Thursday, August 25, 2011

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.

10 comments:

Pathfinder said...

Glad you're back, my friend!

BTW, the last time I ran into marshmallows, I was making Rice Crispy Treats. It was an absolute failure. I threw one of them against concrete, and it BOUNCED like a ROCK. XD

Hannah Joy said...

He's BAAAACK! ;-)

Read any good books? Oh yeah I did. It's called Lord of the Rings second time. :-D Gotta love those books. :-)
Oh yes, and Dandelion Fire by N.D. Wilson (second in the 100 Cupboards book) is also really good, but I know you weren't a humongous fan of the first book, so I wouldn't know if you'd like number 2. So far it's a really good book.

My book has been going slowly now that school has started. *cries* But I'm working on it, slowly but surely. *Sigh* The problem is I keep getting new ideas for new books. It never fails to get me off track. :-P

Christopher said...

Welcome back. I never doubted that you wouldn't come back. After all, a wizard is never late, eh?
@Hannah Joy
I love the 100 Cupboards series. The first book isn't very good, but the last one is incredible. Any book called The Chestnut King has to be good. I am also currently engaged in his newest book, The Dragon's Tooth. It is gripping!

Hannah Joy said...

@Christopher
YOU ARE SO LUCKY!!! I've been wanting The Dragon's Tooth ever since I saw the trailer!! I hope to get it as soon as I have some money to splurge on books. Which could be soon...a short story of mine placed in a contest (I'll know where I placed tonight) and for prizes there are, glory of glories, Barnes and Nobles gift certificates! So, yeah, that's one of my top "I want this SO bad" books.

Anonymous said...

He lives! :-O haha I'm kidding. Good to hear your book kidnapped you, not anything else, like killer bunnies ;-)
Any good books? Oh, nothing much. Just Monster in the Hollows (Really, really good book, for the record. Wrote a review on it, put it on my blog... yeah.)
Gotta say, though, Gillian Adams is a really good writer :-D

Jake said...

@Pathfinder
Likewise glad!

Bouncing marshmallows...this is a new one. *instigates the marshmallow protection device*

@Hannah Joy
Lord of the Rings is epic. I did end up reading the rest of the 100 Cupboards series, and I really liked them, especially the last book. I only wish the series had started a bit better. :)

Dratted school. It never helps literary pursuits.

@Christopher
I am occasionally early, though. ;)

I actually placed a hold on the Dragon's Tooth today. Looks good, and the book trailer was fantastic.

@Samantha Wolfe
I do live! At least, I hope I do...

Psh, killer bunnies are nothing. Killer rabbits, now those are tricky...

Monster in the Hollows was fantastic; I managed to buy that one. Best Wingfeather book so far, in my opinion.

Hannah Joy said...

Booyah! Placed the order for The Dragon's Tooth...as well as some other books. I'm pretty excited for getting 3rd! :-)

Hannah Joy said...

Placing 3rd in the contest, I mean. :-)

Christopher said...

@Hannah Joy
Congratulations! I finished it yesterday. The ending is, well, epic.
@Jake
The book trailer doesn't even begin to touch on the huge scope that the book has. Its huge.

I am almost always late, occasionally early, but for some reason I never arrive precisely when I mean too. Its always late, or early...

Christopher said...

Hey Jake, I was wondering if you had ever read The Island of Dr. Moreau? If so, what is your opinion on it? If not, ignore this, but go ahead and read my blog post on it.

Has anybody else read it?