tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37705118357127874302024-03-13T08:56:03.496-04:00The Other WorldThe place that exists only in the imagination....Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13171567731644896572noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770511835712787430.post-58828221951401464792016-08-11T12:00:00.001-04:002016-08-11T12:02:23.244-04:00Review--Five Magic Spindles Anthology<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1433731076l/25685342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1433731076l/25685342.jpg" width="257" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image and Summary from Goodreads.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i style="font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Awaken the Magic!</span></b></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i><i>Emma, a good-hearted midwife, rushes to warn a neighbor about the hired gunman headed to his ranch but can't prevent the catastrophe in store for his daughter.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>Palli, the prophesied daughter of a king, is fated to rescue her people from the destruction called forth by a vengeful priest.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>Roselee, a ghost with a faulty memory, flits through the halls of an insane asylum in search of the mortal boy who can help her save the day.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>Arabella, a living spirit trapped in her own comatose body, helplessly watches from the realm of dreams as her usurping cousin plots to destroy her once and for all.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>Tanza, a tomb raider on a distant planet, struggles to make a living and doesn’t need a long-lost prince to complicate her difficult life.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>One way or another, these beauties have no intention of sleeping away their problems.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>***</b></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i>*BEYOND THERE MAY LIE SPOILERS--AND DRAGONS*</i></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The only word to aptly describe this
collection, despite the absence of magical elements in two or three of the
stories, is indeed <i>magical</i>. Each
story’s setting thrummed into vivid life, stock full of characters that defied stereotypes
and made you appreciate each author’s unique way of telling story.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> <i>The Man on the Buckskin Horse </i>was
inspiring, to say the least. I loved how we learned so much about the Sleeping
Beauty character despite her not being the narrator. Luke Palmer, someone who
could have easily become a true antagonist, quickly stole my heart with his
back story and his chivalry and depth despite his choice of profession. A few
quibbles I had was that the true antagonist’s actions felt a little
unrealistic—she risked a lot for what she wanted, and I wasn’t quite convinced
to her reasoning of why she wanted the land and why she would go so far to get
it. As well, I wanted more development for the secondary romantic relationship
of the story.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Guardian of Our Beauty </i>by Kathryn
Connaughy was the story that perhaps best reflected my own writing style and
preferences in regards to storytelling. Her style is very much reflective of
many of my favourite authors—Shannon Hale, Anne Elisabeth Stengl. I loved
Neriya and Palli, and how they stood so well on their own before they even
meet. Neriya especially really did not meet the stereotype of the typical
romantic hero; he isn’t as certain, isn’t as confident. But he <i>tries</i>, and my goodness gracious, he was
so lovely in that trying. Palli’s quiet confidence and even questioning make
her an a-typical princess, and I loved how the scene where she pricks her
spindle was turned around. This story contained quite a few of the aspects I
had considered to write into my own version of the tale for the contest, and I
applaud this kindred-spirit author. Again, however, the ending felt rushed, and
SPOILER BUT NOT REALLY, I wished for more time to see Neriya and Palli “fall in
love” before their union as husband and wife. He rescues her, and then it’s
like I blinked and suddenly they’re married with children.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> <i>The Ghost of Briardale </i>by Grace Mullins
was the story that, to me, felt the most complete and took the most advantage
of the 20,000 word limit. More than any of the other stories, this one did not
feel too long or too short. The amount of characters, plot, and setting that
fit into this one novella was astounding. I was happy from beginning to the
end, which was where it might have felt the tiniest bit tight, but it was
closed enough without being unrealistic. I loved the characters, loved the
Swamp, loved how everything, even the smaller elements you might have ignored,
became important and all came together at the end. I adored Franz and Roselee
and actually really want more of their story in the future. The setting
completely charmed me—I love that late-Victorian era and the language was so
bubbly and the character names made me think of J.K. Rowling and C.S. Lewis and
were so reminiscent of this line from Lewis’ <i>The Voyage of the Dawn Treader</i>: “There once was a boy named Eustace
Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.” Point being: LOVED IT.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> <i>Spindle Cursed </i>by Michelle Pennington
had dragons. That’s all I can say. As I’ve said in other book reviews I’m sure,
if there are dragons, I am sold hook, line, and sinker. Edmond and Arabella
both challenge readers to rethink their ideals of a prince and princess,
especially when it comes to the idea of what makes someone truly beautiful and
worth love. The dragon was so fun, and I loved the political struggle at the
helm of their world. It was like a mix of Gail Carson Levine and Megan Whalen
Turner, with a bit of Rosamund Hodge thrown in—three authors I love and admire.
However, like many of the previous stories, I had a suggestion or two. I felt
that so much of the story’s plot revolved around Edmond’s journey to reach
Arabella, and too much time was spent on that. So when they finally meet and
start interacting, I felt there wasn’t enough shown of their relationship
before they’re suddenly in love. It felt far too quick and made it difficult
for me to accept him calling her terms of endearment when, to me, they had
literally almost just met.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> Finally, <i>Out
of the Tomb </i>by Ashley Stangl. This story had a really strong theme and
Tanza’s struggles were very real. Auren definitely had my heart, and I loved
how Stangl took the Thirteen Fairy Gifts and created Virtue Names in her world.
It was just so clever an idea that I’m super jealous of it! Other reviewers
have haled her worldbuilding, her characters, and so there’s not much more I
can really add to that conversation. There was one nitpick I had: I found the
narrative voice of the story distanced me a bit from Tanza and Auren; Tanza as
a character voice did not always come through in the narration despite it being
third person limited. That, alongside the amount of information and terms we
are fed, made me feel slightly overwhelmed and distracted from the story. I’ve
seen this in other reviews from readers who read science fiction and fantasy,
so it’s not an uncommon thing. I do appreciate, however, her effort to feed us
info bit by bit instead of info-dump. I just felt that I didn’t actually know
who was who or what was what until about halfway through the story. I kept with
it, but for other readers who aren’t familiar with science fiction and fantasy,
it might be a bit more challenging.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"> All
in all, congratulations and fantastic jobs to all the authors—and
editors—involved in this collection! Four out of five stars!</span><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13171567731644896572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770511835712787430.post-48105759104406894782016-03-10T10:26:00.001-05:002016-03-10T10:40:31.197-05:00New First Steps<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Hello everyone!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;">I fully intend to update you on what's been going on in the past year. It has been very busy, what with university, travelling/living in England for three months (!!!) and then wandering about the UK for two and a half weeks after that. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Before I delve into what I've been doing, I'd like to just ponder what's coming. I am at the edge of beginning a new phase of my life, with my final semester of university looming ahead in the fall and graduation in May of 2017.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Wow. By that time I will be twenty-four years old, and it will have been five years since I was in high school. *cue eyes bugging out* I don't feel that *old*, but it's definitely weird when so many people I know are getting engaged/married, and I'm still trying to figure out the whole "being an adult" thing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;">Thankfully, I do have a game plan. Though of course I've heard it said plenty enough times, "Want to make God laugh? Tell Him your plans." So these are more... <i>possibilities</i> that I have been considering.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;">First, after graduation I want to go home, spend some time with my family/work at my coffee shop job to pay off some student debt. Then, in January 2018, I want to fly off to England to au pair for at least one year. Then, if that time makes me feel equipped enough, I hope to either go teach in Japan or South Korea, or find some sort of job over there. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;">This is all in-between visiting friends in the States (Wisconsin, North Carolina, Oregon, etc.) and across Canada, of course. By that time, I will have people I love in British Columbia, all the way to the Maritimes. For those of you who might not know exactly what Canada looks like, here's a map:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J5FRldVKRys/Vt9J2s9kmmI/AAAAAAAAAyk/X_DWhmA9eRg/s1600/map%2Bfor%2Bblog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="385" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J5FRldVKRys/Vt9J2s9kmmI/AAAAAAAAAyk/X_DWhmA9eRg/s400/map%2Bfor%2Bblog.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/regional-geography-of-the-world-globalization-people-and-places/s07-04-canada.html">http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/regional-geography-of-the-world-globalization-people-and-places/s07-04-canada.html</a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;">The yellow splotches will give you an idea of where I am (sort of--the splotches aren't completely accurate) and where my friends are. Canada takes a long time to travel across. Our provinces are definitely far larger than most of the states in the US. And it's about $400 Canadian to fly out one-way to British Columbia--it's cheaper to go to England now!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;">So, that's a bit about the "new first steps" I want to take in the future. Next time, I will delve into the past year and what I have been up to. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;">Blessings,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;">Beka</span><br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13171567731644896572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770511835712787430.post-56529098927847053622015-06-05T03:00:00.000-04:002015-06-05T03:00:02.126-04:00Book Review: Draven's Light, by Anne Elisabeth Stengl<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1421344851l/24401179.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1421344851l/24401179.jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image and Description from Goodreads.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">
In the Darkness of the Pit</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Light Shines Brightest</div>
<br /><i>Drums summon the chieftain’s powerful son to slay a man in cold blood and thereby earn his place among the warriors. But instead of glory, he earns the name Draven, “Coward.” When the men of his tribe march off to war, Draven remains behind with the women and his shame. Only fearless but crippled Ita values her brother’s honor.<br /><br />The warriors return from battle victorious yet trailing a curse in their wake. One by one the strong and the weak of the tribe fall prey to an illness of supernatural power. The secret source of this evil can be found and destroyed by only the bravest heart.<br /><br />But when the curse attacks the one Draven loves most, can this coward find the courage he needs to face the darkness?</i></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">REVIEW:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Draven’s Light </i>by Anne Elisabeth Stengl is not as dark as I
expected it to be. Rather, it reminded me somehow of <i>Perelandra </i>by C.S. Lewis, with its ethereal, dangerous beauty, its
link to the past that is so essential, the world within worlds, the questions
that did not necessarily have answers, but without being questions… In this, it
moves beyond the classics of Lewis (whose great work was giving us aid in
finding answers) and more towards the epic push-and-pull between characters and
their “historic moment” (a university professor of mine taught me the phrase, I
believe) that is characteristic of Tolkien. Stengl makes the intimate epic in
the same way Tolkien made the epic intimate to the reader. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> What I especially appreciated
was the good use of superstition; it made the world feel more real. Even as I
disagreed with the characters’ fears and was the sort to dismiss them, I still
appreciated the history behind their fears. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Of course, <i>Draven’s Light </i>is beautifully-written. Some ways of description may
have been used slightly too much (there was an emphasis on the eyes), but this
was not noticed upon my read-through and does not detract in any way from the
actual story.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Another reviewer mentioned that
she was uncomfortable with Ita’s tendency to kick her brother. I understand
this completely, but I also believe that it’s a subconscious reflection on her
part of her very violent world. In Ita and Gaho’s relationship, you see a
microcosm of the flawed network of relationships in which they struggle to
thrive. No, you should not agree with it, but on the other hand, perhaps you’re
meant to be uncomfortable with it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The interior design of the story is absolutely gorgeous; the font for
the chapter titles looks otherworldly! I especially liked how you could look
for the links within the story between the present and past, as there were
little clues here and there. In this series, everything seems to mean
something, and I was having a great time trying to guess as I went along. Even
now, I realize how much Ita reminded me of another character in Stengl’s books,
and I wonder if they are related…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Now, this was perhaps one of my favourite parts, but I’m biased: DINOSAURS.
Anne Elisabeth had dinosaurs and people living alongside each other!!! I read
that, and my inner dinosaur-loving geek squealed!! I suddenly wanted to dive
through the screen, steal Draven’s canoe, and go up the river to where the
dinosaurs lived and try to tame one to be my pet. That is how much I adore
dinosaurs and everything related to them. I loved the inclusion of Hydrus (a
river dinosaur/fish thing) and the scene with him, that again I realize now
parallels in a different way with Stengl’s scene between a girl and a creature
in another book (Leta and the star...). Basically, just so you can appreciate
how to build a creative world that reflects the complexities of ours in a way
that does not detract from darkness yet does not glorify it in a way much of
modern literature does, read Stengl’s work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;">As in the rest of her work, <i>Draven’s
Light </i>does paint a lot of links to Christian theology, but trying to create
too many direct links will not work. I’ve tried, and I realized that Stengl
takes <i>themes</i> common with our faith
but makes the story all her own. Attempting to fit the characters and
situations into an exact Biblical parallel will lessen the impact of the
message on the reader, and, if you’re like me, you may even end up confusing
yourself and over-thinking things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The one thing that does bother me a little is this: if faith in the Wood
Thrush is what gets one to the “heaven” of this world, is Draven there? That’s
one question that haunted me, and at the end I wasn’t sure if he believed, or
what he believed. This does reflect, however, our state in everyday life—we can
never know until we get there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Stengl has a great flare for “the last word”, and the last line was
absolutely lovely in this book. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13171567731644896572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770511835712787430.post-10106152120088844052015-06-01T05:00:00.000-04:002015-06-01T05:00:10.322-04:00Cover Reveal: Rooglewood Press's New Writing Contest! <span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.rooglewoodpress.com/" style="font-size: x-large;">Rooglewood Press</a><span style="font-size: large;"> is delighted to introduce their second fairy tale novella contest—</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>Five Magic Spindles</i></span></div>
<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>a collection of “Sleeping Beauty” stories</i></span></div>
<br /><span style="font-size: large;">The challenge is to write a retelling of the beloved fairy tale in any genre or setting you like. Make certain your story is recognizably “Sleeping Beauty,” but have fun with it as well. Make it yours!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Rooglewood Press will be selecting five winners to be published in the Five Magic Spindles collection, which will be packaged up with the phenomenal cover you see here. Maybe your name will be one of the five listed?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">All the contest rules and information (how to enter, story details, deadline etc.) may be found on the Rooglewood Press website. Just click </span><a href="http://www.rooglewoodpress.com/#!writing-contest/c22i6" style="font-size: x-large;">HERE</a><span style="font-size: large;"> and you will go right to the page.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Rooglewood Press’s first collection,</span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Five-Glass-Slippers-Collection-Cinderella-ebook/dp/B00KWMZ9WA/ref=sr_1_1_twi_2_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1428080960&sr=8-1&keywords=Five+Glass+Slippers" style="font-size: x-large;"> Five Glass Slippers</a><span style="font-size: large;"> is available for purchase, and our second collection, </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Five-Enchanted-Roses-Collection-Stories-ebook/dp/B00Y49A0B2/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1432653932&sr=8-1&keywords=Five+Enchanted+Roses" style="font-size: x-large;">Five Enchanted Roses</a><span style="font-size: large;"> is scheduled to launch on July 27, and is currently available for pre-order. Be certain to get a copy of each and see what previous winners did with their wonderful retellings.</span></span><div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7G8G17qJkQM/VWS-rDm4nOI/AAAAAAAAAss/oQLOAGX8S-k/s1600/Five%2BMagic%2BSpindles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7G8G17qJkQM/VWS-rDm4nOI/AAAAAAAAAss/oQLOAGX8S-k/s400/Five%2BMagic%2BSpindles.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This
cover illustration was rendered by Julia Popova, “ForestGirl.” You can find out
more about this gifted artist on her website: <a href="http://www.forestgirl.ru/">www.forestgirl.ru</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13171567731644896572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770511835712787430.post-5426697854786916502015-03-16T11:59:00.001-04:002015-03-16T12:03:40.865-04:00Until Midnight, Part 2<span style="font-size: large;">Almost a year ago, I posted the first part of my Cinderella retelling, <i>Until Midnight</i>, and very cruelly did not post anymore! Shame on me. So I've decided to rectify that!</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">For those of you who haven't read the first part, here's a <a href="http://thewriterofdreamthings.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/by-request-until-midnight.html" target="_blank">link to it</a>. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">And here are the next few chapters!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">***</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">(iii)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Seventeen<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Don’t
let Maman see you like that, Eloise,” my younger sister, Ilyse, said as I
entered the house. My dark red curls were windblown, strewn across my face. I
pushed them back and gave a one-shouldered shrug.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Elle was sewing in the far corner, her
head bowed over her work. I hoped she was not ill; she had not spoken much
since her status had fallen from noble to servant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Ilyse fiddled with a piece of paper in her
lap, worrying her lower lip with her teeth. Per usual, she had allowed Maman to
fuss over her until she looked like a princess, her amber locks perfectly
curled, her eyes rimmed with just the right amount of kohl.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“What is it?” I asked, beckoning to the
paper in her hands.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“An invitation,” she said, folding the
page and thinning it with her fingers. “For all <i>eligible </i>girls to attend a ball where the prince will choose the
next queen.” She simpered, shooting a triumphant look at Elle, who flinched.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I grimaced. Ilyse and Elle were the same age—seventeen,
creating an air of rivalry between them. Ilyse sensed Elle was her biggest
competition in the house; I was too old and too dowdy to attract any men Ilyse
would set her sights on, but Elle’s sweetness and innocent, girlish figure had
already captured the attentions of a few passing nobles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Perhaps this was another reason Maman had
forced Elle into servitude—to give spoiled Ilyse a better chance at snagging an
admirer and making a match.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">It all tasted so sour in my mouth I wanted
to spit it out. “Well I guess that excludes you,” I said, tugging off my
gloves. “The king wants only well-bred young women.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Ilyse tossed her shoe at my head. I
ducked, and it went sailing over me to smack the opposite wall. “Better not let
Maman see you like this,” I said mockingly, running from the room as Ilyse sent
her other slipper hurtling toward my face.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">(iv)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Prayers
of the Pitiful<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Most
nights I did not blow out my candle until the clock in the palace tower struck
twelve. This night was no exception, but instead of reading the works of
Perrault in my bed, I prayed. I prayed to le Seigneur to allow Michael and I to
wed somehow—how could it not be His will that I marry such a good man? I begged
him, asking him to forgive me for being so wild and brash at times—I would
change so much if I could only have Michael for my husband rather than a
brutish court pig.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I was almost weeping when a knock came at
the door. Raising my head, I croaked, “Who is it?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The door creaked open to reveal Elle, her
tiny face pale. I sat up and patted the bed in front of me. “Come in,” I said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Are you all right?” she whispered,
slipping inside on silent feet, her ragged night dress billowing around her
legs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I hesitated, then shook my head. “But I
will be fine,” I said. “What about you?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">She raised her hands to run her fingers
through her loose gold curls. “Do—do you think your mother will allow me to go
to the ball, too?” she asked. Her gaze strayed to my window, from which one
could see the palace rising against the night in the distance. It glowed with
an ethereal gleam, as though ghosts were trapped within its walls. A cool
breeze slipped into the room, raising goose bumps along my skin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“I think she should,” I said, rubbing my
hands across my arms. “But all you can do is ask her.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">She sighed. “I wish Father was still
alive,” she said, then jammed her fist in her mouth. Her eyes squeezed shut
against tears.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Shhh,” I whispered, stroking her arm.
“It’s all right, mon chéri.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">A sob broke out of her, and she fell into
my open embrace. Poor little thing. She’d had no siblings until Ilyse and I
entered her life, no big sister to coddle and cheer her despondent spirits. She
nestled into me like a baby bird in desperate search of warmth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">She fell asleep in my bed, tucked in
beside me as though we were full-blooded sisters. In truth, I felt closer to
this ragged, ash-streaked thing than I did to my own sister. Strange how the
world works in such mysteries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">When I woke the next day, well toward
noon, Elle was gone, leaving nothing to remark of her existence in my room but
a tiny spattering of ashes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">(v)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Petrov
Skimov the Second<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The
next day at breakfast, Maman brought up the subject of the ball. I chewed the
tasteless toast and eggs that Elle served and listened as Maman listed what
Ilyse and I would need. Ilyse gave Maman her full attention, her entire being
enraptured with the notion of frilled dresses and scented wigs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I shuddered. Elle scooped an extra portion
of eggs onto my plate. I shot her a grateful smile, ignoring Maman’s frown. It
was her opinion that my waist was too thick for courtly beauty. But courtly
beauties stuffed their faces with powders and kohl, smearing colour on their
lips and fake hair on their heads. It was something I could not understand. In
fact, I was toying with the idea of writing a novel like Petrov Skimov—I would write
a satire about the ridiculous tomfoolery that passed as elegance in the royal
court of Freanc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The nobility would go insane over my
novel, without understanding it poked fun at their very selves. I hid a snicker
by coughing into my napkin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Stepmother,” Elle said softly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I nearly choked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Maman looked up from the list she had been
reading aloud. “What is it?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Elle took a deep breath. Her chin
trembled, but she swallowed and said bravely, “Might I go the ball as well?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Silence settled around the table. I waited,
praying fervently to le Seigneur and any saints willing to intercede that Maman
would say yes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Maman dabbed her lips with a napkin. “Of
course,” she said. I caught the curve of a smile from behind the linen; my
heart sank. “If,” she continued, “you can find your own dress and carriage.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Elle nodded. “Might—might I be paid ahead
this month?” she asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Maman arched a brow. “Why?” she asked,
then paused. “Oh, how silly of me. I didn’t tell you. Upon our marriage, your
father borrowed money from me—quite a large sum, in order to start a business.
It failed, of course, and his only assets left were his house, which I am not
willing to sell. So you’re working off your father’s debt—and since that is the
case, why would I pay you? I owe you nothing. You owe me everything.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Elle staggered, clutching the edge of the
table. I rose from my seat, speechless. My stepsister’s eyelashes fluttered as
her eyes rolled back into her head. Racing forward, I caught her as her knees
buckled. She was terribly light, and I hoisted her into my arms and carried her
out without a word or look in Maman and Ilyse’s direction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I strode through the kitchen, out the back
door, across the yard—all the way to the coach house where Michael and the
other coachmen dwelled. Madame Gastave, wife of one of the coachmen, opened the
door. “Mademoiselle—” She gasped at the sight of Elle. “Ah non! La fille!”
Tenderly she took Elle from me and led the way through a kitchen and communal
living room into a dimly-lit hall. She laid Elle on the bed of the first
chamber we came to. “This is our guest room,” she said with a warm smile,
stroking Elle’s forehead and pulling a light sheet up to her chin. “We’ll take
care of her here.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I nodded, but I wasn’t quite ready to
leave.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Madame regarded me with pity. “Michael has
gone to tell your mother of his resignation within two weeks’ time,” she said,
her voice quiet. “He has found another family willing to hire him.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">This time it was my knees that shook and
threatened to collapse, but I kept myself steady and upright. Madame clucked,
chucking me under the chin. “All will be well yet, Mademoiselle,” she said.
“Just you wait and see.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Choking back tears, I embraced her and
fled the coach house. I ran blindly back to the mansion, only to smack into a
comforting bulk I knew all too well. Without thinking I wrapped my arms around
Michael’s waist and sobbed into his chest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Eloi—Mademoiselle—” He sighed in defeat
and patted the back of my head, keeping his touch light and professional—as
though all distraught daughters of nobility burdened their coachmen with their
sorrows. Disentangling himself, he took hold of my shoulders and gazed into my
eyes. “You must be strong,” he whispered. “Do not let your mother win by
allowing her to see you weep.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I sucked in deep breaths, wiping my eyes
with the back of my hand. “Do you believe in miracles, Michael?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Of course,” he said, sounding surprised
that I should even ask.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Then start praying for one,” I said. “For
all of us.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13171567731644896572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770511835712787430.post-43255482457331368092015-02-04T02:00:00.000-05:002015-02-04T02:00:01.333-05:00The Fear of Fraud: An Honest Reflection<i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">I'm doing something a bit different here: I'm reflecting and confronting. I'm very vulnerable here, and am literally confronting some 'demons' that I've struggled with for a long time, inspired by those who have done so before me.</i><br />
<i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></i>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">***</span></div>
<i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></i>
<i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">Beauty and the Beast </i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">is perhaps my favourite fairy tale. When I saw <a href="http://www.rooglewoodpress.com/fairy-tale-collections" target="_blank">the contest</a> hosted by Anne Elisabeth Stengl, my mind started racing with ideas.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">However, I've struggled with a lot of things in the past few years--whispers that I'm not good enough, not original enough. That what I have is, in the end, not genuine. That I'm merely a copycat, that what I want to give to the world has already been done. That my voice, whatever it may be, shouldn't be shared because it has nothing new to give. I worried so much about being too much like others that, in the end, I couldn't find <i>myself </i>as a writer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And in the end, I pounded out a story just because I couldn't let those whispers win--because if I didn't write s<i>omething</i>, I would indeed feel like a fraud. All the ideas I'd dreamed of earlier withered because I felt they were not original enough, and by the time I'd found the confidence to commit to one despite those whispers, I almost didn't finish it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Obviously, the story I did end up writing did not win the contest. But I received a different kind of victory. A victory over the devil's lies, a victory over a plague of anxiety that has haunted me for months. And while the anxiety still lingers (and perhaps always will), I know myself again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I am a writer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And I will <i>never </i>stop writing--despite disappointment, despite desperation, despite the devil. To spite the devil.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13171567731644896572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770511835712787430.post-79924921434554719592015-01-26T15:55:00.002-05:002015-01-26T15:55:44.303-05:00Antics and Adventures in Albion: Vlog, Part One<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Hi everyone!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I am currently living in England for a four-month semester abroad program. To record some of our adventures, my friend Kristen and I decided to vlog together. So here's part one of our Antics and Adventures in Albion! :D</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/cQWWBvZpAuI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13171567731644896572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770511835712787430.post-3739963629379606932015-01-16T03:00:00.000-05:002015-01-16T03:00:04.751-05:00Cover Reveal! Draven's Light, by Anne Elisabeth Stengl<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I am very pleased to help host the cover reveal for Anne Elisabeth Stengl's newest novella, <i>Draven's Light</i>. The cover is absolutely lovely--very atmospheric, and the colours...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Well, here it is for yourselves!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OrYGXbZ36vk/VLSirGo5tcI/AAAAAAAAAnc/AKgOAsJLS0M/s1600/Draven'sLightCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OrYGXbZ36vk/VLSirGo5tcI/AAAAAAAAAnc/AKgOAsJLS0M/s1600/Draven'sLightCover.jpg" height="400" width="258" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In the Darkness of the Pit</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The Light Shines Brightest</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Drums summon the chieftain’s powerful son to slay a man in cold blood and thereby earn his place among the warriors. But instead of glory, he earns the name Draven, “Coward.” When the men of his tribe march off to war, Draven remains behind with the women and his shame. Only fearless but crippled Ita values her brother’s honor.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The warriors return from battle victorious yet trailing a curse in their wake. One by one the strong and the weak of the tribe fall prey to an illness of supernatural power. The secret source of this evil can be found and destroyed by only the bravest heart.</span></span><div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br />But when the curse attacks the one Draven loves most, can this coward find the courage he needs to face the darkness?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<i><div style="display: inline !important;">
<i>Coming May 25, 2015</i></div>
</i></div>
</span><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">WIN IT!</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">You can win one of three ARCs of the novella, either by filling out the Rafflecopter form below, or entering over at <a href="http://anneelisabethstengl.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Anne Elisabeth Stengl's blog</a>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MGNkNTI0NzYyMGZiNjAwZjNmMTRhNTUxOTQ2MTQyOjQy/?"><span style="font-size: large;">http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/MGNkNTI0NzYyMGZiNjAwZjNmMTRhNTUxOTQ2MTQyOjQy/?</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>AUTHOR BIO:</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mdY2IB6UBW8/VLSlDh-tu5I/AAAAAAAAAno/IV8yoqWJtH0/s1600/Author%2BPhoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mdY2IB6UBW8/VLSlDh-tu5I/AAAAAAAAAno/IV8yoqWJtH0/s1600/Author%2BPhoto.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>ANNE ELISABETH STENGL </b>makes her home in North Carolina, where she lives with her husband, Rohan, a kindle of kitties, and one long-suffering dog. When she’s not writing, she enjoys Shakespeare, opera, and tea, and practices piano, painting, and pastry baking. She is the author of the critically-acclaimed Tales of Goldstone Wood. Her novel Starflower was awarded the 2013 Clive Staples Award, and her novels Heartless, Veiled Rose, and Dragonwitch have each been honored with a Christy Award.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">To learn more about Anne Elisabeth Stengl and her books visit: www.AnneElisabethStengl.blogspot.com</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>PRE-ORDER IT!</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dravens-Light-Anne-Elisabeth-Stengl/dp/1942379021/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1420992526&sr=1-10">Pre-order
<i>Draven’s Light</i> today!</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>EXCERPT:</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Excerpt from<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">DRAVEN’S LIGHT<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">By Anne Elisabeth Stengl<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">(coming May 25, 2015)</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">He
heard the drums in his dreams, distant but drawing ever nearer. He had heard
them before and wondered if the time of his manhood had come. But with the
approach of dawn, the drums always faded away and he woke to the world still a
child. Still a boy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">But
this night, the distant drums were louder, stronger. Somehow he knew they were
not concocted of his sleeping fancy. No, even as he slept he knew these were
real drums, and he recognized the beat: The beat of death. The beat of blood.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The
beat of a man’s heart.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">He woke
with a start, his leg throbbing where it had just been kicked. It was not the
sort of awakening he had longed for these last two years and more. He glared
from his bed up into the face of his sister, who stood above him, balancing her
weight on a stout forked branch tucked under her left shoulder.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">“Ita,”
the boy growled, “what are you doing here? Go back to the women’s hut!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">His
sister made a face at him, but he saw, even by the moonlight streaming through
cracks in the thatch above, that her eyes were very round and solemn. Only then
did he notice that the drumbeats of his dream were indeed still booming deep in
the woods beyond the village fires. He sat up then, his heart thudding its own
thunderous pace.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">“A
prisoner,” Ita said, shifting her branch so that she might turn toward the
door. “The drums speak of a prisoner. They’re bringing him even now.” She
flashed a smile down at him, though it was so tense with anxiety it could
hardly be counted a smile at all. “Gaho, your name!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The boy
was up and out of his bed in a moment, reaching for a tunic and belt. His
sister hobbled back along the wall but did not leave, though he wished she
would. He wished she would allow him these few moments before the drums arrived
in the village. The drums that beat of one man’s death . . . and one man’s
birth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">His
name was Gaho. But by the coming of dawn, if the drums’ promise was true, he
would be born again in blood and bear a new name.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Hands
shaking with what he desperately hoped wasn’t fear, he tightened his belt and
searched the room for his sickle blade. He saw the bone handle, white in the
moonlight, protruding from beneath his bed pile, and swiftly took it up. The
bronze gleamed dully, like the carnivorous tooth of an ancient beast.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">A
shudder ran through his sister’s body. Gaho, sensing her distress, turned to
her. She grasped her supporting branch hard, and the smile was gone from her
face. “Gaho,” she said, “will you do it?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">“I
will,” said Gaho, his voice strong with mounting excitement.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">But Ita
reached out to him suddenly, catching his weapon hand just above the wrist. “I
will lose you,” she said. “My brother . . . I will lose you!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">“You
will not. You will lose only Gaho,” said the boy, shaking her off, gently, for
she was not strong. Without another word, he ducked through the door of his
small hut—one he had built for himself but a year before in anticipation of his
coming manhood—and stood in the darkness of Rannul Village, eyes instinctively
turning to the few campfires burning. The drums were very near now, and he
could see the shadows of waking villagers moving about the fires, building up
the flames in preparation for what must surely follow. He felt eyes he could
not see turning to his hut, turning to him. He felt the question each pair of
eyes asked in silent curiosity: <i>Will it
be tonight?</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Tonight
or no night.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Grasping
the hilt of his weapon with both hands, Gaho strode to the dusty village
center, which was beaten down into hard, packed earth from years of meetings
and matches of strength held in this same spot. Tall pillars of aged wood
ringed this circle, and women hastened to these, bearing torches which they fit
into hollowed-out slots in each pillar. Soon the village center was bright as
noonday, but with harsh red light appropriate for coming events.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Gaho
stood in the center of that light, his heart ramming in his throat though his
face was a stoic mask. All the waking village was gathered now, men, women, and
children, standing just beyond the circle, watching him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The
drums came up from the river, pounding in time to the tramp of warriors’ feet.
Then the warriors themselves were illuminated by the ringing torches, their
faces anointed in blood, their heads helmed with bone and bronze, their
shoulders covered in hides of bear, wolf, and boar. Ten men carried tight skin
drums, beating them with their fists. They entered the center first, standing
each beneath one of the ringing pillars. Other warriors followed them, filling
in the gaps between.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Then
the chieftain, mighty Gaher, appeared. He carried his heavy crescent ax in one
hand, and Gaho saw that blood stained its edge—indeed, blood spattered the
blade from tip to hilt and covered the whole of the chieftain’s fist. Gaher
strode into the circle, and the boy saw more blood in his beard. But he also
saw the bright, wolfish smile and knew for certain that his sister had been
correct. The night of naming had come.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">“My
son,” said the chief, saluting Gaho with upraised weapon.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">“My
father,” said Gaho, raising his sickle blade in return.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> “Are you ready this night to die and live
again?” asked the chief. His voice carried through the shadows, and every one
of the tribe heard it, and any and all listening beasts of forests and fields
surrounding. “Are you ready this night for the spilling of blood that must flow
before life may begin?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Gaho
drew a deep breath, putting all the strength of his spirit into his answer. “I
am ready, Father.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Gaher’s
smile grew, the torchlight flashing red upon his sharpened canines. He turned
then and motioned to the darkness beyond the torchlight.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The
sacrifice was brought forward.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>I hope you all enjoyed this cover reveal--and enjoy the novella even more! It looks like it's going to be an eerie, heart-wrenching story! </b></span></span> </span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13171567731644896572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770511835712787430.post-70773545975448682292014-11-10T22:13:00.001-05:002014-11-10T22:13:30.984-05:00Golden Daughter out today!Pretty self-explanatory, folks. :)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1393217274l/20894732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1393217274l/20894732.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><i>BEYOND THE REALM OF DREAMS IS A WORLD SHE NEVER IMAGINED</i></span><i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /></i><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Masayi Sairu was raised to be dainty, delicate, demure . . . and deadly. She is one of the emperor’s Golden Daughters, as much a legend as she is a commodity. One day, Sairu will be contracted in marriage to a patron, whom she will secretly guard for the rest of her life.<br /><br />But when she learns that a sacred Dream Walker of the temple seeks the protection of a Golden Daughter, Sairu forgoes marriage in favor of this role. Her skills are stretched to the limit, for assassins hunt in the shadows, and phantoms haunt in dreams. With only a mysterious Faerie cat and a handsome slave—possessed of his own strange abilities—to help her, can Sairu shield her new mistress from evils she can neither see nor touch?<br /><br />For the Dragon is building an army of fire. And soon the heavens will burn.</i></span><br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></i>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">-image and description from Goodreads.com</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>You can purchase this book in:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><u><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Daughter-Tales-Goldstone-Wood/dp/0989447855/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415543044&sr=8-1&keywords=Golden+Daughter">Print</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Daughter-Tales-Goldstone-Wood-ebook/dp/B00MRLXCFA/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1415543044">Kindle</a></b></u></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/golden-daughter-anne-elisabeth-stengl/1120631187?ean=2940046363142" target="_blank">Nook</a></span></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><b>Go and get it! You won't regret it! :D</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13171567731644896572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770511835712787430.post-35860632803416968182014-11-10T03:00:00.000-05:002014-11-10T03:00:19.211-05:00Book Review: "Golden Daughter," by Anne Elisabeth Stengl<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1393217274l/20894732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1393217274l/20894732.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>BEYOND THE REALM OF DREAMS IS A WORLD SHE NEVER IMAGINED<br /><br />Masayi Sairu was raised to be dainty, delicate, demure . . . and deadly. She is one of the emperor’s Golden Daughters, as much a legend as she is a commodity. One day, Sairu will be contracted in marriage to a patron, whom she will secretly guard for the rest of her life.<br /><br />But when she learns that a sacred Dream Walker of the temple seeks the protection of a Golden Daughter, Sairu forgoes marriage in favor of this role. Her skills are stretched to the limit, for assassins hunt in the shadows, and phantoms haunt in dreams. With only a mysterious Faerie cat and a handsome slave—possessed of his own strange abilities—to help her, can Sairu shield her new mistress from evils she can neither see nor touch?<br /><br />For the Dragon is building an army of fire. And soon the heavens will burn. </i></span><div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">--image and description from Goodreads.com</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I feel like I say this every time I review an Anne Elisabeth Stengl novel (though, to be fair, she says this almost word for word about what her favourite of her books is): <i>Golden Daughter</i>, the newest scroll in <i>The Tales of Goldstone Wood </i>series, is my absolute favourite of all her books.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Part of it is the fact that the setting is influenced by ancient Asian cultures. While I was reading, I was simply struck by the respect and love Stengl showed for both the achievements and histories of those peoples. I loved that Masayi Sairu, the heroine, was a warrior. I loved that she was smart, actually saved the day on numerous occasions, and, most of all, I loved how she--and the book--kept revealing new facets of their natures.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This book has a lovely, dreamy-dark atmosphere. Terrible things happen, but these terrible things are lightened by adorable fluffy dogs and a certain loud-mouthed cat.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The romance in this book was heartbreaking yet beautiful--subtle and true. Love, like in all of Stengl's novels, is explored in various depictions...each with a heartache of its own.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And it was amazing. This is the book that I will be toting with me to Oxford (if I can fit its near-600 page bulk into my suitcase).</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13171567731644896572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770511835712787430.post-69024434549610996792014-07-29T17:39:00.002-04:002014-07-29T17:42:30.086-04:00THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROSE: The Story That Surprised Me<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I read a lot of books, and I try to write a lot of them. I've heard of authors who, while working on one project, are completely smote by another. And, though I've experienced that in a minute degree, never have I so completely as now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br />
Once upon a time--not very long ago, actually--I was struggling to come up with ideas for my other story, A ROSE FOR A DREAM. Nothing was clicking, and my brain was snagged by another concept. I wanted a more mysterious story than the ones I was currently working on--one that matched my love of CRUEL BEAUTY by Rosamund Hodge and THE QUEEN'S THIEF series by Megan Whalen Turner.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br />
What do you get when you marry those two stories, and add a sprinkling of PERSUASION by Jane Austen?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br />
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROSE, the story that dropped into my lap.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br />
Now, elements of this story stem from an idea for the Five Enchanted Roses contest I'd been kicking around with <a href="http://williamshsj.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Hannah</a>, but an idea I'd rejected initially. But as I started thinking about it more and more, the story suddenly struck me all at once. I'd been handling my main character all wrong--and, once I started seeing her differently, the elements I loved from Hodge's main character Nyx found new and different life in my main character Leta.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br />
I can't say much more than that for fear of spoiling everything. So here's more about the actual story itself, as little as I can offer you:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Leta Ashworth's life has finally returned to some hint of normalcy now that her father has been released from prison. She and her family, though reduced to poverty, make the most they can out of their new, </span></i><span style="font-size: large;"><i>meager roles as fisher-folk.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i>
<i>But one day a familiar face rides through her village, and Leta finds herself facing a man with the potential to be her beloved--or a beast. Either way, his life may be in danger, and only Leta can save him.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i>
<i> A retelling of </i>Beauty and the Beast<i> and Jane Austen's </i>Persuasion<i>, where neither the Beast--nor the Beauty--are truly what they </i></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">seem...</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i>
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">To get a taste of the characters and setting, you may visit the story's</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/shewritesdreams/the-other-side-of-the-rose/" target="_blank">PINTEREST PAGE</a></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">EXCERPT</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">(from the beginning of the story)</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Then, from the corner of her eye, she noticed a lone horseman riding through the village. Travellers were not uncommon, but this particular traveller was no stranger to Leta's gaze. She was the only one compelled to leave her station and watch the man as he rode along the dirt road, his cloak whipped about by the wind.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">“Leta! Get yer hind over here!”</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">She turned back to her fish, but not before casting one last look over her shoulder. A knot of emotions twisted in her stomach, and the familiar sting of fish in her nostrils suddenly did not seem so comforting. Bile rose in her throat. To the astonishment of her fellow women, Leta, with a stomach better than any man in the village, sank to her knees and retched.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13171567731644896572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770511835712787430.post-8626006259611941722014-07-11T22:36:00.001-04:002014-07-11T22:37:23.548-04:00By Request: Until Midnight<span style="font-size: large;">By the request of a young woman named Raechel on Pinterest, I have decided to share my short story, <i>Until Midnight</i>, with you all here on the blog. I wrote it last year for the Five Glass Slippers Contest hosted by Rooglewood Press. It retells Cinderella from the point of view of the eldest stepsister--who may be more of a fairy godmother than anything else...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">While it is a novella, I have no intention of ever publishing it now; at the time, I enjoyed writing it, but it is definitely not my best work. However, I hope you will all gain some enjoyment from it! :) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I will be posting it chapter-by-chapter, sometimes with two chapters to a post depending on how long they are.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">So, without further ado, the first two chapters of <i>Until Midnight</i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Until Midnight</i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">by Rebeka Borshevsky</span></b></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; page-break-before: always;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">(i)</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Where
It All Begins</i></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">When
Maman told us we would be purchasing another servant, I did not
expect my late stepfather’s daughter to be the unfortunate victim.
Upon returning to the mansion after my usual afternoon carriage ride
through Le Parc de Roses, I found my stepsister scrubbing the floor
of the main hall. Light poured through the high, narrow windows,
illuminating Elle’s golden curls.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I stopped, staring.
“What are you doing that for? It’s the servant girl’s job.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Elle looked at me
with her mournful blue eyes, and my jaw dropped in that unladylike
manner Maman detested. “Why?” I whispered.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">She swallowed. “Papa
left everything to your mother,” she said, her voice choked. “I
have not a penny to my name.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I blinked. Monsieur
Renard must have been very ill—and Maman at her most manipulative.
Stooping beside her, I said, “I’ll give you money.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Her shoulders
sagged. “Do you have any money to give?”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I gnawed my lower
lip. “No,” I conceded. Maman was the one who doled out
allowances.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">She nodded. “There
you go.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and sucked in a
deep breath. “I will make the best of it.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I left her there
crying into the soapsuds and stormed into Monsieur Renard’s study.
Maman sat at his old desk, twiddling a quill between her fingers as
she studied accounts. “Eloise Gertrude D’Arcale, what did I tell
you about stomping your feet?”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">What did you do
to him?” I snarled, ignoring her reprimand.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">She arched a
perfectly shaped brow. “Do to whom?”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Monsieur Renard!
There’s no possible way he would have left everything to you and
nothing to his only daughter!”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Her eyes flashed.
“Why not?” she asked. “I am his wife and the mother of his
children.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">You don’t act
like one to her,” I said. And we weren’t his children—just his
stepchildren.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">She sighed, tapping
the end of her quill against the desk. “This is about that coachman
again, isn’t it?”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I stiffened, a flush
creeping over my neck. “I don’t know what you’re talking
about.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">She snorted—a
delicate snort, as was becoming of one of her station. “He
approached me to ask for your hand in marriage,” she said.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Idiot.</i></span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">
I bit back a scowl, hiding clenched fists behind my skirts.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I refused,” she
continued, watching me from the corner of her eye.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I’d expected as
much. If mon père was still alive, he would have welcomed the match.
Michael was an honest man, a hard worker, and most of all, he
respected me. Papa would have preferred I marry a good poor man than
a rich cruel one who would only parade me around to feed his own
vanity.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Maman’s sights
soared far higher than Papa’s modest wishes for my future.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I shrugged. Michael
had refused on the grounds of honour to elope with me. So here we
were, waiting. But I would not allow Maman to see how much her words
affected me and let her win yet another battle.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I’m sure he
will be sorely disappointed,” I said.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Her lips twitched
with a frown when I did not give her the outburst she’d wanted. I
almost smiled.</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">(ii)</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>A
Noblewoman and Her Coachman</i></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">The
next afternoon, following lessons with my tutor, I ventured into the
city. Unlike most noblewomen, I sat atop the box with the driver for
the company. I gripped the seat as the carriage jolted over the
cobbles, swerving around sharp corners and sending my hat flying into
the air. I snatched it back, pulling it over my trundled curls.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">We passed girls
selling flowers on corners, clothed in bright-coloured rags. Shops
lined the street—dressmakers and candlestick makers and the bakery.
The rich aroma of fresh baked bread made my mouth water. I leaned
out, inhaling deeply and closing my eyes to savour the flavour.
Warmth fell across my eyelashes, the sun smiling down on us from his
court in the bright blue sky.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Beside me, Michael
sat as straight and stiff as a horse whip. I ignored him, focusing on
the greenery of Le Parc de Roses as it appeared to my right. Birds
chattered from the trees, squirrels dashing across the vibrant lawns.
It was the nicest spot in the city of Avive, full of benches on which
to perch and peruse a book. Many an afternoon I had done just that,
lost in another world as la Seine gurgled past my feet on its path to
the palace.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">We turned through
the gates onto a side avenue of Le Parc, the trees casting cool
shadows over our heads. It was quiet and private here, so I dared
remove my hat and use it to fan my face.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Michael slumped
back, scuffing his toe along the rim of the box. “She said no.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I told you not to
ask her.” I pulled a book out of my satchel and flipped through it.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">What was I
supposed to do? Elope with you and be dragged to jail for abducting a
noblewoman?”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I scowled. “It’s
hardly abducting. I would go quite willingly. I am twenty-one years
old, for pity’s sake. I’m surprised Maman hasn’t despaired of
marrying me off and forced me into servitude.” My tone was sharper
than I’d intended.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Michael’s
expression softened. “I’m sorry to hear about Elle,” he said.
“The poor girl.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Penniless,” I
spat. “And Maman lavishes money on dresses and makeup for Ilyse and
I while refusing me the only thing I want.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Michael shifted. I
knew he wanted to wrap his arm around me to offer comfort, but it was
improper when we were alone and had not even the hope of a future
betrothal. I looked into his tanned, laugh-lined face. His dark brown
hair was streaked with sunlight. His brown eyes regarded me with the
same intelligent thoughtfulness as always, but this time there was an
element of sorrow.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I fear I may have
to request being moved to a new family,” he said quietly.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">My throat choked up.
The mere finger-length of distance between us suddenly felt far
wider. “Why?”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Because if I
continue in your employ, I fear I may do something we’ll both
regret later.” He sighed. “I want to marry you, but to have you
dangled in front of my face and told I can’t—” He looked at me,
his face grave. “It’s torture for a man in love.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I nodded. “I
understand,” I said. “I—” I broke off. I would not tell him
how much I’d miss our daily rambles in Le Parc de Roses, chatting
about politics and literature and music while laughing at the
nobility’s ridiculous sense of fashion these days. To ponder what
we’d lose would only make everything more difficult.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">How….how long
do you think it will take you to find a new situation?” I croaked.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">It depends. It
could be anywhere between a day and a month. But I will start looking
now.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I turned to stare at
the trees, which all blurred together as we went by. Something fell
into my lap.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">A copy of </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Love
and War</i></span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">
by Petrov Skimov, a prevalent writer from the empire of Rus to the
east. When his novel had first been translated, it had been all the
rage.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I’d read it in its
original form, before it became a hit in Avive and the rest of
Freanc.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">It was the book that
brought Michael and I together. When I had passed the stable and
spied a lowly coach boy reading the novel in its difficult Rusian
language, my interest had been piqued. We’d maintained a close
friendship ever since, but it wasn’t until mon père had died and
Maman married Monsieur Renard that I realized how much Michael meant
to me. He had come with us to Monsieur Renard’s mansion, and I’d
naively believed we would somehow be together forever.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Now I gripped the
novel in my hands and clutched it to my heart.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
“‘<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Love without
war in the soul is not love at all’,” Michael quoted.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">I sniffled. “‘And
love that bests that war is the best one of all’,” I quoted back.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">This is not the
end yet,” he said, taking the reins in hand. “Unless we let it
be.” And with a cluck to the horse, we sprang forward into a
gallop. My hat flew off and my curls tumbled from their careful pins
on top of my head. This time I let them all fall and leaned forward
to kiss the wind.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center; text-indent: 1.27cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Til Next Time...</b></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13171567731644896572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770511835712787430.post-85000383111518072582014-07-09T19:50:00.002-04:002014-07-09T19:50:41.098-04:00What I'm Writing Now: Entry #1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uREMJKXiY2w/U4f57quw3nI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/Af3qjMnBQBI/s1600/BlogButtonforContest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uREMJKXiY2w/U4f57quw3nI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/Af3qjMnBQBI/s1600/BlogButtonforContest.jpg" height="265" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Hey there, folks! It's contest time again, and that means, of course, I am pretty busy attempting to come up with novellas. This year, I'm forcing myself to only focus on two projects until they're completed, though I have ideas for a few more. But I'm determined to submit more than one this year--and that means discipline!</span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">So, I'm going to share a bit about my two stories on this blog, now that the ideas for them have solidified into actual write-ableness.</span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Today I'm going to share about the first, and the one I'm currently writing, which is entitled...</span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>A TITHE OF THORNS</i></b></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dNCFOYFOG-k/U7rU-pNf0KI/AAAAAAAAAj4/VvZeca2KIRU/s1600/Tithe+of+Thorns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dNCFOYFOG-k/U7rU-pNf0KI/AAAAAAAAAj4/VvZeca2KIRU/s1600/Tithe+of+Thorns.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover by the ever-talented HANNAH WILLIAMS<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">Ruta is a young woman determined to serve the Creator she loves by becoming a missionary to the World Beyond the Sea. But first, she must pass her uncle's test: she must serve a Penitent, an ex-criminal undergoing severe penance to show his remorse and desire to re-enter society. The challenge will test Ruta's faith in ways she can never imagine--especially since Favian, her Penitent, is far more than he seems... And not only could this cost her heart, it could cost her life--or her soul.</i></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>INSPIRATION</b></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This story comes out of many places and tales--it combines the tales of <i>Beauty and the Beast</i>, <i>Bearskin</i>, and the eerie legend of Faust. Originally Ruta was going to be an innkeeper's daughter, but eventually my own interest in missions--and love of <i>The Sound of Music</i>--crept in. Now Ruta is something of a mix between a novice nun and a missionary. Some of my German and French heritage has also offered itself up setting-wise. And hints of <i>The Hunchback of Notre Dame </i>inevitably worked their way in to my ideas for the climax. This is a story with many threads woven from what I love--and I hope to share it with you all!</span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>CHARACTERS</b></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Since I don't want to spoil the story too much, I won't share a whole lot about my characters--just the two main ones.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gcR4YWGzcEo/U73Umfr7rbI/AAAAAAAAAkY/687oANaSCPI/s1600/ruta.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gcR4YWGzcEo/U73Umfr7rbI/AAAAAAAAAkY/687oANaSCPI/s1600/ruta.jpeg" height="400" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her looks were partially inspired by <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/123075002291822013/" target="_blank">this</a> beautiful piece of art.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">Ruta Albrecht</b></div>
</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Despite wishing to become a missionary, Ruta lacks some of the patience and compassion necessary for such a feat. To test her, her uncle orders her to serve a Penitent. His reasoning: "Before you can <i>save </i>souls, you must <i>care </i>about souls." Unfortunately for Ruta, her time with Favian stretches her to the breaking point...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7BwM_sqp0DA/U73UwDp6ROI/AAAAAAAAAkg/vCViV6MAJQI/s1600/favian.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7BwM_sqp0DA/U73UwDp6ROI/AAAAAAAAAkg/vCViV6MAJQI/s1600/favian.jpeg" height="400" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Was inspired partially for his appearance by <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/123075002291824479/" target="_blank">this</a> picture.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">Favian Rosengart</b></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">For the majority of the story, Favian looks nothing like his normally handsome self--in fact, he looks more like a Beast. At first, Ruta and others assume he is a Penitent due to his appearance: long, unshaved hair and beard, untrimmed fingernails, and the horrid bearskin he has to wear all the time. Not to mention the smell. But Favian has far more intriguing--and sinister--reasons behind his looks... And the closer he gets to Ruta, the more sinister the consequences become.</span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">***</span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">You can find the Pinterest board for this story <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/shewritesdreams/a-tithe-of-thorns/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>EXCERPT</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This is just the smallest of excerpts, and it's from my outline, so it may not even make it into the story. But it gives you a bit of time with dear Ruta:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>“As part of your training, Ruta, you will serve a Penitant for the span of one year,” her uncle said, his finger tracing the beads of his prayer chain.</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>A shiver traced its course along her spine. Raising her gaze to meet her uncle's, she fought against the protest battering the back of her teeth. He watched her struggle, a smile hidden in the tweaking corners of his lips.</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>“Why?” she blurted out at last.</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Sinking back, he clasped his hands together before him. “Because before you can start saving souls,” he said, “you must care about souls. And there are few souls more in need of your care than Penitents. And there are few souls who will test your care more than they. If you can finish your year with more love in your heart than when you began, you will be ready to go beyond the known world.”</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">***</span></div>
</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">That's all for me right now--keep watch later on for a post about my second entry! :) What are you all writing these days?</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13171567731644896572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770511835712787430.post-25026979607434930112014-06-18T21:14:00.000-04:002014-06-18T21:34:37.192-04:00Book Review: Lost and Found, by Sarah Jakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1384189844l/18652818.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1384189844l/18652818.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Like every girl, Sarah Jakes dreamed of a life full of love, laughter, and happy endings. But her dreams changed dramatically when she became pregnant at age fourteen, a reality only compounded by the fact that her father, Bishop T.D. Jakes, was one of the most influential megachurch pastors in the nation. As a teen mom and a high-profile preacher's kid, her road was lonely. She was shunned at school, gossiped about at church. And a few years later, when a fairy-tale marriage ended in a spiral of hurt and rejection, she could have let her pain dictate her future. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Instead, she found herself surrounded by a God she'd given up on, crashing headlong with Him into a destiny she'd never dreamed of. For the first time, she shares her captivating journey. Unflinchingly honest and deeply vulnerable, Sarah's story is a vivid reminder that God can turn even the deepest pain into His perfection.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>But more than a memoir, "Lost and Found" offers hope and encouragement to women of all ages who, like Sarah, find themselves wandering the detours of a life--and shows that no matter how lost they feel, they, too, can be found.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><u>MY REVIEW:</u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">To be honest, I picked this book up out of mere curiosity. I always ponder how people in situations different than mine handle what has been given them. I gather inspiration for my faith from the testimony of others, and I love the truth and grace and strength of God that can be found in these stories.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Before this book, I'd never heard of the Jakes family. I don't know if that's because I'm Canadian or simply because I don't have as wide a church base or knowledge, but whichever it is, I was able to come from a perspective that was fairly unaffected. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">But I didn't stay unaffected. This memoir is heart-wrenching, to say the least. Sarah is very open and honest about her sins, her need for forgiveness. She doesn't try to dismiss her behaviour, she simply tries to explain events leading up to certain situations. And in one part, she actually apologizes to a woman she hurt. While some might argue that she's merely trying to make herself look better, the point of the book is that she's <i>not better than anyone else</i>. As I said before, she doesn't try to hide the fact that she sinned. She doesn't glorify it, but she does make it clear that she is imperfect.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And I loved her for it. This is a great book; you truly get to see someone grow in their relationship with Christ. Even when you think things are going to be all right, she makes another mistake and you're left gritting your teeth. But also wanting to be there beside her, because you see how hurt she is and how much she desires pure love and affection.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">When she finally is "found", it's refreshing: it's not because she's finally with a good Christian man who's saved her from herself. It's not because she's become perfect. It's because she's finally WITH GOD. It's the real thing, not the romantic ending of a story book--at least, not with a "Prince Charming", as Sarah says in the book.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Basically, if you enjoyed the movie <i>Juno </i>but did not agree with its morality, here is a Christian, TRUE LIFE version of that same tale. And my, what a tale it is!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Four stars for the book, but Five stars for this girl! Sarah Jakes, you have my deepest respect.</span></div>
<br />
<em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I received a copy of this book from the Bethany House Blogger Review Program in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the opportunity!</span></em>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13171567731644896572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770511835712787430.post-42861763405921212462014-06-09T22:27:00.001-04:002014-06-09T22:27:33.310-04:00Book Review: Cruel Beauty, by Rosamund Hodge<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1371652590l/15839984.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1371652590l/15839984.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image and summary from Goodreads.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>MY REVIEW</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Wow. This book...All right, ever since I heard about it before it came out, I wanted to read it. Beauty and the Beast is one of my favourite fairy tales, in all its various incarnations, and Greek mythology? What's not to love!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">It's difficult to discuss this book, because none of the characters are what they seem. So I'm going to warn you now, there may be SPOILERS in this review.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">One thing I adored was Hodge's writing; it packed a lot of punches and really forced you to ponder "the nature of humanity", so to speak. I liked how she delved into something I've often thought about in relation to superhero myths. Heroes are always saving the "innocents", right? Well, Hodge points out that, in reality, there are no "innocents". The people who come to bargain with the Gentle Lord, such as Nyx's father, are just as much monsters as the Gentle Lord himself. Because it's all about motivation.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Though the book's setting is rather Greek and therefore outside the Christian sphere, I noted a lot of similarities to Christian beliefs. How we "cannot pay for our own sins" (a line almost straight from the book); loving others despite their flaws...it made the book spear my heart.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I have a thing against bad boys. I don't like it when heroines end up with them. However, Ignifex isn't just a bad boy. And the book had me falling for him alongside Nyx. That's all I can reveal--the book takes his character and completely sideswipes you by the end. And Nyx herself isn't some naive young woman being taken advantage of by a more experienced bad boy. No, she is the "cruel beauty" as much as Ignifex. Their relationship reminded me *SPOILERS FOR ANOTHER BOOK SERIES* much of Gen and Attolia's from Megan Whalen Turner's "The Queen's Thief" series--a HUGE compliment considering Eugenides is a major fictional crush and Attolia is such a sad, sweet, complicated mess of a woman that I just want to hug and heal.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Suffice to say, I adored this book, mainly for the twisted, complex relationship between Nyx and her husband. However, I also want to point out that this book was written in the darker, more mature vein of fairy tales. While there is nothing of an explicit nature, there is a husband/wife relationship going on, with all the bells and whistles. There is talk of murder, affairs, and demons are the antagonists of this book. So if any of that content would put you off, this may not be the book for you. I would say this book is best suited for older teens and up. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13171567731644896572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770511835712787430.post-78735712888381591792014-06-07T15:09:00.003-04:002014-06-07T15:10:42.631-04:00Short Story: The Forest of Shadows and Souls<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Happy Saturday, dear readers! Following the tradition of many other bloggers I very much admire, I've decided to share with you a little short story I wrote a few years back--very rough and unpolished, but there are ideas in it that I love writing about. The desperate nature of humanity, guilt...redemption. I hope you enjoy it--it's rather eerie, if I do say so myself. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/cd/a4/b3/cda4b33bb3e5e3b1199b0c0b5303a640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/cd/a4/b3/cda4b33bb3e5e3b1199b0c0b5303a640.jpg" height="400" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">From Pinterest</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">THE FOREST OF SHADOWS AND SOULS</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
Rebeka B.</div>
<br />The village lies on the north side of the Forest of Shadows and Souls. No one visits there, and no one leaves there. Not even the oldest villager can remember when the Forest appeared, but all remember the day the first child wandered in and never came back.<br /><br /> That was long ago, and her name is long forgotten, as are the names of the many children who followed her. And not just children. Young men and women, the elderly and the weak – something about the trees and their deceitful whispers draws people in.<br /><br /> Only one girl has ever entered its depths to return.<br /><br /> Her name is Salome.<br /><br /> At least, that is what people think.<br /><br /> “Mary has disappeared! What if the Shadows have gotten her?”<br /><br /> “Go to Salome. She can bring her back.”<br /><br /> “My father has wandered off.”<br /><br /> “Salome will find him. She’s the only one who can. She knows the Shadow Forest better than anybody.”<br /><br /> And she does, but at a price.<br /><br /> “Where does Salome live?”<br /><br /> “In a little hut at the edge of the village. She lives there with her sister, Rose. Be careful, though. She’s a bit odd.”<br /><br /> “No wonder, after what she must have gone through to survive that wretched place.”<br /><br /> Yet the villagers always come, not pausing to wonder how their endless demands might affect the girl whose memories never end in sleep. She stands by her door every day, waiting. Because she knows that even when she fails, she is their only hope. Even when all she can bring back is the tattered red hood of a vanished child, she still offers closure.<br /><br /> “Why do you do it, Salome?” her sister asks. “It kills you. You look horrible.”<br /><br /> Salome turns her head, a faint smile tugging her lips. Once she might have been beautiful, but now you have to squint to see what men once saw. A full mouth has tightened and thinned, deep blue eyes have been worn down by restless nights. Her white-blonde hair now lies under her bed in a box.<br /><br /> When Salome does not answer but for that enigmatic smile, Rose remarks, “You haven’t been the same since you returned from the forest.”<br /><br /> Who ever is? But then, who has returned? Salome shrugs and rubs her bald head, the roughness of returning hair scratching against her palm. It is Velnian tradition that a woman must grow her hair until she weds. Salome is wed to her duty.<br /><br /> She is wed to her guilt.<br /><br /> Rose sighs over this. She often wishes her older sister could flirt and smile like any other girl. Beyond this village, there is no existence for them. Why deny yourself the little pleasure life affords? “You need a man to lighten you up,” she says, puttering about the kitchen.<br /><br /> Salome does not flinch. When she first returned from the forest, Rose’s remarks upset her. Now she knows they are as empty as the cooking pot – as empty as her heart.<br /><br /> “Rose?” she asks.<br /><br /> “Yes?” The younger girl drops onto a bench, flipping out her hair and staring at Salome expectantly. If she wishes for some light-hearted banter, she will be disappointed.<br /><br /> “Do you know why the Shadows want the villagers?”<br /><br /> Rose’s face darkens. Yet there is a curious light to her eyes as well – fear masked by questioning. Salome can tell. It has been one of the effects of the forest; she sees things differently – how shadowed the world is instead of enlightened. Shadows do not exist because of sunlight, but the sun was created to counteract the shadows. Shadows are everywhere, even where sunlight cannot reach. “Why?” Rose breathes.<br /><br /> Salome shivers. She has not told this to anyone. It weighs on her, burdening her with a secret too vital not to share. “So the shadows may become human.” There. It is out of her. She gasps for breath, feeling like a traitor, and yet not traitorous enough.<br /><br /> Rose sits up. “Why would they want to do that?”<br /><br /> “To gain souls. Shadows might live forever – but one day the world will end, and they will with it. Human souls last beyond the end of the world – into the next life and beyond.” Her body tingles with the thrill of truth. She’s had these words memorized since before she learned to talk.<br /><br /> Rose stares at her hands. “They’re monsters.”<br /><br /> Salome winces. “Not all of them.”<br /><br /> Rose inhales sharply. “They took Mother and Father.”<br /><br /> “Yes,” Salome says carefully. “But do you not feel sorry for them, a little? One day they will be extinguished.”<br /><br /> “Oh really? What about the ones who stole Mother and Father’s souls? They’ll still exist! It’s Mother and Father who will perish!” Rose begins to sob.<br /><br /> Salome stands still, waiting for the weeping to pass. Part of her whispers to embrace the girl crying on the bench, but she pushes it away. A knock echoes through the hovel, and with a sigh of relief, she walks to the door.<br /><br /> “Salome?” She glances over her shoulder at Rose’s question.<br /><br /> “Yes?”<br /><br /> “Did the Shadows hurt you very much, when they captured you?”<br /><br /> Salome stiffens. The truth wheedles her, pricks her with shame. Murderer. “Yes,” she says. Her voice cracks. She clears her throat and opens the door.<br /><br />#<br /><br /> The forest towers over Salome’s head. She is not afraid of the trees, of the monsters lurking beneath their leaves. What frightens her are the memories wafting through the air – the screams, the pleas, the struggle of a maiden to keep her life.<br /><br /> Already she sees the girl’s ghost wafting through the trees, a strand of mist trapped in this world. Her soul, and body with it, has been stolen, keeping her here until the world ends and she along with it.<br /><br /> As always, she approaches as Salome enters the woods. Deep blue eyes watch as Salome dodges shadows and tries to pick up an old man’s trail. But she is distracted by the white-blonde hair trailing down the ghost’s back, fluttering in a breeze.<br /><br /> The ghost smiles that enigmatic smile and rubs her head.<br /><br /> Salome straightens, chills creeping up her spine. “I’m sorry,” she says. “But I can’t give it back.”<br /><br /> The ghost says nothing. But the leaves stir in the wind, whispering, Murderer.<br /><br /> Salome flinches. If she had known that the longer Shadows remain human, the more vulnerable they become, she may never have ventured to steal the ghost’s soul. To steal the true Salome’s body.<br /><br /> “Salome?”<br /><br /> The ghost flickers, and Salome whirls around.<br /><br /> Rose stands there, a torch in her hand and a dagger dangling from her fingers. “You forgot your…” Her eyes widen. Salome realizes she can see the ghost, can see what was once her sister. In that moment, Rose knows the truth. Salome’s knees buckle with relief. The time of pondering death and clinging to her miserable existence is at an end. No longer must she float between salvation and life.<br /><br /> Now she can decide. She chooses salvation, if such a thing is possible for a monster. Her body hits the ground and she closes her eyes. The last thing she sees is the glimmer of a dagger hovering overhead. The last thing she hears is a scream. What she does not see is another shadow rising from the ground, waiting for its chance.<br /><br />#<br /><br /> The village lies on the north side of the Forest of Shadows and Souls. No one visits there, and no one leaves there. Not even the oldest villager can remember when the Forest appeared, but all remember the day the first child wandered in and never came back.<br /><br /> That was long ago, and her name is long forgotten, as are the names of the many children who followed her. And not just children. Young men and women, the elderly and the weak – something about the trees and their deceitful whispers draws people in.<br /><br /> Only two girls have ever entered its depths to return.<br /><br /> One’s name was Salome. Now nobody knows where she is. One day she went into the forest and never came back.<br /><br /> The other’s name is Rose.<br /><br /> At least, that is what people think. But leave them with their thoughts, because often it is too painful to dig into the truth. If they did, they might know what is obvious to you and me, dear readers: Often only the shadow of a person is left to tell the tale.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13171567731644896572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770511835712787430.post-45133151366088015662014-06-01T03:00:00.000-04:002014-06-01T03:00:00.056-04:00Cover and Title Reveal: The Newest Fairy Tale Contest Hosted by Rooglewood Press<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://rooglewoodpress.com/" target="_blank">Rooglewood Press</a> is delighted to introduce their second fairy tale novella contest—</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Five Enchanted Roses</i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">a collection of “Beauty and the Beast” stories</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The challenge is to write a retelling of the beloved fairy tale in any genre or setting you like. Make certain your story is recognizably “Beauty and the Beast,” but have fun with it as well. Make it yours!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Rooglewood Press will be selecting five winners to be published in the Five Enchanted Roses collection, which will be packaged up with the gorgeous cover you see displayed here. Perhaps your name will be one of the five displayed on this cover?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">All the contest rules and information (how to enter, story details, deadline etc.) may be found on the Rooglewood Press website. Just click <a href="http://www.rooglewoodpress.com/fairy-tale-collections" target="_blank">HERE</a> and you will go right to the page.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Rooglewood Press’s first collection, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0989447847/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0TT82A8EMA46GY5S9Y59&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846" target="_blank"><i>Five Glass Slippers</i>, is available for pre-order now</a> and will be released on June 14. Do grab yourself a copy and see what these talented writers have done with the timeless “Cinderella” tale!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Now... the cover....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JQP0i94clSE/U4f5UqhOvpI/AAAAAAAAAjE/Mr3eMAYrLGI/s1600/EnchantedRosesCover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JQP0i94clSE/U4f5UqhOvpI/AAAAAAAAAjE/Mr3eMAYrLGI/s1600/EnchantedRosesCover.jpg" height="400" width="261" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This
cover illustration was rendered by Julia Popova, “ForestGirl.” You can find out
more about this gifted artist on her website: <a href="http://www.forestgirl.ru/">www.forestgirl.ru</a>.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">BLOG BUTTON!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Post this on your blogs, spread the word! Let's make this contest even bigger than the last one!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.rooglewoodpress.com/fairy-tale-collections" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uREMJKXiY2w/U4f57quw3nI/AAAAAAAAAjM/PIVbaNF8SR0/s1600/BlogButtonforContest.jpg" height="267" width="320" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13171567731644896572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770511835712787430.post-39608676876782885492014-05-29T20:17:00.002-04:002014-05-29T20:17:38.834-04:00When You Can't Go Home...<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">For many students, summer has arrived, and I am no exception. However, this summer has promised to be far different than any other I have ever experienced. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">First of all, I am not returning home to work. Instead, I am working at my university as a janitor and I live fifteen minutes down the road from the institution where I already spent eight long months learning. The shift from going home to staying where I am was grueling at first, and there were many tears. But thanks to some sound advice from Anne Elisabeth Stengl, I have a new attitude going into this adventure.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Secondly, I am still in school for another month. In addition to working full time, I have a night class on Tuesday and Thursday evenings--Philosophy and Superhero Mythology. Interesting stuff, but also very expensive textbooks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Thirdly, I am preparing to leave Canada. In the spring of 2015, I will be attending Oxford University in England for a semester abroad. This will be my first time in an airplane, and I am so, so excited. And terrified. I plan on posting many pictures from my journey here on the blog.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Before that, however, the summer promises other adventures. A few weeks ago, a friend and I attended The Lion King musical in Toronto, then drove all the way to Ohio to see MercyMe in concert. It was an amazing few days full of highways and blasting music and jamming. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Oh, and I dyed my hair! I used to be a rather "dirty" blond, and now I'm...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/10303378_10202505098083619_7125997131483057418_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/10303378_10202505098083619_7125997131483057418_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...rather red.<br />
And this was in a GORGEOUS old church friends and I visited. <br />
I was pretending to sing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">My hair right now is actually more of an orange-copper colour, since it's fading.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I'm slowly getting back into the writing groove after months of writer's block and general dissatisfaction. I am privy to the theme of Anne Elisabeth Stengl's newest Fairy Tale Collection Contest, and am working on brainstorming for it. The rest of you will be in the know in just a few short days. All I can say is--prepare to be EXCITED.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I hope all of you readers are doing well. May the Creator of All bless you with adventures beyond your ken!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13171567731644896572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770511835712787430.post-9310609777945917932014-05-27T02:30:00.000-04:002014-05-27T02:30:00.532-04:00Resistance Blog Tour!<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I am very pleased to be part of the blog tour for <i>Resistance </i>by Jaye L. Knight, hosted by Amber Stokes of <a href="http://www.editingthroughtheseasons.com/" target="_blank">Editing Through the Seasons</a>. It's the first book in The Ilyon Chronicles, a Christian epic fantasy series.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">THE BOOK:</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1MteFgJqKgg/U4PuKcWxdaI/AAAAAAAAAiU/rjPJUVQ0vEI/s1600/ResistanceCover-Large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1MteFgJqKgg/U4PuKcWxdaI/AAAAAAAAAiU/rjPJUVQ0vEI/s1600/ResistanceCover-Large.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>“Don’t you know? Animals like you have no soul.”</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Could God ever love a half-blood all of society looks upon with such fear and disdain? Jace once believed so, but when a tragic loss shatters the only peace he’s ever known, his faith crumbles as the nagging doubts he’s tried to put behind him descend on his grieving heart. With them come the haunting memories of the bloodstained past he longs to forget, but can never escape.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Taken from home at a young age and raised to serve the emperor, Kyrin Altair lives every day under a dangerous pretense of loyalty. After her unique observation skills and perfect memory place her into direct service to the emperor, Kyrin finds herself in further jeopardy as it becomes increasingly difficult to hide her belief in Elôm, the one true God.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Following the emperor’s declaration to enforce the worship of false gods under the penalty of death, many lives are endangered. But there are those willing to risk everything to take a stand and offer aid to the persecuted. With their lives traveling paths they never could have imagined, Jace and Kyrin must fight to overcome their own fears and conflicts with society as they become part of the resistance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Available for purchase on Amazon May 20th!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">View book extras at <a href="http://www.ilyonchronicles.blogspot.com/">www.ilyonchronicles.blogspot.com</a>. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">THE AUTHOR:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ndt3-9gDB-E/U4PunQTF5BI/AAAAAAAAAik/ZrEHxO2WU9g/s1600/mollyauthorphoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ndt3-9gDB-E/U4PunQTF5BI/AAAAAAAAAik/ZrEHxO2WU9g/s1600/mollyauthorphoto.jpg" height="320" width="265" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">JAYE L. KNIGHT is a 25-year-old independent author with a passion for writing Christian fantasy and clean NA (New Adult) fiction. Armed with an active imagination and love for adventure, Jaye weaves stories of truth, faith, and courage with the message that even in the deepest darkness, God's love shines as a light to offer hope.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Jaye is a homeschool graduate and has been penning stories since the age of eight. She was previously published as Molly Evangeline. You can learn about her latest writing projects at <a href="http://www.jayelknight.com/">www.jayelknight.com</a>.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Find her at:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">·<span style="line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/jayelknight"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Facebook Author Page</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">·<span style="line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ilyonchronicles"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Facebook Series Page</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">·<span style="line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://twitter.com/jayelknight"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Twitter</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">·<span style="line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/jayelknight/"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Pinterest</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">·<span style="line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://plus.google.com/+JayeLKnight/posts"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Google+ Author Page</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">·<span style="line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://plus.google.com/+Ilyonchronicles/posts"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Google+ Series
Page</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">·<span style="line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/AuthorJayeLKnight"><span style="line-height: 115%;">YouTube</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">·<span style="line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://jayelknight.blogspot.com/"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Author Blog</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">·<span style="line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://ilyonchronicles.blogspot.com/">Series Blog</a></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">MY REVIEW:</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> I have not yet finished reading this novel, so my review will be incomplete. However, as I did before with another book, I will list what I love about this book so far. (It may contain some VERY SLIGHT SPOILERS, so be aware). </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> 1) The setting: This book combines some of my favourite time periods--medieval and Roman. There are gladiators, castles, scholars... And I even garnered a little bit of a Western feel from one of the towns. It's such a creative blend that I would never have thought to put together, but which makes the world of the Ilyon Chronicles entirely new and fresh.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> 2) A wolf: Alright, so I am an unabashed fan of wolves. I adore them. I own wolf shirts, wolf pillowcases, I wear a wolf necklace almost every day, I own the entire Julie of the Wolves series, and I have a wolf stuffie that makes its home on my bed. I think they are gorgeous, noble animals. I ADORE them. I try to write them into almost all my novels somehow. So when I read one of the main characters has a close relationship with a black wolf (I wrote one such creature into my first completed novel), I WAS ECSTATIC. The relationship between the boy and his wolf is so potent and wonderful. </span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> 3) Knowledge! So Kyrin, the girl character, has a knack for remembering things. I can name only one other story I've ever read in my life where this was the main character's skill. I loved it; I loved reading how it affected her everyday life. That she was lauded for this and not because she kicked everybody's butt was refreshing. I have a feeling Kyrin's going to be a girl to watch--she's going to surprise me, I think.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> 4) Sibling love: I love books that emphasize sibling relationships. Kyrin's sturdy bond with her twin brother made me smile. It was so sweet, and I really pray that they can remain this close during the series. They may break my heart, though, because they are just that adorable.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> 5) Character names: Alright, this is really egotistical, but there's a character named Rebekah in the book. Not quite how I spell it, but I was still pretty happy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> 6) Faith: These characters face a struggle I can only ponder: if I had to choose between being honest about my faith and my life, what would I do? This novel has a lot of deep questions subtly written into it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> 7) Lots of adventure: This book is large, and the author takes you through a good expanse of time. Her writing and how much love has clearly gone into this book reminds me of Jill Williamson and her wonderful "Blood of Kings" series. I have only read the first book in that series, but I loved it. If you love Jill Williamson, give Jaye L. Knight a try!</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">GIVEAWAY!!!!</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US">Immerse yourself in the world of Ilyon!
Fill out the Rafflecopter form below for a chance to win an autographed copy of
<i>Resistance</i> (Book 1 in the “Ilyon
Chronicles” series), a <i>Resistance</i>-inspired
necklace crafted by the author (</span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/JayeLKnight">Jaye L. Knight</a></span><span lang="EN-US">), a
Better Homes “Warm Rustic Woods” candle, and a wolf paw leather bookmark from </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/LodgepoleLeather">Lodgepole
Leathercraft</a></span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">. This giveaway is open to <b><u>U.S.
residents only</u></b>. </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/15cee330/" id="rc-15cee330" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><script src="//widget.rafflecopter.com/load.js"></script></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE:</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Find the rest of the blog tour schedule <a href="http://seasonsofhumility.blogspot.com/p/resistance-blog-tour.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13171567731644896572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770511835712787430.post-88790370167179968262014-05-07T04:00:00.000-04:002014-05-07T04:00:11.497-04:00Blog Tour Book Review, Author Interview, and Giveaway: Until That Distant Day, by Jill Stengl!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mUzw0GAqGwQ/U2mdNFpPUOI/AAAAAAAAAhs/j-oMD_XzRIk/s1600/BlogLaunchTourBanner+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mUzw0GAqGwQ/U2mdNFpPUOI/AAAAAAAAAhs/j-oMD_XzRIk/s1600/BlogLaunchTourBanner+(1).jpg" height="197" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I am honoured to be part of the blog tour for Jill Stengl's latest release, <i>Until That Distant Day</i>! It deals with one of my favourite periods in history--the French Revolution.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v8qC3-m4_Lk/U2mTNjxoVGI/AAAAAAAAAhI/tObOzV1E7Fk/s1600/UntilThatDistantDayCover.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v8qC3-m4_Lk/U2mTNjxoVGI/AAAAAAAAAhI/tObOzV1E7Fk/s1600/UntilThatDistantDayCover.png" height="400" width="262" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Colette
and her brother Pascoe are two sides of the same coin, dependent upon one
another in the tumultuous world of the new Republic. Together they labor with
other leaders of the sans-culottes to ensure freedom for
all the downtrodden men and women of France.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-line-height-alt: 9.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-US">But then the popular uprisings turn
bloody and the rhetoric proves false. Suddenly, Colette finds herself at odds
with Pascoe and struggling to unite her fractured family against the lure
of violence. Charged with protecting an innocent young woman and
desperately afraid of losing one of her beloved brothers, Colette doesn’t know
where to turn or whom to trust as the bloodshed creeps ever closer to home.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-line-height-alt: 9.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-line-height-alt: 9.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>Until that distant day when peace
returns to France, can she find the strength to defend her loved ones . . .
even from one another?<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-line-height-alt: 9.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XVHEysScT_o/U2mXSy_-EJI/AAAAAAAAAhc/JnRsHJsRmro/s1600/JillStenglAuthorPhoto.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XVHEysScT_o/U2mXSy_-EJI/AAAAAAAAAhc/JnRsHJsRmro/s1600/JillStenglAuthorPhoto.png" height="320" width="226" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 130%;">Jill Stengl</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 130%;"> is the author of numerous
romance novels including Inspirational Reader's Choice Award- and Carol
Award-winning <i>Faithful Traitor</i>, and the bestselling novella, <i>Fresh
Highland Heir.</i> She lives with her husband in the beautiful Northwoods
of Wisconsin, where she enjoys her three cats, teaching a high school English
Lit. class, playing keyboard for her church family, and sipping coffee on the
deck as she brainstorms for her next novel.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 130%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 130%;">She blogs at </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://jillstengl.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 130%;">Books,
Cats, and Whimsy</span></a></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 130%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">. Do stop by and follow
her to keep up with all her writing and reading-related activities!</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-line-height-alt: 9.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-line-height-alt: 9.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i> </i></span></span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;">"Jill
Stengl is one of the rare authors with the ability to transport the reader to
another world--a delightfully rich world of scent and sight and sound.” – Kim
Vogel Sawyer, bestselling author of </i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Echoes
of Mercy</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-line-height-alt: 9.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>“Award-winning
author Jill Stengl has created her greatest work yet in the inspiring and
moving Until That Distant Day.”
Jill Eileen Smith, bestselling author of the </i>Wives of King David<i> series.</i></span></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And now you can get it for only .99 cents!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Until-That-Distant-Jill-Stengl-ebook/dp/B00JK5ADSA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397042379&sr=8-1&keywords=Until+That+Distant+Day" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eCLWEbQweKw/U2mXEE4h6_I/AAAAAAAAAhU/E4gIon3Xl7c/s1600/99OfferBannerxcf.jpg" height="267" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">MINI-REVIEW:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">As of yet, I have not finished the book (alas!). When I do, expect a full review to be posted here. But right now, I can highlight my favourite aspects:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">1. The setting: the food, the culture, the geography. Collette reads like someone living in the time she's in.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">2. Collette herself. I was surprised when I read that the main character was someone in her late twenties. This is a point of view I rarely get to read, and it was so refreshing! Collette is someone who has already seen much of life, has made mistakes, and has been affected by them. To me, she is far more intriguing than someone just setting out on her adventures. She has a mysterious air to her.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">3. The largeness of Collette's family. I love it when authors write about large families and make them realistic. The siblings read like true people--related through blood but divided by their individual choices. Stengl does not try to create a false unity, and I applaud her for this!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">4. The historical moments. Though I learned about the French Revolution in high school, there's a difference between reading a textbook and peeking into the world through the eyes of someone who lives in it. Things I remember from class were far more interesting, and I got excited when I recognized certain people, places, or events.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">If any of what I have described catches your interest, definitely give this book a look!!!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">AUTHOR INTERVIEW!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">As part of this blog tour, Jill Stengl generously offered to answer blogger questions. Here is my question and her answer:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Q: Do
any historical figures from the French Revolution make an appearance in your
novel and/or your main characters influenced or inspired by any particular
historical figures?</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; text-indent: 27pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; text-indent: 27pt;">A: None of my main
characters are based on real people, but they mention several historical
figures by name, including General Lafayette, Georges Jacques Danton, Legendre
the butcher, P</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 27pt;">é</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; text-indent: 27pt;">tion the mayor of
Paris, General Dumouriez, and, of course, Louis XVI and his queen, Marie
Antoinette, and their children.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large; text-indent: 27pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 27pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The one direct
historical quote I used is that of the commander of the Swiss Guard at the
Palais des Tuileries on August 10, a courageous man who refused to leave his post
without the king’s order. (The order to return to barracks arrived too late to
save them.) You might be interested in this article about the monument in honor
of the Swiss Guard, located in Lucerne, Switzerland.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 27pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 27pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_Monument">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_Monument</a></span><span lang="EN-US"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 27pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 27pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">So very sad!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 27pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 27pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Thank you for the
interesting question, Beka! And thank you for joining my blog tour. </span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 27pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 27pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">GIVEAWAY!!!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 27pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-owqDzQ0UGxw/U2meRHmkz_I/AAAAAAAAAh0/PKaZvj5hyVo/s1600/Giveaway+Prize.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-owqDzQ0UGxw/U2meRHmkz_I/AAAAAAAAAh0/PKaZvj5hyVo/s1600/Giveaway+Prize.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 27pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 27pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 27pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">You can enter to win a copy of the book signed by Jill Stengl, as well as some delicious-looking tea!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 27pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 27pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/0cd52430/" id="rc-0cd52430" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 27pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="text-indent: 27pt;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><script src="//widget.rafflecopter.com/load.js"></script></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 27pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 27pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">TOUR SCHEDULE</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 27pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 27pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Check out all the other stops on the tour!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; text-indent: 27pt;">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">May 5<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://anneelisabethstengl.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: windowtext;">Tales
of Goldstone Wood</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.edgyinspirationalromance.com/"><span style="color: windowtext;">Edgy
Inspirational Romance</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://joy-live4jesus.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: windowtext;">Fullness
of Joy</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://inkpenauthoress.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: windowtext;">The
Inkpen Authoress</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.coversandink.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: windowtext;">Covers
and Ink</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">May 6<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.bloomingwithbooks.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: windowtext;">Blooming
with Books</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://quoththegirl.wordpress.com/"><span style="color: windowtext;">Quoth
the Girl</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://thewonderingsofoneperson.wordpress.com/"><span style="color: windowtext;">The
Wonderings of One Person</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">May 7<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://williamshsj.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: windowtext;">The Writer’s
Window</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.jilleileensmith.com/blog/"><span style="color: windowtext;">Jill
Eileen Smith</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://thewriterofdreamthings.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: windowtext;">The
Writer of Dream Things</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">May 8<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://anniedouglasslima.blogspot.tw/"><span style="color: windowtext;">Letters
from Annie Douglas Lima</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://rinasreading.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: windowtext;">Rina’s
Reading</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://claradianethompson.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: windowtext;">To
Find a Castle</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">May 9<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.jlmbewe.com/index.php/blog/"><span style="color: windowtext;">JLMbewe.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://mautobeaperson.wordpress.com/home/"><span style="color: windowtext;">To
Be a Person</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.writingsofrosie.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: windowtext;">Writings
of Rosie</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">May 10<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://seasonsofhumility.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: windowtext;">Seasons
of Humility</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://oywen.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: windowtext;">Notes by Oywen</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.overweightbookshelf.com/"><span style="color: windowtext;">The
Overweight Bookshelf</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">May 11<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://wordsfromabookaholic.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: windowtext;">Too
Read or Not Too Read</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.itssimplygrace.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: windowtext;">Fictionally</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.bluerosesheart.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: windowtext;">Bluerose’s
Heart</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">May 12<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.melsshelves.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: windowtext;">Mel’s
Shelves</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://labornotinvain.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: windowtext;">Labor
Not in Vain</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://creativemadnessmama.com/"><span style="color: windowtext;">Creative
Madness Mama</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">May 13 – Giveaway Winner Announced<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><a href="http://anneelisabethstengl.blogspot.com/">Tales
of Goldstone Wood</a></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13171567731644896572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770511835712787430.post-43114726922078330052014-03-10T16:49:00.000-04:002014-03-10T16:52:49.411-04:00Book Review: "The Treachery of Beautiful Things", by Ruth Frances Long<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>SUMMARY</u></b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1334778746l/11737311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1334778746l/11737311.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><i>The trees swallowed her brother whole, and Jenny was there to see it. Now seventeen, she revisits the woods where Tom was taken, resolving to say good-bye at last. Instead, she's lured into the trees, where she finds strange and dangerous creatures who seem to consider her the threat. Among them is Jack, mercurial and magnetic, with secrets of his own. Determined to find her brother, with or without Jack's help, Jenny struggles to navigate a faerie world where stunning beauty masks some of the most treacherous evils, and she's faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice--and not just her own.</i></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">--picture and summary from Goodreads.com</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">I read this book way back in the summer, so some of my memories may be hazy. I'll try to give the overall impression I felt of this book. Please note that my opinions are merely that--opinions. To find out what YOU would think of it, I recommend you read it for yourself. Now, onwards...</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">First of all, the author has a flare for lyrical, descriptive prose. While reading, I felt Jenny's entrapment, felt the awe and wonder and terror of this creepy, beautiful world into which she had stumbled. The forest is a character of itself, deceptive and treacherous. It was horrifying and enthralling!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Looking back, this book had a very "The Labyrinth"-esque feel to it, what with a girl having to save her brother from some sort of otherworldly creatures. I loved that aspect--it offered a mythical feel to the world. As well, the author draws on Celtic and, I believe, Norse mythology in order to create the background of the story. As someone not as well-read in these as I would like, I did not quite understand the importance of some of the characters. For instance, there was one scene with Jack and another character that I felt had layers to it, but because certain aspects weren't explained, it was very vague.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps that was my biggest issue: for all the dreamlike, gorgeous quality of it, the story was vague in that I could not quite connect to Jenny and Jack as "real people". There are not many characters in the story--there's Jenny, Jack, her brother, Puck, and then a lot of fairy creatures that do not get any development at all. Jack and Jenny are the main characters, and for most of the book, the plot revolves around their romance.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">To me, this detracted from the more emotional plot line of a girl searching for her brother, a brother who has been missing for so many years.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">As well, because the book did not have a lot of characters, I felt it could have been shorter. It was almost 400 pages long, but there was no wide range of characters to make those pages sparkle. So at places the plot dragged.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">But, I believe this is the author's debut novel, and with such beautiful writing, I would definitely pick up another of her works!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13171567731644896572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770511835712787430.post-29966895245443780862014-02-24T06:00:00.000-05:002014-02-24T06:00:03.590-05:00COVER REVEAL: "Golden Daughter", by Anne Elisabeth Stengl!<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I am super excited to be part of the cover reveal for the seventh book in Anne Elisabeth Stengl's "Tales of Goldstone Wood" series, <i>Golden Daughter</i>. It promises to be a magical mix of faraway lands, daring escapades, and a fierce heroine who has already captured my attention just from the book summary!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Here's a bit about the book:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">
</span>
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>BEYOND THE REALM OF DREAMS </b><br /><b>IS A WORLD SHE NEVER IMAGINED </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Masayi Sairu was raised to be dainty, delicate, demure . . . and deadly. She is one of the emperor’s Golden Daughters, as much a legend as she is a commodity. One day, Sairu will be contracted in marriage to a patron, whom she will secretly guard for the rest of her life. <br /><br />But when she learns that a sacred Dream Walker of the temple seeks the protection of a Golden Daughter, Sairu forgoes marriage in favor of this role. Her skills are stretched to the limit, for assassins hunt in the shadows, and phantoms haunt in dreams. With only a mysterious Faerie cat and a handsome slave—possessed of his own strange abilities—to help her, can Sairu shield her new mistress from evils she can neither see nor touch? <br /><br />For the Dragon is building an army of fire. And soon the heavens will burn.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>THE COVER</b>...</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Isn't it GORGEOUS????</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=a5c6eedeff&view=fimg&th=1442795d7c0e29d5&attid=0.5&disp=inline&realattid=f_hrkztolg4&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ9cyKp6-uEi6c1E_GR8LVN3nNefFEO3JrI658B14D7RQqCqapWtJcFLHqgMh8R3flV2OMoMw4HIwoLUI5Xnah0l_M6JiTX6IOgjezp-Zhl-35fWKNqwqX9Pyxw&ats=1392308634809&rm=1442795d7c0e29d5&zw&sz=w1243-h481" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="Displaying GoldenDaughterCover.png" border="0" height="640" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=a5c6eedeff&view=fimg&th=1442795d7c0e29d5&attid=0.5&disp=inline&realattid=f_hrkztolg4&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ9cyKp6-uEi6c1E_GR8LVN3nNefFEO3JrI658B14D7RQqCqapWtJcFLHqgMh8R3flV2OMoMw4HIwoLUI5Xnah0l_M6JiTX6IOgjezp-Zhl-35fWKNqwqX9Pyxw&ats=1392308634809&rm=1442795d7c0e29d5&zw&sz=w1243-h481" width="412" /> </span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black;">The cover illustration was
done by Julia Popova. Visit her website, </span><a href="http://www.forestgirl.ru/">http://www.forestgirl.ru/</a><span style="color: black;">,
to learn more about her and her fantastic work!</span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>THE AUTHOR</b></span> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="Displaying 7721_133549311830_623396830_3040333_1407935_n.jpg" class="aLF-aPX-J1-J3" height="400" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=a5c6eedeff&view=fimg&th=1442795d7c0e29d5&attid=0.3&disp=inline&realattid=f_hrkzs2z73&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ-4laee8iYGta7auLzQqi-ZgB_YFR3idPhFPEDOCA0tweC5t15Ll5JwwVWhB_X28qElXB0B02WMX7f14d51KluOqve3shlntML6lBYr8dty7aLggHVaOdO-q0I&ats=1392386633764&rm=1442795d7c0e29d5&zw&sz=w1249-h488" width="266" /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="widows: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">Anne Elisabeth
Stengl is the author of the award-winning Tales of Goldstone Wood
series, adventure fantasies told in the classic Fairy Tale style. Her
books include Christy Award-winning </span><span style="color: black; font-size: large;"><i>Heartless</i></span><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">
and </span><span style="color: black; font-size: large;"><i>Veiled Rose</i></span><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">,
and Clive Staples Award-winning </span><span style="color: black; font-size: large;"><i>Starflower</i></span><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">.
She makes her home in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she lives with
her husband, Rohan, a passel of cats, and one long-suffering dog.
When she's not writing, she enjoys Shakespeare, opera, and tea, and
practices piano, painting, and pastry baking. She studied
illustration and English literature at Grace College and Campbell
University.</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="widows: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="widows: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center; widows: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">ILLUSTRATED SNEAK PEEK!</span></b> </span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="widows: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="widows: 1;">
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="widows: 1;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center; widows: 1;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="Displaying Golden Daughter Sneak Peak.jpg" class="aLF-aPX-J1-J3" height="309" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=a5c6eedeff&view=fimg&th=1442795d7c0e29d5&attid=0.4&disp=inline&realattid=f_hrkztatc3&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ-o8NJNJQatcrSWBmchAlW8CzTsOG4-TwKvQRSmRejU6bPpUPn5_NvaGAryOHyZqp2r4ASI0EtllngWnwL7j5hINlu32_GAQbGaqtsZjSzb6OgHVDTIuukpRf0&ats=1392386633764&rm=1442795d7c0e29d5&zw&sz=w1249-h488" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Art by Hannah Williams</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center; widows: 1;">
<b style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> <span style="text-indent: 36pt;">Excerpt from Chapter 3</span></span></b></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 18pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">GOLDEN DAUGHTER</span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 18pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Sairu made her way from Princess Safiya’s chambers out to the walkways of the encircling gardens. The Masayi, abode of the Golden Daughters, was an intricate complex of buildings linked by blossom-shrouded walkways, calm with fountains and clear, lotus-filled pools where herons strutted and spotted fish swam.<br /><br />Here she had lived all the life she could remember.<br /><br />The Masayi was but a small part of Manusbau Palace, which comprised the whole of Sairu’s existence. She had never stepped beyond the palace walls. To do so would be to step into a world of corruption, corruption to which a Golden Daughter would not be impervious until she was safely chartered to a master and her life’s work was affixed in her heart and mind. Meanwhile, she must live securely embalmed in this tomb, waiting for life to begin.<br /><br />Sairu’s mouth curved gently at the corners, and she took small steps as she had been trained—slow, dainty steps that disguised the swiftness with which she could move at need. Even in private she must maintain the illusion, even here within the Masayi.<br /><br />A cat sat on the doorstep of her own building, grooming itself in the sunlight. She stepped around it and proceeded into the red-hung halls of the Daughter’s quarters and on to her private chambers. There she must gather what few things she would take with her—fewer things even than Jen-ling would take on her journey to Aja. For Jen-ling would be the wife of a prince, and she must give every impression of a bride on her wedding journey.<br /><br />I wonder who my master will be? Sairu thought as she slid back the rattan door to her chamber and entered the quiet simplicity within. She removed her elaborate costume and exchanged it for a robe of simple red without embellishments. She washed the serving girl cosmetics from her face and painted on the daily mask she and her sisters wore—white with black spots beneath each eye and a red stripe down her chin. It was elegant and simple, and to the common eye it made her indistinguishable from her sisters.<br /><br />The curtain moved behind her. She did not startle but turned quietly to see the same cat slipping into her room. Cats abounded throughout Manusbau Palace, kept on purpose near the storehouses to manage the vermin. But they did not often enter private chambers.<br /><br />Sairu, kneeling near her window with her paint pots around her, watched the cat as it moved silkily across the room, stepped onto her sleeping cushions, and began kneading the soft fabric, purring all the while. Its claws pulled at the delicate threads. But it was a cat. As far as it was concerned, it had every right to enjoy or destroy what it willed.<br /><br />At last it seemed to notice Sairu watching it. It turned sleepy eyes to her and blinked.<br /><br />Sairu smiled. In a voice as sweet as honey, she asked, “Who are you?”<br /><br />The cat twitched its tail softly and went on purring.<br /><br />The next moment, Sairu was across the room, her hand latched onto the cat’s scruff. She pushed it down into the cushions and held it there as it yowled and snarled, trying to catch at her with its claws.<br /><br />“Who are you?” she demanded, her voice fierce this time. “What are you? Are you an evil spirit sent to haunt me?”<br /><br />“No, dragons eat it! I mean, rrrraww! Mreeeow! Yeeeowrl!”<br /><br />The cat twisted and managed to lash out at her with its back feet, its claws catching in the fabric of her sleeve. One claw scratched her wrist, startling her just enough that she loosened her hold. The cat took advantage of the opportunity and, hissing like a fire demon, leapt free. It sprang across the room, knocking over several of her paint pots, and spun about, back-arched and snarling. Every hair stood on end, and its ears lay flat to its skull.<br /><br />Sairu drew a dagger from her sleeve and crouched, prepared for anything. The smile lingered on her mouth, but her eyes flashed. “Who sent you?” she demanded. “Why have you come to me now? You know of my assignment, don’t you.”<br /><br />“Meeeeowrl,” the cat said stubbornly and showed its fangs in another hiss.<br /><br />“I see it in your face,” Sairu said, moving carefully to shift her weight and prepare to spring. “You are no animal. Who is your master, devil?”<br /><br />The cat dodged her spring easily enough, which surprised her. Sairu was quick and rarely missed a target. Her knife sank into the floor and stuck there, but she released it and whipped another from the opposite sleeve even as she whirled about.<br /><br />Any self-respecting cat would have made for the window or the door. This one sprang back onto the cushions and crouched there, tail lashing. Its eyes were all too sentient, but it said only “Meeeeow,” as though trying to convince itself.<br /><br />Sairu chewed the inside of her cheek. Then, in a voice as smooth as butter, she said, “We have ways of dealing with devils in this country. Do you know what they are, demon-cat?”<br /><br />The cat’s ears came up. “Prreeowl?” it said.<br /><br />“Allow me to enlighten you.”<br /><br />And Sairu put her free hand to her mouth and uttered a long, piercing whistle. The household erupted with the voices of a dozen and more lion dogs.<br /><br />The little beasts, slipping and sliding and crashing into walls, their claws clicking and clattering on the tiles, careened down the corridor and poured into Sairu’s room. Fluffy tails wagging, pushed-in noses twitching, they roared like the lions they believed themselves to be and fell upon the cat with rapacious joy.<br /><br />The cat uttered one long wail and the next moment vanished out the window. Sairu, dogs milling at her feet, leapt up and hurried to look out after it, expecting to see a tawny tail slipping from sight. But she saw nothing.<br /><br />The devil was gone. For the moment at least.<br /><br />Sairu sank down on her cushions, and her lap was soon filled with wriggling, snuffling hunters eager for praise. She petted them absently, but her mind was awhirl. She had heard of devils taking the form of animals and speaking with the tongues of men. But she had never before seen it. She couldn’t honestly say she’d even believed it.<br /><br />“What danger is my new master in?” she wondered. “From what must I protect him?”</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;"><b>GIVEAWAY!</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Anne Elisabeth is generously offering any two of the first six Goldstone Wood novels as a giveaway prize! Winner’s choice of: <i>Heartless</i>, <i>Veiled Rose</i>, <i>Moonblood</i>, <i>Starflower</i>, <i>Dragonwitch</i>, or <i>Shadow Hand</i>.</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/0cd52425/" id="rc-0cd52425" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<i><b><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">READ THEM ALL...</span></span></b></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="Displaying BannerforSeries.png" class="aLF-aPX-J1-J3" height="432" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=a5c6eedeff&view=fimg&th=1442795d7c0e29d5&attid=0.2&disp=inline&realattid=f_hrkzruyk2&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ9I3A2TzF_szwf4ci96zTsWGNYV1voA5fKJjl3nN69LvPn1L1-F71xeQIUqQuoJIhFqUkvObdEiJksivAfzN7E65F80yphASyFUPOzIZRMPzTOl9govgCZ2or4&ats=1392386633764&rm=1442795d7c0e29d5&zw&sz=w1249-h488" width="640" /> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>BLOG BUTTON!</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://goldendaughternovel.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Displaying GoldenDaughterBlogButton.png" class="aLF-aPX-J1-J3" height="333" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=a5c6eedeff&view=fimg&th=1442797544eda6a3&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=f_hrkzyblr5&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ-MrHHhbdOHmQjFIEaRsmfAb4O2syq-Frk0VuOIZEA5WEmhJbqBhNbNicH6JXEiaTrgFKBgsFqgACghr6Gj310ebnHVLNmYwqPtvOJuF289Cc-zw0ASMd1UjA0&ats=1392386720853&rm=1442797544eda6a3&zw&sz=w1249-h488" width="400" /></a><span id="goog_1170525303"></span><span id="goog_1170525304"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13171567731644896572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770511835712787430.post-24012175646527146322014-02-19T21:46:00.001-05:002014-02-19T21:46:31.854-05:00My Art Blog<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I have been dabbling in art for a while. It's something I do as a hobby, but it's also something I want to get better at. So I decided to start an art blog on Tumblr in order to share my work. If you're interested, you can find it <a href="http://thepeculiarartist.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. I would love to get your feedback! :)</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13171567731644896572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770511835712787430.post-72309277023740920922014-01-27T16:16:00.003-05:002014-01-27T16:16:57.046-05:00Quick Note!<span style="font-size: large;">I forgot to add to my previous post that you can read an interview with Grand Duchess Yelena of Russak, one of the main characters of <i>Rebel's Daughter, </i>over at <a href="http://williamshsj.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Writer's Window</a>!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13171567731644896572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3770511835712787430.post-2091671728909497282014-01-27T03:00:00.000-05:002014-01-27T03:00:08.400-05:00Character Interview: Tryss from "Moonscript" by Hannah Williams!<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Welcome, everyone! Today I have a very special guest on the blog: </span><span style="font-size: large;">Tryss, a character from </span><a href="http://williamshsj.blogspot.com/" style="font-size: x-large;" target="_blank">Hannah Williams</a><span style="font-size: large;">' novel, </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">Moonscript</i><span style="font-size: large;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Before I begin, I will offer a summary of the book:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tDEgBBF7ngc/Usil3udJW1I/AAAAAAAAA6o/2JOoV4W5J5c/s400/Moonscript+New+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tDEgBBF7ngc/Usil3udJW1I/AAAAAAAAA6o/2JOoV4W5J5c/s400/Moonscript+New+Cover.jpg" height="320" width="236" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>The Secret Was Safe With Him…But Only If He Was Saved First</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">
<br />Long ago, the elven king hid away his most precious book, the Moonscript, for only it held the secrets of the unreachable Higher World. Evil has long sought this knowledge…and now the heir to the Moonscript has vanished…</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /> Such stories should have nothing to do with Tellie.<br /><br /> Young Tellie is a simple orphan girl with one desire in her heart—to find a family who loves her. But when dark strangers visit her inn, she discovers a mysterious treasure and is pulled into the outside world.<br /><br /> Her dreams of family and home are forced aside as Tellie is plunged into an adventure beyond her imagination. If she is to escape, she must rescue a fellow prisoner, the only person left alive who can keep the Moonscript a secret. <br /><br /> But which will be harder—rescuing him from dungeons….or from himself?</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">*******</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x4wCLL3d7nY/UuVlCdHNDNI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/u-6CHqZU1xU/s1600/Tryss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x4wCLL3d7nY/UuVlCdHNDNI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/u-6CHqZU1xU/s1600/Tryss.jpg" height="320" width="222" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Tryss</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">*Bows* Welcome to The Other World, Tryss. I hope your journey was smooth. To begin, would you please offer readers a glimpse into the world of the chema?</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thank you so much, Rebeka. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">*Bows*</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Yes, my journey was surprisingly easy. I do not understand this world in the glowing window at all, but it is very beautiful. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cimie</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">! To be honest, my tribe of chemas aren’t the perfect representation of our kind. Indeed, we are a small group that left our cold country many years ago and made a new life and culture in the humid jungle. And though our elegant ancestors would no doubt consider us crude and wild, I love my home. We make our living off of the forest: our food, our houses, our clothing. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I should explain the most unique element of my kind. We can blend in with our surroundings. It startles any strangers, but it is a very normal part of life to me. Passing through the forest unseen is useful if you are hunting or hunted. It is a dangerous, wild jungle, but we make the best of it. We have even turned hot springs into baths. And we’ve created nests for the milthi moths that provide us milk and silk for clothes.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">A little bird told me that you have been assigned to assist Errance and his companions on their perilous quest. Please tell us, who are your fellow travellers, and how do you get along with them? Are there any that are particularly difficult?</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cimie</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I hope this isn’t common knowledge! Our secrecy is important. I was sent to help under the title of guide, even though I knew precious little of the outside world. Really, I was there to keep care of the children, Tellie and Kelm. They are both fourteen and capable of taking of themselves under normal circumstances, but the journey is so long and rugged, I do not think they would have lasted long. I am the eldest of seven children, so I’m well suited to taking care of others. Both Tellie and Kelm are sweet and charming; they remind me of my siblings. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">But Errance…well…at first, I was very intrigued by him and his courage. But the first night of our travels, I discovered he deeply resented me and even seemed to be angry at me, though I have no idea what I did to deserve his contempt. So I’m reminded that even though he’s easy to sympathize for, he is very dangerous and I should keep my distance. If only I could convince Tellie and Kelm to be more cautious around him… </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What exactly is the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Moonscript</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">—or are you allowed to tell us?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I’ve heard only the faintest of rumors, but only since this Errance arrived. My grandfather was…is…greatly filled with knowledge, and he is aware of the history of the elves. I believe the Moonscript is a book of secrets, but other than that, such as where it came from, who it belongs to, and who wrote it, I do not know. And perhaps that is a good thing if evil is so determined to claim it.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Your world is vast—are you a frequent traveller? If so, of all the places you have seen which is your favourite? And why? And is there anywhere you haven’t been but dream of seeing?</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">No, not at all. Before traveling with Errance and the children, I’d never gone further than the villages in the hills around the jungle. We traded with them, but I’d never reached a city. The nearest is Oolum, but I had no desire to go there. However, chemas are masters of blending in, so perhaps the best course for our journey will take us straight through the city…</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve seen the sea from the tallest trees. It is vast, silver, beautiful…*</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">sighs*</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You probably think it odd that I have no desire to see the home of my ancestors. I’ve been told it was in the North Mountains, built of stone and cold as ice. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">*eeh*</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"> I would love to see Aselvia, the valley of elves. The legends spoken of it are beyond comprehension. And now that my jungle is no longer safe, perhaps…</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">What do you consider your best strength? Your worst fault?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’m afraid they’re one in the same. I’m very protective. </span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">One has to be completely aware of what is going on in the jungle to stay safe. Even in our village, we have to keep a sharp eye on the little ones. There are snakes, wild cats, monkeys. I’m not a warrior, but I can defend myself and others if necessary. Now that Tellie and Kelm are under my protection, I’m determined to keep them safe.</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">But there’s a problem. In my determination to keep them safe, I’m probably a little over-bearing. And suspicious of everything that moves. And wary of anyone who seems dangerous. This is awkward, considering I’m trying to keep them safe from the very person they seem to completely love and trust. I just hope Errance realizes how much they look up to him.</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Can you teach us a bit of the chema language?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You might have noticed me saying a strange word as an exclamation. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cimie</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is the name of an ancient city of the Northern Chemas. I guess I say it because my late grandmother used to swear by it all the time. I think it actually means </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Queen</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Strange how it was turned into an exclamation.</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the North, the chema language is said to sound like falling ice. I prefer to think of it like hummingbird chatter. Here is a sample.</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chee. Yeii chiree eim KelTreese. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(spoken very rapidly)</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This translates something as, “Hello. Thank you for inviting me to your world.” </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Treese</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> means world, and the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kel</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> attached to it is possessive, causing it to be your world. </span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">What is your favourite food? Your favourite thing to wear?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Though my people may be secluded, we’re not uncivilized. The elders of our tribe have passed on the skills of the North Chemas to our new generation, and we weave our clothes on looms and can create extravagant food with what we have.</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">Nearly everything we eat and wear is made with what we harvest from our Milthi moths nests. These large and docile moths excrete a liquid, much like the bees do your honey, which we refer to as “milk” and use as cream, cheese, and other things.</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">The fiber they use to spin their cocoons we use to spin cloth, like your silk. The chemas can persuade the fiber or fur of camouflage creatures to blend in with ourselves so that we can truly go invisible (in the North, the chemas spin cloth from the long fur of a camouflage cat). Things we are holding very tightly might be persuaded to stay concealed for a time, but if we lose hold or break concentration they’ll reappear. </span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">What is your favourite type of weapon?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’m not very fond of weapons. This may sound strange at first, but I’m most fond of poison darts, because we use them to kill an animal gently without them having almost any distress aside from the tiny sting at first. But that requires getting very close while invisible. So bows and arrows are common. As are spears. I’m a fair shot at archery. But I hope I never have to use it in combat.</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Thank you for being here, Tryss! Blessings to you on your journey, and may all turn out well in the end!</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-1a6c5f83-d01e-3da6-aabf-2a807c949232"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Thank you as well, Lady Rebeka. Ayahwei will watch over us, I am sure. If only we can just keep ahead of those pursuing us…</span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">*******</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Hope you all enjoyed the interview! I know I for one am so excited to read this book and go on the journey with Tryss and all the rest when this story comes out! </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">*******</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">And as a quick little end note: I hope you guys like the new look of the blog! I'd been quite unsatisfied with the blog look for some time--now I feel it is far more personal and more suited to my style. Let me know if anything in particular is an eye sore so I can change it--I want to make this blog as easy on the eyes as possible. ;)</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">--Beka</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13171567731644896572noreply@blogger.com0