Tawnni's Bookshelf 3

Hey look!  I'm back!  And I've got books!  I've got more of my favorite books to share with you and hopefully help you find your next favorite.

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs- When cavalry man John Carter falls unconscious in a cave, he wakes up on Mars.  After being taken captive by the Tharks, a race of ten foot tall four armed green aliens, he vows to help his fellow prisoner, the lovely Dejah Thoris, escape and return to her home in the city of Helium.  Easier said than done.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie-  The Orient Express is stopped in its tracks because of a snow drift and within a matter of hours, a passenger is dead.  Hercule Poirot steps in to investigate.  A brief examination of the facts reveals that the snow drift made it impossible for anyone to leave and that the murderer is still on the train...

Murder in a Mummy Case by K. K. Beck-  When Clarence Brockhurst takes his girlfriend Iris up to his artifact room in the middle of the night, they find the dead body of a young woman in the sarcophagus of Clarence's mummy.  The police medical examiner concludes she died of a heart attack, Iris suspects otherwise.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne- The question everyone was asking was what was attacking and sinking ships.  Many suspect it to be a sea monster, but French naturalist M. Aronnax, his servant Conseil, and Canadian whaler Ned Land learn otherwise when they are thrown overboard during an attack and taken captive by the mysterious Captain Nemo.  Now the question is how can they possibly escape The Nautilus?

The Elusive Pimpernel by Baroness Emuska Orczy- After failing to capture the Scarlet Pimpernel, French agent Chauvelin formulates a plan to bring down his enemy.  Shortly after, at a dinner party at the Blakeney Manor, a visiting French actress offends one of Marguerite Blakeney's quests which sparks the arrangement of a duel between Chauvelin and Sir Percy Blakeney to take place in the French town of Boulogne.  Knowing it is a clever plan to catch him, Marguerite follows Percy to warn him and discovers a little too late that she is the plan.

Halloween Horror

October has arrived. Yes, October, the month of rain and colored leaves; a time when little children prepare costumes and count down the days until the night of sugary ecstasy, and the time of year I wander the aisles in my favorite little bookstore looking for anything that will scare me silly. After all, it wouldn't be October without true Halloween horror.

Dracula by Bram Stoker
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells
Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Find something good to read, but beware, the ghosts and ghouls may not just be in your head. Happy Halloween.

Welcome to the Inn

Hey everybody! Check out my new blog for my novel at welcometotheinn.blogspot.com

And That Light at the End of the Tunnel Gets Bigger

I think I just may have found someone to print my book. While on band tour in San Francisco (though I tell people I joined a gypsy caravan) I found out that the tour director owns a printing company. He said he could print some copies when I had it ready. From there it could be sent to publishers or he could print thousands of copies. I just need to here back from a couple beta readers and I'll make some final adjustments. And an update on the quest, I did finish Les Miserables in under a week. Five and a half days to be exact.

The Quest

It's good to challenge yourself every once in a while and try something outside of your usual reading selections. Which is how the Quest arose. I am trying to read Les Miserables in under a week. To give you a better idea of the caliber of this little literary quest of mine, let me tell you a little about this book. Firstly, it's by Victor Hugo and, while I love his writing, he has a tendency to go on and on and on (and on and on and on...) Secondly, this book is over 1,400 pages long. That's over twice the length of any other book in my collection. And I have to read it in six days or less. Am I crazy? Most likely, but if I wasn't I could never do this.

Some Random For Your Tuesday

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me." Oh yeah, well what if someone throws a dictionary at you? What about THAT?

You Can't Beat the Classics!

Goodness, it's been a while, hasn't it?

Well, the weather is warming and I can start reading outside again which means it's time to dig out some good books and when it comes to good books, you can't beat the greats. Tip to all, the most sure fire way to seem smarter is to read classic books. Remember, classic does not mean boring. Here are a few of my favorites.

Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie- Every element that composes the perfect fantasy land: Indians, mermaids, fairies and pirates. Pirates always make for a good story.

And speaking of pirates...

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson- Avast ye landlubbers! Buried treasure awaits any who dare sail the seas with Jim Hawkins, but watch out for scurvy pirates.

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne- An underground sea, creatures that we never knew existed, a strange world, what really is below our feet?

Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs- Lions, panthers, and apes, oh my! Tarzan's jungle world is filled with danger and intrigue. Including a certain someone named Jane.

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Eummuska Orczy- I can't talk this book up enough. Romance, adventure, blackmail. It's enough to keep any one's heart racing.

Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss- A struggle for survival becomes an island paradise. At least until the pirates invade.

And if you're up for it...

The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo- A hunchback touched by kindness, a gypsy trying to escape an evil plot, a priest with a plan, and a poor penniless poet caught in the middle.

There are far more classic beyond this. I have failed to include Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Alexandre Dumas, or Wilkie Collins. That doesn't mean I don't love them too. So go read some classics. They'll improve your IQ level and save you 15% on your car insurance. Well, maybe not that last one.

Inspiration in Every Aspect

Coming up with ideas is hard sometimes. There's nothing worse that sitting down to write and having a total brain fart. Well guess what? There's a little secret about ideas. There are no ideas, only combining old ones to make something new. So where do ideas come from? The answer: Everywhere.

My creative writing teacher said that when we wrote he wanted us to be pirates. He wanted us to plunder and steal ideas from everywhere. Ideas come from everywhere; from what we see, what we do, what we say. You may not notice this, but there are hundreds of ideas just outside your window ripe for harvest. Here are a couple ways to reap the bounty.

1. Be observant. Notice things.

2. Ask questions. Wonder about everything.

3. Ask "what if."

4. Read.

5. Write ideas down for later use.

6. Look at things in a different way.

Follow these simple steps and you can become an idea farmer in no time at all. Go on, have fun, go write. Create something awesome. Write on!

Port of Pirates

It's been a while since I've posted some of my writing. So let's get caught up. Who here likes pirates? This is the first couple paragraphs of a new short story of my called "Port of Pirates."

Port Simeon was know to most of the world as the port of pirates. The weak law enforcement was long gone and the town was full of buccaneers, cutthroats, and scalawags. Despite the obvious danger, my longing for the rush of adrenaline pulsing through me veins got the better of me and I had to see the lawless town for myself.

I could only find one boatman who would ferry me out to Port Simeon. His name was Blue Bill. No last name was given. I met him on the docks in the swamps of Louisiana. He bowed low and gestured me into his rickety old swamp boat. I checked to make sure I still had my pistol, dagger, and sword; the usual things one takes when among pirates. Bill stepped into the boat behind me and pushed off from the dock. A parrot sat on a branch of a nearby tree. As we passed, it eyed us and squawked "dead men tell no tales." I don't believe in omens and I don't think this was the best time to start.

The swamp was riddled with shacks made from what looked like odds and ends of other houses. Dinghies were tied to porch posts, laden with fishing nets and bottles of cordial. We passed a withered old man rocking back and forth in a creaky old rocking chair. I don't know which made more noise, the creaky wood of the chair or the creaky joints of the old man. He stopped plucking the banjo sitting on his knee to warn us of our path. I thanked him for his concern and urged Blue Bill on.

We entered the black gaping mouth of a cave. I felt like was was venturing into the belly of the proverbial beast. Darkness closed its grasp on us as we journeyed further into the cave. Bill lit a lamp and the darkness subsided. Well, to a degree.

A throat cleared behind me. I looked to see it was Blue Bill. He opened his mouth and spoke to me for the first time and most likely the only time.

"So ye be lookin' for salty ol' pirates, eh?" His voice was slow and calm. "Well ye've come to the right place."

It's not much, I apologize, but it's just a start. If you want to hear the rest, just say so and I'll post it.

Books for all Genres

Reading is like a buffet. There are lots of different things to choose from. And while it's okay to like one thing more than others, a buffet is most fun when you try a little of everything. It's never a good thing to restrict yourself to reading just one genre. You could miss out on a lot of really good books. Try some of every genre and you may find that there is something you like you thought you wouldn't. Luckily for picky readers, there's something for every literary pallet.

For fantasy fanatics...
If you love fantasy novels as much as I do, you need to get some Terry Brooks books today. He's most famous for his Shanara series, but my favorite of his books is the Magic Kingdom of Landover series. There are currently six books and there may or may not be more; it's an older series. The books are about a lawyer who becomes the high lord of the magic kingdom of Landover when he buys it from a department store Christmas catalog. If you are more partial to epic fantasy then by all means check out the Shanara books as well as The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

For high adventurers...
Nothing beats the adventurous imagination of Jules Verne. I highly recommend Journey to the Center of the Earth. Not to prone to older books? No problem! Dive into the spying world of the Alex Rider series, the chronicles of a teen spy. Or maybe enjoy the swashbuckling tale of the Treasure of Savage Island. Pirates, runaway slaves, and buried treasure make for a good read.

For historical fiction buffs...
I cannot express my love of "The Scarlet Pimpernel" enough, as well as my love of the sequel "El Dorado." If you've never read them, look into it right away. While you're at it, check out "The Three Musketeers." No book ever goes out of style. Alexandre Dumas is a master of historical fiction an his books are well worth the read.

For mystery maniacs...
Why it's elementary! The greatest mysteries ever solved are those of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famed Sherlock Holmes. The best of which being "The Hound of the Baskervilles." I also would recommend the Mary Russel mysteries by Laurie R. King. They're the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and his apprentice, the young, intelligent, and witty Mary Russel. The series currently consists of ten books. Can you solve the mystery first?

For romance lovers...
Oh goodness. I haven't had much experience with romance novels; I'm usually not attracted to them, but there is one that holds a dear place in my heart. I combines romance with one of my favorite things: pirates. "To Catch a Pirate" by Jade Parker is the tale of young woman set out to reclaim the gold stolen from her father's ship and save him from the gallows, but her plan may be in jeopardy when she finds herself falling for the young pirate captive meant to lead them to the treasure. Yet another timeless romance is "The Princess Bride." There's nothing like sword fighting, poisoned wine, giants, and snobbish princes to create the perfect bedtime romance.

Time to whet that appetite. Head out to a local library or bookstore and pick up your four course dinner today.

Goals and Resolutions for 2011

The first of the above being to blog more. Sorry about the long wait.

2010 was a good year. I did a lot (and boy do I mean a lot) of editing on my novel, I survived another year of high school, I got into the school's literary magazine Pegasus, I scored a job at the Hogle Zoo, became Employee of the Month, went to a teen writer's conference, hung out with authors, went to book signings, got Karen E. Hoover (author of The Sapphire Flute) to critique the first three chapters of my novel, and rode Space Mountain four times. Very good year indeed.

As for this year, in my attempt to make it as enjoyable and successful as possible, I hope that by the end of it there will be nice shiny copies of "Castaway Inn" on the shelves of bookstores everywhere. One can hope; we'll see how that goes. That's the goal for this year. And get a 4.0 GPA. That too.

Resolutions? Blog more. Don't procrastinate. Practice my drums more. Um... is that it? Is that really it? Ah, well. I'll stick to these for now. Now I know I'm not the only one with resolutions and goals for the new year. What do you hope to accomplish?

Writer's Block Survival

It's any writer's worst nightmare and whoever says they've never had it is lying. It's writer's block; that wall of non-inspiration, the chasm of blank thoughts, and when you're trying to write a first draft of stories, novel, or any type of writing, every writer dreads hitting the block. But fear not my faithful reader, there is a way to defeat the dreaded writer's block.

Firstly, the best way to prevent it is to prepare. Have an idea of what you want to happen before you pick up a pencil (or pen or keyboard, whichever you prefer). This will make the writing process go much smoother and writer's block is less likely to occur as you already now what is going to happen.

If writer's block still occurs, take a moment to pause. Think about where you are in your writing and think "what if." Using the "what if" method gets your creative mind thinking about different story plots and opens up possibilities. You then have several answers for "what happens next."

If the "what if" method fails and you still are starved of inspiration, take a deep, deep, breath. Stop whatever you are doing. Turn off the music, the TV, or whatever else is going on, lean back and just relax for a minute in the silence. Clear your mind. If you really need to, walk away from it for a minute and let your mind focus on something else. That usually allows inspiration to flow more freely.

If writer's block still persists, watch a movie and try again in the morning.

Don't Take It Personally

I learned an important lesson on writing last week. If someone or some people don't like what you write, don't take it personally. About 99.95% of the time, the reason they might not like your writing is simply preference, not the level of writing skill. Different people like different things; just because a couple people don't like doesn't mean others won't either.

For example: at the last meeting of my school's writing club (Writer's Guild) a friend of mine and I decided we wanted to have a poem war. We both submitted a poem, anonymously to ensure an unbiased vote, and had them read to the group. Then they voted. My friend's poem won 4 to 1. We talked about it today a little and she said that she was surprised she won because she thought mine was so much better, yet I thought she did better. We're both equally good writers, a vote doesn't make one better than the other.

Yeah, so I lost. Who cares? It's all about preference, not skill. Even if you fidn people that don't like your writing, there's always that one that does.

Unfortunately, that last 0.05% is skill, but keep practicing and that percentage will vanish.

The Origianl Who-Dun-It

I can pretty much guarantee that most of you have never heard of Wilkie Collin's "The Moonstone" before. That's okay. I hadn't until I saw it on a table in a bookstore. What sets this book apart from others is that this is the original who-dun-it. Literally.

"The Moonstone" was first published in 1868, making it the first mystery to be written in the English language as well as the model for mystery novels that were to follow. Think of your cliche mystery novel scenarios: someone is murdered, someone is missing, something valuable has been stolen. Yep, it's all here.

"The Moonstone" is the story of a legendary Indian diamond called The Moonstone. The night it is given to a colonel's niece for her birthday, it mysteriously disappears from the drawer she kept it in, the only clue being a smear in the fresh paint on the walls of her bedroom. In one novel there is theft, murder, romance, and death by quicksand. There isn't anything like this anywhere else.

I have read a lot of mystery books and none of them have been quite like "The Moonstone." Arthur Conan Doyle's "Sherlock Holmes" is one of the most famous mystery novel series, but even the cases of the ingenious sleuth do not seem quite as suspenseful as the case of the missing Moonstone.

So who stole the diamond? Read for yourself. I'm not telling.

Not Just Summer Reading

I can guarantee you that anytime between June and mid September you can go into any Barnes&Noble or Borders and there will be a table piled high with different books with a sign that says "Summer Reading". Okay. No problem there, but what about the other three seasons? Do people just suddenly stop reading as soon as the weather turns cold and not pick up a book until summer starts again? I thought not.

While summer is a great time for reading, it's not the only great time. Autumn is cool and rainy. Rainy days are fantastic reading days. When winter comes around, it brings perfect reading weather with it. On a cold December day there's nothing I like more than curling up with a blanket, a cup of apple cider, a dog, and a good book. The dog is optional.

Autumn has just arrived. The weather is already turning cold. The rain has started to come. Time to find a cozy chair, a warm blanket, and that book you've been wanting to read for a while.

Love Your Editors and Betas

I can honestly say from experience that writing a novel is easiest the first time. It's mainly just laying out ideas- somewhat organized- on paper. It's most painful the second time. When faced with the mind-twisting pain of editing and rewriting, editors and beta readers are some heavy duty aspirin.

Before you start saying that no one has the right to mess with your writing, just let me give my sermon. Editors and betas provide that much needed "outside voice" that provides an opinion of your writing other than what you think of it. They suggest what may need to be changed, adjusted, or just plain deleted.

No protesting, I'm not done yet.

They also spot grammatical errors and if you hate having to worry about grammar as much as I do, this is a blessing. No one's grammar is perfect and no one knows how to spell every single word in the English language. When an author reads their own writing again, if they don't read carefully they can easily miss misspelled words since their brains know what it is supposed to be and will read it as that.

And then there's the all important "eye-opener" factor. What we may see as perfection can be far from it. Before you start prepping the army for retaliation, think about what they say. The best editor is the one that will not tell you what you want to hear, but what you need to hear. This is the reason I'm so thankful for Mary, who upon reading the first chapter of my novel told me that while I had a good hook to keep readers for the next chapter, the start of the chapter was boring and made my character seem boring too. I looked back over my first chapter and rewrote most of it. I'm glad I did. The next time Mary read it she said that it was much better and she found my character much more interesting. Your characters are always interesting, it's just how you write them. Remember, criticism is a ladder disguised as an anchor.

So remember, show some love to your editors and beta readers. They don't want to see you fail, that's why they can be harsh, but being harsh means they care. The next time someone tells you something needs improvement, don't just ignore it. Their suggestion may be the factor that gets you published.

Lisa Mangum and the Hourglass Door Trilogy

Hello again! Sorry I haven't posted lately, but school started and things got hectic again. Not to worry, I still have room in my high school life for books, writing, writing books, and meeting authors. Which brings us to the main story...

Saturday the 11th, Lisa Mangum, author of The Hourglass Door and The Golden Spiral, was at Barnes and Noble at Sugar House for a book signing. The signing didn't start until three, but me being the hyper, super-prepared, book lover that I am was there an hour in advance-- that's right, you heard me-- wandering around until she arrived. Lisa was one of the authors that attended my teen writer's conference at the beginnng of the summer. I spent some time talking to her then and I was excited to get to see her again. The coolest part was that she actually remembered me. (She remembered me! Me!!) She asked how my writing was coming and told me about an upcoming writer and reader seminar at UVU.
If you've never read The Hourglass Door or The Golden Spiral before, you should really look into it. They're fantastic books. The third in the trilogy, The Forgotten Locket, will come out next summer.

Guess That Character 2.0

I was inspired by the post Mary did a couple days ago about reading the blurb about a character with no physical description and then guessing what they looked like so I decided to try it with one of my own characters. I chose to do Philippe because I haven't talked about him too much and it'll be harder to guess what he looks like. (whereas with Del I've given a full description on an earlier post) Give it you best shot. (by the way, this little segment isn't part of my book.)

Philippe turned a page of his book, yawning into his hand. He glanced at the dying fire, which was simmering in slowly fading embers. He closed the volume in his lap and set in on the side table. He stretched his legs, curling and uncurling his stiff toes. The calm was broken by a nasally snore. He turned. Del was asleep in her hammock. He smiled, stood, and picked up his candlestick. Journeying passed Del to the stairs, he slowly made his way up to the second floor. He gently pushed open the first door he came to. Sophia was curled up under the covers, her breath blowing a tress of hair back and forth. He smiled and shut the door again.
Downstairs, he opened the front door and stood watching the new snow drift down from the black sky. He shivered once and shut the door. Blowing out the candle with a soft breath, he reached for the cold doorknob of his private quarters. He turned to the quiet inn.
"Good night girls," he whispered. "Sweet dreams."
He closed the door and slumber settled in.

So? What does Philippe look like? Guess as much as you can or want to. Extra credit for guessing his age. Good luck everyone!

The Calming Effects of Short Stories

You know, now that I'm done writing my novel, I've noticed something. I'm bored. My mind is lacking that wonderful exhilaration I get when I write and now that its dulled, the insanity is starting to bubble up again. And its not the good kind of crazy either. I've been trying to find ways to bring the sensation back, but my little sister's chocolate chip cookies and "Home Improvement" reruns aren't helping. They're still nice though.
You know what does help? The only cure for lack-of-writing syndrome is more writing. But what do you do if you need to write, but don't want to spend all the time and effort required for a novel? Just need a daily fix of writer high? I have two words for you my friend. Short stories.
Short Story writing is becoming a lost art. All writers nowadays seem preoccupied with full fledged novels that they forget the joy and calming effects of just sitting down and writing a short story in an afternoon. It's great for that between books feeling too. It allows a writer to extend the adventures of their characters without the need of a 300 page novel. I've found my own characters, Sophia, Del, and Philippe, live on in short stories like "The Orphanage Trick" and "Del's Somewhat Brilliant Plan." I can also explore the world of Queen Angeline and her shape shifting servant Taiga in "Catacombs Under the Castle" or spend an evening in The Loft with Tara and her friends in "Bohemian Alley."
Writing short stories is the perfect cure for whatever ails writers. It relaxes the mind and calms the body, leaving you ready to take on whatever life throws at you. And you don't even need a prescription. Let's see a doctor do that.

Book Selling Evolution

I've been noticing something. The 21st century is catching up to the noble art of book selling. It's no longer necessary to go to a bookstore and stroll through isles of shelves looking for books. Now all that is required to buy a book is to go online and scroll through Internet pages with images of the covers and summaries, sometimes even using a search feature to find a book instantly. You don't even need a book to read a book anymore. eBooks are becoming more and more common, but they're not actual books. They're screens with pixels.

Book selling is changing rapidly. The way of computers and electronics may seem all fine and dandy, but it's not the same as traditional book selling. When shopping for books online, it's just not the same as pushing my way through the door of my favorite little bookshop, being greeted by the smell of paper, smiling and waving to the clerk (who knows my face from all the times I've been in there) browsing through the piles of books for what I intentionally came in for and maybe even finding something I wasn't looking for. You can't do that online. Online you can't take a book in your hands, feeling the pages with you fingertips, and flip through letting your eyes lap at stray words. eBooks are not different. With an eBook, you can't feel the warm spine against your hands as you open it, you can't feel the breeze of fluttering pages. They take away the pleasure of a book; of opening a book to find that it smells just like the Brooklyn bookshop described in the story. eBooks just don't have the same life as actual books, the same soul. You may not have known this, but all books smell different. Old books smell different than new books, hardbacks smell different than paperbacks, books about pirates smell different than books about dragons. eBooks... last time I checked technology didn't smell so good.

How many of you just sniffed some part of your computer?

See? I told you.

Books are books, computers are computers. Please leave the two worlds separate.