Best of 2015 (So Far!)

It's hard to believe that June is almost at an end and 2015 is almost halfway done. Where'd the time go? Actually, I do know the answer to that question, at least in my case: books and the internet. (And school, for the first four months of the year, but let's be honest: mostly books and the internet.) In terms of reading material, this year is looking like one of my best! I've read so many awesome, amazing books, some of which just came out and others which I've only just finally read. Anyway, because I want to save myself stress at the end of the year, I thought I'd list the best new-to-me books I've read this year.

Best New-to-Me Books of 2015 (So Far)

1. Warden and the Wolf King by Andrew Peterson. 

I know. I'm probably the last person in the world to read this. (Actually, I'm not. My mom hasn't read it either. But she has an excuse, seeing as she has a lot of other stuff she has to do.) I guess I was scared of what might happen and also a little worried that it might not live up to my expectations. The former was a justified fear- I definitely understand now why so many of my friends cried over this book! I did not cry, but I did yell so much that my sister knocked on my door and asked what was wrong . . . three or four times. The latter fear, on the other hand, was utterly ridiculous because Warden and the Wolf King was amazing and beautiful and the best book in the series.

2. Firefight by Brandon Sanderson.  

This is another book that caused yelling- though not quite as much as Warden and the Wolf King. Admittedly, that might've been because there were people in the room most of the time while I was reading Firefight. I got about three quarters of the way through and had three different suspicions of how the story might go and I wasn't sure which one terrified me more. (If I recall correctly what my suspicions were, I was right about the one that hurt the most and half-right about the one that gave me a sort of evil, author-ish glee in addition to scaring me.) Besides the heartache, though, Firefight was awesome. David is such an awesomely nerdy guy, Megan is amazing, and I loved seeing a new crew and a new city.

3. Omega Dragon by Bryan Davis. 

I still can't believe that this series is over after it's been going for so long . . . but at least it got an amazing ending. Davis brought back a lot of old friends we hadn't heard from in a long time and wrapped up all the loose ends in a thoroughly satisfying conclusion, preceded by a battle at least as epic as the one at the end of Bones of Makaidos. It was a bit darker than most of the other books in the multi-series, but considering that we're dealing with the end of the world, that's hardly surprising.

4. The Ryn and The Remedy by Serena Chase. 

So . . . this is technically two books, but as they're very closely connected and about equal in awesomeness, we're counting them as one. Epic Christian fantasy with a hint of fairy-tale retelling (a not-as-well-known fairy tale to boot)? Sounds wonderful to me . . . and it very much is! The characters are thoroughly lovable (those we're supposed to like, anyway), the Christian themes are powerful, and the romance . . . the romance is adorable. My only complaint is that I saw a fair number of the plot twists coming, and I do like to be surprised. But this is still an excellent series, and I look forward to reading the next in line, The Seahorse Legacy.

5. Jackaby by William Ritter. 

Oh, oh, oh! Where do I start? There's so much to love about this book, from the perfect blend of mystery and fantasy to the characters (particularly Jackaby and Abigail, though they're all excellent) to the setting (19th century New England; not a common locale for my books to take place in!) to the slightly Sherlock Holmes-esque feel to the use of traditional (and not especially well known) folklore. Honestly, the only thing I didn't like about this book is that it's over so quickly!

6. Resistance by Jaye L. Knight.

 So. I'm really not sure what to say about this that hasn't been said a hundred times by about half the people who read this blog, but Resistance was awesome. I liked the characters, particularly Kaden, Trask, and Daniel, and the plot is pretty uncommon in fantasy novels- more like something I'd expect from a historical fiction or maybe dystopian novel. (I say that in a good way.) I also need to reread this book sometime, because I want to refresh my memory of it before I read The King's Scrolls. (Which, yes, has been out since February, but Barnes and Noble didn't have it when I was buying books.)

7. Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

This one is probably for the 16 and up crowd (just because there's a little more mention of certain things than there were in other books, though there's nothing explicit), but it was definitely awesome. Of course, from an author such as Brandon Sanderson, I expect no less. I especially loved Lightsong (who's funny but rather noble and who reminds me of both Wit and Howl Pendragon in some ways) and Vasher (who's mysterious and has a talking sword)- and, of course, the thoroughly twisty plot. Admittedly, Warbreaker isn't on par with Mistborn or The Stormlight Archive, but it's still well worth reading . . . if you're sixteen or up.

8. Orphan's Song by Gillian Bronte Adams

I feel like I'm overusing the word "awesome", so I'll find another word for this book: wonderful. As is often the case, the characters were the best part, particularly Amos. His accent, his history, his determination to protect Birdie . . . they all add up into one of those characters I really want to be real. Also, there's a griffin, which makes me enormously happy. 

9. Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

Over the past six months, I've been reading a lot of Discworld. It's a series that I've heard quite a bit about, but wasn't quite sure if I should take the plunge into until Anne Elisabeth Stengl recommended Guards! Guards! on her blog. So, I gave it a try . . . and I'm very glad I did. I've loved all the City Watch novels (of which this is the first), as well as the Tiffany Aching books and assorted others, but I have to say: this is my favorite. It's funny and sarcastic and pokes fun at fantasy cliches, but it doesn't sacrifice characters or plot to do so. One caveat: like Warbreaker, I'd pin this as a sixteen-and-up book.

10. The Penderwicks in Spring by Jeanne Birdsall

I wasn't sure how much I'd like this book, since I'd heard it would focus jump forward several years and focus mostly on Batty- and while I like Batty, I also like Skye and Jane quite a bit. As it turned out, I loved The Penderwicks in Spring and devoured it in a day. Several parts, surprisingly, made me come close to tears (something not a lot of books can do- I tend to yell, as has been previously noted), but other parts made those sad parts just so worth it. 

What are your favorite books that you've read so far this year? Please tell me in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

 -Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)   

DIY Mistborn Metals Vials

It is an unfortunate truth that Significant Items from most books are hard to get ahold of and harder still to make. After all, the average Significant Item is either jewelry or weaponry, both of which tend to be expensive and not easy to make accurately at home. Occasionally, however, there's a Significant Object which is doable even for crafter with only basic skills, for example, the Lorien Cape that I made two years ago. Surprisingly, two of these type of Significant Object are found in the Mistborn series. The first, the mistcloaks, I considered making from the time I finished the series. In the end, however, I discarded that idea as too complicated to make when I've nowhere to wear it and decided on a project that was easier both to make and to wear: Misting metal vials.

(Quick explanation for those who still need to read Mistborn: the magic system of this world centers around certain people's ability to ingest or "burn" certain metals to give them certain abilities. These metals are kept in liquid-filled vials so they can be easily swallowed.)

On the whole, the metal vials were super easy- and also really fun, since I got to revisit an old hobby of mine, jewelry-making. The most difficult part was probably figuring out the materials. I found the vials fairly quickly; my local A.C. Moore carries a collection of steampunk pendants and such, and among that collection I discovered a set of three small corked bottles, perfect for this project.

The metals themselves were trickier. I knew I wanted to do atium (because it's awesome) and tin (because, based on my personality, I'd probably be a Tineye (super-sensing) Misting), and I wasn't sure what I'd do in the last vial. A friend suggested silver BBs for atium and scraps from a welding gun for tin, but neither of those were easily available. In the end, I decided to use small silver seed beads for the tin, which were cheap but gave the effect I wanted. For atium, I wanted something similar-looking to a BB, which meant a normal bead was out of the question. Eventually, I came up with the idea of cutting some beads off a party beads necklace, and that worked perfectly.

I had some brown silk cord left over from a necklace I made years ago, which worked nicely for this project. It looks, more or less, like what an actual Misting or Mistborn would probably use, and it's fairly pretty. Of course, the vial and cord by themselves were still a bit plain, so I added some glass E beads, of which I have a lot. I mostly used my favorite iridescent black beads- which, fun fact, I originally planned to use for my atium until I realized that my mental image was wrong and atium was actually silver! Woops! For a bit more interest, I added some clear and dark blue beads.

(More pictures in this post than normal, so you'll have to click to read more.)

Random Fridays: Summer Vacation Places

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Hello, everyone! I'm back from my hiatus with a Random Fridays post! This week's theme is Summer Vacation Places- convenient, since what's where I spent about half my hiatus!

When I think of Summer vacation places, there's only one away-from-home place that really comes to mind: the Allegheny Mountains, where my family has spent a week every year for the last six (or possibly more) years. It's a beautiful area, probably my favorite place in the world after my own home. I'm not an outdoorsy, camping-type girl; I don't like dirt or bugs, and "going outside" usually means "going out to sit and read on my back deck in the sunshine." But up in the mountains, well, I make exceptions . . .

Hiking trails criss-cross half the forest up there, ranging from easy and flat to impossibly steep. Some are so short you can walk them in an hour and then go look for something else to fill the rest of your morning. Some seem to go on and on, seemingly unending, though you know, logically, that you have to end sometime. And some go up and up until you wonder if you'll reach the clouds, even though you've hiked other trails on this mountains and you know they don't go that high.

Some are green with new life, and ferns and grass and branches half-conceal the path and leave your pants and shirt wet when you push past them. And some are brown and ancient, seemingly as old as the world itself.

But the best trails, the ones you know you have to do again next year, are the ones that wake your Tookish side and make you feel as if you're on a quest, not just a hike. The ones that make you wish you had a sword at your side rather than a camera, and where you half-expect to find hidden doors in trees and strange creatures 'round the next turn. These may look different from year to year; it's all in what catches your imagination's fancy. But you know you'll try them again the next year if you can, because the feeling of being on an adventure for a little while is a beautiful one, and you want to feel it again . . .

 And after you've hiked and eaten lunch, the shooting range is waiting- or maybe the river, if the weather's warm enough for canoeing, or the woods again if you'd rather do more hiking, but usually it's the shooting range, which is really just an old gravel pit, but that doesn't matter. And if you're going to get too hot anywhere on the trip, it'll be here, because you're in the sun with no shade- until this year, when you have a canopy to shelter some of the people while you're shooting.

And even when it's hot, you don't mind especially, because it's five times more interesting than the range at home- after all, targets at that range don't move when you hit them; they just get full of holes. And there's something new every year to shoot at, from golf balls (hard to hit, but they swing around wonderfully) to old bowling pins (nearly impossible to damage) to that giant container of old, partially used crayons  (best shot with a pellet rifle and a scope) that you'll never use up by normal means because you and your sister have grown out of coloring and you like colored pencils better anyway. And your tastes shift from the first day, when you want to try everything to mid-week when you have bottles and cans filled with ice, which are even more interesting than the empty ones, to the end of the week when you pick whatever will give you the most interesting reaction and you can usually hit without too much trouble.

And in the evenings you go back to the cabin for dinner, which is unfailingly something on the grill. And while dinner's cooking, your dad and sister and sometimes your grandpa shoot more, now with BB and pellet guns at cans hung in trees. Sometimes you go and join them, but usually you don't, because you're tired and half the evenings you're caught up in a book anyway and you want to finish. Or, if you're not, you're far more interested in playing cards with your grandpa and pretending you have more than a snowball's chance in a blazing wildfire at winning.

And after dinner, there's usually more of the same- except on the night when you go out driving on the back roads in search of deer. Then you creep along at ten miles an hour or less, and at first you think "Hey, I like this. If all the driving I had to do was like this, I'd enjoy it a lot more." But darkness slowly closes in, and your mind turns from deer to other dangers, and you're split between keeping your eyes on the patch of road illuminated by your headlights and silently praying because this feels like the start of a horror movie and certain people won't stop talking about the almost-cliff to your right. Eventually, though, you do get home, and you're so relieved you almost don't have words for it.

Of course, some nights after dinner there's a campfire. Sometimes it's not a proper campfire, just a little blaze or heap of glowing coals in your grandpa's charcoal grill, but that's fine with you, because the marshmallows taste just the same. Other times, it's a real fire out in the firepit just within the woods behind the cabin, and that's better, because it feels a bit like an adventure, and because it makes toasting the marshmallows more fun. But before long, just like when you were driving, the shadows fall, and you can only eat so many marshmallows to help you forget that fact. And as the night grows more absolute, every rustle in the woods sounds like a bear or a mountain lion, and the monsters in the books you've been reading seem more and more real even though you know they're not. So you make an excuse about needing to get a shower before bed and run back to the cabin where it's safe and warm and light.

And you tell yourself each time you climb into bed that you'll sleep in the next morning because you've stayed up late every night this week. Six-thirty the next morning, though, finds you awake and getting ready for the day, because you have at least an hour before your family gets up, there are books and audiobooks and notebooks in your backpack, and the porch swing and the morning breeze are calling your name. It's cold out there, yes, but it's nothing long sleeves and a hot mug of tea can't solve. So you lose yourself in a story until your family calls you in for breakfast.

And another day's begun.
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What are your favorite vacation places? Please tell me in the comments or make your own Random Fridays post!
Thanks for reading!
 -Sarah (Leilani Sunblade) 

Things I Can't Do (But Wish I Could)

A note: yesterday's hiatus announcement was supposed to go up tomorrow, on Friday the 29th. I don't know what happened that it posted early; I thought I'd scheduled it for then. Anyway, I'm still here today but won't be tomorrow. Sorry for the confusion. We now return you to your regularly scheduled post.

I know how to do a lot of things. Maybe not as many as I think I know, and maybe a lot of them aren't very practical, but I do know how to do them. (More or less.) However, there's a lot more things I don't know how to do but wish I did, and that's something I've been thinking about a fair bit recently. I thought I'd share some of the top things I wish I could do with the rest of you.

Things I Can't Do (But Wish I Could)

1. Sword- or staff-fighting. I could possibly pretend I want to know this solely for purposes of story research. That, however, would be a lie worthy of Wizard Howl himself. My desire to learn how to wield a sword or staff (or various other weapons of fantasy-book fame) stems primarily from the fact that almost all my favorite fantasy characters wield one of the two- or a bow, which I both own and know how to use. However, I don't know where I'd go to learn either of these, and while I might be able to figure it out from books and videos (those made by people who know what they're doing), I'm honestly too lazy to teach myself.
2. Play a musical instrument. This is something that I'm sure I could teach myself if I put the effort into
   it (there are a lot more resources available for learning to play musical instruments than there are for learning the sword or staff), but again, I've never put the effort in, mostly because I've never really had a burning desire to do so. Also, there's the fact that I'd have to either buy an instrument myself or ask my parents to buy it for me, and somehow, books always seem to have much higher purchasing priority. I don't even know what instrument I'd play- at one point, I wanted to learn guitar, but having tried it once or twice and discovered that pressing down the strings hurts and it's difficult to figure out where to put your fingers (even when you have a friend showing you what to do), I've kind of become a bit disenchanted with actually playing it. The same issue would probably apply to most other string instruments as well. So that leaves wind instruments (namely pennywhistles, which are used in Celtic music and look to be both easy and inexpensive) and percussion instruments (which in general look easy but can't really do much on their own I don't think).
3. Speak and/or write in Elvish. I've actually made attempts at teaching myself Elvish at various times. Unfortunately, I've never stuck with either long enough to learn more than writing my name and speaking a smattering  of phrases. As this is one of the least useful things on the list, though, and I can speak fairly decent German, I'm not too torn up about it. Maybe I'll give it another shot sometime during the summer and see if I get any further.
   
4. Speak with an accent. Ok, it's a little silly, but I do wish I could speak in some accent other than my native one. An accent from somewhere in the Great Britain/Ireland area would be my preference, particularly from Scotland or England. (And yes, I know, there's a lot of different kinds of English accent, and I'm not particular on which one except not Cockney.) However, a German accent would also be cool (and useful for improving my German pronunciation, most likely).

   

   This is nightshade. Aka poisonous.

5. Identify poisonous plants vs. edible ones. Yes, I do have actually useful skills on this list, surprise, surprise! This is probably something I should actually learn to do, both for my novels and for real life. Not that I expect to be stranded in the wilderness anytime soon, but you never know. At the moment, my knowledge extends to: (A) pine needles can be used for tea and the inner bark can be eaten, (B) nightshade, water hemlock, and a lot of mushrooms are all poisonous, (C) don't eat anything the animals won't. So, yeah- if I ever need to find food in the woods, I'm in trouble.
6. Make a small-animal trap. This one is kind of related to the last item on the list, in that it would be useful if I'm ever stranded in the middle of nowhere. I'd rather be able to find plants to eat since catching animals means I also have to kill them, clean them, and cook them, and yeah. I could probably manage that last one- yes, including making a fire; I've seen my grandpa and others do it enough times that I at least know the method, though I'd need matches or a lighter or something- but the other two? A bit more difficult. Of course, if I'm desperate and hungry, that might outweigh my squeamishness.
7. Navigate without a map and not get lost. This one actually isn't limited to the wilderness; I'm talking about the streets as much as I am the middle of nowhere. And yes, they use different skills; I'd like to be able to find my way around both. I'm ok if I have a map, but without one . . . Well, basically, I have no sense of direction, so I can feel lost even when the rest of my family apparently knows exactly where we are. Also, while I can find my way around fairly well within a mile or two of my house, there are some places that I'm a little iffy on the route to or back from, even though I've been there literally hundreds or even thousands of times. So, yeah. The latter of these could probably be solved by my paying a little more attention to where I'm going even when I'm not the one driving. The former? A little more difficult to solve.

What things do you wish you could do? Do you have any suggestions regarding my list? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

 -Sarah (Leilani Sunblade) 

Hiatus Announcement

Hello,
I just wanted to let you know that Dreams and Dragons will be going on hiatus for the next two weeks. I should be back sometime in the week after June 12.
Have a lovely two weeks, and I'll see you soon!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade) 

Edit: This was supposed to go live on Friday the 29th. I'm still here today, the 28th. Blogger's scheduling function apparently doesn't want to cooperate. *facepalm*

Character Encounters May 2015

Hello, everyone! It took me a little longer than I planned to get this ready, but today I have another Character Encounter! This month's location is at the playground, so I knew immediately who I'd be meeting- after all, I have only a few characters who'd be likely to hang around a playground. Conveniently, they happen to be some of my favorites- though don't tell any of my characters I said that. So, without further ado . . .

If all of May’s beauties could be compressed into one single, glorious day, it would be this one. Birds chased one another across the cloudless blue sky, squirrels scampered through the green-clad tree limbs, and a few butterflies fluttered across the grass in search of flowers. A light breeze stirred the air, just enough to prevent the day from growing too warm.

For the brown-and-white dog at the end of the leash in my hand, however, none of these beauties held enough attraction to keep her from racing from one side of the path to the other with her nose to the ground as fast as I would let her go. I hurried after, wondering if this would be the day my shoulder finally dislocated. Lucy, my youth group leaders’ dog, was always energetic, but she seemed especially so today.

As we rounded the bend near the playground, oddly familiar voices caught my ear. I peered through the wall of trees between me and the speakers, trying to figure out who the voices belonged to. I felt certain I’d never actually heard them before, yet I knew them nearly as well as I knew my parents’ voices. Lucy, thankfully, slowed to investigate the bushes alongside the path, allowing me to take a good look at the speakers. Three little girls, obviously sisters, clambered about on the playground equipment, watched over by two older teens, nearly identical but for the fact that one had grey eyes and hair cropped to chin length, while the other’s eyes were violet and her hair was held back in a braid that fell just past her shoulders. I blinked, recognition dawning. But no, that can’t be . . .

The youngest of the girls, a four-year-old with wavy golden hair tied in two pigtails, spotted me and dropped off the monkey bars. She approached me shyly, her eyes fixed on Lucy. “May I pet the doggy?”

“Go ahead.” I took a firmer grip on Lucy’s leash. “Lucy, stay.”

Lucy obeyed, or maybe she was just too absorbed in smelling the bushes to disobey. The little girl tentatively patted Lucy’s head and then, apparently discovering Lucy wasn’t going to jump on her, started rubbing around Lucy’s ears.

The other two girls- obvious twins- dashed over after their younger sister. They glanced at me, their question obvious in their eyes. I nodded. “Go ahead.”

“Thank you,” one of them said, politely. The other went straight to petting Lucy. The one who’d spoken added, “What’s your doggy’s name?”

“Her name’s Lucy.” I kept one eye on the dog in question, who’d given up on smelling the bushes but seemed to be submitting to the petting happily enough. “She’s not mine, though. I’m walking her for a friend.”

“Oh.” The girl joined her sisters in petting Lucy. “I’m Cara, and that’s my sister Keely, and my other sister Hope.”

“Nice to meet you.” I noticed one of the two older girls- the one with shorter hair, who seemed to be about my own age- walking over to me. I offered her a smile. “Hello.”

“Hello.” She smiled tightly back. “Thank you. I hope they aren’t bothering you.”

“Not at all. Lucy’s enjoying the attention.” I took another good look at the newcomer. Her medieval-looking tunic and pants contrasted strongly with the modern playground set, as did the swords sheathed on her back, their hilts just visible above her shoulders. “I’m Sarah, by the way. And you are?”

“Dea Alyron.” Dea held out a hand. “These three are my sisters.”

“I know.” I shook Dea’s hand, barely restraining myself from shouting or doing some kind of happy dance. Dea Alryon! And that must be Gwen over there!

“I guess you would. You’re the Author, after all.” Dea eyed me a bit suspiciously. “Should I be worried about letting the little ones near you?”

I shook my head emphatically. “No! They’re safe! You all are!” Dea gave me a disbelieving look, and I added, “Relatively speaking. Anyway, I wouldn’t actually hurt them. I may be an Author, but that doesn’t mean I’m some monster.” I change the subject. “How’d you know who I am anyway?” I’m used to my Udarean characters recognizing me, when I let them, but encountering characters outside my novels is new to me.

Dea shrugged. “Outside our Stories, we characters know a lot more than we normally would.” She bit her lip, her gaze wandering back to the three younger girls. “Normally, though, I don’t care much about that. I’m more interested in just spending as much time as I can with my family, especially considering what you did to us at the end of Destinies and Decisions.”

Her tone could’ve been a weapon, it was so pointed. I winced. “Right. Sorry. It will get better, I promise.”

“Is it?” Gwen walked over to join us. “After all, we’re-”

I held up a hand, interrupting just in time. “Spoilers!”

“Right.” Gwen sighed in annoyance. “We are where we are, and at the moment, I don’t see a way out.”

Dea scowled. “Maybe if we’d left our snake of a brother and his girlfriend where we found them . . .”

“Maybe.” Gwen shook her head. “But it’s too late to change that now. Unless . . .” She glanced almost hopefully at me.

She must really be desperate. Recalling the situation she and the others are currently in, I wasn’t surprised. “Sorry. I’m not making that major of a change. Not now that I have a draft I like, at least. Like I said, though, it’ll get better. I pro-” Abruptly, the leash jerked from my hand. I turned and lunged after it. “Lucy!”

Lucy, apparently tired of petting, took off up the hill, straight for the road. I ran after her. “Lucy! Come! Lucy! Bad dog! Come!” Dragon’s teeth! Why didn’t I bring the remote for the electric collar? 

Dea passed me by, racing after Lucy as well. I heard the younger girls behind me. Lucy, however, seemed likely to outrun us all.

Then a wall of ice appeared in front of her. Lucy smacked into it and stops short, looking dazed and almost confused. Dea scooped her up, holding her tightly to prevent escape.

I slowed to a walk, breathing hard. “Thank you.” I turned back to see Gwen strolling up the hill at an easy pace. “And thank you as well.” I knew she must’ve made the ice wall; after all, she was the only ice Rider in the group. “If she’d gotten away . . .” I shook my head, not wanting to think about it. My leaders would forgive me; Lucy’s run away from them at least a dozen times. However, I still would’ve had to find her somehow. “I’d better get her home before she escapes again.”

Dea handed me the leash and waited for me to loop it securely around my wrist before setting Lucy down. “Probably a good idea.”

Lucy tugged, wanting to run free again. I clutched the leash with both hands. “Well, it was nice seeing you. Have a good day.”

“We will,” Gwen replied.

“Particularly since we’re here and not in the Story,” Dea added. She paused a moment. “But, if it’s really going to get better . . . could you hurry and write that part?”

“I’ll do my best.” Lucy’s tugging forced me to either start walking or be pulled over. I called over my shoulder to the siblings, “Bye for now! See you in the next novel!”

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For the record, Lucy is very much a real dog who I walked on Fridays during the school year. And yes, she has run away from both me and my youth group leaders before quite a few times. Thankfully, she's always been found and caught (though never as quickly as in this encounter, I don't think!). Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my Character Encounter! Feel free to write your own and join the link-up!

Thanks for reading!

-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade) 

Books Worth Listening To

Hello, everyone! As you might've noticed (and are possibly counting down to), summer- vacation season- is getting steadily closer. One might say it's started early for me, since I've spent a large portion of this week in
the van, going places. Bookwise, car trips usually mean two main things: trying to fit as many books as I can in my back pack (and hoping I've guessed accurately what I'll want to read while I'm away) and looking for a good audiobook to listen to while we're on the road. Audiobooks have always been my family's favorite way of in-car entertainment; they make the time go much faster, and have the added benefit of not making anyone carsick. Sadly, our most recent trips haven't involved much in the way of audiobooks for two main reasons: (A) we forgot to look for any audiobooks at the library, and (B) I'm driving and don't need to be distracted, so we didn't listen to the audiobooks we already had. Anyway, even if I'm not listening to an audiobook right now, I thought I'd share with you some of my favorites that I've listened to before.

1. Howl's Moving Castle (as narrated by Jenny Sterlin). This, as you might've noticed, is one of my favorite books- but that doesn't automatically guarantee it a spot on my favorite audiobooks list. If I don't like the narrator's voice, even the most amazing story can be a terrible audiobook. (Case in point: The Lord of the Rings. I love the books, but I can't find a good audiobook version.) However, the narrator of Howl's Moving Castle? Absolutely perfect. Almost all the character voices sound just like I imagined them or better- especially Howl, who has a simply amazing accent. The only real exception is young Sophie, but as that's not a voice I hear for most of the book, it's only a small flaw. And the narrator's normal voice is just right for the almost-fairytale feel of the book.
2. House of Many Ways (as narrated by Jenny Sterlin). Since this is the third Howl book, and it's narrated by the same person as the first, its awesomeness is hardly surprising. All the things I love about Howl's Moving Castle are true of House of Many Ways as well- with the one exception that I never get to hear Howl's accent. Admittedly, he's in disguise for most of the book, but it's still rather disappointing.
3. The Chronicles of Narnia Radio Dramas (Focus on the Family). Ok, these are audio dramas rather than actual audiobooks, but they still count. Anyway, before I discovered Howl, these were my favorite audiobooks. The voice actors, the sound effects, the production in general- it's all very, very well done. They are adapted/abridged slightly from the original books, but that's always well done also. One other little thing I love about them: it's kind of random, but the melody they play at the start of each audiobook is lovely. It makes this picture in my head of literally being drawn through a portal into a book and really sets the mood for my enjoyment of the story itself.
4. Ben Hur (Focus on the Family). This is one of the few audiobooks I actually like better than the original. The Focus on the Family version of Ben-Hur cuts the classic down to a more easily enjoyable length, while still preserving the theme and message that make the book great. Unfortunately, my sister doesn't enjoy it quite as much as I do, so no matter how much I push to listen to it on car trips, we usually don't.
5. The Books of Bayern (as narrated by Cynthia Smith). These are the only audiobooks other than Ben Hur that I like better than the original. This is because I tend to read fast- and while that's usually not a bad thing, it does mean that I didn't appreciate the Books of Bayern, especially The Goose Girl, as much as I might otherwise have. Listening to the audiobooks forces me to take them more slowly, which means I pay more attention to what I missed originally.
6. By Darkness Hid and By Darkness Won, read and written by Jill Williamson. These aren't the best audiobooks I've ever listened to, but they're narrated by the author, which is really cool. I feel like I get a better idea of what the voices are supposed to sound like. They're also free on her site, so I definitely recommend checking them out there!
7. Jim Weiss CDs. Ok, they're not exactly audiobooks; usually they're more along the lines of short story collections. However, these were some of my favorites when I was younger; Jim Weiss is a phenomenal storyteller. I still have a lot of his CDs, and I kind of feel like I should listen to them again sometime, maybe while I'm knitting. 

 Do you like listening to audiobooks? If so, what are some of your favorites? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade) 

Random Fridays: Top OTPS

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Hey'a, everyone! Quick update for anyone curious: I did win Camp NaNoWriMo- just in time, as my desire to read all the new books I've been getting from the library was starting to overwhelm my motivation to write- and have spent most of the time since reading, working on school and driver's ed (almost done! with both!), and attempting to get back into the flow of editing Between Two Worlds. Anyway, today is another Random Friday, this time with the theme of top ten (or however many) OTPs. For those of you who don't speak fandom, "OTP" means "One True Pairing", and it refers to a fictional who you or another fan support above all other couples involving one of the involved characters. (Conflicting OTPs can often lead to heated arguments, but that's a discussion for another day . . . hopefully, anyway!) Conveniently, my OTPs generally end up being canon, so this list is going to be more like my favorite fictional couples.

1. Aethelbald and Una (Tales of Goldstone Wood). Probably my favorite literary couple in the world, the Prince of Farthestshore and the Princess of Parumvir are absolutely wonderful together. Aethelbalds's constant, persistent, sacrificial love and Una's gradual realization of just how deep that love is lead to some of the most beautiful scenes I've ever read. (I'm tearing up just thinking about them!)
2. Faramir and Eowyn (The Lord of the Rings). Aragorn and Arwen may get all the attention in the movie, and Beren and Luthien may be Tolkien's great love story, but Faramir and Eowyn hold first place in my heart among the couples of Middle Earth. I love the way they give each other what they've each been longing for. Faramir gives Eowyn the honor and respect she's searched for, while at the same time showing her that there's more for her life than what she's imagined. And Eowyn, in turn, gives Faramir the love and acceptance he's been lacking from his family.
3. Bard Eanrin and Dame Imraldera (Tales of Goldstone Wood). What Goldstone Wood fan doesn't love Eanrin and Imraldera? I love the way they interact, teasing each other and pretending not to have feelings for one another . . . even though we all know they do! Of course, that just makes the occasional tender scene even sweeter, and it means I can look forward to the day they eventually admit that they love each other (and have it actually be a success, not an ill-timed disaster).
4. Howl Pendragon and Sophie Hatter (Howl's Moving Castle). Howl and Sophie are absolutely hilarious together. I love the way they play off each other, arguing and yet not really mad at each other. The way their relationship develops from dislike and indifference to true love is wonderful. I also love how each brings out the best in the other, making both better people. And, of course, they have one of my favorite romantic lines ever: "I think we ought to live happily ever after."
5. Achan and Vrell (Blood of Kings trilogy). I like how Achan and Vrell start off as friends before moving into romance territory, and their teasing each other makes me smile. Admittedly, I did get rather annoyed with them while waiting for them to get their respective acts together- but as I've mentioned before, that just makes it all the more sweet when they finally stop being stubborn and officially get together.
6. Elend and Vin (Mistborn trilogy). I could list a lot of things I love about these two: their willingness to sacrifice for one another, always putting the other first, their determination, the way they each drive the other to grow and become better, the way they balance each other out so well. They're each perfect for each other, fitting together like two parts of a puzzle, and working together, trusting one another even when everything seems crazy.
7. Walter and Ashley (Dragons in Our Midst and sequel series). There are other couples in these series who get much more attention than Walter and Ashley, but the jokester and the genius are and always will be my favorite. Like a lot of the couples on this list, they seemed an unlikely pair at first- but by the midpoint of Oracles of Fire (maybe sooner), there really is no doubt. Their love, courage, and faithfulness are inspiring- and their interactions are both funny and sweet.
8. Jacin and Winter (The Lunar Chronicles). Ok, so we've seen less of this couple than any other LC pair- but I know Jacin, and I read the sample chapters of Winter, and ohhhhh they're so sweet and protective and adorable and loyal and just perfect together. 

And I am going to stop the list there, even though it's not top ten, mostly because I've listed the all the couples I get the most excited about. Who are your top OTPs? Please tell me in the comments, or feel free to make a Random Fridays post of your own!
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade) 

Random Fridays: Let's Talk About Writing

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Hello, everyone! I wasn't planning on doing Random Fridays at all this month, what with Camp NaNo and school and all that sort of thing. However, I realized this morning that this week's theme is writing, and, well, I can't pass that up, now can I? Emma left the exact topic fairly open, so I thought I'd talk about where I get my inspiration.

One major source of inspiration for me is roleplays. Some of you may know that my Berstru Tales series were inspired by the Battle! thread on the Underground. Most of the main characters were directly taken from that roleplay, and many of those that weren't (Dustin, Hunter, and Aleta) were still very heavily based on characters from the Battle! thread. (For any Underground elves who are curious: all three characters are inspired by Liessa's characters. Dustin and Hunter came from Ben and Cris, obviously, and Aleta, less obviously, was semi-based on Audri.) In fact, I think there's only three or four major characters who didn't, in some way, have their origins in the Battle! thread.

Another story that was strongly (though much less obviously) influenced by a roleplay thread is Poison Lies. The main characters were roughly inspired by three characters on the Character Chat thread on the Underground- not just any characters, though. These three were (and still are) some of my favorite characters made up by my friends, and they tend to cause me (and each other) a lot of heartbreak.

As I've mentioned before, another source of inspiration for my stories is music. I've written a great many characters, short stories, scenes, and even a whole novel, based on songs. Lately, music in and of itself has directly inspired fewer and fewer of my projects, but it remains an important factor. Part of the reason is that it's had less direct effects is likely that I'm writing fewer short stories, which are the main works that I write based off of songs.

A third place I find inspiration is, naturally, in books. How exactly the books inspire my writing varies, however. Sometimes the book inspires my novel directly. For example, my Berstru Tales dragons were heavily influenced by the dragons in The Inheritance Cycle, and The Lay of the Nightblade was partially inspired by Tolkien's Lay of Beren and Luthien. Also, several aspects of Danger in the Tower, my 12 Dancing Princesses retelling, were inspired by Entwined and Tales of Goldstone Wood.

Sometimes, however, books influence my novels less directly by first influencing my daydreams- and for the record, my daydreams are somewhat like novels themselves, particularly in that, if I'm interrupted during one, I'll pick up again later where I left off.. My most recent NaNo Novel, Between Two Worlds, was taken largely from one of my favorite daydreams, which has changed somewhat over the last several years, but has remained essentially the same. The main idea- the girl captured and broken by an enemy who then remade her into a tool for that enemy's own use- was largely taken from a combination of The Wingfeather Saga and Heartless. Naturally, exactly how this happens has changed from those stories to my daydream to my novel, but the basic idea remains fairly similar.

Where do you find inspiration? Please tell me in the comments, or feel free to make your own blog post. I'd love to hear about it!
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)