Facts About Me That You Might Have Otherwise Never Known... I WAS TAGGED!!! :D

I was tagged by Jake over at Teenage Writer to do this tag and receive the "Thanks for Blogging Award". :D And since I haven't done a tag in a long long time, I thought it might be fun to fill out this one and pass it on.

Ok, so here are the rules:


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


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


- Next, tag eleven more bloggers.


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


- No tagging back.


- The person you tagged must have less than 200 followers.


Facts in a Bucket:

1) I love to listen to Celtic, Irish, and Folk Music, but also enjoy Contemporary Christian and Country.  I am currently listening to no music at all, but I have a round going through my head on constant repeat... I'm also not very familiar with the classical composers, even though I should be since I am a Music Major. :P

2)  I play guitar and sing a lot.  I taught myself how to play at the age of 14 when my aunt got me a guitar for my birthday.  I learned using a chord book and a CD called "Masters of the Irish Guitar", and I love writing and playing folk music and lullabies.  Currently I'm in the process of putting music to some of the songs in the book "The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood".  Also, I didn't know how to play Piano at all until about two years after I started college.

3)  I get kind of crazy around my good friends, but they've learned to love me anyway. :)  However, if you met me outside of my circle of friends, you might at first think that I am rather quiet, laid back, and slightly introverted.  My friends have proved this theory wrong. ;)

4) I just got back from the Bristol Wisconsin Ren-faire.  IT WAS EPIC!!!  I can't wait to go again next year. ^_^

5) I'm still afraid of the dark... Hey, don't judge me!  I can't help it... I just have an overly active imagination.  Even now at almost 24 years old, when all the lights go out at night, I can almost see things sneaking through the blackness to get me... *shivers*  Some of my dad's scary stories told to me as a kid might be at fault for that...

6) I used to think my toys came to life as soon as I stopped looking at them.  That doesn't happen anymore... but I blame Toy Story. ;)

7) I collect cool-looking journals and writing utensils, but I can't actually journal worth a darn.  I've tried it many times... it never lasts long.  However, I do keep a journal or a notebook with me at all times, and often write down scenes or plot ideas for my books.  In fact, the other day I forgot to bring my journal with me, and instead wrote my plot idea down in the back of the book I was reading on a blank page. :)

8) I currently have more writing projects planned out than I have time to write.  To remedy this, I've actually decided to combine some of my other ideas into stories that are already being written, in order to cut back.  Also, I started writing my first novel at the age of 16.  It's called "Eldrei" and no, it's not finished yet... I have a LOT of rewriting to do.  I started writing SOTD at the age of 17, and it was originally for a novella contest. :)

9) My favorite fantasy creature is the Dragon, although I'll admit that a griffin comes in close second. My favorite color of dragon is red. :D

10)  I've always wanted to go to Europe and South America, and I have a fascination with language (even though I can only truly speak English, and I butcher the few other languages I've tried to learn... :P).  I also love Tolkien's languages, of course, and used to be able to write using the Anglo-Saxon runes almost as well as I can write using normal English. (No more, I'm afraid...)

11) I'm officially glad that this part of the tag is over because I totally ran out of things to say! :D


The Bloggers I've tagged:

People are probably going to hate me for this, but though I follow a virtual TON of blogs, I can't think of any of them at this point in time. :P  Plus I'm tired.  So for now I'm just going to tag anyone who might want to be tagged, and perhaps later I will come back and actually assign people to this project. :D
 

My answers to Jake's Questions:

1. What's your favorite place in the world?

This is a tough question... Well, I've always wanted to travel to Ireland or Scottland.  I love my home state of Illinois as well, but I also really love the rocky mountains and Yellowstone National park.  Not to mention the awesome beauty of the badlands... Can I just say the whole world?  Since I live here, and there are so many wonderful things to see and learn? :D

2. What do you think about Kansas? (>:D)

I've actually never been to Kansas, but I'm sure it's a very  nice state. :)

3. Favorite song?

There are so many!  I can't name a favorite... I just can't!  I'll name a favorite Artist though... Andrew Peterson. :)  And Loreena McKennitt. ^_^

4. Favorite quote?

"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass."

5. G. K. Chesterton is, to you, what? Your opinion?

You're not going to believe this, but I've never read any of Chesterton either.  Just never have, for no reason other than I haven't.

6. Best speculative fiction you've read recently? In absence of speculative fiction, what's the best book you've read recently, non-fiction or fiction?

As far as "recent" goes, the last few titles that I've read were only mediocre in my opinion... Not terrible, but not really enough for me to name any of them as the best title that I've read recently.  However, I have a list of new books that I've started working through... perhaps I'll come back and re-answer these questions at a better time. :D

7. Best kind of cookie?

Chocolate Chip

8. Your opinion of pie?

I love pie, especially Green Tomato Pie!  YUM!!! :)

9. What color is your favorite shirt?

Probably red, but I only say "probably" because I have a lot of shirts that are red, and I don't know that I have a favorite. :)

10. Are you procrastinating?

At this particular moment in time?  Probably, yes.

11. If you're a writer, what are you currently writing? If you're not a writer, what big thing have you done recently?

I am currently working on a new and much better beginning for my novel SOTD.  Now, the whole story opens from my Villain's point of view, and I think the idea is working rather well. :)


My Questions:

1) What is the title of the writing project you are currently working on, and what is the story about?

2) If you could be anyone in history, fantasy, modern day, or a speculative world... anyone at all with no universe as a boundary, who would you choose to be?

3)Coffee or tea?

4) What is your favorite color scheme?

5) What is your special talent?

6) If you could be any of your characters, which one would you choose to be and why?  Would you let them be your Author, then?

7)  If you were suddenly gifted with millions of dollars, what would you do with it?

8) How big is your immediate family?

9) Science or History?

10) Do you prefer the country or the city?

11)  Where is your favorite place in the entire world?


Thank you for putting up with me, my friends!  And thank you for reading this tag.  If you feel like just claiming this tag, then good luck to you, and I look forward to reading it! :)

Musical Tag

I was tagged quite a while ago -- I can't even remember by who, it's been so long. <_<  (I think it might have been Eldra, but I'm not sure...)  Anyway, the object of the tag is to shuffle your ipod songs and answer the questions with the titles of the songs you come up with.  Since I don't own an ipod, I just put my window's media player on shuffle and clicked the next button at random.  This is what I came up with. :)

IF SOMEONE SAYS ‘ARE YOU OKAY’ YOU SAY?
From the Western Woods to Beavers’ Dam

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Wunderkind  (Yes! *punches air*  I believe that song describes me very well. :D)

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
The Beggerman Jig (LOL!  If you only new… ;D)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
The Sweetness of Mary

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Firedance (lolz)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?

2/4 Marches

WHAT’S YOUR MOTTO?
Gleanntain Ghlas Ghaoth Dobhair  (Don’t know what that means, but it’s to the same tune as “Paddy’s Green Shamrock Shore” by the High Kings…)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Jigs

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Drawn to the Rhythm (haha!  Probably… ;D)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Marta’s Dance/ The Russian Dervish

WHAT IS 2+2?
She Moved Through the Fair

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Only Hope (very true… Jesus is my Only Hope.  And I love that song!)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Lord of the Dance (Nice!  Currently I have no person I think of in the implied manner, but if he were the lord of the dance, I don’t think I would mind too awful much. Lolz!)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Factory Girl (Interesting…)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Danny Boy (uh… no thank you. Lolz! >.<)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Andalucia
WHAT WILL YOU DO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Cry of the Celts

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Ailein Duinn (Surprisingly, not a bad song to play at a funeral in my opinion…)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Strathspeys and Reels

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
Lucy Meets Mr. Tumnus (LOL!  Really?!)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
The Butterfly

WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW?
May it Be

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
The Foggy Dew

WHAT’S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
The Countess Cathleen/ Women of the Sidhe

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
American Wake

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
A Narnia Lullaby (O.O)

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Macedonian Morning

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
The Voice

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Harry’s Game (Uh… hmmm…)

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Heal Their Hearts (man, the guy who sings that has a good voice!)

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Only the Beginning of the Adventure… (Whaa…?!  LOLZ!  :D :D)

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Marie’s Wedding (nice. :)

WHAT WOULD YOU WANT TO SAY TO THE PERSON WHO TAGGED YOU?
Suil La Ruin (I have no idea if I spelled that right… apparently the title of that song on my list is “track 8”. <_<)

WHAT WILL YOU NAME THIS NOTE?
New Grange

 (Then, just for fun, I decided to do the tag again just for fun.  Here we go! :D)

IF SOMEONE SAYS ‘ARE YOU OKAY’ YOU SAY?
A Hero Comes Home

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Come By the Hills (hmmm…. Not bad…)

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
Cottonwoods

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
The Wardrobe (hahaha!!! :D)

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
At the Ceili (lol! Nice!)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
Way of the Warrior (lol!  No… not really.  Although, if I were a character in a fantasy book, maybe… ;D)

WHAT’S YOUR MOTTO?
The Rocky Road to Dublin (hahaha!  Love that song!)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Mouth Music (hehe! Nice. :D)

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Evenstar (Ooo!  I wish!  I would love to be the Evenstar… *sighs*)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Mo Ghile Mear

WHAT IS 2+2?
Orinoco flow

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Elven Lament (hmmm… O.O)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
The Parting Glass

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
The Heart’s Cry
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
The Blood is Strong (despite what that might seem to imply, I do not want to be a vampire… and this is not a song about vampires.  But it is a very good song.)0

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Ay Fond Kiss (Lol. :D  Well… maybe when I find just the right somebody…)

WHAT WILL YOU DO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Fields of Glory

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
The Highwayman (good poem, great song.)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Lift the Wings

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
The Little Beggar man (Haha!  Is he a leprechaun?  Or maybe a gnome… Then I might really fear him. ;D)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Riverdance Reprise

WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW?
Galway to Graceland (beautiful song…)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
The Mystic’s Dream (A surprisingly good song based off of the book “Mists of Avalon”)

WHAT’S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Paddy’s Green Shamrock Shore

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Slip into Spring/ The Harvest (O.O)

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Shivna (Oo… definitely not.  In fact, that song is a little scary…)

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?

Hedwig’s Theme from Harry Potter… (No, but it usually inspires me.  Haven’t read the books or seen the movies, but that song is definitely a keeper. :D)

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Reel around the Sun

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
The Black Velvet Band (Indeed…)

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
In London So Fair (But I won’t tell you his name… ;D)
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
The Wild Rover

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Will Ye Go Lassie, Go?

WHAT WOULD YOU WANT TO SAY TO THE PERSON WHO TAGGED YOU?
Dulaman

WHAT WILL YOU NAME THIS NOTE?
Ar Eireann Ni Neosainn Ce Hi (Beautiful, Beautiful Song… *sigh* :D)

I tag anyone who wants to be tagged.  Because I'm feeling lazy today and it's just easier to do that. lol! ;)  Have fun!

Writing Tag on "Eldrei"

Well, I haven't really written a blog post in ages, but the other day I was flipping through the other blogs that I follow and I found this tag on Eldra's blog.  She tagged all of her followers who were brave enough to try to answer all the questions on this immense tag, so I'm going to do something similar. :D  If  you follow me, and if you haven't already done this tag, then consider yourself officially tagged!

1. What’s your word count?
31,752

2. How long until you finish?
Eh… It’s difficult to say.  The rough draft was well over 100k, and as far as this rewrite is going… well, let’s say I took the beginning back to an earlier date in the novel’s timeline… so having to write up to where I started the original story is definitely taking some time.  Knowing that YA novels usually level out somewhere just under 100k, I’d like to say I’m close to about 1/3 of the way done, but knowing what I still have planned for this novel, I’d say the book is more like 1/4 done… maybe…

3. If you have finished, how long did it take you?
I’m not finished with the rewrite and because of other projects I have to deal with right now, I don’t know how long it will be before I finish.  However, I think the RD took me somewhere around 2-3 years to complete at leisure… maybe 4 but I can’t remember anymore.  I started writing Eldrei about a week after I turned 16.

4. Do you have an outline? 
Not for the RD, and for the rewrite?  Well, I consider my RD the outline for my rewrite. J

5. Do you have a plot? 
Yes. Or at least I think I do.  There aren’t many people who’ve read what I have of the story, but the plot makes sense in MY head.

6. How many words do you typically write a day?
That really depends on time and my schedule right now.  Typically I might get out somewhere between 500 to 1k on a good day.  On a bad day I’m lucky to get out 100 to 300 words.  I would love to be able to write more than that a day, but my schedule just doesn’t allow it. L

7. What was your greatest word count in one day?
I wrote over 10,000 words one day last summer, thanks to my mother. Lol!  She told me she didn’t want to see me come out of my room until I’d completed SOTD.  Well, I didn’t finish, exactly, but I got pretty far.  It’s hard not to, with 10k. :D

8. What was your least impressive word count in one day?
10… I think.  One day.  Unless you count all the days I don’t write at all, and then the answer is 0.

9. What inspired you to write?
It’s funny, because I was finishing up reading LOTR for the third time in a row when suddenly I thought “I can do this!” and I got out of bed and went to my computer.  I had an old 95 compaque from my dad at the time.  And I started writing.  However, what seems even funnier was the fact that even though I had been reading LOTR which is what initially started my writing, a major point in the story was inspired from a small piece of info in Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia.  It’s such a very major point that it’s been there from the very start of the story and there’s no way I’ll ever consider taking it out. :D

From then on, however, the story took on a life of its own.

Before that particular night, I was trying to write a sequel (a very lame and amateur sequel) to LOTR, and before that I wrote mostly poetry with a few short stories thrown in for good measure.

10. Does your novel/story have a theme song?
You know, I never really thought of giving my novel a theme song.  If I were to choose, though, I would have to say that it would be “May it Be” from Celtic Women or perhaps “Caislean Oir” by Clannad.  Maybe the “Love Theme from Barry Lyndon” by the Chieftans in some places… It’s sort of hard to give Eldrei a specific theme song as I can see different songs fit it in different places.

11. Assign each of your major characters a theme song.
Hmmm… I’ve never really thought about whether my characters would have theme songs or not…

You know, I think I’ll pass this one.  I can imagine giving an entire story or plot a theme song, but it just doesn’t hit me right to give my characters theme songs… not sure why.

12. Which character is most like you?
Tibain.  That was easy.  I mean, I guess you could say that both he and Arien are equally important to the story, but Tibain is definitely the most like me…

13. Which character would you most likely be friends with?
Oh, I could probably be friend with any of my three major characters… but probably Tibain once again.  I could definitely be friends with Arien, but if you want the truth, she reminds me a lot of one of my younger sisters and while we get along most of the time, sometimes our personalities clash severely. 

14. Do you have a Gary-Stu or Mary Sue character?
I sure hope not!!!

15. Who is your favorite character in your novel?
It used to be that I would have said Tibain, but lately I’ve been messing around in Dakore’s POV, and I’ve discovered that he’s a lot more complicated than I used to think. :D

16. Have your characters ever done something completely unexpected?
Oh yes.

17. Have you based any of your novel directly on personal experiences?
I don’t think so, but I would say that some of what’s in my novel is definitely attributed in some way to my real life.

18. Do you believe in plot bunnies?
Yes.  They like to hop in and out of my brain at the most inopportune moments…

19. Is there magic in your novel/story?
Not as in spells… least not for the good guys.  I can’t remember what the RD had for the bad guys…  


The good guys don’t use spells or anything like that, but my MC’s are gifted, and my “Fae” or “Elvish” characters use a type of “magic” (if you want to call it that) that has to do with singing.  There’s a long and very very complicatedly thought process and reasoning behind this… I may post it someday… but right now it would take up way too much time and space.

20. Are any holidays celebrated in your novel/story?
Hmmm… you know, I’ve never even thought about it.

21. Does anyone die?
Yes.  Of course.  And not just bad guys… :D

22. How many cups of coffee/tea have you consumed during your writing experience?
Lol!  Way too many to count! :D  I am officially addicted to coffee… especially if it’s iced coffee with whipped cream on top (although I’m sure that’s insanely bad for me)… and as for tea… well, once I get started, there is no stopping me for a good long time!

23. What is the latest you have stayed up writing?
Oh I think I managed once to about 7:00 am one time… I don’t think I’ve ever beat that time while writing before, but once it was 10:00 am before I fell asleep after reading all night.  Thankfully it was a Saturday so I was allowed to sleep in. :D

24. What is the best line?
Gosh… That’s a really hard one.  I have some favorites, but I wouldn’t say any of them are “the best” line of the whole story…

25. What is the worst line?
Probably the last one I wrote off the top of my head because then it’s most likely not edited yet. :D

26. Have you dreamed about your novel/story or its characters?
Oh yeah, several times.  But unfortunately it doesn’t usually help me get my characters out of situations…

27. Does your novel rely heavily on allegory?
No.

28. Summarize your novel/story in under fifteen words.
Star Siblings must be returned to their thrones before their arch-enemy succeeds in destroying them.

29. Do you love all your characters?
No. Some of them I like, but actually I wouldn’t say I  “love” any of them completely… (I know that sounds bad…)  It’s just that I like to hurt them all so much and make so many bad things happen to them that “loving” them can be hard in contrast with my evil writer’s side. Lol!

30. Have you done something sadistic or cruel to your characters specifically to increase your word count?
Oh yeah.  Read above post.  ;)

31. What was the last thing your main character ate?
Fish, I think.  Or maybe some other sort of dried meat… but I can’t remember.

32. Describe your main character in three words.
Honorable.  Complicated.  Underestimated.

33. What would your antagonist dress up as for Halloween?
Shoot!  Why would you need to dress up if you were already the biggest, baddest, scariest evil thing to ever exist?!

34. Does anyone in your story go to a place of worship?
Um… the “elvish” characters… yes, if I remember correctly. 

35. How many romantic relationships take place in your novel/story?
None.

36. Are there any explosions in your novel/story?
Maybe… do you count a dragon blowing up things with his fire-breath?  Oh wait, there was one other time…  yes. But that’s in the second book so… well, unless you count the dragon there are no explosions in the first book. :D

37. Is there an apocalypse in your novel/story?
Hmmm… I don’t think so…

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

39. Are there zombies, vampires or werewolves in your novel/story?
No.  Never.  Not gonna happen.  And I don’t think you can count my “satan takes over his own demon” scene… which is really scary and actually freaked me out when I wrote it.  I will probably cut it, but I haven’t decided yet. It's really really creepy.  *shivers*


Weird mixed evil creatures?  Yeah, I have a few of those… 

40. Are there witches, wizards or mythological creatures/figures in your novel/story?
Yes… I have gryphons, dragons, centaurs, nymphs, unicorns, “elves” (although I don’t think they are going to be called that in the story), dwarves, phoenixes, fauns, sprites, and fairies… but no witches or wizards.

41. Is anyone reincarnated?
Eh… no.  There is a surprise planned for the last book… and don’t worry, a totally valid, well thought through reason that doesn’t go against any of my Christian beliefs.  But I don’t believe in reincarnation, so none of that.

42. Is anyone physically ailed?
Well, every time I hurt a character, they are physically ailed… they usually get better at some point in time… I think… maybe… hehe!

43. Is anyone mentally ill?
Uh, no.  At least, one of my characters thinks he may be going mentally ill at the beginning of the book, but he’s not and it all gets worked out. :D

44. Does anyone have swine flu?
What?!

45. Who has pets in your novel and what are they?
No pets.  Not really… Not in the real sense of the word.  I don’t know if you can call a warrior unicorn a “pet” even if it was your constant guide for the first part of the story, and you can’t call a sprite a “pet” unless you want some mischief worked when you aren’t looking. :)

46. Are there angels, demons, or any religious references/figures in your novel/story?
Yes.

47. How about political figures? Are there political figures in my book?
Yes… the story has political figures and such, but the story is more centered around a more, eh… I guess you would call it “spiritual” aspect.

48. Is there incessant drinking?
No.  Not in this book.  In one of my other books there is some, but my MC’s never drink much if they drink at all, and then only wine for the purpose of it being a fantasy book.  They never get drunk.  And the person who does get drunk in my other book is a total butt.  (if you’ll excuse my saying so… HE IS THOUGH!)

49. Are there board games? If so, which ones?
Hmm… no, but now I might think of putting something in… maybe… it would be an interesting concept to try and create…

50. Are there any dream sequences?
Only every other page.  Ok, maybe not that much, but dreams and visions play a HUGE roll in this story.  HUGE.

51. Is there humor?
In some cases I sure hope so…

52. Is there tragedy?
Yes.

53. Does anyone have a temper tantrum?
No hissy-fits.  Frustrated arguments, yes, but not trantrums.

54. How many characters end up single at the end of your novel/story?

And the end of this particular book they are all single.  My characters aren't married at the end of this trilogy either -- at least they aren't to this point.  At the end of this series, however, I’m thinking about maybe planning a very special wedding… but that's around 9 books away. :)

55. Is anyone in your novel/story adopted?
Eh… no.  Not in this one… but they do have a guardian who isn’t their parents, and it is true that they don’t exactly know their parents… but they aren’t really adopted either…

56. Does anyone in your novel/story wear glasses?
Not that I can think of…

57. Has your novel/story provided insight about your life?
Uhhh. . . I think in some cases, yes.

58. Your personality?
Sometimes.  Most of the time it shows up in Tibain.

59. Has your novel/story inspired anyone?
I have no idea.  Not many people have read the rewritten version of it, and I don’t show the RD to ANYONE.

60. How many people have asked to read your novel/story?
A few.  Three or four maybe…

61. Have you drawn any of your characters?
I’ve tried, years ago.  They never came out right.  I might try again someday, but I’m not sure…

62. Has anyone drawn your characters for you?
Yes.  My dad painted a picture of my Dragon for me once on a T-shirt, although I'd sketched out the original.  My dad was an airbrush artist before he had his stroke, and we used to travel the US because majore Mobile Home industries would ask him to come and paint their rigs at rallies they held.  My dragon turned out awesome!

63. Does anyone vomit in your novel/story?
Yes…

64. Does anyone bleed in your novel/story?
Of course.  Gallons and gallons of the stuff…

65. Do any of your characters watch TV?
TV?  Never heard of it. ;)

66. What size shoe does your main character wear?
Lol!  Never thought to ask him.  He probably wouldn’t tell me anyway… shoot, he probably doesn’t even know!

67. Do any of the characters in your novel/story use a computer?
No.

68. How would you react if your novel/story was erased entirely?
That almost happened once.  I was devastated.  Thankfully it didn’t happen, but I stayed locked in my room for a week trying to figure out how to get the story back, and when I finally did, it had to be entirely reformatted by hand before it was even readable.  I cried a lot, and I might have screamed in anguish some too, but I don’t remember for sure…

69. Did you cry at killing off any of your characters?
No. I tried to write the scene so that I DID cry, but it just didn’t happen.  Maybe it will in the rewrite, but who knows…

70. Did you cheer when killing off one of your characters?
No.  Not even my evil characters (minions, mostly), and I’ve killed off plenty of those.  I think I’d start to be scared for my soul if I cheered when a character died. 

71. What advice would you give to a fellow writer?
Find someone who loves writing as much as you. Talk to them; brainstorm with them.  Then write, write, write.  And when you aren’t writing, read, read, read.  Seriously.  Research comes in many forms, even if you’re just reading for pleasure.  You learn things every day that pertain in one way or another to something you may end up writing about, so don’t take anything for granted… (except maybe math… I have no idea when I will ever use that awful, detestable subject. :D)

72. Describe your ending in three words.
Just three?  You have got to be kidding, right?  Oh… You’re not?  Well it was worth a shot…

Siblings return home…

That just sounds boring… :P

73. Are there any love triangles, squares, hexagons, etc.?
No.

74. On a scale of 1-10 (1 being the least stressful, 10 being the most) how does your stress rank?
It’s different all the time depending on what I’m thinking about.  Right now it’s probably rated at a 5-8 because I have a test tomorrow and I have to catch up on some of the homework.  And since I know that at this very moment I am procrastinationg, my stress gets racketed up.  However, some days it might not even register at all…

75. Was it worth it?
I sure hope so.

Tagged!

Eldrei Wordcount: pretty much where it was before...


Hi all!

I was tagged by Eldra over at A Day on Daremo. So here we go. I haven’t been tagged in ages. :)



Top 5 favorite songs:


1. All Souls Night – Lareena Mackennit

2. May it be – Celtic Woman

3. Heaven is the Face – Steven Curtis Chapman

4. Wonder-kind – Narnia

5. Jesus Freak – DC Talk


Top 5 favorite colors:


1. Blood red

2. Gold

3. Silver

4. black

5. Cobalt or royal purple



Top 5 favorite animals: (Ok… animals? I’m going to cheat here and name my some of my favorite “creatures” :D)


1. Gryphons

2. Dragons

3. horses

4. Cats – especially lions like Aslan. :D

5. My Doggies!!!!



Top 5 favorite horse breeds:


1. Arabians

2. Friesians

3. draft

4. shire

5. Tennessee Walkers



Top 5 favorite books:


1. “The Ink Trilogy” by Cornelia Funke – yes, the whole trilogy! Those books are amazing!

2. Lord of the Rings

3. The Chronicles of Narnia

4. Watership Down

5. The Dragon Keeper series by Donita K. Paul.



And there are lots more… way too many to name. In fact, I think this question is a bit unfair as I have many, many favorite books! :( And they’re all so good, I don’t know that I can really choose a favorite, for say.



And… Yeah, that’s it. Those are my favorite things. Now it’s my turn to tag people. And I tag Jake, Storyteller, and Brandi_fay.

Tagged! A day in the life of my room and Other Ramblings

Well, I had meant for this post to be a good one so I will try to be as posotive as I can be.  That said, today has turned out to be a real let down... and it's only 12:00 pm!

Why, do you ask, am I feeling so down in the dumps?  The answer is quite simple: I was fired this morning.

Yep, the ever dreaded "F" word of the Work Force woke me up this morning with a phone call, dragged me into work, and dropped that horrible, awful, hateful bomb.

FIRED.

But this was not supposed to be a post filled with melancholy and woe, and I can only hope that loosing this job means that God is opening another door for me... preferably one in a business that deals with publishing, books, and the wonderful world of the written word.

So, to comfort myself (and for your visual amusement) I have decided to post pictures of my bedroom.  Thankfully my room was clean (for once) when Jake tagged his followers to post candid pictures of their rooms.  I guess I was one of the lucky ones. :D

This first one is my bed, and the entrance to my bedroom.  Yes, that is a curtain over the door: my room is actually a converted attic and though the pictures make it look bigger, it is really, very small because the ceiling slants all the way down to the floor.  You might also be interested to know that I seem to have a love for Lions and Dragons.  The big stuffed lion was a gift for my birthday several years back: he was deemed "Aslan" soon after.  The little lion sitting next to him is "Little Aslan".  :)    The pillow on the floor is for my cat: he likes to come up and sleep on it.  I usually put the book I just finished reading on that pillow: this time it was "Auralia's Colors".  Oh, and that paper bag by the head of the bed in the first picture?  Books. :D

There's "Little Aslan" again.  And a Picture.  I have three pictures like this placed randomly throughout my bedroom.  This one says "Love" and the other two say "Peace" and "Faith".  My mom says she has another one that says "Hope" somewhere, but she would have to find it before I could use it in my decor.  And yes, those things around the pictures are just pillows.  I had no where else to put them because my bed is rather small.

This is my doll corner.  My mom collects China Dolls and my love of them stems from hers.  Some of the dolls were hers at one time, but she knew that I loved them so she gave them to me.  Others are dolls I fell in love with but didn't have money to buy and that people later bequeathed me as gifts.  I'm too old to play with them, but I love to display them.

There you are, the first real look at my room as a whole.  Now you can see what I mean when I say it is small.  As you can see, I love books.  Those too random wall piles are actually two book shelves filled to bursting.  There are also three more piles of books under my bed hidden under the comforter.  The big black thing in the front of the picture is my guitar case: my guitar isn't in it at the moment.  The other stringed instrument is an alpine dulcimer.  I can play it a little, but I prefer my guitar.  My desk was a Goodwill Find.  We call it my "Waltons' Desk" because in the old TV series, John boy had a desk like that.  (John boy was an aspiring author looking for publication too! :) ) 

Here's another look at it, only this time from the floor.  You can see yet another random pile of books in the lower right had corner.  You probably can't tell by now, but I LOVE to read!

There's my desk top.  The book in the lower right corner is "No Plot, No Problem".  I found it to be a major help.  Can you see my two daggers?  Maybe not.  They're kind of hard to pick out.  One is laying in front of the picture, the other is just above the leaf mat.  The picture has a saying on it that says "She watched a leaf fall from the sky and slowly felt her life falling into place... at last."  It touched me so I put it above my desk to continue inspiring me.  I think my aunt gave it to me.  She gave me the mug in the corner too: it was a souvenir from a renessance faire.

These two pictures are the tops of my bookshelf.  As you have probably noticed, I like the colors Red and Gold, and I also like leaves.  The picture behind the giant leaf bowl on my Bookshelf says "Reach for the Stars" and it has that saying also written in Chinese.  Leaning up against one of my lamps is a book that shows how to write Chinese words, and a bamboo paintbrush.  I made the runner.  You might not be able to tell, but it is Crazy Patch and it was made out of purple, crimson, black, and gold velvet.  It was no easy task to piece it together straight, let me tell you!

My smaller bookshelf.  As you can see, it's so full that the shelves are starting to bend.  I really need to fix that, but I'm not sure how. 

Another picture of my big bookshelf and my desk.

My bed buddies: a red bear that my mom found at a second hand shop, and my stuffed dragon named Torch.  As you can see, I'm reading Cynder's Midnight by Jeffery Overstreet.  I've read Auralia's colors too and will be posting a review on it soon.  The pillow is a Crazy Patch piece I was working on for my mom.  It's not quite done as I hadn't finished the beaded fringe around the edges, which explains the white string draping across the pillow.  lol*  I didn't see the string when I was taking the picture.  The folded blanket has more leaves on it.  :)

That's the wall hanging that hangs above my bed, yet another Crazy Patch piece that I worked on.  The "N's" stand for Nichole.  My Grandma taught me and my siblings how to make them.  Her own Crazy Patch works are just absolutely amazing!  And, of course, her stitching is much neater than mine.  I love my Grandma so much!!!

Another Lion.  When I saw this plaque, I was reminded of the scene in  "The Voyage on the Dawn Treader" where Caspian is telling Lucy and Edmund how the Lion Plaque above his door came to life and spoke with him.  That's why I hung it above my bed.

 My night stand, with my alarm clock, my reading lamp, and my three guardian angels standing in the background. 

Yet another pile of random books.

There's my Guitar.  I had it out of its case and on my bed because I was working on a song when I decided to drop everything and take these pictures.  :D

And last but not least, a final look at my room.  It's small, but I do love it.

And now I'm glad I decided to post these pictures.  It has made me feel much better about the nasty morning I had.  I hope the rest of the day goes well. 

I'll be posting a review on "Auralia's Colors" soon, so keep checking in.  In the meantime, I'm going to follow Jake's example and Tag all of my followers!  This should be interesting... very interesting indeed!