Friday, January 30, 2015

Forgetful Friday


I should just admit defeat right now, instead of thinking I can possibly post things consistently on the proper day. Obviously, Throwback Thursdays are supposed to happen on Thursday. But thank heaven for Forgetful Friday (yes I did just make that up), because that is when I get to post things that I should have posted before, but forgot to.

Soooo, here are Thursday's throwback snippets. These come from 2008, when I was twelve.



The Mystery in the Lagoon
Two hours later they pulled into a long tree lined driveway. At the end was a giant white house. It was really old and had a large porch. There were trees on all sides. Sarah saw a movement at one of the many windows. She stepped out of the car and pulled her suitcase out of the trunk. A silver haired woman dressed in a dark skirt and a white blouse appeared on the porch.” Hello Debbi, Mike.” She looked at Sarah. “Sarah,” she said stiffly, “I’m your aunt Margret.”
From this piece I can tell you that I was absolutely obsessed with a book called Christina's Ghost. That is where I got the inspiration for the house and scenery, and Aunt Margret is the aunt version of the uncle in the book. I also clearly was thinking of her more as a great aunt than just an aunt, because she's old, and Sarah's dad (who is supposedly Margret's brother), is young.

 Keoma
My name is Alex Smith, and I’m going to tell you a story about a horse.
I just watched Flicka for the first time. If I would have continued and typed up all three pages I got wrote of the story, you would know that.
Kipp
That meant either the ship had gotten hopelessly lost, or she was stranded on an uncharted island. Unfortunately, she found the latter option more likely. She dumped out the rest of the bag. A whistle, rope, matches, half a peanut butter n jelly sandwich, and a bottle of coke in her lunchbox. Not much.
Ah yes. My survivalist phase. At this time you wouldn't find me without string, paperclips, pencil stub, paper scrap, at least two pocket knives (one a Swiss Army), a flashlight, and a whistle in my pockets. (I'm not kidding. It weighed a pound) My survivalist handbook was my favorite thing to read, and this story was my chance to put all my vast knowledge out on display...I don't know why she had a Coke with her. I hate Coke, and none of my characters have ever been allowed to drink it. (except Leslie from The Dynamic Duo. She was from Colorado. I had to give her quirks) 
I always just call this one Maddie Lewis (I promise, I did not get her name from mine...please believe me) But the 'official' title page that I drew for it says it is called His Love Endures Forever, so....
“Say what you want ‘bout me, but mark me, one more cruel word toward Nathan and I’ll shove you outta this buggy.” Maddie was furious.
“What a rebellious girl. Yelling at and threatenin’ her elders.” Mrs. Price scolded. “I hear you sympathize with the blue coats. A little Miss Yankee yourself.”
 I was in love with this story at the time. When I read through it to find snippets, I can't remember why. It was exhausting trying to write a southern accent, and as you can see, I failed miserably.
In unfamiliar territory.
She pushed back and looked up at him. “We have to get out of here.”
Riley smiled. “we will.”
“No, you don’t understand. We have to get out.”
Riley started to get confused. “I know.”
“No. We have-"
 “What do you mean?” Asked Riley in bewilderment.
 Mandy took a deep breath. “If I die in here, that leaves Jana Okeridge all by herself with Tye. And we can’t have that. Tye’s done nothing bad enough to deserve that.”
I was still obsessed with the Sadie Rose series at this point. I had finally acquired the whole series, and had realized I couldn't plagiarize it so blatantly, so this series was born. I actually still like it quite a bit, but it's bad. Mandy and I still both love Tye though, and  I refuse to give up on him.
Kidnapping on the Bar H
“I want to wash this blood off. I don’t want Ma to see me like this.” Mandy walked down to the creek. She pulled out her shredded handkerchief and scowled.
Tye knelt beside her and handed her his. “Here.”
She smiled at him. “thanks.” She dipped it in the water and began scrubbing her face.
She looked at Tye. “Did I get it?”
“Little more here.” He said, touching her cheek. “There.”
Mandy finger combed the tangles out of her hair and rebraided it. “How do I look?”
He studied her and smiled. “Pretty.”
 *soft angelic music* One of my first romantic scenes.
(This one may have been from 2007- there was no date on it, and it comes first in the Mandy "series")
Gunshots on Oak Creek
Mandy started cheering for Riley. “Come on Riley! You can do it!”
Riley’s arm started moving don. Mandy bent down and whispered in Riley’s ear. “He’s just a farmer. He can’t beat you.”
Really, I don't understand why I would write this. I love farmers. We can do anything!
There you go! I had so much traffic on the last post like this, I figured I had better follow up on it, even if it is late. Thanks for reading!



Thursday, January 29, 2015

Everyone Panic!

Guys!!
Rooglewood Press moved up the announcement date from March 1st to February 1st.
The five winning stories are going to be announced in three days!!
I don't know how to handle this information.
Dance? Cry?

I told Minion 1 that this either means that they had fewer entries than they planned, or they had so many horrible entries that the choosing was ridiculously easy.
I'm not sure if either of these possibilities are supposed to offer me hope.

Facts remain facts though, and we will find out one way or another on Sunday.
I will be away from the internet most of the time.
I am excited. I am terrified.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

A Dilemma

 
I have a dilemma readers. Of epic proportions. The Super Bowl is this Sunday.
And I don't have a team to cheer for.

When I found out it would be the Patriots and the Seahawks, I fully planned to root for the Seahawks.
But. That dreaded word.
I then discovered that Russell Wilson did an add promoting Obamacare, and basically said that it was the best option out there.

Now, I don't care what your views are on our president. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But I find Obamacare a hard pill to swallow, because it is blatantly funding abortion. Abortion is something I never will stand behind.

Russell Wilson claims to be a Christian, and I can't say yay or nay on that, I'm not God, but I can't stand behind someone who supports the murder of babies (even in a roundabout way)- even in something as trivial as a football game. Now I know he is only one man on the team, but I've just never been a Seahawks fan anyway.

Moving on to the Patriots. A) They're cheaters. And I don't really care too much about them deflating the footballs, because they've been cheating for years and everyone knows it.
But Tom Brady.
 
That man. I just can't.
Every time he opens his mouth something arrogant comes out.
And he hurts my eyes. I'm just saying.
Not to mention the Pat's ALWAYS beat my favorite teams, and they cut Tim Tebow.

So I have two teams that I despise. What to do? The super bowl is the biggest game of the year. I wait and plead for it for months. Now I'm supposed to root for no one? Me and my family have been discussing it for weeks, and we all know we really need to have a team picked, because my pastor invited us and several other people over for the game. I need to have a team!

So...I have decided to stake my allegiance with the Patriots.
Make note of this people, because it will Never, EVER happen again.
 
This support of the Patriots is more of a disguise though, as I will ultimately be cheering for the best pass rush. Every time a quarter back gets sacked, hit, or roughed up in any way you will hear me (well maybe you won't hear it, but I will be) screaming in victory. I don't care which one it is, I will be happy.
No matter who wins I'll be able to say
"Well, I'm glad the Seahawks didn't win."
Or, "I'm sure glad the Patriots didn't win."
 
I suppose this could be seen as a good thing. No matter what I'll be happy with the loser.
 
Oh if only it could have been Green Bay or the Colts!

Friday, January 23, 2015

Beautiful People- Author edition

 
 
Hi! It's time for Beautiful People again, and this month it's all about me!!
*ahem* I mean us.
The authors.
Anyway, these questions are amazing so I'm going to get right to them. 

How many years have you been writing? 
Literally, since I was in kindergarten. They weren't good stories, but I wrote lots of them. 

When did you officially consider yourself a ‘writer’?
About when I was 13, even though the stories I wrote at that age aren't allowed to see the light of day. 
 
 
How/why did you start writing?
Well, when I was little it was for two reasons. A) I either wanted a story to end different than it did, or I wanted a sequel, so I would write it how I wanted. 
B) I loved to read and I had so many ideas of my own that I wanted to get out. 

What’s your favorite part of writing? 
When it finally fits. Whatever I'm working on finally clicks and the characters are real and I don't have to force the plot anymore. I also am
Thrilled with story boarding. 

 
What’s your biggest writing struggle?
Staying off Pinterest. And fleshing out plots. Characters are easy, but plots trip me all the time. Oh! And research. Blasted stuff. 

 
Do you write best at night or day?
I do most of my writing in the evening when I'm not busy, but I don't know if it's my best. I can think better in the evening. 

What does your writing space look like? (Feel free to show us pictures!)
Generally, it looks like my living room, but if I want to retreat, I go here-


 
 
How long does it typically take you to write a complete draft?
I don't know...most of my stories have taken a year at least. One took like four years. But I've done them in a month too...I'm going to say it takes me a year to write the first draft. 

How many projects do you work on at once?
I've had as many as six, and as few as one, but I typically have at least two going. 

Do you prefer writing happy endings, sad ones, or somewhere in between?
In between. I don't want to be a complete beast to whatever readers I have, but completely happy endings don't seem real to me. 

List a few authors who’ve influenced your writing journey.
Louis L'amoure, Christopher Paolini, and Hilda Stahl influenced my writing style. Jill Williamson and Stephanie Morrill influenced my writing development. 
 
 
Do you let people read your writing? Why or why not?
Yes. Certain people. If I trust them, I want their feedback. Or someone to fangirl with me. 

What’s your ultimate writing goal or dream?
To be published by a company big enough that I can walk into the local bookstore and see my book on the shelf. 

If you didn’t write, what would you want to do?
Ranch. 

Do you have a book you'd like to write one day but don’t feel you’re ready to attempt it yet? 
I have a pirate one I'd like to write, but I'm trying to iron out the morality part of it. We'll see.  There's a few others that deal with touchy subjects that I'm a little leary of too. 

Which story has your heart and won't let go?
My first real length story, the Eiders of Carstindad. It's not even read worthy, but I love the characters. 
 
 
There you have it!

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Throw Back Thursday

Hi guys!
I had an idea the other day, and I'm going to try something new on the blog.
On Thursdays I'm going to do a throw back. I have hoards of my old stories, and I thought it might be fun to post snippets from the stories that came from the same year. I'm curious how my writing style has developed. My spelling has drastically improved, but I'm seeing that some of my preferences in characters have changed as well, but some haven't.
This is just an experiment, and I guess I'll see how you guys like it before I commit to it. It probably wont go on forever, as I only have so many stories, but I should be able to keep it up for a month or better if it turns out good.

*I kept the grammar and all that the same, but I did correct the spelling to save me and you great pain.


2003 (I'd be age 7)
Once upon a time there was a kingdom and there was a dragon. It was destroying the forest so the king sent his bravest knights, Sir Red and Sir Blue, to go to the dragons lair where they slayed the dragon. When they got back they were given red and blue medals, and lived happily ever after. The end.
Don't laugh at me. I have some stories from when I was younger, but my mom has them stuffed away in a file somewhere, so I'll have to do some hunting for them. This is the earliest one I have in my bedroom. I ripped it out of my old Elmo journal ^_^ From this (incredibly) short story, we can gather that I liked fantasy (Hey! I HAVE wrote a story with a dragon in it. I'll have to remember that on next years Appreciate A Dragon Day), and that I had no clue of romance. Otherwise the knights would have been given the Princess' hands in marriage or something like that. I also had no idea for description, or original names.
These all came from 2007. I would have been eleven years old.

Brett Johnson
As the boy topped the hill he stopped to rest his horse. It had been a long day. Nobody knew where he came from or who he was. All they knew was that he went from town to town, stayed a while, then moved on.
Life on the prairie
Lauren was only two years older than Susan, and yet she acted so grown up. Susan didn’t think she could ever act as grownup as Lauren when she turned thirteen.
Mary Ann and the Baby
When Mary woke up she was exhausted.
Mary Ann and the best Christmas
The December winds blew cold as Mary Ann Coleman trudged up the path to the house from the chicken shed with a basket of eggs. She walked through the door of the little cabin and took a deep breath of the sweet smelling air. She took off her boots, and heavy wool coat and hung it on a peg. She sat the eggs on the table and sat down. Her ma Elizabeth was making eggs and bacon for breakfast. Her pa Luke was tending the fire in the wood stove. Her two younger sisters were playing with their rag dolls. Jenny was six and a little shy, Lucy was seven and wanted to be a grownup. Mary’s older sister Clara was fifteen and worried about the way she looked all the time. Mary didn’t know why. The way she looked at it, you brush your hair and it just gets tangly again.

Wow. That was painful. From these snippets we can gather that I had begun to grasp some idea of description. Apparently though, I thought that 11 year olds were a lot older than they really are. All of these characters are 11 (like I was), but I can't think of a single eleven year old who could roam around the wild west and get hired and have a high old time like Brett did. I still share Mary's feelings for tangled hair, and waking up exhausted. I can also tell you that I was reading The Sadie Rose book series at that time, and that Mary Ann was almost a direct rip off of that story. Mary Ann would be better spelled plagiarism.
Well, that's all I have for the 2007 era! Let me know what you think of this idea :)

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Check In

 
 
I think it's time for a check in. It's almost mid January. 
Want to know how my list of resolutions is coming along?

I got a laptop, and I'm loving it.
 
I've been doing a read through of Out of Darkness and marking everything that catches my attention, and working on researching the location and details of gangs and such. It's tedious but going well. I shudder to think I released the story into the hands of people though. It was not ready. 
 
I've read my bible every day except for one Sunday morning and two days where I was down with the nasty flu.
 
I've been eating healthier, and I'm seeing some results. 
 
I've been working away on my two stories and they're coming along alright. 
 
I found I can write all of my cursive letters except I can't remember q and I'm too lazy to look it up. How often do you use q anyway? It's not pretty cursive, but it's not as bad as I remember it.
 
Got some supplies for Bekah's wedding gift (actually my mom got them, but I approved them)

I'm thrilled with the progress I'm making, and I'm really hoping I can keep it up.
 How about you? How are your goals and resolutions coming?

Monday, January 19, 2015

The Art of Characters

 
Hi guys! guess what? a new linkup is here from Stori Tori. It is partially for artists who like to draw their characters, (we're supposed to provide four pieces of art that remind us of the character) but since all of my boy characters end up looking like girls, and I can hardly draw a girl, I'll just furnish you with four pictures that remind me of my character. The topic for this set of questions is the protagonist.
  
Since I'm editing Out of Darkness I'm going to use its main character, Cannon.
 
 
 

1.) What does your character's eye, skin, and hair color tell about him/her?
Hmm, well he has blue eyes and that gives him that heartthrob vibe, his skin tells me he is Caucasian, and his hair color (black) says edgy. And you know, tall dark and handsome. 

2.) What does your character's hairstyle tell about him/her?
That he's messy and kind of punk. He likes it longer, and tousled looking. 

3.) What does your character's default outfit tell about him/her?
He's a total boy. A bit of a punk, thug type kid. He usually wears dark colors, skulls, leather jacket, etc. 
 
4.) Does he/she have an object(s) he/she carries around a lot?
He carries his phone all the time. A gun for half the book. Probably his wallet. 

5.) Does he/she have any particular scars or birthmarks?
He has a scar on his cheek from getting hit with a metal pipe when he was a kid. 

6.) Does he/she have any piercings or tattoos?
Nope. 

7.) How does he/she carry themselves? Shoulders back? Eye contact? Eyes down? Slumped shoulders?
He carries himself confidently. He makes eye contact most of the time, stands up straight, walks purposefully. 

8.) What is his/her default expression? Smiling? Frowning? Solemn?
He's probably smirking. 

9.) Does he/she wear make-up or face paint?
No, he does not. 

10.) Does his/her physical appearance change at any time? For example: If they have a power do their eyes glow or hair turn blue?
Nope. He looks the same at all times, unless Jeremy drags him to church. Then he might comb his hair and wear a button up shirt. 
 
 
Thanks for reading! I'm super excited about this new linkup since A Novel Idea has been discontinued :(
 

Saturday, January 17, 2015

AADD

Assemble Minions!!
I just found out that yesterday was Appreciate A Dragon Day (AADD)! This was started by Donita K. Paul, whose writing I have yet to read, but I refuse to miss a chance to yap about dragons.  Since holidays always bleed into the weekend that follows them, I am claiming today as my dragon appreciation day.

I love dragons. I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to them, several pictures and posters of them all over the wall, and I love to read about them. They are just so amazing.

So, without further ado, here is me showing my appreciation for dragons.

My Favorite Dragon Books:

Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, Eldest- by Christopher Paolini
 
This series is amazing. If you haven't read it, you should. The dragons in it are amazing, not to mention Murtagh and the other characters. There are even whole chapters wrote from the dragons' perspectives!
 
The Dragons of Starlight: Starlighter, Warrior, Diviner, Liberatr- Bryan Davis
 
 
I haven't finished this series yet, but I've read the first two and I'm in love with them. The dragons are completely different than most dragons, but in a good way. And the characters are to die for.
 
 
My Favorite Fictional Dragons:
 
Thorn and Sapphira from The Inheritance cycle (the red and blue ones on the covers)
Thorn is such a tortured little (giant) guy, and Sapphira has so much sass.
 
Smaug from The Hobbit
He was terrifying. And I can use his line now.
 
Eustace from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
He made a much better dragon than a boy.
 
 
Favorite Dragon Pictures and Quotes:
 
 
Favorite Bible verses about dragons:
 
Isaiah 13:22
And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.
 
Job 30:29
I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls.
.....I have something to admit guys....I've never wrote a dragon in any of my stories. *ashamed*
I do plan for there to be mention of them in RP Fantasy, but I have no actual dragons playing roles in any of my stories. Oh well. I still love them.
 
 
























 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Thursday, January 15, 2015

An Idea

Hi all!

So I got an idea for a story the other day.
And I will not let myself actually write it yet, because I am working on Running Crazy, and RP Fantasy still, and I'm trying really hard to get them done- But that doesn't mean I can't make a Pinterest board and a book video.

Let me back up a little before I dump the whole load of self made fangirl paraphernalia on you.

See, I watched this video here and discovered the song Hey Brother by Avicii. And I loved it.
And I thought it would really fit my Dynamic Duo story.

But then I was sitting in the tractor waiting for Dad to get the feed wagon filled, and it hit me.
Twins. Identical twins. Identical, royal twins. Based off that song.
(don't tell me they can't be identical twins, because they are the exact same actor)

Here is the summary of the idea, thus far titled Hey Brother. I do not have character names picked out yet, so please forgive me.

Set in a medieval, identical twins are born to the king and queen. One of them is a grand total of six minutes older than the other, so he is set to inherit the throne. He resents this though, and when he is thirteen he runs away and no one is able to find him. To cover up the embarrassment and potential catastrophe that would come with their son and crown prince running away, the king and queen ask their remaining son to pretend to be his brother,  fully expecting the crown prince to come to his senses and return.
But he doesn't come back. Six years go by, and though they still keep his abandonment a secret, they exhaust every avenue they have to find him, but he manages to evade them all.
The remaining prince is still juggling both lives, attending some gatherings as himself, and others as his brother. Fulfilling his brother's duties as a suitor to a foreign princess, while avoiding all other females on his own. Political unrest between the country and its neighbors builds when the King falls deathly ill. The prince is faced with a decision to become his brother for good, or find a way to fake his death and go back to being just himself. He stalls this decision as long as possible because he loves the girl his brother was betrothed to marry, but he is wary of taking it any farther because he doesn't want to commit to being his brother for the rest of his life. While on a trip to meet with some ambassadors, he stumbles upon a man who looks just like him.
Being reunited with his brother is a tense thing at best, and there are a lot of hard feelings between the two. He decides to stall any revelations when his brother announces that he knows of a spy in the king's court, and a assassination and conquest plan underway. The two brothers agree to join forces to find who is behind these plans, and save the kingdom.

Here is  the video. It was too big to load on here, but tell me if it doesn't work.

There are a lot of things I need to figure out more, but that sums it up. As for the video, I couldn't get very good quality picture on some of the parts, because I don't have a way to save music videos, deleted scenes, and movie trailers, onto my computer like I did with the Eragon movie, so excuse the blurriness and poor filming on my part for some of it. It is the first book video I have ever made and I like it a lot, since it was just for fun.
 

Have a great day!

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

The Maze Runner Movie Review

Well, I managed to keep it a secret till Christmas day.
Minion 1 got The Maze Runner movie.
So this is my review of it.
First off.
Do not watch it with your grandma and parents.
They will not understand.
When you try and explain the book to them, they still will not understand.

Okay?
Moving on.

This movie. I liked it. I did not love it.
As a movie, it was good. Compared to the book, it was not.
I know the movies are never as good as the book, but when I have adaptions like Hunger Games and Divergent to look to, this one fell way short.

There were lots of things that were different from the book. Most of them didn't really change the plot any, but they certainly irritated readers like Minion 1 and I. Several of them seem like they will be huge problems for the later movies though. I could be wrong. Maybe they'll figure out how to make it fit, but I don't know how.
I'm sort of curious why James Dashner loved it so much. The man was like obsessed with it. Oh well.

If you can get past book nerd problems, it was a good movie. They took a complex story and it made sense in movie form. The actors did good at being their characters. Chuck was amazing. I didn't quite picture Newt that scrubby and Minho that Asian, but they still pulled it off very well. Newt wasn't as brilliantly sarcastic, but that's okay.


For content, there was a lot of cussing. I didn't count, but there was way more cussing than there was in the book. mostly D and H words, but there were some bigger ones like SOB. So, red flag on that front. That was the only downfall as far as content goes.

It's definitely not a lousy movie. I've already watched it twice since Christmas.
If you liked the books, it's worth the time to watch the movie.

Monday, January 12, 2015

A Book Review

Alright. I need to say something.
 I was wrong.
Yes. It happens.
I was wrong.
Completely wrong about this book.
Let me explain.

The youth group girls had a slumber party at the Pastor's house while he was gone on a trip. His wife made us popcorn and we watched movies way too late, and it was great. She works at the library, so we spent part of the day there, and she loaned me a book. An old book. Now don't get me wrong, I like old books, but I had doubts about this one. It was published in 1976. It was recommended by my pastor's wife. She's amazing and all, but I really didn't figure our reading tastes would match up at all. But I took it to be nice.
And I started reading it.
And I was wrong.

It's on Goodreads, but it doesn't have a blurb there, so this is what the book cover says.

"Tisha?"
"Yes?"
"You one good white woman."
With these words an Indian boy named Chuck hands over his heart and his trust to a young teacher. it is 1927 in Alaska, and Tisha is Anne Hobbs' true story.
Full of energy and ideals, Anne treks across the northern tundra to become schoolmarm in the remote gold-rush settlement of Chicken. Here her life's adventure begins- an adventure that pits her against the relentless Alaskan winter and the equally relentless, sometimes savage, determination of the whole colorful lot of Chickenites that Anne will conform, for her own good, to their standards.
Three men court Anne's favors: Joe Temple, handsome and cynical; Cabaret Jackson, a brawling frontiersman; and Fred Purdy, warm, generous...and half-Eskimo.
Her neighbors open-hearted welcome cools as Anne's friendship with Fred Purdy grows stronger. It evaporates when she seats little Chuck in class with her white students. And when Anne gets her back up, hostility erupts.
Amid the turmoil, Anne finds the strong center of herself. And all along her way- even as she fights for the man she loves and the children who have become hers- Anne makes the most of the very real joys of life in the North Country.


First off, it gets five hearts from me.
♥♥♥♥♥

I loved everything about this book. It's a true story, which is always amazing. It had some parts in it that were simply hilarious, and a few that were downright heartbreaking.
The story was told to Rober Specht by Anne herself, so the whole things makes me feel like I'm right there in some little Alaska town, taking on wolves and crazy miners, and dancing every Friday night and trying to get kids to take baths.
I just finished the book last night after reading it for four and a half hours straight. I told my mom that I would not be at all disappointed if she decided to get it for me as a Christmas present.
I would definitely read it again.
Unlike lots of old, historic books, this one didn't flood me with boring details of exactly how everything was done. It read like a story, not a book of facts.
The characters were so colorful and I'm jealous that it happened so long ago and I can't hunt some of them down and talk to them myself, because I just loved the story and it only covered one year of Anne's life. I have a hundred questions I'd like to ask about things that happened later.
During the last chapter I was ready to burst into tears, because I thought it was going to end sad. You know, real life often ends sad, so since it was a true story I knew the author couldn't brighten things up just for the reader's sake. But then the epilogue came and it was happy tears instead of sad ones. It was perfectly thrilled with the ending.
If you like historic stories at all, this is definitely one to get your hands on. I'm going to be a good girl and wait until after Christmas, but if it doesn't show up I'm going to buy it myself. I told my dad he has to read it as soon as I get it, because he loves true stories about old times.

Have a great day!

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Screenplay, The First

Hello all!
Last Sunday all the kids in church got together and put on a Christmas play, and I was so proud.
About a month ago, one of the little boys in my Sunday School class asked if we could do a Christmas play. No one really had any ideas so my mom and another lady talked me into writing one to fit the recourses our church has.
I was promised help from Mom and Minion 1 on working out the plot.
They did not honor those promises.

They said "maybe something modern. I don't know what kind of modern. Maybe someone gets saved. You're the writer. I thought you would think of something."
"Just do a nativity scene. Yes, it's been done before. Can't you just write it down?"
I suggested maybe Mary be narrating the story and I got-
"That's stupid! We don't want someone sitting around telling the story."

When I was finally allowed to speak I said I didn't want a modern idea unless they could come up with the plot for me, because quite frankly, I hate writing modern stories. (I'm dead serious)

I said that I wanted there to be an older Mary narrating parts so that she could cue the rest of the kids (cause most of them are  little) on when to come in and act out the nativity.

They loved that idea. Wonder why I didn't mention that sooner.

Anyway, I wrote it, and then Minion 1 was a huge help in directing it with me. We had to pin up a lot of costumes so our wise men didn't trip over their skirts, and half of the wise men were in fact wise women. But it looked good.

One of the little boy's I've been teaching guitar lessons played a duet with me and we sang Jesus Loves Me, then the kids did the skit and we closed it all up with Joy to the World.

They did so great! I was so thrilled. They did it so good.

I didn't hear it, but when I went down to help the kids get out of the costumes Pastor told everyone that I had wrote it and that it was my first screenplay.
 I was on cloud nine.
I haven't come down yet.
Don't plan to.

Friday, January 9, 2015

Oxygen:Inhale - CD Review

Hello!
My family is amazing and got me the newest Thousand Foot Krutch CD, Oxygen: Inhale.
I. Love. It.
It is so different from the usual sound. They have a lot of mellow, pretty songs on the CD. They still have plenty of rocking and rapping songs too though.
The CD has ten tracks on it.
My favorite are-
Untraveled Road, Born This Way, and I See Red.
I listened to it in the car the other day and the Minions and my mom made me skip half of them because they couldn't stand them. First they said they were too crazy. Then the slow ones came and they said they were too mellow.
Now?
Now both minions are walking around flipping their hair like wanna be rockers and singing
"Because I was born this way!"
It's hilarious.
I have corrupted them.



Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Lyric Medley Tag



Hi!
Sarah tagged me for the Lyric Medley Tag this last week, and it looks like so much fun.
Thanks Sarah!

The Rules:

Thank and link back to the person who tagged you.
Make a collage that represents your taste in music (or, if you don't feel like it, you can use mine) to go along with your tag post


List 10 song lyrics (along with song titles and artists) and their genres to go with an emotion/scenario (you can come up with your own or use the ones that the person who tagged you used).

Tag at least 5 bloggers


Alright! I actually already had a collage made a long time ago, and loaded onto my DeviantArt page, so here it is.

(NeedtoBreathe, Hawk Nelson{the old one}, Thousand Foot Krutch, 33 Miles, TobyMac, Manafest, Skillet, 12 Stones, Newsboys{the old one}, Flyleaf, 7eventh Time Down, Nine Lashes, Kutless, Icon For Hire, Disciple)

And, I'm just going to use the scenarios that Sarah had up.


1. Song that makes me want to cry:
Mark Schultz- Walking Her Home  (contemporary Christian)
"And just for a while they were eighteen
And she was still more beautiful to him than anything"


2. Song that makes me smile.
Caedmon's Call- Daring Daylight Escape (contemporary Christian)
"'Cause you can read all about it
About boy meets a girl and then
 He screws the whole thing up
Just like always"

3. Song that makes me want to live in the future:
"You say you know just who I am
But you can't imagine
What waits for you across the line
You thought you had me
But I'm still here standing
And I'm tired of backing down"

4. Song that makes you feel rebellious:
(soundtrack- but I think it would be considered country. I don't know.)
"Get outta my face or give it you best shot
I think it's time you better face the fact
Get off my back"

5. Songs that me feel like I'm in Cali:
Audio Adrenaline- Summertime (contemporary Christian)
"A place that doesn't take credit cards
Or lots of cash "

6. Song that Makes Me Feel "Fly": 
I really want to say this one but, I'm going to go with
"I met this girl who likes her heavy metal
She gets excited when slipknot plays on
Leno she's a heck of a girl with no cares in
The world and she likes it that way"

8. Song that Makes Me Wanna Dance: 
"We got it going on in your America, my America, oh America"
9. Song that Makes Me Feel Sad:
"And if the night is burning
I will cover my eyes
For if the dark returns
Then my brothers will die
And as the sky is falling down
It crashed into this lonely town
And with that shadow upon the ground
I hear my people screaming out"
10. Song that reminds me of summer:
....Well, I already used summertime....Oh, I use this in the slide show I make for VBS in the summer.
The Afters- Every Good Thing (contemporary Christian)
"You're the reason for anything that lasts, every second chance
Every laugh, (woo!)"


Thanks for doing this Sarah!

I nominate:

J
M

And anyone else who thinks it sounds like buckets of fun!