Majay Mistrocoli

Merry Christmas break, everyone!  I hope that you are surviving well on this fine winter day.  It has been snowing here, which is great with me.  Here is a picture of our backyard:

This is a beautiful sight!

And now, here are a few snippets from The Dragon Bstirvm, which I dug up when I came home for break and am working on now.

I sipped the thin soup from my bowl.  Soups seemed thinner now than they had been.  I looked into Mother’s face and saw that it was worn greatly.  Perhaps it was only the light of the fire, but I thought that I could see tears in her eyes.  Looking at Janik, I could see how thin her arms were beneath her ragged sleeves, and how her hands trembled as she held the scrubbing reeds.  I stared down at my own clothes, noting their threadbare condition, seeing for the first time the holes in my skirts and the ripped edges of my sleeves.  My eyes were opened.  For so long I had lived in fantasy that I had not noticed the worsening conditions around me.  For the first time in my life I saw things not as I wanted to see them, but as they appeared to everyone else.  When danger reared its head, it tore the blinders away from my eyes.  I was not a princess in disguise, Janik was not a little fairy, Father was not a kindly giant, our house was not the ancient ruins of an enchanted castle, King Edwin was not a grumpy dwarf, and Rusa was not a magical city in the sky.  Instead we were poor, we were common, and we were oppressed.  I had seen only flashes of reality before this, but now that our family could be torn apart, I saw the full blackness of my life.

~The Dragon Bstirvm

As I walked from the smithy I could see soldiers tramping down the street.  They stopped at our front door.

“Father, look!” I cried.

            He came to the doorway and looked out grimly.  “I don’t know what they want.”

            My only thought was that they had somehow heard about Mother.  Perhaps they were going to take her away.  I dropped the basket and ran to the house and in through the kitchen door.  The soldiers were already in the front door, and Mother was standing before them with her hands on her hips.

            “What are you here for?” she asked.

            “Your house has been chosen by lot,” said the captain of the soldiers.  “Have you any daughters?”

            Mother put her arm around Lansel’s shoulders, for Lansel happened to be standing beside her.  “What would you have with our daughters?” she demanded.

            “Orders of the king, woman,” the captain said, flashing a piece of parchment sealed with scarlet wax in front of her face.  “We are to take your oldest daughter.”

~The Dragon Bstirvm

We flew up, up, upward, towards the height of Castle Kaldrob.  The wind was bitter up there, and the air sharp and thin.  We were nearly to the crumbling entrance of the castle when the dragon flew low and dropped me on the ground.  I lay, panting for breath that did not seem to come, as the beast effortlessly soared around the tower of the castle and circled back toward me.  He alighted down beside me and watched as I struggled to breath in the thin air.

            “You are weak from the journey,” he said in a low voice.  He seemed to be stating a fact as opposed to asking a question.  “Catch your breath, Princess, and tell me your name.”

            I looked up at him, meaning to tell him that he was mistaken; I was no princess.  Then I thought of Gabrielle, and I snapped my mouth shut.  If I spoke, the dragon might become annoyed and destroy all of Rusa.

            “What have you brought me here for?” I gasped.

            “What is your name?” he demanded, ignoring my question.

            “Majay,” I whispered.  “My name is Majay.”

~ The Dragon Bstirvm

Thanks for reading and God bless,

More About Lonish

Since coming to college, I have not been writing nearly as much as I did this summer.  I am certain that all of you college people can relate.  However, I have been getting a little bit done here and there, and recently I have dug up Lonish & Co. for a dusting.  They were so happy to see me!

I should think we were!  Leaving us all cooped up in the limbo of non-production!  Some friend you are!

Sorry, Nevarl.  I meant no harm.  Perhaps you should sometime try to get an English Ed. degree.  You need to see for yourself how much extra time I have.

Nevarl

Aye, for I too have a good deal of time at my disposal.

Nevarl, be nice or I will shove you back into the pages where you belong!

There, she is going to be quiet.  Thank heavens!  She is my most troublesome character, you know.  And now, some delightful snippets from Lonish the Swordmaster:

The Maiden of Rugema Ruvin slowly revived, her eyes seeing little, her head paining much.  With great difficulty she forced herself out from under the body of the Dragon.  Dismayed, her eyes fell on the apocalyptic scene about her.  The Estackam had left no living.  Cheol Ruvin bodies lay about her in heaps in the garish light of early morning.

            Birinin walked through the smoking ruins of Rugema with a sinking heart.  The beautiful houses were laid waste, the Cheol stones were broken, and everywhere Death had flung his darkening cloak.

            She found the ruins of her house, and stood there for a long while, her golden light growing paler and paler until it was almost out.

            “They are all gone, and I alone am left,” she said, letting the despair flood her deepest being.

            On the ground outside the remains of the house of the Younger Lord, she found her father’s body.  Behold, a feeble light yet glimmered in his face.  She dropped to her knees and held her father’s face in her hands.  He looked up into her blazing eyes, his own glassing over.

            “Daughter,” he said slowly, before the last of his light sputtered out.  Birinin closed her eyes and bent over her father.

            “But in the stillness of the evening there shall come a sudden attack, and the slaughter shall be great.  In that time know that the end of the Cheolame is near,” she quoted through tears.  “Beware, those that see this day.  Thou shalt not joy again for many a long season.”

~ Lonish the Swordmaster

Oln came clattering back through the forest, this time with several other Cheol Equav at his hooves.  “See, I have brought my brothers and my sister,” he neighed proudly.

            “We are most saddened by this grave day,” said one of the other Cheol Equav.  He looked very much like his brother, so much so that Lonish could barely distinguish between the two.

            “The Estackam are strengthening,” said Nevarl.  “They seek this Mortal Man.  I hate nothing more than a Mortal Man.”  She did not seem vengeful or fierce when she said this, yet Lonish could not help recoiling in disgust at her evident hatred.  “I have shed more tears in the past two days than I have shed in my entire lifetime,” she said quietly.  “Thou art the cause, Mortal Man.  Thou art the cause, and thy family.”

            Lonish resisted the urge to lash back at her.  He turned to the Cheol Equav with obvious exasperation stamped on his face and widened his eyes at them.  Oln smiled a horsely grin at Lonish and snorted.

~ Lonish the Swordmaster

Thanks for reading, and God Bless,

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!

It's Thanksgiving Break!  First day, and I am so thankful to be out of the dorms and in a real house, sleeping in a room with just myself, baking to my heart's content, and having all the time I want to write!
Yes, I have definitely been baking today.  I made two pumpkin pies and two loaves of bread, and I am planning on getting up early tomorrow to make some cinnamon rolls for breakfast.
As for The Daulots, I have worked on it a little.
Other good news!  I received an email today, and I am being put into the 2012 International Who's Who of Poetry book!  This is AMAZING news!  I have so much to be thankful for.
So, God bless you all, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends!
Thanks for reading,
Kathryn

Loren D'Nore

I AM OFFICIALLY EXCITED!!!!!
Thanksgiving Break is in THREE (3, III) days!
And here is a post about Princess Loren from The Daulots.

Loren is sixteen at the time of The Daulots.  Her father is the reigning monarch of Torte, but even though she is next in line to the throne, she is physically weak and most people don't think that she would be a good ruler.  Many of Torte's leaders think that Elizabeth, who is ten, healthy, and possessing a strong personality, might try to take the country for herself when the king dies.
When Zame Jadrez, the most pwerful man in Torte, stumbles across a group of weak, recently escaped Amian boys, he learns of a plot hatched by Slograv to take over the great kingdom of Torte.  Part of that plan includes killing both Loren and Elizabeth.  It's at this time that Loren has to prove herself strong, even though she can barely lift her father's sword or stay conscious in a crowd
One really good thing about Loren is that she loves to read, especially fairy tales and old legends.  Because of this, when Srlago sends a desperate message for help, Loren knows exactly where to turn, even though she can't ride a horse or shoot a bow.

I really do like Loren.  I wanted to create a character exactly opposite from the stereotypical warrior, bow-and-arrow princess that is in so much of our modern fantasy fiction.  Even Arda won't be doing much fighting.  Kalai certainly won't be fighting, and Enlavaria only fights in one battle and that is an emergency.  The mysterious sister fights, but that is her whole job in the first place.  Most of the actual fighting in The Daulots is done by the men.  I wanted to give the whole story an air of chivalry and have the men do the fighting and the women sit in the castles and do everything else.  I wanted to give The Daulots a knight and lady approach, and that is actually a little harder to do than you might imagine.  The temptation is great to give Arda a bow and finally allow Loren to lift a sword, but I am not going to do so.
By the way, here is Slograv and Kalai's son:

What do you think of him?  I still don't have a name for him, but he does seem like he could be a villain's little boy, doesn't he?

Slograv, except that he should have black hair

Kalai (She would have been Queen of Amia one way or another.)

Let me expand on that caption under Kalai's picture.  She was betrothed to marry the rightful king of Amia before Slograv kidnapped her.  Of course, she didn't really like her conceited cousin at all, but she likes Slograv even less.  We shall see what comes out of that!

Thanks for reading and God bless,

Kathryn

Arda and Srlago

Arda and Srlago at the Schlezimein ruins

Were ever two less alike?  The sister and brother that figure first in my story The Daulots are definitely not the closest in personality.  With my characteristic bigotry, I made Srlago, the boy, the steady, sensible, clever, likable, courageous one.  Arda, on the other hand, is scatterbrained, know-it-all, and sometimes she is really annoying.  She is one of those characters that really gets on my nerves.  She refuses to take advice and is always trying to push the limit, whereas Srlago makes it a point to ask for help and is always ready to take others advice.  In a way, they are the perfect companions, because they sort of balance each other out.  Alone, Srlago would be vulnerable to the crafty devices of so-called friends; Arda provides enough suspicion to get them through potentially tough situations.  Alone, Arda would stubbornly refuse to get anywhere even if she thought she was working hard; Srlago has enough common sense to know when to turn to someone else for help.

Arda during the flight to Eltra

When they were younger, they had to flee to the mountain refuge of Eltra for safety.  Now that they're both ten years older, their uncle Mendan has sent them both on a mission--they're to penetrate Slograv's castle and prepare the way for an all-out attack.

Srlago during the flight to Eltra

Of course, nothing goes the way that it is planned.  The first problem is that Arda and Kalai look so much alike.  The only way to get around that problem is to disfugure Arda's face. (I can't wait to get to that scene!)  Unfortunately, you won't see any pictures because there aren't any that I have seen of Arda just the way I imagine her face to be when Srlago gets through with her.
One of the other interesting elements that I forgot to mention is that Slograv and Kalai had a son.  He's five at the time of the story.  I haven't given him a name yet, but that will come.  He's really important.  By the way, I made a poster for the book.  What do you think?

Thanks for reading and God bless,

Kathryn

The Daulots: Main Character List!

Here it is!  The main character list for The Daulots, as well as pictures for some of them.

When I saw this picture, I knew that I had found my two main characters:  Arda and Srlago Daulot.  They are a brother and sister, children of the Royal House of Amia.  Somehow I can't separate them, so it was appropriate that they should be together in this picture.

Meet Slograv the Korvaskian, the villain and invader of Amia.  Imagine him with black eyes.  (You probably have an idea of how impossible it is to find exact pictures.)  Slograv is one of those people that you sort of like even though he is rotten clean through.  He has taken over Amia, and he has also kidnapped and married

Kalai Daulot, also of the Royal and older sister to family Arda and Srlago.  But Slograv's injustices have also extended to the commoners, including                                                                     

                                                      

Timotheus, the son of an Amian barbarian warrior, who has been suffering for ten years at the hand of his conqueror.  Now Slograv is about to use Timotheus for his own ends, which include taking over the rich and powerful nation of Torte.  Part of the plan includes killing the two daughters of the king,

Loren and Elizabeth D'Nore.

  Now the greatest hope for Amia and Torte seems to be Maldr Daulot, the rightful heir to the throne of Amia.  The only problem is...Maldr doesn't want to accept help from those who can help him.  Maldr is proud and unforgiving.  Maldr is as unfamiliar to the meaning of mercy as Slograv, which is pretty sad if you think about it.











Also important is Enlavaria Daulot, the cousin of Maldr and Arda, Srlago, and Kalai.  She has shorter hair than that, though.  In case you're wondering how this family works, Maldr has three brothers.  He's the son of the king who was killed in the invasion of Amia.  Then there's Kalai, Arda, and Srlago's dad, who was also killed. He was the king's brother.  Enlavaria's dad is still alive; he's the youngest of the three brothers and his name is Mendan.  I don't have a picture of him just yet.  I do have a picture of Eltra, though, which is the retreat of the Daulots when they were running from the Korvaskinas.  This is a place in the mountains that is so well hidden that there is hardly any way for the Korvaskians to find them.
Don't forget Kabiak!  He's Slograv's general and right-hand-man.  In some ways he is worse than his ruler.  Kabiak is selfish, evil, and thoroughly disgusting in every way.  He even has horrible table manners, which is going to add to an important (hopefully funny) scene in the novel.












In the end, a mysterious brother and sister come to Amia in response to a desperate message sent out by Srlago.  The only problem is, the rest of the Daulots need to learn to swallow their pride and accept the help of others if they are truly going to be free.









Thanks for reading and God bless,
Kathryn

Writing a non-Christian Book with Biblical Influence

Yes, I really think it's important to implement Christian principles into all the stories that I write.  That's why I try NOT to have feminist heroines, which are VERY annoying anyway.  That is why my heroes are actually manly, not whining little wimps.  That's why the bad guys get punished in a bad way, and the good guys get rewarded.  That's why my children get into serious trouble if they don't listen to their parents, and my older characters are wiser (for the most part) than my young ones.
But, in case you haven't noticed, I am not writing Christian books.  That is, I am not writing books in which characters are Christians (obviously, since I write fantasy set in a different time period!).
HOWEVER, you may have noticed that not every good book is strictly Christian.  And I don't want to write to only Christians.  To use a phrase I learned in English class, I want to write to a "broad, general audience." I want my work to appeal to many people, but I also want it to glorify God.  Is that possible?
Maybe we should look at my current favorite book, A Tale of Two Cities.
I really don't think that Charles Dickens was a saved man, but he certainly exhibited a very Biblical principle in the end of this book.  Sydney Carton, the main character, is despairing about the sacrifice he is about to make until he realizes an important truth:

A trading-boat, with a sail of the softened colour of a dead leaf, then glided into his view, floated by him, and died away. As its silent track in the water disappeared, the prayer that had broken up out of his heart for a merciful consideration of all his poor blindnesses and errors, ended in the words, "I am the resurrection and the life."

Carton gains peace through this great verse, which he repeats several times.  (My overbloated imagination likes to say that he got saved, but I don't know if Dickens really intended for that to happen.)
The point is, in a secular book, the fact that Jesus is the only Savior comes across clearly.  And Dickens books are certainly enduring classics.
Aside from this, there is always the fact that people are influenced by what they read, much as they try to deny it.  If you can put principles directly from the Bible into your writing without saying that it is from the Bible, if you can make the theme of your story moral without directly quoting the Bible, and if you can portray wickedness in the evil light in which it should be portrayed, then you have my great respect.
So much modern fiction today is so dry, and even Christian books, so called, are really Christian in name only.  If we could raise the quality of literature back up to where it was two hundred years ago, when secular books expounded the Bible, then we could, I believe, raise the quality of society itself.
After all, people WILL be influenced by what they read.
So...how should we do it?
First of all, pray that the Lord would bless your endeavors to glorify Him through writing for many people.  Think of a main theme for your story that is directly from the Bible, such as "You reap what you sow," "Children obey your parents," or "Obey them that have the rule over you."  Make certain that the characters in your stories get WHAT THEY DESERVE.  None of this getting away with wrong trash, please and thank you!  It's OK to have characters that are role models, too.  I promise, writing a non-Christian book with a Christian theme is rewarding!
Thanks for reading, and God bless,

Happy Weekend!

Indeed, I am happy, for the weekend has finally arrived.  Midterm tests are over, and I only have to sweat it out until the grades come out on Monday!
For those of you that have thoughtfully asked what I am majoring in, I am majoring in English education.  I will take an extra class and get a certificate so that I will be able to teach English as a second language.  I am very excited about college, and I would encourage any of you who are interested in obtaining a degree to attend a good, solid Christian college.  You will make wonderful friends and definitely push your mind to new lengths that you did not know existed!

And now, having given you my pep sermon (if there is such a thing), let me attend to the business at hand.  Having been trapped in the real world of textbooks and lectures so long, I find that writing a little fantasy helps me to get relax.  Thus you will see The Daulots word meter on my sidebar.  Would you like some snippets?  Good!

            Black and shining, glinting in the glower of the gusty torch, the eyes of Slograv of Korvask scanned the heads of the barbarians before him.   He shifted his weight in the makeshift throne that his men had hastily assembled from boards torn from the beds of the people that now stood before him.

            “Kabiak, I want the names of every one written down.  Choose out the choicest and bring them before me as my personal servants.  We march against Schlezimein tomorrow morning, and I want them with me to show that king of theirs just what I can do.”  Slograv nodded his handsome head at his first officer.  “Amia simply wasn’t built to withstand us,” he said with mock dejection.  He languidly rose from his throne and pulled the head of one of the Amians back by her hair.  He held up a bunch of it for his officers to see.  “Have you ever seen such short hair on a woman before this?” he asked with a laugh.  “Barely below the shoulders, it is!”  He stared into her passionless face.  “Well, woman, haven’t you anything to say?  We just defeated you!  You haven’t a home to call your own any longer.  You are a slave to my wish, and have you nothing to say to that?  Are you so cold, so barbaric, that you would not even weep for your fallen land?"

~The Daulots

“Sing a song to speed us on our way, Arda,” said Srlago.  He pulled out a small stringed instrument and began strumming a tune.

            “Is that all you can think of?” Arda groaned.

            “It is my favorite,” said Srlago gravely.  “And it is your prettiest.  If you are to impress Slograv, you must show off.”

            Arda pulled a black scarf over her head and cast her eyes down.  “I really don’t want to impress Slograv or anyone.  Music ought not to be used as a weapon.”

            Srlago shook his head.  “Have you a better plan, Sister?”

            Arda shrugged.  “Swords and bows have often worked before.”

            “So shall they work again, after we have done our job,” said Srlago.  He reached down and touched a dagger concealed in his boot.  “There will be plenty of fighting for your battle-lust, Sister.”

            Arda laughed.  “Battle-lust?  I think not.  I may be a little eager to repay the Korvaskians for all the wrongs they have done our people, but I am not stricken with battle-lust.”

~The Daulots

Timotheus lifted his head and looked toward the door, his pale brown eyes wide with anticipation.  Soon he would see light!

            Whatever you do, Timotheus, never, never let the Korvaskians break you.

            Timotheus recalled those last words of his father.  He had watched the wicked arrow slice into his father’s chest, watched his father fall to the ground with a trickle of blood running down his vest.  He had run to his father, cradled him in his arms, been torn away by soldiers, watched his father die alone.

            The Korvaskians had put him into a horrible dungeon to make him forget, but he could never forget.  He had never seen the face of Slograv, but he was certain that he would recognize it when the fateful day finally came.  Surely his face would be unmistakably marked with evil!

            You know what they did to your mother, to your brother, to your clan.

            Timotheus had never forgotten.  The image had been preserved so well in the darkness of ten years that it was forever etched into his memory.  The cell door creaked open.  Timotheus lifted his eyes to the wonderfully painful dazzle of the torchlight.  It filled the cell, revealing every nasty corner.  To Timotheus it mattered naught.  There was light to satisfy his craving.  He relished the warmth of the fire on his face.

            They are your enemies, your bane.  You will never be free while they are alive.

~The Daulots

“I want their names,” said Slograv to Kabiak.  “Now!”

            Kabiak sauntered over to the first of the prisoners.  “Name!”

            “Sruncl,” said the boy.

            “Name!”

            “Lonsh.”

            “Name!”

            Silence.

            “I said Name!”

            Timotheus turned his soulful eyes onto Kabiak.

            When an enemy tortures you, you never cry out.  This is a sign of weakness, and an Amian is never weak!

            Kabiak brought his hand across Timotheus’ mouth.  “What is your name?”

            “That one,” said Triklaus coldly, “is dumb.”

            “Is that so?” said Kabiak, glowering at Timotheus.

            “He’s not spoken in the ten years since I’ve had him,” said Triklaus with a shrug.  “Dumb as an ox!”  He laughed loudly at his own joke until he noticed the king eyeing him with disgust.

            “His name is Timotheus,” said Lonsh quietly.

~The Daulots

Thanks for reading and God Bless!

Character Encounter

Kendra of Knitted by God's Plan has an amazing tag in which I am going to participate!  My character is none other than Laban Squeed from CATT.

Laban Squeed

My arms are full of books and papers.  I'm ready to study at the very large university library.  After walking up the spiral stairs I enter the research room and set my books in one of the cubicles.  I turn around to find the books I need, and what should I see but the a fiery red head of hair bob over one of the other cubicles.  "Immature Freshman Boys!" I think to myself in disgust.  I watch in semi-amusement as the head of hair walks around the line of cubicles and faces me.  When I see his full person I stagger in surprise and horror.  Clutching the side of the cubicle with one hand, I feel my head with the other.  This person is dressed in clothes of a century and a half ago, but more than that, I recognize him as none other than...
"Laban Squeed!" I gasp.
The young man's long, sinister fingers stroke his watch chain.
"At your service," he says with a smile.  "I came here especially to find you, Miss Barrett.  What do you mean by killing me in your novel?"
"I had to!" I cry, looking around desperately for the librarian.  There is a girl in the corner working on her computer, but she doesn't even lift her head at the commotion.
Mr. Squeed takes a tiny revolver from his pocket and brandishes it in my face.  "You will not make a certain character kill me!  I demand the right to live to the end of the story!"
It will be useless to make a mad rush.  I have no doubt that he is as real as I, though it seems fantastically bizarre.  One of the guys from my speech class walks into the room behind Mr. Squeed.  I try to signal to him without Mr. Squeed noticing, but he only gives me a quizzical look and says, "Hi?"
Mr. Squeed whirls around at the sound of his voice, but still the guy doesn't see him.  I run at Mr. Squeed from behind and knock him down.  The gun spins out of my reach.  Desperately a yell at the guy from speech class, "Pick up the gun!  Pick up the gun!"
He stands there dumbly and looks at me as though I am going crazy.
Mr. Squeed scrambles up and lunges for the gun.  I barely manage to trip him and make a wild dash for the revolver.  With a paralyzing yell Mr. Squeed pushes me out of the way from behind and snatches up the gun.
I back out of the room, casting a quick glance at the spiral staircase behind me.  I pretend like I'm going to make a run for it, and Mr. Squeed runs after me.  He trips over the railing of the staircase and plummets!
Unfortunately I see a girl walking underneath him!  "Watch out!" I yell frantically.
She looks up at me with raised eyebrows.  Oh, dash it all!  It's my RA.
When I look again, I don't see a trace of Mr. Squeed.  I only see my RA, walking up the spiral staircase, a concerned look on her face.  "Katie, are you all right?"
The guy from speech class comes out of the room behind me.  "Um, what was that all about?"
I look over the railing.  There's nothing there but a little piece of gold watch-chain hanging from the tip of a wing on the statue of the archangel on the main floor.  "I'm having a little trouble with my writing," I say with a sheepish grin.

Thanks for reading and God bless,

Hey y'all!

I thank you for not abandoning me even though I haven't posted in a LONG while.  I am actually at college right now, and you can imagine the busyness I am facing as I pursue my degree.  But don't worry, I am still writing as often as I can, and Lord willing I will be able to publish something while I am in college.
God bless you all, and thanks for reading,

Epic Disney Blog Party Tag Questions

This is probably going to be my only participation in the EDBP, so this had better be good!  (Kiri, I hope you get that quote!)  By the way, these are from Lianne Taimenlore.

Which is your favorite Disney film and why?
Um, I really don't know.  I really like so many of the Disney movies.  I guess I'll go with some that I especially enjoy, as I doubt I could pick just one.  Finding Nemo, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Parent Trap (Hayley Mills), The Happiest Millionaire, Beauty and the Beast, National Treasure, and the list goes on.  And the reasons are numerous.  Pick one of those, and I guess I'll say, "Sure, I love that movie..."

Which is the most annoying/worst Disney film and why?
Easy.  Swiss Family Robinson.  Epic Fail!  They totally butchered the book!  I really can't stand that movie, and I loved the book.  They took out the best character, changed names, events, removed the neatest scenes and places, and basically destroyed the original story in a way that would make Johann Weiss positively wear his coffin away with spinning.  And I won't even mention the cheesy acting.  Altogether, this movie is good for nothing except making silly comics about.  Which my brother did.

Which was the first Disney film you can remember watching?
That's a hard one, but I think it would have to be Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, Too.  I watched it at my grandparents' house on VHS, way back when DVDs were brand new.  Yes, I feel REALLY old.  NOT.  Anywho, I just remember this because I was scared to death when Rabbit gets lost in the forest and his eyes get all spinning and colorful.  Having watched this since, I don't quite know what was so scary about it, but there you are!  Who can fathom the mind of a four-year-old?



What are some of your favorite quotes from Disney films?
"I'M HAVIN' FISH TONIGHT!"
"It says...smudge."
"Is there anything on this menu that is not swimming in gravy?"
"Look at those beady little eyes, and those ricky-diculous striped pajamas!"
"Normally they don't talk, sea cucumbers, but in a joke, everyone talks."
"How would it be if you came and had tea with me?"  (Obviously Mr. Tumnus was Sir Percy's understudy.)
"You're beginning to irk me, Professor.  I am irked!"

What Disney character do you think you are most like?

I honestly never considered this life-changing question before.  But I guess I will say that I am most like Rabbit, always scheming to get rid of my brothers just as Rabbit schemes to get rid of Tigger.  Oh, hi Count Bob!  *Nervous laughter*  OK, seriously, I'm tired of stalling.  I wish some character would pop into my head, and I could say, "Oh, yeah..."  I'll go with Dory from Finding Nemo.   My brothers will completely agree that I am as oblivious and ditzy as she is.  I probably annoy people more than I realize by hanging around them, and I am ALWAYS talking.

What is your favorite Disney film song?
I really like a lot of them , but the entire sidewalk scene from Mary Poppins contains two of my favorites.   "Jolly Holiday" and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidotious" are both excellent songs.

What is one Disney film you find yourself recommending over and over?
I don't tend to recommend movies to a lot of people; in fact, I usually get movies recommended to me.  But I think that Tangled is one of my more frequently recommended movies.


What is one thing from any Disney film/films that really irks you?
One thing that annoys me a lot is Disney's tendency to stray from the storyline of a book, especially in the older movies like *cough*Swiss Family Robinson *cough* or The Chronicles of Narnia.  While the latter mentioned is very good, it is still disappointingly not close enough to the book.

Who is your favorite Disney heroine and why?

My favorite would have to be Susan from Narnia.  I find that I sympathize with her a lot more than with the other Pevensies.  She doesn't want the adventure quite so much as the rest of her siblings.  She wants to turn her responsibility over to someone in authority, and she's definitely dependant on others, at least in the first movie.  This is something I very definitely understand, and it simply makes her more human, and therefore, more likeable.  Also, she's a know-it-all.  *Ahem* Not that I am anything like THAT!

Who is your favorite Disney hero and why?
Is there any contest?  Remy the rat is the best!  And why should you think that my love of cooking and well, frankly, eating, should have anything to do with this decision?  Even if it does.  All right.  I admit it.  Remy is my favorite because he is the only hero that immediately springs to mind that shares one of my three passions: reading, writing, and cooking.  If they had made a Disney movie of Charles Dickens I wouldn't even think about Remy.  He just happened to be there in a convenient place.

Who is your favorite Disney sidekick and why?
Lumiere, of course.  I mean, how could you dislike a candlestick with a French accent and an overwhelming sense of hospitality.  Is Lumiere a sidekick, by the way?  I mean, I don't know whose side he kicks, as it were.  I suppose Coggsworth?  Anyway, Lumiere is just so funny, and he gets all the best quotes in the movie, aside from Gaston.  Although I have always wondered how tall he must have started out years before if he is always lit up like that.  He must have been a gargantuous candle.


If you could spend a day in any Disney film, which one would you pick and why?
I would pick Tangled on the day of the floating lantern liftoff.  Honestly, I would pay to see something like that.  And the town and palace are really neat as well...

Choose any one Disney film character and place him in any Disney film (other than his or her own).  How would the story be different?
I choose to place Marlin in National Treasure.  The story would be not at all different, because Marlin would die from lack of water.  The only change is that Riley would make some witty remark about the situation.  Whew, that wasn't hard!

Thanks for reading, and God bless,

Epic Blog Party at Lianne Taimenlore!

You so totally rock, Kiri Liz!  Now give me some fin!  Noggin!
Ahem, to get back to the point, Kiri Liz of Lianne Taimenlore is hosting an Epic Disney Blog Party.  I just want to encourage all of you to join, even though I will not be able to, as I am leaving for college on Tuesday.  (Casts virtual daggers at Kiri)  OK, well, you would be pretty sad if you had to not join just because she hosted her party a week too late.
Anywho, I am not upset at all.  See, I am doing a whole promotional post just for her.  And I have her button on the side my blog, too.  See, right under my story meters!

So, thanks for reading, and go check it out!

Favorite Characters in Ira Bournton (Already!)

Yes, I already have favorite characters--characters that have sort of taken over the story less than four thousand words in.

#1. Cordelia Gaskey
She's the younger sister of Muriel Irene, one of the main characters.  Cordelia is twenty-two, pretty, and very high-spirited.  She is far more outgoing than Muriel Irene, and since she leaves Nanrantsouak Harbor close to the beginning she is not going to be in the book quite as much as Muriel Irene.  But that is my original plan.  Cordelia is the sort of person who would push her way back into the story, so we might be seeing quite a bit of her.

#2. Elizabeth McBride
Elizabeth McBride is the Nanrantsouak Harbor town gossip.  Because her house is directly across the street from the local tavern, there is virtually no sale of alcohol in Nanrantsouak Harbor.  Every husband knows that if he goes into the tavern, his wife will know it inside of three minutes.  In other words, Mrs. McBride is the Mrs. Lind of the story.  But is still like her, even though she has only figured in a few paragraphs so far.  She has a very strong personality, and I do like strong personalities.



#3. Captain Spadey
Known as simply 'Captain' to the residents of Nanrantsouak Harbor, he is the lame owner of the Lady Abigail Inn, and his business is horroble thanks to Elizabeth McBride, who he hates with a passion.  She is, in fact the only person who he hates at all.  Captain was once the master of a large ship, but ever since he broke both of his legs, he has owned the inn and delights in telling tall tales about his younger days to anyone who will listen.  Captain is fond of smoking pipes and not fond of wives, which is why he doesn't have any.  He loves the Lady Abigail Inn, though, and says it is better than any wife, as she won't talk back or make a lot of trouble.  That, according to him, is all women are good for.


I promise you, this is not only a mystery, although that is the biggest plot.  As of now there are about three subplots that sprang up out of nowhere.  This is going to be a lot more complicated than CATT.
And now, for a snippet.

Captain greeted Mr. Gaskey with a short wave of his free hand, while keeping the other firmly attached to the bowl of his pipe.  “I hear ye got the Bidwell place,” he said around the pipe.

            “News travels fast,” said Mr. Gaskey.  “I only just returned from purchasing it.”

            “This is Nanrantsouak Harbor,” said Captain.  “Fast news is the ladies specialty.  Do better at that than their cookin’.”

            “Well, we shall be out from under your roof tomorrow,” said Mr. Gaskey.

            “You goin’ to live at the old Bidwell place?  By tomorry?  Ain’t likely,” huffed Captain, reaching for his canvas tobacco pouch.  “When there ain’t no one livin’ in a place for thirty years, the place don’t just up and take a new family.”  With these cheering words he leaned back in his chair with a long sigh.  “Smoke, Mr. Gaskey?” he offered generously.
~ Ira Bournton

Mr. Gaskey sauntered into the Lady Abigail Inn, a decrepit specimen of an ancient New England tavern in which no one ever stayed.  The mere fact that anyone at all, let alone a family of twelve, had come to the inn, was subject matter to fuel the tongues of the Nanrantsouak Harbor gossips for weeks.  Already the rumor had flown about town on wings of curiosity that the Gaskey family was here to stay.  Everyone with ears knew that the Gaskeys were from Boston, that they had ten children with them, although the oldest was at least twenty-five and therefore was no longer a child but an old maid.  And it was common knowledge among the ladies that Mrs. Gaskey’s dress was in the latest fashion and therefore the Gaskeys must be well-to-do, or at least they once were.  For, on the tail of the all-important subject of Mrs. Gaskey’s dress was the fact that the Gaskeys had come to stay, and that Mr. Gaskey had contacted Mr. Rufer about purchasing some land, and what do you think?  Mr. Gaskey had purchased the Bidwell place.  He must be down on his luck or insane, because those were the only two kinds of people who would purchase the Bidwell place.  Elizabeth McBride, who prided herself on saying things that nobody wanted to hear but must be said anyway, had already taken into her mind to visit Mrs. Gaskey and inform her that the Bidwell place was no place to raise up children, and that she had better tell her husband to move at once to a more suitable environment.  Elizabeth McBride was rehearsing the words in her head when she saw Mr. Gaskey walking up to the Lady Abigail.  The McBride house was across the street from the Lady Abigail, and perhaps that was the only thing that had stopped the business of liquor-selling in Nanrantsouak Harbor.  No husband wanted Elizabeth McBride to see him enter, for his wife was certain to be told about three minutes afterward.  Elizabeth McBride already knew through Imogene Rufer who knew through her little boy Caleb that Mr. Rufer had sold the Bidwell place to Gaskey, and she was watching for him to return to the Lady Abigail, which he did a few minutes after the news reached her. 
~ Ira Bournton

The last snippet is probably the longest paragraph I have ever put into a book.  Do you think it is too long?  Should it be divided into several paragraphs?

Thanks for reading and God bless,

PICTURES!!!!!!!

Here are pictures of our visit, pictures which I promised I would put up!

This is a CBC classic: Bacon Popcorn!

Here we are signing our CBC week T-shirts

My little brother and their little sister brushing their teeth

Jessa Bri, me, and Beth Grace playing a LOTR board game.
The others are there, you just can't see them.

Doofus being a showoff

Copycat!

Beth Grace put my hair in curlers for the costume party.

End result: Nancy Drew!

Uncle J as Jacob Marley

Molgum as Barney Fife

Teddy as Pippi Longstocking.
There are pipe cleaners braided into her hair to make it stick out!

Kiri Liz as Astrid attacking Sammy as Hiccup

Emily as Arwen

Victoria as Jane Bennet.
She won the best hairstyle award.  The back of her hair was PERFECT!

Jessa Bri as Queen Susan with Andrew as Ted Nickerson

Count Bob as Sir Percy and Cyb as Maxwell Smart

All of the CBCs!

In case you couldn't tell, we had a great time!  I hope we can do this again ASAP.

Thanks for reading and God bless,