Beautiful Lands - Dron

Anne-girl is holding a Writer's Conference over at Scribblings of my pen and tappings of my keyboard! And for the first workshop, we've been instructed to dig into the Beautiful People archives, and answer the questions based on your fictional country. 

For this and to help get me in the mood for NaNo (which I hope to participate in and add another 50K words onto Children of a Legend), I've chosen Dron, the fictional country in my story CoaL. 

There aren't any big cities located in the
mountains, but this picture just looks
very Dron to me with its gray landscape.

What is their biggest accomplishment? Dron's biggest accomplishment is probably that of having a mostly united country. It's a rather large country, having both plains and prairies and mountains and cliffs, and the people tend to be diverse, but the government is strong. For the most part, everyone living in Dron recognizes the rule of the king/lord in the capitol city, Marndid. Note I said "for the most part."

What is one of their strongest childhood memories? Dron has many memories, the strongest being mostly of the Dragon Tamer. It wasn't that long ago from the present day that the Dragon Tamer first rose up in opposition against the iron rule of Lord Vernd. The many battles that came out of that opposition the land remembers too well. The people, encouraged by Lord Vernd, forget the fighting and the dragons that stayed at the Tamer's side, but there are those who have not completely forgotten those times. 

What is their favorite food? Dron, because of its many peoples, has a diversity of foods. While many struggle to put even the smallest amount of it on their tables, not many people see it as their main love. Food is for survival, not for recreation. However, food is to be enjoyed, so the quality of each meal tends to be high.

Do they believe in love at first sight? Dron isn't romantic; I would not recommend it as a possible honeymoon location. Is love at first sight possible? Yes, but not many people would be looking for it when they were struggling to fight and survive.

What kind of home do they live in? Everything ranging from farmhouses, tiny hovels, stone town homes, and old manors and castles. 

What do they like to wear? Dron's plains tend to be warmer, while the mountain regions harbor freezing chills that scare away its inhabitants. In the prairies, plain clothing suited for work and living is handed down from one person to another, mended whenever a hole appears in the weave, and covered over with vests and jackets of leather. In the mountains, very, very few people stay to brave the cold, but their clothing would be more fur to keep them warm.

What would they do if they discovered they were dying? If Dron died, the land would be devastated from wars, ruined beyond any hope of recovery. The animals would flee the country in search of better living, and the people wouldn't be long behind in following. 

What kind of holidays, or traditions do they celebrate? I actually haven't assigned any holidays to Dron... currently. I have thoughts for a few special days and traditions in the works, but I haven't written about any of them... yet. But Lord Vernd would definitely support a holiday as long as it was in his favor and gave him a positive boost among the people.

What do your other characters have to say about them? Dron doesn't think much of the countries around her. Indeed, there aren't that many around her at all. Dron is located on a peninsula with maybe one or two smaller countries located where she touches the mainland. Because Dron is so large, her neighbors feel that it is safer to ignore her, unless doing so jeopardizes their own safety.  

If they could change one thing in their world, what would it be? The unrest. With the Dragon Tamer's location and status unknown, Lord Vernd is anxious to find the Tamer and be rid of him. The peasants are tired of the iron hand that pushes down on top of them, forcing them to give up most of their work to Vernd. Dron may look peaceful on the surface, but underneath lies a thick layer of unrest.

God bless!

All About Elevensies

I've been tagged by Nessima Tavariel! And this is a tag all about elevensies. If you don't believe me, read the rules.

Rules
- If you are tagged/nominated, you must post eleven facts about yourself.

- Then, you must answer the eleven questions the tagger has given you and make eleven questions for the people you are going to tag.

- Next, tag eleven more bloggers.

- Tell the people you tagged that you have tagged them.

- No tagging back

See? Lots of elvensies. 

~ My Random Facts ~

1. Music is one of the biggest factors in my analysis of movies. If the music isn't good, I don't like the movie. If the music is amazing, I tend to love that movie. Hence, why I like HTTYD so much. There are some parts in the script that could have been left out, but the music (with the exception of the end credits song) is fantastic!

2. I know some of you may not want to hear this one, but I am NOT a fan of Doctor Who. Really. I mean, come on, a doctor that gets reincarnated every decade or so? Don't you find that a little weird? 

3. I'm not a big clothes person. I like to wear modest and comfortable, even though what I'm wearing might have been in style 10 years ago. I usually don't keep up with the latest fashion craze.

4. And on that note, I'm also not a big shoe person. I prefer barefeet over everything. Heels must be at most 2 inches high and thick. Those spindle heels, frankly, just scare me.

5. I love jello. Totally epic win!

6. Glitter is my worst enemy. Especially when I unknowingly pick up something with glitter on it and then later find glitter all over my hands, face, clothes, etc.

7. I am extremely sad that the New York Yankees didn't make it into the World Series this year. Guess #28 will have to wait...

8. I love ponchos!

9. I'm nearsighted. I used to have glasses that I had to wear while watching TV from across the room, during church, (i.e. any time I had to see long distances), but was told recently that my eyes have somewhat improved so I don't need to wear them anymore. 

10. I'm 19 years old and I still don't have a driver's license. But I'm not worried about it. Right now, there's nothing I need a car for.

11. Being allergic to chocolate isn't so bad most of the time, but the toughest time to have that allergy is at Christmas, when everyone starts baking scrumptious, chocolaty treats. Let me tell you... I really, really miss eating white chocolate covered Oreos with crushed peppermint on top.

~ Questions from Nessima ~

1. If you lived in Middle-earth, what would you most likely be employed as (i.e. stable hand in Rohan, musician for the elves of Lothlorien, Ranger of Ithilien, a baker in Hobbiton, librarian in Minas Tirith, etc, etc, etc...)? Although all of those jobs sound amazing, I would most likely end up as a musician in Lothlorien. I love music and I love elves, so that works out perfectly. 

2. You're sent to Mordor to destroy the Ring; you can take with you anyone you want, real or fictional.  Who is it? I don't think that I could pick out a better fellowship than the one Tolkien picked out for Frodo. Well, maybe I'd change a few characters, so here's a list: Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Eowyn, and Faramir from LOTR; probably some of the Pevensies from Narnia, as well as Reepicheep; my siblings and cousins would want to come along whether I would want them to or not (which I would want them to join me); there's a whole lot more I could add to this list, but it's already way too long. So much for going inconspicuously. 

3. If Tolkien had bothered to write you into LOTR as a member of The Fellowship, how long would you have survived? I would flatter myself to think that I would have survived until the very end, but I doubt my skill as a warrior. I would end up being one of those loved characters who died in Helm's Deep or Pelennor Fields after the battle, surrounded by dear friends. 

4. Which of the swords in LOTR would you most like to own? All of them! Oh, I can only pick one? Dash it all! Fine. Legolas's elven knives. 

5. On a scale of 1 to 10, how excited are you for The Hobbit? Ummm.... 10!!!!!!!! But I have to wait for it to come out on DVD before I can watch it. 

6. What is a particularly odd skill you possess? I can whistle really loud. Can that be an odd skill?

7. If you could be in an episode of any TV show, which one would it be? If we're talking all TV shows, then I'd choose one like Little Dorrit, because it is, in fact, a TV show. If we're going to American TV shows, I'd go with... I really don't know. My family doesn't have television so I don't watch shows much. Maybe Andy Griffith...

8. Why is a raven like a writing desk? Purple, because aliens wear hats.

9. What's the last book you read?  Was it Good?  Not so good?  A Tale of Two Cities by Chalres Dickens. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't my favorite Dickens. Sorry, guys.

10. What are some words that people often use to describe you with? Quiet, clever, talented, a hard nut to crack, fun... and no, I'm not making these up. I've heard them all and more I can't remember. 

11. Something(s) you just really hate?  Go on.  Rant. Oh, I hate/despise/detest/dislike a lot of things. But I don't usually rant about them. Like...
Harry Potter.
Boston Red Sox.
Music that's noise, not music.
Hunger Games.
Short skirts.
Off-color remarks in movies.
Hot climates.
Eggplant... it's kinda gross.
Flirting.
Raw onions.
Hot peppers... especially when the oil gets in my eyes.
Dirty tissues on the floor.
Having a headache.
And so on...

~ My eleven questions ~ 

1. What is your third favorite color?

2. If you could rewrite any scene from any book, which one would it be and why?

3. Would you rather live in a old palace, a cottage in the woods, a pirate ship, or a underground burrow?

4. How do you pronounce the word "often?" Off-ten? Or Off-fen?

5. What is your favorite holiday film?

6. If you had a book (any book including a cookbook or a research book) published, what would be featured on the cover?

7. Where would your dream home be located?

8. If there was no such thing as tea or coffee in this world, what hot drink(s) would you consume?

9. What one song describes your life/day/mood? 

10. Peanut butter cookies, snickerdoodles, or gingerbread men?

11. What is something you absolutely love right now?

~ Who I tag ~
Beth Grace
Jessa Bri
Kathryn
Miss Melody
Amy Dashwood
Kristin
Miss Elizabeth
Kendra
Hayden
Aidyl Ewoh
Marissa
God bless!

Writing Tag Of Phenomenal Dimensions

I discovered this writing tag recently over at Kendra's blog and then followed the link back to Anne-girl's blog and then again followed the link back to Jessica's blog. After reading all three posts in full (yes, I said "in full" and yes, I know there's 75 questions in this tag, so there's your phenomenal dimensions), I knew I was hooked and had to fill it out for myself. 

I thought about doing it for multiple stories, but then decided that it would be enough just to focus on Children of a Legend, so all the questions are based on that story. If I feel like it later, maybe I'll do it again for another story. Maybe. :)

So, let's begin!

1. What’s your word count? Currently stands at 102,028 words.

2. How long until you finish? I have no idea. I would like to finish the first rough draft before New Years, but I'm not sure how that's gonna go considering how much more of the story there's still left to write.

3. If you have finished, how long did it take you? Far from finished, my friends! I began writing Children of a Legend back in April of this year, and we'll see how long it will take to finish it.

4. Do you have an outline? Not organized with all the details, but I have a page of plot written down and I know where I'm going. For the most part.

5. Do you have a plot? Yep. Didn't you read that last question about my writing an entire page of plot out?

6. How many words do you typically write a day? On a typical day? Honestly, hardly any. I've really only worked on it during my two NaNo challenges, and averaged about 1700-2000 words per day for that. 

7. What was your greatest word count in one day? 3,076. Not a lot, I realize, but that's a lot to me when I was averaging 2,000 words a day back in June. 

8. What was your least impressive word count in one day? To repeat Anne-girl: 0. Real impressive, right?

9. What inspired you to write? What inspired me to write? A love of words and writing in general. What inspired me to write this story? A combination of a kid's movie that my family watched and a dream I had later halfway based on that movie. Crazy, huh?

10. Does your novel have a theme song? The song that plays endlessly through my head is Forbidden Friendship from HTTYD.

11. Assign each of your major characters a theme song. Is it wrong to assign them all from the HTTYD CD? I really like that CD, and each song fits almost perfectly into the personality of each character.
Davin: Forbidden Friendship
Brice: See You Tomorrow
Rayne: Coming Back Around
Grant: Test Flight
etc. etc. I can't give up all my characters!

12. Which character is most like you? Hmm... that's tough. Probably Davin. Even though he's a boy, I can see some of my characteristics coming out in him.

13. Which character would you most likely be friends with? All of them! Well, almost all of them. I don't know that I would want to be friends with Lord Vernd, Mal Sorcell, Krunnerus, and those like them, but I would definitely want to know Davin and his group.

14. Do you have a Gary-Stu or Mary Sue character? I'm lost... what?

15. Who is your favorite character in your novel? Bricentus Holloman!

16. Have your characters ever done something completely unexpected? Yes! Brice did something I hadn't expected him to do, and Rayne walked onto the pages of the story with ah... something that I hadn't even planned on giving her. 

17. Have you based any of your novel directly on personal experiences? Again... yes.

18. Do you believe in plot bunnies? I like plot bunnies! :)

19. Is there magic in your novel? No.

20. Are any holidays celebrated in your novel? I really haven't thought of holidays. Hmm... I should try to incorporate something like that.

21. Does anyone die? Umm... yes. I won't give you any names, but there is death. I have battles and fights and wars... death is unavoidable. 

22. How many cups of coffee/tea have you consumed during your writing experience? I drink neither coffee nor tea. I find both rather disgusting and leave my warm liquid consumption to only hot lemonade and hot apple cider. 

23. What is the latest you have stayed up writing? Just past midnight, so if you wanted a specific time that would be about 12:30 or so. 

24. What is the best line? Best written line? If Davin had known the reason for his father's apprehension, if he had interpreted his hesitation differently, if he had only a small glimpse of reality and what lay before them, he would have wished the road to  town to continue endlessly without ever reaching a destination. Or best happiest line? Rayne's chin trembled, though her happy expression never wavered. “I've waited so long for this day, Davin. I can't believe you're finally here! My brother! My own, dear brother!” She stepped forward and wrapped him in a warm embrace. Davin returned the gesture, letting his tears flow unbidden onto Rayne's shoulder.

25. What is the saddest line? And sliding down the side of the door, Davin lay in a heap on the floor and finally allowed his body to succumb to the sobs he could no longer hold back. -- Not necessarily sad just read like that, but it's a big part of the story. 

26. Have you dreamed about your novel or its characters? I dreamed about them before I began the story, but I haven't dreamed about them since I began writing. 

27. Does your novel rely heavily on allegory? Not heavily, but there is some allegory involved in the sense that I have ideas, subplots, etc. based on a famous biblical story. Which one? Oh, fine, I'll tell you: Joshua.

28. Summarize your novel in under fifteen words. "Believing a legend is one thing. Becoming the son of a legend is something totally different." That's the summary I wrote for CoaL on my stories page, and yes!! I know it's 16 words, but that really doesn't matter, right?

29. Do you love all your characters? I love writing about them. I love imagining them and then following them on their adventures. I love relishing feelings of sympathy, dislike, etc. for them. Do I love each one like a sibling or friend? No, not really. 

30. Have you done something sadistic or cruel to your characters specifically to increase your word count? *ahem* Yes. Guilty. 

31. What was the last thing your main character ate?  I'm not exactly sure what Davin ate last. He didn't tell me. But I can say that currently, Davin is at a table awaiting a fine meal of chicken and dumplings at an inn in Yartella. 

32. Describe your main character in three words. Davin in three words? Hmm... Dragon Tamer's son. Three words? See? Fine. Three other words: selfless, dedicated, and worried.

33. What would your antagonist dress up as for Halloween? I don't celebrate Halloween, so I doubt any of my characters would either. 

34. Does anyone in your story go to a place of worship? Davin worships the one true God of Dron, but I don't think I've written about him worshiping in a specific place.

35. How many romantic relationships take place in your novel? I'm not much on romance, especially writing about it, but somehow I can't help it. Two of my characters decide they're perfect for each other and tell me they're going to get married, whether I want them to or not. I can't control my characters. I really don't write about romance, but I can't stop the relationships forming against my better judgement. How many relationships? At the moment, there are one or two that I'm aware of or have suspicions of.

36. Are there any explosions in your novel? Explosions... hmm... none right now, but maybe. 

37. Is there an apocalypse in your novel? No.

38. Does your novel take place in a post-apocalyptic world? No.

39. Are there zombies, vampires or werewolves in your novel? Big NO!

40. Are there witches, wizards or mythological creatures/figures in your novel? Nope.

41. Is anyone reincarnated? No, I don't believe in reincarnation.

42. Is anyone physically ailed? Yes.

43. Is anyone mentally ill? No one that I'm aware of. But there could be. Someone waltzed in and told me he/she was blind, so someone could just as easily waltz in and tell me that they're mentally not all there. It's very possible. 

44. Does anyone have swine flu? I don't think they even know what swine flu is. Someone does get Pepper's fever, though. When I write fantasy, I tend to make up my own illnesses. 

45. Who has pets in your novel and what are they? The six children of the Tamer all have a dragon. Since the dragons themselves don't really give anything away, I'll give you their names: Pennar Greenspike, Scarlet Broadwing, Borlo Goldtalon, Netsrik Firehorn, Azulla Clawbane, and Quinessa Violettail. Other dragons include Essore Midnight, Hreg Bloodson, Silver Airress, and Cren Bluepaw. You're allowed to guess what color each of the dragons are. 

46. Are there angels, demons, or any religious references/figures in your novel? No, unless you count the references to the specific Bible story that I mentioned before. 

47. How about political figures? Yes.

48. Is there incessant drinking? No, not incessant drinking. There is some consumption of alcohol, but it is always viewed in a bad light.

49. Are there board games? If so, which ones? Don't know. Most of my characters don't have time to play board games. Maybe I should invent one.

50. Are there any dream sequences? None that I know of at the moment, but that doesn't mean there won't be one. I don't usually plan dream sequences; they tend to sneak up on me.

51. Is there humor? Oh, yes!

52. Is there tragedy? Yup.

53. Does anyone have a temper tantrum? I haven't written any tantrums yet, but I know of one or two characters who might have a tantrum later on.

54. How many characters end up married at the end of your novel? I can't tell. I know at least one person will end up married whether I want them to or not, but other than that, who knows?

55. Is anyone in your novel adopted? In a weird sense, yes. It's complicated.

56. Does anyone in your novel wear glasses? Not any main characters, but I may have written in some minor characters at a university as having glasses.

57. Has your novel provided insight about your life? I think so.

58. Your personality? Umm... probably yes again.

59. Has your novel inspired anyone? Maybe... 

60. How many people have asked to read your novel? Quite a few actually. I've had a bunch of volunteer editors.

61. Have you drawn any of your characters? No! I'm a terrible artist!

62. Has anyone drawn your characters for you? No.

63. Does anyone vomit in your novels? Yes.

64. Does anyone bleed in your novel? Um, a fantasy book with battles and journeys? Yes!

65. Do any of your characters watch TV? They know not the meaning of this word "TV."

66. What size shoe does your main character wear? Davin? I would imagine he's about the same size as my dad: 9.

67. Do any of the characters in your novel use a computer? Nope. Why would fantasy characters in a medieval world use a computer?

68. How would you react if your novel was erased entirely? Cry. A lot. But do my best to trust that God had a reason for it.

69. Did you cry at killing off any of your characters? Let's just say I haven't cried yet.

70. Did you cheer when killing off one of your characters? Nope. Haven't killed any of those kind yet.

71. What advice would you give to a fellow writer? Write. Repeat. You can only get better with practice.

72. Describe your ending in three words. Dramatic, intense, and magnificent. I hope. I haven't written it yet, so we'll see.

73. Are there any love triangles, squares, hexagons, etc.? None that I know of. I would guess probably not, but then again, I'm not in control of my characters. 

74. On a scale of 1-10 (1 being the least stressful, 10 being the most) how does your stress rank? While I'm writing... I'm only really stressed if I'm doing NaNo and my word count is behind. I get frustrated sometimes when I can't get a sentence or paragraph to sound the way I want it to sound.

75. Was it worth it? Was what worth it? Filling out this tag? Yes, it was fun. I love tags. Writing CoaL? I love writing it now, and one day I hope that it will be well worth the effort and time I put into it.

Thank you all of you who made it all the way to end! Aw, you're welcome! :)

God bless!

October Snippets

It's October and time once again to link up with Katie for Snippets! I really didn't do any writing this month/last month, so I'm going back into my archives and pulling out a few tidbits of a story I haven't spoken much of. I've got a board on Pinterest already started for it, but that hasn't gone very far yet. 

Ahem! Anywho... here you go! Snippets from The Masked Pianist...

“Jencie! Where are you?” A little girl's voice broke the quiet of the frosty autumn morning. “Jencie! I want you to come and play with me!”

The owner of the voice peeked around the corner of the stable, her untamed brown curls bouncing everywhere. Her energetic eyes penetrated the dark corners of the stable as she searched for her older sister. When the building proved to hold no sign of life save for the a cow standing bored and alone in its stall, the little girl's shoulders dropped.

“Where in Darancia is Jencie?”

In a small, well-hidden fort carefully constructed the middle of the woods, eleven-year-old Jencie leaned closer to see what was in her brother's hand. “What is it?”

Tay slowly pulled his fingers back to reveal a small bug with a black and brown mottled exoskeleton and long antennae. “It's a killer ground beetle.” His voice was low and mysterious. “If one of their poisonous antennas so much as brushes against your skin, you will instantly die.”

Jencie lifted an eyebrow. “Then why aren't you dead? You're holding it.”

 “Whose horses are these?” Jencie reached out to scratch the closest mare's nose. “They're beautiful!” When Tay didn't answer, she glanced at him quizzically. His smile had turned sour, and that told Jencie everything she needed to know.

“Oh.” Her hand dropped against her side. There was only one owner who could have such perfectly matched horses to pull a carriage.

Tay nodded. “Watch your step.” He warned, turning away to take the horses to an empty stall.

An enormous fireplace took up most of one wall, and its fire bathed the room with a warm glow. The fireplace was the Lady Adelaide's most popular attraction. It was wide enough to be three fireplaces, but it was sectioned to look like two. A small wall stood directly in the middle, holding up the heavy stones of the broad mantelpiece and chimneys. Little Piper loved having flowers on the mantelpiece, and Anliessa always obliged her daughter by decorating the shelf with vases of red roses.

At a table in the corner, Jencie's father was meticulously pouring a gleaming glass of cider for a plump lady decked in jewels and covered in satin. An old man sat next to her, and while his simple attire was impeccable, it was dull compared to the clothing of his companion.

The lady's gray hair had been powdered white, and it climbed into a mammoth pile of twists on top of her head. Piercing eyes glinted beneath perfectly curled lashes, and her mouth curved downwards in a frown as she surveyed the room. Her spot in the corner gave her the greatest vantage point to see everyone without having the chore of turning her head to unladylike angles.

Jencie's heart fell, and she ducked under the windowsill before the lady's piercing eyes could spot her. She had found the owner of the perfectly matched chestnut team. It was her grandmother, Lady Crissabella. 

Character Encounters - Ahmis

Kendra of Knitted By God's Plan is hosting a fun, monthly link-up called Character Encounters! If you want to know what it's all about, I suggest you hop on over her blog and check it out!

I hope you don't mind, Kendra, but I went ahead and made a button to accompany my post. :)



The library doors swing open noiselessly, just as they always do. Doors that open to adventure never squeak or moan. They know too much stands beyond their position to dare speak to those who pass through them, lest they break the spell of silence that holds the building captive. 

I take a deep breath and swallow the delicious odor of books. It's my favorite smell in the world, musty, promising, and serene, with just the tiniest hint of what I believe to be vinegar. The library entrance always smells like vinegar. Why, I can only guess. Perhaps the librarian spilled the dressing for her salad at lunch.

I skim quickly past the shelves near the front of the library, knowing them to contain books of trivial interests and modern philosophies. The shelf I want is near the back, holding the classics that no one now really wants to read. 

When I round the corner, I nearly run into a young man about my age with short hair in a shade much lighter than my own. He stumbles backwards and fumbles to maintain his hold on the pile of books under his arm.

I can feel my cheeks turning red as I begin to apologize. Mom has always warned me to watch where I'm going. "Oh! I'm..." 

He flings up a thin hand. "No, no, please. It's my fault. I do hope you aren't hurt."

I didn't realize this until I came across this picture,
but this is Ahmis. Hair and everything.

"I'm fine." My words slur together as my eyes fall from his face and take in his strange attire. Instead of the T-shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes that the majority of boys wear, this young man has a leather vest over a linen shirt of excellent quality, breeches, and black boots that cover his leg to the knee. The wardrobe is one that I would give in a heartbeat to any of my male characters, especially my favorite male characters, but it strikes me as odd to see such dress in this century. A question forms on my lips, but I'm not certain how to frame it. "Are you...?"

His eyebrows lift slightly, more clearly showing his brilliant blue eyes. "Oh, I'm Ahmis."

If I had no control over my facial features, I am positive my jaw would have dropped from its hinges and tumbled embarrassingly to the floor. "Ahmis?" I could hardly hear my own voice over the beating of my heart. What is happening here? It can't be...

Ahmis looks uncomfortable. "Um, yes, I am Ahmis. May I ask for your name so that I might properly apologize for almost bowling you over?"

"Wait!" I close my eyes and try to sort my thoughts out of the tangled mess into which they've been thrown. "Not Ahmis of Libstotten?"

Ahmis nods slowly. "Yes, I hail from Libstotten."

The odds are too much. It has to be him. "Ahmis, the toast of Stylo University?" 

He blushes and looks down at the dozen volumes tucked in his arms. "Well, I wouldn't know about that."

"Wow." The word whistles through my teeth as though it were just part of a normal breath. Although as a writer I have been accused of talking to my characters as though they were real, never before had I expected to see one of them standing directly in front of me. Perhaps my imagination now has grown so strong that the unbelievable has begun to happen. 

"Excuse me, but do you frequent this building a lot?" Ahmis seems anxious to throw the topic of our conversation away from himself, just as I know he would want to. "I am looking for some new reading material, but I cannot seem to find what I would wish to find." He pulls a book from his stack and displays the cover to me. 

I grimace. I hope that I made a character better than the one pictured on the book. At the least, Ahmis shouldn't read that. 

"Put that back." I fold my arms resolutely across my chest. "I'll show you what shelves at which to look. I have a feeling I know exactly what kind of books you're looking for."


God bless!

Just Because Tag

I've been tagged! Rose M. of The Golden Road has tagged me in a fun, getting-to-know-you, just because tag! I love tags! 

1. Coffee or Tea? Really? Neither. I don't really care for either. I drink tea only when it's absolutely necessary that I must (i.e. a life or death situation) and I've had coffee only once and immediately surmised that the smell is way better than the taste. 
2. You win a thousand dollars!  What would be something fun that you do with it? A thousand dollars? What would I do with it? Hmm... I don't know. I've never had a thousand dollars before. Realistically, I would probably save the money for the future or give it to my parents, but Rose said something fun, so... my something fun would be to spend it all on books, piano music, a penny-whistle (I've always wanted to play one of those!), and more books!
3. You're given the opportunity for the lead part in a play.  Would you take it? Probably. I like acting, and have had the opportunity to act only on the home stage with small productions done with cousins. 
4. Would you rather sing, play an instrument, or listen? All three, please? Fine, I'll choose one. I think that out of all of them I'd pick playing an instrument. I love playing the piano and flute, and I was just recently given an old xylophone. Sure, it's missing two keys and is only four octaves long, but I love it!
5. Are you more of a chit-chat person?  Or sporty? I'd say more sporty than chit-chat. I'm not a big talker. But I love playing baseball!
6. Did you ever have an unrealistic dream as a child?  If so, what was it? The most unrealistic (emphasis on unrealistic) dream I had as a child would have been to become the first girl to play for the New York Yankees. Yeah, extremely unrealistic, and now as I look back on it, quite impossible, too, as I believe girls shouldn't play in the MLB. They're not allowed to, anyway.
7. Have you fulfilled any of the dreams that you had as a child?  If so, what where were they? I've learned to sew on a real sewing machine; I've learned to play the piano and flute; I've learned to knit; I've learned to put my hair up with only a pencil; etc.
8. What's that one place in the world that you've always wanted to visit? So many places! If I had to pick just one, I'd like to go visit the Rocky Mountains. My cousin Captain Oblivious just went to Montana and visited Glacier National Park and the pictures were amazing! Snow and mountains! Can it get better than that?
9. What book character do you always find yourself imitating? I imitate characters? I can't think of any character right off the top of my head that I see I'm like, but I imitate a lot of characters. Cyril Keith from the Life of Faith Millie series is one. Well, we quote him mostly. Well recently, I got to take part in a game of Human Clue, and I had a lot of fun acting out Sherlock Holmes. And you know what? When you seriously act like you know exactly what you're doing and you have a question for everything, it really impresses people. :)
10. What's your favorite season?  Why? Whichever one I'm currently in! Actually, my absolute favorite might be winter... or autumn... hmm...
11. What are some of your favorite blogs to read? Yet Another Period Drama Blog, Life Of A Michigan Homeschooler, The Musings of Me, Myself, And I... And Other Such Fantastical Nonsense, Hidden Orchards, Scribblings of my pen and tappings of my keyboard, The Inkpen Authoress, etc. etc. You can look on my blog list on the sidebar for all the lovely blogs I read.
12. How long have you been blogging? Since March 21, 2012. And yes, Rose, I had to look the date up, too. :)

Okey dokey.  And then the rules are:

1. Answer the questions. 
          Done.

2. If you wouldn't mind mentioning my blog, The Golden Road, and the person who tagged you, that would be lovely.
          Done!

3. Tag 5 to 10 people and let them know you tagged them.
          Beth Grace
          Jessa Bri
          Amy Dashwood
          Miss Melody
          Kendra
          Rachel

Anyone I didn't tag but would like to fill this tag out, feel free to snag the questions and post them on your own blog!

God bless!

One Hundredth Post!

Happy, Happy, Happy, Happy, Happy, Happy, Happy ONE HUNDREDTH POST!

1. And to celebrate, I'm posting one hundred things. 

2. That one counted as number one.

3. And because it counted as number one, I now have less things to think of.

4. Okay, fine! I'll start writing real things (and I said "things" not "facts" so be prepared for the random).

5. Right after I have a good laugh. 

6. To start off, Lianne Taimenlore has 37 followers. 

7. I love you guys!! 

8. Thank you all the way to the moon and back!

9. Consider each and every one of you cyber-hugged.

10. And throw some virtual confetti around. 

11. Every celebration is better than confetti.

12. And cake!

13. But unfortunately, cyber cake doesn't taste very good.

14. Unless it's off Pinterest.

15. And yes, I'm on Pinterest now. 

16. If you were followed by a certain Kiri Liz on Pinterest, know that it's me. :)

17. I couldn't get Pinterest to accept my blogger profile picture, so I had to step back and settle for my old Eowyn pic.

18. Which I love.

19. Because Eowyn is swell.

20. And I've discovered that Pinterest is swell, too.

21. And it's way too easy to pin too many boards once you're on there.

22. Including making a board for each one of your stories.

23. And I have a board for a story that I have not yet posted about on blogger. 

24. I won't tell you the name of the story, but you can pop on over to Pinterest and see it for yourself here.

25. See it? Good.

26. I love the smell of old books.

27. This is starting to get random.

28. But random is my middle name.

29. Not really.

30. But I sometimes think it would be appropriate. 

31. Because I tend to be very random.

32. Actually at the moment, I have something not so random to share with you all.

33. I will not be on blogger this week.

34. Yep, you read that right.

35. I will not be getting on because I'm taking a blogging break. 

36. An everything internet-related break, in fact.

37. Why?

38. Because my sisters and I are going on a trip!

39. Those two sisters are Beth Grace and Jessa Bri, by the way.

40. You should know them because I talk about them a lot.

41. Anywho, we're very thankful that the Lord provided us with a way to go across the state to visit our CBCs.

42. And then go down to visit our other CBC who is currently in college.

43. AND see a blood cousin that we haven't seen since July of last year! 

44. I'm rather excited.

45. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

46. See? 

47. We're leaving tomorrow and won't be back home until next Monday. 

48. I can't believe we're going to be away for an entire week.

49. But I'm still so excited!!!

50. Does anybody else get really excited about trips like I do?

51. Road trips are very exciting; I love them.

52. There's also so much to do on road trips: read, talk, listen to epic music, play the alphabet game, etc. 

53. I also love Christmas music.

54. Beth Grace and I are listening to Christmas music as we pack right now.

55. Rephrase: Beth is packing and I am writing this blog post.

56. I should probably go pack.

57. *hangs head in shame*

58. But I'm already halfway done with this post, so let's just hurry up and finish it.

59. Christmas music is amazing.

60. I could listen to Christmas music all year round.

61. One of my absolute favorite Christmas songs is God Bless Us, Everyone as sung by Andrea Bochelli.

62. It's epic.

63. I love singing Christmas music with my family.

64. You do know that my family sings, right?

65. Every year, on the Monday before Christmas, we always give a Christmas concert at a local mall. 

66. And last year we sang God Bless Us, Everyone.

67. This year we hope to include a bunch of new Christmas songs in our repertoire.

68. Such as Still, Still, Still and Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella and Do You Hear What I Hear? and etc.

69. My family loves Christmas music so much that we usually begin playing and singing Christmas music in October.

70. This year we began in September.

71.  I love pretzels.

72. Pretzels in ice cream are pretty awesome. 

73. I know because I've tried it.

74. Ice cream is good with just about anything.

75. I don't care for either tea or coffee.

76. I survive nevertheless.

77. My favorite color is blue.

78. I've never been out of the time-zone I live in.

79. But I would love to travel.

80. All of America and Europe are on my to-visit list.

81. I am not what you would call a fashionista. 

82. My idea of style is modest and comfortable.

83. Don't kill me for this next tidbit: I don't like clothes shopping. 

84. Really. I don't.

85. I really don't care for shopping at all.

86. Yeah, I know what you're thinking.

87. And I agree: Shopping is such an incommodious business.

88. I don't know what I love more: writing with pencil/pen and paper or typing on a keyboard.

89.  Pencils with dull tips are epic fail.

90. I love the sound of keys tapping on a computer.

91. Because that sound means I'm being productive.

92. Most of the time.

93. My favorite juice is white grape peach.

94. Little Dorrit is my favorite Dickens' tale, even though I haven't yet read the book.

95. All or just about all of my socks have holes in them.

96. I'm not a huge flip flop fan.

97. I prefer my shoes to stay secure on my feet and around my heels. 

98. Actually for the most part, I prefer going barefoot; it's actually healthier for your foot to go barefoot. Weird, huh?

99. The only two hats I own are New York Yankee ball caps: navy blue and pink.

100. And for the last thing (let me try to think of something really random so as to surprise you all into utter astonishment)... hmm.... here's something for you to chew on: I watched and didn't care for The Young Victoria.

Even though this was utterly random and nonsensical, I hope you enjoyed it and hopefully learned something new about yours truly. Happy one hundredth post! Blogging is very rewarding, and I love it a whole biggy bunch!

God bless, and farewell until I return,