a ransom note, and we'll quickly fill you in on the details (and you can read the former thread.)

Close up of the Forest, which is where we have just entered

Closeup of the Quicklythummy

1. Kendra E. Ardnek

   "She does have a note," Jen pointed out.
   
   "And what good would your men do against solid rock? My suit is proof against any weapon - even electrical, for my roommate at the Academy had an electrical power, so I made sure I was proof against it," ROCKS smirked, unafraid. "However, your fears are needless. I will play the hero this time. It will give me amusement."
2. 
   V. Kathie Ardnek

   "I didn't mean that we meant to attack you. I was just letting you know that there were men that we could call upon. But now we need to get down this cliff and since you know what to do with rocks and more importantly rocky cliffs we were wondering if you could help us with our delima." Captain Kathwren said with an diplomatic air.
   
   "It is your duty as one of her characters, if you do not help us your book will never be finished and you will die in the woodwork. ROCKS" V said not quite as diplomatically.
3. 
   Robyn Hoode

   "V has a point." Robyn added.
4. 
   Kendra E. Ardnek

   "Helping you was my intent," said ROCKS. "I knew what you needed when you called me, and I am no so heartless as to wish to trap you on this cliff forever. Oh, and V, I honestly doubt that King Roshk will succeed in killin my beloved author. He doesn't have that power. However -" she clapped her hands suddenly, "Any who wish to descend this cliff, step into this circle of chairs - and get those horses, too. It won't do for us to leave them behind."
5. 
   Miss Melody Muffin

   "Right!" Melody hurried over and picked up the reins of her black horse, leading him into the circle of chairs.
   
   "I'm ready when you are."
6. 
   V. Kathie Ardnek

   Kathie led Snip (the horse) into the ring and removing the silk scarf belt tied it over his eyes to keep him from spooking. Then nodded toward Roxanne
7. 
   Robyn Hoode

   "I'm ready." Robyn said, entering the circle.

   ReplyDelete
8. 
   Kendra E. Ardnek

   Jen tapped the gem of her bracelet. "Snowflake, Dancer and Carousel, get over here."
   
   The three horses that she and her siblings had been riding obeyed her summons.
   
   "You too Derek."
   
   Derek sighed and entered the circle. "It's a bit crowded with all of the horses," he observed.
   
   "It won't be for long," said ROCKS, closing her eyes. At first, nothing seemed to be happening ... then the area with the circle began to lower.
   
   "Kathie," said Jen, "you may want to contact Elm and tell him that he needs to take the chairs back."
   
   A few minutes later, the ground closed over their heads, and they were in utter darkness.
9. 
   V. Kathie Ardnek

   V grasped Derek hard her eyes clamped shut.
   
   "HEY!!" he exclaimed "What is that for?"
   
   V didn't answer. Kathie smiled. "V doesn't like elevators they make her dizzy. and don't worry Jen Elm had his orders. I promise you that they are already back on board, if they aren't he will have me to contend with."
10. 
    Robyn Hoode

    "Boo!"
    All the girls shrieked, then heard Derek laughing.
    "Can I shoot him, Jen?" Robyn asked. A sliding sound could be heard like an arrow being pulled from the quiver.
    "Land sakes! You wouldn't really shoot someone would you?!" The other girls cried.
    Robyn was puzzled for a moment, then she laughed. "Oh, you thought... no, I would never! I have darts that will make a person mute or submissive... they're magical so I don't know which it will be until the person has been shot. Either would be good for Derek, I think."
    
    Kendra E. Ardnek
    
    "You will do no such thing!" Megan exclaimed. "You will not shoot Derek be it with darts or anything!"
    
    "I agree with Megan," said Jen, calmly. "Derek is our brother, and, even if he is annoying, I do love him, and I do not want to see him harmed in any way. He's been through a lot in his life - and I don't even know the half of it - so I don't want to make the rest of his life any worse than it has to be. No, you may not shoot him."
    
    "Oh, now you're making me sound like a pity case," muttered Derek.
    
    Just then, the downward motion came to a halt, and the a wall slid open, revealing a short tunnel that led to a forest.
    
    "It will never cease to amaze me why people who are not forced to argue and fight still choose to do so," said ROCKS, the slightest edge of regret creeping into her otherwise emotionless voice. Without waiting for a reply, she started walking towards the light.
    
    

    

    Joel, the Striped crayon, and the shrinkerscope. I unfortunately couldn't find the handy dandy notebook that the crayon had come with.

    
    

Thank-you For Coming!

I'd like to thank all of ya'll for coming round to my Birthday Bash yesterday. We had tons of fun ... doing I don't know what all.

My brain isn't working well enough at the moment to sort through the giveaway ... but I do have all the numbers written down.

So, I'm not going to close things down yet! Keep posting on the stories and in the food fight room, and I might post a game or two more ... if I get a cooperative computer and a working brain. (No promises on the short story though ... grr ... Robin wilt thou please cooperate with me? For once?)

I'll put all the names in my hat on Sunday, and I'll announce the winners on Monday. As well as thank-you notes for all of those lovely presents you gave me!

So ... keep having fun!

And for those of you participating in the "Rescue Me" story ... yes, Derek is that uncooperative in the book, too. Perhaps even worse!

And, no, Jen and her siblings are completely unaware that they are actually my characters. Frankly, I'm glad that Derek doesn't, for then he would be completely unmanageable.

Q and A with my Characters

And now it's time for me to post the answers that my characters gave to the questions you asked them. Some of them were easy to get answers from ... others ... not so much. Robin was a bit miffed that she got picked on. I told her that it was because people liked her. She replied that they were meddlesome people who wanted to put their noses where the don't belong.

In the end, however, she answered the questions.

Thanks to everyone who asked questions, most of my characters enjoyed this.

From the Bookania Quests

Robin:

Robyn Hoode asked: Was sword play instinct, or were you trained?

Um ... that's not something I've ever really considered before. I guess you can say it's a bit of both, since I did have lessons. Actually, Father's had every swordmaster in Bookania come to teach me. But, at the same time, I pick it up so fast, it may well be instinct.

Hmm ... I'll have to think about this one.

Miss Melody Muffin asked: How difficult was Snow to train?

Well, as I tell my mother, I didn't break my neck in the process. But I did tear a few dresses. (I think that's what finally convinced Mother that letting me wear pants was a good idea)


Miss Melody Muffin also asked: Do people ever mix up yours and Robert's names?

Uh ... no. Not that I know of, at least. Well, Kendra does sometimes, but she's Kendra. She mixes up everyone's names.


I asked: Why do you like to put swords in the ceiling?

Because it annoys my opponents.



Robert:
Miss Melody Muffin asked: Because you sew so well, will you make your bride's wedding dress?

It's bad luck for the groom to see his bride's wedding dress before the wedding, so no, I won't make my bride's. I make my sister's wedding dress, though. And Kendra says that, once word gets out of my skill, I'll probably be in high demand.


Eric:
Miss Melody Muffin asked: How many times a day do you and Robin argue when you are together?

Her, almost hourly. Me, not so much.


Samson:
Miss Melody Muffin asked: Are you often teased about singing soprano?

Not so much as thou wouldst think. It wast not thought out of the ordinary until my speaking voice started deepening, and by then ... well, have I mentioned that my twin sister is the strongest person in the world? There aren't many people who wish to risk her anger.


Rosamond:

V. Kathie Ardnek asked: What was your first impression of Robin and Robert?

Well, I wast most grateful to Robin for chasing away the thieves that assailed me, and thought Robert most curtious, even though I thought it strange at first that his sister wore a sword, but not he.



From Infiltration 

Tiger:
Miss Melody Muffin asked: Do you have an herbal use for roses?

Of course. The flowers can be boiled to produce a relaxing steam, and the hips are high in what Vitamin C, and are good for dispelling poisons from the body.


Snap:
Miss Melody Muffin asked: What is your favorite dessert to bake?

Actually, Zinnia handles most of the dessert baking we do ... but I do enjoy making fruit bread that we make during the Month of Blessings.


From The Rizkaland Legends 

Clara:

V. Kathie Ardnek asked: Who is your favorite author?

Not Kendra.

Seriously, I don't read any book that isn't at least forty years old, and most have to be at least a hundred.

My Favorite author, though, I'm not sure. Maybe Jane Austen ... or Robert Louis Stevenson (Kendra ... why are you smirking? You haven't even read any of Stevenson's books all the way through) ... perhaps Mark Twain or Charles Dickens ... There were a lot of good authors in the past ... and no, Kendra, you don't even come close.


Andrew:
V. Kathie Ardnek asked: What is your favorite subject in school?

Oh, I don't know. Maybe science, since I'm good at it.

Though that's mostly because my dad's a scientist and he's been teaching me all sorts of odd facts since forever. Seriously, I could already recite the first half of the periodic table when I entered kindergarten.


From my sister's Sci-fi series. (Because there are two characters there who think they're mine) 

Elsie:
V. Kathie Ardnek asked: Why do you prefer Kenj over me?

Because the moon rises in the west.

Kendra just understands me better than you do, V. You're always pushing me to backstage and locking me into the library and throwing me in the brig. Kendra's the one who likes to jump on pillows with me. 

Oh, and popcorn tastes good. Especially with melted sugar!

Q and A with Me!

M'kay, here are the questions you asked me and the sometimes silly, sometimes serious answers I gave them. Thanks to everyone who sent me questions, I had fun answering them, and I hope I answered them sufficiently.

Miss Jack Lewis Baillot asked:

What is your opinion of popcorn?

I have several opinions when it comes to popcorn, and I will list them.
1. It is a very fun word to say.
2. It tastes good.
3. It is not a good idea to put unpopped kernels up your nose.
4. It is interesting to listen to it popping in the microwave.

What do you plan to wear to your wedding?

I was wondering if someone would take the bate and ask this question.
Of all things wedding related, my dress is the one thing I have picked out. In fact, my dress is even bought and paid for.

Here's a picture:

Yup. My Mom's dress. before it was hers, it was Gma's (My paternal grandmother), which will make me the third person to wear it.

You may be wondering why my mom wore her mother-in-law's dress. You see, in the early days of their dating, Dad jokingly told mom that, since he had no sisters, and he was the oldest, his wife would have to wear his mom's wedding dress.

So, when they got married, she did.


Robyn Hoode asked:

What is your favorite Fairy Tale?

You're making me choose?

Popcorn. There's just so many! Like "The Evil Enchanter" which is about a princess who was so beautiful her mother was jealous and locked her up where no one could see her, and Grumadam, whose name is mentioned a few times in Sew, sees her and wants to marry her. (But he's ugly, so she doesn't want to marry him) Or "The Jolly King's Daughter" which is about a queen whose husband was killed by a neighboring king, and she was spared only because her daughter might grow up to be beautiful and could marry his dwarfish son. He even hires a fairy to come and tell him if the babe will be pretty or not. But then Delicia, the daughter, is kidnapped by Cancaline, who had a quarrel with the other fairy, and she ends up a Turkey Girl. 

Cancaline is also mentioned in Sew. 

Perhaps it's "The White Cat" which I've read far too many times. And, oh, "The Frog Princess" is good too! Oh, and "Finola and the Dwarf" and, and, and, and, and ....

But if I have to pick a favorite Fairy Tale, then I will go with "Casperl and the Princess." Yes! It's a real Fairy Tale. Not a well known one. In fact, the only place you can find it online (that I know of) is on my blog.

Miss Melody Muffin asked:

Have you written any historical fiction?

I've plotted more than I've written, but I do plan to get into the HiFi genre.

Off the top of my head, the only completed works I can remember were a play about Paul and Silas in Philipi, and a short story about a girl in ancient Egypt who was chosen to work at the temple of Isis. I'm not terribly proud of either of them, but, who knows, I may share them with ya'll some day ... if I can find them.

Have you ever cried as you wrote a scene?

No, I haven't. I know this sounds all mean and heartless, especially considering the fact that you've read Infiltration, and I have some scenes in that book that are pretty sad ... but I'm don't cry much period, so ... no, I've never cried while writing a scene. I have come close to tears while enacting scenes in my bedroom, but never during the actual writing process.

Do you like to watch or participate in any sports?

I enjoy watching my dad ref basketball, and I enjoy shooting hoops. Um ... volleyball is fun, and I actually do have a volleyball and my uncle put up a net in the yard, but it's been a while since I've pulled my ball out of the closet. Baseball is fun as long as I'm just hitting the ball. When you add running bases, it just gets complicated.

I suppose I'm a lot like my character, Clara, (though she hates to admit it) I'm more of an athletics person, doing stuff to do stuff, rather than for the competition part.


V. Kathie Ardnek asked:

Havin' fun yet?

No, my dear, sweet little sister who's taller than me. I'm bored to tears. ;)

What is your favorite gift?

This year or all time? I'll go with this year, since my brain isn't allowing me to remember everything I've gotten in my life. Hmm ... it's a close tie between the lovely dagger Gma and Gpa gave me, and the heirloom ring that's been mine since Great-grandma died, but Gma only just let me have for my own.


My Sanity asked:

Some people question their sanity. My sanity questions me.

Since I didn't have enough questions asked by other people, I came up with some of my own.

What does your writing desk look like?

I don't have a designated "The place is for writing" spot. I have three desks in my room (Two of which are covered in ... I don't know what all. The third is only clear because it is actually a cabinet that has a door that folds down and can be used as a standing desk (a desk that I must stand to work at - I've been told that such things are good for the heart ... or at least the arteries). Since it is usually a vertical surface, it can't become covered.

I do, however, have a bag that is designated for writing only. I've had it for two or three years, after I received it from a lady who goes to our church. She received it for free from I-forget-where. It's a shiny black, fake-leather bag that's just the right size for notebooks. There are two horizontal pockets on one size that are just the right size for pencils and erasers. Only a month or two after I got it, I tore one of the handles off, so I duck-taped it back on, so there's a silver band around the top. It looks quite pretty, actually, and I only had to change the tape once (because I didn't tape it as securely the first time). 

Do you ever clean your room?

Uhhh ... sometimes ... umm .... oh! Look a rainbow pony!

(quickly goes to the next question)

Do you have enough stories?

Nah. Not yet. My WIP list isn't twenty miles long yet?

Do you have any imaginary friends who don't belong to a book?

I do, actually. There's Googi, my bed monster. She looks a bit like Liz in the Magic Schoolbus, except she has quite a bit more purple on her. She lives under my bed and scares away nightmares and eats my toe jam. Since I got her, I've only had two nightmares, and they were when I was at my grandparents house, and she had apparently neglected to hop into my suitcase.

And then there's Richard William, who's my imaginary twin brother. Richard William is what I would have been named if I had been a boy, so ... anyways. Rich looks about as much like me as Robert does Robin, and he likes to tease me. His aspiration is to become a graphics designer, but I don't thinks he's very good. Maybe I'll have him guest post on my blog one of these days ... 

After he apologizes for comparing my hair to a haystack. We're currently not on speaking terms.

Today's Menu

Since today is going to be an all-day affair, let me point out to you what sort of foods you can eat!

Breakfast:

Pancakes

Lovely eggs and bacon

Piggies in Bed
(There is a recipe somewhere on my blog ...)

Lunch:

Salad

Hot Dogs

Homemade Bread

Cheese

Supper:

Pickles

Pizza and Lasagna

My world famous spaghetti

And For the Random treats that always accompany birthday parties:

Tic tacs

Ice Cream

Sideways Birthday Cake. (when I have my own computer, I'll post a right-side-up version of this, I promise)

And the Surprise Birthday cake that my aunt made me on Sunday.
Lemon ... my favorite.

Egg Hunt

In my family, we like to have egg hunts on our birthdays.

So ... I'm letting ya'll search for eggs on my blog. I've hidden 20 pictures of eggs on various of the last 100 posts. Commenting on those posts will bring you an extra entry for the giveaway.

If you scroll all the way down to the bottom of my blog, you'll find a list of posts sorted by year/month/all that good stuff. You'll want to go back no further than last August.

Clues for which posts have eggs:

1. Frog eyes are on the top of their heads
2. Five little Piggies jumping on the Bread
3. I didn't know they had shrinkerscopes in Bookania
4. That Girl needs a bath.
5. 1 Corinthians 13
6. I have a thing about strangely colored leaves
7. It's fun to get money for free.
8. I'm thankful for a good book
9. Robin doesn't know what a pine cone is.
10. The battle for Imagination.
11. Vampires have nothing to do with this post.
12. A Jewish Queen
13. Some people think he's Merlin.
14. Princes of Refrence.
15. Eggs, treasure - what's the difference?
16. Elvings don't actually have Christmas ...
17. What if I hid an egg with my book?
18. Green is supposedly an environmental friendly color.
19. This is not about Pond Scum.
20. A very long questionnaire!

Welcome to the PARTY

Welcome, Welcome, Welcome. I'm so glad you could make it to the party!

And here is the lovely cake that BroYo drew for me ... sorry it's on it's side ...
I'm having picture issues

I've got quite a bit of fun planned, and, as you can see, I've changed my background to give things more of a festive atmosphere. Blogger didn't have any balloons, but I've always preferred Chinese lanterns anyways (I have one hanging over my school desk!) so it works.

Anyways, feel free to click around and explore. I have two stories that ya'll can continue for me, and I've added them as tabs up there - just click on "Rescue Me" if you prefer Fantasy, or "Finding North" if Sci-fi's more your thing.

A few words about the Givaway. It will be a drawing, and you can add names to my hat in a few ways.

1. Commenting. Any post, whether it's this one, or the first post I ever posted. Just make sure your comment  is relative to the post. I won't accept random "Hi Kendra!"s. With the exception of the continuous stories, it's limited to one entry per post.

2. Participate in the games that I will be posting over the course of the day. Further details will posted later.

3. Bring a gift to the gift table

4. And anything else I may come up with.

The prize will be a sneak peek at anything that I've written. I'll draw three names, and each will receive the prize. Details will be emailed to the winners.

At the moment, I'm not sure the Short Story about Robin and Robert's birthday will be posted, though. It's all plotted, and I know what happens ... but writing it has been a case of "easier said than done." If I manage to get onto a computer, I'll try to get more of it written, and, hopefully, it'll get posted ... but ... we'll see how that goes.

Most of my "keeping up with things" will be done from my Android, and, unfortunately, Andrea and blogger don't like to communicate when it comes to writing blog posts. I can comment on blogs, and I can approve comments ... but write entries ... not very often.

Food Fight!

This is the room where you can throw food at each other to your hearts content. Thanks to River (you can find her in my followers) for this interesting idea.

No, I don't usually have food fights at my birthday parties ... but this is a magical room where you are instantly clean again as soon as you step out of it.

You may throw any sort of food you can think of - as long as you leave my birthday cake alone.

Have fun!!!

(Throws a banana cream pie at V.)

Gift Table

I don't care if your gift is real or imaginary, I like 'em both.

Just knock that cake off the table if we run out of room. It was the only spare table I could find. Sorry.

Oh, wait, here's another table!

Wow ... my hair was short when I started this blog ...

Anyways, If you want ideas for gifts for me, you can go to my Amazon Wishlist.

Have fun, I don't demand a present, but they're always nice, even if they're just imaginary rainbow ponies.

Rescue Me

Attention!!! ATTENTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been kidnapped and trapped in the Room of Eternal books, and while I'm quite happy to stay here and read, I'm sure that ya'll want me back.

So ... it's up to you to rescue me!

My sister's written the first bit, and you can continue. Have fun, and be yourselves, though you may bring a character or five hundred along to help you, as long as they're your own. My characters will pop in from time to time to aid in your quest ...

Or some will. There are a few who don't like me, so you'll have to be careful and make sure they aren't trying to lead you astray.

V. Kathie Ardnek wrote:

Lady V. looked out over the mountains. She was looking for the quicklythummy.

She knew not what it was, only that she had to find it to save her sister from the Eternal Room of Books. The evil King Roshk had lured Kendra into this room and had sent out ransom notes calling for this enchanted flower.

V. didn't know how many people had received these ransom notes, but she desperately wished for help.

Finding North

This is a Sci-fi themed story. My sister kindly started it, and I told her that some of my readers don't like aliens, so she didn't add any. Keep it going, and I won't put a word limit on you, but, bear in mind, I do moderate my comments, so if two or more people post before I get back to check on this, I'll only approve one of them.

However, I won't prevent anyone else from doing so.

V. Kathie Ardnek wrote:

Reka glanced down at her handheld device.

"Point North."

The Devise beeped and said "Cannot find North."

She made a face. "Not again," she muttered. "Come on, you are supposed to know where north is. Point north!"

"Planetary Flux. North cannot be located."

D - Derek

Via Pinterest

D - Derek

"Your bracelet is whining."

From the moment he opened his mouth and uttered those words, Derek has both intrigued and annoyed Jen and me. On one hand, he has a very wry sense of humor and will do anything to defend his beliefs.

But when he believes that Jen is crazy and her world is weird ... well, that's when he became annoying.

Derek is Jen's adopted brother, but I can't say how, since you don't meet him until almost half-way through the book. (Chapter 12 of 25). I only just rewrote the "whining bracelet" scene on Sunday, so I'm really excited about writing with him again. I've missed him.

Derek was not one of my original characters. In fact, I didn't settle on his name until I reached chapter 12 and Jen asked for introductions. For a while, I had been considering the name Paul, mostly because I had been thinking about making him the imagination eater, and Paul is similar to the name of imagination eater. When I decided to make him and the imagination eater separate characters, he needed a different name.

I don't know what he might have been named were it not for the fact that, a few weeks before I had been babysitting the cousin who inspired Chris. This cousin had been plotting that day, and was eager to tell me all about the story he had been making up about Robin Hood's son, Derek Hood. Unfortunately, his story was ... um, shall we say, full of plot holes, which I kindly pointed out, and I haven't heard him mention Derek Hood since.

But the name stuck with me, and, when it came time for Jen's adopted brother to open his mouth and tell me his name, that was the name that came out. Frankly, I can't picture him with any other name anymore.

Derek is a skeptic. He has a hard time coming to grips with the fact that Jen has an imagination that she can make real. He doesn't know what to make of all of her fancy, girly frills and such.

Indeed he became so annoying, I was going to wipe his memory and make him forget everything about Jen's imagination and that he had ever been there.

But then ... well, I can't tell you what happens, since it's almost at the end of the book, but Derek decided to become chivalrous on me, and it completely changed the end of the book. After that point, well, he's still a skeptic, and he still finds authors annoying, but he does consider Jen his sister, and he does look out for her.

I wouldn't go back to the way I was going to end the book for the world.

 

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Oh, and if you are planning to send me questions and you haven't yet, I do ask that you hurry and send them so I can write up some legible answers. My email can be found on my FAQ's page. I still have room for several more questions.