An Autumn Post

I promised an autumn post a while back, and since it snowed last night and its still not officially the first day of winter, I figured I'd better hurry up before autumn packed up and left without me. So when I sat down to write it, it ended up not being a post at all, but more of a poem, so sorry, but here you go.

 

Autumn is a time for yelling

"Izzy put jeans on"

Of watching while driving

For doe and her fawn.

 

Fall is a time for thinking

"Coffee sounds good."

And digging around for that coat with a hood.

 

It's that time of the year

When green gives way

To golden leaves

That spiral and sway

 

Autumn is time for yelling

"Izz, T-shirts won't do."

And the world's changing color

And everything's new

 

Now is the time

to let tomato plants die

And exchange them for pumpkins

And a pink painted sky

 

Of corn chaff

And bean dust

And the moonbeams

they've caught rust

 

The heat slips out

And takes irrigation

The winds pick up

Bring winters early salutation

 

It's stringing out fence

And bringing cows home

Checking them twice

Weaned calves like to roam

 

It's nippy cool air

And fog in the morning

"What'd the weather just say?"

Winter advisory warning.

 

Autumn is fresh young horses

and lots of coffee to drink

It's "Izzy get that skirt off.

I don't care if it's pink."

 

It's time for hot chocolate

And bugs crawling on the walls.

"Quick hold your ears!"

Dad found the coyote calls.

 

Lets sight in the rifles

"Mom get us more ammo."

Deer season's fast coming

Maybe we'll try a bow.

 

The girl's been planning Halloween now

for six or eight weeks

There's birthdays coming

a few presents to sneak.

 

the crows they come

Calling with winds that blow

"Kid change outta those crocks

It's fixing to snow."

 

Almost through feeding that steer

Mom wants soup every meal

Semesters almost over?

That sounds like a deal.

 

Autumn is the perfect mix

Between summer time and snow

I can't think of any more rhymes

I guess I'd better go



Beautiful Books- Grand Finale

Here is the final round of questions for Beautiful Books, over at Further up and Further in !
I have loved this version of the linkup. Here's my final thoughts on Running Crazy!

The Questions


On a scale of 1 (worst) to 10 (best), how well do you think this book turned out?
So far I'd only rate it about a six, just because I still have a lot of research to do, so there are several parts that aren't as descriptive as they should be, and a couple of my characters don't have very clear voices yet.

Have you ever rewritten or edited one of your books before? If so, what do you do to prepare yourself? If not, what’s your plan?
I've done minor editing, but have yet to do a full overhaul of a manuscript. Usually though I just run through spell check first, and then start reading the whole thing. I might print it out and take it along with me so I can jot down notes on what needs fixed.

What’s your final word count? Do you plan to lengthen or trim your book? 
Well the Nano website says 39078, but it's actually like 41 thousand because I fell asleep the last night before I updated the word count. The story isn't finished though, so it will end being much longer (hopefully).

What are you most proud of? Plot, characters, or pacing?
I think I'm going to have to go with plot on this one, though I do love my characters. They're just not clicking the way they're supposed to, so I've had to demote them.

What’s your favorite bit of prose or line from this novel?
.....I don't know yet. I have no clue what is even in the story honestly, I just wrote on it like a woman possessed. The whole thing could be complete junk when I go back and read through it.

What aspect of your book needs the most work? 
Characters!

What aspect of your book is your favourite?
The romance.

How are your characters? Well-rounded, or do they still need to be fleshed out?
I may have mentioned before, that they need some meat on their literary bones.

If you had to do it over again, what would you change about the whole process?
I would have pushed through and wrote more on the days I didn't feel like it. I think I would have made the word count if I had.

Did anything happen in the book that completely surprised you? Have any scenes or characters turned out differently to what you planned? Good or bad?
Nothing has completely surprised me. Donny and Chloe have turned out a little different than I thought, and so has both Reeve and Amy's relationships with their parents.

What was the theme and message? Do you think they came across? If not, is there anything you could do to bring them out more?
I'm really not sure what the theme/message is just yet. I usually don't think of those until I read through the first draft, then I pick up on threads I weaved through the whole story and tweak them a little to draw them out more.
Do you like writing with a deadline (like NaNoWriMo) or do you prefer to write-as-it-comes?
I get way more done when I have a deadline, but I do favor writing as it comes, that way I can jump from story to story.

Comparative title time! What published books, movies, or TV shows are like your book? (Ex: Inkheart meets X-Men.)
Well, Minion 2 keeps telling me that the story is just like October Baby...she hasn't read a single scrap of it, so I don't know how she came to that conclusion, but there are a few similarities. I'm really not sure what to compare it to though. Check back with me once it's finished.

How do you celebrate a finished novel?!
Squeal and talk about it nonstop till my family wishes they were deaf. Then find someone who wants to read it.

When people are done reading your book, what feeling do you want them to come away with?
I want their souls.
No, but seriously. I want them to have the same feeling I do when I finish a book I love. I want them to have that sad ache that's oddly happy. Because they loved it, and now it's over.

Best Blogging Buddies Tag

Wild horse at Opal Swirls nominated me for the Best Blogging Buddies tag. Thanks!

Questions-

1. Why do you blog?
Because I love being able to interact with tags and linkups and whatnot.

2. Purple or Pink?

3. Summer or Winter?
Ugh. I hate being hot.
But I hate being cold.
....
Summer.

4. Have you read/seen The Book Thief? Tell me if it ripped you up like it ripped me up.
I haven't read it or seen it yet, but I plan to. So, no. I have not been ripped as of yet.

5. A book you keep re-reading?

6. Do you have any pets?
A handful of holier-than-thou cats, and an insane dog.

7. Type or handwrite?
Handwrite. A blank computer screen drains me of any inspiration I might have had. I handwrite most of my blog posts before I ever even go to a computer.

8.  Has a book ever made you cry?
....I got asked this by the minions the other day and they laughed at my answer.
Yes. A couple have.
I cried in American Diaries: Maddie Retta Lauren when the man I loved died.
I cried in Green Rider when some random character died and she thought of her husband.
And (this is the one they mocked me for), I cried in A Horse Named Cinnamon. The pony died, okay!? Give me a break!

9. Favorite school subject?
My mom claims we never took reading as an actual subject. Art neither. (Is my hillbilly speak showing?) So...History. But American History. None of that ancient world history stuff. That stuff is messed up.

10. The best sport in the world is....
I'm a good red blooded American. How am I supposed to decide between football, UFC, or bull riding?

11. Do you live in town or the country?
Country.

12. What is better: Sunrise or sunset?
Sunset. It comes at a reasonable hour to be awake.

13. It's midday, you're still in your PJs, at home alone, when some knocks on the door. What do you do?
I do not leave my bedroom in PJ's, but if I were to, I would throw on some jeans and go answer the door. (My pj shirt looks just like a regular shirt, so I wouldn't have to change that.)

14. A quote that is important to you?
....Hmmm. I'm really bad at these. I'm the type of person who reads thousands of quotes on Pinterest and thinks hundreds of them are so great, and then completely forgets them the instant I see fanart.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" John 3:16

15. If you had to eat one food forever, you would eat...
Steak

The Rules:

You must make a post to show your award on your main blog.

You must tag the person who nominated you in your post

You must nominate all of your best buddies, and those whom you want to become best buddies with, who, to your knowledge, have not been nominated for this award.

You must ask your buddies at least 15 questions in your post.

You must answer all of the questions your buddies ask you on your post.

I'm not going to nominate anyone for this. I've had my fill of nominating people and I'm starting to feel like my list of blogger friends resembles more of a hit list than a tag list after all the tags and awards I've been blowing through lately.

A Pirates Life For Me

You don't know panic until your DVD player breaks with Pirates of the Caribbean inside of it.

We had company over when the DVD player suddenly refused to play the movie, and wouldn't even open.

We all just sat there for a minute like

It felt like Jack was going into the kraken all over again. 

Company or not, the Minions and I freaked and rushed to tell mom, who, in front of company, also freaked (on a more rational and mature level, but still)

You don't know relief until two hours later you press the button, hoping against hope, and the DVD drive opens.

And Jack is saved to sail another time.

You know you're a Pirates of the Caribbean junky when it happens to be on TV for a Saturday night special so you're watching it as a family and your mom says "I've seen it a hundred time and this part still worries me."

And Minion 2 says "I'm just worried about when they're going to cut to a commercial break."

*the entire family takes a look at the highly intense scene and nods in agreement*

You know I have no clue where this post is heading when I start using ungodly amounts of gifs and yammering on about a movie series. 

Because let's be honest (honestly) I have no clue what I'm doing.

I'm just finding all kinds of fun gifs and wanting to use them somehow.

And I'm sure it's really cruel to you guys and those of you who haven't watched this movie series are probably sitting there like "What is going on?? What does this mean? Who is this sarcastic dreadlocked guy in eyeliner??"

And I'm just sitting here typing away and laughing to myself. I'm finding this highly enjoyable.

Is it late? Yes. Am I sleep deprived? Most assuredly. Should I have my blogging license taken away? Probably.

And then there's you guys saying "would she just stop already?" And I'm like, "you can close the tab any time you like honey." This is way too fun. Haven't you ever seen the youtube video's where the maker puts like five minutes of random funny junk after the video is totally over? Or those long gigantic pictures on pinterest of completely meaningless stuff but you keep reading just to see if it ever makes a point or not.

This is probably a really good moment for me to stop though...

Alright. Here it comes. The grand finale. To those of you who love this whacky dude

To those of you who don't...

...sorry.

A Novel Idea

It's time for A Novel Idea from Ashley at Ashley Aspires.

I have put Running Crazy down for a bit while finishing my Iron Curse story, but I'll use Reeve and Amy to answer the questions still. And I will eventually get around to writing a post to tell you how my first nano went.

Reeve:

Do they/did they like school? IF so, what’s their favorite subject? 
He likes it, yes. Like any kid, there are days he wishes he didn't have to go, and gets sick of homework and all, but he doesn't have any hate toward it as a rule. His favorite subject is history. He's kind of a history junkie.

What do they usually carry in their pocket? 
His wallet and cellphone.

What is the worst thing they ever did? 
He would never tell you that. But...I honestly don't know. Sorry.

Would they die for anyone?
Yes. He would die for his parents, and probably Donny if he absolutely had to. And Amy.
Speaking of which...
Amy's turn!

Do they/did they like school? IF so, what’s their favorite subject? 
It's alright. She looks at it as a necessary evil. If you want to go far in the world you have to get a good job. To get a good job you need a good education. To get a good education it does help to take part in school. Her favorite subject is English.

What do they usually carry in their pocket? 
Lip balm and maybe a few bucks. And her cellphone.

What is the worst thing they ever did? 
She doesn't want to talk about that.

Would they die for anyone?
She would die for her mom and dad. She would definitely try to save Reeve, but I don't know if she's reached the point where she would die for him.

Fangirlish Nightmare

It is perhaps the worst thing that can happen to a fangirl. 

Her man gets married.

In books we always want the guy and gal to be together, but as for me, I really don't want them married. Dating sounds just fine. If they're married it comes in an epilogue long after the story ends. 

But what about when a real person gets married? 

How do you handle that as a fangirl?

 

I'll tell you how. 

 

Scream at the computer. 

Tell your family.

Stay up all night thinking about it.

Talk about it for days on end.

Tell all your friends.

Tell yourself it's not true.

Never get over it.

I've been following this formula devoutly ever since I discovered that Rex Burkhead got married.

 

I thought I was looking up his stats with the Bengals. Instead I found wedding pictures.

 

Telling myself it was a friends wedding, not his, I followed up on it and found this.

Too bloody right. 

Now my family is telling me Tim Tebow is getting set up with some chick from 19 Kids and Counting. 

I refuse to believe such madness. Facebook says he's not. Facebook knows all.

Besides,

 

This Is Not A Tag!

 

Hi guys!
 

So it's been warm the last couple days, but before that it was ridiculously cold, and during a cold streak I bonded with a kitten for the first time in years.

See, it was freezing cold this one night. Ridiculously cold. Terrible. And I came out in the morning and found a little black kitten nearly froze to death on my front porch, huddled up next to our wood pile and covered in saw dust. His mom and siblings had made it safely into the shed for shelter, but I guess he got left behind.

So, I had a tender moment.  

(someone alert my family that they happen!)

 I brought him inside. Mom gave me an old quilt and I tucked him into a box next to the wood burner.

He sat there all shivering and half the family said he was going to die, and the other half said that was nonsense. I'll let you guess which group I was in.

 

Shortly after bringing him inside the whole family took off for various things. Daddy-kin and Minion 1 went dear hunting. Mom-Mommy and Minion 2 went shopping. Me? I stayed home to clean. Every time I came through the living room he would look up at me all worried, so I gave him a piece of bread crust to ease his mind that I wasn't there to wreak havoc on his little world.

Then I got hungry. So naturally, I went and got leftover liver and onions, and cheesy hashbrowns for breakfast and sat down to eat. And he looked up out of the box. And glared at me. Really! Look!

I saved his little life, and gave him a bread crust, and he glared at me! It wasn't long before he was warm enough to try and jump out of the box, so he had to go back outside.

He turned out just fine, except his ears froze, so now they are all curled up funny. So I call him Ears now, instead of little black friendly kitty (his sibling is crazy mean evil black kitty).

Minion 1 and Minion 2 got deer, and all was well in the wonderful world of my life.

                          Minion 2's ^   (her first deer)                              Minion 1's ^