Looking Back, Looking Forward

I know most people posted this sort of post yesterday, but I was busy with my cover reveal, so you get it today. Moving on ...

I consider last to have been a good year. Not a great year by any stretch of the imagination, but it was a good year. I didn't fully achieve many of the goals I set before myself, but I'm mostly okay with that. I didn't foresee how draining work would be on me.

I'm most upset over the fact that I didn't finish those last few school goals. I've been working on Khan's Academy and reading the various books I'm supposed to when I can find the brain power, but brain power's been a precious commodity for me over the last year. But no, it didn't get completely done.

This year, I will reach a point where I can be declared done (even if it means just getting a GED) and then I'm going to take some college courses in things that I think will be beneficial. For the record, this doesn't include writing. I'm all about studying writing craft, but college is more about credentials, and I don't need credentials to write my books. I am, however, considering library science.

As for publication goals, I wanted to release my second collection and third Bookania. I'll say close enough on both of those. The Collection got out, though I shortened it to only three stories. This was partly because I didn't get the other two stories finished, and partly because the three stories that did make it were longer than I'd anticipated, and the collection was already thicker than the first.

The third Bookania is not out, however it's release is set for February, so I came close enough. I did finish the book last year, and that's what counted.

Here's the cover if you haven't seen it. The kindle book is available for pre-order, for 2.99. If you don't mind me coming over to your blog, I'll be holding a blog tour on the 14th - 21st, and you can sign up for it here.

I wanted to get 250,000 words written total this year. I got close! After sitting down with a calculator and all of my books, I counted up somewhere in the area of 215,000 words, which I think is pretty good, since it's about 30,000 more than last year, and most of those words are the 136,000 of Water Princess, Fire Prince, and was written in the last three months. Second place would go to Kingdom which gave me 30,000 words (I'd written 10,000 last year).

Speaking of WPFP, that was a goal I did succeed with! Not only did I finish the first draft and do up my attack plan for draft two, I churned out those 136,000 words that now are the second draft. Such an awesome feeling of accomplishment there. This is my baby series, and I'm really looking forward to officially sharing it with all of you. I've set the release date for August 31st, so now I just need to get it edited! (Translation: I'll be looking for beta readers come February/March. So go ahead and start volunteering.)

I'd also wanted to finish my NaNo from last year ... but that didn't happen. I managed to eke out another 2,000 words while visiting my cousin this September (thus showing how long it sat on my computer grinning at me) and now I'm stuck on the doctor's chapter again. Sigh. This is a book you guys are really going to enjoy, and I'm really looking forward to writing the sequel, I just need to figure out what I'm doing with the last 25,000 or so words of the first book.

I did not do great on reading this year. I'd wanted to read 150? I managed to read 67, and a lot of them short piddly books. I do have a bunch of half-read books on my kindle that I need to finish reading, that I stopped because they were too intense for my brain, but still. I did terrible. Three reviews a month (two for O.Scarlett, one for Clara)? Didn't happen. I wrote five on the O,Scarlett blog and nothing happened on Clara's.

Still, I don't feel dissatisfied with myself. I held down a job for nine months and left of my own accord and on good terms with them. (Honestly, whenever I stop by for a hamburger, my boss asks me when I'm coming back) I gave them my all, met new people, gained confidence in talking to strangers. I also attended my first public event as an author, sold a couple books, got my name out. My library intends (as far as I'm aware) to hold another event this year, and I'm looking forward to attending again. I've upgraded my kindle and tablet, bought a camera for my sister, and organized my thoughts on a few of my stories.

So what does this year hold? Hopefully, more reading and reviewing than last year. And I certainly have writing plans.

Beyond the editing of My Kingdom for a Quest and Water Princess, Fire Prince, there's a third book I'd like to get out, around Christmas time - a Bookania collection, containing all three novellas, all of the short stories, and some not-yet-released stuff that I haven't written yet, including the novelette about Casperl, a short story about Robin and Robert's birthday, and a short story about what Robert and Rosamond are up to during the events of Kingdom. There may be a third story, but I'm not sure yet. I also plan to include character interviews, maybe some bloopers, and if I can organize my brain enough to draw one - a map. I won't make promises on the map, however, it may be beyond my mental powers. As I stand right now, the collection will probably be kindle only. Sorry paperback fans ...

For this collection, I intend to put Sew through a thorough edit, cleaning up the Shakespearean grammar and awkward wording. My cover artist cousin and I are talking about updating Sew's cover to fit the other two better, and I may release it as a second edition when we do that.

While I'm editing WPFP, I'll be working on writing book two and plotting book 3. I want to have 2 out summer/fall of '16, and 3 in '17. Ambitious, but I believe in myself.

Jack and I didn't get Worth finished this year, mostly my fault since I let chapter 11 sit on my computer for several months. I'm now working on chapter 13, and am going to try to get it back to her before tonight. Wish me luck. We're going to try to get the first draft done this year, and maybe publish it next year (a tentative plan, but at least it's a plan!).

V. wants to get the first Ooladada book written, and I'm all for that, since I'm really looking forward to introducing Jen's group in book three. She just needs to get her first chapter to me, since our rethinking of the world last summer necessitates a complete start over.

The other thing I'm hoping to get written this year is Silivock, because it's the first book of the Mikadas, and it's a very important chapter. I've got this book well planned out, and had even planned to write it for NaNo this year before WPFP took over, however there's a part of me that's holding back. The reason? The conversation is going to be a challenge. The Character Conversation I posted with them last year was a bit misleading. Lillillil and Rikkard don't speak English, so they can't make plays on English words. Silions and Alisili are telepathic, and rely heavily on that for conversation. Even though the Silions are only touch telepathic, they are very physical people. Yes, there is a spoken language in Silivock, but it is a very formal language, relying on thoughts/emotion and various hand positions and facial expressions to relay its full meaning. It's a complicated language, it's intimidating, but this will also probably be the only book that really uses it, since all of the subsequent books take place after they've made contact with the Chai'ons and have adopted their much simpler language for most everyday things.

So, my great plans for the year, and let's hope that, as Robin puts it, I don't fall off the page.

Jelly Donuts and the Great Feud

"Now princess," Rikkard began, opening the book. "Today we are going to learn about the great Feud."

"We had that last night," Lillillil replied, nodding slowly.

Rikkard blinked. "You are purposefully misunderstanding me again. I am not talking about the events of last night, but of five hundred years ago when our ancestors decided to part ways."

She tilted her head to the side. "I knew I was born in the wrong era."

"You wish to have been born during the great Feud?" He had asked the question before he had time to think about it. He honestly did not have time for any of her misdirection today.

"Oh yes," said she, seizing upon the opportunity. "You see, we have good food now, and I like it a lot, but back then, they had great food, and that must have been amazing."

"Princess, I am not talking about what they ate, but the argument that led to the decision to part," explained Rikkard, in effort to get them back on topic.

She stared wistfully out the window, her chin resting on the palm of her hand. "I wonder if the great food was jelly donuts."

"I believe that jelly donuts are a recent invention," said Rikkard. "We do not have the among the Alivocks."

"Must be why you're always so grumpy," Lillillil decided. "And that's probably why they were so grumpy back then. They never would have argued if they had had jelly donuts to eat instead."

"I do not believe that jelly donuts would have swayed anyone's opinion," said Rikkard, wondering if there were any way to get back onto topic.

"They would have swayed mine," she declared. "But, unfortunately, I wasn't alive back then, so my opinion doesn't matter."

"However, we can still study and learn from the people who were alive then. Take Terian, for example ..."

"The stuck up Alivock scholar who thought that people were only supposed to walk on their feet? He needed a jelly donut. Why'd you have to bring up food, Rikkard? Now I'm hungry, and we only just had breakfast. I wonder if cook has anything left over ..."

And before Rikkard had time to protest, she was out of her chair ... and out of the room. Rikkard darted after her, but since she was already disappearing around a corner at the other end of the hall, he slowed to a more dignified walk. Even among the illogical Silions, it was still unseemly for a man to be chasing after a young woman, especially if she were the princess. Besides, he was about ninety percent sure that he would find her in the kitchen.

Sure enough, he did discover her perched on a stool at the end of a long counter, with nothing other than a jelly donut in her hand. She grinned triumphantly. "Oh, are you hungry, too, Rikkard?" she asked. Without waiting for him to answer, she tore the donut in half and offered him the part that didn't have her bite marks in it.

Deciding that protesting would only bring more problems than it was worth, he accepted the half and meekly took a bite.

"Want to know something interesting about jelly donuts?" she asked, as the last bite of her half disappeared.

"I suppose I have no choice."

"Well you see," she explained, licking the jelly residue off of her fingers, "it's a Silivock legend that if a man accepts part of one that a girl has already started to eat, it means he likes her."

Rikkard's gaze fell to his half-eaten half, then he closed his eyes. He had just stumbled into another one of her traps. Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that her father was threatening him with death ...

"But that's no where nearly as important as that great feud," she continued. "Back when Terian and Ligire, twin brothers, I may point out, decided that the only way to make Alivocks and Silions stop arguing was to separate them, is it?"

"Uh, no, I don't suppose it is ..."

Characters in Costume - Lillillil

I'm joining in on a link-up thing called Characters in Costume. Basically, you dress up like a character (if your an author, make it one of you own) and tell your readers about said character.

Since I couldn't fine any working picture of Lillillil online for my monthly character encounter, I decided to dress up like her. Actually, I'm not 100% sure that I have the correct clothing ... but then again, I don't think she has a status quo when when it comes to her clothing.

(Oh, and her name is pronounced Lil-lil-lil.)

Lillillil is a Silion Princess from my work-in-planning Silivock. Silivock is the name of their world/planet, and it's part of my sister's SciFi/Fantasy world. According to V, it's in the Andromeda Galaxy. Silivock is inhabited by three very different people groups, the Silions, the Alivocks and the Ridlers.  

Silions are the ones who don't like to do anything that make sense. They're Range Empaths (they can project and read emotions) and touch Telepaths. Alivocks are pretty much their complete opposites. They don't do anything unless it makes 100% sense, and even then, they must make double sure. They're Range Telepaths and Touch Empaths.

Ridlers are the lowlife of society. They're similar to humans when it comes to how much they like to make sense ... but telepathic and empathetic communication is poison to them. Since they live in a world where almost everyone is tele/empathetic, they don't often live very long lives.

As Silivock opens, the Alivocks and Silions have not been on speaking terms for about a thousand years. In fact, both are convinced that the other group has ceased to exist.

Lillillil is the fourth daughter of the Silion King, and when the Silions capture an Alivock teacher/explorer, she's the one who begs his life to be spared, claiming that she has fallen in love with him. He is then made her tutor.

This is her jumping off of a cliff. She's "testing" Rikkard (the Alivock) to see if he "loves her." Supposedly, if he doesn't love her, he'd let her fall to her death. Since he catches her, she claims that means that he does.

Yes, she's a typical Silion.

And this is her begging Rikkard to "teach her to be sensible." And, no, I still haven't figured out what she means by that.

The hair style is the important part of the costume, for all of the Alisili (the general name for the inhabitants of Silivock) girls wear their hair in braids. Ridler wear one braid straight down the back. Alivocks and Silions get a bit more complicated. Alivocks have two or more braids spouting from the same ponytail, and Silions take their braids and loop them up so that the tails form a bit of a fountain.

Here's a bit better of a picture.

Lillillil fancies herself an inventor. She's trying to invent the computer, and she convinces Rikkard to help her.

Here she is trying to install the computer into a tree ...

I asked her why, and she replied that it was because popcorn grows on trees.

And I have no idea what she's trying to do in this picture.

So, that's Lillillil. I'm looking forward to writing about her when I get around to it.

CE Electronics - Lillillil

"Where is it ..." I mutter, glancing at the ad in my hand for the third time, then back at the row of computers. "Are they out? And this was a really good deal!"

"Hello, firstborn, may I help you?"

I whirl around to face the speaker ... and, well, she's dressed as one of the workers at Office Depot ... but there's something about her that is most definitely not human. Maybe its the shape of her eyes, or her height (or lack thereof) ... or maybe it's the fact that, somehow, I think I can feel her emotions.

Right now, she's extremely excited.

"Um, firstborn?" I ask. I know that it's rude to stare, but ... she's not like anyone I've ever seen before.

"Well, you are a human from Earth, are you not?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow as her emotions shift to curiosity. "And Earth is the firstborn of creation, making the humans the firstborn of all who serve Yova. The fear of Yova is about you, how is it that you don't know this."

That's when I notice her name tag. It reads Lillillil.

"Wait ... are you the Silion Princess that Elsie told me about the last time I visited the Library?" I ask. I have no idea how she would have hoodwinked her way here, since her time is before the Alisili develop space travel, but ... then again. She's a Silion. They follow their own rules.

"Well, I am a Silion, and I am a Princess," she confirmed, tilting her head to one side. "But I don't know about Elsie or this Library. Is Elsie a human like you? Or is she a Silion? Perhaps an Alivock?"

"Uhhh ... she's half Silion ... and half ... only she knows. She's not a drop human, though."

"Oh, so you know about Silions!"

"Yes, I do. I simply never expected to meet you, Lillillil, and especially not here."

"Oh, well, I never expected to come here, to visit the humans. But these computers! I'm going to invent the computer, you know."

"Yes, I do know," I said. "Or, at least, that's what Elsie claimed."

"And you're looking for a computer?"

"Yep. Mine broke in December, and I need a new one, so I can write your story."

"My story?"

"Elsie is telling it to me and wants me to share it with the humans, but I need a computer again to write it. I had the money for one - but they seem to be sold out."

"How much do you have?"

I told her how much, and reminded her that, in the human world, we have to pay a tax. She nods, then scans down the aisle, landing on a yellow tag. "Look, firstborn, this one is only 235! You can afford that, can't you?"

I quickly rush over to her and examine tag myself. It's a clearance tag for a much more expensive computer - one that had been way over my price limit. I smile. This will do perfectly. I call my dad over to look at it, and when I turn back to Lillillil, she's gone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And yes, folks! I have a new computer! It's a Lenovo, and, according to my dad, that's the company that bought out IBM. I got the last one available, and for way under my price limit. Last night, dad and I swung by Walmart after church (mom wanted fried chicken for supper) and I found the cutest mouse. (My old mouse died several months before the computer did) so I'm on top of the world! (especially since I typed nearly 5,000 words into the Ankulen, and wrote a couple hundred into the notebook yesterday)

Oh, and I'm sure you're interested, my new computer is named Black Violet. She's black, you see, and I chose a purple color scheme for the inside. Her keyboard makes the most productive sound when I type.

And, before I forget, if thou wishest to join in with the Character Encounters, just hop over here.

Popcorn Trees

Some of you may be wondering why Kendra has dropped off the face of the earth this week. I mean, there hasn't been a post here on Knitted By God's Plan in a whole week!

Tsk, Tsk, Tsk, tsk, turkey pot pie.

Oh, by the way, I am not Kendra. I'm one of her dearly beloved characters! My name's Lillillil, and I'm a princess. Kendra's still not back. I think she's cleaning her room and writing The Ankulen and editing Do You Take This Quest? They're both delightful books, and I'm sure all of you are going to be quite pleased with them when she finally gets them published.

I'm an inventor, too. I'm working on inventing the computer right now. Kendra finds it staggering that the Silions are such an advanced people, I mean, we have electricity, but we still haven't invented the computer.

So I've decided that I will change that. Between Rikkard and me, I'm sure we can come up with something.

Oh, and these movies that Kendra's world has. They're amazing. I wish that I lived a thousand years later, when Silivock has access to Ooladada so that I could spend time in the Theater behind the Curtain, but, oh well. Kendra says that my descendants will have access to the Theater.

Kendra says she's going to the library today, but not the one behind the Rainbow. I don't know why she would. She has access to every book ever written in the Library, but still she insists on going to the one in her world and making what she calls ILL's.

Anyways, she just told me that I have to get off the computer.

Valentine's Advice from my Characters

First off, please head over to this blog: http://lilyjenness.blogspot.com/2013/02/tcwt-february-blog-chain-post-in-which.html where Sew, It's a Quest was reviewed yesterday.

Now, onto my regular programming ...

I've decided that since today is Valentine's Day and my personal experience when it comes it comes to romance is next to nil, I'd let my characters give their advice. Some of them took the opportunity to be humorous ... others decided to be serious about the subject. Some characters based their advice on something they actually said in the course of the book, others, I'm not sure where they got their advice. If you don't recognize a character, there are a few on here that I have not mentioned before, some are from future books in the Bookania Quests, others are from my side projects... anyways ... without further ado ...

Terrible picture, but it's the most romantic thing I could find
in my stash. I have a picture I drew of Clara and Andrew, but
I couldn't find that ...

(Ladies first, of course)

Robin: A sword is good for fending off annoying princes and irritating young lords. Unfortunately it doesn't prevent new ones from appearing.

Jen: He doesn't have to have shining armor to be your knight. A Robin Hood outfit works just as well.
(Not that she has a Love Interest. She doesn't ... she's talking about some of her imaginary friends)

Clara: Find someone who can make up for your weaknesses and you can make up for theirs. You don't have to exactly alike.

Serendipity: Judge not by first impressions. The Heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it?

Jill Anna: If you put a mistletoe muffin under your pillow at night, it's said that over the course of the next day, you'll meet the person you are to marry.

Maryanne: Dump a bucket of water on his head. It solves all problems.

Collie: You might be immune to love, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you won't be noticed by men.

Love: Forget it.

Edna: There are two different types of love. Me-centered and other-centered. Me-centered love is a bad reason to get married.

Madeleine: If he gives you spiders and skunks, come up with creative ways to return the favor.

Analyssa: Find someone who'll stand by your side - oh, and take your mother's advise. Mothers are smart people.

Lillillil: Eat wizzle soup for supper.

Elsie: The moon blew up and turned pink!
(And she's not even my character! Well, not completely ...)

M'Kay, now, Gentlemen, you may have your turn! (Not as many of my guys volunteered for this, but anyways)

Andrew: Tread carefully.

Samson: If thy parents arrange thy marriage, it is best to content thyself with the girl they chose and not torment her with spiders and skunks. She might retaliate.

Eric: You don't necessarily have to go gallivanting all over the country looking for your enchanted princess. She may be hiding right under your nose.

Jakob: Girls are funny creatures, never say what the mean and you often can't make heads or tails out of them. Just nod and play along, and eventually she might make sense.

Rikkard: If you find yourself the tutor of a girl who's convinced your in love with you and her father's the king ... well there's little hope for you.

A Writing tag I found

1. When did you start writing?

I have been writing since I understood the concept. However, I didn't start writing seriously until the first Narnia movie came out and I decided that they did a terrible job. So when a friend suggested that we write and preform our own version, I thought it a great idea. And since I was the most adamant about the plot (as well as the eldest of the three of us working on it ... We were going to find more people to play the rest of the parts - honest!) I was elected to do the actual writing.

That play has slowly morphed into what is now The Rizkaland Legends. Very little of Narnia remains.

2. Do you have a soft spot for a particular character (come on, be honest!)?

Um ... let me think about this question ...

Yes.

Her name is Maryanne, and she can get me to do anything she wants me to do. It's a good thing that she has (as a friend put it) a strange sense of fun, and loves it when bad things happen so that she can go on adventures.

I've worked with her from age one and a half to in her late forties/early fifties. She's fun at pretty much any age.

3. If you had to choose between reading and writing, which would you choose?

Oh, grr ... must I chose?
Probably writing. I'd go bonkers if I didn't write.

4. How often do you have to "rush off" to write down an idea before it evaporates?

I don't do this as often as I should ... which results in me loosing so much excellent stuff ... but, usually I just think on the good idea for several minutes to an hour (or all day long if it's really good) until it's crystallized and I don't think I'll forget it. It's not often that I forget something that is too terribly good.

5. Do you plot/outline your book or wing it?

I plot, but it's mostly in my head. I've been known to write down summaries, but that's not terribly often. I know where I'm going, but it's not likely that you're going to see where I'm going.

6. Are you a sucker for happy endings or do you leave your readers in misery?

And they all lived happily ever after ...

I love a good happily ever after - especially the sort that have a wedding or two involved. Sometimes they're a bit bittersweet, or more of a cliff hanger, but usually it's a happily ever after. Not always the happily ever after you might have expected ... but, still, a happily ever after.

7. How protective are you of your novel?

Not very.

Would you like to read over Infiltration or The Ankulen? Feel free to email me (You can find my email on my FAQ's page). Please note that what I'm offering are the rough drafts, and that they're both horrid (especially near the beginnings) and the final form will probably be nothing like what I have. Or, at least, very little like.

8. Plans for publishing eventually? Self-publish or traditional?

*cough, cough* Do I HAVE to answer this one?

9. Are you guilty of using the old cliche plot element? How are you trying to make it fresh?

Oh yes. I live and thrive on cliche. Princesses with RPS (rebellious princess syndrome)? Send 'em here. Knocking kids into magic worlds and telling them they have to save it? I've got several. Self inserts? I'm the master.

However, just because I use cliche doesn't mean that how I use it is cliche. For instance, I always make sure that my my princess has a good reason for rebelling (She accidently got her gift swapped with her twin brother, she caught RPS, her mother was secretly a dragon ...), and self inserts ... well, if they're handled properly, they're fine. Tiger, for instance, is the personification of one of my goals - she's an herbalist. I'd like to be an herbalist. However, I decided to draw the line and not give her my other skills (in early versions she was also a knitter and a baxter (female baker). Now Snap's the baxter ...) and I made sure that she had my flaw.

10. Tell a little about a character you are currently fleshing out.

Oh grr ... umm ... Lillillil or Rikkard ... Lillillil or Rikkard?

I'll do Rikkard. I want Lillillil to remain in mystery for a while longer.

Rikkard is an Alivock, which is a Vulcan-like people who live on the planet Silivock. Like Vulcans, Alivocks prize logic and knowledge, and are telepathic  Unlike Vulcans, they do not shun emotion. However, they feel that it can cloud judgement, so they merely let it have it's place - in privacy. They're also shorter, smaller, and have rounded ears.

Rikkard is a teacher. In specific, a high-thoughts teacher (a rough translation - the Alisili word doesn't translate well to English). This means that he is one of the smarter Alivocks - and for a people who Mensa is dumb ... well, that's saying something.

He's also an explorer, so he decides to make a trek into the unknown. Unfortunately he'll meet with the Silions (a people who prize spontaneity and fun. Physically they're just like the Alivocks, only they're more empathetic and, as I've said before, prize spontaneity. They're plenty smart ... they just don't always seem to use their smarts) and end up their prisoner. He ends up the private tutor to Princess Lillillil (who is convinced that he is in love with her. She's in love with him.) and hilarity ensues.

11. Which is the better chocolate? White, milk, or 75% dark?

White. And if they have peppermint mixed in ...

Let's just say, I got some of those candy cane Hershey kisses for Christmas, and I guard them things with my life.

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 ...