Jul 29, 2012

Sunday Ponderings


In honor of the Olympics I will post several thoughts over the next couple of weeks. Thoughts by amazing people who have set goals and surpassed them and brought nations together through the process.


When anyone tells me I can't do anything, I'm just not listening any more.

Florence Griffith Joyner (American athlete, 1988 Summer Olympics)

Jul 28, 2012

Goal 2 Achieved!!!



As promised for reaching my 2nd goal this month I am inserting a fan's name into I Dream... I sorted through the messages and chose one from South Carolina... Congratulations Eden M. So everyone keep your eyes out for the name Eden once I Dream... makes its debut.

Inspiration!

Why you wanna... make me keep wanting you?

Jul 26, 2012

Jul 24, 2012

Inspiration!

As my husband sat down for our quiet time after dinner he looked over at me and said, "I sent you some inspiration today."
I almost scratched my head in confusion. I had no idea what he was referring to.
He looked hopefully at me and clarified, "You know how you are inspired by music and pictures... for your books. I sent you a castle."
My heart cracked a little and I fell even more in love with him at that moment. I have no idea where to use this castle, but... now I must.
Any suggestions?

Inspiration!

A true, lasting love will stay if you become friends first...

Jul 23, 2012

Inspiration!

I read a quote yesterday that said, "Everything will be okay in the end... If it's not okay, then it's not the end." Whether I like it or not, there is a lot of turmoil that has to happen before the end can come... but everything will be okay in the end.

Jul 22, 2012

Inspiration!


I am at a point in the book that is hard for me... the storm before the calm.

Sunday Ponderings


“We humans are conflicted beings. Our beliefs don't always harmonize with our instincts, and our behavior doesn't always reflect our beliefs. ... We wage war between the person we are and the person we hope to become.”
Brandon Mull

Jul 20, 2012

Jul 19, 2012

Inspiration!

Jack is dealing with prejudice for the first time in his existence, and now he has to decide how many times will get up...

Jul 17, 2012

1st Goal Achieved!!!

I have reached my first goal tonight and am more than happy to share a small picture of I Dream... with all of you.
Thank you all for your support this month. Keep it coming, and you all will reap the benefits.

Hand to Hand Combat.
Jack smiled and flexed his inner powers like they were muscles rippling down his arms. Now this was a class that he would enjoy.
Jack stood with his mentors in the middle of the wide expanse of nothing but sand... waiting eagerly. Liam smiled at him and stepped forward, "I'll teach him all he needs to know."
Yamin crossed his arms over his chest and snorted, "No... Gemma, you're up."
A petite girl with smiling eyes and a mop of bright red hair skipped forward and shoved Liam back into place before turning to Jack and rubbing her hands together, "Oh, it's on!" Jack looked incredulous. He couldn't hit a girl! She looked more like a porcelain doll than an action figure.
Thwump!
Jack flew through the air and landed on his back. He groaned, rubbing his chest and wheezed out, "What the?"
Gemma's face appeared just above him, "Giving up already?" She offered him a hand to help him up, and he felt her strength flowing through his arm. "I can't hurt you, right? I mean..."
She raised an eyebrow and said plainly, "Jack, you need to get past what I look like. Imagine I'm the enemy... a fairy with enough power in this little hand," Gemma brushed an imaginary piece of dust off of her shoulder with her delicate fingers, "to snap each bone in your body." Gemma leaned in a little closer and put one finger in the direct center of his chest, "If you don't kill me, I will kill you."
Jack felt a shock of electricity emanate from her finger and radiate to the very tips of his toes. His mind flashed back to the small cottage in the field, and the... He tried, and failed, to swallow down the mass of fear literally clawing its way up his throat.
His heart rate picked up, and before his eyes Gemma morphed into the fairy that had attacked him just months before. Jack could see it all again. Kira. She was so frightened and silent as that thing reached out his filthy hands to grab her. Something inside Jack snapped. He flew through the air and tackled the fairy at his waist. Their bodies rolled end over end; a whirl of color in the pure white sand.
The fairy pulled out of the roll first and landed on his toes… ready.
Jack came to a sudden stop in a crouch... eyeing his enemy. Taking two steps his foe flew into the air. Jack launched himself and rolled his body around. He thrust out one leg and connected with the fairy’s chest.
The fairy grunted and grabbed Jack’s ankle… twisting it fiercely. Jack's body rolled wildly before being thrust to the ground.
Jack flipped in the air and landed on his knees.
"Enough!" Yamin's voice cut through the air.
The fairy rolled his wide shoulders and took one intimidating step forward, looking suddenly like a mirage… there, but not. The mirage shook and Gemma stepped out of the rolling air with a smile lighting up her face. She shook her spritely hair with one hand and said, “Not too shabby for a..,” Her eyes held his with surprised respect as she looked down at him. She half-whispered the last word with a bit of wonder, “human.”

Progress thoughts...


I feel like writing a book is akin to dating someone new. You are attracted to the idea and then get to learn piece by piece about each other. Each chapter is a new date and by the end of the book you can't imagine your life without one another.

Inspiration!

I think we all get those shy insecurities when love sets in.

Jul 16, 2012

It only takes one...

I am a through and through fan of YA fiction. It pulls me in and makes my imagination come alive... Well, I guess I am not alone in this since studios have been grabbing up promising books to turn into the next box-office hits.
The top book on the list, Tiger's Curse, was actually optioned by a studio before the author, Colleen Houck even had an agent for her book. One of her fans of her self-published book badgered a relative to check it out. That relative happened to work in the movie industry, and now Tiger's Curse is destined for the big screen.

Click HERE to read more.

I Stand...

Book three will be the final book in the Jinn Series. (I am playing with the title of I Stand...) I saw this clip on youtube and it conveyed the feel of what I want for I Stand... Alex Boye' says it perfectly when he talks about this song not being just for one group or another, but putting an umbrella over the the entire world and all of its inhabitants.

A good thing to remember...


Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way. E. L. Doctorow

Inspiration!

Kira and Jack are at cross purposes today... too lost in their own realities to see the big picture.

Jul 15, 2012

Sunday Ponderings

My family stopped along the Oregon / Mormon trail in Wyoming this week. The stories of all of the struggles of the pioneers struck deeply. Above all else, they kept their faith... which inspired today's quote.

In a word I was a pioneer, and therefore had to blaze my own trail.
Major Taylor

Jul 14, 2012

Inspiration!



I wanted to share this song for several reasons....
First: I just got back from a week long vacation where we spent many hours on the road and I had this song humming through my mind each time I climbed back into the car.
Second: I love the twist on an old classic. It is still a classic, but tweaked to give the new generation a reason to love it... much like I Wish...
Third: I am several thousand words into my first goal for I Dream... and need to get back into the proverbial saddle again.

Jul 8, 2012

Sunday Ponderings

Come hell or high water you will never take me back to the place I was before. I have been through too much to let life whoop me again. My faith is stronger than it's ever been, my mind is more tenacious than it's ever been, my soul is more absolute.
TD Jakes

Jul 5, 2012

Inspiration!

Have you ever been around someone that flipped you upside down so much that it made your heart stutter?

Jul 4, 2012

God Bless The USA!

Nothing strikes closer to my heart than people gathering to celebrate the heroes that have fought to for our country. Although John Adams was a couple of days off, he said it best:
The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.
----John Adams (to his wife Abigail)

Inspiration!

Jack really is struggling with being the weak one in the relationship. He would love to be Kira's hero, but it seems like she may be his instead.

Jul 3, 2012

The Pursuit of Happiness

One of the fundamental rights that each American has is the right to pursue happiness. This movie ranks among my top 10 movies because it teaches me over and over that I should never feel held back by someone telling me I can't accomplish what I set my heart and mind to. If I want something, I need to go and get it. Period.

Inspiration!

This song says it all.

Jul 2, 2012

And The Winners Are!!!

Lots of participation this month with multiple entries by several participants.

So, now we get to announce the prize winner:

4th and 5th Place winners receive copies of I Wish...
Kristy L. of Tucson, AZ
Kim M. of Meridian, ID

2nd and 3rd Place winners receive a Jack T-Shirt
Marni C. of Beaverton, OR
Natalie T. of Sacramento, CA

And the 1st Place winner receives a $20 Amazon Gift Card
Chris W. of Boulder, CO

Thank you everyone for your support!!! It has been a fun month for I Wish... and I hope that you will all participate in the next Challenge we have.

Independence!

When I think about Independence Day I think about our freedoms. The freedoms we, as Americans, often take for granted.
The movie Shawshank Redemption strikes me deeply when we talk about freedoms. A man wrongly accused, serving in a corrupt prison, with all of his basic rights forfeited... and yet he spends his life trying to give freedoms back to others. This moment in the movie reminds me to appreciate some of the simple freedoms we have.

Inspiration!

We're just fumbling through the grey.

Inspiration!

Will he get over her?

Jul 1, 2012

July Challenge!... for myself

I know that running with a pencil is a big no-no... but I am really behind with I Dream... Don't get me wrong. I have been plugging away at it, but between kids and moving, work and making sure that we all are wearing moderately clean clothes I have fallen behind. Soooo... I am planning on focusing during this month (since most of my kids will be off at camps and such)on completing the first full draft of I Dream... This is a big endeavor, but I figure that if I pick up my proverbial pencil and run with it, I could just make it.
For me, this means setting goals. For you, this means you get sneak peeks at I Dream...
Goal One- If I add a minimum of 10,000 words... you get a new scene revealed to you.
Goal Two- Up to 20,000 words? I will pick one of you to put in the book.
Goal Three- 30,000!!! Yikes!!! A romantic scene revealed!
Goal Four- 40,000... Means you will get the first 3 Chapters of I Dream... and I will be completely done with the first draft of book 2 and probably well into the second draft.
It's a win~win!

Independence Day!

I first saw this movie while I was in college. The theater was packed and every person in the room felt goosebumps and tears welling in their eyes as this fictional President of the United States solidified the importance of celebrating our independence from an alien race. I know, it sounds corny and even silly to be moved over such a fabricated story, but those feelings were evoked because we all feel patriotic when our country is threatened. I will never forget the end of the movie. Every single one of us stood up with tears in our eyes and applauded for several minutes.
I am deeply moved by all of the men and women that have fought to keep us free. Thank you!

Sunday Ponderings

There are two kinds of writer: those that make you think, and those that make you wonder. - Brian Aldiss -