Book Review: December

There are times in your life where the chance opportunities flourish and grant more to you than you could have imagined. This is a book review and I will review my chosen book after I tell you how I found it. If I was not working in a bookstore, if I did not have a late shift, if I was not the person on the floor, if, if, if...then I would not have met G.S. Denning and perhaps I would have never known the sheer comedic joy of reading Warlock Holmes.

Warlock Holmes: A Study in Brimstone.
Unsigned (For now).

I was returning to the customer service desk when I noticed a man standing there and - WRITING in a book. We had authors come in randomly to sign their books before and I wasn't that worried, but I was curious. The first thing he said to me was, "Don't worry. I'm just signing them. I'm the author." So perhaps I did have a worried expression on my face. I said it was alright, we'd had authors come in before and I asked him about his book.

Thus began an entertaining conversation that traversed the realm of Sherlock Holmes to Cons. peppered with anecdotes and tidbits about the cover and events he'd attended. His book was the perfect two-word pitch. "Warlock Holmes." Now what do you imagine that's about?

I am a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's great consulting detective. I've read the original stories many times and I love to learn trivia about it. When I studied abroad in England, the one place I had to visit was the recreation of 221B Baker Street. I've devoted great stores of brain power and space to Sherlock Holmes, but I do not regret a single impulse to devour what I can about him and his writer.

Warlock Holmes can be best described if the world was turned on its head and then hit a few times with a baseball bat. The character of Holmes is not the least bit skilled in investigation. He is like a kicked puppy. I can imagine him pouting with innocent blinking for effect. Despite his inability to logically reason through many things, he is a fountain of mysterious power and a consulter of demons.

Watson, on the other hand, is purely human, but he has the logic and observation skills that Holmes lacks. They make for an interesting pair as Denning rumbles through the plots of the original stories with some rebellious twists and transmutations of demonic proportion.

Each story contains wit and humor and a thread of story that links them together. A Brimstone Thread perhaps? All the familiar characters are there, including appearances by Mrs. Hudson that will make you rethink her oh so minor role in the originals. There is much fun to be had in reading and I will add these books to my shelf to peruse again and again.

As for the signed copies, we only had the second and third in stock. So I put in an order for the first and bought the other two books. One day I shall seek G. S. Denning out and get him to sign the first book, but until now I'm happily reading and laughing maniacally at my good fortune.

You truly cannot know who will come to the bookstore.

Different Types of Love: The Love Triangle

My apologies for such a late post. It has been quite a busy day. I had my last class of the quarter and took an exam that had been consuming my thoughts for the past week. After much cramming and muttering to myself, I managed to pull a passing score and that is enough for this quarter.

I'm not sure if I've stated this directly on my blog, but I'm in a counseling psychology program. I mention it because I often bring in psychological theories in these posts and if you're wondering why I have such a fascination, there's your answer. I have passionately studied psychology since high school when it was first introduced to me and now I want to learn what I can to help others. Along the way, I find out interesting facts and theories that I like to connect to writing.

In the last few hours of this day December 10, (at least on the West Coast), I bring you:

Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love

Sternberg's Triangle - drawn by me

I'd come across it before, but this time I decided to consider each aspect and connect it to relationships I've observed in books. Feel free to comment and tell me about relationships you've read about and which part of the triangle applies!

First off, each point of the triangle represents a singular concept of love, whether its passion, intimacy, or commitment; these three are necessary components and reoccurring themes in relationships. Intimacy, of course, is the feeling of connectedness and the fuzzy warmth of a relationship where you can share things and feel accepted. Passion is that strong physical attraction that makes people do heroic and stupid things (judgement on which is up for debate). Commitment means stability, in the sense that this person will stay by your side through thick and thin.

Then you have the combinations.

Passion + Intimacy = Romantic Love
Fire and closeness, the possibility of getting burned - romantic love is usually the first stage of relationships and can create that "spark" of connection.

Intimacy + Commitment = Companionate Love
Closeness and loyalty can be a good combination for friendship. The trust from companionate love builds a strong foundation and can stick around for many years.

Passion + Commitment = Fatuous Love
A steady fire is to be appreciated, but you can still be burned. Without intimacy, this relationship may be fraught with intense encounters, but there isn't enough trust and disclosure to allow emotions to peek through.

Lastly, a combination of Passion, Intimacy and Commitments = Consummate Love
All three meshed together create a thriving relationship where one is dedicated to loving and disclosing to their partner. It's a winning combination and the kind of thing great romances are based on, but is it achievable?

Next, I'm going to give some examples of the different loves, starting with Island Whispers!

First and Last

The Truth is Time doesn't last

and things of today are already the past.

One moment we breathe.

The next we die.

One tear shed

but

the cheek is dry.

First comes a wealth of Fire,

heat brings a drought,

until it all seems dire.

Then comes the Rain -

a resounding downpour -

until it all drains,

a drowned world no more.

In summary, our world always ends

and yet,

the end of one world is where another begins.

When in Doubt, Go Back to the Basics

An integral part of school is the essay. No matter what grade you are in or degree, you generally are going to have to write at least one. I know most people abhor essay writing and there are a very slim number of essay enthusiasts. So I'm going to tell you what you already know, but what you may forget when overwhelmed with the prospect of writing.

Go back to the basics.

Write an outline.
I know. It's simple and obvious, but even I sometimes forget this tool. Outlines will give you structure, especially when your professor is giving you none.

A basic outline looks like this:

Introductory paragraph -

• Hook
• (Draw the reader in. Tell them that they want more with this first sentence. A very similar quality that writers want in their novels.)
• Background/Summary
• (Help your reader out. Maybe they know everything about your topic, maybe they don't. Give them enough ground to stand on so that they're not lost later.)
• Thesis Statement
• (Make your argument. You're here to prove something and this is just a small preview of what is in store.)

Body Paragraph 1 -

• Lead-In/Mini Thesis Statement
• Argument 1
• (By the way, you can have multiple arguments in the body paragraphs, but the general rule of 3 is good to live by. Too many and the paragraph may become its own essay. Too few and you might struggle to get the point across.)
• Mini Conclusion/Set-Up for next paragraph
• (Potentially you don't need to set up. Just wrap it up on a good note so that they're satisfied with this argument and can move onto your next paragraph.)

Body Paragraph 2 -

• Lead-In/Mini Thesis Statement
• (It's a good idea to refer back to your original/intro thesis and tie it back around, but don't use repetitive phrasing or your reader will get annoyed.)
• Argument 1
• Mini Conclusion/Set-Up for next paragraph

Body Paragraph 3 -

• Lead-In/Mini Thesis Statement
• (Wash, rinse, repeat...an essay has a repetitive format which can get old, but can make it easier for you to write it.)
• Argument 1
• Mini Conclusion/Set-Up for next paragraph

Conclusion -

• Summary
• (At last, you're almost there. Draw your points together and get it done.)
• Ending Thought/Takeaway Point/Call to Action
• (This is your time to tell the reader, but that's not all. This is how this is applicable or "go forth and conquer" with these new strategies.)

Now there are many variations and different terms for outlines, so this is definitely not an end-all-be-all model. However, if you find yourself thrown for a loop and scrambling to finish that essay, start with an outline. It might just save your life.

Following Your Heart

A bit of a life update and a reflection on life at this point.

I'm currently in a graduate program and it's requiring so much of my time and energy. I did expect it, since this is what I want to do with the rest of my life, but, at the same time, I'm overwhelmed with the amount of work. Projects, assignments, essays and the like are all piling up and the end of the quarter is only a few weeks away. I also have a part-time job and I mention that to say I have more than just school concerns.

The past few weeks have not been kind. I wasn't sleeping well. I felt distracted and easily frustrated. In turn, I didn't eat as well as I should have, snacking on sugary foods and things that were less wholesome and more empty-calorie-focused. It felt like everything was spinning out of control.

And I guess that's where this post comes in.

We are every part of ourselves,
down to the shadows at our feet.

I was losing control of all the things going on in my life and it was causing me distress.

Last week, I just had enough. I was tired and completely depleted of energy. I didn't want to think about school or all of the obligations that I couldn't figure out how to fulfill. I just wanted to go to bed and sleep so that I could escape all of the pressures hounding me.

Except sleep still wasn't coming easy and I lay there stewing through my negative thoughts. One of my frustrations was that I hadn't been writing. I hadn't picked up a pen, looked through my ideas or typed out a sentence in weeks and I couldn't help feeling like a failure. I kept pushing writing away because of my other concerns and because I felt guilty to indulge in it when I had other things to worry about. Writing also felt like it would be stressful, because it would be adding something else onto my already fragile plate.

However, this night I was just so tired of not doing it that I gave in. I couldn't sleep anyway so why couldn't I distract myself with my own stories and characters?

To update on my writing life, I've been struggling with editing a manuscript and the changes felt monumental and insurmountable. Every time I even considered what I had to do, I'd feel frozen and helpless. I wanted to finish this project and clean it up so that I could send it to my publishers, but I kept feeling like I wasn't enough. So I put it off.

Book Review: November

A young heroine must endure trials of body, mind and spirit to save her family and herself. The first dream in Maia Tamarin's heart is to become a tailor and the best tailor in their world. However, tailors can only be men. She begins the story stuck in a small port town while her brothers go off to war. Her father used to be one of the best tailors around but after the death of his wife, the family fell on hard times. Maia becomes the thread that holds the family together, and at the war's end she's the only one keeping them from tearing apart.

I got this from work. Yes, I work at B&N now. I'm so
glad that I decided to pick this one up because it was a
pleasant diversion into another world and I admire Maia
so much. Plus, the cover is absolutely gorgeous.

However, a request from royalty might save her family and bring her what she most desires. The court wants Master Tamarin to show off his skill and become the court tailor. It's down to Maia to accept the challenge and save her family's name, because a court position is not to be refused.

She travels to the illustrious court and finds that it's not just any position, it's a competition. She must compete with the other Master Tailors and all under the guise of being a boy. Because if she's revealed, the price will be death and shame on her family forever. 

If that weren't enough, the competition is for the emperor's bride-to-be and she is very picky. With enemies all around, Maia is one step from failure at every turn.

What I loved most about this book is Maia. She is a strong female character, and she is not a warrior. So many female heroines are fighters these days, but Maia battles with art. She is determined to win the competition on her own merits. She's prideful and stubborn, but she's willing to do the work and do it fairly. This world is already ripe with injustice but the only lie she tells is of her identity. She may not be male, but she shows her worth.

My second favorite part about this book is the Master Enchanter. A powerful man at the court who is able to do magic and he is enigmatically dangerous and funny. You can't pull the wool over a hawk's eyes and he sees everything. His role in Maia's journey is vital and important in helping her discover herself and the true extent of her craft. 

This world is rich with details with history and stories that play crucial roles in the main plot. Not only is the cover beautiful, but this questing book is entertaining from the first page to the last. 

Literature Lessons: Rites of Passage (Growing Up)

Many cultures have a rite of passage. This is generally a notable event in a child's life that heralds their transition into adulthood. This event doesn't necessarily have a specific time, but it can be associated with an age and generally has some ceremony.

Some examples of rites of passage that you might be familiar with include a bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah, the Quinceañera; in America, 18 years of age and your ability to vote, 21 years of age and being legally allowed to drink, and getting a driver's license. There are numerous others and many that I'm probably not aware of, but the big picture is that the transition into adulthood is universally celebrated. It just differs on the timing and event.

Rites of passage can be culturally important because they celebrate the individual and show support for their emerging identity. In Island Whispers, Monica is put through a rite of passage which is called: The Test of Strength. If a demon survives the test, they are considered an adult and given more privilege in their hierarchy. Some of this privilege means freedom of movement. After the test, Monica is allowed to leave the caves whenever she wishes and is given different responsibilities.

The Test of Strength is just as it's named, a test of endurance and ability, a mental and physical challenge. It is a maze of tunnels and caves which leads a young demon to use everything they've learned until that point. A capable demon is able to find their way to the end. The demons value strength because it forms the foundation of their society. Strength = Safety.

The strongest among them are the protectors and warriors responsible for keeping the rest safe. The caves are also a hardy environment and so the test is about eliminating the weak so that only the "most fit" demons are living. Weeding out weakness is a practice of the dominate and Monica comes to realize that it isn't fair or right. She begins to think that perhaps an ancient transition to adulthood is not necessarily the best way to define a young demon as an adult.

Standing up to tradition can be difficult and it raises questions; are we abandoning our culture or are we transforming our culture to continue growing/learning/improving? There are many ways to view this. I don't want to say that rites of passage are good or bad. It's not so easy to look at it as one or the other. Many rites of passage are beneficial, providing social support, a sense of identity and community. However, it's important to be aware of our traditions. Do they cultivate wellbeing and positive affect in others or are they harmful meant to command a mindset and exclude others?

Monica has begun considering those questions and perhaps now, with her newfound adult status, she can begin to change things.

Breathe. Accept this moment as it is

Life can be stressful. Take a moment. Breathe. Feel through this moment.

I made this video at my old university before I left. There was a wonderful spot where you could sit on a rock by the water and watch the world go by. You could feel part of the world or separate. It was a beautiful spot and a peaceful place for me to get away from the "go-go-go" mindset of campus life.

Story Tag: Part 4

Welcome back!

Since it took a little while for Part 4 to come out, I've written more than I did previously.
If you're just tuning in, Inna Jong Key and I are passing a story back and forth. We've got no plans for it. We haven't talked about what will happen. It's all spontaneous.
Check out her blog for part 1 and part 3. Check out my blog for part 2.

Without further ado, here is the next scene:

Part 4

My head aches as Carla manhandles me out of the car. The storm has died a bit, enough that the rain drums with less enthusiasm and I’m only mildly dampened. The driver says something with concern but she snaps at him and continues shoving me out. My eyes feel gritty and dry as I blink open to an apartment complex. I frown as I try to remember why it is familiar. The fake terracotta roofs and open porches are meant to mimic some Asian-European hodge podge of design. It’s only after Carla marches me to number seventy-six that it hits me.

Carla rings the doorbell and moments later, Anthony opens the door. I rub my head and squint. A million questions are buzzing through my mind; the most prominent one being: why are we here? We used to be good friends with Anthony when we were all in middle school band, but I quit in high school and Carla switched to orchestra. Anthony was the only one dedicated enough to stick with his trumpet. After that we grew apart and only said a passing hello in the hallway.

“Let us in,” Carla says nearly pushing Anthony out of the way. “We can’t stay out here.”

He blinks but nods and steps aside. Is this as strange to him as to me or does he know something?

The apartment is just how I remember it from middle school. The entryway is still crowded with shoes thrown every which way. The hallway light is flickering as if on its last leg and the smell of fast food is a greasy cloud over everything.

Anthony shuts the door and then yells down the hall. “Ma, I’ve got some friends over. I’m going to my room.”

“Keep it down,” his mother replies and I can make out the Jeopardy music from the living room where she’s probably been sitting for the past seven hours.

Anthony just leads us up the cramped stairway and into his room. He shoves aside a stack of books and throws a pile of laundry off the bed and into his closet. His room is nearly the same as well, but you can see the differences. The posters of Pokemon and action figures are replaced with some of his favorite composers and the Periodic Table. While the Star Wars bed covers are the same, the boy that sits down on them is not. His dirty blonde hair is longer and falls into his eyes. He’s taller too, but it’s more than that. He looks older in his eyes. The careless trumpet player running around in confusion is now a serious, intelligent young man and he let us in without a hint of protest.

As much as I want to sit on the bed like old times, I pick out a mostly clean spot on the floor and rub my head. I don’t remember much about the car ride over. Had I passed out? I glance at Carla but she is tight-lipped and tapping away on her phone.

“Why are we here?” I ask.

She waves her hand distractedly. “We needed to go somewhere no one would expect to find us.”

“Gee thanks, Carla.” Anthony rolls his eyes and it’s almost like old times. “I’m right here.” He looks from her to me. “Care to explain why you don’t want anyone to find you. I mean, I think I’m obligated to know, especially since you’re camping out in my room.”

Her dark eyes flash and she lowers her phone. “You don’t want to know, Anthony. The less you know, the safer you’ll be.”

He shakes his head. “And that doesn’t sound like every movie plot ever.” He turns to me as if hoping for a straight answer when I’m in the dark too. “Come on, Lizzie. What’s going on here?”

I clench my knees to keep from shaking. “I don’t know. There was someone in the house, I think. It was dark and the storm...I’m not sure.”

“Shouldn’t we call the police?” Anthony says. “Do you have your phone on you?”

I pat my pockets and realize that I don’t. How did that happen? Did I drop it? I always have my phone on me. It is either in my pocket or my hand and I should have noticed the weight difference.

“Carla,” I say. “Let me use your phone. I’ll call the police and Mom and Dad.”

She just stands there with a lockjaw expression. “No, we’re not calling anybody.”

“Then who have you been texting,” I snap. “You took me halfway across town, barged into Anthony’s home and you won’t say anything about what happened!”

“I’ve got to use the bathroom,” Carla says. She opens the door and closes it with a bang.

Book Review: October

I suppose it's strange to like an author for words that are not their own, but wait (that sounds like plagiarism), I mean to say that I have an appreciation for well placed prose.

Cassandra Clare is the author of The Mortal Instruments series as well as countless others. I only mention TMI because that was the start of the shadowhunters. In truth, I read Clockwork Angel before I ever read City of Bones and in more honesty, I prefer it. My preference does have to do with the fact that the book is set in Victorian England and I'm a fan of the time period, but I prefer the characters as well. 

First of all, the book opens with the Thames River Song by Elka Cloke. I really enjoyed reading that and I think it sets the tone for the book.

Secondly, there is a prologue. Some people may tell you that a prologue is a bad idea. A prologue is a technique that writers used in the past, but for modern writing it is a crude way to introduce something. Well, I disagree. When you deny the use of something, you stifle your creativity. The more rules are placed upon you, the more likely you are to be confined until you can't even imagine what is outside the box. So there.

I want to say I bought this in Target, but I'm not sure.
My memory of getting this is fuzzy and I'm not
exactly sure how I found out about the series, considering
I'd never heard about The Mortal Instruments and the first book
in that series came out before this one.

Immediately, readers are introduced to Will and Jem. They are parabatai meaning that they are hunting partners and as close as brothers. They're both nephilim (a little angel blood mixed in with human) and charged with the duty of hunting demons to protect the world.

Next, we meet Tessa. She is an American. She is traveling to see her brother and she is all alone in the world. Also, she loves reading. I really like her inner strength. She knows what heroines in books do, and she's not above trying stuff, but she also knows her limits and has such a factual mind. She is an absolutely wonderful character to follow as well as our "in" to the shadow world. 

Begin Chapter 1, I mentioned that I like well placed prose. Above each chapter is a chapter title and a quote from some past writer. We've got William Ernest Henley, Lord Byron, Robert Browning, Horace, Christina Rossetti, and many others. The little quotes add some fun and a breather from the writing. I also enjoy the references in the story itself. Tessa absolutely adores Wilkie Collins, "Have you read the Moonstone?" she asks. At the time, I had not, but per her suggestion I picked it up. So you see, if a writer can write well enough to inspire you to seek out other books on your own, then I consider it a success. 

Strange things are happening in London. Bodies and missing people and just an inherent wrongness that the shadowhunters feel a duty to intervene. While Will investigates the Pandemonium club, a group for Downworlders (those that aren't fully human or not human at all), Tessa begins to learn about herself and her family. She might not be as human as she believes herself to be - not when she has the power to become whoever she wants by holding something that belongs to them.

And who is the magister? Leader of these darker paths and the antagonist bent on bringing down the nephilim. 

This book is a mystery, adventure, romance, YA story that jumps off the page. 

Story Tag: Part 2

Welcome!

I am working with my friend Inna Jong Key to do some story writing. Where will this go? No one knows. She graciously began the story and I've taken it up. No plan. No collusion. We're working independently to see just what our two minds can do.

If you're looking for part 1, check out:
https://innajk.wordpress.com/2019/10/04/story-tag-part-1/

And without further ado, here is part two:

Nothing. Nothing behind me. Just shadows and the couch sit there and I shiver involuntarily. The rumble of thunder shakes the house and I crouch down to the floor. It feels safer to press myself flat and I close my eyes, counting under my breath. Light flashes against my eyelids and another crack of thunder shakes the foundations. It seems as if the storm is finally overhead and it’s ready to burst.

I peel myself off the floor. No need for Carla to see me plastered to it with fear. Once I stand, I examine the picture again. My eyes narrow. How is it possible that the figure is gone? Did I imagine it? I search the frame again but nothing is out of place. 

Another shiver steals over me and I hurry to the couch, drawing a blanket around me. I can’t help feel as if something watches me, but from where? I scan the room and clench my teeth together. Maybe I should call out for Carla. Surely if she comes down, whatever is haunting me will go away.

I’m about to shout her name when something clamps over my mouth and I’m pulled to the ground. We land without a thump and I feel the warmth of someone behind me. Fear freezes me and I realize I’m holding my breath.

A shadow passes by and I look up to see someone standing in front of the pictures. They stare hard as if trying to discern something. The lightning flashes again and the rain-splattered clothing becomes visible. A long red coat obscures this figure and a large top hat conceals their face. They turn and I realize I haven't taken a full breath. I feel tight inside as my eyes dart to the darkness of their face. Between my inhale and exhale, they disappear.

The person behind me releases me and I roll over, twisting my head in surprise as my eyes adjust to the shadows behind me.

Default Dragons

Patricia C. Wrede wrote The Enchanted Forest chronicles which I adored and read multiple times in my childhood. She has also written Wrede on Writing which is a collection of her thoughts on writing with a "none of this nonsense please" attitude.

One topic of hers struck me early on. Defaults.

What are your go-to actions?

I hadn't really considered the idea too deeply before but Wrede's comments have made me reflect. What do I choose most of the time when writing?

If you've read Island Whispers, you might think it's a third person close telling with multiple perspectives. In fact, it's first person and a limited time frame.

Time has always been my issue with writing. Logically it takes time to do things and calculating that or trying to represent that accurately has been my downfall. There is no need for a reader to suffer through every step in the forest or every moment from waking to sleep. Books are collections of events that are only moments of time - key moments to be exact. I just happen to exaggerate the minute and make the tying of shoes into a hypersensitive event.

Looking back now, I'm not sure what drew me to Island Whispers or the format that it took. I think I was just serving the story. The story needed multiple characters and for each to share their viewpoint - there was too much world to cover otherwise - and so I obliged with page after page of back and forth.

However, after I finished with Island Whispers and chose something new, I realized that first person seemed much simpler. It was easy to slip into a first person telling and I didn't have to worry about those bothersome tonal changes important for separating character voices.

Knowing your defaults is useful. If you want to grow, you must know the areas where you do well and then discern the areas where you need help. Challenging yourself to choose the POV, plots, genres that are not your norm is important so that you can continue to develop your skills. It's also important for storytelling. Some stories are not meant to be told in first person. Some stories need an omniscient perspective. As a writer, it is your job to serve your story and realize when the current path is not benefitting it.

One of my recent stories, the "fairy story" or Kira's story (I have no good title right now) was in first person, then I realized that it didn't fit. The characters rubbed against each other in the right way. The reader wouldn't be able to understand the natural knowledge that everyone in Faerie knew from birth. I needed a step back, more than that I needed a change of perspective.

What are your defaults? Why?


(You may or may not be wondering why this post is titled "Default Dragons." Partially because the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Wrede is about dragons, but also because I believe that our defaults are those fierce-some beasts that we let dominate our writing. Unless we face them, we will continuously submit to them, believing them to be supernatural and difficult to conquer. It's easier to let the dragon be all powerful and dominating, but we need to look for the chinks in the armor if we're going to emerge unscathed.)

The Hero's Journey

It's common to hear these words mentioned when speaking about a book. One of the basic tools of writing is understanding and using the hero's journey. Even if you're just reading a book for fun, you might think about the hero's journey. Simply put it's the essence of the book and the hero's struggle from nothing to something to a middle ground. The hero's journey is about learning.

The start of the journey begins in the confines of the familiar. Your character is in their normal life, perhaps a humdrum routine of the ordinary. Luke Skywalker is on his family's farm on Tatooine (Star Wars: A New Hope) and Harry Potter is living at Privet Drive with the Dursleys. Both of these characters yearn for something more, whether it's discovering the world beyond the stars or just moving out of a cupboard - they have dreams.

If I want to tie this into Island Whispers, Monica wants to leave the caves and explore the world above. The world below the surface, in the dark and twisting caverns, is all she has ever known.

Joseph Campbell has 17 stages to the hero's journey. However, I don't think it's necessary to explore every single one. There are many diagrams depicting it and it's easy enough to look up.

The next stage is breaking out of that familiar world and exploring the unfamiliar. For Luke, it's leaving Tatooine with Obi Wan and realizing that there's nothing left for him after the stormtroopers destroy the farm. Harry meets Hagrid and suddenly a wizarding world of magic opens up; he has been accepted to a school for witchcraft and wizardry: Hogwarts.

In Island Whispers, Monica meets Adam and begins to explore the land on the island. She chooses to continue expanding her knowledge and understanding of the world on her own.

Map of the Broken Bounty World
- In my novel, two bounty hunters go on a journey to
help a princess escape from her father.
Random insertion perhaps, but I plan to share more about
this novel in time...

This is a journey though and there will be trials and heartache before it's over. The hero loses their innocence. However, they persist and pursue their end goal. If we were logging this journey on a plot diagram, this would be where the steep uphill climb becomes jagged. We haven't reached the climax, but there are mini-challenges and pitfalls along the way that make the peak just out of reach.

Luke finds and rescues Princess Leia but they lose Obi Wan. Harry learns about Voldemort and discovers there is a secret item in the castle: The Sorcerer's Stone (or Philosopher's Stone, depending on which version you have). 

Monica learns that the outside world isn't as friendly and inviting as she imagined. She also comes to terms with the guy who wants to destroy what is good about the island. Her friend Damian is controlled and not himself, he doesn't recognize her and wants to hurt her.

Now, that peak - the climax - which seemed out of reach earlier? We're at the top of the mountain and the critical turning point in the story. It's all downhill from here. The most difficult challenge yet is faced and overcome (thus why it's a "hero's" journey). 

Luke battles against the Death Star and makes the one in a million shot. Harry faces off against Voldemort while the latter tries to get the stone from the Mirror of Erised. 

Monica fights against the Elder and his dark servants. She battles alongside friends, but the question is "is she strong enough to take on her foes and protect the ones she cares about?"

After that climax is reached, we start the return. The character completes the circle, but with more knowledge and experience. Their understanding of the world has deepened. They have changed.

Luke joins the rebel alliance and decides to become a jedi like his father. Harry returns to the Dursleys, but has a future of wizarding classes and facing Voldemort ahead of him. When he speaks to Dumbledore at the end, reliving his battle against Voldemort, our wise old man gives Harry some advice and answers to the harrowing events.

At the end of the battle, Monica has survived but she has to come to terms with the loss of Damian and her new position as the queen of the Haven. While leaving the caves at the beginning was meant to symbolize her freedom and escape from responsibilities, she is laden with guilt and duty at the end. She must return to the caves and take over the legacy of the former queen. She'll also need to forgive herself for her own role in Damian's demise.

A hero's journey is not pretty and not all of them get happy endings. Knowledge is a burden and a blessing, but the characters response is just as important. Their resilience in the face of obstacles has gotten them this far, how much farther will it take them?

Arizona Beauty and a Discussion on Perfection

I've been feeling a bit "out of it" for the past few weeks. Writing has lost its luster and life is a bit gray. A change was what I needed and thankfully I'd planned a trip to Arizona. This past week, I hiked, learned about the Codetalkers; viewed cliff dwellings, the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest, ate mutton, baked gluten free pumpkin donuts and spent time with one of the most wonderful people in the world: my mother.

I don't think it is uncommon for people to get in funks so my case is not unique. I know that eventually I'll get through it, but it sucks. It dampens my mood and creativity. 

I like to think that I've grown up a lot but I'm still learning and I'm far from perfect. Although that's a loaded word. Perfection is in the eye of the beholder. If I asked a bunch of random strangers or even polled my friends, I guarantee that everyone would have a different definition. Achieving perfection is often seen as an unattainable goal. Our ideas of perfection are so high that they're just twinkling lights in the distance. Yet we may carelessly throw the word around in conversation and aspire for those perfect heights. 

We want to be "perfect" but is that really our best self?

Think about your definition of perfect. What qualities must someone embody to be perfect? What must they achieve? Putting that into words may be difficult. Perhaps it's easier to think of the negatives. What do you see as imperfections?

Now, what are the odds that someone can actually achieve that? What are the odds that they hit those points of perfection every day? Is your idea of perfection attainable?

Most likely not, but feel free to argue and explain. In my experience, we create pedestals too high for us to reach and too far away to admire. This can cause frustration.

So why are we setting ourselves unrealistic goals? Why do we strive for perfection, knowing that it's highly unlikely, and plow on "full steam ahead"?

Perhaps expectations play a role. Our expectations and the expectations of others. Take another look at your definition of perfection. Where did it come from? Have you heard some of these things from others? Do you hold yourself to these standards? Or do you hold others to them?

When your expectations and beliefs in perfection are not met, how do you react? What kind of self-talk goes through your head? I imagine that it's probably negative. I know mine is. I scold myself relentlessly for not meeting my standards or failing to achieve things. The problem is, I hold others to that as well, and when you do that you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Plus, you're likely isolating your friends and making enemies.

We may also project our expectations onto others or project our fears of judgment onto others. When we try to imagine what others are thinking, we can work ourselves up over nothing. Besides, you can't change someone's thoughts so why bother worrying over them. They may not even be thinking about you at all. 

To conclude on perfection, it's often an unreachable height that we set for ourselves based on expectations that we may have learned as children or as we grew up.  Any thoughts?

This image reminds me of sour cream and onion dip,
but it's really just snow-dusted rock and
the natural beauty of Arizona in winter.

Literature Lessons: On Supporting Others and Taking Care of Yourself

This image of the ocean and sky makes me think of Beautemps -
the city in the clouds - where the angels live and shed light
on the ground below. There are shadows and sunbeams present,
as evidence in this picture. (Just because they're angels, doesn't mean
they're always good!)

When Angelica hears about her friend's unicorn getting attacked, she knows she has to do something. Marcie is distressed because her partner is hurt and is not healing. The doctors/healers at the hospital are unable to do anything and don't understand the mechanisms of the insidious parasite.

This leads Angelica to a rash but daring plan. She's encountered a similar energy before and she's willing to do what it takes to help the unicorn.

When our friends are going through difficult times, we often want to spring into action and let them know that everything is going to be alright. We want to take care of them and help them however we can. We put all of our energy into it and we can feel exhausted after it all ends.

Giving and receiving are both important.

Giving our time, love and energy to others shows compassion, but we also need the reminder to give that same time, love and energy to ourselves.

So Angelica heals Marcie's unicorn and she passes out. She falls ill, feeling drained and sluggish because of how much work she put forth. This can often happen after we're activated. Our bodies are hyper alert for dangers, then they shut down from exhaustion and can lower our immune systems.

People that are "carers" and want to give the world to others may find themselves often exhausted and stretched thin. They give and give and give without receiving or giving to themselves. It's the plane analogy that drives an important concept home. When air pressure falls in the cabin and the masks drop down, you have to put your mask on first before you put on someone else's. While helping others can make us feel good and is beneficial to others, it can also be taxing on our health.

Angelica just gave lots of energy to helping Marcie and so it's no wonder that when she welcomes the help from Keith that she begins to feel better. Someone else is now giving to her and taking care of her which furthers the cycle. When we all look to aid others, we foster a community of people ready to look out for one another and support each other. However, it's not wrong or bad to be on the receiving end of aid and being open to help from others benefits the community too!

Book Review: September

When something emotional occurs, it's that moment after that can really hit hard.

Sometimes we are just exhausted. Sometimes we don't know what to do or we don't know how to start. It can be overwhelming to feel these things. It can be scary and we may want to shut down. That's where Rising Strong comes in. Rising Strong is about wrestling/rumbling with emotions and working yourself back up after the fall.

Brene Brown was inspired by Theodore Roosevelt's "Man in the Arena" speech, which I will post here for your edification. In Rising Strong, you can find this speech on pages (xx-xxi).

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly;...who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly."

The title of one of Brene Brown's other books is Daring Greatly by the way, in reference to that part of the speech. So, soak that in. It is the man who is facing everything that matters. Man or woman, I should say, but quotes from history are often gendered toward males. So, the person who is facing the challenges and is "marred by dust and sweat and blood" from their effort.

Brene Brown says, stop the story and focus on that point of being down on the ground before achievement occurs. When we're hurting, we generally want to shut ourselves off from the world or we want to lash out and find ways to protect ourselves. Sitting with vulnerability is uncomfortable, feeling shame or guilt can be unbearable, but the question is "will you try to bear it anyway?"

One thing that Brene Brown emphasizes is leaning into discomfort. She doesn't sugar-coat things and she states it plainly on the first page of the introduction: "You're going to stumble, fall, and get your ass kicked." You're going to feel hurt.

That's the truth of the situation, but she also says that it's worth it. It is worth the pain and the failure for the results achieved at the end, but before we get to those results, we need to figure out the middle and what happens there.

One of my favorite quotes from her is: "The middle is messy, but it's where the magic happens."

Brene Brown visited with Pixar's team and learned about their story process. They use the three act structure of storytelling with an emphasis on Joseph Campbell's "hero's journey." The team talked with Brene about their story process and one of the team members explained that the second act was the most difficult. The second act is when the work is done for the rising to take place.

That's when she came to the realization that you can't skip the middle or act two. You have to deal with it and go through the mess. That's when she began to investigate more. Early on in the book, Brene Brown has her "Lake Travis" story where she and her husband lean into vulnerability and have a constructive argument/disclosure. This story became something that she referred to often, but her realization at Pixar made her scrutinize it. Where was act II in all of that?

Act II was the story she was making up. The thoughts in her head and the torrent of emotions that bombarded her as she swam that day in Lake Travis. She went through so many imaginary conversations and ideas of how to address the situation. Most of them were focused on protecting herself and getting back at Steve, her husband. However, she decided to lean into vulnerability, "choosing courage over comfort" and try to connect with Steve and find out what was going on. Choosing that helped them as they worked through the images and rooted out the truth behind the emotions and thoughts.

Rising Strong addresses those rumbles through tough emotions using stories to demonstrate the concepts. Brene Brown says that there are three steps: the reckoning, the rumble, and the revolution.

A lot of this relates to what I'm learning for counseling, so think of Rising Strong as the self-improvement book that gives you the ability to connect with what you're feeling and work through it to lead a "wholehearted" life (to use Brown's words) and rise from the falls.

I suppose it's dramatic, but this book could really change your life. It's always your choice, but I believe that just learning about this will change the way you see the world. If you have the interest and the time definitely check out Rising Strong and see what it can inspire in you.

"Dream A Better Dream"

Dreams are the flights of our unconscious into the depths of our imagination. Mm-hmm, that's an interesting contrast - flying and depths, but I'm going to go with it. I am thinking of the dreaming that occurs during sleep. Our bodies are immobilized as we sleep and our mind takes action. When we go into REM, we see images and our brain waves change. We'll leave the technical, biological side of dreams for this post and focus on the psychological and interpretative focus.

I actually spoke quite recently with a friend about dreams. We have both experienced odd ones. Sometimes dreams have no rhyme or reason for what they are and sometimes they seem primed to give us information.

I think we can learn a lot from dreams. Not every dream, mind you, because I've certainly had some dreams that just leave me baffled, but if you feel like there's something more - there probably is.

The title of this post comes from a mantra I dreamt up years ago. I used to have a lot of nightmares. I was terrified of the dark and my dreams didn't help matters because I'd wake up in cold sweat feeling disoriented. However, a realization came to me during one dream in particular and I haven't had a nightmare I couldn't handle since. The realization is "dream a better dream", of course.

Let me set the scene.

I was with a friend in an unknown neighborhood as the sky darkened into evening. We were running. Our feet slapping the ground and our breath coming out in large gasps. We were running away from something. And it was getting closer. We ran through backyards and past houses that were dark and looked abandoned. We seemed to be the only two in the world, other than the thing that was chasing us. We jumped over fences and finally crouched down in the shadows of one. The thing growled. It sounded like a big dog, but I couldn't see it. I could just feel my heart racing and the fear of getting caught. In that moment, I was paralyzed and unable to move. My fear escalated to skyscraper heights and I was at the edges of waking up.

Somehow, a reasonable and calming thought came through. I'm not sure if I was learning something at the time or if something had changed in my life that I felt this way, but I stayed in the dream (and asleep) and calmed myself. The danger was still present, yet I felt isolated and separate. Like looking down from above on the whole scene, I "woke up" enough to know that I was dreaming. The adrenaline and fear was still coursing through my body, but I took hold of my thoughts and whispered to myself: "dream a better dream." I repeated that over and over and my mind took hold again.

I didn't want to be dreaming about some terrifying thing chasing me.
I didn't want to feel trapped and powerless.

So, I chose to dream of the opposite.

I put all of my energy into another scene, another dream and it was difficult. Like trying to erase pen from paper, it seemed impossible, yet I kept scrubbing away at that dream - choosing things meant to give me the opposite feelings.

I dreamed of flying.

Not just any type of flying though. I had wings, and my friend had wings, and we flew through bright blue skies that were open with no chance of a shadow. I focused so hard on making that real in my mind that my dream changed. It really did become a "better dream" and my body calmed down, letting me stay asleep with a much more serene heart.

I bring up this dream and the phrase, because I know what it feels like to be powerless in dreams and in the real world. However, this lesson from my dream has given me confidence in my ability to change my world by changing my thoughts. Our minds are so powerful and we are powerful as well. We have the ability to dream better dreams and see our situations in a different light.

When we succumb to shadows, we also have the choice to rise up. Don't get me wrong. It will be difficult and challenging and it might not happen on the first try. But, you get back up. You try again. You keep going and you "dream a better dream" until you make it a reality.

Have you had a "dream a better dream" moment in your life? Leave a comment and let me know. I'd love to hear your story!

Nervous System: Fight, Flight, Freeze or Fun!

Sort of a new take on just the idea of us having "fight or flight" feelings when activated by a stimulus. The Vagal Theory is the up and coming approach to stress reactions. Well, not really an approach, more of a reason why we have different reactions. Have you ever gone to a haunted house with someone and the moment something scary pops up, you and your companion have two different reactions? Like one of you might go screaming/running away and the other might freeze and just stop moving altogether. That's because the former of you is a mobilizer and the other an immobilizer, your bodies follow different pathways to prepare you for the best way to handle the stressor.

Going off of that, there is another pathway - a myelinated nerve which has evolved over time due to our reliance on social interactions. So, while one of you might be running, the other freezing, there might be a third person that decides to just chat up the axe murderer-clown (bit of an exaggerated example, but hopefully you get the point). This third reaction and pathway reorients the body so that you are still capable of processing the situation and engaging with the stimulus.

Engagement is key. This myelinated vagal pathway changes the stressed reaction and can help improve your health.

We can't stay in an activated, sympathetic state, all of the time - we'll end up crashing. You also can't play dead forever or you're really going to be dead. Our body is supposed to regulate to responses in the environment then go back to the homeostatic base. Furthermore, even though the engagement state is beneficial - it's not something you should be in all the time either.

It's fascinating though to think that we are all wired differently and respond differently to stimuli. Our reactions to the world shape our world, and the events of the world shape our reactions. It's a cycle of call-and-response where we're continuously orienting.

Each of these states are beneficial and also harmful. A happy medium is best.

For some more examples and application of this theory, let's turn to the main characters in Island Whispers:

Adam is flight of freeze depending on the situation.
Grant is definitely fight, so is Monica.
Angelica is probably the fun, social category of interaction more than anything.

Art Escape

I love all forms of art. It's beautiful. It's fun. "It is what it is."

Sometimes I don't understand a piece, but maybe I'm just trying too hard to put meaning to something abstract. After all, "l'art pour l'art" or "art for art's sake." I'm not sure who said it, but I definitely agree. Art is what it is for itself, not the opinions or judgments of others.

I'm mainly a writer. I've chosen the written word as my medium and the forging of sentences as my masterpiece. It's something I enjoy and work to perfect. It's something that I want to learn more about and that I admire. However, there are times when I want to use my creative juices in some other form of art.

I've got an amateur hand when it comes to drawing. I am fairly competent at playing the flute. But, when it comes to other art forms, painting is relaxing for me. It has probably been months, maybe a year, since I shared painting on this blog but I know I've done it in the past.

Relatively recently, I moved to a new place. The thing about moving is that you have to get settled again. Every time you move, you have to find your niche and make a home for yourself. Part of this is done by setting up your room.

For the most part, I set up the essence of my room immediately. I had the basic functioning items. A bed and desk, I use my stepladder as a bookcase and I have a dresser in my closet. But, the soul of the room was missing.

All of my walls were bare in the beginning and I didn't have anything to hang. I didn't even have paper or art materials to make something. So, I've spent a number of weeks surrounded by blankness and while it's not urgent, I knew that I needed some more color.

So, I decided to create my own artwork for my walls. Creating a painting seemed like a good idea. I've done miniature ones before. I've painted a bike and avocados for my sister (on separate canvases) and I've done some flowers, landscapes and abstract pieces for myself.

However, when you're putting art in a room, it needs to coordinate with the other stuff. My issue is that I'm not style savvy. Still, the centerpiece of my room is my bed and the one thing that isn't going to change is my quilt. The quilt is a patchwork piece that my Nana sewed for me years ago. I've kept it and brought it everywhere since I left home. It's a bright spot and beautiful reminder. There are so many different colors on the quilt so I knew that my painting could be fairly colorful, but it also needed simplicity.

My best art usually has nature in it. It's easier for me to draw flowers or paint trees than work on animals or humans. Therefore, I decided that I wanted flowers to decorate my walls.

It turns out that I'm a very lucky person because a neighbor down the street is an artist. She willingly allowed me to use her studio, paints and brushes while I created my art. I felt a little funny walking down the street with two canvases half my height, but I'm super grateful that she gave me space to work. She also gave me suggestions and tips for painting.

As I mentioned, I'm amateurish when it comes to all other art forms. So, I learned a way to paint that didn't leave streaks across the canvas. I learned about mixing paint and different things that made it runny. I learned the proper method of washing brushes and the rule of never letting paint dry on your brush. It took almost two weeks, but I finally finished. You can see the finished product below.

I wanted something simple but also connected. The green vine and leaves connected the paintings together and the flowers separated them while showing off different colors of the quilt. Also, I kept with the rule of three for balance in the purple flowers. From my own experience with drawing, outlining in a darker shade brings out the lines and creates a contrast, so I outlined the pink petals to make it stand out and not so much of a blob. The white behind the yellow stamen in the center was under the advisement of my artist-neighbor and I did the same with the purple flowers to keep things balanced.

What do you think and what would you want to paint?

Flower painting for my walls. Original artwork!

Book Review: August

I've mentioned that I love being entertained before and books are very entertaining. For this month, I've chosen The Lightning Thief and I am fond of it. Certainly, Percy Jackson and The Olympians is a good series and appropriate for a young age group. I first read this when I was in 6th grade. It was actually the summer reading assignment, but I enjoyed every moment of it. When you have a book that is fun, it is not a chore; it is a chance to learn something interesting.

Rick Riordan is also a funny/sarcastic writer. As evidenced by the table of contents in The Lightning Thief. The chapters are amusing and also make you want to read further. Why are three old ladies knitting death socks? What is a Garden Gnome Emporium? Which god buys them cheeseburgers? How does he settle his tab? And where does he battle his jerk relative? 

All of your questions will be answered if you dare to flip the pages. And I do mean dare. Percy warns you on the first page that if you're one of them, then you might want to stop reading immediately. Because they'll find you.

And who are they, you might ask.

They are the monsters. The things that stalk and hunt demigods.

Or as Percy says, half-bloods.

It's a very down-to-earth story. I mean that in readability and the way that it is written. The beginning is like Percy is speaking directly to you. He gives you the basics, tells you who he is and then gets into the story. We learn that he has had an unusual childhood. Strange things happen around him and he's been kicked out of more schools than your average middle schooler. 

It isn't until later that we understand what the other half of his heritage might be. Part god. Greek god to be exact. Olympus is real. Monsters are real. And well, they're all...mad because something has been stolen. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out. Merely read the title and I think you know what it is. Begin the chant of: quest! Quest! Quest! We need a quest!

Give us a Joseph Campbell Hero's Journey!

The setting is a sort of modern day mixed with mythology. The things we know exist, but there is a hidden world that our mortal eyes can't see. Namely because of the mist, but that concept will be explained later. However, a modern day setting means that Percy and his two companions will be traveling in a modern day world. Buses, trains, walking...actually I just thought about a fun vacation where you mimicked his journey across the states. Wouldn't that be fun? If only some of the more fanciful locations were real. 

Back to the book. Percy is relatable, especially if you're around 12 when you're reading this. He has to deal with bullying, not fitting in, strange teachers, and an awful step parent. And that is before he learns that he is a demigod. 

Also, I think that it is really great that Rick Riordan invented the story for his son, Haley, and that it was meant to normalize ADHD and dyslexia. These aren't bad things. They're signs that you're a demigod - you can't sit still because of your fighting reflexes and your brain finds it easier to read ancient Greek than the modern alphabet. 

Besides that, Greek mythology is cool. It is absolutely fascinating. There are so many stories and variations on stories. There is so much art to be found. Our language has some roots in Greek. And they have some of the weirdest/terrifying monsters. How is a half-man, half-bull possible? Yet, it happens. What about a woman with snakes for hair and a petrifying gaze? And that is just scratching the surface. 

Consider Percy Jackson as an introduction to the world of Greek mythology and perhaps you'll feel spurred on to dig deeper and uncover buried bones of myths not so dead. 

Winding Down the Story

One more day left in July and then it's August!

Which means that Camp Nano will end in one more day. 

It has been quite a month. For those unfamiliar with Camp Nano, basically it is the "off-season" of National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo) and it is a time for writers to work on projects of their choosing. Participants can also set their own goal for the month, choosing between words, minutes, hours, or even sentences!

I've been working on a new project. A story of fae and faeries, magic and wonder. I've had the idea on my mind for several months, (since last fall, I think). I had come across several stories with faeries. Sarah J. Maas' A Court of Thorns and Roses series, Holly Black - The Cruel Prince, mentions of the fae in Cassandra Clare's The Dark Artifices, along with stories and other small mentions in literature. Besides that I have always been fascinated with and enamored by faeries.

Side tangent - Have you ever built a faerie home?

Back when I was below the age of ten, I went to Girl Scout camp and they had a faerie forest with a place to add homes for the faeries. The homes were built from twigs, leaves and everything was natural. You had to construct something welcoming and sturdy. 

The Little Folk are shy creatures but they pervade every natural place. While in England, I told my friend Griffin (as we walked to Stonehenge) that the fun of imagination lay in the possibilities of everything. Including little faeries hiding in the trees and hollows, watching and waiting, and if you polluted their homes - you'd find mud and bugs in your bed!

So you see, my world has been primed with faeries and the idea of them, but for this story, I wanted to focus solely on the Fae. Most stories are stories with faeries and I wanted this story to be about a fairy. 

Also, have you noticed that there are variations on spelling and terminology?

We have faeries, fae, fairies, fairy, the little folk, the little people, fey, fays, faery, the fair folk, etc...

Setting aside all those different ways. My story is about Kira Ragwort. As a teaser, here is the beginning of the first chapter:

What do you think?

Beginnings are tricky.

They are the hooks that draw a reader into the story-world and if they don't add mystery and questions, people may set them down. So for this entire month, I've written and worked on this story. Since I'd put thought into it before hand, I had a general idea of where I wanted to go. I actually had titles and vague plans for the first fourteen chapters. 

Of course, stories rarely go to plan and once I really dove into the world, I discovered more characters and events then I'd originally thought of. 

Before the month of nano even started, I reworked the beginning and order of events. I'd sent a very rough draft to my friend and she'd given me some feedback on how to really get the action moving. It's a habit of mine to go into the mundane before the exciting which can be off-putting and disinteresting to a reader. I tend to over describe the littlest things and gloss over the big which really should be the other way around. Which is why I'm so grateful for my writing friends, I have so much support in the writing community and my buddies help me figure out where improvements need to be made.

If you want to see some quotes from the work, check out my instagram. I go by author.meganwong - not super creative, but it makes me easy to find. I'll be editing and revising the story in the coming months and I'll update on Kira's journey as I go. Perhaps something new shall hit me and create a new twist. All will be revealed in time.

What are your favorite "fairy tales" or encounters with the fae?

I'm a bit behind on my goal, so if you'll excuse me, I'll be furiously typing away now

Literature Lessons: Colliding Clans

Families can be messy. These days we're familiar with the terms divorce, remarriage, step- mother, father, children, brother/sister, etc... Families are modge-podge creations like a scrapbook (that may or may not be bulging at the seams).

The family situations in Island Whispers are mixed as well. Angelica has just lost her father, but for a long time she grew up with a single parent (since her mother died while she was a baby). Monica still has two parents and extended family who are involved in her life. Adam lost his mother when he was young and has a mixed relationship with his father. Lastly, Grant comes from an interesting family situation that we learn more about in the story.

For this post, I'm going to focus on Grant and the vampires.

If you haven't read Island Whispers, let me warn you now - there will be spoilers. I can't delve into Grant's family situation and not reveal things that we learn about in the book. So if you prefer to have your stories unspoiled before you read them, stop here. Don't click "read more."

Thank you.

A Quick Fix Society vs Slow Thinking and Intuition

It is often the nature of our society to look for "quick fixes." Speed is of primary importance because we are so conscious of time, or the lack of it. This "quick fix" mindset finds its way into daily life through our thoughts about to-do lists.

"I need to do laundry, get groceries, finish that work assignment, etc..." Then our mind switches to, "I can start the laundry and get the groceries, start the work assignment, finish the laundry, etc..." Our ability to think, organize and solve problems helps us a lot. It makes us efficient.

Efficiency is beneficial, but it can also be harmful. There are certain activities that require slow thought and time for intuition and great ideas to manifest. Mostly creative and scientific work require this "thought time." These endeavors seek new ideas and stimulation from synthesizing information to adding onto it with insight.

As much as a computer is likened to our brains, the two are fundamentally different, and disregard the Imitation Game and Turing's theories for now. I mean to say that while our thoughts have a flow of various ideas, there is a limit to how much we can absorb. We created machines like computers to do the work that we can't do alone. Thus, if the computer is able to calculate or dispense information to us, we should be able to do our part and use that data/info to create new ideas.

However, the "quick fix" society is concerned with getting to the answer quickly. Since speed is valued. The time needed for ingenuity and creative ideas is not given its full weight and not appreciated.

Perhaps, as a writer, you can recall times that the story got stuck. Your mind began working at the problem, the moment it occurred, but you couldn't see the full picture. So you put it to bed and took time away, perhaps to sleep yourself or some other activity. Later, in the process of something else or as you wake up, the answer comes to you, as magically as waving a wand. It would be nice if those ideas hit us in the moment, but our brains can't operate at the pace of society. We need our own time to reflect and think, which is why there seems to be a battle between "quick fixes" and the slow thinking required to cultivate intuition.

The more time we take to think, the more the rhythm of thinking and imagining become easier to manage and slip into. The issue occurs when we don't give ourselves time or berate ourselves for slow thinking. It's a necessary process and natural. We're so focused on getting things done, one after the other, that we lack the creative thinking which gave us the power of technology and the ease of other devices.

You might be wondering why the focus of this post is technical and contemplative. Partially because I'm in school again and reading articles always sets my mind spinning, but also because I think it is important for people to be aware of this.

If you get the chance, read "No Time to Think" by David M. Levy. The history and scholarship mentioned in the paper is fascinating. It's useful to learn about the historical intentions for current processes that we take for granted. Perhaps the article will send your mind spinning too.

The Reason Why I Write

I think many writers are often asked about why they started writing. 

"What inspired you?" 

"When did you know that this was something that you wanted to do?"

But, like everything else in the world, there is never one answer. Each writer will tell you something different. Depending on the person, there are various reasons that they began writing. This is my reason.

If I go back to the stories I wrote in elementary school and with my friends, then it was because I was excited by stories. I wanted to tell and make up stories because I enjoyed the ones that I read and I wanted to invent the adventures that we would have together.

Years later, I remembered my fondness for writing and decided that I wanted to write a story that others would want to read. I wanted to share the stories in my head. So I began with a story about a girl and scuba diving.

Why this watery tale? I think it was because I had an interest in the ocean at the time. I wanted to do something realistic. The time period changed over the course of that story from an Edwardian period to modern day. I couldn't really decide what I wanted and where it was going. I was trying so hard to be a writer that I thought everyone would want (with a story that the public would like) that I forgot about the writing that I loved.

I abandoned ship on that project in 8th grade. That was when I started writing for myself with the intent of sharing it later. The stories that I loved to read had magic and magical creatures, so I started there. Angels, demons, vampires, they would all be present in my story. Not only that, they would be the main figures with the greatest population in my world. They would become the "humans" of my story. Several times I thought about actual humans featuring in the story, but that seemed to follow everyone else's pattern. Besides, I was tired of humans and most of all, I wanted every character to have magic. To complete the idea, I added a fourth group: merpeople.

My four characters came to life and perhaps you know them, Angelica, Monica, Grant, and Adam. This story would show each of their lives. They would be young. Around my age and a little older than I was (at the time), and they would be everything I dreamed of.

Book Review: July

My mother told me the Hobbit made her hungry. Well, The Magic Thief made me doubly so and with a craving for buttery biscuits. Although, biscuits are so delicious that it takes very little to make me crave them.

My mother bought this book for me. She went to the store
when the author was there and got me a signed copy.
It is one of the most touching gifts I've received and
I absolutely adore this book.

The first thing you should know about The Magic Thief is that it's fun. That might seem simple, but never underestimate the power of a fun book. Most of the time I want to read a book to be entertained. I want to read something that will capture my imagination and show me things that I've never seen before. A good book is powerful because it can light those fires in your mind and turn mere shadows of a story into a stained glass window of color.

I suppose I'm being a bit dramatic, but I was drawn to the cover and the books appearance. The pages are edged and create fun ridges. The first line drew me in: "A thief is a lot like a wizard." Just breathe that in. A thief and a wizard, comparing the two, it makes a lot of sense actually.

The voice is strong though. Conn, the main character and pick-pocketing thief, is on the street when he picks the pocket of a wizard. Thus begins his life from a street urchin to living in an old manor and making a life for himself with Nevery (the aforementioned wizard) and his muscle, Benet.

I love the language used and how things are described. Conn is direct and yet, he has a talent for comparisons and stating things that just ring true. "No luck that day for my quick, pocket-pick hands..." or "I hunched into my lurking spot..." or "Old man, I thought. A bent, bearded cloak-wearing old croakety croak leaning on a cane." How can you not love those words and not want to know more about the character behind them.