By the Fireside

~At Last…

by // // 2 Comments

So at last, I have returned. And this time, I’m serious. I have several posts planned; even a few are already typed out. So, what have I been up to?

First of all, my blog has obviously had a makeover. I was reluctant to get rid of my lovely brown background, but now that it’s done, I really like it. I might tweak one or two things still… nothing big. Like the shade of gray down on the entry link box. It seems a little dark to me. I can’t come up with a better color though, so it will have to stay for now. Overall though, I really like it. Many thanks to my Mom who helped me come up with the idea for the header. And thanks to my sister who lent me her quill and ink stand. My stand was too big! I also added a new “About Me” page at the top for those who are interested.

Next… I’ve been reading quite a lot when I haven’t been on the computer. I’ll try to have a list of what I’m reading up soon too. That and a list of what I have read, so you all can get an idea of the books I’ll be reviewing soon. (I already have two written up: Red Rain and The Phantom of the Opera should both be posted quite soon!)

Lastly… and I saved the best for last. At least I think it’s the best. I have officially decided to self-publish A Year with the Potters. LORD willing, I’ll be able to release it in the next several weeks. I finally have a book cover. I am so excited! I had some help in the designing of it, but it still seemed to take me forever. I’m sure I’ll get better at it with practice. This, of course, is the cover:

– – –

I would love to hear what you think of everything. I’m excited to be back to blogging. I’ve missed posting and my readers comments. :)

To the KING be all the glory!

~Checking In!

by // // 3 Comments

And, was, passive sentence, active voice, comma here, comma there, capitalize this, italicize that… My brain is about to be fried and turn to ashes. Maybe I’m too much of a perfectionist for a first time author. Maybe my original manuscript was terrible. I’m not sure. I do know that I had no idea how much work I was getting into when I started this revision! None. I’m hoping that I’ll be done very soon… I just hope I still have brain enough left when I’m done!

My characters are better for the rewrite. Almost non-existent minor characters have been brought out. Problems with major characters are fixed. I’ve changed a few names and revised a few timeline issues.

I’m still working on my cover idea. I’m not entirely sure what I’m doing with it yet, but I have a picture in my head. I’m working on ideas for marketing and trying to write loglines.

I promise to have a more interesting post soon. I seriously do have a few poems started and plenty of book reviews in my mental queue. Until then, back to my keyboard and Word documents…

 
To the KING be all the glory!

~Changes and Check-in

by // // 2 Comments

– – –

My book rewrite is coming along well. My tentative deadline was June 15th, but the LORD didn’t see a need for it to be done so fast. Instead, I got sick and produced very little writing of any kind for a couple of weeks. Thankfully, I’m still about halfway through. My sister says the rewrite is a vast improvement, so that’s good. I have cut scenes, improved descriptions, changed sentences and toyed with nicknames for my characters. The result, I must confess, painful as it is, really is better. Passive sentences are probably what I’m fixing the most. That and extraneous material. I never knew how much better it would be if I changed those two. Especially passive sentences. LORD willing, I’ll have  this stage of writing done by the end of June. All of this leaves me in a state excitement and expectation, as well as fighting a bit of apprehension. :)

As to the changes mentioned in the title. I’m planning to start posting again. I have quite a few book reviews coming up, if the LORD wills, a poem or two and I don’t know what else. The Phantom of the Opera and Red Rain are two books I hope to review in the coming weeks. I also plan to be putting up a few pages at the top of the site soon. The biggest change would be, however, that I am planning to redesign the blog. It might take some experimentation, but I hope to do it soon. As much as I love the way it looks now, it really is a bit out of place with Summer almost here. I don’t plan to make it seasonal this time. I think I’m ready for a “steady look”. We’ll see what I come up with! I suppose I better get brainstorming…

To the KING be all the glory!

~What I’m Reading…

by // // 5 Comments

– – –

I thought I’d give you all an updated list of everything I’m actively reading right now. It’s been awhile. It will also give you insight into some of the books I may be reviewing in the near future! I keep trying to get myself to read more (you wouldn’t think it would be that difficult, as much as I love to read!), but it’s hard sometimes. I’ve got much better though.

Hopefully I’ll have another book review for you all next week, either on Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express or Chautona Havig’s Nobel Pursuits. Haven’t decided yet. It’s barely possible I might review Charles Dickens A Tale of Two Cities instead… but I doubt it just yet.

So, without further ado…

Emma by Jane Austen  Yes, I’m still reading this. Actually, I started it over and have made steady progress since.

The Lady’s Confession by George MacDonald Honestly, I thought this one was going to be a disappointment. It’s gotten better though. I’m nearly done with it now.

When I Don’t Desire God by John Piper I’ve barely started this one so far. I’m still in chapter one, actually, so I don’t have much of an opinion on it yet.

The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing by Rise B. Axelrod and Charles R. Cooper Another book I’ve barely started. It’s actually partly a workbook too, so I’m not just reading it. LORD willing I’ll go through the entire thing eventually, but I expect this to go a little slowly.

Basics of Music by Michael Zinn and Robert Hogenson This is a very informative book, which I’ve taken far too long to advance in. Another book that’s a workbook, but I have no excuse for the length of time it’s taking me to do it.

To the KING be all the glory!

~A Tiny Writing Update and “I’m it!”

by // // 6 Comments

I have been writing sporadically this weekend. We went to a funeral on Friday, and somehow it just seemed to make the entire weekend somewhat odd. I did get a little done though, and LORD willing, either this Friday, or the next, I’ll be able to show you one of my new projects. I just need to get it a little farther along first. Anyway…

I was tagged last week by Perry. I haven’t done any tags in years now, but this one looked really fun. Do you have any idea how hard it is to come up with 11 random things about yourself? I do now! Since nearly all of my cyber friends have been tagged already, I tried to come up with those who hadn’t… for the most part. :)  I tag the following:

Mrs. Havig

Aubrey

Jamie

Kayla

Sadie

RubyThursdays

Rules of the game:

1. Post these rules.

2. Post 11 random things about yourself. (Though this can be optional.)

3. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you in their post.

4. Create 11 new questions for the people you ask to answer.

5. Go to their blog and let them know you’ve tagged them.

 

11 Random Things:

1. My first story I ever wrote a lot on was about a boy named Joseph who planted a tree in the desert. It never even amounted to a short story in length though.

2. People usually think I look younger than I am. Less than six months ago, I was asked what grade I was in. (and I was 21 at the time.)

3. Most of my writing is done in the same room with all of my siblings making noise, people talking to me and often, music or a movie playing, not to mention 25 other interruptions in an hour. I used to write while singing the baby to sleep too.

4. Two of my favorite subjects to study are history and astronomy. Each of them are so fascinating and the LORD’s hand is so evident in each!

5. I really, really, enjoy singing!

6. I want to learn American Sign Language efficiently.

7. Vintage style clothing from the 1930’s through the 1950’s are my favorite styles, as long as the skirts are long enough.

8. Science with all it’s branches is fascinating!! Chemistry, Biology, Anthropology, Paleontology…

9. Sometimes I write my journal entries as poetry. I write letters to my friends in the same way at times too.

10. I am the eldest child in my family.

11. I always have far too many writing projects going at once!
The questions that Perry asked:

1. Were you / are you homeschooled?

– Homeschooled all my life.

2. Do you like rain or sunshine?

– It depends on my mood. As a general rule, I love rainy days though!

3. What is one thing that usually inspires you to write?

-Watching people, especially my sisters and my friends.

4. Facebook: “like” or “unlike”?

– “Like” most of the time. I don’t enjoy the changes, but I do enjoy reading statuses written by my friends.

5. How many people are in your family?

-Less then 10. :)

6. Have you ever written something on a roll of toilet paper?

-I don’t think so, but I’ve written on napkins before! And I once a received a letter from my grandmother written on a roll of toilet paper!

7. Fiddle or classical violin music?

-Classical violin!

8. Do you know the rules for “to,” “too,” “your,” and “you’re”? ;)

-“I refuse to answer on the grounds that it might tend to incriminate me, since I’m a writer!” :p I think I *mostly* understand them though.

9. Do you prefer writing on paper or on the computer?

-Paper. Always.

10. What is your favorite book (other than the Bible)?

-Oh my!! Well, there’s A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens… and The Betrayal by Douglas Bond… and Nicholas Nickleby, also by Mr. Dickens… then Mrs. Havig’s Aggie Series… then the Sherlock Holmes stories… and that’s just fiction! I don’t think I can pick an individual favorite! :)

11. How many books do you personally own? (You can estimate if the amount is so great you won’t get any writing done today for counting them all.)

-About 50? I’m still working on building my library though. :)

 

My list of questions:

1. Would you rather read a book or watch a movie?

2. Do you have a favorite poet?

3. Is your handwriting neat or sloppy?

4. What font do you like to type in?

5. What is your favorite book of the Bible?

6. Ice Cream or Cake?

7. Do you prefer to write with a pen or a pencil?

8. Do you prefer to be hot or cold?

9. What is one of your favorite hymns?

10. What do you do when you want to relax?

11. Do you prefer to e-mail or make a phone call?

I hope that you all had fun reading! :)
To the KING be all the glory!