Monday Minute Challenge

It's late, but this is my entry for the Monday Minute Challenge. I used all three prompts. The entry came out at   281  words long. Enjoy! Hopefully I'll be back to a more normal schedule starting next week.

I move into the parlor slowly, my eyes darting over the rich furniture. A piano takes up one corner, a vase if roses on top spreading their sweet smell throughout the room. One of them lays out on the vase on the slick, reddish wood. The perfectionist in me wants to reach out and right it, but I force my hand to the silver necklace at my throat instead. Stay focused Theresa, I scold myself, starting up the winding flight of stairs. 

I keep my ears alert for any sound, but the mansion is still. A long hallway stretches out in front of me, and I start down it, looking for his room. 

I stop at the last door. Jitters race through me as I reach for the brass doorknob. The door swing open silently and I move in. 

I'm greeted with a masculine, mint-like smell. I cross the lion hide rug and glance out the window to see the girls still peeking over the wall. A smile tugs my lips and I wave. They wave back, their grins clear from here. 

I jump at the sound of a door slamming downstairs. Where can I hide? In an instant I'm to the door, but steps are already coming upstairs. I look around the room frantically. I can't get caught here, in his room. We're not scheduled to be married for another six months. I only wanted to know more about him. 

I back up quickly but the door swings open and he walks in. Damon. The man I've only seen from a distance at a few social gatherings. The man I'm supposed to marry. 

He frowns at me. "Who are you?"

Look!

So, the last couple days have been kind of crazy. I'm getting into the swing of college classes again, and considering taking off to a Bible college, so I really don't have a full blown post to show you guys.

 

I did however remember to check out Tessa's blog, Christ is Write (which is an amazing blog, by the way), and the results for the Monday Minute Challenge were up!

 

There was a tie for third place this time, and I loved every entry that won. They were all really good this last week. The prompts were great.

 

I was thrilled to see my name in the Honorable Recognition box. Check out the badge!

 

The new prompts are up and they look pretty awesome. I'm already trying to figure out some way to stick them all together.

 

Well, my page is looking fairly long. I suppose I could call this a decent post now. Still pretty short, and most of the words on it are pointless fluff. An editor would have red marks all over this thing, deleting all the unnecessary words. Fluff words. They're just fluff. Nothing to them at all. Not needed. Only there to take up space and- in this case- make a short, basically empty post, look long and full. It's kind of deceptive really. Should I not be so deceptive in my posts? I don't know. I don't think it's that bad. Should I stop rambling now and get off of the computer?

Probably.

 

A Cover Reveal!

Hi guys! Any of you who hang around the Go Teen Writers blog know that Jill Williamson writes really great story worlds, and gives awesome advice to people wanting to make their own.
Well, this last week she was awesome enough to let me be one of her influencers for her upcoming release of Storyworld First.

Isn't that cover just so fun?? I love it.

Here is what Goodreads has to say about the book.

The question I hear most about building a fantasy storyworld is: "Where do I start?"

Oz, Wonderland, Narnia, the 100 Acre Wood, Neverland, Hogwarts, the United Federation of Planets, Westeros, Middle Earth, Alagaesia, Terabithia, Gotham City, Jurassic Park, Fablehaven, and a galaxy far, far away.

These fictional places have become real in the minds and hearts or readers. These storyworlds that someone invented-someone who was once like you, learning to tell stories, learning to write, and dreaming about publishing a novel.

Whether you're starting from scratch or are looking to add depth to a finished story, Storyworld First will get you thinking.

Includes tips for worldbuilding:
Astronomy * Magic * Government
Map making * History * Religion
Technology * Languages * Culture

And how it all works together.

 

 

 

Jill sent me the kindle version of it, and I started reading it last night. It's awesome. I'll tell you more about it when I'm through.

You can check out her website here.

Make sure you take a look at all of her books. She's got stories in several different genre's and they are all amazing. 

A Novel Idea

 

Yeah, that's me people.

 

I'm very late, but I'm going to do the two novel idea posts I've missed rolled into one.

I believe these are numbers 5 and 6 of the novel idea posts.

Here is the link to Ashley's blog post for the most recent set of questions.

Ashley Aspires

 

I'll start with #5, which was about the character relationships.

This is the part where I confess that I'm completely stuck with The Iron Curse, and bored with the Dystopia story, so I'm falling back on The Dynamic Duo for a character and choosing Anthony.

 

 

1. How do they treat those around them, in general? Are they nice, rude, reserved? Does their treatment of others depend on how well they know them?

In general he's reserved toward people, but not exactly unfriendly. He works at a parts shop, so he deals with lots of customers, so it's not like he's anti-social. But he's not overly friendly. It really does depend on how well he knows people. If he knows someone is a slime ball, he's going to be a jerk to them.

Who is their best friend, or friends? Do they bring out the best in your character, or the worst? Are they a partner in crime, or a partner in good? ;)

Mark is for sure his best friend. He can bring out the best and worst in Anthony. He's often the voice of reason, and manages to calm Anthony down out of insane situations, but if Mark happens to get into a tough situation Anthony is going to do whatever it takes to get him out of that situation, and sometimes what he does isn't exactly the best option. Mark can also be a very great partner in crime.

Have they ever been in love? If so, did it last, or was it just a fling?

I can't tell you where I get my information, because Anthony would claim he's never told anyone this, but he has had a few flings. He's very careful not to fall in love, but he doesn't mind being entertained.

Who do they despise most?

That is a coin flipper between his dad and mom. He hates his dad for leaving him, but he can kind of understand it because he left to be with Mark and Mark's better mom. He despises his mom for being a complete loser and overlooking him forever, but still putting on shows for the outside world that she was a great mom.

Do they tend to argue with people, or avoid conflict altogether? If they avoid it, why?

Anthony doesn't avoid anything. If there's going to be an argument, he's going to dive in head first.

Alright, so now those questions are out of the way. These are yesterday's questions. Here's A Novel Idea, round six.

 

I like these. I don't have to think quite as much  to answer them. :) It's easier to answer questions for me than them.

 

1.What are 3 books you’ve read more than 3 times? Is there a reason you keep re-reading them? What do you think it is about these books that keeps bringing you back?

 

This is a hard question because when I was young I had literally 15 books that I read over and over again. Since I've been older I read Eldest, High Lonesome, and Clockwork Angel more than three times. I mainly re-read them because I'm in love with the characters. OR, I get into some kind of fandom argument and cant remember the exact details so I have to go back and refresh my memory ;). I think the characters are what bring me back. Once I've read the story, the plot looses excitement, but I love a character that sticks with me past the last page.

(Just for kicks, the books I re-read constantly as a youngster were The Sadie Rose Series, The Nathan T. Riggins series, and Christina's Ghost- which is still the most terrifying thing I've ever read)

 

2. What do you do when you get an idea for a plot, scene, etc, when you are at a place you can’t sit down to write it?

I find a pen and either scribble it out down my arm, or jot down a note on my ipod just so I can remember it for later. If I absolutely can't do either of those I'll just keep thinking about it and try to cement it in my mind and play it out in my head like a movie so I can remember it for later.

3. What do you think is your strongest suit as a writer? Do you make your characters believable, your plot interesting?

I think my strongest suit is probably the dialogue I write. Plot's come really hard for me, and sometimes I think I make my characters too cardboard, but I think the dialogue really helps pull them together. I can't say for sure, because I've never been able to read my writing fresh with no pre-conceived notions.

4. What genre of writing do you prefer to write?

This one is hard too (didn't I say these would be easier?). I really don't have a preference. I've developed a style for most of the genre's. I used to say I would never write a modern day story, but I have since wrote at least 3, and I like it now so...Up until I was about 13 I wrote only prairie fiction. Then I switched all of my attention to a fantasy that took 5 years to finish. Now I write pretty much anything but fantasy and prairie fiction. I write contemporary, medieval, and dystopia. Although...the ideas I've been getting lately will probably be throwing me back into my old genre's sooner or later.  Did I even answer that question?

5. What are your goals as a writer? Do you want to publish, or do you just do it for fun?

I always want to have fun with it, but my ultimate goal is to be published. Preferably by a real publisher with an agent and everything. If I had to self publish I would, but I'd like to make it traditional if at all possible.

Beautiful People- Bellatrae

For this months Beautiful People. I am going to be using Bellatrae from my beauty and the beast retelling for the Five Enchanted Roses contest. I've been working on titles and I'm tentatively calling it The Iron Curse. 

 1) What does your character regret the most in their life?

Bellatrae thinks regretting is pointless. Regret can't change what happened. Deep down though she regrets not being able to look at life the way her siblings do. She can't make herself be carefree and happy go lucky like they are, though she would like to. 

2) What is your character's happiest memory? Most sorrowful memory?

Her happiest memory is one of her playing with her older sister and brother when they were young. It's just a basic memory of a game but she likes it because they were all innocent back then.  Most sorrowful memory was when her father came home and said they'd lost the ships, and all the cargo, and therefor everything they knew in life. 

3) What majorly gets on your character’s nerves?

When people are unrealistic. She can't stand when people think outside of logic. 

4) Do they act differently when they're around people as opposed to being alone? If so, how?

No, Bellatrae is pretty much the same wherever she is. She's serious, logical. It would be unreasonable for her to change her behavior for spectators. 

5) What are their beliefs and superstitions? (Examples: their religion or lack of one, conspiracy theories, throwing salt, fear of black cats.) 

Where Bellatrae lives, science is god. Everything has a logical explanation and the supernatural is dismissed. So religion and superstitions would be silly for her to have. 

6) What are their catchphrases, or things they say frequently? 

Thus far she really hasn't developed anything strictly her own. She's not a very funny person, and she keeps things simple, including dialogue.

7) Would they be more prone to facing fears or running from them?

She would face them with a very large gun.

8) Do they have a good self image?

She does, but she's really not worried about it. She's content with who she is, but she really doesn't think about it much. She's too busy working. 

9) Do they turn to people when they're upset, or do they isolate themselves?

She isolates herself. She's always ready to help someone else with a problem, but sharing hers would be to burden someone else.

10) If they were standing next to you would it make you laugh or cry?

Well, I wouldn't cry, but I'm not sure I'd laugh either. Like I said, thus far she's not a very funny person. I would laugh and be thrilled that one of my characters had come to life I suppose. Then again, I might also cry because it wasn't one of the boys....

If It's Too Loud, You're Too Old

This is what we tell my parents whenever we go to a concert. And usually the response comes back

I am too old.

 

Which is why my parents aren't invited to the concert tonight. Yeah. Me and the Minions are going to a concert in town tonight, and meeting some friends there.

It's a free concert, which makes it that much better.

 

And who is it playing?

VOTA

 

 

In honor of this glorious occasion, I made t-shirts. Minion 1 picked out the pattern.

We will be wearing these lovelies to the concert tonight.

 

I really like the "May" option more. I just put the "May not" in there to keep the security from getting too suspicious.



Here Comes The Bride

You know what's weird? I thought I already published this one weeks ago. 

But this morning when I got on to post there it sat in the drafts column.

I truly am losing my mind. 

So you guys know that my cousin got married a few Saturdays ago. It was a 100 mile drive down there and I had a nasty headache for part of it, but I did manage to start Four- which is utterly amazing and anyone who even remotely thinks they are a Divergent fan will love it. I was able to see lots of my cousins all in one place which was really fun. Jana's dress was absolutely stunning, and there were so many fun themes that she added to the wedding and decorations to make it fit her and her new husbands personalities. Probably my favorite part was seeing my cousins (these are 6 foot and over guys, with tats, muscles, and generally handsome yet terrifying looking dudes) in tuxedos. They yanked on their ties all day long. They un-tucked their shirts the instant they got out of the church. They wore grungy ball caps and sunglasses every waking minute that they weren't ushering women down the isle to be seated. My uncle wore a tux! It was a miraculous time, and I took lots of pictures to use as blackmail should the need ever arise.

The ring bearers were my two year old second cousins Bo and Lafe. Lafe literally pulled Bo down the isle while sucking on his thumb and proceeded to read a book in the front row. It was adorable. Lafe sat with me through most of the meal and we discussed things like taking selfies (he stuck his tongue out for the camera), why people were whistling when the couple kissed, and if the cake was good (it was all over his face and hands, so I'm assuming).

We didn't get to stay for the dance afterward, because we had to get home and irrigate and we actually ended up staying later than we had originally planned and ended up changing water in the dark. But I suppose it was okay. I was wearing like 3-4 inch heels (which I never wear) so I probably would have killed myself if I tried to dance.

Something about going to weddings gives me this bittersweet feeling. It's like "Oh my word, I have to remember that for my wedding! It's gonna be like this..." *And rambles on* And then the other half of me is like "Gee, I'm old enough to get married now. I've never even had a date. What's going on here? I'm gonna end up a crazy old cat lady. I hate cats! *cue the panic*

Mom always comes home really excited from weddings and starts planning for when me and my sisters are going to be in one. And that makes things fun.

Speaking of me being in weddings....

No, I'm not getting married.

But My best friend is.

And she asked me to be her bridesmaid.

(I literally almost fell over when she called. I was so surprised and thrilled)

The wedding isn't till next spring, but we're already having fun (and stress) over outfits, and I'm starting to gather ideas for a wedding shower when she comes back from college. Hopefully we can hang out a little bit this summer before she heads back, and that will help. But it's going to be so fun. I am so happy for her and can't wait to be part of her special day.

Liebster :)

Carly from Books and etc.was awesome enough to nominate me for the liebster award and I'm just now getting to it.

Here are my 11 random facts.
1. I started my fourth semester of college today and I hate it just as much as the first.
2. I will be 19 in less than two weeks 0.o
3. I've been playing guitar for 11 years.
4. I'm a bit of an insomniac.
5. My reading taste as a little child disturbed adults. It was all Louis Lamour westerns and Janette Oke romances.
6. I can type 74 adjusted words per minute.
7. I am wicked at Battle Ship.
8. I took the mattress off Minion #2's bed and put it on mine last week.
9. I introduced my cousin as my brother for years when I was somewhere around 2-5 years old.
10. I really like football.
11. I wanted to paint my bedroom black when I was young, but my mom talked me in to purple. Thank God.
 

And here are her questions and my answers :)

1. If you were in an apocalypse, which five characters from any books would you want to be there with you?

Haha this is easy. Murtagh from the Inheritance cycle. Hes got magic. He's got a dragon. Gale from the Hunger Games. He could build explosives for me.  Four from Divergent. Cause he's amazing and tough.  Kiero from Incarceron.  Cause the guy is so darn funny and scary at once. Will from the Infernal Devices. Cause  swag.  They can all handle themselves perfectly well, and lets be honest, there's a good chance I would die in the apocalypse, so I might as well be surrounded by awesome dudes.

 

2. What is your favorite book of all time and why?

Oh my word...I always claim it's eldest by Christopher Paolini just to save myself the conflict of thinking about all the others I like. Cause there's so many...but I really do like eldest. Murtagh was there the most, and there were a lot of fun plot twists and such. 

3. Do you listen to a music while you read? If so, what kind of music do you listen to?

Yeah I do. I sometimes start singing while I'm reading too and it freaks my mom out. Oh I listen to anything that comes on my iPod, so basically Christian rock with a dash of old and new country thrown in. 

4. If you had a time machine, would you go to the past or to the future?

I would totally go into the past! The future is just scary but the past would be so cool. Research trip!

5. What are some books you recommend?

The Inheritance cycle by Christopher Paolini. Blood of Kings trilogy by Jill Williamson. Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth. Do hard things by Alex and Brett Harris. Canadian West series by Janette Oke. Anything by Lois Lamour. Hope rising by Kim Meeder. 

6. Who are some authors that influence your literary life (reading and writing)?

People who have read my stuff say it reminds them of Louis Lamour and I've always read him, so he's a definitive. Christopher Paolini did as well, and cs Lewis when it came to fantasy. Hilda stahl and janette oke really impacted my early work but i dont draw on her much anymore (to my knowledge) I think those are the main ones but I've also picked up things from more recent authors like Veronica Roth and Jill Williamson. 

7. Why did you start blogging?

Well I actually had a little blog on a private site that was doing well but then I forgot about it and I wanted to get it out where others could see it. I also seriously wanted to do the liebster award- no joke- and be able to share my snippets with people and make blog friends like everyone else does. 

8. What is your favorite word?

Dude. I say it all the time. But I don't write it much. My favorite one to work into my story would be either psychotic, desperation, or terror. They usually lead to very interesting scenes. 

9. If you could only read five books for the rest of your life, what would they be?

You're killing me. I guess the first one in each series. Eragon. Divergent. The Hunger games. The Bible. And High Lonesome. 

10. If you could have any animal (fictional or otherwise) as a pet, what would it be?

Dragon. I've already got a dog and a horse so the next best thing is absolutely dragon. 

11. What is your favorite soda? 

Mountain Dew!!!

 

Thanks for the nomination Carly!

 

I don't know who to nominate...The people I usually nominate are probably getting sick and tired of seeing their name pop up on my blog over and over again XP , so if you're reading this and want to be nominated, consider it done, and if you don't want to be nominated, that is also done.

 

Have a great day!

 

Monday Minute Challenge

I finally remembered that I do this thing called Monday Minute Challenge. It's hosted by Tessa Emily Hall over at Christ is Write, The rules are that it has to be 150-300 words long (which kills me- I had to cut two hundred words out of this weeks entry), and has to use one of the three prompts she lists. This time I used two prompts. (It also has to be submitted before Friday, which is why I'm double posting on you all)

Here's the prompts I used.
1. Use the items broken glass, tree house, and sign.
2. Use the words. She knew he was coming back. He must come back. Their very lives depended on it.

I don't know, but it seems to me that when I do these writing contests with prompts, my writing always comes out just a little more morbid than usual. I have no idea where this idea came from. I guess I like to be able to explore different ideas without committing myself to a full length story.

Anyway, I hope you like it. It came out at 297 words.

The girl hovered, careful to stay above the glass-strewn floor. She propelled herself to the empty window casing and peered out. Branches blocked the house, but she could see the yard, overgrown and neglected. She felt sorry for the struggling flowers among the weeds in the abandoned bed. She was flower. Alone and forgotten. Maybe after tonight she wouldn’t be. Maybe she would give her message and her soul could cross over. She turned from the dreary scene and scanned the tree house. She had to stop the accident. Save the little girl and her parents. She’d come yesterday, but touching objects exhausted her and she hadn’t finished the sign. She’d gotten half of it written. On a yellowed scrap of paper, placed here for her years ago. Don’t go. She braced and gripped the pencil. It pricked like needles and she whimpered. On. The. Trip. She dropped it and clutched her hand. Time faded the sting. She waited. She knew he was coming back. He must come back. Their very lives depended on it. A sound on the ladder. Hands came through the hole in the floor, then a head, followed by a body. The man looked tired and sad as he looked around. He’d not changed since the first time she saw him, when she’d slipped from her newly entered world. His eyes fell on the paper. A thrill ran through her as his eyes widened. He read it. She succeeded. He disappeared down the ladder again, urgency ringing in his steps. She watched him, resisting the pull to cross realms for just a little longer. “Goodbye,” She said softly, her voice to him just a slight disturbance in the air. She hesitated. She wanted to say it. Just once, before she left him. “Daddy.”

Prowling the Mall

Hi all! Yesterday I was able to spend a headache free day with my friend Rabekah. She's going back to college soon and we wanted to get in some much needed girl time to talk about her upcoming wedding and all things girl.
Fortunately my mom had to take some quilts to town to register for the state fair (since some of you asked about the quilt several posts ago, here is the picture)

and her mom had an eye doctor appointment, so we both rode along and met up at the mall. Her mom asked me what the plan was and I told her we were just going to "take off and prowl around the mall until mom comes back for us."
I don't know. That kind of worried her I guess, because she asked me to change it to "roam around the mall". I kind of liked "prowl" better, but oh well. Mother knows best.

(No, I'm joking. Her mother was my dorm leader for years and is really very sweet and not at all like Gothel)

 

Me and my Bekah Shae (that's my nickname for her- she calls me Maddie Katty) roamed- *cough* prowled*cough*- all day, looking at dresses. She's still in the process of picking a wedding dress, and she ordered my maid of honor outfit and the bridesmaid outfits (excited to see what they look like), but she wanted something a little simpler to wear to the reception afterward, and maybe something for the honeymoon after. You know what that means? That means that we went into every single store and tried on all the dresses we could get our hands on. Even if we knew there was no way our wallet or parents would ever let us bring it home. I will spare you the pictures of me in steampunkish prom dresses (she forced me to try it on- honest). Several of them were really cute and I might have been tempted to buy them except they were a little too short for my ideal. She was able to find a really cute one that she liked though, along with a volleyball.

We tried on shoes too. Picture five inch, silver heels, with a strap that winds all the way around your leg up to your knee...They were every bit as ugly as they sound.

Aside from clothes and sports paraphernalia, she talked me into eating Chinese food. Which is something I've never done unless you count ride with teriyaki sauce all over it.  We got chicken Chou mien and fried rice. The rice was awesome and I would eat it again any time. The Chou Mien stuff wasn't bad either, except the celery. Me no likey celery.

It was great to get away for a while and just be crazy- though all that changing clothes totally ruined my hair. Murdered it in fact. Good thing there weren't any handsome guys around or the day may have been considerably less fun. Since she attends college in a different state and her summers are taken up traveling to teach at different Bible camps, we don't get to see each other much, so it was awesome to have all those hours with no parents or siblings (though I love both) around asking for part of my attention. We got to talk about some serious stuff, and I'm now making plans to take off and prowl around Wyoming with her and perhaps meet a certain someone she knows.

Apparently she thinks a sense of humor and vast knowledge of martial arts is my type.

Apparently she is right.

(It also just so happens that her college is just a little ways away from the college my friend will be attending as well. *cough*Kayla*cough*, so I may have to prowl with two friends and see the sights both campuses have to offer)

Since she'll be heading off in a few weeks, I'm going to be using that time to get into contact with her mom and sisters and find out if they had any plans for a wedding shower. Because I want in on it. I have a secret pinterest board devoted to it. Can't show you, because it's secret.

Horror Story- Part 1

Before I get to the main part of this post, I wanted to say thanks for your prayers. I went to the doctor and my head was sitting on my neck completely crooked. She was able to put it back into place and she thought that should help after a day or so. So for right now I'm still totally miserable, but hopefully there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

 

Now, on to more important matters.

 

Remember I said a while back that I told Minion 2 a scary story in a fit of boredom?

I offered to give some snippets of it and several of you expressed interest in it, so here is the first chunk of it.

Watch out.

 

 

"Sentence for the convicted is two years in the Dalton Prison."
Bills heart sank at the words. Two years. Two years over a robbed jewelry store. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. He could handle two years. He'd make it. He remembered that as he was led out of the courtroom, zipped into an orange suit and shackled hand and foot. He'd be 26 when he got out. Not too bad. Still plenty of life left. He tried to stay positive as he was drove to the prison , searched, then led through the halls to his cell. It was annoyingly dark in the corridor he found himself and the guard in. The dirty light bulbs cast a grungy yellow light on everything. He followed the guard all the way down to the farthest door, and the light grew fainter with every step.
"Here we are." The guard said with an odd tremor in his voice. "You'll stay the night here. I'll bring your guys' breakfast in the morning."
Bill frowned "guys?"
The guard nodded slowly. "You've got a cell mate."
Bill nodded a bit, noting the guards trembling hands as he unlocked the door. He opened it just a crack. "Go on in."
Bill frowned and squeezed through the barely open door. The guard practically slammed it shut behind him and Bill found himself in almost complete darkness.
It was worse in here. He had to stop and let his eyes adjust to the practically non-existent lighting. Slowly, his eyes came into focus and he was able to pick out two beds, one on each side of the cell, as far from each other as they could get. There was a toilet in one corner and nothing else. Bill frowned and looked around for the cell mate the guard had mentioned. It was absolutely quiet and he saw no movement at all. A chain with a manacle hung from the wall, the part that secured around a wrist broke in half. “Hello?” He said cautiously, not liking the odd feeling that surrounded him in the room. A slight sound drew his eyes and he saw surprised to see someone looking at him from under the bed on his right. The faint light reflected in the whites of its eyes and a figure slowly moved out. Bill froze and realized it was a little girl. She climbed out from under the bed, clutching a doll and smiled. “Hi there.”
He frowned a little. “Hi. I don’t think you’re supposed to be playing in here.”
She shook her head. “Oh no, they let me play in here all the time.”
He frowned. “This is a prison. I’ll call the guard back. Your parents are probably looking for you.” He turned to the door.
“No.” She said sharply and he looked back at her. She shook her head hard. “My parents never come see me.”
A shiver ran through him. “Come see you…here?”
She nodded. “Not once since I came here.”
He stared at the girl. Barely more than two feet tall and a complete child. “Are you a prisoner here?”
She nodded. “I am.”
He shook his head. “Wait, you can’t be in here. You’re a little girl.”
She shrugged innocently. “Well, I’m here.”
He narrowed his eyes. “How old are you?”
“Six.” She grinned, proud of the number.
Bill took a step back, heart hammering. This had to be some kind of sick joke.  
“I’m supposed to have a cellmate.” He frowned. 
She nodded. “That’s me. I’m so glad you’re here now. We’re going to have so much fun.”
He shook his head and turned to the solid door, banging his fist on it. “Hey, come back here! There’s a little girl in here!”
He waited but no sound came from outside. He sighed and turned back. “I guess we’ll have to wait to talk to him until breakfast.” 
She giggled. “Oh, you’re funny. I like you.” She plopped down on the bed, settling her doll in her lap. “Why are you here?”
He bit his lip. “Robbing a jewelry store.”
She nodded. “Ooh.” She drew the word out with all childishness. 
He hesitated, afraid to ask. “What are you in here for?”
She shrugged and stood her doll up. “I killed someone.” She twisted the dolls head. “And another someone.” With a careless look she tossed the doll, letting it thunk against the wall.
Bill felt dizzy. This couldn’t be real.
The little girl looked up at him curiously. “How long did they give you?”
“Two years.” He said dazedly.
She frowned. “Oh, that’s not nearly long enough. I’m in for life. You have to stay with me.”
His jaw went slack and he stared at her. She narrowed her eyes at him and he felt a tremor run through him. He didn’t like it when she looked unhappy. “Sorry. I’ll be leaving in two years.”
“No. I want you to stay.” She stood and put her hands on her hips.
He shrugged. “They sentenced me to two years.”
She waved a tiny hand. “Oh, we can fix that. We can get you a life sentence in no time.”
She said it so casually. Like she was talking about what dress to put her doll in. It terrified Bill.
She looked up at him sharply and waited for an answer. He nodded slightly. “Yeah, alright.” 
She grinned. “Oh, good.” She skittered across the floor and scooped up her doll, carefully arranging the little locks of hair like she hadn’t just flung it against the concrete walls. 
Bill looked around uncertainly. “Which bed is mine?” He asked, not wanting to risk invading the tiny inmates territory. 
She looked up at him quizzically. “Well, this one is mine. And that one is Dolly’s. I suppose you can sleep on the floor.”
Bill glanced down at the hard concrete skeptically but didn’t have any desire to argue with her. Tomorrow he would talk to the guard and get moved into a different cell. It would only be uncomfortable for one night. “Alright.” He nodded.
She grinned. “Good.” Her face immediately changed and she yawned. “I’m tired. I’m going to go to bed.” 
Bill nodded a bit. “Okay.” 
She tipped her head at him. “What’s your name?”
“Bill.” He said slowly, not wanting to give her information about himself that she could somehow use against him. 
She smiled. “Hi Bill. Bill, will you tuck me in?”
He nodded a bit and stepped closer to her. She scrambled up into his arms like the little girl she was and clung to his neck. He walked over to the bed, sweat rolling down his back, and pulled the covers away, glad when she released her hold and plopped down onto the mattress. She snuggled down into the pillow and he tucked the covers up around her. He noticed a raw red mark on her wrist. “What’s that?”
She pointed up at the broken manacle. “From that. I got it off. It hurts.” She held her arms out with the doll. “Can you tuck Dolly in too?”
He nodded and took the doll, discreetly feeling her cloth body for any type of razor blade or other deadly device the girl might resort to in the middle of the night. There was nothing and the doll just smiled at him with a painted face. He carried it over to the other bed and tucked her in carefully to avoid incurring the child’s wrath. He stepped back and glanced at the floor, then back at the bed. “Say, do you think me and Dolly could have a sleep over?”
The little girl look appalled. “Dolly is much too young to get married, or anything else. No.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Well, could you and her have a sleep over?”  
She shook her head. “No. Dolly doesn’t like sharing.” She sat up and looked at him. “And it’s no good to make enemies with Dolly.”
Or her owner. Bill nodded obediently. “Alright. I’ll remember that.” He stretched out on the floor but didn’t close his eyes. The little girl sighed and leaned over the edge of the bed to see him. 
 “I messed up the covers. Can you tuck me in again?”
He nodded slowly and got back to his feet, tucking the blankets in around her as tight as she could, hoping it might somehow keep her in. She wiggled. “That’s uncomfy.” 
“Sorry.” He said quickly and loosened them.
“Thanks Bill.” She sighed. 
“You’re welcome.” He plastered on a smile and stepped back to the far wall, sliding down it into a sitting position. 
She looked at him. “Aren’t you going to sleep? You look tired.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I’m going to.” He immediately slid down onto his back. 
She smiled. “Okay, Bill.”
He swallowed hard. “Goodnight…What’s your name?”
“Precious. Precious Angel Smith.”
The name terrified him. “Goodnight, Precious.”
“Goodnight Bill.”
It wasn’t no time at all before she fell asleep, but Bill wouldn’t let himself. He knew the instant he did she would cut his kidney’s out and feed them to her doll. He made himself stay awake. Every hour or so she would stir and look around, so he kept his eyes half closed, and his breathing heavy. At one point he started to fake snore but that made her toss around more so he quickly stopped. His eyelids grew heavy and he could hardly think, but he forced himself to stay awake. 
Sometime in the early morning she sat straight up and turned her head both directions, like some kind of automated doll. She carefully pulled the blankets back and swung her legs over the bed, touching her toes tentatively to the cold floor. Then she hopped up and padded silently over to her dolls bed. Bill kept an eye cracked, watching to see what weapon she would come up with. 
“Hi Dolly.” She said softly. “Yes, I like him. No, I think he’ll do.”
She paused between her sentences but no answer came from the doll. Bill shivered. Precious went still and turned around slowly, her eyes swinging down to him. He clamped his eyes shut tight.  “Bill, what are you doing?”
He forced grogginess into his voice. “I was sleeping.”
She giggled and he opened his eyes, afraid to keep her out of sight too long. 
“Oh Bill, you’re funny.” She frowned suddenly and put her hands on her hips. “Do you have a mom?”
He nodded slowly. “Everyone does.”
She shook her head. “Yes, but not everyone has a mom who is around. Mine never comes to see me. So do you have a mom?”
He nodded. “Yes, I have a mom.”
“Didn’t she teach you not to lie?”
He swallowed. “Yes.”
“Then don’t lie to me. Why are you awake?” He shrugged a little. “I can’t sleep. I’m not used to being in a cell.”
She nodded. “You’ll get used to it.” There was sympathy in her voice now. “You should really get some sleep though. We have such a big day tomorrow.”
He nodded slightly. “Yeah, alright.”
She climbed back into bed and tucked herself in this time, promptly going back to sleep. Bill watched her all night and was grateful when morning came. He stood and waited near the door so he could talk to the guard when he brought the food. He had to get out of here. 
Precious sat up and yawned. “Hi Bill.” Her eyes were glazed and her movements slow, like she wasn’t truly awake. 
“Hi, Precious.” He shifted uncomfortably. She climbed out of bed and walked over to him. “Do you know how to play hide and seek?”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
“Have you ever played before?”
He nodded. “I used to play with my little sister.”
“You have a sister?” She grinned, revealing a missing front tooth.
“I did.” 
“Did she die?” Her eyes lit up suddenly and she seemed to come alive.
He nodded a bit, not wanting to talk about it, not liking how the word woke her up. 
“What happened?” She pressed. 
He swallowed. “She got sick.”
“Did they take her to a hospital?”
“Several.” He nodded. “They couldn’t fix her.”
She smiled. “Your sister is just like me.” He wanted to puke at the idea. “They took me to hospitals too. Lots of them. With white padded rooms I could bounce in. Mommy and Daddy never came to see me, but the bouncing was fun. There were lots of doctors, with clipboards and lots of questions. They took Dolly away and left me all alone.” She frowned. “I didn’t like that. So I went and got Dolly back. Then things got confusing, and they couldn’t fix me either. So I came here.”
Bill wondered if ‘confusing’ was kindergartener speak for ‘I killed two people’. “I see.” He said slowly. He turned back to the door to see if he could hear anyone coming yet. 
“Are you hungry, bill?”
He nodded. “Yeah. The guard told me he’d bring food in the morning.” 
“You can have some of mine.”
“I’m sure he will bring enough for both of us.”
“No, mine.” He looked over at her, rummaging through a little pink backpack and pulled out a Barbie lunchbox. She handed it over to him. “Eat up.”
He opened it hesitantly, her eyes fixed on him. Inside was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, along with a juice pack. Not the human meat sandwich he’d somehow been expecting. 
“I love PB and J’s.” She said with a smile. “Mostly the jelly. Especially red jelly. I love red. It’s so pretty.”
Red like blood, Bill thought. “I like blue.”
She shook her head. “Oh no, not blue. I like red.”
“Okay, red it is.” He smiled painfully. He held the tin out to her. “You should eat it, since it’s your favorite.”
She shook her head. “No, you can have it. It’s been in there forever.”
Bill glanced at the sandwich safe in it’s Ziploc bag. There was no sign of mold or any type of age on it. 
Precious suddenly scowled fiercely and he was about ready to tear in and devour the sandwich when she stomped over to the other bed and snatch the doll up. “Dolly! You slept in! We have to get up. There’s stuff to do.” She flung her at the wall. “bad girl.” The doll thumped on the floor and she stomped over and shook her finger. “Think about what you’ve done. Bill is going to eat your sandwich.” She turned to the person in question. “Eat it. Make her feel bad.”
“I thought you said I shouldn’t become her enemy.” He protested.
Precious frowned. “You shouldn’t make me one either.”
He nodded quickly and opened the sandwich, taking a huge bite. It didn’t taste poisoned. “Yum.” 
She smiled and cast a smug look at the doll. “I’m gonna drink your juice pack.” She snatched it from the lunch box and opened it, draining it in seconds. She crumpled the package and tossed it at the doll. 
Bill finished the sandwich and waited to see if a terrible illness would strike his body. Precious grinned. “Let’s play hide and seek.”
He frowned. “I want to talk to the guard when he gets here.”
“Why, you already ate?”
“I want to ask him about playing.” He stalled.
She waved a hand. “I play all the time. You can too.”
 “I haven’t been here as long.” He argued weakly. “I think I should ask.”
“Fine.” She sighed. “Then we play.”
“okay.” He nodded, wondering how she thought she could hide in this tiny, practically empty room. He waited, wondering when the guard would come. Would he let him out of this room? He’d never been to prison before, but wasn’t he supposed to be able to wander around? Work out, read, get beat up by other prisoners? He wasn’t going to stay locked in a cell with a kindergartener was he?
What seemed like an eternity later he heard footsteps coming. The lock clicked and the door opened a crack. “Breakfast.” Came the rushed voice as two plates slid in on the floor. 
“I need to talk to you.” Bill said but the door was already closing. 
He rammed his hand into it, wincing at the pain, but forcing his arm further through the crack. The guard tried to pull it closed but he pushed his shoulder through, then the rest of his body. The guard yanked it shut behind him. “What are you trying to do, let her out?”
Bill shook his head. “No, just get me out. I need to talk to you?”
“What?” the guard seemed terrified just being on this end of the corridor.
“I can’t stay in there with her. She’s freaking me out.”
“You have to stay there. Orders.”
“Please! I’ll do anything. You can stick me in with the meanest, biggest, most terrible person in the whole prison. Just don’t make me go back in there with that kid.”
The guard shook his head firmly. “You have to be in there with her.”
He moved to open the door again but Bill pushed his hand away. “There has to be some other way. I can’t stay in there with her.”
The guard scowled. “You have to.” He pulled the door open and pushed Bill through the crack, leaning in close. “Just don’t play hide and seek.” He whispered before slamming the door in Bill’s face.

Ugh

Hi guys. I'll try and get on later today and do a real post, because I've got a vacation and some other things to tell you about, but this morning I have to go to a doctor's appointment, and I thought I'd let you know what's going on in case I don't get back to the computer for a while.

I've been getting headaches a lot more frequently this summer, for not real rhyme or reason, and last week (I think this is the 8th day) I started waking up with dull throbbing headaches, and going to be with severe pounding migraines. Pain medicine doesn't slow it down at all, even if I take them early and in large quantities before the pain gets bad. I've hardly gotten any sleep, and with the exception of one or two days, it has been really hard to read, write, or look at a computer screen.
I went to the eye doctor to see if there was some kind of problem there, because lots of my family wear glasses, but he said my eyes were perfect- which is good, but now I still don't know what's wrong with me. We have a doctor here in town who is specially trained to manipulate the skeleton- she's not a chiropractor, but she basically pops bones back into place just a lot gentler way than a chiropractor would. One time I got hit in the head with a panel and messed up my skull, which gave me headaches, and she fixed it, so I'm going to her today to see if she can find anything wrong. I haven't got hit in the head for a long time though, so I'm really not sure what she's going to find.

Just thought I'd let you all know, because these headaches make me dizzy and nauseous so I don't really like to look at a computer screen for very long, so this is my excuse for not posting much.

I'll be back as soon as possible.  

A Novel Idea - 4

 

 

So, I'm a little bit embarrassed to admit that I totally forgot last weeks A Novel Idea, and so I have to skip right to number four.

...I guess that's not all bad...

 

This weeks questions deal with the characters past influences, and you can find the original post here .

Anyway, here are the questions. I am going to use....I think I'll use Ashtyn (formerly known as Cassie) from my dystopia story. I've been rewriting the beginning while I brainstorm the rest of the book, in between working on my Beauty and the Beast retelling.

 

 

1.What do they consider the most important thing they’ve done so far in their life?
Probably getting a legitimate job and being able to help her mother bring in food and income.

2. What is their greatest regret?
Hmmm, she regrets not being registered, which caused the street police to take her father away to who knows where. She couldn't have changed the circumstances at all- it was her parents decision not to register her- but it still weighs on her.

3. When was the last time they were really, really frightened?
When she went into the travelers camp and there were street police everywhere. The travelers weren't any safer than the police and she got really nervous.  

4. What was the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to them?
Every time she goes with her employer he flirts with her and calls her Doll and pretty, but in very sarcastic ways, and its embarrassing to her.

5. If they could change one thing about their past – and only one thing – what would that be and why?
I think she would change the fact that she was never registered. She would make it so her parents registered her as a baby. That way her father would never have been taken, and she could get a regular job like her mother has.

 

 

The End is Where We Begin

That's a really good song by the way, but I'm not doing a blog post about it. But I thought I'd use it as the title, since I've really done very little posting about The Dynamic Duo, and now here it is, the first draft is finished. So, the end is where I'm beginning your serious exposure to it.

This was the first ever attempt I made at doing Camp NaNo, and I didn't except it to go very well quite honestly. I did end up lowering my word count goal, but that turned out just fine because I didn't have enough scenes to make it any longer. The finished product ended up at 23,544 words long- pretty short for my first drafts, but also very long compared to what I usually get wrote in a month. And I'm not worried about it being a 20K word YA novel, because I can already see where I'm going to add more scenes. And a lot more grit. It needs more nitty gritty, and I need to bring the theme out a little more strongly at points. Overall though, I'm absolutely thrilled with how it turned out.

*spoiler alert* There may be some spoilers in this next stuff. I will leave out any names on the big stuff, but if you don't want some plot points spoiled, better to just skip down a ways.

I made my word count goal (20,000) about two or three days before camp ended, but I really wanted to try to finish the whole draft. I almost didn't make it, when the last day I was debating if one or two characters should die. I had been asking Minion 1 for weeks and she kept pushing me off telling me that I wasn't that far along yet. Then she told me
"The reader side of me says let *** live, but the John Green side of me says kill them all."
While I really loved the quote, that didn't help me, so I decided to let *** live. On the last day, I told her my decision and she got mad. Like she literally huffed, and crossed her arms and said "Fine."
So I finally got her to tell me for certain what she thought would be the best ending and I went with that. The last few pages of the story are written so sloppily, but at the bottom of the page I did get The End scribbled out, and according to the note I made, I finished it at 11:14 PM on July 31st.

*throws confetti*

*End spoiler alert*

 

 

Would you guys like a few more snippets? If not, you can close the tab, cause that's what I'm posting.

 

 

"Aren't you going to ask about talking to Leslie?"

Anthony spun the spatula around. "No, I wasn't going to. But since you brought it up, how was your lunch conversation?"


The corner of Mark's mouth curled up. "It was good. She's easy to talk to. She rolls with whatever and doesn't make things too awkward."

Anthony flipped the eggs carelessly. "Not too awkward. That's always a good thing."

 

 

"You're getting into dangerous water there boy. You sound like a fourteen year old."

"Fourteen year old yourself." Mark chuckled. "I'm not the one who's afraid of women."

Anthony hung up in the kitchen doorway and pointed his fork at him with a grin. "I'm not afraid of them. I've just washed my hands of their scheming ways." He slid his plate into the sink with the others and came out. "Besides, you of all people should know that I'm not any older than ten."

 

 

"I mean, why'd you have to pick the crazy chick?"

"She's not crazy." Mark huffed, folding his arms.

"She's from Colorado."

"You know that doesn't make any difference."

"She's got pink hair." Anthony countered. "And has weird taste in music. And smiles all the time."

Mark raised an eyebrow. "You're really desperate aren't you?"

"She smiles about everything."

 

 

Voices met her as she walked in. "The only colors I can find are black, yellow, and blue. I guess we'll have to draw bumble bees flying in the sky."

Leslie almost laughed at the absurd sounding comment.

"Anthony?" Mark asked, his voice curious as he moved into the living room. Leslie followed him in. Anthony looked up from his sprawled position on the floor. A little boy was flopped down next to him with a notebook, gripping an ink pen, highlighter, and permanent marker in a pudgy fist.

 

Anthony watched Shane munch on the french-fries and glanced up when Mark came in. "Thanks for supper."

Mark nodded and knelt down next to the recliner. "If I'd known ahead of time I would have brought a kid's meal."

Anthony nodded. "Yeah, the toy was sorely missed. We've been playing with sock balls and State Farm magnets all day."

 

 

"Was she pretty? Did you see her?"

Anthony didn't know why Mark always had so many questions. Even the prettiest woman was no reason to leave your kids stranded in a sludge hole. "Yeah, she came. She was fine, if you like fake baked ashtrays."

 

 

"I'm thinking about dying my hair again. I saw this color online that was like dark brown with crimson highlights. Do you think that would be cool?"

Mark nodded and she felt a strange surge of happiness. He was willing to talk about hair color. He was the one. Tumblr would say "Marry that boy".

 

 

 

 

 

Fourtris Anyone?

I'm kinda bored.

And I don't really have anything in mind to blog about.

Well...actually I have several ideas in mind, but they all require long drawn out posts with much thought and detail put into them.

 And I'm feeling lazy.

That and I'm supposed to be getting ready for Bible study right now.

I made this video though.

You can watch it.

*Feels*

 

 

 

 

BUT, I promise, I will come back with long detailed blog posts to make up for it. Okay?

I'll cover topics like...

VOTA

Finished Stories

The reason my guy and girl characters have the personalities they do

Weddings. (Two of them)

And a whole plethora of other things.

Sound good?

 

The Roof Boys

This story starts back last year when it hailed really bad at our house and beat our poor shingles to smithereens. In the middle there is a long dull stretch where insurance adjusters come out to survey the damage. There is much deliberation between fashion conscious mom and practical dad about whether we should go with tin or shingles, and then what color to pick for decided upon tin. Then there is a slight bout of excitement when dad makes the call to a local dude who has done work for us before, who says he will send his team over.

 



Now fast-forward a  few months to the last two weeks.

We've had these three guys...I don't know what to call them. Roofers ( that kind of sounds doggish)? Tinners? I don't know. Anyway, they are three guys. Two brothers. And one who is not a brother.
The only way I can keep them straight is Kyle. Kyle's brother. And the other one.
Now I kid you not, these guys didn't say ten words to me. And most of it was some variation of "Can we turn the power off for a little while?"

But despite their lack of communication, they were so fun to have around.

...and a little bit restricting.

 

 I don't know about where you live, but it's been pretty darn warm and muggy here, and we keep the windows and screen door open most of the day. Which means we get to hear every single old song that comes on their radio (as well as all three of them trying to sing it- Funky Town anyone?), and they get to hear every thing that goes on inside. I really don't think that was too bad, except mom and dad seemed really paranoid, and most of their conversation with us the last few weeks has consisted of "Knock it off. There are people outside."

As Minion 1 so perfectly stated it "We can't even have a decent argument with these guys around."

I don't know what was up with Minion 2, but she suddenly wanted to go swimming a lot when they were around. And jump off the ladder very gloriously, and do lots of screaming when I tried to splash her...Like, the roof boys are singing. I don't think they're going to pay attention to a drowning minion.

These guys love our animals. Like at any given time I could look out the window and see at least one of them playing with a cat or Maggie. And at dinner time? Oh man, those boys must have been starving for weeks, because they gave 90% of their meals to Maggie. And I mean, she loved it and all, but it was completely unnecessary. I feed Maggie well. She's a fat little tub. They don't need to starve themselves down for her sake. By feeding her and playing with her all the time though they created a little razor toothed monster, because then every time they were down on the ground cutting stuff, she was right in their laps, so we had to lock her up in the barn some of the times they were here.

During the summer we also sleep in a tent almost every night because the upstairs bedrooms are so blasted hot that a demon would probably die of heat stroke up there, so of course when we discovered that this diesel truck load of guys liked to pop up around 7 in the morning, we started hauling out hair brushes and wearing really nice clothes to bed. It's really odd some of the things you hear when in a tent and the roof guys are here. Minion 1 relayed this one to me.

*random roof guy (either Kyle's brother, or the other one) talking to Maggie*

"No. No. No. No. No. Stop. Do you want to get locked up? No. You don't want locked up. I don't want to get you locked up. Stop it."

*A few minutes later*

"Yeah, you love me don't you? Yes, you do."

They just can't resist her little face I guess.

 

You know how unnerving it is to come into your bedroom and there's a dude hanging out outside the window banging away with a hammer? There are still towels tacked over the window. Or trying to wash dishes and every time you glance up there's a brother singing away just outside the kitchen window? Or grilling your burgers and there's  fire leaping out of the grill everywhere and they're just hanging out eating at the picnic table and spiking their hair in the hydrant (true story)?

It's just a little bit awkward. But funny.

Minion 2 has this turtle that lives in a big plastic barrel outside. And we were in the pool and suddenly she looks over at me and she's like "They just threw their trash in with my turtle."
So I swim over and look and sure enough they're packing up all their wrap and stuff and heading for the barrel. And I was like "Watch them realize there's a turtle in there."
So Kyle rolls up with a handful of stuff, throws it in, turns away, stops, and turns back around and starts pulling junk out of the bucket. Then all three of them crowd around and sit and look at it for awhile, and they end up leaving all the trash in the yard instead of the barrel.

Yesterday was their last day here. They got everything all done and packed up.

 Minion 2 was a little sad to see them go. </3

Bucket List Tag

Thanks to Andrea from Fantasies and Fountainpens   for nominating me for this tag. There aren't really any rules, so I'll be posting some things off my bucket list on pinterest for you guys. (I promise to leave out the fiction ones)

Andrea had ten on her list, but I'm putting up 11. A couple of them mean essentially the same thing. These are in no particular order mind you.

 

I would do practically anything for this to happen. My aunt went to see his mother speak last year, but Tim wasn't there and neither was I.

I don't know why I love this one so much. I guess cause in books and movies friends always just take off together and have tons of fun. And I would love to do that.

 

I still have hopes for this one. They've been stomped on pretty good, but I still have them.

 

 

It must happen. End of story.

 

This one must happen to. I'm working on it. Not sure I'm getting any closer, but I'm definitely working on it.

 

This is probably the least likely to happen of all of them, but I would absolutely love to be a voice actor. I could totally do it. When I don't have to worry about the faces I make, I can do some crazy awesome voices.

 

Please, Mom and Dad, please. Before I die.

 

It's not fictional! It just has a fictional reference.

 

If said Tobias to my Tris was a cowboy, that would be great. If he was the aforementioned Tim Tebow that would also be satisfactory.

 

When I find this Tobias/Cowboy/ Tebow man, he had better ask me.

 

Want. Just another set of holes in my ear lobes is all I want. I promise I won't walk around like a pirate.

 

 

Alrighty, now who to nominate.....

 

Mirriam at Wishful Thinking Etc.

Classical Dreamer

Gillian at Of Battles, Dragons, and Swords of Adament

Sarah at Forever Changed

....I think my parents are home, and I've got some work to do, so I'll leave the rest up to self nomination. If you want to share your bucket list, have at it.