Gregory A. Hart
Dylan Knight Series
Click here to read sample chapters of the book:
Dylan Knight: Rush Agianst Time
Also visit him on Facebook:
Facebook/The Dylan Knight Series
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Who is Dylan Knight?
Gregory A. Hart
Dylan Knight Series
Click here to read sample chapters of the book:
Dylan Knight: Rush Agianst Time
Also visit him on Facebook:
Facebook/The Dylan Knight Series
Friday, November 30, 2012
The Comming of the World of Man... A Writing Prompt
I have a picture as my profile picture on Facebook and it keeps eating at me to write it's story, no matter how brief it may be. It just keeps gnawing on me, begging me to write it. I thought what the hell, I'll do it, I haven't done one of these over a year. So With no further adui, I present to you the story that I see in this picture...
For countless years before the age of man, we walked among you. Watching over and guiding you in all the ways of mother earth. Knowing that your race would one day take our place when our race, the Elves, would end. For countless years we have hoped the race of man would keep our ways and treat mother earth as we have treated her.
But now our time has come to an end as we once believed it would. We walk in the night to the shores of this world. Only to board a ship to take us away from this land to another, to a never ending land. Some of us has chosen to stay behind to help the world of man because for even as we speak, there is a nameless evil stirring, making war with the world of man and with mother earth. Those who stay behind will never leave this land and as we parade to the shores of this land, we weep for them for they will never know of the beauty that we will see.
We sing the song of memory for what we leave behind, places that we have called home for so many eons. We sing the song for all those who stays behind and who'll die for the world of man and for mother earth. As we continue the march towards the shores of this land, we shall always remember the world of man and pray they will keep, in their hearts and minds, of our ways of mother earth and never forget them. For she is very precious to us and to the world of man, even if they do not realize this. We are all connected to mother earth and may she care for the world of man as she once cared for us.
For countless years before the age of man, we walked among you. Watching over and guiding you in all the ways of mother earth. Knowing that your race would one day take our place when our race, the Elves, would end. For countless years we have hoped the race of man would keep our ways and treat mother earth as we have treated her.
But now our time has come to an end as we once believed it would. We walk in the night to the shores of this world. Only to board a ship to take us away from this land to another, to a never ending land. Some of us has chosen to stay behind to help the world of man because for even as we speak, there is a nameless evil stirring, making war with the world of man and with mother earth. Those who stay behind will never leave this land and as we parade to the shores of this land, we weep for them for they will never know of the beauty that we will see.
We sing the song of memory for what we leave behind, places that we have called home for so many eons. We sing the song for all those who stays behind and who'll die for the world of man and for mother earth. As we continue the march towards the shores of this land, we shall always remember the world of man and pray they will keep, in their hearts and minds, of our ways of mother earth and never forget them. For she is very precious to us and to the world of man, even if they do not realize this. We are all connected to mother earth and may she care for the world of man as she once cared for us.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Book Vending Machines???
Yes you heard right, I said book vending machines. Why not? We have vending machines for just about everything, snacks, candy, toys, dvds ect. So why not one for books as well. It might be a great idea for us writers and authors to get our works out there to the world in places never dreamed of. In places that don't normally sell books, like trian stations, airports or even hospitals. Espcially for hospitals, I know that I would certianly enjoy seeing one at the hospitals. Who knows, it might be another step in to selling books.
What do you all think? Do you think the publishing industry will invest in these book vending machines like the movie indusrty did?
What do you all think? Do you think the publishing industry will invest in these book vending machines like the movie indusrty did?
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
My Childhood Memories of Halloween Past part II
There will always be childhood memories that stand out to us the most. Some not so good and other just damn out right funny beyond words. Well I have one from my childhood that is from one particular Halloween while trick or treating.... (You have permission to laugh while reading this story because I laugh at the memory of it all now.)
When i was a kid, i was almost scared of everything that goes bump in the night. the best analogy that I can give you is that of me being like Shaggy and Scooby Doo but without all the eating. Hahaha!!! Anyway there was one Halloween where I dressed up as a ghost and usually my mother was the one who took me trick or treating while my dad gave out the treats to those who came to our house. But this night was going to be different because my mother happened to get sick and she was the one left to give out the treats, while my dad took me trick or treating. He didn't know all the houses that I normally went to so we ended up going to all the houses in the area. So needless to say, i got a lot of candy that year.
There was this one house that went out in the Halloween decorations and with the tricking part of Halloween and me and mom always knew this and because I scared easily when I was a kid, never stopped at the house. Well my dad stopped at this one house even after me telling him not to stop there. After much convincing on his part, I finnally caved in. I was thinking at this point, what harm would it do me? Boy was I ever wrong in thinking that.
I get out of the car and begin making my way up to the door, spooky lighting and music playing in the background somewhere. The front yard has an oak tree and in front of the oak tree was a raised flower bed that would now go little pass my knees. i had to pass this flower bed to get to the house.
Unknown to me, the owners of the house had raked up alot of leaves from the tree and put them into a pile behind the flower bed. In the pile, they had covered someone up underneath them. I'll come back to this bit later. As I continued up towards the house, I heard a bunch of leaves being rattled. I stopped and looked around me, satisfied nothing was wrong, I continued on to the house.
Two steps later, I heard the noise again. This time I stopped and took my time looking around again but this time looking in the tree branches themselves, thinking that a cat or some animal was in it making the noise. when I didn't see anything, I naively continued on to the house for the candy. Here's where the pile of leaves came in. I took two more steps and the next thing i realize is Dracula is coming out of nowhere and he was heading for my direction.
Well, I screamed and began running away from the house. Not only was i was running away from the house, i was running away from the car as well. From behind me I heard the owner yelling at me Hey! Come back here! Don't you want your candy! Needless to say, at this point, I didn't care about the candy. All I was thinking was HOW THE HELL AM I GOING TO GET OUT OF HERE WITH A MADMAN CHASING ME AND TO HELL WITH MY CANDY!!! I kept going and wasn't going to stop for anything, including for my dad who was now calling for me to come back to the house.
I would have left the yard too if it wasn't for someone tackling me to the ground to get me to stop running. I was kicking and screaming so hard for them to let me go all the way up to the front door of the house, which come to find out it was my dad who had tackled me. He and the owner of the house spent the next five minutes or so trying to calm me down and explain to me that it was all a joke and there was nothing going to hurt me.
Well after every thing was said and done, my mom had a kick out of telling my dad to listen to me the next time when I said i didn't want to stop there. One thing was certain, he never took me trick or treating again after that. It's one of those memories that I'll never forget. As for all that candy that was still in my bag, it was a miracle that I never lost any as hard as I hit the ground when I was tackled.
Happy Halloween and remember to be safe.
When i was a kid, i was almost scared of everything that goes bump in the night. the best analogy that I can give you is that of me being like Shaggy and Scooby Doo but without all the eating. Hahaha!!! Anyway there was one Halloween where I dressed up as a ghost and usually my mother was the one who took me trick or treating while my dad gave out the treats to those who came to our house. But this night was going to be different because my mother happened to get sick and she was the one left to give out the treats, while my dad took me trick or treating. He didn't know all the houses that I normally went to so we ended up going to all the houses in the area. So needless to say, i got a lot of candy that year.
There was this one house that went out in the Halloween decorations and with the tricking part of Halloween and me and mom always knew this and because I scared easily when I was a kid, never stopped at the house. Well my dad stopped at this one house even after me telling him not to stop there. After much convincing on his part, I finnally caved in. I was thinking at this point, what harm would it do me? Boy was I ever wrong in thinking that.
I get out of the car and begin making my way up to the door, spooky lighting and music playing in the background somewhere. The front yard has an oak tree and in front of the oak tree was a raised flower bed that would now go little pass my knees. i had to pass this flower bed to get to the house.
Unknown to me, the owners of the house had raked up alot of leaves from the tree and put them into a pile behind the flower bed. In the pile, they had covered someone up underneath them. I'll come back to this bit later. As I continued up towards the house, I heard a bunch of leaves being rattled. I stopped and looked around me, satisfied nothing was wrong, I continued on to the house.
Two steps later, I heard the noise again. This time I stopped and took my time looking around again but this time looking in the tree branches themselves, thinking that a cat or some animal was in it making the noise. when I didn't see anything, I naively continued on to the house for the candy. Here's where the pile of leaves came in. I took two more steps and the next thing i realize is Dracula is coming out of nowhere and he was heading for my direction.
Well, I screamed and began running away from the house. Not only was i was running away from the house, i was running away from the car as well. From behind me I heard the owner yelling at me Hey! Come back here! Don't you want your candy! Needless to say, at this point, I didn't care about the candy. All I was thinking was HOW THE HELL AM I GOING TO GET OUT OF HERE WITH A MADMAN CHASING ME AND TO HELL WITH MY CANDY!!! I kept going and wasn't going to stop for anything, including for my dad who was now calling for me to come back to the house.
I would have left the yard too if it wasn't for someone tackling me to the ground to get me to stop running. I was kicking and screaming so hard for them to let me go all the way up to the front door of the house, which come to find out it was my dad who had tackled me. He and the owner of the house spent the next five minutes or so trying to calm me down and explain to me that it was all a joke and there was nothing going to hurt me.
Well after every thing was said and done, my mom had a kick out of telling my dad to listen to me the next time when I said i didn't want to stop there. One thing was certain, he never took me trick or treating again after that. It's one of those memories that I'll never forget. As for all that candy that was still in my bag, it was a miracle that I never lost any as hard as I hit the ground when I was tackled.
Happy Halloween and remember to be safe.
Monday, October 15, 2012
The Darkside of Halloween
What we think as nothing but fun and games came from these traditions that our ancestors preformed to keep the dead and evil spirits away from them. For instance, Jack 'O' Lanterns came from that of fires that was lit in the windows to ward off or to scare evil spirits away. This very tradition evolved into that of our Jack 'O' Lanterns with a well know prankster Jack.
These are just a few of the well known traditions of Halloween that we still carry on from our Ancestors of old. We may think it is nothing but fun and games today but back then to our ancestors, they took this night of all nights very seriously. So take head of what they did, fear and respect this one night of the year... lest the spirits pay you an unsuspected visit and carry you back to the spirit world, never to return to the world of the living...
Happy Halloween
(Sinster Laugh)
(Sinster Laugh)
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Halloween Decorating 101
Most people think you go out and buy your Halloween decorations and lets be straight, buying them can be very expensive at times. Lets be honest too, most of us are on a budget and we can't afford all of those decorations. What most people don't know is that you can make most of your Halloween (practically any holiday decoration) from things around your house and it will cost you next to nothing. I should know because I have made several in the past and each year, I keep thinking up more and more decorations.
So I've surfed the web to find web sites that show case decorations made from things around the house. I also put some store bought decoration that you an actually make at home without paying a whole of money for it. Like I said before, most decorations can be made without the cost of paying an arm and a leg....
In this picture, you can actually make this one with any lampshade you have. All you need is some wire, bat cut outs from cereal boxes and black masking tape. You tape the cut outs onto the wire and you use the black masking tape to tape on the wires to the bottom of the lampshade and there you have it. A store bought Halloween lampshade from a Pier One store.
You can always buy a pumpkin to make a Jack 'O' Lantern but then you have a problem. buy one and make it too soon, it ends up rotting and causing a bug problem, you spray it with a chemical like hairspray to make its decay slow. Do this and it could cause a fire hazard. So therefore you can buy one of those foam pumpkins that you an hollow out and turn into a Jack'O'Lantern or purchase one that has already been made. Yet again, you can pay anywhere from $5.00 to $10.00 for one. If you don't want to go out and pay that much for one, then you can make yourself one. All you have to do is get you a bag of balloons, assorted, and they don't cost that much for a bag and get orange paint. Like one to two dollars a bag and like I said they are assorted so you can make them any size. For the bottle of paint, it's like two or three dollars for a bottle. Then find some old newspapers, and glue mixed with a little water. tear the newspaper into strips and blow up the balloon. Dip the strips of newspaper into the glue/water mixture and stick them one the balloon. Once dry, paint them orange and cut out the faces you desire. Make sure you don't set them out to where they can get damp, otherwise they may fall apart.
You've seen those light up spooky lights that you hang on the walls of your home or on the windows. they cost anywhere from $10.00 to $20.00, depending on which store you buy them from. Well here's a cheaper version of those spooky lights. Granted, you probably won't be able to to hang them on you wall or put them on your window. You can, however, place them anywhere on property where they are easily concealed but yet at the same time where they can be seen. What you do is take left over paper towel rolls cut them in two and cut out simple spooky shapes for the eyes. Then you stick little glow sticks in side, and they last for up two eight hrs. or so. You can buys these glow sticks anywhere and they are inexpensive too, like $2.00 to $3.00 per stick or you can go to your nearest dollar tree store and buy them for $1.00 a piece. If you are on a budget, then buy and create these about a day before Halloween for your trick or treators.
So I've surfed the web to find web sites that show case decorations made from things around the house. I also put some store bought decoration that you an actually make at home without paying a whole of money for it. Like I said before, most decorations can be made without the cost of paying an arm and a leg....
You've seen those light up spooky lights that you hang on the walls of your home or on the windows. they cost anywhere from $10.00 to $20.00, depending on which store you buy them from. Well here's a cheaper version of those spooky lights. Granted, you probably won't be able to to hang them on you wall or put them on your window. You can, however, place them anywhere on property where they are easily concealed but yet at the same time where they can be seen. What you do is take left over paper towel rolls cut them in two and cut out simple spooky shapes for the eyes. Then you stick little glow sticks in side, and they last for up two eight hrs. or so. You can buys these glow sticks anywhere and they are inexpensive too, like $2.00 to $3.00 per stick or you can go to your nearest dollar tree store and buy them for $1.00 a piece. If you are on a budget, then buy and create these about a day before Halloween for your trick or treators.
These are just a few ideas for Halloween decorations that you can create next to nothing from items around your house for next to nothing. If these ideas sparked your interest then check out these websites below for more decoration ideas:
Happy Halloween, everyone...
Friday, September 28, 2012
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
From when I was a kid, there was one story out of all the ghost stories that I liked the most (Even if it did scare the crap out of me.) and it was called The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving. The first time I fell in love with the story was when my dad bought a VHS of the disney's version of the story. Since that time, I believe there have been many reincarntions of the legend, either by the big screen or the small screen. There are so many of them that I can't keep up with them all so here are a few of the ones that I like the most about the Legend... We're starting off with the one I've mention before and that's the Disny's version of the Legend....
One thing is for certian, no matter how many reincarntions of the Legend comes our way. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving will always be one of those ghostly stories that will stand the test of time and will never change. So that leaves me one more thing say...
Always remember to heed the warnings of gut instincts while out riding at night... If you hair stands on end when you hear a noise in the bushes next to you or if you hear more than just the fall of horse's hooves hitting the ground below... Take off running to the nearest bridge and never look back for you just might loose your head.
One thing is for certian, no matter how many reincarntions of the Legend comes our way. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving will always be one of those ghostly stories that will stand the test of time and will never change. So that leaves me one more thing say...
Always remember to heed the warnings of gut instincts while out riding at night... If you hair stands on end when you hear a noise in the bushes next to you or if you hear more than just the fall of horse's hooves hitting the ground below... Take off running to the nearest bridge and never look back for you just might loose your head.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
My Childhood Memories of Halloween Past
We all have memories of Halloween. How much of the candy our parents stole from our candy stash. How sick we were the following morning because we didn't listen to our parents when they said do eat to much of the candy or you'll make yourself sick. And how could we forget what kind of costumes we wore while we trick or treated.
For me it was the costumes, ohhhhh the costumes. I loved those costumes because I can remember each and every single one of them from very time I can remember. I remember the costumes because they were all each hand made by my parents, well most of them were anyway. I don't know if it was because my parents didn't have enough money to go and buy a costume, not saying that my family wasn't poor or anything, they weren't, or if they enjoyed making the costumes because they were crafters. They sowed quilts, pillows, blankets and pretty much everything else you could think of by hand. not only did they sew, they also crouched things as well. But this is story for another time. I also loved the costumes they made because they were unlike all the others costumes the kids wore because they lasted the longest than other store bought costumes.
There is one costume I remember the most out of all of them because my parents worked the hardest on and made me stand for longest times to get the measurements just right so that I wouldn't trip over it in the dark. I wanted to be a witch for that year, yes I know that's for girls but since i lived in a rural area, I was never criticised for it and not to mention everyone liked my parents work and was always impressed by how it all turned out.
I remember standing outside in a chair, while my mom laid the material over me to begin the measurements of where the fabric needed to be. All the pinning, i learned that I had to be very still for this because if I didn't, I would accidentally become a human pin cushion. LOL!!! Then there was one memory that stands out the most for me of all that time... the finding of a stick for beginnings of the witches broom.
My dad took me out into the woods to find a branch that had fallen from a tree that would be the easiest for me to handle and to carry around with me. Not to mention to keep it from being so heavy after it was all finished. When we had picked the perfect stick, it was time to find the material for brush part of the broom. Since we were surrounded by fields, my dad went and got some hay from the neighboring field came back home and began his work on finishing the broom.
The whole of the time to make this costume was a whole month and a half. Afterwards I couldn't wait for the big day to arrive. The day where I could show off my parents hard work, Halloween. To this day, I wish I had a picture of the costume to show you but alas, there is none. But the childhood memory will stay with for the rest of my life...
Happy Halloween everyone and remember to keep safe while trick-or-treating.
For me it was the costumes, ohhhhh the costumes. I loved those costumes because I can remember each and every single one of them from very time I can remember. I remember the costumes because they were all each hand made by my parents, well most of them were anyway. I don't know if it was because my parents didn't have enough money to go and buy a costume, not saying that my family wasn't poor or anything, they weren't, or if they enjoyed making the costumes because they were crafters. They sowed quilts, pillows, blankets and pretty much everything else you could think of by hand. not only did they sew, they also crouched things as well. But this is story for another time. I also loved the costumes they made because they were unlike all the others costumes the kids wore because they lasted the longest than other store bought costumes.
There is one costume I remember the most out of all of them because my parents worked the hardest on and made me stand for longest times to get the measurements just right so that I wouldn't trip over it in the dark. I wanted to be a witch for that year, yes I know that's for girls but since i lived in a rural area, I was never criticised for it and not to mention everyone liked my parents work and was always impressed by how it all turned out.
I remember standing outside in a chair, while my mom laid the material over me to begin the measurements of where the fabric needed to be. All the pinning, i learned that I had to be very still for this because if I didn't, I would accidentally become a human pin cushion. LOL!!! Then there was one memory that stands out the most for me of all that time... the finding of a stick for beginnings of the witches broom.
My dad took me out into the woods to find a branch that had fallen from a tree that would be the easiest for me to handle and to carry around with me. Not to mention to keep it from being so heavy after it was all finished. When we had picked the perfect stick, it was time to find the material for brush part of the broom. Since we were surrounded by fields, my dad went and got some hay from the neighboring field came back home and began his work on finishing the broom.
The whole of the time to make this costume was a whole month and a half. Afterwards I couldn't wait for the big day to arrive. The day where I could show off my parents hard work, Halloween. To this day, I wish I had a picture of the costume to show you but alas, there is none. But the childhood memory will stay with for the rest of my life...
Happy Halloween everyone and remember to keep safe while trick-or-treating.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Good Bye Summer, Hello Fall
It's that time of year again... The air is turning cooler, more crisper and more importantly... the summer leaves are beginning to change from green to the beautiful colors of red, yellow and orange. This is the time of year that I truly enjoy.
I always enjoyed this time of year ever since I was a kid. Not only did it represent that Halloween was just around the corner but that of the beautiful colors that proceeded it. As a kid, I could always tell when the summer was about to give away to fall. It takes place during the middle of August to early September. I would always feel this... crispness in the air before it was actually felt by others and there would also be this smell. This smell was hard for me to describe as a child. but today i can find the words to describe it and you may even picked up on the smell yourself. The smell is that of the leaves turning colors and slowly drying just before falling from the tree. It's a faint smell but on certain days you can really smell it.
All these sensations that I felt in anticipation of Fall did something else to me. It revived something deep within me, like an animal awaking from hibernation. When I was a kid, the best way I could describe it at the time was, these feelings made my blood boil but in a good way because it literally did something underneath my skin which, and at the time, felt like blood. Since I'm older now, I can put them in better words, the feelings I felt as a child was like a part of me was waking up. Something deep that called to very depths of my soul. I know it's crazy or it sounds crazy but that what the fall season did to me and sometimes still does.
A few of years ago, back in the fall of 2009, I shared these feeling with a total stranger while passing the time away in the doctor's office with my mother. The stranger had asked me this very question: Why do you think you feel this strongly about the fall season? At the time I couldn't answer the question and I still can't today. The possible only explanation I have is that I was born during the months of fall. I guess that's the reason why I love fall so much but I'll never truly know the answer to it because ever since I can remember, I always loved the fall season.
I always enjoyed this time of year ever since I was a kid. Not only did it represent that Halloween was just around the corner but that of the beautiful colors that proceeded it. As a kid, I could always tell when the summer was about to give away to fall. It takes place during the middle of August to early September. I would always feel this... crispness in the air before it was actually felt by others and there would also be this smell. This smell was hard for me to describe as a child. but today i can find the words to describe it and you may even picked up on the smell yourself. The smell is that of the leaves turning colors and slowly drying just before falling from the tree. It's a faint smell but on certain days you can really smell it.
All these sensations that I felt in anticipation of Fall did something else to me. It revived something deep within me, like an animal awaking from hibernation. When I was a kid, the best way I could describe it at the time was, these feelings made my blood boil but in a good way because it literally did something underneath my skin which, and at the time, felt like blood. Since I'm older now, I can put them in better words, the feelings I felt as a child was like a part of me was waking up. Something deep that called to very depths of my soul. I know it's crazy or it sounds crazy but that what the fall season did to me and sometimes still does.
A few of years ago, back in the fall of 2009, I shared these feeling with a total stranger while passing the time away in the doctor's office with my mother. The stranger had asked me this very question: Why do you think you feel this strongly about the fall season? At the time I couldn't answer the question and I still can't today. The possible only explanation I have is that I was born during the months of fall. I guess that's the reason why I love fall so much but I'll never truly know the answer to it because ever since I can remember, I always loved the fall season.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Millerstown: A Brief History
I live a few miles away from what is left of a place called Millerstown. It was started, according to my county's historical society, back in the 1800's as a settlement or an outpost for weary travelers seeking trade or rest from a long journey.
By the 1850's it became a small town but by the 1880's it became an official town but it wasn't until 1882 that it became known as Millerstown. By the 1900's, the town was in it's prime with a grocery store, post office, a college, a newspaper and a mill. (The last four is from accounts told to me by my mother and a by others who still lives in or around the area and have passed some of the stories on to us younger folks.)
I can account for the Grocery store, and the newspaper. The grocery store was still in use until the early to mid 90's. Unfortunately the store had to close because the gas storage tanks were located to close to the river according to the EPA rules of the times. It remained open for a short time afterwards but not for long since the store's main source of income was based on the gas they sold. so after a year, the store was forced to lose it's doors. Now the place is a church.
The newspaper, is located on a lone dirt and gravel road away from the prying eyes of the population. I haven't seen it in awhile but the time when I did, the lettering on the window looked as it did when it was open, meaning the lettering had never faded. But I'm guessing it's because of it's location and very little travel on the road.
As for the post office and the college, I have yet to find where they were, unless the post office itself was located in the grocery store before I was born. As for the Mill, it's no longer standing, according to the people that I've spoken with, including the historical society, has told me it was washed away in a flood. But I do think I know where the old mill was located at because near the main highway and bridge, which is very close together, you can see the remains of an old brick building hidden in a Small patch of forestry; probably used as storage. However this is my own personal beliefs and will freely change my story until told otherwise.
There is also one other thing I forgot to speak of... A church with a green roof. This church has been standing and is still used today. It was built back in the early 1800's as the very first church to built in the area.
After thought: As I did the research for the town to base it on a fictional town of a possible short story, i came to find that Millerstown had, at one point, three families, the Blessitts, Skaggs and the Millers. While growing up my mother had always told me stories that her mother had always told her as a child. My grandmother's maiden name was Miller before she married. Anyway, she had told me that the family, her mother's side, was the ones who had helped in the creation of Millerstown. As a child growing up, i had never believed this to be true because of the family's namesake, Miller. But upon speaking with the historical society, I came to realise what my mother had told may be true, that the Millers, may have, indeed, help create the town. My great aunt, may she rest in peace, could have confirmed the story because she was well into her 90's when she died.
So who knows what history may hold in store for you when you start investigating history. It may be your own family history or it maybe the history of a town, time or events. In your search of the history, it just may take you to places that you never even knew...
Happy history hunting...
By the 1850's it became a small town but by the 1880's it became an official town but it wasn't until 1882 that it became known as Millerstown. By the 1900's, the town was in it's prime with a grocery store, post office, a college, a newspaper and a mill. (The last four is from accounts told to me by my mother and a by others who still lives in or around the area and have passed some of the stories on to us younger folks.)
I can account for the Grocery store, and the newspaper. The grocery store was still in use until the early to mid 90's. Unfortunately the store had to close because the gas storage tanks were located to close to the river according to the EPA rules of the times. It remained open for a short time afterwards but not for long since the store's main source of income was based on the gas they sold. so after a year, the store was forced to lose it's doors. Now the place is a church.
The newspaper, is located on a lone dirt and gravel road away from the prying eyes of the population. I haven't seen it in awhile but the time when I did, the lettering on the window looked as it did when it was open, meaning the lettering had never faded. But I'm guessing it's because of it's location and very little travel on the road.
As for the post office and the college, I have yet to find where they were, unless the post office itself was located in the grocery store before I was born. As for the Mill, it's no longer standing, according to the people that I've spoken with, including the historical society, has told me it was washed away in a flood. But I do think I know where the old mill was located at because near the main highway and bridge, which is very close together, you can see the remains of an old brick building hidden in a Small patch of forestry; probably used as storage. However this is my own personal beliefs and will freely change my story until told otherwise.
There is also one other thing I forgot to speak of... A church with a green roof. This church has been standing and is still used today. It was built back in the early 1800's as the very first church to built in the area.
After thought: As I did the research for the town to base it on a fictional town of a possible short story, i came to find that Millerstown had, at one point, three families, the Blessitts, Skaggs and the Millers. While growing up my mother had always told me stories that her mother had always told her as a child. My grandmother's maiden name was Miller before she married. Anyway, she had told me that the family, her mother's side, was the ones who had helped in the creation of Millerstown. As a child growing up, i had never believed this to be true because of the family's namesake, Miller. But upon speaking with the historical society, I came to realise what my mother had told may be true, that the Millers, may have, indeed, help create the town. My great aunt, may she rest in peace, could have confirmed the story because she was well into her 90's when she died.
So who knows what history may hold in store for you when you start investigating history. It may be your own family history or it maybe the history of a town, time or events. In your search of the history, it just may take you to places that you never even knew...
Happy history hunting...
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Camelot's Return: Stone of Destiny
Here is the long awaited third instalment of Camelot's Return: The Stone of Destiny.
We begin with nilrem's arrival with the Lady of the Lake at the abbey of Iona where legends say the stone of destiny lies. It is here where Nilrem recieves a message about what lies in store for him if he contiues his quest to find the Stone of destiny while trying to find the reincarnation of the Once and Future King of England. What lies instore for Nilrem and the Lady of the Lake...
Click on the link below to read the story:
Stone of Destiny
We begin with nilrem's arrival with the Lady of the Lake at the abbey of Iona where legends say the stone of destiny lies. It is here where Nilrem recieves a message about what lies in store for him if he contiues his quest to find the Stone of destiny while trying to find the reincarnation of the Once and Future King of England. What lies instore for Nilrem and the Lady of the Lake...
Click on the link below to read the story:
Stone of Destiny
Friday, August 10, 2012
My reason for writing - Katrina Jack
I asked my fellow writer and author, Katrina Jack Land of Midnight Days, to do a guest post. This is what she had sent in at my request. You can learn more about her and her book at the end of this guest post.
As I said previously, I owe my inspiration to write to that long lost diary. It was solely due to that little green book that I embarked on expanding my writing horizons. I tried all kinds of genres, swinging wildly from one to the other, until I finally settled on speculative fiction. The result to date, my latest novel, Land of Midnight Days. It’s YA urban fantasy and aimed at an age group of 14 to 20.
Set in a city that’s become an urban jungle, it’s filled with characters that enthrall, horrify, terrify and thrill. The main character is called Jeremiah Tully, who has never been able to speak, but more than compensates for his lack of speech with his breathtaking music, played on a silver flute.
I’ve tried to make this novel a bit different from others in this genre, but judge for yourself; here’s my pitch:
In a city at war with itself, Jeremiah Tully already knows how to survive, now he must learn how to live. Mute from birth, of mixed race heritage and his only possession a charmed flute, Jeremiah tries to discover where his remarkable talent as a musician will take him.
Is he the catalyst that will free the metropolis of its demons? Can he rid the streets of the Gangers and Wannabees who terrorize and dominate? The path to freedom is long, dark and twisted.
You can visit at her website: kateannejack.wordpress.com
As I said previously, I owe my inspiration to write to that long lost diary. It was solely due to that little green book that I embarked on expanding my writing horizons. I tried all kinds of genres, swinging wildly from one to the other, until I finally settled on speculative fiction. The result to date, my latest novel, Land of Midnight Days. It’s YA urban fantasy and aimed at an age group of 14 to 20.
Set in a city that’s become an urban jungle, it’s filled with characters that enthrall, horrify, terrify and thrill. The main character is called Jeremiah Tully, who has never been able to speak, but more than compensates for his lack of speech with his breathtaking music, played on a silver flute.
I’ve tried to make this novel a bit different from others in this genre, but judge for yourself; here’s my pitch:
In a city at war with itself, Jeremiah Tully already knows how to survive, now he must learn how to live. Mute from birth, of mixed race heritage and his only possession a charmed flute, Jeremiah tries to discover where his remarkable talent as a musician will take him.
Is he the catalyst that will free the metropolis of its demons? Can he rid the streets of the Gangers and Wannabees who terrorize and dominate? The path to freedom is long, dark and twisted.
You can visit at her website: kateannejack.wordpress.com
Sunday, July 29, 2012
My reasons for writing - Melanie Dent
I asked fellow writer and author, Melanie Dent Lynchcliffe series, to do a guest post for the blog. you can find out more about her and her book later on in the post.
I started writing when I was quite young and my teachers always liked my style. I wrote poetry in my teens; teen angst and unrequited love sort of stuff. But I always wanted to write a book, I had several ideas over the years but nothing that captured my imagination enough to follow through with.
When my partner David died in 2008 I wrote a couple of poems trying to make sense of it.
I found myself thinking about cuckoos one day. The fact that a cuckoo chick is never raised by its own parents and thought about the number of kids who are raised by strangers because, for whatever reason their birth parents can't take care of them. The plot grew from there and the idea fitted a birth in the late Victorian era as childbirth related deaths were commonplace then.
I then developed the idea of a cross-class romance and the Titanic came to mind and that was it, I was off and I knew it would not fit in just one book as the series had potential.
I know it's a cliche but my characters have become good friends and I know them pretty well. I know why they are as they are, what makes them tick, what arouses or angers them and I share their triumphs, losses and disappointments.
I did not originally intend to write adult novels but they took an unexpected turn. I have no problem writing about sex. As I was dealing with adult themes such as rape, infidelity, illegitimacy and bereavement I thought I might as well take the adult angle. Lewis FRanklin is a man who falls passionately in love late in life. The whole series is essentially about love and passion.
I dedicated the first book to David's memory and I like to think he is proud of what I have achieved and how I have learnt to live without him.
Now 8 eBooks later I am planning to self-publish with Lulu and have approved 3 books for distribution. it's a case of watch this space from now on.
Links to her sites
http://lynchcliffe.wordpress.com/lynchcliffe-kindle-store/
http://lynchcliffe.wordpress.com/about/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lynchcliffe-Cuckoo-novels/310116522349057
I started writing when I was quite young and my teachers always liked my style. I wrote poetry in my teens; teen angst and unrequited love sort of stuff. But I always wanted to write a book, I had several ideas over the years but nothing that captured my imagination enough to follow through with.
When my partner David died in 2008 I wrote a couple of poems trying to make sense of it.
I found myself thinking about cuckoos one day. The fact that a cuckoo chick is never raised by its own parents and thought about the number of kids who are raised by strangers because, for whatever reason their birth parents can't take care of them. The plot grew from there and the idea fitted a birth in the late Victorian era as childbirth related deaths were commonplace then.
I then developed the idea of a cross-class romance and the Titanic came to mind and that was it, I was off and I knew it would not fit in just one book as the series had potential.
I know it's a cliche but my characters have become good friends and I know them pretty well. I know why they are as they are, what makes them tick, what arouses or angers them and I share their triumphs, losses and disappointments.
I did not originally intend to write adult novels but they took an unexpected turn. I have no problem writing about sex. As I was dealing with adult themes such as rape, infidelity, illegitimacy and bereavement I thought I might as well take the adult angle. Lewis FRanklin is a man who falls passionately in love late in life. The whole series is essentially about love and passion.
I dedicated the first book to David's memory and I like to think he is proud of what I have achieved and how I have learnt to live without him.
Now 8 eBooks later I am planning to self-publish with Lulu and have approved 3 books for distribution. it's a case of watch this space from now on.
Links to her sites
http://lynchcliffe.wordpress.com/lynchcliffe-kindle-store/
http://lynchcliffe.wordpress.com/about/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lynchcliffe-Cuckoo-novels/310116522349057
Thursday, July 19, 2012
My Reasons for Writing - Gerry McCullough
I asked my friend and fellow writer, Gerry McCullough, (author of her recent book Bellfast Girl, out now on Ebook and availible in paperback) to do a guest post. You can find out more about her and her books by clicking on the links at the end of this post.
I’ve been writing since I was 7 or 8. I’ve
always loved reading, and because of that, I’ve wanted to write the sort of
stuff I enjoy. So I began by copying my favourite writers, and did that for
years. It takes a while before your writing becomes actually original!
It’s hard to say what inspired me to write. I grew up in a home where everyone enjoyed reading – my mother, my father, and my three sisters. My older sister took to me to the library when I was 8, and arranged for me to join it. I became an ardent reader, and therefore a writer. At my primary school, it happened that I was put into a ‘house’ called Charlotte, after Charlotte Bronte, and the headmistress, in telling us about the various houses, said, ‘Not everyone in ‘Charlotte’ house will be a wonderful writer – but perhaps some of you will!’ That was a definite spark. I remember thinking, ‘Why shouldn’t I be one?’
I assumed, I suppose, that as soon as I had written a book, the first publisher I offered it to would snap it up. Wrong! I spent years being rejected – a very painful process, I have to say.
Then at last my book, Belfast Girls, was accepted and published by Night Publishing. I’ll always be grateful to Tim Roux for being the first publisher to accept me, after the long discouraging trek around all the major publishers which everyone from Charlotte Bronte to PG Wodehouse and JK Rowling has had. In addition, the group of writers I met through Night Publishing have supported me enormously. I value them highly –they are great people.
Currently I’ve just had my fourth book published – my third full-length novel. So far, there is Belfast Girls, published by Night Publishing, which I’m delighted to say has been doing really well, selling around 15,000 copies, and in the top 100 in overall ranking for over a month; followed by Danger Danger, another Irish romantic thriller, and an Irish short story collection, The Seanachie: Tales of Old Seamus. (Seanachie is the Irish for storyteller.)
When I had finished writing Danger Danger, my husband Raymond who was setting up his own publishing company, suggested that I give it to him to publish rather than to Tim Roux. Up until then, I had rejected the idea of self-publishing. I thought of it as vanity publishing, and needed the affirmation of being accepted by a ‘real’ publisher, a complete stranger.
However, times have changed. The coming of the eBook and Internet publishing has taken away the stigma from self-publishing. Moreover, I’d now been accepted by an actual publisher and my first book was doing well enough to reassure me. I decided to give Danger Danger to Raymond and since then his Publishing Company, Precious Oil Publications, has published and will publish all my books.
My fourth book is one I wrote years ago – the first I wrote when I myself was an adult. I’ve spent some time updating it for the modern world – it’s about a Belfast girl on holiday in Greece, and the things that happen to her – another Irish romantic thriller! The title is Angel in Flight. The heroine, Angel Murphy, is a feisty young Belfast girl who has been badly hurt and is getting her life back together, and proving to be strong, self-reliant and able to sort out the villains she comes across without waiting for a hero to help her.
21st century or what?
links for ebooks on Amazon.com and Amazon.uk (You can also get them in paperback.)
http://www.amazon.com/Belfast-Girls/dp/B008J4NISK
Danger
http://www.amazon.com/Danger-Gerry-McCullough/dp/0952578530
Seanachie Tales Old Seamus
http://www.amazon.com/Seanachie-Tales-Old-Seamus-ebook/dp/B006WVI37S
Angel Flight
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Angel-Flight-Murphy-thriller-ebook/dp/B0089PPV2K
http://www.amazon.com/Angel-Flight-Murphy-thriller-ebook/dp/B0089PPV2K
for more information about her:
www.gerrymccullough.com
http://www.facebook.com/gerrymcculloughirish
www.gerrysbooks.blogspot.com
Friday, July 13, 2012
What inspired you to start writing?
I had asked a few of my writer friends and fellow bloggers to give me a paragraph or two about what had inspired them to begin writing. Like always you'll get to see what inspired me to begin writing at the end of this post followed by an after thought.
Tricia Drammeh, The Claiming Words
Tricia Drammeh, The Claiming Words
My inspiration for writing comes from all around me: music, nature, a snippet of overheard conversation. But, I would have to say my biggest inspiration comes from other authors. I've read so many wonderful books over the years - books that made me laugh, cry, think, and dream. For years, I read everything I could get my hands on. The ingenuity and imagination these authors displayed never ceased to amaze me. The only thing more thrilling than holding a brand new book in my hands is the rush of joy I experience when I finish writing a novel, poem, or even a blog post.
Gerry McCullough, Belfast Girls (For the UK), Belfast Girls (For the US)
Why I started writing.
Do you know, I can’t even remember when I discovered that writing was something I loved to do? Since I first learned to read, I’ve tried to write as well. It just seems to have been a basic instinct, to try to do something which gave me such pleasure when others did it. I began by writing prose. I didn’t attempt to write poetry until I was in my teens, and then it was a very private process. But I wrote stories from early childhood, and made up plays for my friends and myself to act out as a regular game. At that time, I was happy to share what I’d written. Later I became very secretive about my prose writing, too, and would only show my stories to my close family. My poetry and my prose fulfill different creative needs. My poems come mainly from a desire to create beauty by putting words together. My stories exist because I have the urge to create characters and to write about their lives. But having said that, the distinction isn’t always so clear-cut. Some of my poems are about people; and I certainly want to use words to create effects in my prose as well as in my poetry.
Belfast Girls was my first full-length novel. I had written novels before – but this was the first published one, and it gave me a marvelous sense of achievement! Growing up, as I did, during the troubles, I was very aware that all over the world there was a very simplistic view of what was happening in Northern Ireland, i.e. people seemed to believe that all Catholics thought one thing, and all Protestants thought something else, and that all Catholics hated all Protestants and vice versa. I knew that wasn’t true. It was so much more complex than that. Many on both sides of the divide were horrified at what was happening and only wanted peace and reconciliation. I wanted to write something to show, without lecturing, that ordinary people in Northern Ireland had no problem with each other – it was just a small percentage who were fighting. By the time the book was finished, the troubles were over, so I rewrote it to reflect the same thing in the current climate. Of course, like any writer, I also just wanted to write a book, whatever it was about. And I wanted to create characters who had something of me in each of them, and write about them. Since then I’ve had two more books published and a collection of short stories.
Melanie Dent, http://lynchcliffe.wordpress.com/lynchcliffe-kindle-store/
I have been writing since childhood and had a few poems published over the years but I always wanted to write a novel.
The idea for the Lynchcliffe Cuckoo series came quite literally from nowhere and it is the first book idea I ever followed through on. I also used it to help me work through losing my partner, David, back in 2008. The series is dedicated to his memory.
Katrina Jack, Land of Midnight Days
What inspired me to write?
Believe it or not it wasn’t reading other authors work, but an old green covered diary. As a kid, I read all the usual children’s fiction available at the time, such as Enid Blyton, C .S Lewis and so forth. I always used to go to bed at night, my head filled with stories I’d made up. I would even enact some of them using my dolls and teddies. Then the fateful day arrived when I was inspired to put pen to paper for myself. I was about 14 at the time and someone gave me an old, leather bound diary, the type with blank pages. I didn’t have much of a social life at the time, so decided to put it to a different use and filled it with short stories and drawings. That was it, I was hooked and over the next few years graduated to full blown novels and I owe it all to that tatty old diary.
As for me, there was no set day or time that inspired me to start writing. Though there are times that gives me the inspiration to pick up my pen or in this case my computer and begin writing a book or short story. I'll get to this part later and as I have said there was never a set time or date that inspired me to start writing. I was sitting one day and I was terribly bored so I decided to pick up a pen and paper and started to write. I had no idea of what kind of plot I wanted or nothing, so i just began writing. This writing, I found, gave me something to do because it flowed easily and it seemed to take on a life of it's own. Thus began my writing of books and until recently, I did only as a hobby.
As for the times that give me the inspiration to write, they can be anywhere from going to bed to waking up in the morning. They also come to me when I'm watching a movie, reading a book, watching the news or just sitting and watching the leaves falling from a tree during the fall. It all depends on what I'm doing at the moment and they are few to many in between.
After thought: We've seen how each of us has come into writing. Whether it was for fun, started at an early age or for therapeutic reasons or just as a hobby. We all know one thing for sure, once we started writing, we found ourselves not being able to stop.
Happy writing everyone.
Gerry McCullough, Belfast Girls (For the UK), Belfast Girls (For the US)
Why I started writing.
Do you know, I can’t even remember when I discovered that writing was something I loved to do? Since I first learned to read, I’ve tried to write as well. It just seems to have been a basic instinct, to try to do something which gave me such pleasure when others did it. I began by writing prose. I didn’t attempt to write poetry until I was in my teens, and then it was a very private process. But I wrote stories from early childhood, and made up plays for my friends and myself to act out as a regular game. At that time, I was happy to share what I’d written. Later I became very secretive about my prose writing, too, and would only show my stories to my close family. My poetry and my prose fulfill different creative needs. My poems come mainly from a desire to create beauty by putting words together. My stories exist because I have the urge to create characters and to write about their lives. But having said that, the distinction isn’t always so clear-cut. Some of my poems are about people; and I certainly want to use words to create effects in my prose as well as in my poetry.
Belfast Girls was my first full-length novel. I had written novels before – but this was the first published one, and it gave me a marvelous sense of achievement! Growing up, as I did, during the troubles, I was very aware that all over the world there was a very simplistic view of what was happening in Northern Ireland, i.e. people seemed to believe that all Catholics thought one thing, and all Protestants thought something else, and that all Catholics hated all Protestants and vice versa. I knew that wasn’t true. It was so much more complex than that. Many on both sides of the divide were horrified at what was happening and only wanted peace and reconciliation. I wanted to write something to show, without lecturing, that ordinary people in Northern Ireland had no problem with each other – it was just a small percentage who were fighting. By the time the book was finished, the troubles were over, so I rewrote it to reflect the same thing in the current climate. Of course, like any writer, I also just wanted to write a book, whatever it was about. And I wanted to create characters who had something of me in each of them, and write about them. Since then I’ve had two more books published and a collection of short stories.
Melanie Dent, http://lynchcliffe.wordpress.com/lynchcliffe-kindle-store/
I have been writing since childhood and had a few poems published over the years but I always wanted to write a novel.
The idea for the Lynchcliffe Cuckoo series came quite literally from nowhere and it is the first book idea I ever followed through on. I also used it to help me work through losing my partner, David, back in 2008. The series is dedicated to his memory.
Katrina Jack, Land of Midnight Days
What inspired me to write?
Believe it or not it wasn’t reading other authors work, but an old green covered diary. As a kid, I read all the usual children’s fiction available at the time, such as Enid Blyton, C .S Lewis and so forth. I always used to go to bed at night, my head filled with stories I’d made up. I would even enact some of them using my dolls and teddies. Then the fateful day arrived when I was inspired to put pen to paper for myself. I was about 14 at the time and someone gave me an old, leather bound diary, the type with blank pages. I didn’t have much of a social life at the time, so decided to put it to a different use and filled it with short stories and drawings. That was it, I was hooked and over the next few years graduated to full blown novels and I owe it all to that tatty old diary.
As for me, there was no set day or time that inspired me to start writing. Though there are times that gives me the inspiration to pick up my pen or in this case my computer and begin writing a book or short story. I'll get to this part later and as I have said there was never a set time or date that inspired me to start writing. I was sitting one day and I was terribly bored so I decided to pick up a pen and paper and started to write. I had no idea of what kind of plot I wanted or nothing, so i just began writing. This writing, I found, gave me something to do because it flowed easily and it seemed to take on a life of it's own. Thus began my writing of books and until recently, I did only as a hobby.
As for the times that give me the inspiration to write, they can be anywhere from going to bed to waking up in the morning. They also come to me when I'm watching a movie, reading a book, watching the news or just sitting and watching the leaves falling from a tree during the fall. It all depends on what I'm doing at the moment and they are few to many in between.
After thought: We've seen how each of us has come into writing. Whether it was for fun, started at an early age or for therapeutic reasons or just as a hobby. We all know one thing for sure, once we started writing, we found ourselves not being able to stop.
Happy writing everyone.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Write Your Way to a Better Life
I've asked a friend of mine, Tricia Drammeh, fellow blogger and the author of The Claiming Words (due to be released in late August) to do a guest post for the blog. You will be able to get all her information about her and her book at the end of this post.
Writing gives the author a chance to rewrite his or her life. As writers, we have an opportunity to take a piece our ourselves, add all those qualities we wish we had, and create the perfect hero—or ultimate villain. We can conquer seemingly insurmountable challenges without ever leaving the comfort of our own homes. We can write a new life and live it through our characters.
Don’t buy my theory? Well, consider the number of books
featuring a heroine who scores the hottest guy in school. Or, characters who at
the beginning of the novel have never quite fit in with the popular crowd, but
soon discover powers they never knew they had. The nerd turned spy? The outcast
who suddenly finds herself embroiled in a love triangle where enigmatic
immortals fight to win her affections? Magic, super powers, and psychic
abilities abound. What do these scenarios have in common? The average girl or
guy is secretly special, unique, one-of-a-kind.
Tricia Drammeh is the author of The Claiming Words and The Fifth Circle. She currently lives with her family in St Charles, Missouri. The historic district is within walking distance and with every footstep down the brick-paved, haunted Main Street, she is transported to another time and her imagination takes flight. When she isn't writing, she can be found reading, drinking vast amounts of coffee, or hanging out with the multitude of animals who have taken over her home.
http://www.blog.triciadrammeh.com/
The Claiming Words
The Fifth Circle
I’ve often heard that an author’s first book is partly
autobiographical. I think there’s some truth to this. There’s a piece of
ourselves in all our characters. Without disputing the validity of the
autobiographical theory, I’d like to offer another theory as well:
Writing gives the author a chance to rewrite his or her life. As writers, we have an opportunity to take a piece our ourselves, add all those qualities we wish we had, and create the perfect hero—or ultimate villain. We can conquer seemingly insurmountable challenges without ever leaving the comfort of our own homes. We can write a new life and live it through our characters.
This seems to be a popular formula, particularly in young
adult or paranormal romance novels. Probably
the most successful example of the use of this formula is the Harry Potter series. Harry was the ultimate
underdog, and when JK Rowling plucked him from a life of abuse and neglect,
gave him magical gifts, and delivered him into a world where he was the hero,
readers cheered. Was there a little bit of JK in her character? Did she become
a part of Hogwarts the moment she placed her fingers on the keyboard?
I’ve tried to use the “Harry Potter formula” in my own young
adult fantasy series, The Claiming Words.
I love writing about the underdog. I love giving the shy, introverted girl
a chance to win the guy every other girl wants. I love transforming the
ordinary to the extraordinary. When I create a character, I can live through
them, even if it’s only for a while.
As authors, we can see the world through the eyes of our
favorite characters. We can be good or evil. Intelligent and strong. Magically
gifted, or the girl next door. We can survive by our wits. We can be tall or
short, rich or poor, outspoken or shy. We can become everything we’ve always
wanted to be. We can write our characters into trouble, give them the tools to
overcome their challenges, and write them out of trouble by the end of the
book.
We can write our way to a better life.
Tricia Drammeh is the author of The Claiming Words and The Fifth Circle. She currently lives with her family in St Charles, Missouri. The historic district is within walking distance and with every footstep down the brick-paved, haunted Main Street, she is transported to another time and her imagination takes flight. When she isn't writing, she can be found reading, drinking vast amounts of coffee, or hanging out with the multitude of animals who have taken over her home.
http://www.blog.triciadrammeh.com/
The Claiming Words
The Fifth Circle
Monday, June 25, 2012
Weekly Musical Diversity Challenge
Last week we dealt with summer music list. This week it's all about Irish music with two groups in mind. The first group is Celtic Woman and Celtic Thunder, yes I know, the last group sounds like a group of strippers or exotic dancers or whatever they call themselves these days but their not. Just like Celtic Woman, Celtic Thunder is a pretty good group. So sit back and enjoy listening too these two groups. Up first is Celtic Woman....
The Call
Mo Ghile Mear
Scarborough Fair
Spanish Lady
May It Be (From Lord of the Rings trilogy)
Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)
Dulaman
Siuil a Run
The Butterfly
Celtic Thunder
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJScrN183Io
Steal Away
A Place in the Choir
A Bird Without Wings
Song for the Mira
The Maid of Culmore
When You are Eighteen
Isle of Hope Isle of Tears
Lough Swilly Railway
The Call
Mo Ghile Mear
Scarborough Fair
Spanish Lady
May It Be (From Lord of the Rings trilogy)
Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)
Dulaman
Siuil a Run
The Butterfly
Celtic Thunder
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJScrN183Io
Steal Away
A Place in the Choir
A Bird Without Wings
Song for the Mira
The Maid of Culmore
When You are Eighteen
Isle of Hope Isle of Tears
Lough Swilly Railway
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Weekly Musical Diversty Challenge
Last weeks challenge was listening to music from the Big Band era. This weeks challenge is a little different. This weeks challenge is about summer. Just like books, music has summer listening list. So I compiled a list of ten must listen to songs for summer. (Note: these songs are songs that I consider worthy of listening to during the summer.) We'll begin off with a video that we all know well and is played by every student at the end of the last day at school... Schools out for summer by Alice Cooper.
Black Water - Doogie Brothers
Surfin USA - Beach Boys
In the summertime
Summer in the City - The Loving Spoonful
Surfin' Bird - Trashmen
The Birds & The Bees - Jewel Akens
Hawaii Five-O Theme Song
Good Vibrations - Beach Boys
Summer Breeze - Seals & Croft
Black Water - Doogie Brothers
Surfin USA - Beach Boys
In the summertime
Summer in the City - The Loving Spoonful
Surfin' Bird - Trashmen
The Birds & The Bees - Jewel Akens
Hawaii Five-O Theme Song
Good Vibrations - Beach Boys
Summer Breeze - Seals & Croft
Saturday, June 9, 2012
weekly musical Diversity Challenge
Last week the challenge was listening too Bond, an all girl group that put a new spin on classical music. This week we are taking a little trip back into time before I was even born. To a time when my mom was just a little girl, it was called the Big Band era. The time between the 1st and 2nd world wars and during the 2nd world war. It was a time before the modern TV, where everyone gathered around the radio and believe it or not, even had shows aired over the radio like Bing Cosby Entertians, Gunsmoke (before it aired on TV) and Batman (also before it aired on TV). Granted I never heard any of these shows in audio but I had gotten to learn about them through my mother and from a few of her friends. But let's get back to the music aspect of all of this.
Back then it seems that music was more of a family thing than it is today. It wasn't all about the music conveying a message about a particular theme or shock value or even how racy a song can get. It was about how it gathered a family together in troubling times and made them forget about what was going on in the world. So with no further adui, here are a few songs from the big band era starting with my favorite, the Andrews Sisters...
Back then it seems that music was more of a family thing than it is today. It wasn't all about the music conveying a message about a particular theme or shock value or even how racy a song can get. It was about how it gathered a family together in troubling times and made them forget about what was going on in the world. So with no further adui, here are a few songs from the big band era starting with my favorite, the Andrews Sisters...
Monday, June 4, 2012
Weekly Musical Diversty Challenge
In my last post i talked about how my dad & brother got me to listen too difrent types of music. So I got to thinking, I could do the same thing each week. So I challenge each of you who reads this blog to listen to a different style of music each week. This week's selection of music is from an all band of girls called Bond, who does a modern take of classical music. Enjoy...
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Musical Diversity Challenge
I'm sure there are people out there in the world who listens to one type of music and one type only. I know I used to be that way when I was a kid, only listening to southern gospel or country until my dad made me listen to other types of music besides that. He told me that there was other types of music out there in the world besides southern gospel and country. I believe now, he was getting tired of me playing those two styles of music.
My brother got wind of it and brought me some CD to listen to, also believe my dad told him about it for help because my brother used to be a music teacher, turned English teacher. Anyway he brought me a new CD every time he would visit us and each time it would be different. They would be from anything from Irish to Opera to music from the sixties. At first I would hate them and would try to give them back to my brother but he would always sneak them back to me, challenging me to listen to them. and since I worshiped my older brother, at the time, I would take up his challenge and listened to them. by the next visit, I couldn't wait to hear the next CD he brought me to listen too.
Now-a-days, I still listen to different types of music but my all time favorites have to be from the sixties, Irish and bluegrass but mostly Irish. If fact now, I just began listening to music from the big band era, mainly between the world wars era. So far I like listening to Andrew Sisters, you would know them better by the song "boogie Qoogie bugle boy from company B."
So I would like to issue a challenge to you all. is there one style of music out there that you listen too and can't stand to listen to what someone else listens too? Well nows' the chance, ask them the next time you see them what they are listening too and see if you can borrow their CD or get the name of the artist and look them up. Or go to the nearest public library and ask for their music selections and start from there. You'll be surprised to see what kinds of music you may like in the end. I know I did...
Here are just some samples of music to listen too:
The Mystic's Dream - Loreena McKennit
Irish Flute Music
Celtic Woman - A New Journey - Mo Ghile Mear
Japaneses Drum Preformance
Chinese Traditional Song
Yanni
Charlotte Church - Dream a Dream
The Andrews Sisters - Boogie Woogie...
Dola Re Dola (Bollywood)
My brother got wind of it and brought me some CD to listen to, also believe my dad told him about it for help because my brother used to be a music teacher, turned English teacher. Anyway he brought me a new CD every time he would visit us and each time it would be different. They would be from anything from Irish to Opera to music from the sixties. At first I would hate them and would try to give them back to my brother but he would always sneak them back to me, challenging me to listen to them. and since I worshiped my older brother, at the time, I would take up his challenge and listened to them. by the next visit, I couldn't wait to hear the next CD he brought me to listen too.
Now-a-days, I still listen to different types of music but my all time favorites have to be from the sixties, Irish and bluegrass but mostly Irish. If fact now, I just began listening to music from the big band era, mainly between the world wars era. So far I like listening to Andrew Sisters, you would know them better by the song "boogie Qoogie bugle boy from company B."
So I would like to issue a challenge to you all. is there one style of music out there that you listen too and can't stand to listen to what someone else listens too? Well nows' the chance, ask them the next time you see them what they are listening too and see if you can borrow their CD or get the name of the artist and look them up. Or go to the nearest public library and ask for their music selections and start from there. You'll be surprised to see what kinds of music you may like in the end. I know I did...
Here are just some samples of music to listen too:
The Mystic's Dream - Loreena McKennit
Irish Flute Music
Celtic Woman - A New Journey - Mo Ghile Mear
Japaneses Drum Preformance
Chinese Traditional Song
Yanni
Charlotte Church - Dream a Dream
The Andrews Sisters - Boogie Woogie...
Dola Re Dola (Bollywood)
Friday, May 18, 2012
Music of the Universe
Yes you've read the title right. The universe, our universe, the very same one we live in has music and I'm not talking about Justin Beber or Madonna. I'm talking about energy waves from the planets magnetic fields to energy pulsars to anything thing else that creates energy. How do I know this?
I know this because of a show that I watched a couple of nights ago on the science channel. Never once did I even realise that objects in space could make noise. Yes, I also know that space is a vacum and for us to hear a sound there has to be air. We forget one thing though, energy waves, and they do not need air to travel. Its these energy waves that we pick up by our satellites that orbit our world and our radio antennas that picks these energy waves up. They then transform these energy waves into sound waves that we can hear. It is this way that we can hear these sounds or music from the universe.
To show what I am talking about, here are a few videos from YouTube that demonstrate on what I'm talking about. (I must warn you, some of these sounds you hear will be creepy in origin and will cause your hair to stand on end.)
Planet Sounds
Symphonies of the Planets 2
NASA: sound of a black hole
Sounds of our Solar System 1/2
Sounds of our Solar System 2/2
Spectacular Solar Video & Sounds
Sounds of Pluto
Pulsar Sounds
Jupiter Sounds
Pretty amazing stuff don't you think? Leave your comments on what you think about the sounds you just heard.
I know this because of a show that I watched a couple of nights ago on the science channel. Never once did I even realise that objects in space could make noise. Yes, I also know that space is a vacum and for us to hear a sound there has to be air. We forget one thing though, energy waves, and they do not need air to travel. Its these energy waves that we pick up by our satellites that orbit our world and our radio antennas that picks these energy waves up. They then transform these energy waves into sound waves that we can hear. It is this way that we can hear these sounds or music from the universe.
To show what I am talking about, here are a few videos from YouTube that demonstrate on what I'm talking about. (I must warn you, some of these sounds you hear will be creepy in origin and will cause your hair to stand on end.)
Planet Sounds
Symphonies of the Planets 2
NASA: sound of a black hole
Sounds of our Solar System 1/2
Sounds of our Solar System 2/2
Spectacular Solar Video & Sounds
Sounds of Pluto
Pulsar Sounds
Jupiter Sounds
Pretty amazing stuff don't you think? Leave your comments on what you think about the sounds you just heard.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
State anti-bullying laws... a gay rights movement or a true protection for children who are bullied in schools?
(Read the articles before you continue reading this post. This way you'll get a better idea as to what I'm saying.) The 2012 General Assembly: Major "Defensive Kills"; No significant "Offensive Victories" & The anti-bullying legislative forces resort to to bullying inside the state capital. (Click on the link below to read such articles.)
The Kentucky citizen Newsletter (May/June 2012)
You've heard it and I've heard it, children at schools being bullied. You read or hear about it in the news almost every month. In the state of Kentucky, there was a law brought before the house committee called HB336 or the "ant-bullying law" that protects children who are bullied in the schools, on buses or on other school grounds. Sadly this law was stopped or for better terms defeated by a two to ten vote, meaning ten voted for it, two against it.
Let me clarify this little. In order for a bill to be passed in the state senate it must be brought before a house committee of ten or more people. The committee's job is to hear arguments for and against the bill. Once heard, the committee then votes on it, if not enough votes are casted in favor of the bill then it is rejected and does not continue on into the house or state senate to be passed. And in this case it was just shy of two votes to pass on to the house and state senate. Now back to the bill itself.
This bill was defeated by two votes saying that the bill was more about "Gay Rights" than it was about protecting the safety of the children in our schools. I got this information from the newsletter stated in the link above. I might also add, I've watched some of the footage from the State's legislature updates on my local PBS station when I heard that there was a bill for anti-bullying legislation. I must admit, I didn't know very much about the bill until now after reading the two articles from the newsletter, mentioned above.
When I read these two articles, I knew I had to find out more about it because something struck me as odd. One thing, all the testimony I heard on the PBS station wasn't about "Gay Rights", it was about how bad the children were mistreated by their fellow peers and some had committed suicide because it got to the point to where they couldn't handle it no more, even with their parents doing everything they could within the laws of government and school policies to protect their child. But in the end, it wasn't enough.
Second, I felt as if these two articles were politically and religiously motivated, in my personal feelings, because in one article it talked about one of the defenders for the bill was being "physical and verbally abusive" towards the main opposer for the bill. This artical continued to say that it was even done in front of reporters. Which I don't really think is what happened because when I found out about this bill trying to be passed, I watched the news very closely and never once did I hear anything about what was mentioned in this particular article.
Now, I'm not bashing one side or the other, I'm just reporting the facts as I see them.
Going back to the legislative program on the PBS station, The interviews that I've seen for the supporters of this bill, I saw no evidence of the bill being in any way of acting as a part of the "Gay Rights" movement. All I saw was family members who had lost their children because they were bullied to the point where they felt as if there was no other escape other than death. Granted some of the testimonies were from parents who's child was part of the LGBT community but in no way did I ever see them saying that they wanted protection for other children like their own.
Their words, in no particular order, were "I don't want what happened to my child happen to another." I didn't hear them say "I don't want this to happen to another child who is a homosexual like my child was." They wanted to make their children and other children who are being bullied to feel safe while going to school.
Yes, the bill also included the protection of children who are LGBT but it's not limited to just only them. It's to all children who are bullied both straight and Gay alike. Not to one or the other and to say that the bill protects only the LGBT community is complete and utter nonsense.
Bullying isn't just limited to the LGBT community, it geared towards everyone who doesn't conform to some one's belief system. a person can be bullied because he/she doesn't believe in the same moral values as another. Another could be bullied because they are indeed Homosexual. Another, the way they dress (dressing in all black or because they don't have the "right type" of clothing). I could go on and on with the list but I won't because I feel as if you got the point.
So the next time you hear or see anything like the article above, take the time to investigate what they are saying and don't take their word at face value. Because when you dig deeper, you just might discover the real truth...
The Kentucky citizen Newsletter (May/June 2012)
You've heard it and I've heard it, children at schools being bullied. You read or hear about it in the news almost every month. In the state of Kentucky, there was a law brought before the house committee called HB336 or the "ant-bullying law" that protects children who are bullied in the schools, on buses or on other school grounds. Sadly this law was stopped or for better terms defeated by a two to ten vote, meaning ten voted for it, two against it.
Let me clarify this little. In order for a bill to be passed in the state senate it must be brought before a house committee of ten or more people. The committee's job is to hear arguments for and against the bill. Once heard, the committee then votes on it, if not enough votes are casted in favor of the bill then it is rejected and does not continue on into the house or state senate to be passed. And in this case it was just shy of two votes to pass on to the house and state senate. Now back to the bill itself.
This bill was defeated by two votes saying that the bill was more about "Gay Rights" than it was about protecting the safety of the children in our schools. I got this information from the newsletter stated in the link above. I might also add, I've watched some of the footage from the State's legislature updates on my local PBS station when I heard that there was a bill for anti-bullying legislation. I must admit, I didn't know very much about the bill until now after reading the two articles from the newsletter, mentioned above.
When I read these two articles, I knew I had to find out more about it because something struck me as odd. One thing, all the testimony I heard on the PBS station wasn't about "Gay Rights", it was about how bad the children were mistreated by their fellow peers and some had committed suicide because it got to the point to where they couldn't handle it no more, even with their parents doing everything they could within the laws of government and school policies to protect their child. But in the end, it wasn't enough.
Second, I felt as if these two articles were politically and religiously motivated, in my personal feelings, because in one article it talked about one of the defenders for the bill was being "physical and verbally abusive" towards the main opposer for the bill. This artical continued to say that it was even done in front of reporters. Which I don't really think is what happened because when I found out about this bill trying to be passed, I watched the news very closely and never once did I hear anything about what was mentioned in this particular article.
Now, I'm not bashing one side or the other, I'm just reporting the facts as I see them.
Going back to the legislative program on the PBS station, The interviews that I've seen for the supporters of this bill, I saw no evidence of the bill being in any way of acting as a part of the "Gay Rights" movement. All I saw was family members who had lost their children because they were bullied to the point where they felt as if there was no other escape other than death. Granted some of the testimonies were from parents who's child was part of the LGBT community but in no way did I ever see them saying that they wanted protection for other children like their own.
Their words, in no particular order, were "I don't want what happened to my child happen to another." I didn't hear them say "I don't want this to happen to another child who is a homosexual like my child was." They wanted to make their children and other children who are being bullied to feel safe while going to school.
Yes, the bill also included the protection of children who are LGBT but it's not limited to just only them. It's to all children who are bullied both straight and Gay alike. Not to one or the other and to say that the bill protects only the LGBT community is complete and utter nonsense.
Bullying isn't just limited to the LGBT community, it geared towards everyone who doesn't conform to some one's belief system. a person can be bullied because he/she doesn't believe in the same moral values as another. Another could be bullied because they are indeed Homosexual. Another, the way they dress (dressing in all black or because they don't have the "right type" of clothing). I could go on and on with the list but I won't because I feel as if you got the point.
So the next time you hear or see anything like the article above, take the time to investigate what they are saying and don't take their word at face value. Because when you dig deeper, you just might discover the real truth...
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Caution, laughter is contagious.
Have you ever noticed that when you see someone laughing, you soon to start laughing? You may not not what they are laughing about but you sill start laughing none-the-less. Well, laughter is contagious and it's a good thing, in my experience it is anyway.
Why is it contagious? Because it makes you feel better afterwards, no matter how bad you feel or how sick you may feel, it always makes you feel better about yourself and the world around. To explain more on what I'm talking about here are two articles to show what laughter does to your body.
The Health Benefits to Humor and Laughter
laughter is the "Best Medicine."
But they have done studies to show that laughter has a positive effect on our bodies. But hey, you don't have to take their word on the matter. Try it out on yourself and see what happens in the end. Tell a good joke or share a funny picture and you'll get you results. So I leave you now with some jokes to read. Pretty soon you'll have the laughing "bug" and will be spreading it all around.
Some funny jokes:
Why is it necessary to be quiet in church? (A kids Joke)
What do you call it when a vampire bites a teacher?
A blood test.
How do you catch a Squirrel?
You climb a tree and act like a nut.
A chicken walks into a library and walks up to a Librarian and says Book.
The librarian says you want a book?
Book.
The librarian goes and gets a book and gives it to the chicken.
An hour later, the chicken returns and says Book, book.
Two more books? replies the Librarian
Book, book.
So the librarian goes and gets two more books and gives them to the chicken.
An hour later the chicken returns and says Book, book, book.
Three more?
Book, book, book.
She goes and gets three more books for the chicken. This time she decides to follow it.
Out of the library, down the alley, then the street, gets on the bus, goes to the forest, then to a river and then a swamp. The Chicken lays the books out in front of a bull frog to look at. In reply the bull frog says
reddit, reddit, reddit.
Why is it contagious? Because it makes you feel better afterwards, no matter how bad you feel or how sick you may feel, it always makes you feel better about yourself and the world around. To explain more on what I'm talking about here are two articles to show what laughter does to your body.
The Health Benefits to Humor and Laughter
laughter is the "Best Medicine."
But they have done studies to show that laughter has a positive effect on our bodies. But hey, you don't have to take their word on the matter. Try it out on yourself and see what happens in the end. Tell a good joke or share a funny picture and you'll get you results. So I leave you now with some jokes to read. Pretty soon you'll have the laughing "bug" and will be spreading it all around.
Some funny jokes:
Why is it necessary to be quiet in church? (A kids Joke)
What do you call it when a vampire bites a teacher?
A blood test.
How do you catch a Squirrel?
You climb a tree and act like a nut.
A chicken walks into a library and walks up to a Librarian and says Book.
The librarian says you want a book?
Book.
The librarian goes and gets a book and gives it to the chicken.
An hour later, the chicken returns and says Book, book.
Two more books? replies the Librarian
Book, book.
So the librarian goes and gets two more books and gives them to the chicken.
An hour later the chicken returns and says Book, book, book.
Three more?
Book, book, book.
She goes and gets three more books for the chicken. This time she decides to follow it.
Out of the library, down the alley, then the street, gets on the bus, goes to the forest, then to a river and then a swamp. The Chicken lays the books out in front of a bull frog to look at. In reply the bull frog says
reddit, reddit, reddit.
Friday, April 20, 2012
The first short story of Dylan Knight...
I have made an announcement on Adventures of Dylan Knight page. I'm currently in the process of writing an in between short story of Dylan Knight and when it is done, I will be posting it on the page. so stay tuned for further news about the short story.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
A Wise Old Owl
I learned a saying when I was younger by a neighbor who used to babysit me when my mom was gone to work. He made me and his children memorise it and I can still say it today word for word. It has a meaning to it and it may mean something different to you from what it does to me. This is how the saying goes:
A wise old owl sat in an oak.
The more he saw, the less he spoke.
The less he spoke, the more he heard.
Why can't we all be like that old bird?
What this means to me, taught by the very same man who taught me the saying, who I might add is a devout christian, is that God gave us two eyes to see more, two ears to hear more and mouth to speak less. He gave us two eyes and two ears to see and mouth to speak less so we can see and hear the beauty of God's creations around us.
So what does this saying mean to you when you read it?
An after thought: This saying can also be applied to ones writing. A writer sits down and observes what he or she is writing about, right? Well when we observe the surrounding around us, we have to see and hear but not talk. So you might consider the Wise Old Owl saying to be used in how we write our poetry, short stories or novels and anything else we can dream up.
Happy writing everyone.
A wise old owl sat in an oak.
The more he saw, the less he spoke.
The less he spoke, the more he heard.
Why can't we all be like that old bird?
What this means to me, taught by the very same man who taught me the saying, who I might add is a devout christian, is that God gave us two eyes to see more, two ears to hear more and mouth to speak less. He gave us two eyes and two ears to see and mouth to speak less so we can see and hear the beauty of God's creations around us.
So what does this saying mean to you when you read it?
An after thought: This saying can also be applied to ones writing. A writer sits down and observes what he or she is writing about, right? Well when we observe the surrounding around us, we have to see and hear but not talk. So you might consider the Wise Old Owl saying to be used in how we write our poetry, short stories or novels and anything else we can dream up.
Happy writing everyone.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Kindles for kids
The deadline is tonight for Kindles for kids. It's for a good cause and should try to help out with all you can. It for the kids who are in the hospital and anything that you can do to help out will be very much appreaciated.
Click on the link below to find out more on how you can help.
Kindles for kids
Click on the link below to find out more on how you can help.
Kindles for kids
Why do people write YA books?
Just as the title says, why do people write young adult books? I was going to write about why I choose to write YA but then I got to thinking, there are others out there like me who writes YA. Why not ask other writers and authors the same question. So I did just that, I've asked them to answer the question in one to two paraghraphs why they write YA books. Here are their responses to my question:
Tricia Drammeh: The Claiming Words
Why Do I Write YA?
When I made the decision to write a novel, I naturally gravitated toward YA, and I think I did that for two reasons. The first reason, of course, is that I love reading young adult books. The second reason is because my children are able to read what I write. Books written for the adult age group would be off-limits to my younger children, but with my YA books, I don’t have to worry about my kids picking up my book and reading it. And, I don’t have to worry about traumatizing my parents or other family members who decide to check out what I’ve been doing with my time for the last two years.
I’ve always been fascinated by urban decay and on train journeys to and from work I’d pass docks,
warehouses, abandoned train stations and so on. They called out to me and provided me with the backdrop to my first YA novel: Land of Midnight Days. But why YA, why not adult? I’d always resisted people’s suggestions that I write for children, but my main protagonist in Midnight consistently came across as a lot younger than intended. However, the background to his story contains scenes too dark for very young children; so I compromised and decided to aim for young adults. It’s the best decision I ever made. I’ve finally found, what I believe, is my writing niche.
You can visit her website here:
http://kateannejack.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/the-land-of-midnight-days/
Michel Prince: Chrysalis
I think I'm stuck at age twenty...a little older than the normal YA character, but similar mentality. I like writing YA because that's a time in your life when everything is there for you. Much like people who write characters that have a lot of money so they have no limitations, I see the same thing with YA. You're in high school. You're not tied down with a job, house or responsibilities outside of going to school.
You still have stressors that can you change your life, but you also have the redemptive nature of youth.
Noelle J. Alabaster: Dark Origins
I enjoy writing YA because it's very widespread. There are a lot of ideas that can be used for a YA novel. I also want there to be books out there that are okay for teens to read--books that they can read without worrying if their parents will approve of the content
As for me, Dylan Knight: Rush Against Time
I write YA books because I'm still young at heart. I write them because in some ways, I still think like a young adult. When I was a kid there were very many books that were geared towards my age. Back then I had heard of the Hardy Boy Adventures but they were out of print, the ocal library never arried the series and the ones they did have were too old and very fagile because they had been read so many times before I was even born.
Now, I just write what I wanted to read when I was a kid and I must say it's very fun in doing so. You could call it a guilty pleasure.
To visit the offical website click on the link below:
Dylan Knight Series
As we have discovered there are many differnt reasons why people write YA books. Some writes action adventure, romance and even fantasy and all in between. But I do believe that we all the same reason in the end, we write YA books because it's fun to write.
Happy Writing Everyone.
Tricia Drammeh: The Claiming Words
Why Do I Write YA?
When I made the decision to write a novel, I naturally gravitated toward YA, and I think I did that for two reasons. The first reason, of course, is that I love reading young adult books. The second reason is because my children are able to read what I write. Books written for the adult age group would be off-limits to my younger children, but with my YA books, I don’t have to worry about my kids picking up my book and reading it. And, I don’t have to worry about traumatizing my parents or other family members who decide to check out what I’ve been doing with my time for the last two years.
I love writing for young adults because the style is straightforward, fast-paced, and fun. I think young adult books have the most widespread appeal; the writing is sophisticated enough to appeal to adults, but the subject matter (in most cases) is appropriate for a wide range of age groups. YA books range from teen romance to fantasy to adventure, so there’s something for everyone and the possibilities are unlimited. I can definitely say I’m proud to be a YA author.
Hope Welsh: Linked (Prophecy Book One)
I have recently started writing YA. As a former English teacher, I discovered that getting kids to read was difficult. As a student myself years ago, I loved to read, but most books just weren't geared toward kids my age.
It was all either middle-grade or younger. Now, a teen can find books that will appeal to them on many levels. I think overall, we are going to be improving the reading skills of our children.
I write it so because -- to be honest -- it's just fun to write.
Dave Crews: Slinker-Evasion & The Chemo Diaries
In all honesty, I'm not sure. I write stories that appeal to me first and foremost, and I believe this to be true of all authors. The fact that I myself am a 'YA' would obviously have some influence. But at the same time, I don't think that as I grow up I will write more grown up books. At heart, I will still enjoy writing for YAs, and I think all adults enjoy a good read of some book to fulfil their inner child.
Shaina Cilimberg: Perfect Forgiveness (Deep River High Series)
I write YA because I love teens and think they have a voice to be heard. I also want to bring them to or closer to God. They are fun to write for. I think they're adorable
K.A. Jack: Land of Midnight Days
Why I write YA fantasy?
When I first decided to write speculative fiction, I went down the “traditional” route. By that I mean
I tried my hand at heroic or high fantasy and failed abysmally. Trying to emulate such classic writers as Robin Hobb, David Gemmel and even Tolkein, got me nowhere. Then I was introduced to the works of urban fantasy writer Jim Butcher and my writing life changed forever. A blend of mythology, faerie, horror and dark fantasy, Butcher’s Harry Dresden series lit up my world.
Hope Welsh: Linked (Prophecy Book One)
I have recently started writing YA. As a former English teacher, I discovered that getting kids to read was difficult. As a student myself years ago, I loved to read, but most books just weren't geared toward kids my age.
It was all either middle-grade or younger. Now, a teen can find books that will appeal to them on many levels. I think overall, we are going to be improving the reading skills of our children.
I write it so because -- to be honest -- it's just fun to write.
Dave Crews: Slinker-Evasion & The Chemo Diaries
In all honesty, I'm not sure. I write stories that appeal to me first and foremost, and I believe this to be true of all authors. The fact that I myself am a 'YA' would obviously have some influence. But at the same time, I don't think that as I grow up I will write more grown up books. At heart, I will still enjoy writing for YAs, and I think all adults enjoy a good read of some book to fulfil their inner child.
Shaina Cilimberg: Perfect Forgiveness (Deep River High Series)
I write YA because I love teens and think they have a voice to be heard. I also want to bring them to or closer to God. They are fun to write for. I think they're adorable
K.A. Jack: Land of Midnight Days
Why I write YA fantasy?
When I first decided to write speculative fiction, I went down the “traditional” route. By that I mean
I tried my hand at heroic or high fantasy and failed abysmally. Trying to emulate such classic writers as Robin Hobb, David Gemmel and even Tolkein, got me nowhere. Then I was introduced to the works of urban fantasy writer Jim Butcher and my writing life changed forever. A blend of mythology, faerie, horror and dark fantasy, Butcher’s Harry Dresden series lit up my world.
I’ve always been fascinated by urban decay and on train journeys to and from work I’d pass docks,
warehouses, abandoned train stations and so on. They called out to me and provided me with the backdrop to my first YA novel: Land of Midnight Days. But why YA, why not adult? I’d always resisted people’s suggestions that I write for children, but my main protagonist in Midnight consistently came across as a lot younger than intended. However, the background to his story contains scenes too dark for very young children; so I compromised and decided to aim for young adults. It’s the best decision I ever made. I’ve finally found, what I believe, is my writing niche.
You can visit her website here:
http://kateannejack.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/the-land-of-midnight-days/
Michel Prince: Chrysalis
I think I'm stuck at age twenty...a little older than the normal YA character, but similar mentality. I like writing YA because that's a time in your life when everything is there for you. Much like people who write characters that have a lot of money so they have no limitations, I see the same thing with YA. You're in high school. You're not tied down with a job, house or responsibilities outside of going to school.
You still have stressors that can you change your life, but you also have the redemptive nature of youth.
Noelle J. Alabaster: Dark Origins
I enjoy writing YA because it's very widespread. There are a lot of ideas that can be used for a YA novel. I also want there to be books out there that are okay for teens to read--books that they can read without worrying if their parents will approve of the content
As for me, Dylan Knight: Rush Against Time
I write YA books because I'm still young at heart. I write them because in some ways, I still think like a young adult. When I was a kid there were very many books that were geared towards my age. Back then I had heard of the Hardy Boy Adventures but they were out of print, the ocal library never arried the series and the ones they did have were too old and very fagile because they had been read so many times before I was even born.
Now, I just write what I wanted to read when I was a kid and I must say it's very fun in doing so. You could call it a guilty pleasure.
To visit the offical website click on the link below:
Dylan Knight Series
As we have discovered there are many differnt reasons why people write YA books. Some writes action adventure, romance and even fantasy and all in between. But I do believe that we all the same reason in the end, we write YA books because it's fun to write.
Happy Writing Everyone.
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