Bryan Davis Signing!

Yay! We are about to go live with Bryan Davis at His Way Christian Bookstore In Ellicott City MD!

Click here to tune in for all the fun!

The Properly Dressed Archer

So far I've told you about  the laws governing archery, and some of the amazing things that archers did with the longbow or from the back of a horse. Today, I'm going to show you what the well-armored archer sported to keep themselves safe from the enemy. Now all that I'm going to show you an archer would have worn atop his tunic, hose, boots, and regular clothing. Layers in medieval warfare equaled protection, and an archer who lost an eye or was wounded in the arm was no good to anyone, except their enemies.

Starting at the top, they usually had an open-faced helmet to protect their head from incoming fire. Yes, the other side usually had archers too,  and then there were catapults to worry, about not to mention falling debris if they were in a building.

For further protection, some archers wore a maile Aventail that attached to the sides and back of their open helmet. This gave their cheeks and neck added defense against arrows and debris that might other wise have injured them. 

Over their torso (that's from just under the neck to just below the hips also referred to as the trunk of a person some times) the archer wore a Padded Gambeson or Aketon . Unlike the flowing garb of lords and knights, an archer always had tight fitting (and sometimes removable) sleeves whether on the battle field or wandering around the Keep. Flowing sleeves wouldn't keep a knight from wielding a sword, but flowing sleeves on an archer's tunic made him worse than useless.

Over the Padded Gambson, if he could afford it, the archer wore one last item, a shirt of small-ringed maile. The smaller the rings of maile, the more expensive the shirt, but also the more protection the archer could get out of it.  Smaller rings = less damage a weapon could do to the one wearing it.









Why all the talk of armor today? Well I wanted to make certain that in praying for Christopher and Wayne, that all of you archers were well covered and protected in the armor we've been given. Here's the armor we have in Christ:

Ephesians 6:10-18 NLT

"A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. ¹² For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. ¹⁴ Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. ¹⁵ For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. ¹⁶ In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil ¹⁷ Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
 ¹⁸ Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.<sup>"


Now, I don't want you to pray for believers everywhere, that's not what your assignment is today. No, Archers, today, I want you don your armor, the set outlined above, and to fire prayers off not only for Christopher and Wayne but also for each other,  today. 

Had a bad week? Let us know in the comments. Want prayer for something specific? Put it down there in the comments. Whatever you want to share (and you can email me or one another if you don't want to stick it out for all to see) share here, and we will pray for you.


Part of the Roman's fighting style was for in the midst of battle one warrior to wheel around and put his back and shoulders to one of his friends. Fighting that way put someone else's strength where his weakness was, and put his strength where that other person's weakness was.

So trade weakness for strength, and cover one another this day, in prayer.</sup>

Archers ready for arrow sprints?

According to the research of  the Archers of Ravenwood (the ladies and gentlemen who shoot demonstrations at the Maryland Renaissance Festival ) an English archer of average proficiency could fire 12-15 arrows a minute with the long bow. That works out to roughly  one arrow every 4-5 seconds. And that's an  average archer, not someone who was top of their class.  And there's more.

Not only were the longbow men  fast they were accurate, hitting targets the size of a man from over 200 yards away.

To give you an idea of distance, American football fields are 120 yards.

So an average English longbow men could  string arrows and fire them at a target at the end of a football field striking it 12 time in one minute without breaking a sweat.

That would be one dead target.

What does all this have to do with today's prayer assignment?

I'm glad you asked :-D

Tomorrow, Christopher and Wayne will be visiting:

Indian River Middle School  in the afternoon,
and then in the evening, from  4pm to 7pm EST (and probably longer, the poor guys never get out on time)  they are going to be at:

Borders
Salmon Run Mall
Watertown NY



Aaaaand knowing those two, there are probably drive-by signings that will happen and other things they may add in as they run around New York. 

Let me tell you just those two events make for one long day.

So, archers at the ready? Here are some things to pray specifically for as they head out into this long day of fun and ministry:

For heath, that they not get sick or be afflicted with coughs and sniffles.
For rest, that they get a good night sleep and be well rested in the morning
For peace, that they not be caught in traffic or in any way get diverted away from their destinations unless Christ is doing the diverting.

For fellowship with those holding the events and the fans that attend.

Sometimes in these big settings people feel unimportant and lost waiting in line, and then  because of the volume of people, there's hardly any time when they get up to the table to actually meet the author(s) they came out to see.

When I was at B&N for one of the Isle of Swords events, everyone around me was angry and upset because of the long line. That all chanced however when young boy in front of me started asking me about my favorite bits in the book and we got to talking and laughing and sharing. Soon he had nearly everyone around us talking about their favorite parts in the book and the ENTIRE mood of the line where I was, changed.   That's all it took. One fan and his gregarious outlook,  and what could have been a nasty experience was turned into a time of fans and readers having FUN while we waited.

Guess what I was doing before the youngblood turned around and started talking my ear off? I was  praying like mad. Guess what other Christians in line were doing when they saw the same thing happening they were? They were  praying like mad.

How do I know?

Because as the event broke up and I collected my camera and other stuff (like my borrowed brother Christian) I ran into a woman that I knew and she confessed that she was amazed at the turn out. And when the mood had started to go sour, she just started praying.  And it wasn't St. Petersburg prayers either, she told me. It was Jesus, help! Help help help.  And He did. And it was turned into an amazing time.

We, archers, can't be there to stand in line and make goofy faces at Christopher and Wayne, but we can pray. And it is needed, it is vitally needed.  So, arrows on string, pull back, and let your prayers fly straight and true.

Want more on archery from some really awesome people? Head over here:

Archers of Ravenwood

A Parthian Shot

Well done Archers! Keep praying, as now Christopher and Wayne have only a handful of hours before the fun and frenzy begin!

For those that have been nudging and nosing about the event with Bryan Davis, we might well have a web cast thanks to Connie, she and I are in the process of working that out. Keep checking back here for details!

Now back to Christopher and Wayne.

I came across more interesting factoids about archery this morning and they determined the direction of this next post. Most of you probably all ready know about the Parthian Shot, but for those that don't, here's what it is:

It is the shot fired while the archer feigns retreat. The Parthians perfected this and in battle would act as if they were running away and then fire as the opposing army pursued them. This was done from the back of a horse, so that the archer was riding foreword while looking back and causing damage to the enemy.

I didn't have a whole lot of time to dig up the facts on the Parthians or the phrase but you can check out the wiki and see what it has to say if you want to learn more. What I was interested in was the whole 'riding one way and firing the other' which is rather incredible.

In that same way, today I'm going to ask those that are all ready praying ahead for Wayne and Christopher's signing, to 'turn in the saddle' and fire off a volley of arrow prayers for their families while at the same time, still praying for the signing.

That's right, I want you to fire your prayers foreword, and in reverse. I know that you archers are up for the challenge!

Archers and Marksmen. . at the Ready

The English Long Bow has a vast history, enough for this curious scribe to dig up some facts on it as I keep comparing prayer warriors to archers. Sorry if anyone here prefers the cross bow, I'm a long-bow fan and have been since I saw the archers at the Renaissance Festival three years ago.

To start with, there were laws governing archers and archery in England. One document of interest is The Assize drawn up in 1252AD at the behest of King Henry III. In that grouping of early law, it stated that all free men who owned land worth between 40-100 shillings had to acquire bows and become proficient with them.

In 1285 King Edward I extended this in the Statute of Winchester to say that every free male who had income less than 100 pence had to obtain a bow and they had to practice on Sundays and holidays and be ready to stand up for the king if he had need of their skills. *

The King ordered all men of a certain rank and class, to be prepared to do battle and to fight with him should the enemy attack.

Hmmm. That sounds kind of vaguely familiar in a way. Lettsee. . .

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT

¹⁶" Always be joyful. ¹⁷ Never stop praying. ¹⁸ Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus"

The italics are mine. But unlike King Edward I and King Henry III, the edict of this Eternal King comes with some pretty wild promises. Look here:

Matthew 15:19-20

"I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything that you ask, My Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three are gathered together as my followers, I am there among them."

Luke 11:5-10 NLT

"Then, teaching them more about prayer He used this story: 'Suppose you went to a friends house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him ,'A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit and I have nothing for him to eat.' And suppose that he calls out from his bedroom, 'Don't bother me. The door is locked for the night, and I and my family are all in bed. I can't help you.' But I tell you this---though he won't do it for friendship's sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need for your shameless persistence. And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

You fathers---if your children as for a fish do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him."

Pretty wild stuff. Now, we could get into a discussion about how some prayers take longer to be answered, and some go unanswered all together, but that's not what I want to do right now. If enough people express interest, I'll create a separate place so that we can discuss those things. Right now, I want you to put arrow to string, and pray.

When Wayne came in to sign a book for one of his fans, I asked him to give us ONE THING to pray for throughout the week. ONE THING.

He thought for a moment and then asked if we would pray that he and Christopher have TIME to write together. They have deadlines for Nelson, they have deadlines in their own fields, and they have all kinds of things that the want to do with their families, that they need to do for their families, and TIME is in short supply.

Now both of these gentlemen are extremely disciplined, I know they aren't goofing off.

They just would like a storm of arrows, to flash over their heads as they settle down to do what the Lord has called them to do, write.

Archers ready? Put bolt to string, and let your prayer fly on their behalf.





* Taken from Disputed Pleasures :Sports and Society in Preindustrial England by Thomas S. Henricks, P. 56

Walks, Wanderings, and Words

*Whew* it's been a busy weekend here for me! I had a friend's wedding to attend on Saturday, and today I've been catching up on laundry and life in general. Also, for whatever reason, my keyboard has scratches on it and its' created a rough spot where my wrist rests against the board. That constant irritation seems to be summing up my life this past week. What I wanted to do, I couldn't do for various reasons. Then the things that I didn't want to do, I nerved myself up to do, and got them done though I was unhappy in the doing of them.

At least now, they are over.

In short, I am tired, cranky, and not in any way ready for Monday.

But the wedding was awesome!
May Christ bless and keep the both of them (AJ and Jessica) now and forever more!

Check back on Monday when I'm not so cranky, and you'll find the beginning of the Arrows on String for Christopher and Wayne's next book signing, and all the fun facts on the Prep for Bryan Davis' signing on October 31st!

Scribe.

Calling All Warriors! Scribe is Starting to oil Her bowstring and Notch Arrows

Hey all. Christopher and Wayne are going to have at least three signings/events in New York in the next two weeks (towards the end of the month) you can go to Wayne's blog and get the exact dates.

What I am going go do here, is start running a prayer log. I'm starting my prayers now for a very simple reason: I know what it's like to run an event and all the gremlins that pop up along the way.

Not only am I going to be praying for Wayne and for Christopher, but for their families, the staff at the stores, the families of the staff at the stores, etc etc etc.

There's a small army involved in getting an event together no matter where it's held. Someone has to set up chairs, someone has to decorate, someone has to order the books, and lots of people have to talk themselves hoarse telling others about the events.

They need prayer.

Those that don't know the Lord and are involved in the events could have a holy curiosity aroused about the Gospel through our prayers for their salvation, those that know the Lord and serve Him and are involved in the events will come under attack and would love our prayers flashing bright and beautiful before Him on their behalf.

I thought it would be really cool if those who were going to pray anyway (remember Wayne asked for your swords a while back? This is why he wanted them) set down their prayers here. It's neat to do that and then go back and see how Christ answered them later on.

I did this back in 2007 with the Fantasy Four Fiction Tour and it was amazing how many people prayed in advance of events and then God moved in mighty ways. Having the record of the prayers before and then the things that happened after was an amazing faith-booster for me.

Now, when I say set your prayers down here, I don't mean that they have to be perfect (if you wait to pray perfectly you will never pray) and I don't mean that they have to be eloquent (usually the less-eloquent the prayer the more power it has) they just have to be from the heart.

Shy? Don't want to write your prayers here? Don't know how to pray? Want to help but are uncertain how to start? Well, then just agree with someone else in prayer. That's how I learned.
The most important thing is to pray. Jump in and get your feet wet, and know that there is no wrong way to pray to the Lord.

In conclusion (because I've rambled all over the place) I'm starting a prayer log here for the Dangerous Duo's next events and you're welcome to join me either by leaving your own prayers here for others to see and agree with or by reading what's here and agreeing with it. But it's time, warriors and scouts, to get arrow to string and get the prayer bolts winging ahead of them.

One last thing: In the middle ages, several documents that survived to the present mention battles that involved archers. One describes the sky full of bolts that fell so thick and fast it appeared to be snowing.

Snowing deadly bolts, because the archers had the high ground and they weren't going to let the invaders come to harm those they loved.

I would love to see the skies ahead of these events thick with prayer arrows, so thick that to the Enemy it looked as if it were snowing.

~Scribe

Two Book Give Away Winner Announced!

Due to some pressing family issues, the judges who were slated to make a determination regarding this prize are no longer the judges. In other words, they were greatly moved by the presentations of everyone working hard to see that their friend got a book to either encourage them in their faith or to sneak the gospel in through the back door via Wayne's books, but they are throwing the decision back to me.

Begin trembling now. No, I've all ready reached my decision, and boy howdy was it a hard one.

However, the winner of the two-book give away is:

Kayla! For her camper/friend nomination of Tayshia

Kayla, when you see this, e-mail me at everlasingscribe(at)hotmail(dot) com with your snail-mail address as well as who each book is to be personalized to, and I'll get them signed and in the mail as quickly as I can.

Congratulations Kayla!

I Know Why the Angels Dance Interview Up At His Way's Blog!

So there are no points involved, you don't get any prizes, and you might, just MIGHT find that reading the interview makes you come up to the store on Saturday October 31st from 12:00pm-3:00pm when you weren't planning on doing so.

HOWEVER I thought I should tell you that Bryan's interview was amazing and you can read it HERE.

Pictures from the COTSK Signing

That's right, it's exactly what it said up there. Pictures of the signing. Hold on to your hats (or helmets) and prepare to be amazed!



This is what the back wall looked like thanks to Caitlin's genius and some willing spiders:


So that's what it looked like as you walked up to the table and then this:



This was behind the guys, look at all the spiderwebs *shudder* and oh yeah, the LOVELY GREEN BOOKS THERE. LOOK AT EM. LOOK AT HOW MANY ARE THERE. SCADS OF EM. SCADS AND SCADS AND SCADS. It's a shame that you can't reach into the photograph and pluck them out.

I mean really, see? Four deep. We had 96 to start with and we sold 45. Uh-huh. And we had Wayne and Christopher sign 20 more so we'd have em on hand. I sold 2 of the 20 in Eldersburg today. Should have had em sign 40. Ah well.

This was the stack at the back counter, and yeah, that's the helmet from EB. People kept coming and buying, and coming and buying, and coming and buying. That's what we want to see at a signing, you know. :-D I had to refill this display 4 times while I was back there. That's not a complaint.






















Aaaaand those were the books that I was working on for WEEKS before the event.

In a fit of artistic dictatorship I conscripted my Mom, who is an artist in her own right, and she helped me finish them, bringing the insides to life (sadly I didn't take pictures of the insides) and keeping me from melting down when the BLUE BOOKS decided to be a problem child. Oh, that was a nasty book/box. We had an ongoing battle of wills, it and I, involving glue sticks, brown paper patches, sticky glazes, and wear along the spine. The red book was a model project that practically made itself.









This is the most awesome helmet that they brought along, I don't know if it's Wayne's or Christopher's but it is cooool.









For those who remembered the earlier posts where I was debating what table cover to use, I did go with the copper brown and I did use the trick of printing the book cover and trying it against the different fabrics. It really looked amazing with the green books propped up against it.






Then people started drifting in, and Wayne and Christopher were delighted to greet this little maid who was a bit on the shy side.







Until. . . .










Someone introduced her to steel. And then, right there in the store, a sword maiden was created. The boys look a little worried, for a reason. She BONDED with the blade.









However, before anyone could taste her cold blade, more fans showed up!



I know. They look so attentive and calm don't they? The photo is SO misleading. Please. Please I am BEGGING you. You HAVE to come and see these two at an event. Church-School-Store, it doesn't matter. You HAVE to see them in PERSON. They only thing that is quicker than their swords is their wit, and when you SEE them like this, it's like seeing thoroughbred horses in the gate before a race. The energy is just crackling over them, waiting to be released in all sorts of ways. Don't believe me? All right. Take a look at. . . .THIS:




Wayne is under attack! Christopher is heroically rescuing him!

Um.

Or he is villainous attacking him. There were lots of spiders going places and hitting things like authors. And books. And one decided to go . ..



back to the spider whisperer. The guys were definitely having fun. I fed them sugar.

Lots of sugar.

By the way, bottled water and hard candy are a MUST if you are going to be hosting the duo.

Wayne was struggling to keep his voice the latter part of the night, and the candy helps because they can pop a piece in and let it met to coat their throats. He had cough drops too. They had a long signing the night before at B&N and the weather was so nasty that night. I was surprised they held onto their voices the whole night.

Water is the number one must have for any author at a signing but it's hard to get it to them because, they tend to get pinned in behind the table and can't get out to get bottles. Thankfully our staff kept bringing it out for them.

They really were grateful.

But despite the rough throats and the fatigue that was gnawing on them they sang a song that they are working on getting into the book trailer (Christopher has more details on that) which was a huge hit with the audience:





















Yes, Christopher is a multi-talented gentleman, skilled in the art of the "quick change" (And also they sang it twice for us--a double blessing ;) ) Then, it was back to the awesome insanity of the signing!


There were more spiders!








And more sword bearers!




















And, more swords. Some, the sign-able kind:




And there were fans.






Lots









And lots


















And lots of fans.










Which meant that we (the staff) had to be patient, and had to wait for:


The REAL fun to begin! Oh yeah, SWORD FIGHT BETWEEN AUTHORS.



SCHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIINGGGGGGGGG!


CRUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNNCHHHHHHHHHHH


CHING CHING SCHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING.

Most. Awesome. Sword fight. Ever.


And that, is how we end Author Signings At His Way.

;)

Hope you guys enjoyed a peek here at what went on!

NOW GO AND SEE THEM.

COTSK CONTEST UPDATE BOOKS-AWAY

The Books Are AWAY!


Yup, Mom mailed em for me today while I was at work. They should arrive within 1-3 days warriors and shield maiden, so let me know if they don't. There's not a lot I can do. . .but I'll be praying that they get to you all safe and sound. Right now, it's up to the US MAIL.

Hmmm Something's not right here. . .

COTSK RECOUNT

It was brought to my attention by MillardtheMK that indeed the poor soldier had been shortchanged for his work in the lists. He has appealed to the Marshall of the Lists, and a decision has been rendered in his favor. Please see revised stats.

MillardtheMK=15,500 (not the previous 7,000)

Noah=9,000(because of Melissa's generous heart)

Melissa=2,100 (because of Noah's chivalrous nature)

Now, Millard being the strategist that he is, has things bouncing about under his dragon-crested helmet, I would encourage Noah and Melissa to track the Millard (yes, he is his own group/type) and see what he is up to.

COTSK UPDATE 10/15/09

Noah=9,000 points (given by Melissa Rose who got reviews of the Door Within up everywhere! Go Melissa!)

MillardtheMK=7,500

Melissa Rose (who had none, and then Noah gave her his, and then she turned around and gave him her points)=2,100

COTSK IN PERSON!

Okay, well not really in person because it's a book. But you can't say in-book. I don't know why. . anyway, the books arrived at our store on Tuesday and look how lovely they are! Though I do have a bit of a dilemma. . .




Do I put it with Christopher's books?

(yes yes, that is MY bookshelf at home. I know you are all frothing and foaming with excitement. I'll wait a minute while you go mop that up.)










Or, do I put it with Wayne's books?

It looks nice either place and at the store it'll get set with Wayne's books because he's the first author listed. I think that's pretty much store policy wherever you shop. Co-authored books go by the first author listed in the inventory and on the shelf. So part of me wants to go and set COTSK with Christopher's books at home because I'll see it next to Wayne's books at work. Hmmmm











Oh, and yes, I am reading it. And yes, it is wonderful. Amazing. I could say more. . .but men with long sharp metal pointy things will be seeing me on Saturday and . . .well if I give things away .. .I might come home with more holes in me than I left having. . .after all, that's what long sharp metal pointy things are designed to do. So. ..you tell me where I should shelve the book, and I'll go back to my reading of it.

COTSK UPDATE

Noah has decided to hand his hard-fought points to Mellisa Rose. So he falls behind, and she forages ahead!

MillardtheMk=7,500

Melissa Rose=2,100

Noah= 0

As I said before, ANYTHING can happen in this part of the contest. ;) Nicely done, Noah.

COURAGE STATUS UPDATES FOR CONTEST

Nicely done Noah! I am stoked and impressed! Major courage there, my young warrior friend! That gets you 2,000 points!

Noah=2,050 points

MillardtheMK=7,500 points

Melissa Rose =50 points

Now shield bearers and archers, here's where things get interesting: You can give or surrender all, some, or none of your well earned points to one another. This is a 'from your heart' thing, as Jonathan stooped to allow David to rise, so you can if you choose stoop to bring one who is below you, higher in the contest.

I am going to extend the COURAGE part of the contest longer--right up until the 15th of October at 5:00pm (I have to have time to notify you that you WON and you need to tell me how the gentlemen are to sign your book).

That's TWO MORE DAYS to write reviews and talk to bookstores and libraries to amass points.


Questions? Disputes? Want to randomly annoy me? (not recommended this week ;) ) Send all to everlastingscribe (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Scribe Goes to the Ren Faire Part One

So after a super-hectic week, and a nasty bout with foot poisoning Friday and Saturday (ick) the last thing in the world I really wanted to do was to go to the Ren Faire with friends. However, we'd been planning this for months, and had to do a rain check once all ready. So Saturday night I called up, confirmed that we were on for going on Sunday, and then went to bed. Jesse, who isn't featured in any photos unfortunately, had pity on me and picked me up at 8:30AM instead of having me drive up to her house to meet her there at 8:00AM. She said she had to get gas and was headed my way anyway but I think she was being kind. Just smile and not and agree that she's a good friend. Anyway, so we leave my house at 8:30AM and get to the fairgrounds around 9:20(ish). This is always a good thing to do if you have to buy tickets, which we did. She had mine and she had hers, but she needed to secure one for her brother and so we were there forty minutes before it opened to stand in line. Also, we wanted to see the opening promenade of characters and stuff. That's always cool and happens right as the Faire opens at 10:00am. We stood around and admired other people's costumes, though Jesse and Christians (her brothers) were my two favorites of the whole day. Here's Christian(no, not the one in the armor. The other one):



See? Awesome costume! And if everything goes right, he'll be wearing it AND a pair of the most righteous bracers I have seen in a long time this coming Saturday at the signing. But I digress.


So we arrived at the Ren Faire and waited outside for it to open. Here's the entrance:
Well, that's the stone lion AT the entrance. I think he looks rather smug, I think that he looks like he knows what's going on and no one else does. Smug metal lion, mocking our not knowing the inner workings of the Ren Faire. I wonder if he comes to life at night and roams the fairgrounds, sniffing for bits of funnel cake and turkey leg? That smugness comes from somewhere. The funny thing is that he looks just as smug when he's covered with kids, even the ones trying to stick fingers up his nose. Although that smugness might be from the fact that they can't get them in there, no matter how hard they push and wiggle. Right, anyway, that's the lion that guards the entrance to the Faire. However, the gate, the part that you actually walk through is massive. I think there are three or four gates, and each one is at least fourteen feet high and the wall has to be four feet thick. It really feels like you're walking through the opening in a old town wall, which is what you are suppose to think. I thought I had a picture of the gates, but I don't. What I do have is a pull-back on the gate that the actors enter through, and you can see the second smug lion there. What I want you to pay attention to however, is the thickness of the wall. Here it is:


See? See that massive arch and the way that it seems to go back forever? Yeah, walking through there is like stepping back in time. Well, except for the plague, religious inquisitions, wars, body order, and rotting food. No, no the Ren Fest frowns on all of those things. This is a sanitized if slightly goofy version of history. Not exactly Disney(TM) but it is suppose to be family friendly. Anyway, we waited outside for the procession to begin and sure enough, around 9:55 we heard squabbles and screeches and noises like someone was having a fit. The actors were scrambling around on top of the gate and towers, and the "mayor" was upset because some local bumpkin from a plagued town was standing in his spot, eating apples. The mayor was very annoyed, (as he is every year) because he wanted to get back into King Henry VIII's good graces and return to Court. He didn't want to be Mayor or Revel Grove. Poor man, I don't think that he's ever been able to free himself of Revel Grove. The actor's been the Mayor for the last five years that I've been going. However this year, he had a wife. That was unexpected and rather cool too, they're changing the story line a little which make life interesting for those of us who go year after year. Anyway, there was a mix up with the sheriff arresting the wrong people, including Captain Jean the Pirate Queen(TM) and several members of the Royal Family.



Here's the Apple Eater taking center stage away from the Mayor of Revel Grove. This is the area above and beside the actors entrance. So it's easily 20 feet easily over head and I wasn't standing right below it because then I'd just get shots of their feet. Which wouldn't be that interesting. *sigh* I can never get really close shots of the action.





There's the far too happy sheriff bringing his prisoners to the Mayor. The Mayor immediately points out that he has Captain Jean the Pirate Queen, one of the Royal Daughters, AND THE MAYORS WIFE trussed up there. The gentleman at the end right next to the too-happy sheriff in black and red is related to the King, and is also Scottish. And NOT HAPPY.




Thankfully for all involved in the mini-drama, the trumpets sounded and MAKE WAY, MAKE WAY FOR THE KING rumbled along the ground along with the clatter of armor and the thud-thud of very heavy horse hooves. These animals are really beautiful as well as well behaved. Most of the time. King Henry greeted the Mayor and said he was glad to be out of London, where the sickness was spreading. Oh, dear. Sickness? Yup, apparently the Plague has been sighted in Revel Grove.



The King's Champion laughed and said that with all the fine clean air and good food, and good wine, that they'd be safe enough from the traps of the city. And King Henry confessed that he might be willing to look for Wife #6 among the Revel goers this year. As long as she hadn't a cough or fever.








Once we got through the gates (after avoiding the Scotsman's 'boiling oil' and the Mayors questions about who might be carrying the plague, and Pirate Jean's shanghaiing) Jesse and Christian and I ran smack-daub into the King's Entourage. The gentleman on the end was very courteous and bowed to all of us. His costume is amazing, and it looks like it weighs 90 pounds. Look at all the layers!






But it wasn't just the well dressed that we found this year in Revel Grove. Oh no, there were scalawags and pirates too. As well as the rather harmless if shifty looking musicians. I'm not exactly sure what category these particular gentlemen fall into.

LAST WEEK FOR CURSE OF THE SPIDER KING- GIVE AWAY-NEW QUEST-HEART

A reminder that this is the LAST WEEK for entering the lists my friends, the signing is *THIS SATURDAY* and that's when Wayne and Christopher will be signing the book.

This is it! The last part of the contest! I know, you're all SO excited. :-D So'm I. Also the end of this week marks the end of the other contest, the two-for-one book give away! So much is going on this week! I am a very busy Scribe!

This last week is going to be the hardest yet, and really the most simple too challenge wise.

This week the only thing you need to do, is to decide of you want to give some of your hard-earned points to someone else to give them a boost in this contest. Doing so is means you've got less of a chance to win, and they have more of one. So, let me know by 10/15/09 if you want to transfer what you've won to someone else in the contest.

And check out the post above to see what I was doing over the weekend!

Story Pop

I took a walk yesterday with my Mom and our friend Annette, and took my camera along for the ride (or rather the walk) and I snapped some great fall photos. But then I got to thinking, hmm, a picture is worth 1,000 words, so just how many words did I capture yesterday?

Then I got to pondering and decided I'd use these snaps I took yesterday to help me describe things in the world that I'm building, and thought you guys might want in on the exercise. Here's what I'm doing right now;

Renaming the cattail:

Describing the setting:

How it feels
How it looks
How it smells
How it tastes(yes tastes, places can have tastes)

And then deciding. . .

What is important about it:

It could be a food source
It could be used for clothing
It could be a harbinger of a bad winter
It could be the sign of a dragon near by (flamed and the pod popped open)
It could be releasing toxic spores


So, if you want to have fun with me making this cattail into something it's not, post your creative, innovative, and amazing ideas in the comments. Everything you post belongs to you and is copy write(d) to you. No points or awards here. This is just for the fun of playing with words!

Quest Ranking Updates

MillardtheMK=100 points

Noah= 50 points

Chris= 50 points

Melissa Rose = 50 points

Oooh still anyone's game here.

*rubs hands together* Now I'm off to write for a bit and then work on a prop. The signing's ten days. *eep*

SECOND QUEST IN CURSE OF THE SPIDER KING BOOK GIVE AWAY COURAGE

Courage.

Courage: mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty-Merriam Webster Dictionary

Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.
-C.S. Lewis.

Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live, taking the form of a readiness to die. -G.K. Chesterton

Courage involves taking risks. There is an element of the unknown, often times accompanied with the fear of rejection or failure, when you invoke the trait of courage. And that is the second challenge of this contest-it's time for you to risk and venture into the realms of the unknown! So, take Courage, and read on!



For this Quest, you are going to do what I do at least once a day--you are going to talk to someone about The Door Within, Wayne Thomas Batson, The Rise of the Dibor, and Christopher Hopper. And there are SEVEN different ways that you can do that. IOne, for each Tribe in The Curse of the Spider King, keep reading!

1) 10,000 Points

ACTION:

Go to a bookstore or library and ask if they carry The Rise of the Dibor or The Lion Vrie by Christopher Hopper. If they don't, ask them to consider carrying it, tell them a little about Christopher (go to his website and get information on him, grab his bio from the back of his book or e-mail him and ask him a question or two while explaining to him what you're doing) and then tell why it is you really want to see his books on their shelves.

Each bookstore/library you do this at is worth 10,000 points. Branch and main libraries may be counted as "separate" libraries and the same is true for bookstores.

PROOF:

You need to e-mail me either a picture of you and the person you talked to at the library or bookstore OR a picture of the request slip for The Rise of the Dibor/ The Lion Vrie from the library or bookstore. These vary from state to state and store to store. Remember to TELL the person that you need proof that you were there, requesting it.

2) 5000 Points

ACTION:

Write a review of The Rise of the Dibor or The Lion Vrie and post it on different book/reader websites(Barnes and Noble, Amazon, BooksWellRead etc). You get 5000 points for the first review, and 500 points for each one after that.

For example: You write a review of "Rise of the Dibor" and post it on Amazon. That's 5,000 points right there. Then if you post that same review of the same book on Barnes and Noble, Books Well Read, you get 500 points for each of those reviews.

PROOF:

E-mail me a link to your review, if you posted it multiple places remember to include links to each place that you left it.

*IMPORTANT* When you write the review, remember to use the same name that I know you by here, or it won't count.


3.) 2500 Points

ACTION:

Go to a bookstore or library and ask if they have on-order (it hasn't released yet so you shouldn't see it out) The Curse of the Spider King. If they don't have it on order, ask them to order it.

PROOF:

You need to e-mail me either a picture of you and the person you talked to at the library or bookstore OR a picture of the request slip for The Curse of the Spider King from the library or bookstore. These vary from state to state and store to store. Remember to TELL the person that you need proof that you were there, requesting it.

Each bookstore/library you do this at is worth 2500 points. Branch and main libraries may be counted as "separate" libraries, and the same is true for bookstores.

4.) 2000 Points

ACTION:

Go to a bookstore or library and ask if they carry The Door Within, Rise of the Wyrm Lord, The Final Storm, Isle of Swords, or Isle of Fire. If they don't, ask them to consider carrying them, tell them a little about Wayne (go to his website and get information on him, grab his bio from the back of his book or e-mail him and ask him a question or two while explaining to him what you're doing) and then tell them why it is you really want to see his books on their shelves.

Each bookstore/library you do this at is worth 10,000 points. Branch and main libraries may be counted as "separate" libraries and the same is true for bookstores.

PROOF:

You need to e-mail me either a picture of you and the person you talked to at the library or bookstore OR a picture of the request slip for any of Wayne's books from the library or bookstore. These vary from state to state and store to store. Remember to TELL the person that you need proof that you were there, requesting it.

5.) 1500 Points

ACTION:

Write a review of The Door Within, Rise of the Wyrm Lord, The Final Storm, Isle of Swords, or Isle of Fire and post it on different book/reader websites(Barnes and Noble, Amazon, BooksWellRead etc).

For example: You write a review of "The Door Within" and post it on Amazon. That's 5,000 points right there. Then if you post that same review of the same book on Barnes and Noble, Books Well Read, you get 500 points for each of those reviews.

PROOF:

E-mail me a link to your review, if you posted it multiple places remember to include links to each place that you left it.

6.) 1000 Points

ACTION/PROOF:

Find Rise of the Dibor or The Lion Vrie in your local library or bookstore and take a photograph of yourself or of a friend or family member, holding the copy. This can be done MULTIPLE time, but they have to be done in different libraries/stores. Find something that has the store name on it and photograph the book next to it. E-mail me the pictures.

7. 500 Points

ACTION/PROOF

Find copies of The Door Within, Rise of the Wyrm Lord, The Final Storm, Isle of Swords, and Isle of Fire at your local library or bookstore and take a photograph of yourself or of a friend or family member, holding the books. This can be done MULTIPLE times, but they have to be done in different libraries/stores. Find something that has the store name on it and photograph the book next to it. E-mail me the pictures.


Most if not ALL of these things overlap Tribe Quests that Wayne and Christopher are asking you to do anyway. I will count any and all actions all ready taken--from the day of their starting the tribes until 10/15/09 for this contest. You just need to get me the proof that I asked for and I'll hand over the points.

KNOWLEDGE AND COURAGE TOGETHER

It's late so this is going to be a quick post.

Since no one was able to make the deadline--I'm reopening the Knowledge part of the Questing and letting it run till 10/15/09. Courage will be posted tomorrow and start tomorrow but for everyone who wanted to take part in the Knowledge Quest and didn't--get started digging out those friendships! Points are still available for the winning!

And now, to sleep perchance to dream.

Standings So Far In Curse of the Spider King KNOWLEDGE quest

MillardtheMK=50 points

Chris= 50 points

Melissa Rose= 50 points


I received no e-mails with details of friends found in Wayne Thomas Batson or Christopher Hopper's books guys, so either I made it too hard, or you were too busy for the quest, one of the two. Which was it? Let me know in the comments. And if you thought that was hard, well shoot ;) the COURAGE part of this is going to have you quaking in your boots.

Testing .. .Testing .. .Extra Points Can Be Earned.

So the store blog and I have been having issues with one another and finally, FINALLY, I got something rather cool up on it. However, I'm not certain that everyone can see it. So I'm going to give an INSTANT BOOST of 50 Points towards The Curse of The Spider King book give away for anyone who goes there and comes back here and posts in the comments. I need to know:

1) If you are using Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera etc.
2)If there are any problems reading the text--be specific like "The text is off center" or "I only see a white page"
3.) What you think of the interview.

Post in the comments here, and you instantly get 50 points in the Curse of the Spider King give away. It's that easy. :-D

And I'll let this boost run until 10/5/09. Here's a link for you fine fans!

click on me!

Early Warning! KNOWLEDGE QUEST ENDS 10/03/09 For Curse of the Spider King Give-Away.

All participants in the Curse of the Spider King Knowledge Quest have 24 hours left to find those friendships! (see the contest post below if you're just joining the mayhem) By 10:00pm EST tomorrow night all lists of friendships found in Wayne and Christopher's books MUST be in my in box to receive credit. The e-mail address again is:

everlastingscribe(at)hotmail(dot)com.

Sunday I'll be tallying scores and will post them here, so you can see where you stand with each other and then Sunday night or Monday night depending on how much time I have, I will post the next Quest which is all about COURAGE. Due to the difficulty of this second quest, I will be letting it run for two weeks, and HEART will run the last week along side COURAGE.

Besides, courage and heart seem to always run around together.

Now to other thoughts.

Several of you have said that you're ordering your copy online for Tribe credits, so you aren't going to be competing for this book. Hey, I totally understand ordering Wayne and Christopher's book and getting the credit for your tribe!

*Ahem* However a free signed copy of Wayne and Christopher's book, is a free signed copy of Christopher and Wayne's book. And Christmas/Hanukkah/New Years Eve is right around the corner.

Okay, no, no they're not. It just feels that way this week cos of all the Christmas stuff we have out at the store.

*Sob*

Anyway, the point is, you can enter this contest and still buy a copy later for tribe credit. Just keep one for yourself, and give the other away. I'll let you decide which one you do what with. Don't make me type that sentence again. It's not grammatically correct, and wasn't easy to type.

To recap this post you who have read it have learned that:

KNOWLEDGE QUEST runs till 10:00pm tomorrow.
Christmas things are out at His Way
Scribe is very tired and a little bit unstable.
A lot, unstable.

Look, this is why WTB and CH and BD bring long sharp metal pointy things to signings. Because they know the organizers get a little loco near the end.

Pumpkins and Ponderings

Fall is definitely here, the weather's finally cooler, the air has that cold-scent tang hiding among the smell of green leaves, and the skies are becoming more and more cobalt and less and less sky blue.

There is absolutely nothing better in the fall than to have in one hand a fat book, and in the other a steaming cup of tea or coffee or hot chocolate so deep it goes on forever.

I'm not the first one to think so either.

"You can't get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me." C. S. Lewis

So, if you had all the money that you needed and all the time in the world, what would be your book of choice for an October all-day read?

And what would you be drinking?

For me, it would be:

The Vanishing Sculptor by: Donita Paul and I'd be drinking Mint Hot Chocolate from Starbucks.

That's the ONLY beverage I ever order from them, and since it's seasonal, I can only get it in November/December.