Guess Who?

I'm back!

(Warning: I WILL ramble.  I'll be a little random.  I'll be incomprehensible at some points.  Hang on.)

And no "Guess Who?" is not Doctor Who. ;)  He's going to be back in...two days.

I had to slide a Who reference in there.  Sorry.  It's an urge that I cannot resist; but don't worry, no more Doctor Who...for the moment.

I'm back, and it's been far too long, blog friends.  I've had no one off which to bounce my latest literary jokes; no one to bother with my writing musings; no one to write to while blasting soundtrack in my ears.  And it's no wonder my mom says I'm deaf...

Anyway, so, what's been happening for all of you bored blog readers?  Doing well, I hope?  Read any good books?

And I find it interesting that my blog followers increased while I was gone.  Do I take that as an insult or a compliment?  Maybe my silence is indeed more interesting than my gab. ;)

But when I saw all of those comments (including Dad's, who has been nagging—reminding—off-screen a well as on-screen), I thought to myself, "....Tomorrow."

Tomorrow turned to the day after, and the day after, and I read a great book (review coming); unfortunately, my blog stayed still.

So here I am, back at last, and I'm not wearing black, either.  (Okay, time to revise THAT one...ouch.  That was terrible.)

Now, as for my life...it's been busy.  Very busy.  A LOT has happened since I last blog.  Not the least of it is that I was kidnapped by my novel—yes, the rumors were true!  It held me up at plotpoint and...wait, have I used that before?  I can never keep track of which jokes and play-on-words I used where...

*ahem*

Also, I'd like to bring to your attention a blogger whom I have followed for some time: Gillian Adams.  I've been haunting her blog for over a year now, and her writing is fantastic, and she has a passion for Christ and His word.  She, having submitted her novel, recently received word that a publisher had accepted her novel/novella for publication!  Young aspiring Christian writers are making a mark out there, readers, so don't lose hope and keep on writing!  Click on the above link to hear more about this fantastic news. :)

Speaking of writing....The War Horn is now fully revised and rewritten in spots; it's certainly my best novel so far, in general writing quality.  On the fifteenth of August, 2011, I submitted it to my first real-deal-with-real-prizes contest, open to those who have used the OYAN curriculum.

A little background on what's happening with the War Horn:

I view the War Horn as an experiment.  It's my first (and I think last; it was agonizing to write) historical novel, though it almost falls under the legend-history category of novels. This is also my first completed novel where I have no explicit Christian messages; few characters mention God (excepting monks and a few scattered phrases), and there was no "redemption" theme to try and share the Christian message in a different manner.  Instead, I embedded the truths and themes of Christ into the characters and the plot: freedom and the self-destroying aspect of bitterness are two recurring themes among many smaller ones.

It'll be fantastic to see how God can use it in ways my other novels cannot be used.  And I really hope it does well in the contest. ;)

So, I'll have more posts to come, but that's about it for now.  I have a few rattling around my head, waiting to be written, and a review is on the way too; so stay tuned, and bother me lots about it!

And watch out for marshmallows; they're rather vicious.