Autum Rest

Mom took me out today.



I needed to get away. Away from computers.

And the internet.


And all the craziness at work, with coworkers and customers.


I needed to get away. Away from doubts, and fears, away from the sense of unrest that's been plaguing me. I'm glad I have a friend in my Mom, who can see that I'm worn down and need a respite.

But I have another Friend, one who offers rest even in the middle of my toil. One who offers a rest that settles in my bones even in the middle of toil. Today was a gift from Him, too. And so is this promise:

"...Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30 NASB

Character Developement Continues

I'm still in Character Development Land and my visa for the visit expired yesterday. *sigh* While the idea that I had yesterday is still good so far, it means creating yet another character who then needs to have interactions and a personality. You need to like them. Which means I suppose I should go and get my visa renewed before the paper tigers come and throw me in prison. I still feel like I'm 'wasting time' and not writing. Ugh. I wonder where this mindset came from? I'd really like to know because then I could return it and get my money back?

Write Moment

I stumbled across a word I didn't recognize yesternight, and being intrigued as to what it meant I looked it up in the dictionary. Now normally I'd tell you what it was and what it meant, but I'm not doing that. Why? Because my character mapping brain seized onto the word, what it meant and hey-presto an entire new character was created, a problem solved, and a plot point clicked into place. It is so gloriously, fantastically, unbelievably wonderful I'm kinda afraid the idea's not really that great and in a day or so it'll vanish away into ashes and smoke.

Hence, I'm not sharing. If it works out and plays out and I use it, I might. But right now I'm cuddling the idea, turning it over and over, and deciding if it's really strong enough to hold up and sharp enough to be used.

Anyone else have 'write moments' like that?

Curse of the Spider King Contest! First Quest-KNOWLEDGE ! Book Give Away Contest Runs from 9/26/09 to 10/15/09

Right, I promised before Sunday to have this up and so today I keep my word!
Every couple of days, I'm going to post a new quest or assignment that needs to be done. Each is going to have a deadline, and each is going to be worth so many points. The person with the most points at the end of the contest is the winner! Simple right?

Oh, c'mon guys, when have I ever let anything be simple? Simple is boring. Simple is easy. Simple doesn't require sacrifice on your part.

Knights and warriors of old when they went questing displayed their wisdom, their valor, and their heart. This is going to be a contest where you get to do the same.

Today starts the first of the three teasers I gave out earlier in the week, Homework. Not the kind that teachers, professors, or bosses give, the kind of homework I hope you'll really enjoy!

In Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper's books, there are all kinds of friendships that form; friendships between main characters, friendships between minor characters, and friendships between villains, etc. You job is to find friendships in the books, as many as you can, and then e-mail the results to me.

Each found friendship is worth 5 points.

In the e-mail you need to tell me the book, the names of the two characters that are friends, the page number where you discovered this, and a very short description of what you think of the friendship. Multiple friendship sitings can go into one e-mail, you don't need to e-mail me for each friendship found. My in-box would crash if you did.

Books eligible for use in this quest: The Door Within, Rise of the Wyrm Lord, The Final Storm, Isle of Swords, Isle of Fire, Rise of the Dibor, and The LionVrie. That's seven titles for you to have fun re-reading and romping through! If you only have one or two of the books they've written, scour the pages and grab up every last friendship nugget. I have a list of certain ones I'm looking for, but I also want to be surprised by the ones I didn't find!

THIS quest starts today 9/26/09 and ends 10/03/09.

Oh, and the e-mail address to send your finding to is everlastingscribe(at)hotmail(dot)com. Just change the words to symbols and send it my way.

==============
Here are the rules:

1.)If you are under 18 years old, get your parents permission before starting this contest.

2.) You must also be a legal resident of the United States or Canada to participate. (sorry guys, I can't afford to send it over seas)

3.) I (Michelle Black) am not affiliated with Thomas Nelson, Wayne Thomas Batson, or The Door Within series, Isle of Swords duology, Christopher Hopper, Tsaba House, or The White Lion Chronicles in any way. *whew*

4.) I (Michelle Black) am in no way responsible for lost, misdirected mail, or for damage in shipping of the prize to your house.

Scribe's Tired.

We had a great event tonight! I wasn't there even though I've been working my fingers off to promote it, but I was told it was fantastic!

Wooo!

For those interested, it was the Hoops of Hope (TM) event at the main store, featuring teen speaker and author Austin Gutwein. His book, Take Your Best Shot just released from Thomas Nelson (yeah, that's Wayne and Christopher's publisher) and we were his first book signing location. Go us. If Christ hadn't been for him however, it never would have happened. There have been SO many things that went wrong with this that I'm hoping all the gremlins are finished wreaking their havoc and Wayne and Christopher's event will sail along smooth as silk.

Hey, I can dream.

And, I've got another well-known author asking if we want to host an event with him on October 30th or 31st. *sob* That's two weeks after Wayne and Christopher.

I. Need. Rest.

Anywhoo, I haven't forgotten that you are all gnawing on each other's fingernails waiting to get started on The Curse of the Spider King contest, and I promise, it'll be up this week. So stop biting each other. :-D

The things listed above are some of the reasons why I'm being cagey. I need to have time to set up the contest, and set it up right, and right now, I don't know when I'll have it. I'm thinking Friday night into Saturday morning, but I just don't know.

To tide you over, check out these new things:

We have new posters for the signing-I made them last night. Did I mention being tired?


Yep, yep, there's the Dangerous Duo in the center. And they have long sharp metal pointy things. Mom like the leaves better than the spider webs we had up earlier. I dunno, I like the colors in both but I'm not a big spider fan. Oh, speaking of spiders, I moved the display in the small store up closer to the front now that we are a little under a month away. And guess who decided to add their own touches to it? UH-HUH. The arachnids.

Ugh. They just don't know when to quit. And yes, there are non-Hopper and non-Batson books on the display. If people would quit buyin em, I'd have a nice full display. But nooooo. So, I filled the holes with James Byron Huggins A Wolf Story(all-time favorite modern fantasy book), Robert Liparulo's The House of Dark Shadows-Dream House Kings Book 1, and Bill Meyer's Invisible Terror. That one is a compilation of several of his Forbidden Doors books, though I don't know which ones. But check out the helmet, I've had two co-workers comment on it. One was annoyed with all the cobwebs. I told them to talk to the arachnids. The other thought it looked cool. What about you guys? Over the top? Corny? Or eerie?

NEW CONTEST-COMING-THIS WEEK- THE CURSE OF THE SPIDER KING

I was asked by Noah, if the contest where you could get a book for you and one for your friend signed by Wayne would include The Curse of the Spider King when it came out.

The answer was, sadly, NO.

Why not, you ask?

Well because this contest has been in the works for some time.

That's right, I'm going to be running TWO contests at the same time. Not bad, right? I mean that's two opportunities to win some sa-ahweet prizes (signed books are always sa-ahweet prizes you have to pronounce it that way it's a law or something) for everyone who reads my scrawlings.

Some time this week I'm going to be starting the second contest---things have been a tad on the hectic side which is why Monday Musings got posted on Tuesday this week.

Want some hints as to what this contest is going to be like?

Well okay. . .

Friends are important.
Being willing to do your homework is vital.
Knowing things about the authors of The Curse of the Spider King will give you an advantage.

Keep checking back! I promise by Sunday of this week the second contest will be posted!

And, probably sooner.

Monday Musings on Tuesday

I'm still picking through my Bible's book of Daniel, and I'm really enjoying getting to know him. Here are some more interesting tidbits I've noticed about him.

1.) Daniel 2:24

Daniel didn't just look out for himself and for his friends, he looked out for all of his peers when their lives were in jeopardy.

He had compassion on the others that were in the same boat that he was, and extended the safety that he had in the LORD to them.

2.) Daniel 2:25-30

Daniel made certain that the king knew that the power he seemed to have came from the LORD and that the reason that the answer was given was so that the king could have clarity.

Daniel was definitely not looking to be a Babylon celebrity, he was happy to dwell in the shadow of Jehovah.

3.) Daniel 2:49

When Daniel was rewarded for telling the king what the LORD had revealed, he in turn shared the glory and position given to him with his friends.

They had stood with him, prayed and fasted with him, and Daniel made certain that they shared in the blessing with him.

4.) Daniel 3:19

Daniel genuinely cared for the king, and did not want harm to fall on him.

This was the man that turned his future upside down and inside out, and he cared for his enemy, he cared for Nebuchadnezzar to the point of pleading with him to change his ways and avoid the coming judgment.

5.) Daniel 5:17

Daniel gave Nebchadnezzar's son, Belshazzar, the meaning of the writing on the wall, but because of the way he mocked the LORD by using the things from the temple in lewd ways, he refused to be rewarded for it. Daniel's love of the LORD made him bold, and made him angry at the same time.

Find This Book

My copy is dog-eared and water warped, and it is the one book in my library that I will not lend not to anyone. Sadly, I'd lend my new Bible (notice I did not say my marked up, cried on, held when I had a really bad nightmare and needed something to hold while I crawled back into bed, Bible. I said NEW) before I'd let this sucker go. I know, it looks dated but really it's not, the copy right's 2000. Whoa, well okay so it's a tad on the old side. Anyway, the title is The Complete Writers Guide to Heroes & Heroines Sixteen Master Archetypes and it's by Tami D Cowden, Caro LaFever, and Sue Viders.

Unlike other books on character development, this one dissects different well known characters from books and movies (Han Solo, Rhett Butler, Atticus Finch, Captain Bly, Indiana Jones) and reveals what kind of archetype they are, and their strengths and weaknesses. I'll clift note their dissection of---

THE SWASH BUCKLER:

on the positive side he's FEARLESS, EXCITING, CAPABLE
on the negative side he's UNRELIABLE, FOOL HEARTY, SELFISH

And they outline each trait in great detail and give film examples:

Zorro,
Michael Douglas character in Romancing the Stone
Peter Pan
Brendan Fraiser in The Mummy.

So your brain goes 'ohhh' because you've probably seen one of their examples. But the really amazing thing is that they then show you what other archetypes the SWASHBUCKLER works best with, and against! And they also show you how to LAYER these archetypes so that you have what is known in the publishing industry as an EVOLVING character rather than a static one!

I can't emphasis enough how amazing this book is for anyone who is struggling with building dynamic characters or is terrified that they might have created a Mary Sue.

Here is the ISBN#: 9781580650243
Title : The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes & Heroines Sixteen Master Archetypes.
Author(s): Tami D Cowden, Caro LaFever, and Sue Viders.

The information on the SWASHBUCKLER was culled from pages 38-42 in The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes & Heroines Sixteen Master Archetypes.

Go find it. Libraries have it, used book stores have it, B&N has it, Borders, Books, and Music has it, Alibris has it. Find a way to get a copy of this book. Put it on your birthday list. Save your allowance. Budget your paycheck. Whatever you need to do, DO to get this book.

Scribe says so, that's why. ;)

Character Developement

When I was younger I loved developing characters. I'd sit there and web character points for hours, making up and discovering every last thing about of one of my paper tigers. I knew what the looked like, what they wore, what they were allergic to, what they feared, what they day dreamed about, their favorite color, least favorite animal. . .etc .. But somewhere along the line, it got hammered into my head that these were 'wastes' of time when I could be advancing my plot. So now, with a weekend ahead of my I sit with my blank Word Document open and watch the curser blink as I try and recapture the desire to know just what it is that makes my paper tigers tick.

Contest! 2-Book Give away!

Everyone who has read The Door Within knows how powerful the story can be to someone who is hurting.

Everyone who has read Isle of Swords understands how encouraging the tale can be when you feel lost, and "all at sea" in life.

Earlier today I had decided to run a contest where you could win a book for a friend, but nothing for yourself. My friends at work thought that was a little on the stingy side, and they stepped in! They said it wasn't right that the person entering didn't get a book too, and decided to sponsor the contest! So now the prize is a book for your friend, and a book for you.

To enter, you still need to go to the comment section and in 100 words or less, you need to tell us why a friend of yours (a friend that you know in real life, no on-line buddies, as cool as they can be) should get one of Wayne's books.


Helmet, box, and inkwell not included in prize, sorry guys.

The contest will run from September 17th to October 11th 2009. This gives me time to notify the winner and get the book to m'lord Batson to sign on the 17th. After the launch party, I'll take the books to the post office and pop them in the mail!

CONTEST RULES and DISCLAIMERS
----------------------------------------
1.)If you are under 18 years old, get your parents permission before starting this contest.

2.) You must also be a legal resident of the United States or Canada to participate. (sorry guys, I can't afford to send it over seas)

4,) You can only nominate ONE FRIEND. So in other words ONE entry per person.

5.) Multiple submissions by the same person will be disqualified.

6.) I (Michelle Black) am not affiliated with Thomas Nelson, Wayne Thomas Batson, or The Door Within in any way.

7.) I (Michelle Black) am in no way responsible for lost, misdirected mail, or for damage in shipping of the prize to your house.

All right guys, get thinking, get typing! You've got just under a month to go all out, like Jonathan did for David, and win you and your friend signed copies of Wayne's books.

Sneak another peak

Remember I told you to put on your artistic helmets and help me make some decisions about the props? You didn't think I'd find your artistic helmets, but I did and now I have another question to put to you long suffering fans.

Which looks better? Again, I'm going to use one of them just to have lying about, you need to help me pick the color though. The brown cloth is down on the counter just because I wanted something there. I still haven't decided. The box and the cup will likely be used too. I love my cup. Or is it a flaggon? No, that's not the write word. Chalice? Yeah, I think it's a chalice. Anyway, look at the helmets and help me decide which one to use. Remember the book is green, and the candlesticks are bronze-brown. So should I use this helmet?


Or should I go with this one?


Here they are together, from another angle.


Not a bad find for $1.00 a piece. I've all ready started using one.



Now you just wait, someone'll want to buy it. Everyone always wants my props. I usually wind up giving them to m'lord Batson to be used or given away as he wishes.

And you see what's creeping out onto the endcap? Uh-huh, books neither of these two dangerous individuals have penned. Why? Well because m'lord Batson's books keep selling and I need to fill the holes. Besides, I figured the guys don't mind giving a little bit of a boost to other authors who aren't selling as well as they are.

Ever Notice? Monday Musings Daniel Part 1

I've been reading and studying my Bible for years, and there are some stories I never get tired of reading, and there are others that I race through so fast I only have the vaguest of memories about them. Daniel and his dreams and prophecies fall into that category.

For the longest time, I've avoided reading the book of Daniel, even though the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abindigo, is one of my all time favorites. Part of the reason I've been skirting Daniel so much is because of all the people who have told me I must read it along with the book of Revelation because of what is happening in the world. Because of that, I really avoided Daniel.


Then three months ago, I bought a One Year Bible in Chronological Order. As much as I've read the bible, I've never read it all the way through, and I want to do that this year. I have been reading it every week and am on track for where I'm suppose to be. This week however, I flipped to Monday's reading and it was Daniel 1:1. I couldn't avoid it any longer.

This week I read Daniel, and you know what I found? I found lots and lots and lots of encouragement and patterns for people living in a world gone mad.

Here are some of the highlights:

1.) Daniel 1:1-4

Daniel didn't fight or protest his new future. He accepted it, and waited to see what The Lord would do for him.

2.) Daniel 1: 11-20

Daniel didn't take out his misfortune on those that were placed over him in his new life, instead he looked for opportunities to keep the Lords standards and be a witness.


3.) Daniel 2:12-16

Daniel didn't calmly accept catastrophe, he used his resourses and connections to fight against it.

4.) Daniel 2:17-18

Daniel drew first on the Lord, and then on the strength of his friends when standing against a seemingly impossible task.

5.) Daniel 2:19-23

Daniel praised the Lord for His help, taking time to honor the One that gave him the answers. He knew that what had been given him was the truth, before he spoke with Nebuchadnezzar.




Check back next Monday for the second part of my musings!

Sneak a Peak

All right, as promised I have pictures for you guys to see, but I'm not just going to have you take a sneak peak at some of the props that will be at the launch party, you're going to work! That's right, I had a lovely thought today when I was at Michael's (TM) picking up what I needed. I realised that there is all this untapped talent roaming around on m'lord Batson and Sir Hopper's site, and that I could put it to work!

(insert evil chuckle here)

And so, I want you to tell me which you think looks best. Give me suggestions, put your artistic helmets on (I know you all have them) and help me choose the lay out to make our bookstore look .. .like nothing on Earth.

To start, take a look at these:



These are the cool candle holders I found at Michael's (TM) today. Well, really I found them last week but I had to wait for the coupon I had to be valid. They didn't look like much in the store, until I stuck the cream-colored candles on top and tried to envision them wrapped up in cobwebs. I think they look great! Here's a close up look at the spiderwebs.





However I also have some of these (look close):



See the little fella in the lower left hand area? Here's the first question for all you fantastic fans:

What looks scarier? The cobwebs with spider or cobwebs without the spider?

Post in the comments and let me know.

Should I leave the candles with the spider?
Should I ditch the spider?
Should I add more spiders?


All right, and here's the second question. I was going to use the brown cloth you seen underneath the candle sticks fora table cloth at the signing, because the book cover looks like this:



The green of the book cover will really "pop" off the bronze-brown of the cloth. But, now that I have the candles, they'll blend in to the bronze of the cloth. I have some green fabric down in the basement that looks like this:





See the difference? Now the brown-copper of the candlesticks really stands out against the green, but the book will blend (somewhat) into it again. And the candle sticks blend into the bronze-brown of the cloth, but they stand out more against the green. You'd be surprised at how much these little things mean in a staged area.

So, what do you like better?

Candlesticks on the bronze-brown?
Candlesticks on the green?


Oh, and one more thing. Whatever could these be?

Well the day definitely could have been better. I managed to laugh through most of the rough stuff (not rudely laugh, but laugh it off) but now that I'm home and the day is over, I feel like I should just sit down and shut up.

Some of my words were taken out of their context today and in so doing, were used to make what I hope is a tempest in a teapot. But it meant extra stress on several people who were totally innocent of wrong doing, and it hurt me. It hurt that my words could be so bent from the original purpose as to cause harm when they were intended to encourage.

It just hurts.

I hurt tonight, Jesus.

And I didn't mean for any of this to happen.

Spatterings, Part 2

I could not make this stuff up. It really is stranger than fiction. Here's the other half of the story from earlier today.


So, after not having a particularly restful night, I go into work cranky.

Yes yes, go ahead and feel bad for my poor coworker. I feel bad for her.

Anyway, after doing a few maintenance type things in the store like ordering books, talking to customers, ringing sales, and filling holes in displays where people have bought things, I slipped to the back room, and pulled up the information in the computer so I could call Thomas Nelson and make sure that my paranoid little self was just being paranoid. I'd been feeling like I should call anyway, even though the boss-lady assured me that she'd bulked up the order with TN and that I didn't need to worry over the books.

Let me tell you, I felt like an idiot of the first order (a paranoid idiot) as I sat there at the desk listening to the phone burring as I waited for the rep to pick up. I decided that I'd be honest with her (Her name's Paula and she's really nice) and when she told me everything was as it should be, I'd just apologize and say that I was jumping at shadows. Paula wasn't there. I left a message, felt more like an idiot, and went about my day.


~'~


Not The End.

Yeah, the story's not over yet. Here's where it gets interesting

Paula called back. We chit chatted a little bit, I hammed it up so that she was smiling into the phone as she checked on the status of our order, and then her tone changed. Here's how the conversation went:

"I'm only showing 4 of The Curse of the Spider King on order for His Way." Paula said slowly.

"WHAT" I choked into the phone "But boss-lady bulked up the order! She said she bulked up the order WEEKS ago"

"You are one of the launch stores, right? Having this signing?" Paula mused.

"Yeah, us and B&N down the street, they're going to be there on Friday. We follow on Saturday so it'll be a smaller bunch of people I'm thinking. But more than FOUR" I said, pieces beginning to slip together in my mind. "I've pre-sold eight copies all ready. I need more than FOUR."

"Well, I can take the order now" Paula said and I told her I'd call back. I needed to talk to the boss-lady.

Not The End.

~`~

Oh no, there's more. This is where it starts to get good.

I called the boss-lady, who was taking some personal time to be with her family.

"Uh, boss-lady I called Thomas Nelson, and um, we only have 4 of The Curse of the Spider King on order with them." I waited as the cell phone crackled, only to have the boss-lady yelp and then say darkly that the order should have been more than that. Much, more than that. Someone had dropped the order.

It happens, it happens more than it should, really. In fact we've been having issues all week with things being dropped from orders and we're in the middle of a catalog. But the boss-lady didn't hesitate.

"Get into the computer in EC and get our road rep's number, call Gary, do this right, I want him to get the credit for the sale."

"Yessem" I said, and sighed as she hung up, my head still swimming with half wonder and half doubt.

So, I called EC and got Gary's (another really nice guy) cell phone number and bothered him about it. Gary is now working on getting us the books that we need for the signing.

And the kicker with all of this? *THIS* week is the last week we could have solved this problem, comfortably.

So, I don't think I was paranoid. I don't think that I was listening that well to the Holy Spirit either. He was nudging me to call, and discover this. When I kept being distracted, well, He had to raise His voice and I got to dream an interesting dream three times in a row.

The wondering wild part is that He cares. Christ cares that I not look like an idiot at a signing with no books, He cares that the fans coming to the event have a chance to get the books that they want. And more important He cares about the story that Christopher and Wayne have created, and the themes embedded in it. He cares enough about their work, to make sure that they have a chance to share it in a little town in Maryland.

The End--almost. For all of you who read this, I would ask that you pray. Pray specifically for Wayne and Christopher and the people they are going to meet on the 16th and 17th of October. Friday night is going to bedlam for them; they're at Barnes & Nobles and all of Wayne's students will be popping by I'm sure to pick up their copies and meet him and Christopher and have a rousing good time.

Saturday, our launch day is going to be quieter. For one, we're following a signing at Barnes & Nobles which is our largest competitor, and for another we have the authors in the store for a shorter period of time.

I'm thrilled that they're coming, I'm the one grinning ear to ear when I tell the fans about it, but logically, it's going to be much smaller than Barnes & Noble's event.

I don't care.

Why don't I care?

Because at smaller events, Wayne and Christopher get to talk to and minister to their fans. Barnes & Noble is going to be noise and lines and laughter, His Way is going to be laid back and more intimate.

I truly believe that the shenanagins that have started, have started for a reason. Our Enemy isn't happy about something that is going to happen on the 16th and 17th. I'm sure the staff at the B&N down there are being harassed. They just don't know it. ;)

Pray for Christopher--pray that he be rested, pray that he have just the right word to speak at just the right time.

Pray for Wayne--pray that he be refreshed, pray that he have ears to hear and eyes to see that night and that whatever appointments that the Lord has set up for these two and those coming to meet them happen.

Pray that they don't lose their voices.
Pray that they don't lose their luggage
Pray that their families are blessed and safe (Our Enemy doesn't play fair)
Pray that they have fun too
Pray that they have time to eat
Pray that they stay healthy

In short, pray. Pray now. Pray often. And don't stop.

~Scribe

Splatters

So last night I kept dreaming that we had the signing at work, and Christopher was there and Wayne and lots and lots of fans, but no books. Some snag at Nelson had twisted things up and I had lots of people who had pre-bought the book and other who had come down from upper state New York to support Christopher who wanted to buy books and we had none. *Ugh* it was not a nice dream and it was the kind that won't let you go? You know, the kind that just keep cycling back and you only half wake up and you're still dreaming the same dream?

So, I'm going to call Nelson when I get to work today and make sure that the books ordered arrive on time for the signing. My boss had them on order anyway and was just going to 'beef up' the amounts for the signing and I need to make sure that TN knows that we are doing a signing on the 17th.

It's amazing how many things need to be checked when we do a book signing. TN is one of the best publishers to work with for prices, shipping, and speed on an event, but everything has to be in place for it to work. One little thing out of place, and you have disaster. I don't want disaster. I don't want my dream to become reality.

I mean CH and WTB were doing their best in my dream to prevent a riot. They were hamming it up and promising to sign books when they came in and taking pictures with their fans, like the good guys they are, but I was ready to melt into the floor, change my name, and go to Australasia to learn underwater basket weaving. So, when I get in to work, I'm calling TN and making sure all the links are where they should be, and that should make the dream just a dream.

In other news, I had a cool thought about my character who is a courier. He gets roughed up and thrown around because people don't like the messages that he carries. You know the old saying "Don't shoot the messenger" well in his case, they do. And I can tie that in to the whole spiritual side of things with Aram who is my sage/prophet character who also gets kicked around alot because people don't like the message that he's bringing either. So, I'm happy. :)

Infestation

You know, at work we try to keep on top of the dust bunnies, cobwebs, and general dirt and grime that can infest a store. Buuut. . something out of the ordinary is going on back in the youth fiction section .



The webbing is very fine, almost like cotton candy .. .but the ones that are laying it down. . .ah ..

they are definitely not carnival barkers or candy booth workers or ah. . anyone I want to make friends with anytime soon. There are lots of them, and I swear I heard them laughing as they moved up and down, spinning out their ultra fine netting. Just look!


The Rise of the Wyrm Lord's cover is ominous enough without the . . .ah. . .visitors adding their own special touches. Christopher's Rise of the Dibor may have frightened them a bit, I mean it does have a gentleman wearing armor on the cover. I don't think they like people much. They hissed when I was taking these photographs.

I didn't know that spiders could hiss. Or chuckle, or make any noises at all. These I'm thinking aren't from . . .around here. I wonder why in the world we've been targeted? Jerry's next door doesn't have a spider problem, and Fast Frame hasn't reported any issues either. But look!



They just won't leave this endcap alone! I wonder. . I wonder why they are so upset and determined to deface our property back here in the youth fiction section. Everywhere else is fine.




Ohhhhh. Maybe that's why? Somehow they found out about the signing and the pre-buy deal and this is their way of protesting? Or maybe they're trying to frighten folks away? But, apparently they weren't the only ones that decided to drop by for a bit. Look what else I found today. Wonder who left it behind.

Off To Work Riddled

Someone told me yesterday at work that they found I had a genuine heart, and that they loved the way that I was positive and upbeat and found the best way to look at hard circumstances, and genuinely found me to be a lover of Christ.

My heart was down in the bottom of my shoes while this person sang my praises. And I have no doubt that they meant to build me up and to encourage me, I'm positive that was their desire.

In actuality, it did the opposite. I kept thinking "If you only knew, if you only could see all the crap inside me, all the doubts and fears, but you can't. If you only knew what my thought life was like, or how many times I sin during the day, you'd see that I'm more of a hypocrite than anything else."

So it's the next day and I'm off to work again riddled with insecurities and doubt with my self esteem somewhere down around my ankles. I really wish I knew why that hit me the way it did.

Maybe because I really do want to be what she sees, and in my heart, I know I'm not.

*Sigh*

Rejoice with those who are Rejoicing

I love working where I do for a variety of reasons, but today, today I love it because of the customers who came in and talked with me.

One, came in to tell me that the man she'd been dating had told her that he definitely saw her as more than a 'perpetual girlfriend' but that there were some obstacles he needed to take care of before they became man and wife. I'm not going to go into the details here but I about leapt through the roof, yelping for sheer joy.

I've watched this lady go through all kinds of hell, and I've watched her draw closer to Christ, I've watched her depend on Him and rely on Him and give up things I'm not certain that I could give up if I were here. I've watched her die to herself, and struggle to live for Him. She's not perfect, but Jesus shines through the cracked bits of herself in really loving ways. And to hear her good news made me want to do cartwheels!


The second good news of the day was that a family that I've gotten to know and be rather fond of for several years now, is no longer going to have their father/husband on the other side of the world! His job took him to Hong Kong and other places and now, he's coming HOME and he isn't going to be scattered to the four corners of the Earth! I did jump up and down on that one a bit. Just a little bit. Lots of rejoicing done today.

And the cricket is still in the fireplace. I'm pretty sure it's male, I don't think females fiddle. Play on, little buddy! Play on! It's time to make joyful noises.

I Have Paint On My Hands

And while this isn't technically news worthy, I thought I'd blow the dust off this blog and start popping thoughts down here while I'm doing other things this week.

Oh wow, there's a cricket in the fireplace. Dude, I bet that he or she is having the time of their little insect life, the acoustics in there are really wild.

Huh? What? Oh, focus, you wanted me to say something cohesive here? But there's a cricket in the fireplace. Right, cohesive.

So I'm gearing up for another book signing at His Way, which is why I have paint on my hands. I don't randomly smear paint on my fingers, all though I do like the way paint feels on my skin.

This will be the ninth one that I've done, no, no I think it might be the tenth. Wow, that's sad that I can't remember whether it's the ninth or tenth signing that I've done. Anyway, I've done quite a few. They are always exciting and stressful, and before this one I've always set aside all my own writing time and done what I wanted to do for the signing, and then come back to my writing when everything's all over.

I'm not doing that this year. This year, it's writing first, props and other things second. Part of it is because I've got a feeling that it's going to be a smaller turn out than in years previous, and part of it is because Wayne and Christopher are gentlemen and will be grateful for whatever it is that I come up with for their event. It's nice to feel "broken in" with authors and not have to worry about impressing them or impressing my boss. I also think it might have something to do with the fact that the things I've chosen to highlight are a little easier to create than in years past.

Whatever the reason, I can smile as I look down at the paint on my hands and know that whatever time I have left in the day is for goofing off with friends. My writing time was completed and I made progress on my projects.

Life tonight, is sweet. Both for me, and for the cricket in the fireplace.