In Shades Of Scarlet

Random Questions for Writers (2011 Edition)

2012-02-03T19:29:00.000-08:00

I meant to do this last year. Really. No, I'm not kidding! It just kind of...yeah, read on, if you would, please and thank you. (Oh and apologies if a hundred posts suddenly appear in the next few hours or so. I'm catching up. Cheerio! ~S

-Do you have a pen/pencil collection? How many of those are chewed?
A set of new gel pens and a set of Zebra mechanical pencils with caps on the erasers. I do not share these. I do not chew them either. Well, the pencils, I mean, those are all plastic, the pens have those lovely little grey comfort grips and they remind me of taffy...

-Do you prefer handwriting or typing furiously?
Typing furiously! I can now make my hands type faster than I can write and believe me, I can write pretty quickly when I've a mind to. It's a helpful skill to have when my brain thinks it owns me.

-How often do you get inspiration?
When I think. No kidding. I hold firm to my resolve that there is no such thing as Writer's Block. Seriously, do you get I-can't-find-my-slippers-block or I'm-too-tired-to-brush-my-teeth-block and whatever? No? Guess what, me neither. If I want to be specifically inspired, then I log onto bing.com and browse through the pretty pictures. Most of the time though, I just close my eyes.

-Are you blogging this on a computer or laptop? Desktop!

-Do you get inspiration more in the early morning or late at night? Late night. Still. Ack. I can't believe it, but I'm not going to complain. Some of my best ideas come while I'm brushing my teeth or my hair right before bed. Hmm. Maybe brushes have something to do with that.

-Do certain movies/books/music inspire you? Ah, yes. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson with "There is only one dumbbell." "S-so what if there is only one dumbbell? Hang the dumbbell!" "You can't hang it until you find it." Way to go, Watson. *highfives*

-How do you incorporate God into your stories? Recently? It's been first person, kind of in your face POV and when I've calmed down a bit, it's rather subtle and might be more hinted than expressly pointed out. I love it when I can make it 'fit' so well into a story that it just belongs there..

-Do you kill off your villains or make them repent? I now reform them. Well, some of them. Some are too far gone and I have no intention of helping them--seriously, and you wouldn't help them either knowing that they deserve what they've got coming. *eyeroll* The ones that can be re.

-Are the majority of your characters magical beings, humans, or halflings? How about...not quite human? lol. I don't really 'do' magic, I prefer powers derived or having some root from science and when not possible or being gifts from God, things that are inherited or they are born with, or something they can accept. Magic works too though, I just don't use it as a fallback. If that even makes sense.

-What genre of writing are you most comfortable in? Fantasy. Then some non-technical sci-fi, followed by inspirational shorts and mystery. Adventure is working its way in there as well, it's less work plot-wise. But I've written across most genres.

-Do you work better alone or with someone else? Solo is best, but I've done well with combined projects. Plenty of silliness and interesting writing. Just me is best though, because my ideas are pretty out there.

-Do your stories make sense, or do they ramble wildly? Most of the time they make sense to me and rambling to others. I love it when it all makes sense to everyone.

-Are your characters mostly Renegades, Peacekeepers or a mish-mash? Mish-mash. They are half angle, half rebel and pretty proud of it. It makes them unique. Once in awhile, I'll stereotype them though.

-Are you a sucker for good grammar? What I know, yes...beyond the basics, um, no. LOL. Wish I could, but only commas and capitalization (and quotations marks and, and...) bug me. :P

-How is your handwriting? Lovely. It changes every year. Pretty stick-shaped, with curls on a few spots here and there.

-How evil are your villains? Can't purify bad blood kind of bad. But I know them and some of them could possibly in another realm, life and time...be good. Maybe. I thin. Not. Probably.

-Are you long-winded or succinct? Long winded. I can make a story out of anything and then explain that something out of nothing and...well, you get the picture.

-Do you have typical writer traits such as ink stains on your fingers or a pencil behind your ear? Those aren't typical anymore...I don't think. lol. But, I do have calluses on my writing hand, short fingernails to type quick and I like chocolate. All the modern writer traits. ^_^

-Would someone walking past you on the street consider you normal? Depends. Most of the time I look slightly normal. :P

-Do you write mostly poetry, stories, novels or a mixture? A mixture. Everything--I've probably written it/tried it at one time or another. Mostly stories though, short fiction and novel-length.

-Do your characters vary in accents, appearance and attitude or are they mostly the same? Vary! Most of the time extremely different--a nice, subtle example at present is the Eira and Dark Phoenix serial currently running and then characters such as the Trial by Fire short piece.

-Do real people and/or places inspire your writing? In villains yes--well, no, I'm not telling. lol. Actually, I only pull traits from actual people, but mostly, it's a soup from the giant simmering brew in my head. The salt would be visiting places close to nature, I love natural beauty and memorials. Bittersweet.

-What is your favorite character? Or do you choose to remain unbiased in case of a revolt? Unbiased! Sort of, but I love Scarletfury(still!) and am now partial to her apprentice, Dev. Second to that, is Mekki Hunter and Dervy(adorable, still, lol) and Layla.

-Do you talk to your characters? Do they talk back? Yes. Oh yes, sometimes they talk too loudly and get me all mixed up. The conversations can go on for awhile. I love getting deeper into their heads and seeing where they come from.

-Are you more comfortable with girl or boy main characters? Mostly female, but I'm told I do fairly well in both.

-Do you follow basic overused plot lines with new twists thrown in or do you depart from the norm all the time? Unless I'm stuck, I use new twists on the old plots. I like the play on emotions or a specific time thing.

-Do you feel God has called you to be a writer/poet? Will you grasp the power of the pen? Yes and with His help I will continue to use this gift for Him.

And done!!!! yay...only took me...wait...for real? ^_^

~Sara

A is for Again!

2012-02-03T19:26:00.000-08:00

To join in this fun meme, click the pic!

I'm doing it again.

Yup.

I feel I ought to at least scream it out loud at the top of my lungs from somewhere very tall and somewhere very cold.

Probably because it'd have to be a mountaintop and I know it gets pretty cold up there. LOL. Sorry, just kidding, I've been meaning to catch up for some time, but it is pretty hard to keep my krazy life in the usual bubble of control that I like it to be.

Of course, the year's changed over, so that probably has something to do with it.

A is for Again!

Yep.

I'm being as wonderfully boring as I possibly can. I'm doing this whole alphabet all over...you guessed it...again. I'm sure there's already quite a slew of A's and Again's, but imagine how disconcerting it'd be if I didn't go along with it all.

Wait, it wouldn't?

Huh. Now you tell me.

*smile*

Just kidding. Again is actually a pretty neat topic when you reflect on it.

For instance, how many moments have you had this week that have something to do with "he/she did WHAT again?" or "Again? I already did that..." or "It's that time of year again..."

Again. It's there. You just can't seem to get away from it, can you? Well, I hope this post helped just a little--if not, well, at least I didn't pick Anime like the last time...

Cheers,

~Sara

Trial by Water (Ebook)

2012-02-01T19:53:00.000-08:00

Trial by Water: Sara Harricharan : Short Story : Christian Fantasy : Book 3 in the Twilight Knight Series

Synopsis: Marcus Gillen is a Twilight Knight with elite Gold Clearance gifted to him since his Knightship. Twilights with Golden Queue training are taught to play a game of wits with their mission objective and Marcus is one of the best. But his latest mission has popped up at a bad time. His gift is water--a double-edged sword to an elemental bearer. It can show him the darkness in the world--and the darkness inside himself. Visiting Kainesworth on assignment opens a new set of puzzles for Marcus, including run-ins with an ancient sea serpent and one strange little girl. Digging deep into his past might provide a few answers, but in doing so, Marcus is forced to take a closer look at himself. The darkness he's fighting may be closer than he thinks. Can he win this game or will he drown trying? Book #3 in the Twilight Knights Series.

Now available for purchase on Smashwords.com for $2.99. Click here to purchase. Sample also available for download.

Trial by Air (Ebook)

2012-02-01T19:51:00.000-08:00

Trial by Air : Sara Harricharan : Short Story : Christian Fantasy : Book 2 in the Twilight Knight Series

Synopsis: As a general applicant student in the Twilight Academy, Layta's heart is set on the rank of Twilight Knight. Her dream is impossible unless someone sponsors her. Shatila Briston is the last person she'd expect to offer her that sponsorship. Layta is overjoyed to accept and receives her first assignment as a Twilight Knight. It seems simple enough, but everything is jumbled upon her arrival. It seems that anything that can go wrong, will. In the desert, on her own, with no one but herself to rely on, can Layta survive? Or will the wind finally blow her away? Book Two in the Twilight Knight series.

Now available for purchase on Smashwords.com for $2.99. Click here to purchase. Sample also available for download.

Trial by Fire (Ebook)

2012-02-01T19:50:00.000-08:00

Trial by Fire : Sara Harricharan : Short Story : Christian Fantasy

Synopsis: In Amerinth, Shatila is a young Twilight Knight up for promotion to the level of Twilight Titan. It is a coveted position she longs for. The only thing standing between her graduation ceremony is a few personal barriers. Can she make peace with her inner self in time to prepare and join the Titan ceremony? All seems possible until Master Dugene interrupts her meditations with one final assignment, an escort mission for a Duke? The last thing Shatila wants is to trek through the dense Amerinth jungle with a clueless noble in tow--but when she wins the mission by demonstration rights, she cannot refuse. Can this frustrated knight handle one final assignment? Or will her temper bring all her hard work crashing down?

Now available as an ebook for purchase on Smashwords.com for $2.99! Click here to purchase . Sample preview is also available for download.

Settling In (Chai Time)

2012-01-17T16:56:00.000-08:00

You know one funny thing about the year changing over?

No?

Settling.

What? No, you're right. I didn't think it was funny either.

But it was very interesting to think about. I don't make a long list of new year's resolutions and all of that, but I do like to pick one thing I think I can throw myself into and see how long I can stick with it. More like a game than a pesky resolution.

Want to know a good one for this year?

Flash fiction.

Er, I meant, actually, my thing for this year. It's been quite fun, waking up to a new word prompt every day and flipping over a little timer and then having at it. The results are being posted in their wonderful shortness over at my Fiction Fusion blog, do stop by if you're interested.

I've been enjoying it, because it makes writing fun again. I try to tell a story in as few words as possible or to give a glimpse of a scene that makes you want to read more of that story. It's had me wracking my brains quite nicely for the new year.

I guess that's good--the thinking, I mean, not the brains part, the brains part kind of hurts. >_>

Anyhow, settling.

The year's settling in and now I can finally do something about it. By do something about it, I mean that I'm thrilled that I've been able to sit down and snatch a few minutes to spend on something that I really enjoy.

How about you? Did you grab a few seconds for that necessary, but really special thing? Hope so.

Cheers!

~Sara

Happy New Year!

2012-01-05T21:14:00.000-08:00

I feel more obligated than anything to do a happy go lucky, welcome to the 2012 new year routine.

LOL.

No, not really. I mean, I'm not laughing. It's a whole 'nother new year again and now I've got to do a bucketload of work that usually gets done just because it is the new year.

You know, things like making new lists, finishing old lists and just, well, lists.

Lists are kind of fun, you know? They can have numbers they can have unlimited pages and they don't necessarily always have to make sense.

I like the lack of sense part. That's always my favorite. Probably because I make lists that are all over the place. Not that I'm doing it on purpose, but it's much easier to put things in a line if you make a list.

Yes, I am rambling. The new year tends to do that to me. ^_^

Anyhow, for the new year, the first poem of the year. *ahem*

2012

New in all it's numbers

The first time that I write it

Made to be special

The first time that I say it

The first three stay the same

The last one makes a change

A welcome to the new year

with well wishes to everyone dear

Cheers!

Sara Harricharan (c)

NaNoWriMo 2011 Day #17

2011-11-17T15:14:00.001-08:00

i'm falling in between
the cracks of your kindness
it hurts to see your smile
holding back the sadness

it meant something to me
when you promised soft and sweet
but this curse inside my head
gives no hope of peace

if i would think it through
maybe i would see
maybe i would realize
i am nothing to you

Teehee. There's a character poem for Hunter, a secondary MC in my NaNoWriMo novel, Gemfire. He's been through some rough times and I thought this suited him so well, I just had to share. The lack of punctuation and capitalization is a bit of a style thing, because it's happening when he's pouring his heart out and absolutely ready to die. Silly boy. I can't kill him off right after I just went to all the trouble to write him in...LOL.

Happy nanoing to my fellow wrimos!

~Sara

Z is for Zephyr

2011-11-15T16:04:00.001-08:00

Do you know what a Zephyr is?

I didn't. I kind of assumed it was a mythical beast of some sort and then, of course, I had to drop by my dear friend Mr. Webster and investigate all possible definitions in the depths of his basement of top-secret knowledge.

In case that makes no sense, I was talking about a dictionary. Yep.

A Zephyr is a spring wind, said to bring either hope or doom, depending on the one who calls it. There's something a bit romantic about that, when I think of sailor wives and their husbands going out to sea, where the women would wait and watch the sky. There's always that classic image of a lone wife staring out into the wildness of blue sky and sea, the wind blowing her hair 'round and her face with some mask of expression that could never be captured in words.

Zephyr. I'd think that's why they couldn't put it into words, after all, if you didn't know the word existed, then obviously you couldn't use it. In addition, if you didn't know it existed, then how on earth could you paint it? How do you even capture one?

I don't know. Haven't got a clue. But I do like the thought and I'm turning it over and over in my head.

Cheers to a great week!

Oh and a quick note (since I'm a bit lazy to start two blog posts in one night!) I'm starting up my 12 Stories of Christmas run again. Last year, I managed to crank out 7 original pieces themed to favorite holiday songs during winter break before I had to start the Spring semester. Some were light, contemporary pieces, others held a definite fantasy twist to it. It was fun, it was wild and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process, enough that I want to do it again. If you have a song request you'd like me to storify, I'm taking them from now until Dec 29th, 2011. ~_^ Let me know in the comments below!

Sara

To Join in this wonderful meme, click the link below!

Songs used in 2010:
Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer
Ghosts of Christmas Eve
Mary, Did You Know?
I'll Be Home For Christmas
Peace On Earth
Away In A Manger
One Toy Soldier
Hard Candy Christmas

NaNoWriMo 2011 Day #11

2011-11-11T20:03:00.001-08:00

Happy Nanoing guys! How's it going? I hope you are having as much fun as I am. I've been having a blast arguing with characters, finding new theme music and dreaming in extended prose. It's been a blast! ^_^

Today's post is meant to be somewhat of an encouragement, as I've recently read and spoke to a few nanoers and have been offering my encouragement all day. Some folks have just started, a few are several days behind, others are worried about word count.

Those are all legitmate things with legitmate worries. But that isn't the point of Nano.

The point of nano is to have more words than when you started out. Considering that you begin November with 0 words, I'd say that anything 0+ is an improvement. If you reach the 50,000 words, that's awesome. I'll give you a brownie. But if you tried, enjoyed the 'trying' and had a blast doing it, I don't care whether you hit the 50k or not, I'll still give you a brownie.

You did your best. You tried. You had fun. You learned something in the midst of it, I'm sure and that's what this is all about. I've had more fun this year as an ML, because I've been able to interact with my wonderful wrimos, make new writing buddies and chat with old nano friends. I've been drawn into the whole nano aspect and as someone who could make a career out of being an introvert, it's been well worth it. I'm glad Nano's pulled me out of my shell a bit (even if I haven't stopped stressing since!), it's been an amazing experience.

I've had the chance to share, laugh and encourage so many folks who are writing and it's been special to hear the congratulations and nanomails that stuff my inbox (I am replying to them folks, just give me time, it's been a LONG week). I'm touched, flattered and I've tear-ed up.

You wrimos are an amazing breed of writing folk. The sense of community stands out more than anything and I am absolutely thrilled to be a part of it. I've said before that I think I'm addicted for life. I probably am. It's not the whole "needing more headspace" or "having pretty web icons", but the chance to write freely and uncensored, to share on the project without worry of rejection and to have the pat on the shoulder or the kick in the pants to keep me going.

I feel like Linus in a Charlie Brown Christmas, where Charlie Brown explodes "Doesn't anybody know what Christmas is all about?" I find myself smiling as I listen to one wrimo on the last strands of her sanity, as I answer the "Doesn't anywrimo know what Nano is all about?" in typical Linus fashion, "It's about fun, it's about writing what you love and it's about your writing process." To quote Chris Baty, "The world needs your novel" so go ahead and write it. Forget about word counts, who's ahead of who, who's behind of who. Quit procrastinating on the threads, grumping about how you didn't have time to write or fretting over how behind you are.

Take your moments. Have them. If you have to whine, fight, kick and scream, go ahead. I won't stop you. But I will be the person standing off to the side timing your temper tantrum with a stopwatch and waiting to give you one of two options when you're finished a), a hug or a hand up (encouragement) or b) a kick in the pants (ENCOURAGEMENT!). It's up to you which one you want to take. I'll happily deliver both.

NaNoWriMo is something I look forward to every year, no matter how complicated and stuffed my schedule gets. Even if I am only writing on the weekends or texting dialogue to myself, I am writing--and I enjoy every single wild, wonderful moment of it. That's what Nano is about. Today is a special day the famed 11-11-11, and some folks are writing for 11 hours, aiming for 1,111 or 11,111 words. Go ahead and try for that. Write for 11, if the big words are too much. Write bunches of 11's. Just plain write.

I know you can do this--as long as you really, truly want to do it. So go ahead, get back to writing and remember, I'm a ninja and I'm hovering somewhere behind you--invisibly of course--and I'm cheering for you 100%.

I'm not giving a word count today. That's not important. What is important is giving this writing adventure your absolute best effort. Throw yourself into it. When you give 100% of yourself, it's hard to be disappointed with the results when you know you did all that you possibly could.

Three cheers from a fellow wrimo in TN,

~Sara

Y is for Yeti

2011-11-07T18:25:00.000-08:00

And I bet you really didn't see that one coming.

First off, um, no, I am not a strange Yeti-grouping fanatic, nor do I hold anything against folks who do and are. I admire people who can believe so strongly in something and I think the idea of a Yeti is pretty interesting. I am a writer after all and such things tend to amuse me.

The Yeti (aka, the abominable snowman) is known as an ape-like cryptid, (cryptid means a creature that is suggested to exist, but there is yet to be enough conclusive evidence to prove such existence) and is said to reside in the mountains of the Himalayan regions of Nepal and Tibet.

I remember the Yeti as a funny stick-figure monster that would appear at the end of one of the most popular Windows 95 games, known as SkiFree. I remember hearing of Bigfoot and thinking that the Yeti must be his overseas cousin.

Some folks consider Bigfoot to be the Yeti's North American counterpart, so I guess you could say they are related after all. As a kid, stories were my favorite pastime whether making them up, reading them or begging to hear one and Yeti stories were always fun. (They kind of went along with the giant squid stories too--of which I would like to mention that they are amazing creatures!).

Anyhow, I thought it would be fun to mention Y for Yeti, especially since I don't hear much about it these days. I looked up a few fun pics on google and thought I'd post them here. They do not belong to me, they are the property of their collective creators/artists and I hope amuses you as it did for me.

Cheers to a great week!

~Sara

P.S. Nano word count is 23,087. WOOT!

To join in this fun meme, click here!

NaNoWriMo 2011 Day #7

2011-11-07T18:13:00.000-08:00

And hello my lovlies. ~_^ (I've always wanted to start a blog post that way, teehee)

I would have written of my Nano adventures sooner, except for I did not have much to report, well, apart from my word count and that hardly seemed like something I should use a whole blog post for.

The nanoing is going quite interestingly, as usual and I am having some fun with the story. I've been having a blast connecting with fellow nanoer's and plot-tweaking and eating pumpkin pie with too much whipped topping.

It's been a good weekend for the first official writing weekend and I'm happy to see folks getting into the fun of nano.

Cheers to a good writing week--current word count, 23,087.

~Sara

NaNoWriMo 2011 Day #3

2011-11-03T21:01:00.000-07:00

And I should be having something spectacular to post, unfortunately I haven't really got much brilliance left for today.

LOL. Just kidding folks. It's been a super busy day--one that has not been as productive for writing as I'd wished. I'm planning to catch up at a Write-In tomorrow and over the weekends after I've shucked some homework out of the way.

I'm thrilled to see the newbies soaring this year and I'm really enjoying reading the wonderful excerpt they're posting. Have you checked any of them out? They're awesome--and that's just with Day 2 and Day 3 writing! WOOT! Those writers are on fire. ^_^

If you haven't joined the insanity yet, there's still time. The first week is forgiving. Go ahead, take the plunge!

www.nanowrimo.org

Happy nanoing folks!

~Sara

NaNoWriMo 2011 Day #2

2011-11-02T19:23:00.000-07:00

Hey folks!

And it's the big and famous day 2 of NaNoWriMo. Whoo hoo. Yup. It's the day when new people are still pouring in and worrying whether being one day 'late' will mess up the entire month.

Newsflash for the curious and interested--no, it will not. I repeat, no, it will not cause any earth-shattering complications if you start one day late. In fact, use it as an incentive to get the words flowing and fuel yourself onowards to the golden 50k.

As for me and my second day...I was at school...what could you possibly expect?

Just kidding...but it has been that kind of a day. ~_^

I've finally got a word count from yesterday, 3,463. No, I'm not going to tell you what I did for today--why--because I haven't written anything yet and therefore, have no new word count to share. *sigh*. Considering that I have more homework and a busy day ahead of me, I think this coming weekend will be catch up time.

On the bright side, I was finally able to work out some kinks with my FMC. Erm, I meant wrinkles...ignore the kinks--what were you thinking of?! *Shakes head* Anyhow, my wonderful FMC is a girl with issues (of course!) and who is about to start complicating the lives of everyone she runs into. It's a blissfully wonderful opening, in my own biased opinion.

But you knew that already, right?

Cheers to everyone who has made it to day 2 without any major crisis's on their own behalf. Congratulations. I'm very proud of you. For those of you who had such issues and still managed to plow through, *high-five* Way to write, my friend! And for those of you just starting, I'm cheering for you all the way. Write on!

~Sara

NaNoWriMo 2011 Day#1

2011-11-01T21:49:00.000-07:00

Hey folks!

It's the first day of NaNoWriMo, I hope everyone is having fun and writing up a storm. As for me, I'm up to my eyeballs in homework and scribbles. And trying to convince myself to get some actual work done for the day.

Teehee. Looks like it's going to be that kind of a month, but I hope you are all having a blast and getting your wordflow started. For the first day, I'm doing alright. No, I won't post a word count and yes, I have written. Kudos to everyone who has and is brave enough to share their first day count. ^_^

I salute you...and I will share my secret stash of cookies.

Three cheers and happy nanoing!

~Sara

X is for X?

2011-11-01T21:43:00.000-07:00

Oooh, fun letter.

X is for X marks the spot.

I love that line. I would dearly love to find a buried treasure in an old mysterious nonexistent location with a wildly, ridiculously real treasure.

And if that made no sense, then I've got pirates on the brain. You know, the whole swords, eye patch, ships at sea, walking planks and maps with hidden treasures? Yeah, that stuff! Great. I'm glad we're on the same post, I mean, page.

X can be for a bunch of things, but I'm singling out two of my favorites. Hidden treasure-because yes, it does exist and so did pirates, therefore hidden treasure is real and so are maps with X's on them. Second, is Professor Charles Xavier from the Learning Institute for Special Education.

And if you didn't catch the second one, that's a reference to X-men and yes, I am a fan. ^_^ A rather dedicated fan, mind you. I actually collect the encylopedia's with the real history and stories in them. I don't just watch the movies and go "oooh, pretty special effects!" Though I do have to say that the effects in X-men First Class were pretty neat.

While the entire storyline was off, it was fun to see a young Professor X running around with a young Mystique, Magneto and Hank. It was really, really fun! I enjoyed the movie and seeing how they added human elements to the "mutants" and kept the story fun, even if it did deviate from the actual realistic history.


Patrick Stewart plays the best Professor Xavier I've known to date.

Want to know a secret? If you've seen the end, then, well, it didn't happen that way. We all know that Professor X is the most powerful mutant in a wheelchair, yes? No, it didn't happen because of a bullet in his back. *insert eyeroll here* That was the most annoying part of the movie for me, but it also made an interesting snippet for how Mystique joined the other side and where Nightcrawler came from.

If all of the above sounds like gibberish, then ignore it and remember that treasure maps are fun and I'm an X-men fan all the way. Cheers to a great week!

(My Day#1 nanowrimo post is coming right up after this, but I wasn't about to focus it on the letter X, so look it up, if you feel like it. Be warned of hyperness!

~Sara

To join in this wonderful meme, click here!

W is for What-!?

2011-10-24T21:58:00.000-07:00

W can stand for a bajillion things.

I was going to jabber on about Nana Mouskouri and what a lovely, whispery quality her amazing voice has. I was going to talk about Words with Friends, that new Zynga game that's half of everywhere. I was going to cover Widgets (because it's just so fun to say, seriously, say it...Widget. See, didn't that make you smile?)

And then I realized that I just spent x amount of minutes wondering what on earth to post about a single letter, when I really have a bajillion other things to be DOING.

So, here we go!

W is for...WHAT?

Whispering Hopeful Anecdotes Tirelessly....yeah...that should've given you a completely puzzled look. Uh-huh. I was aiming for that. Really and truly.

No, just-kidding. ^_^

But it was fun.

W is for What and What is for:

WHAT? (c) Sara Harricharan October 25th 2011

What do I mean to you?
What am I?
Do I seem like a person?
Or am I just some one?
What are you?
What do you mean to me?
Do you seem like a person?
Or are you just one some?
I see you and I wonder
I wonder what and why
You see me and you wonder,
Your why and how and sigh
So tell me
Please,
What am I to you?
Because to me,
You are everything
Everything through and through

Special thanks to a friend for the prompt of poetry. Cheers!

Have a great week, folks.

~Sara

To join in this meme, click here!

V is for Verily

2011-10-20T20:28:00.000-07:00

I love the sound of that word. Verily. Veh-ruh-leeeeeeee. Oops, sorry, got carried away for a moment there. Won't happen again. I think. At least, not for this post. *crosses and then uncrosses fingers because it is difficult to type*.

Hi.

I'm late with this week's letter.

That's mostly because I had a lot of things to think about and have I mentioned that midterms were going on? I didn't? I thought I did. Oh well. Now you know, even if it is after the fact. Yay for you.

This week's letter is V and I say that V is for verily. Did you know that the definition of verily stands for truly and certainly?

I didn't. I just knew that it sounded really cool and I loved the way it rolled off my tongue. Don't get me wrong, I had a general idea of the word, at least when used in context and I decided it was worth looking up to share the joy with the rest of the world.

Mmmhmm.

Yeah. I was probably kind of frazzled when I was thinking today. Go figure.

Today is actually "Why I write" day sponsored by the National Day on Writing. Did you know that? I didn't either. LOL. That's great, I hate being alone in these sorts of things. So, would thou verily like to know why I write?

I'm sure I've mentioned it a thousand times on this blog, but I can't pass up the official day to do it, so here we go! ^_^

Why do I write?

Simple. Because I want to.

And that's all there is to it.

If you want the more in-depth answer, then consider this. I only had to write one thing to realize that I really loved writing. One thing. But in writing that one thing, I learned that I couldn't stop there--ever. Writing is not my whole life--believe me, there are a million other things I do and certainly things that I am required to tend to, but in between of all of it, I write. I do it because I want to, because I love to and probably because it's downright fun. (and there, I used 'because' three times in one sentence. Whew!) My writing is far from coherent and perfect, but I like to think it is somewhere in between and that I am working towards that coherency and perfection. So, tell me. Why do you write?

Oh and of course, my nano plug : Twelve days to NaNoWriMo 2011. What are you waiting for?

~Sara

To join in this week's meme, click here and have fun!

NaNo Stuffs! (2011!)

2011-10-14T19:39:00.000-07:00

And I've been busy with badges and icons and whatever. Here's some of what my busy fingers managed to churn out. I'll have other stuff, I think. Keep an eye out. You never know. ^_^

If you'd like to use any of these, please do so with proper credits, (my name : Sara Harricharan.) and be sure to link to NaNoWriMo when possible. This is an amazing creative experience for so many people and I hope this will spread the word and folks will support this wonderful adventure.

Disclaimer: This is not an official NaNoWriMo site, and the content has not been reviewed by National Novel Writing Month. For more information on National Novel Writing Month, visit www.nanowrimo.org.”

I am an ML for the TN Elsewhere group and these are made just for the fun of it. I am not making any profit from this--it is simply to enrich the Nano experience of my fellow wrimos.

U is for Underneath

2011-10-11T10:11:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling a little poetic today. The weather is wonderfully dreary and dark, which generally leads to rather interesting writing, so this week, there is no long and rambly post.

Just a poem, that might make you think.

Photo is courtesy and copyright of Ian Beasley.

Underneath

Underneath, I've fallen down
Fading faster
Tryin' to drown
Pull me under
Let me go
Let the river
Let it flow

Underneath, I'm left behind
Forgotten only,
One of a kind
Taking over,
Let me be,
Let the river,
Flowing free

Underneath, I'm going down
Not a word,
No, not a sound
I'm so lost
And so alone
Let the river
Take me home

Underneath, I"m letting go
Giving in to
All I know
Left for darkness
Left for good
Let the river
Like it should

Underneath, I"m just a child,
A little helpless
A little wild,
I'm crying out, please
Don't let me go
Don't let the river
Take control

On the surface,
I've got it all
Picture perfect, perfect walls
The river's coming
To take away
If I let it,
I'm gone today

Underneath, I"m falling down
Swamped and tangled
I'm gonna drown
Breathing's over
Living too
Lord, take me under
Make me new

Underneath I'm,
Just like you
Imperfect Issues,
Trust in His truth
Scared and cold
I am no more
Let the river
Lay me at His door

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed the read. I generally don't post my poetry, but this one seems to fit for today and of course, the letter matches for this week. ^_^

Cheers!

~Sara

(c) Sara Harricharan 2011

To join in this fun meme, click here!

P.S. If you're participating in NaNoWriMo this year, the new site just went live! ^_^

T is for Thank You, Steve Jobs

2011-10-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

Steve Jobs, 1955-2011

I was thinking all day on what to write for this week's letter and I'd almost decided until I came home this afternoon. Turned on the news and began checking my mail, the usual routine.

Then I actually read the headline that I'd been staring at for the past five minutes.

Steve Jobs, died at 56 years of age.

Shock was my first reaction to this, followed immediately by a web search to confirm that this was true and someone wasn't pulling my leg. I kind of wanted it to be a joke. Some really horrible cyber prank, because to think that Steve Jobs was actually dead, wasn't the way I wanted to end my day.

I watched the news.

I cried.

There's a ton of news and posts and videos and everything all over the world, the web and goodness knows where else. I'm amazed to see how many things he did and went through in such a short time.

My condolences and prayers to his family.

I would like to add my own tribute to his legacy.

Steve Jobs was an amazing, creative individual. I admired the way he could continually surprise the world, it seemed, by simply using the brain God gave him and putting those talents to use in the best way that he knew how.

The strength and dignity that he carried with him, no matter what was happening in his life, is something to remember. I don't care about all the half hype and what next and all of that junk. I'm slightly annoyed (read=perplexed) at the amount of people adding qualifiers and taglines to their well-wishes. I'm sure they mean well. I'm probably just too sensitive. Maybe it'll matter tomorrow, maybe I'll have to deal with it, maybe it won't bother me when I wake up. I don't know. Right now, I don't think it matters.

See, in my opinion, Steve Jobs was a brilliant man who brought a strong creative thread to our daily lives in mind-blowing ways. He did some amazing things. He's left a wonderful legacy behind. Leave it at that, don't try to qualify and read into things. See. Hear. Feel. Think, then react.

Because of what he did with the talents he had, many lives have changed for the better.

May he rest in peace.

Thanks for stopping by,

Sara

To join in the wonderful A2Z meme, click here!

2011 NaNo Banner

2011-10-03T18:06:00.000-07:00

And I finally had the chance to whip this together. Thankfully, it didn't take too long--I guess that's what happens when you have the idea crammed in your head for such a long time that it can't wait to get out. LOL.

Anyway, cover will come soon...I guess. Banner first. ^_^

Cheers,

Sara

S is for soup!

2011-09-29T15:05:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again.

That wonderfully delicious, delectable and delightful season--Fall. Or Autumn, if you prefer. I love it all, watching the leaves change to all four colors, being able to breathe fresh air without sneezing myself to death from allergies and of course, the slightly overcast skies that make it perfect writing weather for the happy little writer self in me.

Many favorite things come with fall, NaNoWriMo for one (Psst, it's 32 days away as of right now!). Pumpkin pie, (I tend to make them in batches of four), Pumpkin Pie muffins (They come with cream cheese icing, ever had one? Absolutely delish!), and of course, this week's letter, S for SOUP!

I love my soup.

In fall, it's the best kind of changing-weather food and it's so easy to take everywhere. Not to mention, if you make a big ol' pot of something, you can keep on adding stuff. It's fun and it's yummy. I have a super simple vegetable broth soup I love to make for when those sniffles start coming around (as they sometimes do with the colder weather *sigh*), it's tasty and quite quick.

Quick Soup

2 cubes of Rapunzel Vegetable Boullion. (Soup stock!)
1 Tablespoon B-12 Nutritional Yeast Flakes (Adds flavor and some color)
1 cup diced potatoes
2 Cups water

That's it. Pix are below. I'm sure y'all know what potatoes and water looks like.... *ducking*

Yeast Flakes!

Found in my local healthfood store

Pop it in a pot on the stove and start it out bubbling, then turn it down to simmer. Check the potatoes to be sure they're cooked. It generally doesn't take too long. I'm one of those "a dash of this and a dash of that" kind of a cook, so specifics are kind of eyeballed here.

But it's kind of close to idiot-proof, as my brothers would say, so no worries. The worst you can do is overcook the potatoes and if you do that, then simply pour it in a blender and blend it up. The result will be a light, cream of potato-styled soup and you can add some milk to make it creamier (or some canned cream of mushroom soup!), if you like. ^_^

Add any other seasonings to taste, I sometimes put in some onion or garlic and whatnot. It's a basic, light soup for if you're feeling kind of blah and just want some nice tastiness on a cold day. ^_^

Cheers!

Sara

To join in this weeks meme, click here!

R is for Rawhide

2011-09-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

I missed a week.

Well, duh, I'm sure you can already figure that out without my having to bore you with something completely insignificant and trivial as repeating it, but still...I missed it.

I have a really good excuse. :D Wanna hear it? No? Oh. I was gonna tell you anyway. Oh well...oh, fine. Here we go.

Originally, I wanted to create a Vlog-based cooking tutorial on how to make a rustic Indian flatbread, (my chief staple of Indian cooking!), known as Roti. There are several different kinds, and I was going to focus on the basic one, but in all honesty, every time I am making roti, the very last thing I am interested in is filming or explaining it.

I just wanna make it and eat it and not necessarily in that order either. (I'm not going to explain that...)

Anyhow, I had two alternatives for R and I'm pulling one of 'em out.

R stands for Rawhide, that old black and white cowboy show starting young Clint Eastwood. ^_^ It's fun, it's really-old (the fights are hilarious!), but it's got some interesting messages in there. While I generally don't watch much TV at all, (I am loyal to my favorite shows and that's about it!), I've picked up Rawhide in recent weeks.

One, I like horses. Cowboys ride horses. Check.
Two, I like interesting plots. Rawhide has predictable plots, but interesting ways of going about them. Check.
Three, I like it when things have a point. Most of the time, Rawhide has a point. Check!

So yay, here we go!

The episodes I've seen have been black and white, though I'm sure there's color to be had in there somewhere. Starting from the left going clockwise, you can see the trail boss, Gil Favor, Ramrod (second in command) Rowdy Yates (aka, Young Clint Eastwood!), the scout and tracker, Pete Nolan, the pesky, ornery cook-doc-fix-it guy, Wishbone.

It's a fun show.

Look it up some time if you need a laugh and can stand to sit through some black and white. ^_^

And hopefully I'll get that VLog together sometime. It'd sure be a load of fun to put it together.

Cheers from my corner of the world,

Sara

To join in this fun meme, click here!

Q is for Quick-!

2011-09-13T12:24:00.000-07:00

Q is for Quick, what are you doing right now?

So, come on--tell me what you're doing. Oh wait, you want me to go first? Rats. Oh fine, here we go.

Who--Me!

Where--Nowhere, but in front of my computer.

What--am I doing right now? Homework. Housework. Laundry. Tea-drinking. List-making. NaNo Plotting. Typing this ridiculously short post. ^_^ Woot!

Why--Because multitasking is fun. It's tastes good too. No, wait, that's the tea talking. I like tea. It tastes good. I'm drinking it because I like it. I'm making lists 'cause that's what you do when you drink tea. Everything else is just happening on its own in the background. Honest!

How--with my eyes closed.

Ha!

Just kidding. No, it's very simple. Put the tea to make, put clothes in washing machine. Pick up garbage bags from laundry room on way back to room. Swap bags for notebooks. Come back. Drink tea. Laugh. Write a blog post about it.

Tada!

Erm, yeah. if you're feeling cheated in regards to a long and terribly witty blog post, my deepest apologies. There's just a hundred and one bajillion things I ought to be doing right now. *sigh* But you are loyal, my dear readers and so here is your treat.

Q is for Quote--many lovely funny ones, many interesting thinky ones and some that just kind of fit.

“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
- Mark Twain

To read a nice collection of my favorite writing quotes, click here to view the Quote Gallery.

My favorite Sherlock Holmes quote--well, if you've ever heard me say "Oysters" out loud, then yes, you know that it is: "Oysters! The world is overrun by oysters!" in which Sherlock faked illness to lure Watson nearby to capture a murderer in the act. Best quote ever!

Now then, if you don't mind this post, it sure doesn't matter. If I mind, then we have issues to deal with. *adds to inbox* Yes. Thankfully, I have no issues with it. I hope the same for you.

Happy Tuesday!

To join in this wonderful blog meme, hop on over here and have fun!

Remember (a poem)

2011-09-11T19:59:00.001-07:00

In remembrance of 9-11, for everything. For those who lost loved ones and those who we will always remember. I have nothing to say, because there is nothing to say. I remember. I feel. It hurts. You remember. You feel. It hurts.

Remember.
I remember, because I cannot forget.
I don't know that I will forget.
I don't know that I want to.
Sometimes I think I want to.
Because it hurts so much.
Then I think I don't.
Because it hurts so much.
Life like a shadow
When the sun is smiling for
A minute
But the light lasts
Forever
Inside
Always.
Remember for what was lost
Remember for what we have
Living in their memory
Learning from what they gave
Learning from who they were
Learning from what they left
Remember because it matters
Remember because they matter
Memories are what I have
Memories are what I'll keep
I'll never stop making them
I'll never stop sharing them
I will always let them be
A special part of me

Sara Harricharan (c) September 11, 2011

P is for Please Don't Insult The Writer

2011-09-08T11:01:00.000-07:00

I don't own a soapbox. I never have. In fact, I had to rent this one just for this post, so do be warned. It's a bit used and my feet hurt already, but it doesn't look too bad, so here we go! ^_^

Something really ticked me off today. It's actually a very simple kind of something. I tried explaining my annoyance to my dear mother and her response prompted this post. I have decided the best thing to do would be to write it out of my system.

Of course, if I'm going to all the trouble of writing it out, I might as well turn it into a blog post, right? Hmmmm.

Don't worry, I won't subject you to some raving rant about how I think the golden world exists because pens and paper don't constantly argue with each other. But I will make one point based on my own experiences and a few random facts. I say a few random facts because I do read quite a bit and sometimes it takes a couple years for what I read to settle into the necessary places in my mind.

This is one of those times.

My opinion is this: a writer is not an artist.

By all means, do disagree if you like, but please, share with me why exactly you are disagreeing. I do not mean that a writer cannot be artistic or that two forms of art cannot reside in the same human being, I am simply stating that in my mind, as far as I understand, a writer is not an artist. They can be artistic. They can be writers and artists, but a writer is not an artist. Those are two different labels for two distinctly wonderful things. I don't believe they should be carelessly muddled together like that.

P is for please don't insult the writer.

In the years I have been writing up to now, it has taken me quite some time to accept the title of a writer. I've been writing long enough to hold the title, yet I still hesitate to label myself that way for a few reasons.

Writing is hard work. Good writing takes a significant amount of work. Really great writing is easy reading and easy reading is gut-wrenching, soul-stirring writing. Note that I said writing, not content. The actual message or story can be as light and fluffy as you like, that doesn't mean that writing it was anywhere near easy.

This isn't to say that I am not a hard-worker or I won't put out the amount of effort and quality that is necessary and expected from a writer. It means that when I do hold myself to the title, I do so in all seriousness and sincerity. But sometimes, I am too lazy, too bored or too something-or-the-other to do what a truly dedicated writer would do. I post unedited snippets, I write without proofreading and I tear pages out of notebooks. In those moments, I am not being a writer, I am merely being Sara. (A rather moody version of Sara, but still).

Before this post takes on a mind of its own, I'm going to get to the point.

My annoyance came from a conversation I overheard in regards to art and writing. It went something along the lines of "Writing is just like art. It's the same thing. Writers and artists are the same. Writing is easier. If I had to be an artist, I'd be a writer because it's easier."

Ouch.

It wasn't so much that it was said, but the way in which it was said.

My initial reaction went something like "Oh really?" followed immediately by "and what exactly do you write, my dear?". However, my mother raised me to be polite and all potentially snappish remarks remained in the darkened caverns in the depths of my brain where the voices in my head are free take whatever liberties keep them happy.

So, here's my point.

I just said that writing isn't easy. I didn't mean that it's so hard that you have to lose your mind over it (though that certainly is possible!). How hard and easy it is depends on the writer and their skill level. I'm sure we all agree that there are some excellent writers out there and some equally not-so-excellent ones. When you say something was or is hard in relation to writing, please oh please do be careful.

Please don't insult the writer.

For me, easy reading is hard writing--very hard writing. Sometimes I feel lucky when writing is easier than I first thought or a first draft isn't as rough as I expected. I am aware that some of my writing habits are entirely unique to my own creative process and is reflected in the things I write and the manner in which I speak of them.

But writing is just like other normal things--you have to do them. You have to put forward the effort. If you're artistically inclined, art may seem 'easier' but then Thomas Mann reminds, "a writer is a person for whom writing is twice as difficult as it is for other people."

I energetically spend half of my writing days endeavoring to prove him wrong. The other half are reminders that he is more right than I care to admit. Sometimes it feels like the more I know of writing, the harder it becomes. I miss days when I didn't know anything and telling a story was just to see smiles in the audience.

Have you ever seen an artist at work? Their hands move across a blank page and the most intense look of concentration settles over their entire body. Color is breathed into existence, a world is painted out of their minds. From the depths of their God-given talent, they are creating a masterpiece and it's beautiful.

Have you ever seen a writer at work? They are oblivious to the world around them as their minds come alive in tandem with their bodies, birthing words that fill the lined page. Impressions become reality and a whole realm unfolds in dozens of pages. From the depths of their God-given talent, they are creating a masterpiece and it's beautiful.

Wonderful creative processes. Brilliant creative minds. Sensitive souls. Individual human beings.

Don't insult them. Please don't insult them. Sensitive means they are open to the world around them. It doesn't mean they are anything less than who they are and what they do.

It might mean that when you speak ill of their gift or talent, everyone in the room might laugh, but they will simply smile at you. The kind of smile that will bug you, because it'll stay in the back of your mind for having said far more than they would have taken the time to share.

It might mean you lost a potential friend.

This bothered me today because of what I know I have put into my writing and of what I have given of myself to find the courage to bear that title. I speak it with respect and earnest will. It is not something I throw in other people's faces, not something to constantly brag about and definitely not something I claim as successful by my own merits.

Yes, there are things I could brag about. Yes, if I wanted to throw it in your face, there's quite a bit more than what my bio in the sidebar says. Yes, I could selfishly claim that all I have accomplished have been because of x, y or z.

Yes, I could.

But I don't and I won't.

There are times and places for everything. I am my own worst critic and bragging is the very last thing I would do for my own writing. That's just me though. I know this is part of who I am. I know how it factors into my creative process. I know there are times when I will speak up. There will be times when I must.

I will admit in all honesty that I am short-tempered. Extremely short-tempered. I have automatic responses for everyday situations that frustrate or confound me. If something bothers me, be well assured that I will speak up-and that you will hear me. I struggle on a daily basis to remember to be mindful of what I say when and to whom.

If I were to claim all that I have written was on my own talent and creative brilliance, I would be lying in the worst way possible. There are many things I have written that leave me amazed at God's sheer awesomeness.Too many things. I also find the things written through Him are the hardest of all to write. Kinda makes you think.

For me, it takes all three to make up the true character of a respectable writer. I can speak so strongly about the differences between them, because I've been there--and I'm still there. Art is so drastically different from writing, it's become a new pet peeve. Writing is such an opposite to art that it makes me want to scream when folks lump them together. Writing can be an art. Art can certainly tell a story. But they're two completely different things. The more you know about either, the more you realize just how different they are.

I'll get off my soapbox for now, because there are a few class papers I ought to be writing. (and the rent on that thing is outrageous!) Take care and do remember, please don't insult the writer(s) or the artist(s). They just might write a whole novel on it (or at least a blog post), who knows?

Sara Harricharan ^_^

To join in the weekly alphabet meme, click here!

O is for Ohhh

2011-08-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

Ha. I couldn't resist this one. I debated last week’s topic of nothing and decided that it did fit me very well, but it also skipped over one point in that letter that is a major happy place for me. *drum roll please!* So I'm going to get creative.

It's a little thing called NaNoWriMo. Actually, I should've highlighted the O there to be something like nanOwrimO but never mind all of that, I just want to share about one of my favorite yearly events.(I also want to drag you into the insanity right along with me--erm, I mean, do keep reading my wonderful, charming reader!) ^_^ '

Some days, I feel as if I could be the poster child for NaNo and other days, I'd rather hide in a cave and get lost in my own writing world rather than trying to explain my creative addiction. *sigh* But I'm going to go ahead and explain it. Mostly because of a certain creative friend's fb status that was simply a match to the smoldering fire that I painstakingly stow away for use during November only. ^_^

I can honestly say I'm addicted here. Really, truly and seriously. Thankfully, I have enough ideas in my head to keep it from becoming a compulsive nightmare of sorts, but since discovering this wonderful adventure a few years back, I have found that I simply cannot skip a year. It's just too fun and I honestly enjoy it.

Yes, it happens in the busiest month of the year. Yes, I am a full-time student and I work as well. Some years have been harder than others, but I don't see that as an obstacle. For those of you who read my blog quite regularly, you've probably out that I have a rather odd system as far as logical reasoning is concerned and that for everything else I do, writing has to fit into it in some way or another. NaNo kind of fits in that category.

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, though it has been on an international level for several years now as folks from all around the globe join up to participate in the annual event of monthly madness.

The object is to write a novel in the busy month of November. A novel with a minimum of 50,000 words.

Gulp.

Now hold up just a second there, don't you dare quit reading here. Fifty thousand words really isn't a big deal. In fact, when you break it down into small, daily bite-sized chunks, guess what? You're only writing about 1667 words a day. That's quite manageable. Especially, when you consider how many words you probably write on average per day. Factor in work or school articles, blog posts, Facebook status/comments and such. You'd be surprised how much you really do write and that is just for the boring everyday stuff! Imagine if it was something that you really enjoyed writing or a project that you'd been meaning to start for a while.

See where I'm going with this?

Now, NaNo isn't just for writers-if you feel that you'd like to try something different in your life, maybe an autobiography or to consistently journal or blog through a month, this is a great tool and exercise for that. The NaNo community is one of the largest and most supportive groups you'll find for embarking on such a wild creative venture.

You have fun things like a profile where you can post a mock cover of your novel, an excerpt, and participation icons. There's also a spot to update your word count and a spot to keep track of your writing buddies and fellow wrimos.

There's also places for local participation. Most folks can sign into the site and choose a region close to them. The regional coordinator is known as your ML(municipal liaison) and they plan fun things like the kick-off party, the TGIO party, weekly write-ins, group chats, word wars and everything--and they even manage to get their own novel written while making it a cool experience for you. Be nice to your ML's. They like treats. :P

Now, onto the rules. It's very basic. You can't write anything before November first, but you are allowed to plot and brainstorm and write up character profiles and all of that. When the clock strikes midnight, go for it! That's all there is to it. Here's their nutshell explanation if mine didn't do it for you.

Bet it's simpler than you thought it would be. If you're going to take the plunge this year, head on over and sign up, then pop back over here and tell me. I'll happily add you as a writing buddy and bug you through the whole month or annoy you with my word count.

Erm, I meant, I would gladly encourage you to keep on writing through the entire month and I'd be happy to have a word war at any time.

You can find me on NaNo as Scarletfury. You'll know it's me because last year's novel info for Blood Library is still there. (Psst, I have an excerpt, a cover and everything!) :P

2011 will be my sixth year. I'm absolutely psyched. I can't wait for it.

Three cheers to NanOwrimO and I hope to see you there. Be on the lookout for more NanOwrimO themed posts and bursts of random hyperness as November approaches. (I might even mention how I manage to write 100k words in the midst of chaos!).

NaNo is something I love to pieces and I hope to share that snippet of writing magic with you--c'mon and sign up! Don't just take my word for it. Try it out for yourself and see. You really don't have anything to lose--and you'll have quite a few words to show for the effort, so go! What are you waiting for?

P.S. To join in the fun of this weekly blog meme, click here!

N is for nothing

2011-08-25T09:31:00.000-07:00

I could ramble on a hundred and one jabbers for "N". I could start with my love of nintendo and end with the earthquakes that rippled through North Carolina. Oooh boy, could I start out with "N" I could really get into it.

*flexing fingers above keyboard*

In fact, the more I think about it, there' so much to say about N that I just can't help it, so guess what? I've decided not to do anything at all.

No, wait, hold on--I'm still going to do a post about it, but I'm not going to stuff it so full of nonsense that you can't see my point. It's a very simple point, see--it's called nothing.

One of my most favorite quotes--(right next to the one that reads, Madness takes its toll, please have exact change ready) comes from the hundred-acre wood and a certain honey-loving bear.

"What I like doing best is Nothing."

"How do you do Nothing?" asked Pooh after he had wondered for a long time.

"Well, it's when people call out at you just as you're going off to do it, 'What are you going to do, Christopher Robin?' and you say, 'Oh, Nothing,' and then you go and do it.

It means just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering."

"Oh!" said Pooh."
— A.A. Milne (Winnie-the-Pooh)

I loved this conversation between Christopher Robin and Pooh-bear on one of those moments where it's just the two of them walking along and talking to each other. It's kind of all wrapped in warm-fuzzy things and all that.

But they're walking along and Pooh asks what they're doing and Christopher says "Nothing" and explains how hard it is to do nothing, but that sometimes you just have to do it. Feels like that kind of a day today.

Cheers!

To join in this wonderful meme, click here!

M is for Marshmallows

2011-08-14T07:20:00.001-07:00

To join in the fun of a2z, click here!

Well, originally I intended to make this post all about the wonderful world of marshmallows, then I had to track down certain siblings to inquire where the marshmallows had disappeared to, because they were nowhere where I left them.

So, to make this work, I'm going to take a different train of thought. M is for mystery.

The mystery of the missing marshmallows.

Found from Becky Gould on flickr.

Are you with me?

Really?

This is going to be serious.

And...you're laughing. I can practically see it.

Ha. You'd better know that I'm serious about this. These were MY marshmallows. I had my eye on 'em. See, they were going to be part of a big project.

The Sara-wants-to-roast-oversized-giant-marshmallows-before-the-end-of-summer-project. It is a rather large undertaking in the project department, especially where the outdoors are concerned. Certain preparations must be made, including the initial finding-and-prepping the perfect roasting stick.

Now, back to the mystery. It could be any of four unnamed culprits--no, wait, I can actually add in a few other suspects.

See, marshmallows are special, rare objects to certain parties found in few kitchens around the world. I'm sorry, did I say objects? I mean to say ah, culinary individuals, yes, that is far more--polite, yes?

Mr. Sweet Potato agrees with me. He mentioned something about a special holiday casserole and crunchy, crispy crusts. I did not stick around to hear exactly how crispy he wanted this crust to be, because his current residence was located between a dark kitchen cabinet and metal vegetable holder. *shiver* Creeptastic.

Anyhow, I took the tip from his friend, the lovely Miss Idaho Spud, to visit a certain Ms. Honey C. Graham. That turned out to be a wasted trip, because all she did was gush over how wonderful marshmallows could be when sandwiched between her and a few friends. Yikes. Never mind.

I took the hint from her and hunted down the famed Cadbury Milk Chocolate, a quiet young thing hiding in the cookie jar behind the kitchen florals on the side counter. He informed me that he no longer associated with a certain Ms. Honey C. Graham and hadn't seen wisp nor spot of my missing marshmallows. He politely offered me a sample for the road, as I explained that the lack of new clues was nothing new and that the search must go on. He agreed. I took the sample.

My searches took me far and wide--almost right back to the grocery store. That's when I discovered the awful truth. *shudder* Believe me, it was absolutely horrible. I had visions of roasted marshmallows dancing in my head--quite similar to the dance of sugarplums, just in case you were wondering--and I finally took this troublesome case to my mother.

Mostly because mothers can fix anything right? Three cheers for them.

My mother, a lovely and wise woman, calmly listened to my ~~tearful~~ ~~hysterical~~ puzzling tale of those mysteriously missing marshmallows. The conversation was somewhat as follows.

"...and so I can't find them. I know I put them in the cart and that means they came home, so why can't I find them anywhere?"

"Marshmallows?"

"Yes, Mom, the marshmallows. If they're in that kitchen, then somebody ate them or kidnapped them. I'm inclined to think it was a combination of both."

"...kidnapped them?"

"M-om!"

"Okay, hold on. What did they look like?"

"What? Mom, it's a marshmallow. It looks like a marshmallow. All marshmallows look like marshmallows. You know-"

"Well, if it's the big bag you put in the cart last week, I took those out and got you cookies instead."

"..."

"You liked the cookies."

"MOM!"

And that, dear blog readers, is why this post is about nothing more than mysterious marshmallows that exist on some faraway realm of imagination. My humor wears thin to non-existent at this moment, so my thanks to you for reading this far. Be sure to keep an eye on your own marshmallows, you'd be surprised what can happen when you don't keep an eye on them...it would seem they have the habit of turning into cookies without your permission.

Cheers!

L is for Llama!

2011-08-08T21:48:00.000-07:00

Hey, do you know the Llama song?

No, wait! Think really, really carefully before you answer that, because it's kind of like The Game. Oh rats. I lost. Oh well, not my problem. See, for those of you who don't know, The Game is everywhere and you win by never thinking about it. Yup. Uh-huh. And if you think of it, then you've got to turn to the person nearest to you and tell them that you lost "The Game" (which of course, in turn makes them lose it as well and a chain reaction occurs, but that's beside the point, we were talking about Llamas here, focus people!)

Now, llamas are really cute and fuzzy and nice and, well, if you're going to have something stuck in your head all day, it may as well be something funny, right? I thought so. ~_^

There are many, many, many (insert a half-dozen more "manys" here) versions of the song, but of course, the original remains to be found in all its wonderfulness. So, for today's wonderful meme, I have tracked down the simplest (and by simple, I mean an 'unlooped' version) of the Llama song!

*drumroll please* Thank you very much. ^_^

I feel I ought to warn you that after watching this, it may stick in your head for minutes, hours, days or weeks at a time. I hearby reiterate that this is your choice. Upon clicking the video and watching the following display of music and lyrics, I am not responsible for any resulting randomness.

Cheers~!

Well, come on, click already!

Thank you.

And you may now continue with your regularly scheduled Tuesday! ( ~_^ )

If the above video did not work for you, click here to view it on Youtube, or here at a another site.

To join in the fun of the a2z, click here to check it out!

K is for Kale!

2011-08-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

To join in this wonderful meme--hop on over here to join up!

Did you know you could make cheesy, spicy chips out of Kale?

Um, wait, hold on and let me backtrack--see, I had this conversation the other day with a certain fellow who wanted to know what on earth I ate, seeing as I was vegetarian/vegan. I started listing off everything that I did eat and ended with the note that I'd probably eaten more things in my life than he had.

Well, of course that sparked off one of those wonderful kinds of debates on what vegetarians eat and whether I happened to like salad. (I am not particularly fond of it, by the way, but I hold nothing against a really well-made salad!) Long story short--we started talking about greens.

Now, as you know, I am Indian, so for me--Spinach aka--Bagie (pronounced Bah-GEE). It happens to be one of my favorite vegetables to turn into stew or curry. Most folks know spinach. Most folks know Popeye.

I know Bagie. I also know Bok Choy, Rainbow Chard, Sunflower Sprouts and Kale, just to name a few other greens. Which brings me to this week's letter--K! I must live a rather odd life in terms of vegetarian food, because as the conversation continued, I was absolutely horrified to know that this dear friend had never eaten kale in his life, much less knew it what it was.

So, here's another food post. ^_^

Kale is a green vegetable. A leafy green vegetable, mind you, most leafy greens can be steamed with a touch of salt and sugar, (yes both!), and it will bring out a nice flavor to mix with rice, roti or other vegetables. It is actually a form of cabbage and can come in purple or green. It is great stir-fried with sliced almonds and freezes quite well, compared to other greens. You can do quite a bit with it--even turning it into chips!

The recipe I use is borrowed from an awesome site run by an amazingly talented young woman--the recipe for Cheesy Kale chips are here, along with other yummy things. She also takes wonderful pictures to go along with her culinary adventures, so you can see each step as you go.

It's quite an interesting taste--if you do try it, let me know what you think. I think it's quite delicious. ^_^

Also, on a short note, leafy greens have plenty of Vitamin K, which helps your body to form necessary blood clots for cuts, scrapes and the like.As someone who is used to dealing with nosebleeds, eating greens (and different types of greens!) is a good habit to cultivate.

Thanks for reading!

J is for JJ

2011-07-26T10:10:00.000-07:00

I've just read Joanne Sher's lovely post for this meme just a few minutes ago and tada, I had my "idea" for this week's letter. I don't normally attempt these sorts of happy-fluffy posts, so please excuse me if it gives you a toothache somehow. I wouldn't know, because I'm eating sour pineapple at the moment. (Actually, I think it's the whole wheat toast that's doing it, but I'll blame it on the pineapple 'cause it came from a can and therefore should be sweet!)

For me, J stands for many things, a particular favorite being a certain, Joanne Sher. Now if you haven't read her post for J, hop on over there and do that. Then come back, I really want you to read my post.

Um, well, I'm just kidding about the last part. Kind of. I think. Maybe. I don't know. It's the pineapple talking.

Joanne falls in a very special category of friends in my life, known to some Faithwriter members as the "FW Jewelers".

I know her as a very special lady with an amazing sense of humor, a very big heart and awesome curly hair. I also know her as JJ. My JJ. *hands off!* She was one of the first FW members to greet me when I first joined the site a few years ago. She commented on an article I had written (my very first article in my teenaged life at that time) and encouraged me to keep writing.

I was floored.

Time passed and through another dear friend, I was invited to join the FW Jewelers.

I had an instant panic attack.

Then I told my nerves to go away and attempted to fit in.

That didn't work very well. My nerves have voices of their own, you see and they weren't too keen on sharing my quiet little existence with anyone else apart from my own brain.

So I watched from the sidelines for a little bit and then it happened. Those wonderful jeweler women simply reached out, dragged me into their circle of friendship and love, and smothered me in the center of it. ^_^ Through these amazing, faith-filled women, I learned a lot about prayer, family, writing and learning to listen for God's whispers in my life.

Friendship, sistership and a few good doses of mothering.

In the midst of all the wonderful happy fluffiness, I dragged them into my random, nonsensical world where nothing really makes sense (See Purple Carrots for more information!) to anyone except for me and grew into the nickname that was so lovingly bestowed on my creative self. Laughter and silliness went up several notches and in one of my creative bursts of genius, I ended up calling Joanne--JJ. It fit and it stuck. I have a habit of nicknaming people (simply because I like names and it's easier to keep my yakking brain happy when its distracted.) and to this day if you say Joanne, I'll say JJ very quietly under my breath and smile.

My brain is quite happy with that.

When I first saw her at the Faithwriters' Conference, the first thing I said was "JJ!"(Followed immediately by "Peej" I think. :P)

I cannot begin to tell you how this wonderful woman has blessed my life in so many ways.

Between JJ and the jeweler girls, I am truly and quite thoroughly blessed.

Almost all the Jeweler gals...

To protect the innocence of the random and not-so-random, all possible ~~incriminating~~ ... ~~boring~~....~~interesting~~ ... other details have been left out.

The official snippet on the FW Jewelers is : Who are the FW Jewelers? The FW Jewelers are a group of FaithWriters' regulars who pledge to assure that every challenge entry has at least two comments on it, and to comment on general submission articles and recognize some as jewels weekly.

Disclaimer to other jewelers who may read this post: This is in no way intended to be a show of favoritism or...um, well, you know. I heart ya too. (and I know you're taking this the right way!) ^_^

And that would be it for a snippet into my very quiet, private and personal life. (Though I can practically see you thinking, why I would consider myself to be any of those three at the rate I am writing these abnormally inconsistent posts. I don't know. I'll ask my brain the next time it feels like sharing.) All other letters will almost certainly be randomized into some unusual topic.

Psst...that's also probably the pineapple again...

*ducking!*

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

A Hundred Years

2011-07-23T13:05:00.000-07:00

To stay like this for a hundred more years.

Francesca Battistelli’s titular song from her mostrecent album has been scrolling through my head today. I can’t quite shake itoff (not that I really want to, anyway) and it has my mind thinking of lifetoday. So many little details make up the lives that we think we love or hate.So many little differences that set us apart and bring us together in a singlemoment.

Today’s kind of a rambling sort of day, you’veprobably noticed a few posts or tweets appearing here or there, but not muchelse. Today’s my rest day. I don’t do anything but rest. I pray. Worship.Think.

Sometimes I write.

Sometimes I think I will write.

Sometimes I sit down and do nothing.

It’s different, special.

Today, I skimmed through my usual internet routine(the abbreviated weekend version, mind you, there is a difference!) and noticedone snippet of news that was rather sobering.

Amy Winehouse passed away at age 27.

I sat and stared at the screen for a moment, then I hurriedto check if that was real. It didn’t seem like it could be, because she wasyoung, I knew she was young. She couldn’t die. In my half-awake brain, you onlydied if you were old or suffering from an incurable medical condition.

It seems far too young to die, especially as asinger. I must admit I don’t really recall her music, (mostly because my musicis a whole different world altogether), but I do remember her. I remember herhair, her smile, that crazy wild eyeliner and that somewhat haunting look inher eyes. Maybe I was reading too much into it, but I always remember her thatway, I always see her eyes.

Then I wonder, I wonder if she loved what she didand if that outward fearlessness was something she couldn’t give up or holdonto. I don’t know. It’s not my place to imagine up things of other people, notmy place to pass judgment.

It’s sad that she has passed on. She was a humanbeing. She had family and fans that will undoubtedly miss her. She was barely ahandful of years older than I am. May she rest in peace.

I guess what bothers me is that ifyou were to live to ninety at least, then there was so much ahead of her. So much more. Somuch life left to live.

Just a thought for the day.

I is for, Me, Myself and I

2011-07-19T11:51:00.000-07:00

I is for--In case you were wondering--Introducing myself! If you've been reading my blog for awhile and don't know who I am yet, I'm impressed. Thank you for reading. If you do know who I am, then I hope I can make this interesting for you!

I've been looped into this particular topic by reading all the delightfully creative posts on this meme all afternoon. It seems like it would be such fun to write about myself, to whip up something wonderful and amazing, just like all those talented bloggers.

Sure.

Until I sat down to write it.

'Cause when I sat down to write it, I had to think about it and when I thought about it, I realized something *le gasp* I really don't like rambling on about myself--at least, not when I'm told to. So I actually tried to push this off on my problem-solving division and it kicked back a rather acceptable idea, so I scrounged around the house for a copy of Reader's Digest and figured I'd do a mini interview like the ones they have in the MiscDigest section.

So, here we go.

Sara and Pepper

Sara Harricharan is a multitasking fairy, undiscovered manicure artist, talented Indian cook, creatively addicted writer/author and connoisseur of chocolate chip cookies.

What she's reading: G.K. Chesterton's The Father Brown Mysteries, the entire collection, on my Nook.

What she's plugging: Her first Ebook ever, Trial by Fire and a vegetarian lifestyle, the Indian way. ^_~

What she's listening to: Francesca Battistelli "Beautiful, Beautiful" and "Motion of Mercy." Soundtrack from Jab We Met "Mauja Hi Mauja", and Shakira's "Waka Waka, Esto es Africa"

The Miracle Train Conductors!

What she's watching: BBC's Sherlock, Season Two of Murder, She Wrote, Toriko and The Great Miracle Train.

Where she's surfing: Google Plus, also known as G+ It rocks. Hands down, no contest. Can't wait for more people to get on there, it's an amazing new social platform--simple and headache-free, just like what I'd expect from Google.

What she's doing right now: Eating lunch, Fried Indian Dumplings and vegetarian chicken and tomato stew.

If she ruled the world, she would: Insist that people read books from different countries and cultures, so what they can't see for themselves, they can experience through the written word. If we all knew some of the finer points of cultural and ethnic differences, there would be far more understanding and discerning human beings on planet earth.

If she had to describe herself in two words: Quietly creative.

Thing she would never be caught without : Mint Lipbalm

Her Reader's Digest version of life and work: Stand up, speak out, sit down shut up, learn to care and learn to bear(because the burdens we carry are not always so insignificant).

And that's me, RD style--*cheering*.

Thanks for stopping by~!

H is for HYPER and Sherlock Holmes

2011-07-17T14:13:00.000-07:00

Ha. You knew Sherlock Holmes was going to show up in here sometime--after all, D was for Nancy Drew right? Just kidding, everyone, I won't subject you all to my favorite literary detectives whenever the letter suits me. To join in the bloggy fun, click here!

Actually, this weekend I finally had the chance to watch BBC's version of "Sherlock" a modernized mini-drama series in which Holmes and Watson meet up and solves cases--in a modern time setting. Think smartphones, laptops, the internet and everything. In a single word--AWESOME! (and yes, it deserves the capital letters!) I laughed, giggled and snickered through the entire pilot episode and then decided I was completely hooked.

Martin Freeman plays a totally convincing Dr. Watson and Holmes...ah, Holmes, just take a look at the picture and tell me if that isn't brilliance in a bottle? ^_^ There is still the lovely touches of old-fashioned humor that I love so well about Sherlock and it was fun to see how special effects played out on his superb deduction skills. If you're a fan of Holmes, check it out. I highly recommend it.

Now, H also stands for hyper.

By hyper, I mean that I am completely over-the-top ecstatic about something that has recently happened in my life. It means I am grinning ear-to-ear as I type this and I've got celebratory music blasting away in the background and brownies somewhere in the kitchen. (Well, the brownies are in the kitchen because I had to eat chocolate while watching Sherlock. There's leftovers for today's celebration!)

I finally published my first ebook.

Hyper cannot begin to explain how excited I am feeling. It has taken me quite some time to put it together, edit, review and format, and today, the final product was sent through to Smashwords and, tada! Trial by Fire is now available as a short story by Sara Harrichan.

WOOT! *happy dancing*

I had a blast designing the cover, writing and rewriting the story and to see the final result, I am so excited, I had to share it in my "H" post. The official synopsis and blurb bit is at my official blog, here.

To find Trial by Fire on Smashwords, click here.

I'm so happy for this moment--I'll even share my brownies. *hands out brownies*

Also a shameless plug of self-promotion, I am handy in designing stuff and if you need a hand with a book cover or something, feel free to bug me. I'm sure we could work something out! ^_^

Thanks for reading my scribbles!

Come and visit!

2011-07-16T08:59:00.000-07:00

I'm over at Jewels of Encouragement today, a wonderful inspirational team blog with daily snippets.

See you there! ^_^

G is for a what?

2011-07-14T10:06:00.000-07:00

Click here to join in the bloggy fun for this entertaining meme!

I don't know what Chick Peas are.

No, I'm serious. If you were to ask me what they were and I was otherwise occupied with something--I'd ask you to a) repeat yourself, b) explain what it was, c) tell you to go and ask my mother.

(and I'm not kidding about option C!) I do remember a distinct conversation in my weekly grocery shopping adventure that went something like this.

Stranger in grocery store: Ohhh, you eat chick peas?
Me: *blank* What?
Stranger: Chick peas! I've always wondered what you do with them.
Me: Right...*holding can in hand*
Stranger: So, what do you do with them?
Me: What?
Stranger: Chick Peas?
Me: I don't know...I don't eat them.
Mom: Yes we do.
Me: We do?
Mom: Garbanzos. *pokes me* They are lovely in almost anything...

Dried Garbanzos

G is for Garbanzos.

I know what those are. I eat them. I like them. To me, they are Garbanzos and nothing else, I don't see where on earth the 'chick pea' bit came from. I was surprised to learn from a friend that some people consider them to be little potatoes. That was certainly a new twist for me, but anyhow, here's the explanation.

It's a pea (like green peas/red lentils and all of that) and it's got the most curious shape. I am Indian, therefore I curry it. Well, no, not really, I prefer to stir-fry it, I like actual potatoes in my curry. Garbanzos are excellent at taking on the flavor of whatever you season them with and you can take a small bag of the dried ones and soak it for over a day or so and they'll swell in size to be like the ones you would buy in can.

Garbanzos are kind of like a staple, because stir-frying them or stewing them does make a lovely side dish or complement to a pasta dinner. On occasion I do curry it, but as I am a picky eater (and equally picky about my curries!) I prefer to simply fry them.

Roasted/Dry Fry Garbanzos

Now, besides stir-frying, there's regular frying, there's boil and then fry and both are excellent methods. The flash frying (after you've soaked them of course!) turns out a crispy, crunchy snack similar to potato chips, just tastier and...rounder. Sprinkle with salt or pepper and you're good to go, the hardest part is waiting for it to finish frying.

For the boil and fry, you throw them in boiling water to soften them up a bit before you fry them. It cuts down on fry time and if there are smaller children going to be eating it, it makes it easier to chew. Just beware that it makes it quite squishy, so if you aren't careful in stirring said stir-fry, you have a mash-fry.

Hmmm, now whether that all makes sense or not, I bet you know something about Chi--Garbanzos now. Have you ever tried them? Did you like them? What did you do with them? (btw, you can also grow them in your garden and eat them green or add to fried rice and stuff.)

Thanks for reading! (and whew, I'm almost caught up...just one more letter and I'll be on track, eh?) ^_^

F is for Fantasy!

2011-07-11T22:10:00.000-07:00

To join in the fun of this wonderful bloggy meme, click here and add your post to the linky!

Didja see the title, didja? Huh, huh? Well, didja?

C'mon now, I'm sure that you all saw this coming.

Fantasy.

Capital F....FANTASY!

Please prepare yourself, dear reader, because we are going to travel back in time a few paces to reminisce about my writing life up to this current point. It shall be short and I will try my best to make it painless.

Er--if it still hurts, then look at the pretty pictures and move on, okay? Good job! ^_^

Now, onto the post. F stands for fantasy in my little wonderful corner of the world.

A truly wonderful, allegorical read!

By now, if you're reading my blogs and have read some of what I write, you know that I dabble on both ends of the spectrum. I can write a perfectly wonderful, slice of life vignette that has absolutely nothing to do with fantasy-anything and then I can spend an entire summer writing an unedited serial dealing with everything from superpowers, outerspace interaction, villains that control shadows and plenty of ridiculous dialogue. Of course, my recent obsession has been "genderless" and introspective shorts, dealing with a nameless character and their tangled, stream-of-consciousness as they try to understand one point, but I'm getting off topic here. Back to the letter and the letter is....wait for it...Froot loops! (no, wait, that's probably what I ate earlier that's making this post such a random block of whatever...)

I love my fantasy worlds. I love my fantasy books (at least the few that I read, anyway). Specifically, I love writing Christian Fantasy. If it doesn't have some sort of faith-filled twist involved, rest assured that it is as clean a snapshot of fantasy that you'll find. I decided fairly late after I had started writing, that what I really loved to write was the outlandish, ridiculous world of science fiction and fantasy. I quickly flipped from classic fantasy to the "Christian Fantasy" because it bothered me to see that there was so little, if any of it, out there at all.

To read an awesome story with strong heroes and heroines, with talents, gifts or powers and have them credit such things to their creator was a major turning point for me. I realized that reading that kind of a story was mind-blowingly AWESOME. (kindly excuse my capital letters, but I am a bit hyper, this is seriously one of my favorite subjects to ramble on). I credit Donita K. Paul as being the talented author and writer who solidified this "urge" for me, because after reading her Dragonspell series, I realized there was so much more I could do with my writing gifts--and that I could write what I really wanted to in a way that could really reach people. It's so easy for me to get addicted to the ordinary, that I'd never think to venture into the realms of something different and something new, but this did it for me and I have to say, I'm pretty happy with the result, even if I don't seem to be as coherent as I used to be. (all the extra space in my head is now divided into two sections, the fantasy characters and the non-fantasy ones...they were planning a barbecue the last I heard. *sigh* I told them not to set off any fireworks...)

Hmmm, now I may be getting too serious here. Alright then, I'll make this a quick and easy explanation, my fantasy writing is probably the result of writing too many perfectly normal pieces on a daily/weekly basis.

Teehee. Gotcha.

No, actually, it may be a tad bit of that, because it's pretty easy to create a wacky world when I've had my characters in normal earth settings for quite some time. But I enjoy writing on both sides of the spectrum and I love to know that there are folks who love to read along the lines of that same trend.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my scribbles--I do appreciate it! *floating off into another fantasy world*

E is for Epic

2011-07-07T19:51:00.000-07:00

To join this wonderful bloggy fun, just click here to get started!

E is for Epic!

Epic anything or epicness in general. I do not use the term lightly in anyway, when I say "Epic" I am actually complimenting something I have greatly admired, respected or was sufficiently pleasantly surprised to discover.


I'm too lazy to hunt down the other one. :P

In this case, I cite Michelle Sagara and my favorite book of hers, (Cast in Secret) part of a series, in which I was completely enthralled by the cover image and doubly excited when I finished the actual book. It was the best fantasy read I'd had then and I still hold it in fairly high regard, remembering how easy it was to fall into the world she created.

It IS high fantasy--so if that's not your cup of tea, I wouldn't recommend it. Plenty of plot twists, magical things, fancy weapons, spunky heroines, ah, the works. I remember reading this little chunk of epicness in the backseat of a car on a hot summer day, out in the parking lot because I didn't want to navigate the grocery store with book in hand. (Never mind that I could've done it, it was just easier to sit in the car and read. LOL).

Hmmm, also for E, I will site Michelle Gregory's Eldala--a lovely light fantasy novel with a good romance and medieval twist to it. (She's working on a sequel at the moment, which I cannot wait to get my hands on! *squeal*) and it is just the right balance of life/drama and fantasy that even if you do not usually read fantasy, I'd recommend it. It's a good story!

E is also for elephant.

Elephants are nice. They are smart. I like them.

End of story.

Oh, wow, that's three paragraphs in a row starting with "E". Oops. I think I'm consciously rambling in this post, please do excuse my terrible manners. :P

No, really, I do like elephants. I think they are amazing, wonderful creatures.

Thanks for reading~! (Bet I made ya smile somewhere...*ducking*)

D is for Drew!

2011-07-07T19:40:00.000-07:00

To join in the bloggy, meme fun, click here to see what it's all about!

D stands for Drew, Nancy Drew.

One of my quirks in the world of mystery books is Nancy Drew. Familiar yellow and blue hardback books with mysteries in the pages, summed up in a mere twenty-four chapters. These were some of the first mystery books I ever laid eyes and hands on as a child. I remember reading book #2, The Hidden Staircase, as my first mystery book ever (I was obviously hooked from page one!) and the Clue of The Tapping Heels (#16) and The Ghost of Blackwood Hall (#25) as my respective favorites.

Nancy Drew led me to Hardy Boys, to Sherlock Holmes to Agatha Christie and then the Mary Russell books, the O'Malley Series and onwards. It's kind of a chain reaction really and there's something about the old-fashioned goodness of a Nancy Drew mystery that just makes me want to write better (to be as timeless as Nancy herself, ^_^) and read forever.

Anything Nancy Drew is bound to catch my attention in one way or another-LOL. It is my one obsession I will gladly confess to, because hey, it's Nancy, seriously--how could you not like her?