A Random Update Post

I feel like I never blog anymore. In fact, I missed my tenth blogoversary last month - and I'd had some pretty fun plans for it.

Life's just had me stretched thin, lately. Hair We Go Again marked my sixth official release within the space of a year, and I'd not had a nice July. My aunt (who'd lived in the upstairs trailer from me, helped with bills, and provided my rides to town), moved out at the end of June, and while I'd known this move was coming, I'd been expecting more fall-timing, so to suddenly have her GONE has added a lot to my plate that I wasn't prepared for. Especially as her air conditioner went out while they were unloading her house into the moving van. Air conditioner has not been fixed, and our houses are connected by a not-airtight door. In fact, I'd call it rather the opposite of airtight.

I also don't have running water in my own house, so I have to go up there to use the bathroom, take showers, and wash my dishes. I live in Texas. So, yeah, heat's been melting me. (Fortunately, the nights have been ... decent, so I leave the screen door open at night - though locked - so the house can breathe.)

In July, I had two back-to-back "vacations." Realm Maker's the third weekend, and then I was a Sponsor at a Church camp (Basically, I was the Responsible Adult who was brought to be in charge of my younger cousins and sister.) the following week. This required two weeks off from work, so I'd requested some extra days in the weeks previous to my vacations. What I'd not asked for was extra days in the weeks following, but that's what I've gotten. Including eating THREE out of the five days of the Golden Braid's blog tour, and I'd only planned to work the last day.

(Note on my work schedule - I work part-time at McDonald's, and it's supposed to be three nine-hour shifts a week. This is because I live thirty minutes from town and don't drive, and so, while working, have to crash at my parent's house, who live within walking distance from my work. They don't really have room for me at their apartment, so I like to minimize the time that I'm there. And, with my Aunt moved out, I've had to rely on my other aunt for rides, and her schedule's a lot more rigid, resulting in extra time at my parents' house.)

So, yeah, Hair We Go Again didn't get the launch I'd planned for it, and I'm utterly behind in everything and have no idea how to catch up.

You guys may remember some posts concerning my sister earlier this year. Yeah, that's still a continuing saga. I don't really want to say anything more on the subject, but it's been something on my plate that's been making life frustrating.

I don't want my writing to be about the numbers, I really don't. But, the frustrating thing about growing up and being an adult is that life costs money. And it'd be much nicer if that money didn't require me squatting at my parents' house. I want to give you guys great stories, but life is squeezing all of the time and energy I have for that. I mean, I have managed six releases in the space of a year (I'm insane), and my royalties for the first half of the year have been somewhere over $400 - nothing to sneeze at, as it's about what I made in the WHOLE of last year, and that'd been my best year yet. But it's still not enough to replace my minimum wage part-time paycheck.

I'm honestly not sure how I'm moving forward. I'm working my hardest to get Love and Memory out next year. Not sure how it's going to happen, but it's been three years already since LDTD released, and that's enough of a gap between books. Cost and Song are both too much of a mess to make progress on, but I do have a number of Bookania projects that are high-priority, including book 6, a couple short stories, and A-Parent Loss, the first book of a new series called the Bookania Misadventures. Also Misfortune and The Dancing Princess are both still on my plate, and I'm going to try to have the former out before the end of the year, and The Dancing Princess ready in advance of the Tattered Slippers release, rather than fifteen minutes before it's due to Amazon, as has been the case the last several releases. (Maaaaybe I should spread them out a bit more, but life's too short and I have too many books.)

But what's going to happen next, how I'm going to pay my bills AND keep up with writing, I don't know.

And to those of you waiting on your preorder bundles ... they are coming, but my schedule hasn't allowed me to really focus on any of them. Update on the audiobook - my Microphone has decided that it doesn't like me and won't talk to my computer. I'm hoping that it's an issue with the cord (it wasn't a cheap mic, but that was a cheap cord), but I haven't had a chance to chase down another cord that will fit it (it's picky).

So ... with all that said ... Kendra out, and maybe consider buying a book?

I Step into Battle

The sky is black with swirling clouds when I enter Ooladada.

I don't come here often, on my own. I don't often see the point when I can never fully withdraw my spirit from this place. But I come here now, for my mind is not at ease. My sister speaks with words that taste wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. 

"Giver!" I cry out. "Savior! LORD!"

"Anka Kendra, do you really doubt the words that I have given her? Your sister's the dreamer. The one to whom I speak."

I spin around, around, and around, but I see no one. My heart thuds within me. "I have no peace!"

"Would you take this from her? This opportunity for which she has thirsted for so long? The poor, poor child. Every thing given unto her is taken. How much have you robbed from her?"

"My sister and I struggled through our childhood, each with our own vices," I answered. "I know the wrongs that I have done to her. Who are you? Why do you hide from me?"

"I am terrible to look upon. Has your sister not told you this? Anka Kendra, your sister has been given many blessings. Will you steal them from her in your envy?"

"In my envy, I left her to them." I lift my left hand, white light spilling from the diamond of my ring, my Ankulen refashioned after it was broken. A feeble light in the blackness "Who are you, and what mean you with my sister?"

"I mean her for great things. Let her go that she might accomplish them."

I take a step back. "No. I was ordered to never abandon her for any cause. I slipped from my duty, a second time, but it is my duty just the same. I know my God. An unchanging, unfailing God. He would not call me to abandon her. Who are you?"

"Blasphemous child!" the voice rebukes me. "Did you not hear? Do you not know me. I am Abbah, I..."

"I know you." My voice drops, and my eyes narrow at the nothingness. "I know you, for I have fought you many times on my sister's behalf. I name you Lies, for you offer her comfort, security, and love, but give only prison and pain. Be gone from her!"

I receive no more answer, just a cackling laughter that fades away. The clouds do not fade.

You've done it. You've fought it and won. Remember the power that you wield here? Oh, why do you stay away, Anka Kendra?

Why do I stay away? I look around myself at the darkness. Why is it so dark. If that tempter is gone, then it should have cleared?

It should have...

"You!" I cry out, remembering why I stay away. "Vanity, you cannot tempt me! I am not your weapon!"

But I just hear an echoing laughter that wraps around my heart, pulling down.

I'm powerless. Who am I to think that I grasp this power. It's not real. Who am I to deny the blessings given to my sister? Who am I to think I can claim the blessings of...

Oh, you worthless, worthless child ... you don't even belong here. You should still be running. Running. Running...

"GIVER!" I cry out. "SAVIOUR! LORD!" 

And, suddenly, there is a break in the clouds. One, shining, beam of light. It's been there the whole time, I realize now. I just couldn't see it. He's been here the whole time, but I had to wrestle first.

"Giver," I say, as the One of light steps towards me. "Help me my unbelief."

"My strength is made perfect in weakness," he answers.

"And I am so weak."

His arms wrap around me. Holding me. Raising my heart again in my chest.

"What is to be done with V?" I asked, my head hanging. "We have all failed her. After hedging her for so many years against the Lies that plague her, we let her walk straight into his jaws. Was it always him? Have you ever spoken to her?"

He gave a sad smile that I can see even without looking at Him. "I still speak to her. She's listening to both our voices. The battle isn't over."

"Giver of Peace and Wisdom, let me fight!"

"Of course." He draws back, and I see the Sword in His hands, the shining Sword of Light that is the Word of God.

I shrink back. "I - I can't. I'm unworthy!"

"You must. This is the only weapon that can drive back the enemy and bind him. And you are Worthy, for I have made you so."

"But I..."

"Your strength and goodness are as putrid rags before me, but I have given mine," He answers, before I can speak. "This shall be my victory, and you shall praise me. Remember what I have given you, the words that are yours. You are not to let the evil one drive you from your task, even in this."

"I am broken and spilled out before you."

"Gird yourself, Anka. Keep the helmet of salvation tight upon your head, for I have sanctified you unto myself and you shall not listen to the lies otherwise. Fasten the breastplate of righteousness about you that your heart will not be pierced by the barbs of evil flung at you. Strap the belt of truth about you that you be not exposed in the heat of battle. Hold up the shield of Faith, that you do not doubt my promises. Stand firm in the shoes of the Gospel of Peace - know what you believe, that you do not waver!"

I feel it wrap around me, and I cry as I realize how exposed I am without it.

"And take these."

He holds out a box. I know the box from my mother's realm, and I open it to reveal nine cut gems - the visage that we gave the fruit of the spirit.

Love, a ruby, cut of the flowing blood of the Lamb.

Joy, an opal, cut from the light and filled with colors of promise.

Peace, a sapphire, cut from the never-ending ocean of God's love.

Patience, a pearl, formed after many years by an oyster as it endured of grit of sand.

Kindness, a tourmaline, cut from the generosity of One who gives everything of himself to help another, asking nothing in return.

Goodness, an emerald, cut from the growing things of earth, the blessings God has given us upon this land.

Faithfulness, a diamond, cut from the vows of promise. 

Gentleness, a moonstone, cut from the soft light of the moon as it comforts those in the grip of night.

Self-control, an amethyst, cut from the wine of truth, that we hold back from the things that would rob us of our lives.

I take these gems and fasten them about my neck. 

"What is your name?" 

I lift my chin. "I am the Knowledgeable Oath of God, the covenant that my mother made with you," I answer. 

"A covenant that I WILL fulfill. What are the names that you have taken, Anka?"

"Arista, the one who transcribes your word. Petra, the one who fights to hold her sister and offers her forgiveness instead of death. Tiger Lilly, the one who rejects lies for promise. Ulrica, the queen who fights for freedom from deception. Robin, that I know my place, even when I do not fit in. And Laura - Laura, the promised victory of tomorrow."

My eyes flash. 

"Giver, she has tried to steal my name!"

"She tries to claim the promises that I have given you, but they are your promises, not hers. What is her name?"

"She is the Hope of Purity," I answer. "And I have named her Ashley, that she may rise from the ashes and return to us after many days." 

"Her time of fleeing is over, it is time for her to return."

And then He orders:

"Open your eyes, Anka."

My eyes aren't closed, but I obey anyway. Suddenly, the sky is clear and I see that I am surrounded. Surrounded by friends and family - Ank' and Warriors, each knelt in prayer. My brother's arms around me, with his prayers that move mountains and shake the heaven. Our mother is before us, lifting up my sister's soul, even as blood flows down her arms from its jagged edges. It is no longer the golden purity that was once my sister, but dark and fading. My father hangs on the edge uncertain, for he knows how much of this is his doing. I cry out to him, tell him to kneel and pray. 

He does. 

"Look again, Anka."

I do, and I see my sister, and finally the one I name Lies. They walk, hand-in-hand, and he is wrapped in a robe of light. It shines so brightly, it's hard to see that within is a darkness so black that it can never be redeemed. She looks fully to him, with a smile so great, and not to the path before her.

Not to the cliff that is just a few feet away.

If she takes just a few more steps, we might never see her again.

"One last thing, Anka Kendra."

I turn again to the Giver, and see what He holds in His outstretched hands. A crown, set with shining stars. My sister's Ankulen. I frown as I look at the chains that drip from it, chains that have always been there and that I have never liked. There used to be only a few, but now ... now ...

I look into the Giver's eyes, and I understand. Taking the crown from him, I break these chains. Each one. Pulling them away and throwing them to the ground. Breaking them just as I broke my Ankulen when my vanity led me into folly. 

When it is done, I look back up at the Giver, and He is smiling. 

"Just like this, I shall break the chains that bind your sister."

And I am filled with peace.

A Turmoil of Spirit

This post is in response to my sister's here: https://singingmiownsong.blogspot.com/2019/04/turmoil-of-soul.html, though I believe her blog is currently private, so to sum it up for anyone who isn't able to read it: V is in a situation that has drawn her away from our family and is currently looking at a decision that may cut ties even more completely. I don't begrudge her this, if this is truly what God is calling her to, but...

(Also, I've drawn a winner for the Honor: a Quest In giveaway, and I have an announcement regarding influencer copies. I'll try to get that up tomorrow.)

"Lord!" I cry, as my eyes scan the last paragraph in my sister's post again and again, wondering at its meaning, trying to believe that it doesn't mean what I fear it does. "Lord..."

My heart pours before Him - I have never been one to pray with formed words, as my mind races forward through a thousand feelings faster than I can speak them. God knows my heart. He knows my desires and my fears better than I do myself. And more than that, He knows my future - the intangible tomorrow that hovers too close and too far away always at the same time.

"Lord, I miss my sister."

It's been months since I saw her - not since Christmas, and then for so briefly! And now, I finally understand the ache that has been cut through my heart this last year. These last years.

"Lord, a name is a name, and she always was destined to take another through marriage, should that day come," I say. "I'm no one to speak, having abandoned Roden myself for Ardnek, at least for my public persona. But you made me her sister. You didn't place a child idle in a family. You knew what You were doing when You gave her to us. To me."

V. and I were never without our quarrels, growing up, but the fact and truth remains - we're sisters.

"Lord, you made her INFJ and me ENFP - two old souls who sing two songs in harmony. She's the order to my mess, the vision to my dreams, the summer to my winter. The..."

I choke on tears now, fingering now my ring - my Ankulen. It's taken many forms over the years - a necklace before I moved it to my finger. Hers has always been the same - a shining crown, though she tried to reject it for so many years.

"Lord, I know You called her for a purpose, but You called me, too. Why did You take her from us? I am grateful to this other family, that they have given her the protection and opportunity that I never could - but she is a chameleon. She changes to match whomever she wishes to please, and right now it is them. Lord, I speak to her, and I barely know her!"

I take a deep, shuddering breath, blinking back the tears that squeeze from my eyes.

"If her decision is of You, then so be it, but I fear the hand that they have had in it AND I AM NOT AT PEACE."

I fall silent now, save for my tears - they are my prayer now. I envy, sometimes, the clear voice that she hears from Him, but my faith is not the same. It is the convictions set upon my heart as I read and write and pray.

And my conviction now is strong and clear: She is my sister, and I was meant to carve a path and protect her. 

"Lord, have I failed? Is it my own vanity? Doesn't she know how proud I ever was of her? That all I ever wanted was for her to be proud of me?"

Where am I to go, what's my next step? These have been my questions, ever since she left me. Where once I had conviction, now I falter, fall to my knees, and weep.

I stare at the outline I have on my wall - the story I am writing now. A story of two brothers whose paths broke away from each other and have now to join again. Two brothers who had nothing but differences, growing up, and must now learn how they fit together so they can guide their kingdom into a better age.

How can I write such a story when my heart is breaking apart like this?

How can I not?

"Lord, she will perish on her own. The world is too much for her. She desires too much to conform!"

And with one last shaky breath I whisper:

"Lord, I miss my sister."

The Tour of Ever After - My Writing Theme

Hello there! Kendra returneth with a post that's actually on time.

No, the tailspin that is my life hasn't died down yet, but it's starting to. Last night was also my first night "on my own." I mean, I have an aunt living just upstairs, but ... I'm now responsible for myself and everything.

Anywho, I'm here today for the Tales of Ever After blog tour again!

Today, I'm here to talk about my writing theme.

So, funny thing that happened after I had assigned this for myself on the blog schedule, but I was actually talking to a good friend of mine, who happened to be one of the submission judges for the Tales of Ever After collection. The submissions had all names removed, so it was a blind judging.

We were talking about the collection, and she'd admitted that she felt that the story was my best yet (she's read ... pretty much all of my books up to this point), which prompted a curiosity in my head. I knew that she'd known that I'd be entering a story, and I think she knew some of its premise, but I wanted to know how long it took her to realize that the story was mine.

"Half a page?" she answered.

And it was my writing she recognized, not the premise I'd previously shared with her. (And she hastily went on to assure me that her comments were based solely on the story's qualities, and not any attempts to sway the game in my favor. Which I had no worries over. The girl's a tough judge.)

This prompted further discussion into my writing style, with the other girls in the group chat who'd also read significant chunks of my writing. Because, apparently, I have a distinct, strong voice. Whimsical, apparently. Lighthearted on the surface but usually hiding something serious and deep. I think it's also the fact that I overuse dashes - they're pretty much my favorite punctuation. But I think they were trying to be nice and thus didn't bring it up. (Seriously, I think someone needs to take away my dashes at some point.)

But I do put in an effort to make sure that my writing and style is distinct. My goal is to write books that makes the reader laugh, and makes the reader think. I write escapist fiction that leaves the reader better equipped to face the real world when the book is over. I search for creative, high-concept plots, but I don't shy away from cliches if I see an angle that gives a unique perspective. And I have a Fairy Tale obsession that shows through in most of my books.

So, if you enjoyed Cinders, I'm fairly certain that you'll enjoy the rest of my writing, too. I mean, they're older works, so therefore not as good, but still fun, I promise!

But don't forget to check out the rest of the other lovely stories in the collection. I must say, I'm halfway through my own read, and I've as yet to find one I didn't like. And the ones I didn't love, I know there's a reader out there for them, somewhere.

What's your writing theme? Would you say that you've achieved your distinct voice yet?

Make sure that you visit and comment on all of the posts in the Tour of Ever After - the person who leaves the most comments will get a bonus collection of sneak-peek snippets from a number of the authors! (I am in the process of fixing the broken links. My blog isn't being nice to me about them)

Amazon Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Ever-After-Fellowship-Anthology-ebook/dp/B07FFMHM8M/

Books2Read Universal Link: https://www.books2read.com/u/bwYKry

Goodreads Listing: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40788623-tales-of-ever-after

Rafflecopter Givaways:

U.S. Only:

(All books are paperbacks, and possibly signed.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

International:

(All books are ebooks of the winner’s file format of choice)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I Tell You A Story Instead

So I was going through my notebooks and found this poem that I wrote ... I'm going to say seven or eight years ago, because there's a line that indicates that it was when my dad was unemployed. I don't think I finished it ... because there's a started verse on the next page ... but I think where it ends is fine enough.

And there was a specific person that I had in mind that I was talking to when I wrote this poem, one of my sister's friends.

You hurt me the last time I told you,

The last time my true thoughts I said.

And you wonder that I never share now,

That I tell you a story instead.

You don't know the sorrow that builds up,

The tears that are so far unshed.

I don't want to tell you about it,

So I tell you a story instead.

You point out my flaws with a vengeance, 

But your critique sinks my effort like lead.

Yet, to your own flaws you never will listen,

So I tell you a story instead.

I don't tell you about all my worries

About how next month we'll be fed.

Instead, I tell you of nice things.

Yes, I tell you a story instead.

I'm told to not be a gossip,

For that is how rumors are spread.

I won't tell you the tales of another

I'll tell you my stories instead.

You say that I live in a dreamworld,

That near to the clouds is my head,

But I can't tell you what truly bugs me,

And I tell you a story instead.

1000th Post!!!!!!!!!

Eight years ago today, my mom sat down with me, helped me pull together some pictures from our recent church craft night, and we posted my very first blog entry on this blog.

Today, I'm am posting my thousandth post.

Eight years.

I was fourteen. Now I'm twenty-two.

I was an aspiring author who still would have much preferred to be an actor. Now, I no longer aspire. I'm the published author of six novels and soon-to-be eight short stories.

I was doing good to put 25,000 words into a story. My last release was 140,000.

My hair was barely past my chin. Now it's nearly long enough for me to sit on - and it would be long enough if I hadn't cut six inches back in January.

I used an old, old laptop that no longer connected to the internet for writing - actual blogging was done on my mother's computer. Now I have a newfangled two-in-one touchscreen laptop that I named Angela.

I .... actually knit back then. I ... don't anymore.

Yes, I've come a long way since my first post. As an author and as a person. I've changed a lot, learned a lot, done a lot, but I still have a long ways to go. So, here's to the next eight!

BUT, I promised a giveaway, didn't I? Reminiscing is fun, but you guys would like to win stuff. So what am I giving away?

Well, just a complete, signed collection of all six of my novels.

Oh, and not the editions you see on Amazon right now. I am in the process of revising my entire bookshelf, and putting new faces on all of my books. I already have four of the covers finalized, I just need to find out the new spine widths on Take and Kingdom so that I can put theirs together.

Want a sneak peak at the new covers?

(Yes, those are my feet, and, yes, I do only have one toenail painted. Any other stupid questions?)

(And, yes, I know those are my very beat-up shoes. I have ... reasons.)

(What? You thought there was a different image here? Pft, you must have been seeing things.)

And, yes, I know that's only three of them. The other cover doesn't have anything really intriguing for me to crop down to, though it is gorgeous to be certain. And I must credit Alea Harper with all but one of the covers I currently have. So, yes, gorgeousness.

So, now that you know what you'll be receiving, what do you need to do to get them? How long do you have to rack up points?

So glad you asked.

I'm going to give you guys until September 31st to earn points, as that is my self-imposed deadline for updating my entire bookshelf.

(Yes, I'm doing my old-school names into a name randomizer method)

And how are you to earn these points? Just listen, my friend.

Comments. Any comments you make on any post on this blog, from now until September 31st, will count towards this giveaway. Also, any comments that you make on O.Scarlett, GiraffeCrafts, or the AA. See the tabs at the top of my blog for links.

Reviews. Any review that you leave for any of my books - including the short stories, though they're not part of the overhaul (they will get edited, just later). The initial review is worth 3 points, and each additional site you post it to is worth an extra point. So a review posted to your blog, Amazon, AND Goodreads is worth five points. And, yes, old reviews count. Just make sure you email me links to everywhere that the review is posted.

My email: kendraeardnek@gmail.com

Draw me fanart/write a fanfic. Worth five points for each creation. Again, email them to me. Art will be posted to this blog, fics will be posted to the AA blog. (And if you're not a member of the AA blog, see this page for details.)

Share this post. Just send me a link to your tweet/facebook status/Goodreads status/pin/blog post/etc. This is worth one point, but you can share earn up to two points a day this way.

Ask my characters questions! I currently have the floor open for my LDTD characters in the Rizkaland Group, and I'll be opening the floor for the Bookania characters on Tuesday. Exciting, yes? Each question you ask is worth a point.

And, finally, you can sign up for the cover(s) reveal with the form below. Five points!




Happy point earning. My notebook is primed and ready to receive your tally marks.

Things that I'm By No Means Qualified to Write About (Yet I do Anyway)

"Write what you know."

It's one of the biggest pieces of writing advice touted around the writing community. yet ... honestly, how many authors actually follow it? Writers who write anything interesting that is?

I mean, if I just stuck to what I "know" all of my books would be about knitting and McDonalds ... which probably wouldn't be all that terribly exciting. I mean, it might, but I couldn't get terribly many plots out of that.

So let's talk about what I stubbornly write about even though I don't know beans about them.

Romance
Let's get the big one out of the way. I've never been in a relationship. I've never actually been "in love." I've never even been on a date! (Though I've had a few close calls) So why do I insist on throwing my heroines into the arms of heroes and making sure that there's at least one wedding or at least a proposal per book I write? Whyyyyyyy????

(Because my characters are cute, that's why)

Kissing
As you can probably imagine from the fact that I've never even been on a date, I've never kissed a boy. Yet my love language is touch, and thus, for me, it just feels weird for couples to not physically express their affection, and yes, for (predominately) married couples, that means kissing. BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU KISS??? LIPS TOUCH.  GERMS ARE EXCHANGED. THAT'S ALL I KNOW.

Swordplay, Archery, and Almost Any Other Form of Combat.
I own two knives and a staff, and my sister has a bow, but I can't afford any sort of lessons. So I just believe whatever I find on the internet and read in books.

Horses
Actually, I'm not 100% an idiot on this one, as I HAVE ridden a few times, and I've volunteered at few times at the Hippotherapy place where my sister volunteers regularly. So I know a little. And I have an expert on hand if I have questions but ... I'm not an animal person. I used to be terrified of horses. Even now, they intimidate me. So why do I keep writing characters with horses????

Living without Electricity.
I'm the sort of person who's almost perfectly content with the era she lives in. But I consistently set my books in worlds that don't have electricity. And then forget that they probably don't have good lighting at night.

Adoption
I have multiple books with orphans and adopted characters in them - in semi- to modern day. But I honestly don't know much about the process. Outside of the fact that papers are involved. And a lot of money. But other than that, pft!

Attending a Big Church/Living in a Big House
These aren't things that have really played into my published books yet, but they're coming. But while I was in a big church for the first five years of my life, since then, it's been itty-bitty, everyone knows each other and is possibly related churches. And I've lived in trailer homes for about that long. So ... big houses? Wut R those? Yet I put my characters into these churches and houses.

Male POV
I'M A GIRL, ya know? I've never been a guy, probably never will be one, and yet I seem to think that I'm qualified to write from their perspective. *spoiler - I'm really not.*

So what do you write about that that you probably don't have the right?

A-Z Book Tag

I stole this from Rachel Rossano. Let us commence.


1. Author You've Read the Most Books from:

Consulting Goodreads gave me Jean Craighead George with eighteen books that I read for a contest against my sister and a friend, though it's also possibly Mary Pope Osborne or Valarie Tripp, as I devoured the Magic Tree House and the American Girl books when I was a kid. If you want more recent reads, it's Rick Riordan with 15 books, though I decided last month that I was done reading him. Not entirely because of what he was choosing to write with ... but because of the preachy tone he's taking with many issues. I don't like preachy books no matter what they're preaching. So I'm done with him.

2. Best Sequel Ever:
I think that I shall give this award to The King's Scrolls by Jaye L. Knight. Oh, my aching heart!

3. Currently Reading:
The Yellow Fairy Book by Andrew Lang and The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer

4. Drink of Choice While Reading:
Water. I know. I'm boring.

5. E-reader or Physical Book?
Either. My Kindle gets a tiny bit more of my attention, though.

6. Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated in High School:
I didn't date in High School, so I'm really not sure WHO I would have dated. Let's go with Clay from the Wings of Fire by Tui Sutherland. Him or Qibli.

7. Glad You Gave This Book a Chance:The Phantom Tollbooth. 

I was a weird kid who didn't know what she'd like and would judge books by their covers. I didn't trust that dog on the cover. Nor did I know what a Tollbooth was. I thought it WAS the dog.

8. Hidden Gem Book:
The Prophecy of Atlantis by Susan Weakley. I'm still waiting on a sequel for this.

9. Important Moment in Your Reading Life:
The moment I figured out reading silently. Completely revolutionized the way I read. No book was safe after that.

10. Just Finished:
Krakens and Lies by Tui Sanderson

11. Kinds of Books You Won't Read:
Preachy books. Books with idiot adults. Horror. Erotica.

12. Longest Book You've Read:
Unless you count the Lord of the Rings as one book, I think it'd be David Copperfield.

13. Major Book Hangover Because Of:
Dreamlander by K.M. Weiland. I had so many questions

14. Number of Bookcases You Own:
Two. I need another one, though. And the space to put it. Currently, I have a giant stack of books sitting in front of my second bookshelf.

15. One Book You Have Read Multiple Times:Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. It helped me through a tough chapter of my teens.

16. Preferred Place to Read:
I have no preferences. As long I have a book in my hand, I'll read wherever.

17. Quote that Inspires You/Gives You the Feels from a Book You've Read:“It doesn't seem right or to serve any purpose at all. However, if there's one thing I've learned in my life, it's that, even when nothing makes any sense to us, there's still a purpose. And as hard as it is at times, we have to believe that and let it carry us through.”
- Jaye L. Knight. Don't remember which book, but I think it was The King Scrolls.

18. Reading Regret:
I'm the sort of person who doesn't finish books that she would regret, and then deletes them from her memory, so I'm rather pulling a blank here.

19. Series You've Started and Need to Finish (All books are out in the series):
The Ranger's Apprentice. I'm currently hiding from the third book. Don't ask.

20. Three of Your All-Time Favorite Books:
Ella Enchanted

That Hidden Strength

The King Scrolls
21. Unapologetic Fangirl For:
The Ilyon Chronicles by Jaye L. Knight.

22. Very Excited for This Release More than All the Others:
Exiles by Jaye L. Knight. I got to beta read it and EEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!! You guys are going to love it.

23. Worst Bookish Habit:

It's a tie between my spoiler addiction (part of the reason I like my Kindle is that I can't skip to the end and read the last chapter ahead of time) and my habit of hiding from the later books of the series. 

24. X Marks the Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:

Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 by David Petersen. It's a graphic novel that my cousin gave me and I've read a couple times over. I need the third book of the series. And the series prequel.

25. Your Latest Book Purchase:
Cinder and Scarlet by Melissa Meyer. They were a dollar each at my library. I knew if I left them, someone else would snatch them up, so I snatched them.

26. ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late):

Um, the last one ... I'm pulling a blank, actually, becuase I've not been in a "devote energy to reading" mood of late. I'm going to put in Sew, It's a Quest, because I sacrificed a good number of zZz's for it to get it revised back in February. So ... yeah.

Kendra E. Ardnek's Publication Story + Q&A

Six years ago, my dad had a heart attack. And, by six years, I mean, almost exactly six years, because it was early March. I was sixteen. He'd been unemployed since I was twelve (outside of reffing), and, in that time, we had lost my grandmother, we had almost lost my mother due to a miscarriage, she had suffered at least one other miscarriage, and my baby sister had been born. Oh, and there was the car accident when my baby sister was six weeks old, plus a whole slew of other craziness.

During this time, I had turned to writing as a form of escape, as something that I could control in my chaotic life. As of six years ago, I had two completed projects - The Dragon's Return, which I knew needed serious rewriting before I could even think of publishing (and which is now Lady Dragon, Tela Du), and Sew, It's a Quest, which I had written with the Young Writer's Program NaNoWriMo the November before on a whim. I also had three different previous drafts of TDR, all in script version, and a few scripts for some other plays that I had written.

You see, growing up, if you had asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I probably wouldn't have said "author." Oh, no, I wanted to be an actress. But if I had to write my own scripts to get there, well, I was fine with that. I did love making up stories, and, to a less degree, writing them down. Had since I understood the concept. And being an author was always in my plans in a more low-key goal - I had my Tigerlilly stories that I was looking forward to publishing one day. I had only switched to prose when I realized that (1) the likelihood of me finding a cast to enact my Rizkaland plays was negligible and (2) the story was getting pretty stinkin' complicated, and it would be better off as a book.

My dad survived the heart attack. Still, with everything else going on, times were rough. I had just turned sixteen, and, even though my parents didn't expect it of me, as the oldest child, I felt pressured to help provide income for the family.

I had written Sew with NaNoWriMo, and, since I had reached my wordgoal, this meant that I got a free proof copy from CreateSpace. I'd been looking into some traditional publishers, not really finding any that I liked, and I hadn't wanted to do the old self-publishing method where you paid a company a couple thousand dollars to get your book printed. I couldn't afford that. But here was a company that printed on demand. That let you publish for practically FREE.

I put Sew together, used the Cover Creator to make a very generic cover, and, after some fairly vigorous edits given me by my mother, grandmother, and a cousin, ordered my proof copy at the LAST possible moment. Oh, it was so shiny and awesome. My own words, bound up in a REAL book. My every dream come true.

I didn't hit the "publish" button immediately. I knew the book still needed some edits, and I did do them. Some of them. The glaring ones. The ones that I noticed. I also decided that I wanted to use a penname. (Yup, my original proof copy has my REAL last name on it). I also set up the book on KDP. I don't remember how I found KDP. I think it was on CreateSpace's website.

August 4th, I hit my breaking point under the pressure. After a brief conversation with my mother on how I NEEDED a way to help provide income, I went into KDP and CreateSpace and pushed publish.

Oh, that was a moment of exhilaration.

I knew that the book wasn't perfect, but it was published. People could now buy it. People (aka family friends) WERE buying it.

I made a big mistake, though. At the time, I didn't have a bank account, so while I NOW have both CreateSpace and KDP on direct deposit, I had them send my first payments via check. But I decided to be cute and wrote "GiraffeCrafts" as my company name. It was my yarn business ... but ... um ... not recognized by banks. And that's the name that Amazon put down on the "Pay to" line. So I had to create the business legally so that I could cash my checks and open a bank account. (It cost me fifteen bucks to open the business, and I think I had, maybe, forty dollars between the two checks.)

I kinda forgot about the company. Until two years later when I received a letter from the state telling me that I owed $200 in taxes because I didn't tell them my inventory was nil. My dad paid that for me, and then, being an idiot, I didn't fix the issue of the state thinking that I had a $1000 inventory, and had to pay the $200 again the next year. This time, I paid. I did fix the issue, though, I think, because I haven't received any more letters from the state demanding $200. *squints at mailbox*

Moral of the story: Don't be cute and tell Amazon to send your checks to a fictional company.

That wasn't the only mistake I made my first year, but that was definitely the biggest one, and the one that has had the longest-lasting negative impact on my life.

Once all of my family friends had bought the book, I kinda stalled out on marketing. I had one blog interview, and one interview on an e-magazine that I contributed to, but that was it.

Until another cousin released a book. Cousin Tenya. Through her, I found Goodreads, and she helped me get a better cover for my book. I also joined her writing for O.Scarlett reviews (which I have now become practically the only contributor anymore).

And then KDP introduced KDP Select. I signed Sew up for that faster than you could yell "hot potato," and then I set it to be free on Christmas day. The downloads I saw from that weren't brillaint, but I liked it - so I set it for free multiple times following that.

Thanks to those free days, I found two people - Jaye L. Knight (then Molly Evangeline), and a blogger who's no longer blogging. Through Jaye, I found Sarah Holman's Homeschooled Authors. Through the blogger, I found "Actually Finishing Something in July" and, through that, a whole slew of authors and aspiring authors, one of them, Anne-Girl, being the one from whom I stole the idea of an e-Conference.

I do not recommend many of my publication choices to any aspiring author. It's been a long, awkward, uphill battle, and I really think that, if I had focused on building a readership BEFORE I published, the climb wouldn't have been half so difficult. Still, it's the journey that I took, and it has led me where I am today, and I wouldn't have it any other way. (Except for the fact that I had to pay $400. THAT I would like to change.)

Q&A Time!

I would like to open the floor now for questions. Anything concerning my writing, my writing process, or my writing journey. Unlike the other authors, who will only be available for the day of thier posting, I will be here all week to answer, but be patient, because it may take me a while to get to it. I'm scrambling about getting all these lovely posts up for you, after all.

Oh, Hello 2017

I didn't you standing there. I suppose we should get acquainted, yes?

(What I find on my Camera when I give it to my sister to take pictures at the zoo.)

What is it about years? Always sneaking up on us, then running away just when you were making progress with them. Sigh.

Well, 2016 is over, and what a year it was. I don't remember most of it. I think it was mostly work and editing. A bit of writing. I fulfilled my goal of publishing LDTD, though it was a headache and a half to pull off. I can't say that I did very well with any of my other goals. (Refers back to last year's list)

Uh ... focusing ... eheheheh. Occasionally, when the stars aligned properly.
Multitasking smarter. Try being completely insane and heaping far too many new projects on myself instead.
Meeting Goals. I released a book when I said I would. I can claim nothing more than that.
Staying Accountable. I ... tried? Well, I have a group of friends (aka, former beta readers who refuse to abandon a chat thread because I occasionally dangle snippets in front of them) who I've stayed mostly accountable, but I still hesitate to admit how much I've been playing games. I might have spent most of yesterday afternoon doing that.
Promotion. I ... entered WPFP into a contest! (Which it didn't win. Which I didn't mind so much, save for the fact that the book it lost to ... I'd read a few months before and had been very meh about.) I also ran a blog party and a blog tour. Neither were as spectacular as I had hoped.

Some highlights this year include meeting one of my beta readers in real life, finally graduating FINALLY getting behind the wheel to learn to drive (unfortunately, schedules have not been conducive to keeping my practice up, and I'm afraid that I may have forgotten half of what I learned. *growl*), and making good progress on Love and Memory, The Worth of a King, and ROCKS. Also, this year, my mom took on some friends' kids three to four days a week for homeschooling, my job drove me insane, and some personal issues led to my sister having to go live with our Grandparents. This was RIGHT after I fell and sprained my ankle. Oh, and my old computer died and I replaced it with a new one, and now I need money to pay for it.

So last year was a mixed bag. I don't hold hard feelings against it, but I hope this next year will be much better.

Speaking of which, here's my agenda!

School
Yes, I've graduated, no, I'm not done learning. In fact, I intend for this year to be pretty intense, learning-wise. I still need to finish Streams of Civilization II for history, and my parents invested in a year's subscription to Schoolhouse Teachers and I'm expected to take as many courses as I can. I'm currently working on one for Graphic Design.

Editing
Last summer, I invested in a year's subscription to Grammarly pro, and while I have it, I intend to run all of my previously-published books through it. Sew, and possibly some others, will be receiving a slightly stiffer edit as well. I'll be editing them in publication order, and as I finish them, I'll be looking for reviewers. You can probably expect a form for this later this week.

Writing:
Mostly Worth and LaM, as I need to finish both this books this year. I'd been hoping to be able to publish Worth this year, but it's not going to happen. Now I'm hoping for early next year. LaM is going to need two drafts (although it's turning out to not be as messy as I'd wanted it to be, so maybe not ...), and I'm hoping for a September/October publication following Worth. (Worth will come first, any way we slice it.)

I also plan to finish three short stories and get them published - "Poison Kiss," "Gift Exchange," and "Saffron's Even Bigger Plan."

Oh, and I have two new co-author plans on my plate, both involving Laura. No details on either, as we speak, but stay tuned.

Blogging/Promotion.
I'd like to blog here at least once a week, the AA at least once a month, and the O.Scarlett as often as I can. I have a coupld for the AA in a notebook, so all I have to do is type them up. And I'm down to only three "have to" reviews for the O.Scarlett.

With no big releases on my plate, I don't have any tours planned ... but I do have this:

I have this planned for late March. (Not April. My brain messed up. Again.) So far, only a few authors have joined, but I know of several more who hope to, once they have a better idea of their April schedules. If you're a self-publishing author and would like to join - or an editor, cover designer, indie game developer, indie musician... you can click this link.

I also intend to tweet daily and Instagram weekly. For an extrovert, I'm terrible at social media ... and I don't need to loose contanct with my readers. I just need to figure out what to say ...

Life:
With my sister out of the house, chores are a thing (ie, a bigger thing than normal). Also, I'm not working and I have a computer to pay for. I either need to find a job that is conducive to my writing/ride situation, or I need to find a way to make adequet money from home.

If everyone would just buy my books, though, that'd be awesome.

...

I think that's everything. Kendra out.

*falls off the car.*

Memory Monday - Castle Dodgeball

Can't for the life of me find a picture of any of the playground
equipment we used, but have this lovely carpool instead.

So Sarah wants to hear about my life. And that reminded me - Hey, I've been meaning to write about that game my sister and I used to play as kids.

It was called castle dodgeball. We made it up and spent COUNTLESS hours playing it.

Set-up was simple. First, you had to have two castles. Although, actually, only one of the castles we used was an actual castle. The other was just a plastic jungle gym/slide that had walls. (The castle was plastic, too, in case you were wondering. And only about four or five feet tall) You also needed at least four players, a ball, and something to mark the boundary that is easily moveable. We usually used a shovel.

We'd devide into two teams. Growing up, it'd be my sister (V) and her best friend (Cat) vrs. me and best friend's younger sister (Pony). One team member would be chosen to be the princess and would sit inside the castle - V would be her team's princess, while Pony was mine.

The boundary marker would be set at the halfway point, and this is where the game got complicated. The point system.

You see, with only two member on each team, the usual "you get hit, you're out" just didn't work. Instead, we had a complicated system of points that would determin how we moved the boundary marker.

For instance, if I were to hit Cat, I would move the shovel one width closer to her castle. However, if she were to catch the ball, it'd be moved towards mine. If I were to hit her castle, it'd be moved towards her castle, and if I got the ball INSIDE the castle, it'd be moved two widths. HOWEVER, if I hit V, it'd be moved two spaced back towards me.

We couldn't cross the boundary marker, so the more points I'd score would mean I could get closer to the other castle and have a better chance of getting even more points. The winner was whoever could get the shovel to the other person's castle.

It was a fun game. I don't know why it hasn't become a national sport by now.

Anywho, would you be interested in playing this game? What sort of games did you make up as a kid?

My Favorite Fairy Tales

Greetings and salutations everyone! I'm here today to talk about my favorite fairy tales. You may already know about some of them because of my Fairy Tale Commentaries, but you can never talk about fairy tales too much.

In no particular order:

The Little Good Mouse. Also known as "The Jolly King's Daughter" in the collection I first found it in, this is a rather unique fairy tale, involving a fairy who's best spell is turning herself into a mouse, a grumpy king and his son, and a beautiful princess who's kidnapped by the first fairy's rival. It's hard to sum this fairy tale up in a few words, so just go read it for yourself. (Also, it's a good story for when you're not in the mood for a romance, because the princess's love interest only appears in the last paragraph as a "Oh, by the way, she did get married so she could have a king." I'd love to see Disney make a movie out of this, because strong female protagonists right here.)

The Evil Enchanter. (I know Lang called it "Prince Narcissus and Princess Potentilla ... but I prefer "The Evil Enchanter better.) This is a fun story of a youngest-son prince under the protection of a fairy and in possession of a magic ring that turns him invisible but doesn't have the side affect of being consumed by the dark lord (which you would think would make this story less interesting, but it doesn't. Trust me, it doesn't). He uses the ring to spy on the daughter of a neighboring king who is rumored to be hideous, but the truth of the matter is that she's so breathtakingly beautiful that her very vain mother doesn't want her to be seen by anyone. Prince Narcissus falls in love with Lucetta (her name in the version I'm used to), but she also catches the eye of Grumadam, the Evil Enchanter.

The Golden Mermaid and The Golden Bird. These are two very similar tales that I love almost equally. For the first half of the fairy tale, they're identical, even, the only difference being that in the first, the young prince is helped by a talking wolf, and in the second, a talking golden fox. Their endings are similar, too. The biggest difference between the two stories is the third challenge the prince must face in order to capture the golden bird that has been eating his father's crops - in one, the prince is supposed to fetch the Golden Mermaid (which is accomplished by the wolf turning into a boat) and the other he's sent after the princess of the Golden Castle.

The White Cat, The Frog, The Frog Princess, and Puddocky, Four very similar tales that I love very much. "The White Cat" is a stand-out because it's the only one where the heroine is a cat, and "The Frog" stands out because it's the only one where the three brothers aren't princes competing for their father's throne. Puddocky also has some Rapunzel elements.

The Twelve Dancing Princesses (French Version). While the Grim version is good, there is a lack of depth to it. None of the princesses have any personality, the reason they dance is unclear, and there's no love between the soldier and the princess he marries. The French improves in every way, including presenting a completely different young man - Michael, or Stargazer, as he's called - a young cow-boy who is sent by a vision to the castle, giving personality to the youngest and eldest princesses - the youngest even gets a name, Lina - and having there be three trips down into the dance, rather than one.

Little One-Eye, Little Two-Eyes, and Little Three-Eyes, A Cinderella-esque tale that is hilariously unique. There are no words to describe it short of its title. Just go read it.

Casperl and the Princess. You might recognize this one from the Bookania Quests. That doesn't stop it from being my favorites.

Princess on the Glass Hill Another Cinderella-esque story, though in a genderswapped manner. And a challenge to climb a glass mountain instead of a ball. Horses instead of a fairy godmother. Golden apples instead of glass slippers. There is also a variant called "The Glass Mountain" that's sort of a cross between this story and the above "Casperl and the Princess."

Dorani A Fairy tale with elements from Cinderella and Rapunzel, this one is truly unique. And interesting.

Fairer-than-a-Fairy. Not only is that the most impractical name you could name your daughter, but indicating that your daughter is more beautiful than the fairies is downright dangerous. This story has elements of Rapunzel, Beauty and the Beast, and Sleeping Beauty, which should and does make for an awesome story - even if the logic occasionally leaves a bit to be desired. (But this is a fairy tale. What else can you expect?)

The Little Green Frog. I discovered this one while trying to hunt down the previous frog stories. This story, however, is more to the tune of "The Golden Bird" since it involves the prince seeking a bird for his father, and failing brilliantly to not wake up a castle as he sneaks out with a valuable. This one has a frog instead of a fox/wolf and the romantic plot is completely different. Also there are meddling fairies.

Felicia and the Pot of Pinks. Upon their father's death, the brother gets everything while the daughter only receives a ring and a pot of pinks. Brother (fittingly named Bruno) immediately becomes a jerk and does everything in his power to make his sister miserable. Except - gasp! - the chicken starts talking and reveals that they aren't truly siblings. And the cabbages talk, too. It's ... it's better than this, but ... just go read it.

Those are some of my favorite tales. So how many of these have you heard of before? What are some of your favorites? Doesn't fairy tale logic just make you want to laugh?

Swing by Alyssa's blog for an interview with Kimberley, and be sure to pick up some free books.

https://www.amazon.com/Sew-Quest-Bookania-Quests-Book-ebook/dp/B005G3ZFKG July 24th - July 28th

https://www.amazon.com/Prior-Quest-Bookania-Short-Stories-ebook/dp/B008HVZCWA? July 25th - July 29th

https://www.amazon.com/Woodcutter-Quince-Bookania-Short-Stories-ebook/dp/B00OYGVHP8? July 27th - July 31st

https://www.amazon.com/Take-This-Quest-Bookania-Quests-ebook/dp/B00CFDHFT4? July 28th - August 1st

LET'S START THE PARTY!!!

It's hard to believe that it's been nearly five years since I hit publish on Sew, It's a Quest, five years since I took the plunge into publication, a journey that has had its fair share of bumps and mistakes, but one I've never looked back from.

Regretted that I hadn't put Sew through more edits first, yes, but looked back from, no.

Anyway, hello, welcome to the party! If you'll just sit through a bit of me reminiscing, I'll get into some of the games and giveaways we'll be playing this week. Won't that be fun?

I'm also celebrating seven years of blogging, and since today is my actual blogoversary, I'm going to focus on that for this post. And, yes, I can't believe that it's been seven years over here, either.

I started this blog because I thought blogs were cool and I wanted to become famous. (I ... I may have had vanity problems.) I chose the name because I was really into knitting at the time and my mom insisted that it have a Biblical theme. (My first choice was LNG, after the fact that I collect Ladybugs, Nutcrackers, and Giraffes.) I don't knit as much anymore, but I've never had the audacity to change the name, and so it stays.

Over the last seven years, I have published 807 posts up to and including this one. My most prolific year was 2012 when I managed to publish 233 posts. Least prolific year was 2010 with 15 posts, half of them in December when I suddenly panicked and remembered that I had a blog and that I was supposed to be posting on the blog. My most prolific month of all time was September of 2012 with a staggering 42 posts. If I remember right, no I didn't post every day, but I did have days with multiple posts.

I have received 2,198 comments, which I suppose is low but (1), I'm not the most consistent about replying to comments (I try ... but sometimes I forget) and (2), I didn't receive my first comment until Valentine's Day of 2011 on this post.

(For the record, the BTH in BTH Patricia stood for "Back to Homeschool" which was an e-magazine for which I was a contributor for a while. If you're curious, you can check out the abandoned, but still functional website here.)

According to my stats page, the following are my most popular posts of all time. Personally, I think this list makes no sense ... but I wasn't the one doing all of the viewing.

What Does the Bible Say About Being Trustworthy - With over 1,300 views. It's an essay I wrote for school, then published one day when I was panicking because I thought my computer was going to die. Why it's my most popular, I have no idea, although variations of "what does the Bible say about trustworthiness" is my most popular search term outside of people purposefully searching for my blog.

What Does the Bible Have To Say About Not Being Trustworthy - This one has a more modest view count of around 700, but I still don't understand.

My WIP's Page - For some odd reason, I decided to publish my WIP's page as a post instead of an actual page (during September of 2012 when I was trying to break the world record of how many blog posts a person can post in a month). I understand why it's on this list (it is advertised right at the top of my blog), though I'd have thought it'd have a few more views than its 250.

About Andrew - There is quite a bit of Rizkaland on the list of "most popular" as you'll soon find out. But I have no idea why this one is the most popular. I wrote this one late at night, was in a rush, and well, I've written better posts. I also don't understand why the companion post I wrote for Clara didn't receive the same love...

Character Encounters - April 2015 - The only reason I can come up with for this particular encounter post to have been so popular was the fact that it was the post where I threatened to end Character encounters. I need to get back into those, but I haven't had the mental energy... (And it isn't as though I don't have good ideas...)

Cover Reveal - The King's Scrolls - Okay, so TKS is a pretty popular book. Still, I am mildly confused why a reveal for someone else's book is more popular than any of my own.

The Sob Story of My Life - Okay, I get this one. It's the one where I talked about my own life, and I left it as my top post for quite some time while I focused on school. It was a difficult post to write, and scary to post, but I received so much love from all of you, so thank-you. It meant a lot to me.

Who Wants to Party? - And I get this one, too. The introduction and information post for my Rizkaland party, sure, it'll be popular as much as I promoted it.

Let There Be Water and Fire - This was the cover reveal for Water Princess, Fire Prince. Okay. I'll buy it.

Influences of WPFP - And last but not least, we have one of the posts from WPFP's blog tour.  Why this particular post? I have no idea. People just really like hearing where I steal ideas, I guess.

I guess the moral of the story is that I don't understand what interests people. Maybe I should go back to writing essays about Trustworthiness, and I'll have the most popular blog in the world?

How about I dig through and find some of my favorite posts from the last seven years while I ponder this decision?

Rizkaland Q&A - At the Sports Center part 1 - If you've read Water Princess, Fire Prince, you need to read this. Someday I'll get around to the rest of the questions that you readers sent me...

My Favorite Couples - This year's Valentine's post where I talked about some of my favorite couples that I've written. Sweet list, that one.

A Post About Clara - This is not the companion to the aforementioned "About Andrew," this one is more of a companion to In Which I Talk About Robin. Both posts were in response to my lead ladies coming under some fire for their personalities, in which I explained why they acted as they did and let out some of their backstories. So if you've read WPFP or the Bookanias and just didn't get the main characters, do check out these posts and maybe you'll understand them a bit better?

Great Destiny - This was a bit of Rizkaland-themed flashfiction that I wrote for a link-up. Though not in this exact form, the scene did make it into Lady Dragon, Tela Du.

It's a Girl! - A Bookania flashfiction set after the bonus story at the end of My Kingdom for a Quest. If you haven't read Kingdom, well, spoilers, but for those of you who have ... well, it's a delightful little story and introduces my favorite character of all time.

Magic of Rizkaland - This is a post that I should probably set as a page like I did my WIP list because it is an important post. Basically, it's where I explained my magic system, both the specific one I created for Rizkaland, and the broader system that covers all of my books.

My Kingdom for a Name - A lot of people ask me where I get my names. Well, in this post I talked about how I named a good number of Bookania characters. I also promised a follow-up and never followed through. Maybe after I publish a few more books...

Dragons in my Writing - If you're curious about how I include dragons in almost every book I've written/plotted, well, this is the post for you.

Beautiful People: Kendra Edition - Beautiful People is a linkup where you're supposed to answer questions about characters. This particular one was questions about yourself. And for some reason I let one of my characters answer the questions. I let Maryanne get away with way too much...

Christmas Around My Imagination - A Christmas post similar to the dragon one, where I talk about Christmas-like holidays instead. Some of them are very different from Christmas. Many are combined with New Years because I'm Efficient like that.

Let It Go - Rocks Edition - I can't sing, but I love rewriting songs. After one of my readers pointed out some similarities between Roxanne, the Main Character of HaV Academy and Elsa from Frozen, I just had to write this.

Cliche with Kendra: Prophecies - I love cliches, but only if they're done right. This was supposed to be the start of a series where I talked about how to do various cliches correctly. Still, there are some good thoughts in this one. You may enjoy it.

CE Narnia - Jakob - For some reason, this is one of my favorite CEs. Jakob is such a sweet fellow.

The Elving - This was a story game my sister and I did as kids. It was ... interesting.

CE Roof - Maryanne - Another of my favorite CEs. I was really down when I wrote this one, and Maryanne gave me a bit of a talking-to. Ah, fun times.

Jelly Donuts and the Great Feud - This was another flashfiction written for a linkup, though not the same as Great Destiny's. While the plays on words are unfortunately inaccurate for the worldbuilding I've since done with the world of this story, it was a blast to write, and I'm told a blast to read.

CE Kitchen - Push Au Kim - Another CE. Oh, Push.

Hair Sisters - This bit of flashfiction was supposed to be a start of a series of flashfic based on my random inspiration pins. Subsequent stories never happened, but this is a sweet bit of backstory about Robin and Meg.

Tigerlilly at Christmas - This was the first story of any substance that I ever finished. Kinda cute. Kinda bang my head against the wall with "what was I thinking..."

Sleepover with Clara - This isn't an official Character Encounter, but it was something in the same vein where I talked with Clara about the books on my bookshelf. And why she didn't want to like Andrew. Good times.

Tips from a Young Writer - "There are Two Moons in the Sky!" - This was one of the last of a long series of posts of posts about writing. This particular one was about the physics of worldbuilding. I followed it up with one about nature but never did finish the one about culture that was supposed to finish that particular trilogy of posts.

Casperl and the Princess - Since I had only ever found this particular fairy tale in two or three books and nowhere online, I needed somewhere to point readers if they wanted to know the real story behind Casperl and Doranna. This is the fairy tale I retold for Woodcutter Quince, by the by.

Fan Art - This one is exactly what it sounds like. Fan art by my readers. I have such talented little readers.

Memory Monday - Just Tryin' to Help - This is a walk even further down memory lane to when I was a very young child.

The Enchanted Deer - I probably could have filled this whole list with my Fairy Tale Commentaries, but I chose to limit it to the first one I did. I have a blast writing these, and wish I had the time to write more.

Gawain and Lancelot and the Golden Knight - I wrote this for school. The title pretty much sums it up. It was very interesting.

Down in a Manger - Another example of me rewriting songs. This time, I rewrote "Up on a Housetop" so it's about the Real Reason for the Season.

For Me - A poem I wrote that I was very proud of. Still am, by the way.

The Case of My Missing Feet - One of my first posts. This one was fun. Even more fun to dig the holes and bury my feet.

Coaster Night at Church - And finally, the first post I ever wrote. Has to be good, I guess.

So, still with me? I promised you some stuff about prizes and such, so here we go.

There is a giveaway going on during this party, the prize being a full ebook collection of my books, including LDTD, and three unfinished stories of your choice from my documents folder.

Ways to enter:

Review my books. Already written reviews DO count. Reviews for the Bookania short stories are double points, and reviews for the three main books are triple points. Standard rules of "extra points for each location you post your review" and "email me with a list of the links to ALL of your reviews so I can count them" apply.

Take part in LDTD's cover reveal. I'll probably be closing the sign-up tomorrow, so if you haven't signed up yet, do it now. Giving up your blog for this purpose will earn you five points

Comments. You'll earn points for each comment you leave on any post posted during this tour, (1 point per comment). This includes the posts on other people's blogs. You can also get points for commenting on any backpost with the Bookania or Fairy Tales labels, or by commenting on any of the posts that I have linked above. For commenting on the Author's Commentary posts for Sew, It's a Quest, you will earn a point per question answered.

Participating in the various games and challenges. I'll give you details as I post the various games and challenges.

Speaking of posts on other people's blogs, Agatha is being interviewed by TomWildRose on her blog today.

Last but not least, this would not be one of my parties without free books. I have a number of my stories lined up to be free this week. I won't tell you which ones, but today we're starting out with Sew, It's a Quest. So swing over to Amazon and get yourself a copy if you don't have one already. And then leave a review so you can get points for it.

Stuff I Tossed

I’ve been working on Rizkaland for ten years, and it represents a good deal of my writing journey. It’s also represents most of the “Crazy Ideas that I Cut.” Sure, there have been bad ideas that have gone through some of my other books, but none as insane as Rizkaland.

Nerissa. I’ve talked about Nerissa, Clara’s doll before. But she still remains one of my great examples of “stuff I cut.” In short, she was a magic doll that Clara received in lieu of the sword she has now, and she could use it as a second pair of eyes. She lasted a year or two, but was gone before I finally actually got to the scene where Clara and Andrew met. I was sad to see her go, as she was a neat idea, and I had spent several hours one night searching for the perfect name for her, but she just didn’t belong to Rizkaland.

Sandra. Before I had Laura, I had Sandra Elizabeth Nedor and Jinalie Maybella Tunsut, two beings of a four-dimensional race called the Kentalidayi. Sandra was going to be my pen name. Neither could be harmed by anything three dimensional. They both had really long hair. I enjoyed working with them, but I eventually cut them because they were getting too weird and making my head hurt.

The Weed Scene. This only made it through one draft – the first draft I finished, incidentally. It was a scene in then-entitled The Giraffe and the Dragon in which the Dragon sent a field of weeds to impede Petra, Edna, Lulu, and Ashna’s journey to the Iron Noose. It involved pulling weeds, ants, lions, and hemp jewelry, and was inspired by the long hours I spent pulling weeds as a kid.

The Iron Noose. Actually, I’m somewhat proud of this, and I only cut it because it made the book too similar to LWW. Basically, it’s what I had in exchange for the Stone Table, and it was literally a hangman’s noose made of iron. The Dragon had to breath fire on it to make it useable. It was going to turn into normal rope after Jeptha’s sacrifice, and then mice would chew through it. It was awesome.

The Engagement Aura. This … this was a part of the deleted draft 4.5 of book two. Basically, in Rizkaland people who were engaged had an aura about them that other engage-ees could see. It was weird. After I deleted that draft, I never considered it again.

And … there was probably more stuff. If I think of more, I’ll come back and add it!

Also, I'd just like to say that I'll be putting together the fanart post in an hour or two, so if you plan to submit artwork, hurry up and send it!