Books!!!

I found this over at Whispers Of the Wind ( http://arries-whispersofthewind.blogspot.com ) and thought it looked like fun!

1. Favorite childhood book/s?

The Archives of Anthropos by John White.  Or else The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.

2. What are you reading right now?

Magic for Marigold, by L.M. Montgomery, and The Doula Book, by Klaus, Kennell, and Klaus.

3. What books do you have on request at the library?

Homebirth: The Essential Guide to giving Birth outside the Hospital, by Sheila Kitzinger.

4. What do you currently have checked out at the library?

Nothing currently…I own too many books I need to read while waiting for the one I have requested.

5. Do you have an e-reader?

No.

6. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?

Up to three, depending on what they are.  One non-fiction, one fiction, and maybe one history thrown in there.

7. Can you read on the bus?

I have never tried!  I can read in a car though.

8. Favorite place to read?

I have a comfy chair in my room…

9. Do you ever dog-ear books?

No!  Many of my books are very, very old, and if I tried to dog-ear them, the corner would break off.  I use bookmarks, or remember where I was.

10. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?

No.

11. What makes you love a book?

I must be able to identify with and respect the characters.  They must have hearts and souls, and yet act in a way that I can put myself in their place.  And usually there is some sort of redemption story, or noble sacrifice made by one to save others.

12. What will inspire you to recommend a book?

If I feel that not only did it hold my interest, but I took something away, gleaned something, am better for the reading of it.

13. Favorite genre?

History and Historical Fiction, as long as it’s not fiction trying to pretend it’s historical by taking modernized people and sticking them a few hundred years back.

14. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?

If a book just does not hold my interest, I will probably forget about it before I could tell someone not to read it.  Only if I take strong issue with a book, and am filled with indignation that someone would dare write such a thing, will I tell everyone I know not to read it.

15. Favorite Poet?

Longfellow…I know there are others but they escape my memory at the moment.

16. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?

One or two, although once I reserved a record 50.  My mom told me never to do so again. J

17. How often have you returned books to the library unread?

Rarely.  On occasion I will just flip through the book, but that is usually if it is an instruction manual, with lots of pictures.

18. Favorite fictional character?

Mary Barton.  Or Molly, from Wives and Daughters.  Or Helen, from the book of that name by Maria Edgeworth…Although I must say, Louisa May Alcott’s Rose Campbell and Polly from an Old Fashioned Girl are up there…With Sir Percy Blakeney (we are talking about books here) .  When I first started to read the Chronicles of Narnia, Susan was my favorite because she had dark hair that went down to her feet…but then when I got to The Last Battle and heard how she’d strayed, she plunged down in the ranks.

19. Favorite fictional villain?

Citoyen Chauvelin! Shagah and Hocoino, The Goblin Prince, and the Mystery of Abomination from the Archives of Anthropos!

20. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation?

Whatever I haven’t read in a while and can delude myself into thinking I’ll have time to read.

21. The longest I’ve gone without reading.

An actual physical book? I have no idea.  A few weeks maybe?

22. Name a book that you could/would not finish.

A Southern Woman of Letters.  It’s supposed to be a collection of letters written by Augusta Jane Evans Wilson, but I read only the introduction, in which they twist every known fact about her to try and make her sound as evil (or what they would consider good) as possible. I could no longer bear their commentary and haven’t picked it up since.

23. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?

Once I’m settled down and have read a bit, not much, unless I’m really tired or have something else I need to do that I keep thinking about.

24. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?

I don’t like it when they make movies of books.  They should come up with their own stories instead of stealing other peoples.  However, some of the older versions of the Jane Austen films are not too bad and stick to the books pretty well.

25. Most disappointing film adaptation?

The Sound of Music.  Read The Von Trapp Family Singers by Maria Von Trapp, and you will find that the only things they kept the same were her name, the genders of the children, and the fact that she ends up marrying the captian.

26. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?

Not being too interested in it and having other things keeping me busy, or righteous indignation at what is written therin.

27. Do you like to keep your books organized?

 I am a very organized person.  People laugh because I am not able to achieve anywhere near a level of organization most of the time, but my books are the one thing that is perfectly organized.  By Author, time it was written, series, and topic.  Each book has a specific spot.  It must be there or I am bothered by it.  I can always tell when someone has borrowed a book, and what it was.

28. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?

I collect books.  I couldn’t bear to give them away.  Even if I have duplicates.  I can hardly bear to buy someone a book, even if I got it specifically for them, because I am sorely tempted to keep it.

The Shadowlands

The closer a subject is to my heart, the harder time I seem to have writing coherently.

I have always read that a good author will draw from their own experiences.  I have started several stories in which things happen to the characters that have happened to me, but they never run smoothly and are difficult to write.

Even now I am having trouble.

I can always seem to make my point in a fictional story.  I may go to the extreme of making my points too well.  But when I write from my own experiences, with the thought of allowing someone else to read it someday, I can never seem to get the point across.

Perhaps it is a subconcious guard against vulnerability.

Anyway, this is a short sketch I wrote last October, early in the morning, watching the sun rise outside my hotel room window, in preparation for the funeral of someone who I loved very much.  It was dark in the room, but outside the sun shone in all its glory.  I could see the brilliant rays reflecting off the roofs of the buildings across the street.

Please comment and let me know what you think of it.  Is it coherent?  What did you understand from what was written?  I am not sure I quite understand the full meaning of what I was writing.  I had a vague idea of what I was trying to get at, but was having difficulty putting it in words.  However I seem to have managed to put several concepts down in trying to get at the vague one. 

Oh, and as I tend to do when something has affected me deeply, towards the end I rambled off into poetry.:)  Blank poetry, which is unusual, but there is certainly a difference between that and the previous prose.

The Shadowland

“What a bright day it is today,” Muriel said happily.  Two candles were lit in the dark rooms. 
“Yes, it is rather bright,” said her twin, Judy. 
   “It was kind of the landlord to send us two candles,” their mother commented.
The family and all their friends lived in a castle with no windows, where it was always dark.  The landlord sent them a candle every day, and occasionally two candles, to light the dark rooms. 
   Every few years, the landlord would come during the night and take one of them as they were sleeping out of the castle to the world outside.  He would leave a note to inform the others.  The loss of these was always mourned by those remaining within, but the landlord’s plan was to one day bring them all outside of the castle. 
   One morning Muriel rushed out of her room.  “Mother, Mother, come quickly,” she said.  “I can’t find Judy!”
   The mother followed Muriel back into her room.  Glancing at Judy’s empty bed, she asked, “Muriel…what is that on the bed?”
   Muriel went to it and picked it up.  “Oh, no Mother, it is a note!” She cried.
   “Then the Landlord has taken her away,” the Mother replied.
   Muriel and her Mother and the rest of the family wept for Judy for a long time.  But they could only see what went on in the Shadowlands.  They did not have the whole picture.  They wept for Judy having been borne away in the darkness.   BUT,

   Outside, in the sunshine, Judy stood with the Landlord gazing at the castle.  The tears were running down her cheeks.  “We never knew it was so bright outside,” she said.  “I wish we had known.  I wish everyone inside knew now.”
   “They do know, but it is hard for them to understand what the world really looks like. All they can understand is the great brightness of two candles in a dark room.  They cannot envision anything brighter.”
   “But they have the candles themselves!  Cannot they envision it being as bright as the candle itself?” Judy asked sadly.
   “They could…but they do not.”
   “We used to mourn for those who were borne away in the darkness.  How little did we know that we were the ones who walked in darkness!”  Judy mused.  Another tear slid down her cheek.  “Rather I should mourn for those who are still in darkness.”

Catching a vision of something so much brighter
The sun is bright yet there IS something brighter
We mourn for those who have gone on before
But perhaps they mourn for us who are still behind
And yet in and through it all the landlord…Our Landlord…has a purpose
brighter and better than anything we can here see.   We are confined by our dimension.
We can picture things less than what we have here but nothing more
Yet in glory we will see things as they really are
In catching a vision of something brighter…better…more…we catch a vision of heaven…and yet
 the vision will be far surpassed by the reality.



A New Song I'm Working On

Here are the lyrics to a new song I'm working on.

So many girls want to put their hope in men

To save them, to love them, as only God can

They worship an ideal of a prince they've created

Only God can fill the void and yet they're still saying

Where are you Darcy I've been waiting so long

And every night I pour out my heart to you in song

I'm a damsel in distress - or single - same thing

So hurry up and show your face and start the rescuing

They sit on their balcony dreaming all day

watching in the distance for a sparkling ray

falling on a rider on a white horse

And the the knight in shining armour doesn't show they say

Where are you Romeo I've been waiting so long

And every night I pour out my heart to you in song

I'm a damsel in distress - or single - same thing

So hurry up and show your face and end my suffering.

But they're worshipping an ido they've put in God's place

Man cannot save you, God only saves!

For some trust in chariots, horses, idealized men

But we must trust in the Lord our God and say

Here I am Lord, surrendering every care

And every night I pour out my heart to you in prayer

I am your child - how can I serve you

I am busy about your work - what else can I do?

Covenanter Song

I was cleaning out my desk and I came across this song I wrote in 2008.  I actually remembered the tune I wrote for it, and it was really lame.   It was basically the same thing over and over again for every line.  But I think the words, or the meaning, are not bad, and so I thought I'd post them.

Covenanter Song
'Twas a bright sunny morning as I walked through the glen
I was going to chapel and I'd go there again
There I met my lover: He'd loved
Me long before I ever loved Him
He'd wooed me, protected me an' died for me too
He gave His life to save mine and I never knew!
He rose from the dead; lives forever to save
I fell on my knees, wept, to Him my heart I gave
Every Sabbath I went to chapel to hear
Of the works that my Saviour had done o'er the years
But then England came an' tried to force us apart
I could not give up the love in my heart
Some of my friends were killed, they never gave in
I determined to be strong, like them, for Him
The took me me, bound me, ordered me break the 'trothal I had
They told me they'd kill me I was making them mad
I could not I would not break the betrothal
My lover gave His life for me I'd give my life for HIm!
After much pleading, persuasion in vain
They chose to take upon themselves the mark of Cain
They once again took me and bound me anew
Within a few moments my soul away flew
What they would have known, if they had paused
Is the blood of the martyrs is seed for His cause
Do not mourn my death but rejoice in my life
For those cowardly soldiers have ended my strife
Those who sought to destroy our understanding
Have rather instead hastened our wedding
'Twas a glorious death, I'm glad it was so
rather than dying peacefully tho'
He gave his life for love of me, I died for love of Him
And now may I in glory rise
And look into my lover's eyes
And remember with joy, unfaded then
Of meeting my lover in the church on the glen.

I hadn't realized I was such a romantic.  A great deal too much for my taste now, anyway.:)  And yet I think that there are some good concepts hidden within this.

Liberty Song

Come, join hand in hand, brave Americans all,
And rouse your bold hearts at fair Liberty's call,
No tyrannous acts shall suppress your just claim,
Or stain with dishonour America's name.

(Chorus)
In freedom we're born and in freedom we'll live,
Not as slaves but as freemen our money we'll give.

Our worthy forefathers - let's give them a cheer -
To climates unknown did courageously steer;
Thro' oceans to deserts for freedom they came,
And dying bequeathed us their freedom and fame.

(Chorus)

Their generous bosoms all dangers despised,
So highly so wisely their birthrights they prized,
We'll keep what they gave - we will piously keep,
Nor frustrate their toils on land or the deep.

(Chorus)

The tree their own hands had to liberty reared,
They lived to behold growing strong and revered,
With excitement they cried, "Now our wishes we gain,
For our children shall gather the fruits of our pain."

(Chorus)

Swarms of Placemen and Pensioners soon will appear,
Like locusts deforming the crops of the year,
Suns vainly will rise, showers vainly defend,
If we are to labor for what others will spend.

(Chorus)

Then join hand in hand brave Americans all,
By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall;
In so righteous a call, let us hope to suceed,
For heaven approves of each generous deed.

(Chorus)

All ages shall speak with amaze and applause,
Of the courage we'll show in support of our laws.
To die we can bear - but to slave we disdain -
For shame is to freemen more dreadful than pain.

(Chorus)

This poem I crown for our sovereign's health
And this to Britannia's glory and wealth;
That wealth and that glory immortal may be,
If she is but just and if we are but free!

...John Dickinson

I love this poem; my brother and I wrote music for it.  There are a lot of good concepts and principles within these lines - concepts that more of us need to grasp and take to heart.

Happy Resurrection Day!

Christ the Lord is risen today,

Sons of men and angels say;
Raise your joys and triumphs high,

Sings ye heavens and earth reply,

Sing ye heavens and earth reply.

Love's redeeming work is done,

fought the fight, the battle won.

Death in vain forbids him rise,

Christ has opened paradise,

Christ has opened paradise!

He lives!  He lives! Our Glorious King,

Where, O Death, is now thy Sting?

Dying once he all doth save,

Where thy victory, O grave? 

Where thy victory, O grave?

Soar we now where Christ has led,

following our exalted head.

Made like Him, like Him we rise,

Ours the cross, the grave, the skies,

Ours the cross, the grave, the skies!

Hail, the Lord of earth and heaven!

Praise to thee by both be given;

Thee we greet triumphant now;

Hail, the Resurrection Thou,

Hail, the Resurrection Thou!



Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!

Sons of men and angels say "Alleluia!"

In vain the stone, the watch, the seal,

Christ has burst the gates of hell,

Christ has burst the gates of hell!



Jesus Christ is risen today,

Our triumphant holy day,

Who did once upon the cross,

Suffer to redeem our loss.

Hymns of praise then let us sing,

Unto Christ our heavenly King,

Who endured the cross and grave,

Sinners to redeem and save.

But the pains which he endured,

Our salvation hath procured.

Now above the skies he's King,

Where the angels ever sing.

Sing we to our God above,

Praise eternal as his love.

Praise him, all ye heavenly host,

Father, Son and holy Ghost.

A Song in the Making...

Oftentimes when a certain concept has been really striking me or lying heavy on my mind for a while, I come to a point where I need to overflow and it's often onto paper.  I enjoy writing so this is a familiar way for me to free my mind.  If I'm in the middle of a story and I can work it in, I'll do so, perhaps causing some indignant words to flow from the mouths of my characters that seem incongruent with the story.  If, like now, I am trying to take a break from writing books to catch up on the myriad of other things that make up my life, these thoughts remain pent up in my mind a little longer...which almost always causes them to end up on paper with a rhyme, a rythym, and a bit of tune...
Could be called the lyrics to a song...

After a bit of perfecting I take my laptop to the piano and try and put my tune on the keys, which usually results in my recording to my laptop a new little bit of piano playing.
Which said recording has definite tune to it, but would be rather lame as an actual song if it were just piano and singing.
I personally am partial to the sound of electric guitar (especially bass) and drum sets.  Sadly (to me anyway)we don't own those instruments despite the fact that we have a whole collection of instruments including some (very) unusual ones. 
With a bit of drum added to the piano, perhaps a violin, and an acoustic or electric guitar, these songs wouldn't be all that bad.  But for now I am leaving them at the piano stage.

I thought I would post some of the lyrics to one of my more recent songs, called:

The world around us


feeds us worldviews

different than God’s word

And oftentimes we suck it in



They say “Someday your Prince will come”

But that’s not always true

They say no harm will be done

Make last first kiss sound so sweet



They call good bad and evil good

They make good look dark and scary

They put the bad in a field of flowers

With a sunset, water and sparkly lights



But it’s all

Fairytales




It doesn’t look as popular

nor as beautiful to you

Because you’ve been deceived

And accepted their worldview



They make the story however they want

Stealing gets applause and truthfulness a grunt

Rebellion is applauded while obedience decried,

In real life it doesn’t work that way it’s an outright lie


...
But they make the lies seem beautiful

and wickedness so cool

That we easily get drawn away

and allow the lies to rule
...

And their lies lead to destruction

their path leads down to death

so guard your heart, mind, soul, and eyes

with every waking breath



Cause it’s all fairytales
...


They capture your heart

and excite your poor mind

They capture your fancy and

make wiser eyes blind

They draw you away and

They poison your mind

They make you start looking

For things you can’t find

When you should seek God and

to live by His law for their

attractive lies are fairytales

and aren’t true at all


...
God’s word alone contains the truth

though the path is narrow and the way is hard

that path alone will lead to life

so follow it with all you are

Cause the world cannot give you truth

the best that they can give you is a dressed up lie

And it’s all Fairytales



This isn't the entire song but these are the best lines and will give you the general idea.  What do you think?

Don't forget to leave a comment with your e-mail to order your books while they are on sale!

Roses and a great post

First, the "poem" I mentioned, written years ago when I first read L.M. Montgomery's "Anne's House of Dreams."

Roses
Roses, Roses, a gift from above.
White Roses, white roses, forsaken love.
Pink Roses, pink roses, love expectant,
Red Roses, red roses, love triumphant.

I liked that each color had a meaning! 

While speaking of L. M. Montgomery,  I was reading The Story Girl and found a reference to a Henty book!  The children are going to go pick berries or something, but the oldest brother prefers to stay home and finish reading his new Henty!  I enjoy finding references like this in my books.

I only just read this, but there is a wonderful post on Romance and Literature that everyone should read!  It's on the Ballantyne the Brave blog.  Here is the link:

http://www.ballantynethebrave.com/blog/romance_in_literature_1/

And the best sentence (with the previous sentence for context) to get you started...

"Be careful, though, that you don't fill your mind with unrealistic ideas about who your spouse should be. Mr. Darcy is much too busy answering mail from his fan club to think about marrying you."

And by the way, how did Mr. Darcy get to be the poster child for every girl's ideal?

Dripping...

I've been going through my poetry notebook and found all sorts of "scribblings" some terrible and so copied and others not half bad.  I've decided to post some of these over the next few weeks.  Even though the quality of the poetry can sometimes barely be considered poetry still the concepts are rather uplifting, I think.  Actually I'm just looking forward to putting pictures that go with the theme!

Dripping
Dripping, dripping, dripping,
though it is not raining,

Everything is wet,
although it has not rained,
the sun is brightly shining,
yet it is quite cold,

With every little drip
happiness gushes up in our hearts.  Why?



Because the snow is melting,
Because Winter is over,

And every drip of melting snow
Brings the happiness of Spring!

The next poem will be about Roses.:)  By the way, these were all written over the years and some are much older than others, the ones with more sophisticated language are more recent.

Don't forget to order your copies of The Teacher and The Tiphereth Trilogy now while they are on sale!  There will rarely be a sale this good!

As I was straightening my bookshelves...

I came across a piece of looseleaf paper with this scribbled on it. I put it in my poetry folder but not before deciding I wanted to post it on here.  What do you think?

Envy! That disease which eats out woman's tender heart,
Making her desire what God to others doth impart,
Helping her forget all her blessings be they many or more,
Blinding her to venues of serving and opportunity's door,
Until at long last she's reduced to nothing but complaints and discontent,
Unless by God's grace she see her error, and repent.

Traveling across the country

The Tiphereth Trilogy has not yet arrived at the printer, but is taking a stop at a post office in Iowa, the home state of my previous book, The Teacher.  The excitement builds...I check the track and confirm website at least twice a day.  And then I post sentimental things like this on my blog.

Here are some pictures I took the other day.  I thought the trees looked really pretty.

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me

 to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me

to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim freedom to the captives

and release from darkness for the prisoners,

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor

and the day of vengeance of our God,

to comfort all who mourn,

and provide for those who grieve in Zion--

to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor."

Isaiah 61:1-3

This chapter is so beautiful, I love to read it.  It is the kind of Scripture passage I would like to paint a picture of, or write a story following the imagery.  I don't know quite how to explain it, but this chapter makes me want to go and demonstrate the beauty of it in some way.

I will keep posting on the printing process of The Tiphereth Trilogy!

Stronger for the Struggle

Although we know what we must do
We struggle hard the whole night through.
Although we know to do what's right,
We fight against the fact all night.
But in the morning, the right pulls through,
We are strong in the purpose true.
After the struggle comes the victory.
We are stronger for the struggle
We are firmer for the fight,
Although the way is hard
We're more determined for the right.
We know we have not been rash-
We've considered every way
And no matter what becomes of us
The right has won the day!
For all of us are just a part
Of God's amazing plan
Our death or life? It matter not
If we but firmly stand.
Victory is not always what it seems.
All we must do is what is right,
God will conquer the fiends of night
As long as we performed our part
Faithfully.
For God is calling faithful ones
To stand until their battle's won
God will take care of the war.
So rise up now and let us fight
Never compromise the right.
And if we stand, and fight, and fall,
Were better than to never have stood at all!
We'll be with our maker forever
And eternity!