Ahh, It's nice to be missed. Oh look a thought

First, yes Eve, lots of people have hit me over the head with books. I just have that bothersome nature which makes people's hands itch to bonk me on the head with tomes.

Second, I am right here, m'lord, now that I'm not dragged pillar to post to see doctor after doctor and of course, now here I am, mired in retail insanity i.e. the last two weeks before Christmas.

Third, awww, it's nice to be missed.

It's been a banner week for fantasy sales in my little corner of the world. I sold 2 Isle of Swords, 2 The Door Within, 1 Rise of the Dibor, 1 The Lion Vrie and then when someone asked if Wayne had finished the sequel to Isle of Swords and I told him that he hadn't, I sold 1 Legend of the Firefish and followed it all off by selling 1 Restorer's Son. Now, as I've been selling the books, I've prayed brightly and briefly for each author--basically asking Christ to continue to bless them, to keep their families, and to let the message behind their words come out loud and clear to the readers receiving them. I mean this literally, as I'm scanning the bar code on the back of the book I'm praying that neat bright little prayer and sending it flashing up into His heart in the three or four seconds it takes to put the book into the bag and hand it to the customer. These aren't eloquent prayers, I'm not sure they're really even grammatically correct, but they are from my heart to His, for them.

Anyway, today I thought I'd share that, and then put out this challenge. The next time you are reading your favorite fantasy author's book, pray for them. Nothing major, doesn't even have to be more than two or three words, but if the Holy Spirit reminds you of this, then pray.

Results are in :)

After waiting for an hour and a half at the neural ophthalmologists office yesterday with my eyes dilated so wide that there was barely a ribbon of iris left, I was told some of the best news I've had all year.

My depth perception and field of vision haven't changed since this incident.

My optic nerve in the right as well as the left eye are undamaged and look to quote the doctor "beautiful''

My retinas are also undamaged and 'beautiful'

My problem is likely slight trama to the eye in some part resulting in a lingering after image that will resolve itself in time. How much time? That is unknown but seeing as I'm not in danger of losing my sight, I can be patient.

Counting My Blessings

Thought all of this drama with my eyes and my sight I have been struggling to keep fear at bay. Most of the time it's felt like I've managed to keep the roaring lion at arms length (but of course that means the downside of smelly lion breath and spittle all over my face, and score marks over my arms from his claws) on my own but there have been times I have felt my stomach knot up into an Indian rubber ball and I haven't had the strength to pray, or to worship, or to place my trust in Christ. In that time however, when the fear has been at its worst, and my own strength has been at its lowest, I marvel at how other believers have been placed in my path and I've been carried in their prayers. I don't think I can put how grateful I am for that into words. But here's a try.

Thank you.

Quick Update!

I had the MRI on Tuesday of this week and the doctor called me today at work to let me know that there were no irregularities on the film! This means that there are no tumors, no fluids, and no foreign bodies making the headaches or the visual disturbance. Great praises!

Unfortunately I'm still having the headaches and the visual disturbance which means it is likely an 'eye' thing and on this coming Tuesday I will be going to a neural ophthalmologist to have my eyes and the nerves that service them looked at and tested. So, I'm not out of the woods yet, and my stomach still knots from time to time with fears but I'm better than I was, and am very grateful for your prayers.

Here are two more songs that I have been 'living in':

Desperation Band - Rescue

You are the source of the life
I can’t be left behind
No one else will do
I will take hold of You

I need You Jesus
To come to my rescue
Where else can I go
There’s no other name by
Which I am saved
Capture me with grace
I will follow You

This world has nothing for me
I will follow You
This world has nothing for me
I will follow You

Phillips Craig and Dean -You Are God Alone

You are not a god
Created by human hands
You are not a god
Dependant on any mortal man
You are not a god
In need of anything we can give
By Your plan, thats just the way it is

Chorus:
You are God alone
From before time began
You were on Your throne
Your are God alone
And right now
In the good times and bad
You are on Your throne

You are God alone

You're the only God
Whose power none can contend
You're the only God
Whose name and praise will never end
You're the only God
Who's worthy of everything we can give
You are God
And thats just the way it is

Repeat Chorus

Bridge:
Unchangeable
Unshakable
Unstoppable
Thats what You are

Repeat Bridge
Repeat Chorus
Repeat Bridge Out

Caught Between the Hammer and the Anvil

I'm trading my sorrow
I'm trading my shame
I'm laying it down for the joy of the Lord


I'm trading my sickness
I'm trading my pain
I'm laying it down for the joy of the Lord

Chorus:
And we say yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord
Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord Amen

I'm pressed but not crushed persecuted not abandoned
Struck down but not destroyed
I'm blessed beyond the curse for his promise will endure
And his joy's gonna be my strength

Though the sorrow may last for the night His joy comes with the morning

Darrell Evans "Trading My Sorrows"

Blessed Be Your Name

In the land that is plentiful

Where your streams of abundance flow

Blessed be your name

Blessed Be Your name

When I’m found in the desert place

Though I walk through the wilderness

Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing you pour out

I’ll turn back to praise

When the darkness closes in

Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord

Blessed be Your name

Blessed be the name of the Lord

Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name

When the sun’s shining down on me

When the world’s ‘all as it should be’

Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name

On the road marked with suffering

Though there’s pain in the offering

Blessed be Your name

Every blessing you pour out

I’ll turn back to praise

When the darkness closes in

Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord

By: Beth & Matt Redman

I would appreciate prayer, something happened to my vision while I was on vacation, hopefully nothing major but there's a lot of fear I can't seem to shake, and these are the two songs that I'm ''living in'' right now. I'm going for the MRI right now, and we should know something in about two days hopefully.
Thanks.
Scribe

Where in the World is Scribe?

Here's a hint, I walked over London Bridge today. Need another? Okay, I'm in the Mojave Desert. Confused? Well I sure was until I looked at a map and went 'oooohhhhhooooo'. You don't need to make that sound, but feel free to do so if you like when I reveal that I am currently in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. London Bridge was originally built 1830, according to the Wikipedia, by John Rennie and perched over the river Thames until it started sinking. If you want the whole story, you can go here and check it out London Bridge is Falling Down For the rest of you who really don't care why London Bridge is in Arizona, I offer this treat instead. That's right, the sun was setting on one horrizon and the moon full and fat with silver light was rising from the other. The whole thing left me without words and that's a hard thing to do to a writer.

Reason #574 it's a good idea to walk after dark

Because sometimes you see something happening in real life that you had come to you as an idea in the world you are currently building.

This is Why I Can't Play

I sold 4 of Isle of Swords today, making the count now 12 for the month. *ahem* It's not like I believe in the story or like the author or anything. Noooo.

Okay ;) It helped a tad that they were signed copies.

I had a good walk tonight after I got home, worked a little on Mynasthoa's home world and am now trying to find a good name for it. I'm keeping on with these baby steps, mainly because I can't go any further along with the plot till I get the next 'scene' set. Yeah yeah tremble and be mightily afraid, the plot driven writer is learning to draw maps.

He Has to Have a Weakness!

I am under a hue and cry for what I've done to Mynas. Uh, my character, my story, my idea. I'm not really understanding why everyone who knows about him and his problem out here thinks I'm going to listen to them and all of a sudden give him back what I took away. If I took away his problem there wouldn't be a story to tell? Look, he wouldn't depend on Ghe, he wouldn't reconcile with Cerulean, and he wouldn't even start to question if what was done to him was right! He'd just go about his plodding days serving a corrupt and power hungry group of individuals that understand knowledge is power and that the those who writes the history books are the ones who rule. Sorry fans of Mynasthoa, it has to happen to him, it is the catalyst that propels the tale foreword and also the weakness that keeps him from being so awesome and cool that nothing ever phases him. Even Superman (TM) had his Kryptonite (TM).

377

Not the thousand like I hoped, but it's something! Ha-ha take that writing block!

Yup, time to start the count-down

Well, most of "us lions" I mean Narnia fans have been counting since word came that the director for The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (Andrew Adamson-huzzah!) agreed to steer the filming of Prince Caspian. We've been with Walden Media since they frantically started the casting call for Caspian (hello Ben Barnes), we've groaned and sighed as the release date has been pushed further and further back but now there is a time set in stone. Dust off your swords, oil your scabbards, mend your cloaks and check your armor, adventurers! The door home is about to open again.

For Aslan!

For Narnia!

May 16th, 2008!

Fun!

Now that was fun! It's been a while since I could honestly say that about writing (sad I know) but seeing as I'm making myself stick to the outline and not go wandering down rabbit trails (other than to mark where they are because you never know when that idea might come in handy) with characters and plot points it really hasn't been fun writing. What it has been, is hard work. It's gone grindingly slow.

So slow that I had begun to question whether I had the chops after all or if I'd just deluded myself into thinking I was a writer. Yup, that was where my poor head was until this afternoon.

Why is it that such thoughts all ways catch up to me when I'm by myself, when I'm tired, and when I've been disappointed in something I've done? They never come when I'm around other writers, they never come when I'm bright eyed and bushy tailed, and they never seem to gather when I'm pleased that I did something right.

Interesting.

Anyway, back to the fun part. I got to write a scene with one of my up-and-coming characters that I really enjoyed. I wouldn't want to live what I wrote (yes yes poor Mynas) but it felt really good to write it.

I was working at one level on the technical part; making sure that I didn't lose the reader, checking to make sure that what was happening was necessary to the plot, and double checking that the idea was believable enough to keep a reader turning pages and not go 'oh great the author fell in love with this idea which is so stupid I think I'll put the book back and go find another'. But the majority of my mind was working on a second level. I was lost in the images, my fingers flying to pin the idea to paper, my ears straining to hear how the characters were talking, my nose twitching with the scents of the world and my skin prickled and twinged at the created weather. In that moment I was with Mynas right there in the midst of all his trouble and I felt my heart squeeze in empathy for him. Poor fella.

I realized that in that instant I was the reader as well as the writer. And if I could have kicked myself in the shins, I just might have done so.

That has got to be a first.

Finally! Part the First

You have been very patient, and I appreciate it!

I don't know if I'm on my head or my painted tail with all the obligations and duties and thing that must be/should be done. I've learned an important lesson, and while it has come with some bruising of the soul, I'll mend and be the stronger for it.

More on that later.

Here then is the report from the Launch of Isle of Swords (sorry no maiden could be found to swing a bottle of champagne into the bow of the book) so read on, read on for more details of the event and some other pictures too!


My sea rogue escort and I took the time to get food before going to Barnes & Nobles, and discussed throwing spit wads at the Capt'n in great detail over dinner. We had it all planned out, the trajectory, the amount, the velocity, everything. When we walked inside, my pirate had a change of heart and taking me aside said in a hushed tone of regret and empathy "You know, I bet he's really nervous, we really shouldn't fire spit wads at him." I reluctantly agreed to behave. Entering the event area my pirate signed up for the costume contest and received an eye patch, a number, and some doubloons for his troubles. We said hullo to the Capt'n and grinned like idiots at each other as he seemed delighted that we'd come. It's all ways nice to feel like coming out to an event meant something to the author. Then, we scouted seats.

Some fans sat and read, others wandered and laughed, admiring each other's costumes or lamenting that they hadn't worn one themselves. The atmosphere was warm and friendly with nerds and geeks mingling with slightly less rabid fans, checking out the piles of Isle of Swords at the signing table or browsing The Door Within paperbacks to find the 'lost chapters'.




Around twenty minutes till the reading was to start, the staff at Barnes & Noble started setting out cookies (and not those pressed and prefab things from bags, oh no, these I am pretty certain came from the cafe' and had chucks of peanut and chocolate in them. I say 'think' because as soon as they were set out a hoard of eye-patch clad piranha arrived and began devouring them) but I wasn't going over, I had no desire to lose fingers. My rogue shipman had no such fears, and as he walked about talking with others of his stripe I counted at least four cookies devoured.

Things were filling up when we got seats and then I decided I'd 1) get better photos if I stood in the back and 2) there were a lot of marauding rogues without chairs and one would likely settle if I gave up my seat. I did, and within moments a cookie fed raider claimed it.
Everyone was delighted with the props, the large skull was a particular hit as was the Capt'n's cutlass and feathered hat. He sat on the stage, smiling and talking with the fans as the clock ticked closer to the hour the event was to take place, bantering with the adults too and disappearing now and again when the event staff snagged him to ask questions.



Speculation about The Door Within being made into a movie was rampant, showing that enough of his on-line readers and students had come to the event to make the gathering really feel clannish despite the growing size. The forty some chairs were finally filled and people were still making places for themselves when the overhead speaker announced that the reading from Isle of Swords and the sneak peak/listen of Isle of Fire was about to begin. Dramatic audio cues silenced the pirate chat and all eyes turned expectantly towards the stage the Storyteller took his place.

Before he started, he asked this question "How would you define treasure?" and the answers were varied and ranged from "gold" to "something that you take" to "learning" as one of his students piped up. An interesting question and one that harked back to another Captain's definition of treasure, which as he pointed out to his young friend "Is not all ways silver or gold."

Then, the reading began and as all ways the Capt'n did not disappoint, imbuing the tale with the wonderful spark that made it real as he read. The store, the audience, everything faded away as the words painted the picture (helped out by some audio enhancements of gulls and water) of someone waking up on an island terribly hurt, with no memory, and only a small pouch full of clues to what or who they might be. For those interested he read from Isle of Swords Chapter 2 and the entire audience without exception was caught up in the tale.



He took time after the first reading to do some Q&A, and then moved into an Isle of Fire excerpt both ominous and and intriguing. If I wrote it here, I'm sure through various channels and minions that he has I'd wind up marooned, and I don't want that. So, just like the rest of us, you'll have to track him down to hear that bit or wait till Isle of Fire is released next year.

After the reading was finished and he had a second to grab something to drink (he'd been reading for roughly 30 minutes) one of the Barnes & Noble staff got him to the table and rounded up the fans into some sort of wobbly line for the actual signing. I snapped some more shots and then got in line, weaving in and out through the stacks with the other fans. My pirate dashed off to purchase his copy of Isle of Swords not trusting that there would be books left on the table when we got up there as we were nearly dead last in line. The best part of waiting over an hour to see the Capt'n again? Talking with this really cool family! My pirate struck up a conversation with their rogue seafaring son as he was carrying all three of The Door Within trilogy in paperback (with lost chapters) and he (very rightly) pointed out that they were the better deal than the hard covers because they were 1) cheaper and 2) had more stuff in them. Plus, if you took clear contact paper and covered them with it, they were nearly as durable as the hard cover.


From there the conversation naturally gravitated to content of the books, favorite passages, things we wished that the Capt'n hadn't done to characters, the possibility of the Capt'n revisiting the Realm at some point in his career, what item/person/animal each of us would like to be able to reach into the books and pull out and keep from the Realm*, and then a shared sadness that the trilogy as magnificent as it was, had come to an end.

As the night wore on and we didn't move much in the line, the crowd got a little testy with students of the Capt'n who would run off six or eight at a time leaving one 'place holder' and then whenever the line moved they came back and pushed the fans that had made some progress back eight or nine spaces as they reinserted themselves into the que. I reassured those around me that as long as the store was open, he would be glad to sign books and told them of how he and Sharon Hinck, Bryan Davis, and Christopher Hopper did just that when we hosted them over the summer---they stayed right to closing to make sure every last fan's book was autographed even though they were dead on their feet. That calmed some down, and then my pirate and I managed to re engage speculation about the Capt'ns sequel, if cookies were actually available to pirates, and the starfish-like regeneration capabilities of lawn gnomes.

*shudder* Lawn gnomes are evil for a variety of reasons, and the thought of each bit of gnome regrowing what it lost in lawnmower accidents is enough to make even the most stalwart fantasy fan flinch.




* They were:
1) Fury
2) Captain Valithor
3) Son of Fury
4) Aidan
5)Dragons
6) Nock
7) Bolt
8)Falon
9)Moon Rascals
10) Lantern Spiders

Right, well Firefox is being ruddy aweful and IE's not doing me any favors either. Huh, looks like I'll have to post this and then do part two later this week. I promise I'm not delaying on purpose!

Okay~ Part the Second now since Firefox is finally cooperating (might have something to do with the fact that I have a sledge hammer on the desk now) and if any of you are using FF and having trouble seeing this page, reset your preferences and clear your cashe, that's what fixed it for me. Sorry 'bout the color change but if this page and background load for others the way they've been loading for me all they can see is white. And white text on a white background is nothing at all! Hence, the color change for that little bit. I love the tabbed browsing, I hate the resetting FireFox does when it updates itself. Letsee when last we left our intrepid heros. . .

We were waiting in line.

As we passed a table filled with fantasy books including; The Looking Glass Wars, The Sisters Grimm, The Merchant of Death, Monsterblood Tattoo, The Phantom Tollbooth, and The Door Within our crewmate suddenly looked up at me and asked. "Hey, you said you write, but what do you write, what kind of books?" And so I told him that I was working on getting a story published and that I wrote fantasy, and a little bit about the characters and the plot and where I was taking the story.

Pushing his glasses up from where they had slid down he looked very seriously at me and said "Well, you need to write faster so I can go out and find it and buy it and read it. I love fantasy! I read it all the time and I can tell that yours will be good. I want to read what you are writing."

My heart just about jumped out of my chest, is there any thing that will spur a story teller on faster than that?! Now when I am tired I think back on that plea and I push a little harder and remind myself that I do have an audience waiting. I can't ask them to wait forever.

Around 8:45 some of the Barnes and Noble staff came around taking pictures with Polaroids and that was great fun, especially since the pirates around us really got into character. We finally got up to the signing table and I smiled, hanging back a bit and watching the fans who had moments before talked so passionately and openly about what they liked and didn't like in The Door Within suddenly become tongue tied as they stood on the opposite side of the table from the Capt'n and pushed their books across the fabric for him to sign. He was warm and engaging as all ways, asking their names, making sure the spelling was right, joking and talking with them, trying to get the quiet ones to at least smile and the fans with some control over their tongues he bantered with and allowed them to gently 'take the mick' so that when they left the table their faces were flushed and their eyes danced with merriment. I know that the young bloods that met him that night will remember the fun, the teasing, and the easy going author who talked to them like they mattered for a long, long time.

Here ends the report of the Isle of Swords Launch party, hopefully you've enjoyed reading it and if it provoked you to come to the next event ;) then I have not typed in vain.

Until I rant or post again,
I remain your not-so-humble
~Scribe

Veggie Rant

I know I promised lovely tales about the book signing at Barnes & Noble but that will have to wait until I'm done venting.

All this week, I've known that we are going to have an event on Friday where I work and I've been bracing for it, all week. My day off was spent in part making a trio of coverings for flats for the event (8' tall by 30'' wide), and I have told everyone who has come into the store for weeks and weeks that this is an not-t0-be-missed photographic opportunity. I mean come on, don't you want to have your picture taken with Bob & Larry of VEGGIE TALES (tm)? That is a rhetorical question in case any tarbs were wondering.

I've set up for events before, m'lord Batson has been in solo three times, Capt'n Bryan Polivka's been in once solo, and then we had the Fantasy Four Fiction tour and all of those I set up and broke down. We've had Skillet in for a performance after hours, and we've also had several local musicians come in and play for customers. It is wearying, but it's not bone draggingly so. But today, today was the day from retail purgatory.

It started out overwhelming at noon when I was told I needed to move the four main fixtures in the store to make room for the Veggie Event, and then was told the owner was on their way up with over 1,000 titles in her car for us to ''make room for and put out for the signing''
I don't know how many of you have seen 1,000 titles of something but I can tell you this, it is alot. A whole lot. It took all day to empty the displays, take the glass shelves off the displays, move the displays, and then wash the glass from the displays and refill the displays. It took all evening to strip the end caps, make room for the product that was on the end caps elsewhere, and then decorate and refill the end caps with Veggie related product. In between doing all that, came EIGHT boxes of Christmas Cards that needed to be housed in the cramped back room, and customers customers customers that wanted to buy things (the nerve of them).

Highlight of the day?

Realizing that *I AM NOT THE ONE BREAKING IT DOWN ON SATURDAY*

Deana & Nick September 29th, 2007

Another Look, Ye Sea Dogs

I'm still formulating the words to let you know just how dynamic the Isle of Swords release party was, but I've a wedding to help set up today and also to attend and I'm running out of daylight! Or at least it feels that way. So, in lieu of words, I've just uploaded all of the pictures on my photobucket account. Here's the link, ye pirates and archers. There's a slide show I made and photos galore. I'll put some of my favorites here too and remind myself that a picture is worth 1,000 words. I promise some neat stories about the signing on Sunday or Monday at the latest. I am still running I think on adrenaline and coffee. Hopefully tomorrow I can do my impression of a slug and get done some things I would like to get done.

*Sigh*

Until then, I remain your faithful if somewhat worn,

~Scribe

PICTURES

Because I have been woefully lacking in the blogging department this week, and also because I know so many wanted to come and be a part of the kick off, here are some pictures I took. Just some, I'll load the rest tomorrow at the library.

Hmm, I wonder who that is reading the Capt'ns notes?


A bunch of thieves, scally-wags and ne'er-do-wells. But then what do you expect, they're Isle of Swords fans?And did I mention I had to stand in line for nearly an hour just to see the Capt'n? More picks to follow but it was a lovely, well attended evening with all kinds of people stopping by to see him and to enjoy the fun. Barnes and Noble did a lovely job with everything! Details, as they say, to follow.

Recon Report! ALERT ALERT ALL HANDS TO BATTLE STATIONS

Recon. Report!

All right archers and prayer warriors!

I checked out the store where m'lord's going to have his signing and there are some concerns!

First of all, there's little to no sign age about the event (that's bad) what I did find was tucked (once again) in the CHILDREN'S CORNER on a movable wipe board that was smeary at best. If people can't read what the event is, they can't come!

Secondly guess where Isle of Swords is languishing?! In the CHILDREN'S DEPARTMENT IN THE RELIGIOUS section that faces AWAY from the front of the CHILDREN'S section!

As far as I know, the event is being touted as a "Barnes and Noble Jr." event. Anyone who has read Isle of Swords knows it isn't a read for kids!

Now, things (thankfully) can change. Perhaps they are waiting for the printed signs for the event to come in, and that's why they were using the wipe board as a gap-spanning measure. Perhaps they are going to put him out in the main area per usual, and fill the window with his books and make lovely displays all over.

But right now, there's NA-DA. People are coming in the front door, and NOT KNOWING that the most awesome book signing EVER (okay maybe I'm a tad biased) is happening on FRIDAY. Which is now TWO days away!

Please pray that word get out!

Please pray that the store get rolling with the promotion of the event, the book, and the author!

That is all for now.

I'll try and report again before Friday but it'll be a stretch to get in there tomorrow.

The Leaves Are Blushing

Another snap, taken on my walk this morning. It was 87 degrees here today but the trees know that it is time to rest, and they are changing for their long winter sleep despite the balmy temperatures.

~*~

I prayed for Wayne today, on the way to work and on the way home, and I thought since others have been sharing their prayers for him I might as well do the same. It will also keep me motivated and honest about praying for him if I write it here(seeing as I want to pray each day of the week for him and this upcoming event) because it worked well last time. So here it is;

Lord you know how much I love words, and Wayne loves them too, but on Friday I am asking that he not have his own words in his mouth, I'm asking that you put Your words there. And that when he speaks, it will be with Your power and Your love. You helped Aaron and Moses when they stepped before Pharaoh to have the words needed to accomplish Your will, and You were with Peter when he addressed the people gathered outside on Pentacost. As You were with them, I ask You to be with Wayne. Speak to his heart, Lord. Let him know just how much he means to you this week. When everyone is pulling him six ways to Sunday and the pressures and cares seem to overwhelm him, remind him that it is not how many books he writes, not how many classes he teaches or how many people he helps that make him shine like no other in Your eyes. It is his self, the self that reflects Christ, the self that struggles to be like Christ that You love. Since there is nothing that he can do to make You love him less, there is also nothing he can do to make You love him more. Remind him of that this week, write it with Your loving kindness upon his heart, let him know in the marrow of his bones that if he never wrote again, never did anything of note again Your love would not change. Oh, Father let him really know that in his heart as well as his head. In Christ's name, Amen.

Archers take Aim, Arrows On String, Let Loose!

The Capt'n's shared some requests for the signing and I am going to list them here and then flush them out a bit.

1.) "Pray that through this event 10,000 doorways will open for people to come closer to God."

That really is the Capt'n's heart cry, he wants to see Christ use the stories he tells to bring his audience closer to Him. So here are some ideas to pray:

A. That Christ give Wayne the words to speak, and the time to speak them. That they be heard and not lost in the din of everything that's going on that night. He's worked hard to get this chance to speak to people and they will listen to him because he's a published author and a teacher.

B. That Wayne's physical voice hold out, he'll be doing a dramatic reading of the work (why they haven't decided to do an audio CD of his books is beyond me. They'd sell like hot cakes if he did the reading) and also that the microphone (should he be given one) cooperate.

C. That oodles of people would come and attend the event so that the Capt'n can share his love for stories, for his fans, and also for the deeper things of the Gospel.

Calling All Archers. Again!

Those of you who followed or participated in the Fantasy Four Fiction Tour will no doubt remember how I constantly asked for prayer, and also how Wayne, Sharon, Bryan and Christopher also asked that you pray for them. Signings and events are tons of fun the day that they happen but everything leading up to them and following them is hard work and everything that can go wrong will go wrong especially on the day of the event! Props will fail, computers will not order the right amount of product, microphones will take on demonic qualities, bookworms will turn into slugs and not want to talk to authors, storm clouds will appear out of no where and overwhelm fans so that they stay home, and tempers will get stretched to the breaking point and people will snap. What then can a poor overwhelmed clerk or author do?

Pray. And we do, we really really do.

I can tell you from experience that there is nothing more comforting in the moments when everything is falling apart than knowing there are Christian brothers and sisters praying for you. To know that you are walking in their prayers, to know that they took the time out of their day to lift you up before the Lord, that they are with you and for you, that they have your back is a marvelous relief, and comfort. I can tell you too from experience that there is no greater joy than knowing people are praying for you and you exceed your expectations at an event and people walk away having connected with the Author who is greater than any other. That happened at our Fantasy Four Fiction Tour signing too.

I know that Bryan, Christopher, Wayne and Sharon are still deeply grateful to everyone who prayed for them as they battled homesickness, grueling hours in the cars, and too little sleep. They really couldn't have made it without the physical support or prayer support.

Seeing as you archers did such a fine job last time, I'm calling for your aide again! Let's all pray for Wayne and the signing this week, really dig in and pray. I don't want to tell you what to pray for, though I'm sure the Capt'n has some ideas and we can ask him for certain points to target, and we can share too what the Lord has pressed on our hearts for him. I'd really like to get prayer for him every day of this week and not just on Friday but I'm open to your ideas too.

Wanna string your bow again and join up?

Post below and let me know.

Authors You Would Like To Kick in the Shins

I have been blessed to count among my friends/acquaintances several authors who have published books I have enjoyed, and yet there are passages they have penned that made the toe of my boot itch to connect with author shin. I've experienced exasperation before with storytellers, suddenly the plot of the book I'd been enjoying skews in a direction that makes no sense or veers into the realm of the mundane and predictable and I groan and usually put it down and don't pick it up again. Or, if I do finish it, I don't read anything else they pen. This shin kicking reaction is different. This is more of a gut reaction where I yelp, growl, threaten certain death to the writer, tear up, or actually cry because of something that did to a character I had grown to love.

I know I can't possibly be alone in this, I know that there have to be fans out there that would love to smack their favorite writer on the back of the head, or throw something at them, or as I said, kick them in the shins because of something that they did to a character. Here's where we can share that irritation! I will start the ball rolling with two authors that I would like to at least smack and probably kick. If you want to share, go right on ahead all I ask is that if you are going to share the exact scene, exact book, exact character that you post a spoiler warning.

Example:

SPOILER WARNING: The Door Within Proceed with Caution!



~*~




I was soooo mad when Wayne Thomas Batson had Aidan's flying eggplant* get blasted into smithereens by the shoulder launched intercontinental ballistic missile ! And right before Aidan's eyes too! It was the saddest part of "The Door Within!" I cried and cried!




* No eggplants real or imaginary were harmed in the writing of this example


So c'mon fellow bookworms! Unload your sorrow here!

Those whose shins are in danger from my booted foot currently:

1) Wayne Thomas Batson for what he does to the Padre' in Isle of Swords

2) Megan Marie Johnson for what she does to Lucius.

16,000 post cards or Scribe is CRANKY

The store where I work is having its' 30th anniversary celebration this year, *blows kazoo and swings noise maker* and instead of asking for presents, we are giving stuff away.

Sounds great right?

It is, we love our customers and over the years there have been wonderful things that have taken place in the stores, but this mail out isn't one of them.

Be glad you don't work with me this week, I am sore, I am tired, and most importantly
I AM CRANKY.

Yeah Yeah Mush Overload

I know, two of you at least don't like the picture I put up here.

But I've got my friend's wedding in less than ten days and then Crystal got engaged on Sunday, so I changed the picture. It's not really what I want up here, but it's pretty. I had a long rough day today, and my resizing of the image I really want up here isn't happening tonight. So, so for now you get mush.

Butterfly and Some Wonderful News!

My friend Crystal is engaged!

*sound of thunderous whooping and applause*

That was my kiss from Christ today, good news, no, no the very best of news brought to me when I felt the cruddiest at work today! I got to see her lovely ring. It has one beautiful diamond set in the center and then six little ones flanking it (three on each side). We teared up as I reminded her that seven is the number of perfection. Her guy is definitely one in a million, and they are worthy of each other. It is nothing but a delight to write those words!

I have had the joy of encouraging and exhorting Crystal and watching her walk and wrestle with her faith draw on Christ in so many ways. Now seeing Him write this portion of her love story I am reminded again what a Hopeful Romantic He is! "Happily Ever After" was originally purposed in His heart for all of us, and to see her aglow with the love of Him and her guy made my day.

Also making my day was this fellow who nearly didn't get snapped. He was rudely knocked off his perch twice by a . . .bumble bee who body slammed him off the blossom and into the wind. Poor fellow, and I had to wait for him to negotiate the winds and fight his way back to the blossom to finally take a picture.

Pretending to Be

An Impressionist.

I had a lovely walk today and fell in love with the way the light looked.

I wish I could upload the scents and sounds as well as some of the sights I photographed today for you to enjoy. The air here is crisp, like a granny smith green apple. The brilliance of sunlight doesn't warm as it did before, it illuminates, but it doesn't make you swelter.



Cars drive up and down the streets in a lazy fashion, pulverizing the acorns and the green fringed pods that go with them, until there is a haze of brown dust over the streets. The nuts that aren't crushed are kicked along by the tires and go bouncing merrily down the curb sounding like miniature ping-pong balls. An aroma of sunny earth and acorns and the few rotting leaves underfoot wind up under the still-green canopy as I walk along. The more daring of the squirrels are out in the center of the tarmac licking up the nut dust with their little pink tongues, watching with quick dark eyes for the return of the cars.

Further along, the air turns static and the scents of dust and wood and fermenting plants assail my nostrils as the curb gives way to the 'wetlands' park. Here too there are signs that we are tipping away from Sol, and that fall is stealing into the land like some long gone monarch come to reclaim its' throne.For the most part, I still have to look to see the change, the cooler temperatures and the azure skies I can write off as the last of the Summer but it is the browns that are springing up around that refuse to let my daydream continue. It won't be much longer and the smell of smoke rising from chimneys will combine with the crunch of leaves underfoot and I'll see my breath again in the mornings.

You Know Its Bad When

You want to bang your head against the wall and or scream when you're greeted as you walk in the door with "______________ I think you should sit down, your _______ called and I need to tell you some things."

I don't want to get into it tonight, I don't know how public I can be with some things that are going on in my family, but no one has a terminal disease, no one was murdered, and no one has murdered so it could, as Tolkien pointed out last night, be much worse. I just hate feeling helpless. I hated it when Mom had cancer, I hated it when my grandfather was dying of congested heart failure (he lived with us) and I hated it when my grandmother was dying of cancer.

It's a special kind of hell, watching someone you love suffer. Part of you, the largest part I think, wants nothing more than to go "I'll switch places! Please! Lord, let me swap out for them, please?" The smaller part, the part that no one really ever admits exists, at the same time is going "I'm scared, I don't like this and I don't want to be near them and watch them suffer. I want to go and hide." So the one and the other today have been making me flip flop emotionally until I finally said "Self, this is silly. You can't swap out for them, He's not going to let you do that. And, you can't hide either so the best thing to do is to stop mulling it over and imagining the worst, and find a constructive way to support them." Sometimes, I give myself good advice. Now the question is, will I follow it?

Reveler's View 2.0

Right well I was too tired yesterday to post, thankfully there wasn't a great clamor and outrage because I didn't get pictures up, and that mainly because I was IMing the pictures to the people that really wanted to see them. And the rest of you breathed a collective sigh of relief thinking "Scribe won't remember that the pictures didn't get posted." Ha. I'm not quite in my dotage yet, thank you very much. For those of you that missed my narrative style in the last post I'll provide some commentary, and for those that were delighted with the lack of words, hush your mouths and your groans or I'll write twice as much!

*ahem*

I got to Tolkien's around 8:00am, still tired and not quite all the way awake. She and her brother weren't quite ready so I sat in the kitchen and ate my granola bar breakfast and watched the pandemonium with a superior smirk. We left her house, the two of them in lovely costumes (darn I didn't get one of Tolkien! Darn those mind-waves of hers!) and I in my new brown t-shirt and comfortable jeans and tennis shoes. We got to Revel Grove around 9:45am, much later than we had at first hoped because the route we were taking also was being used by bikers for a race from 7am to 11am and we crawled along the road, wondering aloud what person had the brilliant idea to use that road during the Ren. Fest for a bike race. The shared conclusions was it had to be some person who hated Ren. Fests and had maliciously and spitefully set the date to irritate the revelers en route. I'm pretty sure that snails past us, that we moved backwards in time, and that children on brightly colored bikes moved faster than we did.

All three of us suppressed groans as we got out of the car and walked up to the ticket center. I was convinced that we'd spend at least half an hour waiting in line for tickets, and that was what we had tried to avoid with the early start, but when we finally got to where you que up to purchase passes there was not a soul waiting. Every one was milling about and waiting for the gates to open but I walked right up to the window and bought my 2-day pass. It was amazing, the delay actually worked in our favor! After I bought my pass I entered the throng waiting for King Henry the VIII to make his royal entrance, and before five minutes past the actors started yelling to one another and it was clear that the gates were going to open momentarily. I was thrilled and so were Aerrer and Tolkien, it couldn't get any better than that.

Here's a snap of the actors up over the door, asking the crowd if we are French spies sent to find out the deep dark secrets of Revel Grove, like the fact that their turkey legs are in point of fact, ham*.


We were encouraged to "push and shove, step on small children, gouge one another if necessary'' to get inside Revel Grove. No, Tolkien, Aerrer and I did NOT do so to our fellow 'spies' but I was highly tempted by the time ten people had cut in front of me. I was ready to smite someone. I refrained.

We opened our revelry with a performance by the King of Swords at the Globe Stage.



His stage name is Johnny Fox, a huge cry from his real name of John Fox, and I have not seen a man to equal him in terms of showmanship or prestidigitation. The stage was amazing too, it's a permanent structure at the fair and a real work of art itself. Take a peek before I move on to the maestro himself.



He started with slight of hand, giving a wonderful presentation of the old illusion 'cup and balls' and went into some history of the trick as well as showing us how he was actually fooling our eyes. He was so amazing, I've found few performers who can teach while they entertain and he is one of them. Here he is, ''bowing with a flourish'' after his cup and balls routine and his rolling coins across his knuckles.




The only other shot of him that came out is one at the tail end of a sword swallow, taking pictures of him was like trying to take pictures of a puma, not something that my camera can do well, but take a look, I was in awe.

The wet around him is where he continually poured the wet from a small vessel sighting that it was to 'protect him' and it was 'water from India'. He did this repeatedly throughout his performance though he never refilled the jug--a trick within a trick--and when people would yell out from the audience where the water came from he'd grin and go "India." From Johnny Fox Aerrer, Tolkien, and I wandered for a bit. I think we might have grabbed lunch at that point, and then we walked about, Aerrer trying a variety of games and winning a token for a free soda, and Tolkien and I window browsed and admired all the things we couldn't afford. I also strove to stay away from the bag pipers there as it was Celtic weekend, and I don't care for the bagpipes that much. Half way through the afternoon I realized we were being stalked. By mimes.






So, after we ditched the mimes, we moved down to the Joust Area for the afternoon show, and I sat and held seats for Tolkien and Aerrer and watched the last half of the archery demonstration while he tried more games and she looked for water. It was brutally hot. Here are some of my best shots from the Joust which is for me, the highlight of the whole day.


There they are, all together and getting ready for a serious rumpus.

It was over 90 degrees in the shade that day, and each of these riders is wearing roughly 100lbs of armor, and guiding a heavy draft horse while hitting another knight with a long wooden club. Again, I was in awe. I kept holding my breath!


Did I mention that it was hot? And dry? I don't know how these modern knights did it, I was baking sitting in the bleachers and wearing my t-shirt and jeans!

Then, the jousting started in earnest, and the shots below are some of the best I think I've ever taken, they are the treasure that I took from the Festival this year. They made my being pretty much too poor to buy anything but a mug seem like not so bad a thing after all.All time favorite photo, I'm thinking of entering this one in some contests.

This one too, I like the light and the movement in it.


This one would have been another favorite if not for the dust! It was sooo dry!
Last one, I apologize to my readers with dial up, but I promise they are worth the wait. Now to hie me home for dinner, I've been at the library working and using the high speed connection that they have to get this all posted. Until I post again I remain as always your humble ~


Scribe

*Turkey Legs are in fact legs of turkey's

A Reveler's View

Tsk tsk tsk. No one posted, or no one knew that last quote. I am surprised, very surprised. I have all ways thought this particular saying, whether he acknowledged it or not, applied to one of his dear friends in the Inklings. Seeing how many Lewis and Tolkien fans I know, I assumed it would be an easier question to answer than the last one.

The quote is by Clive Staples Lewis known affectionately as C. S. Lewis, and I think it fits perfectly in the relationship he and another gentleman known by his initials shared.

I've done a lot of time traveling this week, first back to 1836 and yesterday I was in the 16th century doing my best to avoid irritating King Henry the VIII. Seeing as how I've made it home, you can safely assume that I managed to keep clear of his mercurial temper for yet another year. Here, take a peak and some of the sites I witnessed and tonight I'll try and post a fuller report!



"Fishing" for gentlemen







Really tall mimes, taking a break together.

Friendship is born . . .

At that moment when one person says to another,
"What! You too? I thought I was the only one!"


Yup the header's another quote! Bragging points/rights will be handed out to those who know who said it without looking it up! I'll tell who it is tomorrow! ;)

I was thinking today about friendship, and the fact that I am blessed to have several really close people I can say that about in my life. Two of them are writers (surprise surprise) and both of them are better at this craft than I.

One's mind runs so close to my own thought process it's not unusual for me to cry out at some point *out* during a discussion of characters and where a story the one of us is working on needs to go. *OUT* means 'get out of my head, and back into your own'. It usually leads to comments like 'no there are cheese curls in here yum!' or 'I'm not done bouncing on the couch yet' or 'only if I can take so-and-so with me' to which the answers are all ways 'no! I was saving the cheese curls for later' followed by 'stop bouncing on the couch' and 'No you may not take so-and-so because they are finally something more than a paper tiger.'

Anyway, this particular individual makes me work harder at my character building (something I have trouble doing) and pushes me to develop my worlds and draw maps and think about the environment the characters are going to inhabit> They beg to know more about the worlds/people/places and do not allow me to give up on a character or an idea merely because it's hard. They are the perfect audience, all ways wanting more, all ways demanding more, all ways pushing me to be better than before. Add to that a faith in Christ that kindles mine when it flags, a sense of confidence and poise that I know I lack, and a keen intellect that seeks out challenges where I fall back and you have one of the best gifts I have been given the privilege of calling friend. I'd put their name in here if I dared but their head is probably big enough as is and I don't want it to get any larger. It'd be terrible if they could no longer fit through the doorways or drive their car!

The other friend too has the keys to the back door of my mind and has blatantly walked in to snitch candy bars, pilfer the reading materials there and has on several occasion walked out with characters of mine and the T.V. remote. They also spur me on to better things, though instead of clamoring for information on what I am working on, they share their own and provoke me to jealousy so I run home and work on my story. They are the one that can quicker than anyone else, make me laugh at myself, at whatever nasty thing has happened to me that day, and prick me to remember that its' not all about me and it isn't all my fault when something goes horribly horribly wrong.

I don't know what sad state I would be in had I never met this dynamic pair, and thankfully I will never know!

So my challenge for you this week is to tell your friends (as I will ) that you are grateful for their friendship (in whatever non sappy way you can manage) and if you like, to share your thoughts on friendship where ever you blog.

Road Trip

Today I went back to the year 1834 and lazed in the fall heat near the Conoconcheaque Creek Aqueduct, watching the barges and mules, and the flicker of late afternoon sun through the thick green leaves.

Okay, so maybe I didn't make it as far back as 1834, but I was at the Aqueduct/canal and it really was cool. Now it's bike paths and hiking trails where once there were canals for barges but the stone work alone is amazing and the cicadas in the trees, the crunch of dry grass under ground, the feel of the wind worn stones made the day delightful. Take a look for yourselves.

Right there I'm on the dry canal, looking back to where you park. I fell in love with the building and its' reflection in the water. Ooh, backwards letters. Anyway, it's a cool shot.



That's the view standing on the old canal looking at the reservoir. It was hot out there today, not a breath of wind and ninety degrees in the shade, but really pretty too and green.


That is the top of the canal! On the left side of the walk way there, where the men and the mules would have trudged, is the river that divides MD from W.Virgina. To the right, roughly ten feet down is where the canal and the water would have been. The far side of the canal has rotted and fallen away into the stream that feeds into the river. So, originally there would have been a river running beside the canal, but the canal would have been raised over the water and filled with it at the same time. Okay, okay more pictures might make your heads stop hurting. Here we go:

There's the canal from as far back as I could get and looking at it from the left or river's side. See the rail? That's where the men and mules walked. See the arches? The water underneath is where the river and the stream flow into one another. ;) I never said canals were simple, just that this place is fun!

Okay, last picture, I promise. The wall to the left is where the men and mules would have walked and all that lovely grass, if I had been able to go back to 1834 would have been underwater. There would have been another wall on the right side where all the stones drop away, built the same height and that elevated trench would have served as an artery for all kinds of goods to come up and down to the different towns. It really was a wonderful day, and I needed it after yesterday.