Water Princess, Fire Prince Blog Tour: Interview With Laura!

Hello, everyone! I'm super excited to join in the blog tour for Kendra E. Ardnek's new novel, Water Princess, Fire Prince. I got to beta-read this book, and I can definitely say that it's a really fun read- though you'll have to wait a day or two to read my full review. Today, I have an interview with one of the characters from Water Princess, Fire Prince: Laura, one of the most intriguing people in the book. But first, a little about the story and the author:

About Water Princess, Fire Prince:
When the Lady Dragon does come,

Hold fast, do not fear, do not run.
Your Water Princess will fight,
Fire Prince will set all to right.
Each shall come from a Fall,
Their union will save you all.

Despite the fact that she's on track for competing in the Olympics, and he's practically raised his younger brothers since they lost their mom in a car accident, Clara Mandras and Andrew Stevenson are pretty much normal teens. They have normal hopes, normal dreams, and they live in a normal world.

All this is torn away from them when they are thrust into another world and declared Water Princess and Fire Prince. With no experience ruling a country, meeting each other for the first time, and being expected to fight the Lady Dragon – an evil sorceress plaguing the world of Rizkaland – Clara and Andrew are underprepared and inexperienced. Unless they learn to work together despite their standing opposition, Rizkaland's hope will be lost.

What is to come will change their lives forever.

Available on Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Water-Princess-Prince-Rizkaland-Legends-ebook/dp/B00YTQBTDI/ 

Add it on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24022364-water-princess-fire-prince

 Part 1’s first chapter: http://knittedbygodsplan.blogspot.com/2014/12/water-princess-chapter-1.html  

Part 2’s first chapter: http://knittedbygodsplan.blogspot.com/2014/12/fire-prince-chapter-1.html

***

About the Author:

Kendra E. Ardnek loves fairy tales and twisting them in new and exciting ways.  She's been practicing her skills on her dozen plus cousins and siblings for years, "Finish your story, Kendra", is frequently heard at family gatherings.  Her sole life goal has always been to grow up and be an author of fantasy and children's tales that also glorify God and his Word. You can read more about her on her blog,knittedbygodsplan.blogspot.com.

 ***

And now for the interview!

First off, can you introduce yourself to our readers? Tell us a little about yourself, who you are, what you do, and such?

Hello, I am Laura, officially known as the Doorkeeper, though I go by plenty of other names from time to time. I have the ability to open doors between worlds, and, consequently, to travel between worlds at will, as well as travel through time itself. Also, my age fluctuates strangely because of this, so sometimes I look young, and sometimes I look old. It just depends on the door and … a few other weird factors that I don’t properly understand myself.

Ok, so where in your timeline are you now in relation to Clara and Andrew and their adventures in Klarand?

Somewhere between the beginning and the end.  Actually, you see me from six or seven points in my timeline, and they don’t even appear in the right order.

Does all the hopping between worlds and timelines and such get confusing? How do you deal with it?

Well, I suppose it did at first, but I’ve learned to just roll with it. Also, I have a diary of sorts that I carry with me to keep things straight.

What world do you come from originally? I don’t think you’re limited to Klarand/Rizkaland, are you?

No, I’m not limited by any means. I travel between several hundred worlds, some of which earning more time than others. But my original world? I think Kendra wanted to save this as a big announcement of sorts later in the series, but … we’ve discussed it and she’s agreed that you may as well know. I was born on Earth, the result of a long and complicated series of experiments that I played a large hand in myself.

Oh, wow. I never would've guessed! Have you spent much time on Earth? What do you think of it?

Yes, I have. It is a special world to me, being the world of my origin. There is a reason why humans have been allowed to so populate so many worlds. I’ve explored much of its history, having been there for many great events and discoveries.

Cool! Kind of on that topic, certain people have compared you to a character from an Earth TV show, River Song. What do you think of that?

I’m not quite sure I approve of River herself, as she seems a bit trigger-happy and is rather a flirt, but to be told, I don’t mind the comparison, because it is to her that I owe my existence. Kendra had cut my character, then named Sandra, from the story because she was getting too complicated, but after studying River Song, Kendra wanted her back, so she created me.

Because of your time-traveling abilities, can you go back and change the past? Could you, for example, have stopped Amber from doing what she did?

No, on my own, my powers are not that strong. I cannot change time of my own initiation. However, when you see things as I do, when you know the whole story, sometimes  you don’t actually want to change the bits in between. Yes, it hurts to see Amber playing the villain, but I know how the story ends, I have seen the greater good that shall come from her fall. Perhaps I would like to change things, but when it comes down to it, I don’t want to.

I can't say I understand how you could want that . . . but I'll trust you on that. Can you give us any hints of what’s going to happen in the future, after Andrew and Clara’s time in Klarand?

Are you speaking of Andrew and Clara’s future or Rizkaland’s future? I suppose I can give you a hint for each.

Clara and Andrew shall return to Rizkaland, more than once, but they shall suffer great pain because of it.

Rizkaland’s Tela Du is another girl who is very dear to me. She used to babysit me, though she had no idea who I was. Ah, Petra, hers is a dark road she must travel.

Woah, two hints instead of just one. Thanks, Laura, and thanks for the interview!

I hope you enjoyed that interview, everyone! Don't forget to stop by the rest of the blogs on the tour to see what's going on there! Also, Kendra will have some of her books for free on Kindle throughout the tour, so I'd strongly suggest checking those out as well!

Thanks for reading!

-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)  

Tour Schedule:

August 31st
Here: Introductory Post
Interviews:
Overactive Imagination - Jakob
Flights from the Aerie - Me
Elvish Pens, Fantastical Writings - Me
Reviews:
Shire Reviews
Scattered Journal Pages
A Heart Redeemed

September 1st
Here: Book 2 Title Reveal
Blogs Also Revealing:
Flights from Aerie
Morgan Elizabeth Huneke
Lianne Taimenlore
Dolls, Books, and Things that Matter
Writing in the Light
Jaye L. Knight
writinganyone
Written Rest
Read, Write, Laugh, DANCE
Interviews:
Dreams and Dragons - Laura
The Rambling Rose - Jasmine
Other:
Book Crazy Lady - review and interview

September 2nd
Here: Books and Such that have Influenced WPFP
Interviews:
Scattered Journal Pages - Clara
Read, Write, Laugh, DANCE - Me
Writing in the Light - Me
Reviews:
Anything, Everything
writinganyone
Written Rest

September 3rd
My Blog: Ships I Ship Because of this Book
Interviews:
Flights from the Aerie - Andrew
Written Rest - Kiona
Lianne Taimenlore - me
Reviews:
A Writer's Heart
Dreams and Dragons
Other:
Kedurah's Korner - Review and Interview
Facebook Party!!! (RSPV Now!)

September 4th
Here: The Initiation
Interviews:
Morgan Elizabeth Huneke - Amber
The Splendor Falls on Castle Walls - Jill Anna
A Heart Redeemed - Me
Jaye L. Knight - Me
Reviews:
Dolls, Books, and Things That Matter
Sutori no Hana
Overactive Imagination - Group review with the Blogger's Younger sisters!

September 5th
Here: Looking Back - A Writing Journey
Interviews:
Dolls, Books, and Things that Matter - Abraham
Dreams and Dragons - Me
writinganyone - Me
Reviews:
Lianne Taimenlore
Flights from Aerie - Dual Review with the Blogger's Younger Brother!
Elvish Pens, Fantastical Writings.

September 7th
Tour Wrap-Up at My Blog!

Free Books!

31^st-4^th:

Sew, It’s a Quest: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005G3ZFKG

Do You Take This Quest? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CFDHFT4/

31^st ONLY:

My Kingdom for a Quest: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RN7T004

1^st – 5^th:

The Ankulen: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EZAXWYM/

CinderEddy: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KZNW2TO

Saffron’s Big Plan: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008HYS9W2/

Random Fridays: Fall 2015 Releases

http://bookworm716.blogspot.com/

Hello, everyone! I feel like it's been a long time since I've done a Random Friday- mostly because I've either been busy (moving and WSS do that to you- for anyone who's wondering, we're in our new house and I hope to make a post about it sometime in this coming week) or I've had nothing to say about the topic. This week's theme, however, reminded me that a new season is rapidly approaching- one of the best seasons of the year for new books! So, without further ado, I give you: Fall 2015 Releases!

 1. Queen of Shadows (September 1)
Ok, so, I'm not super excited for this one . . . I've never been as big a ToG fan as some people I know are. However, I do want to see what happens next, mostly for the sake of Dorian and Chaol. Oh, and Aspen. I like him too . . . and the last book ended in a kind-of-cliffhanger, so, yeah. I want to read this one.

2. The Shepherd's Crown (September 10)

The last Discworld book- I only just discovered the series this year, and I'm still sad. I am glad it's Tiffany Aching, though- I like Tiffany (though not as much as Vimes- City Watch books are the best!) and as I've already read all the previous Tiffany Aching books, I can read this one as soon as I get my hands on it. I'm a little nervous for what it'll hold, but I'm sure it'll be awesome- if only Goodreads had a little more information!  

3. Ash and Bramble (September 15)

 I'm almost always a fan of Cinderella retellings, and this one sounds pretty cool and unique. It also sounds a bit darker than most of the retellings I've tried, but that's fine. I don't think it'll be super-dark or anything. Also, it sounds like it might be set in a world that runs on story-rules, if that makes sense, and that's my niche/obsession this year. (The one thing I don't like is the cover . . . it's just no.)

 4. Walk on Earth a Stranger (September 22)

Historical fiction-fantasy! In a non-medieval setting! Seriously, I love medieval fantasy, whether it's in this world or another, but it's nice to see different time periods. This one is set during the Gold Rush, which should be pretty cool, and it's by the author of Girl of Fire and Thorns, a trilogy I really enjoyed, so I expect it to be good.

5. Beastly Bones (September 22)

JACKABY. YES. I need more Jackaby. And Abigail, of course, Charlie, and mysteries that are actually mysteries but are also fantasy. AND IT'S STILL A MONTH AWAY HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WAIT? And I don't even know if my library will have it . . . WHAT WILL I DO IF MY LIBRARY DOESN'T HAVE IT? 

Yeah. I really want to read this book, if you can't tell. As you've probably noticed, I don't use all-caps lightly. 

6. Shadows of Self (October 6)

And another book that promises to be a proper fantasy-mystery: Shadows of Self. I can be slightly calmer about this one, though, mostly because I knew I'd have to wait for it. Also, I got sneak peeks and other Sanderson books to ease some of the waiting . . . but I still want to see what Wax, Wayne, and Marasi are up to now. I'm certain that whatever it is, it'll be epic and mind-blowing and amazing.

7. Winter (November 10)

FINALLY. After a year and a half's waiting, Winter is coming out! I read the sample chapters and they sound awesome, and I absolutely cannot wait for it to come out. Or to see more of Winter and Jacin, because they're already my favorite LC couple, and I want to see if they hold that position. And I want to see how in the world Cinder and company are ever going to defeat Levana, because at the moment, I'm not sure how that's even going to be possible. And yeah. Why can't this book come out now? (On a side note, my sister and I were speculating on how Levana is going to die, and if Marissa decides to follow the original fairytale, I will be seriously creeped out and potentially kind of disappointed in certain characters. I look forward to seeing how that works out.)

 

Anyway. There's my list! I find it interesting that all the books I'm most looking forward to are coming out later in the year . . . and also that I'm calmer about books I've been waiting longer for. My brain is strange sometimes. Either that or my excitement has grown past the squealing, all-caps, losing-my-grammar point. I think I shall go with both.

 

What new books are you looking forward to this fall? Please tell me in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

 -Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)  

Two Weeks in Rivendell: WSS Support Staff

Of all the amazing locations in fantasy books, Rivendell has always been one of those I've most wished to visit. Its peaceful beauty and the respite it offers from the cares of normal life draw me to it, making me wish the valley of Imladris were real.

I never realized that it- or somewhere very like it- is, and not only that, but I've visited there a half-dozen times.

White Sulpher Springs, the eastern conference center for Officer's Christian Fellowship, is not home to elven lords, nor is it located near the Misty Mountains (though it is found in the Allegheny Mountains, which get pretty foggy in the mornings). But the things that really make me want to visit Rivendell are found there all the same. It's a beautiful place, particularly in the early mornings, when the air is still cool (even in August), the sky is just waking up, and there's still mist over the forest-covered mountains. Nearly every morning, I'd do my devotions in a rocking chair on the back porch and stare out at the sky, the hills, and the gravel road that winds past pastures and into the trees. It's peaceful, a place apart from the troubles of everyday. There's delicious food, singing at every meal and throughout the day, good company, and good discussions.

And, for me, it's Rivendell in another way: a Last Homely House to welcome me before I bid farewell to Virginia and set off for whatever adventures New York has to offer. And as Rivendell provided rest for Frodo and  Bilbo and a place for them to prepare for the rest of their adventure, so White Sulpher Springs gave the same to me.

I wasn't at White Sulpher Springs to relax- not by a long shot. I was staying there as part of Support Staff, a team of sixteen highschoolers (eight guys, eight girls) who work around the hotel and help keep it running. The guys work outside, chopping wood and mowing lawns and such. The girls take care of cleaning and meal prep; in the two weeks I was there, I vacuumed halls and stairs, dusted almost every room at least once, washed far too many windows, cleaned bathrooms (a less unpleasant job than it sounds), prepared and served drinks, set tables, washed silverware (not a task for the squeemish- the water gets very greasy very fast), and more. It was hard work- but not as tedious as I feared. 

And once our chores were done- and most days, that happened by noon, or perhaps two at the latest, excluding dinner prep- we were free to do as we pleased. There were events most days which we had to help with, true: International Night on Monday (I got to wear a kilt!), ice cream social at the old hotel on Tuesday, Western Night on Wednesday (at which I learned how to square dance and do the Virginia Reel, both of which are more fun than I expected), a picnic and games on Thursday, new guests on Friday, and afternoon tea on Sunday. But the events are fun, and staff is not only allowed but strongly encouraged to enjoy them- a good thing, since we occasionally outnumbered the guests.

And almost every night, after dinner and worship music and before the speaker for the retreat started talking, there was Family Hour, a sort of talent show for guests and staff alike to use their gifts to praise God. I read The Mercy Song one night; many people sang or played some instrument. One Support Staff girl, Anna, who's fluent in sign language, signed to a new song almost every night. Then, on Monday nights, after the speaker's message was over, we had Skit Night, a chance for all sorts of hilarious. On one of these, I got to read The Pen and the Sword- and it was amazing. I've never been confident speaking in front of people, but that evening, well- I was already wearing a kilt, and I love my poem, and I just decided to go full-on bard, being as dramatic as possible with my introduction and poem, and I owned it.

And when there were no events and no chores, I had books to read or poetry to write- or, if I wanted, friends to hang out with. The Support Staff girls did more than support the hotel; we supported each other. I can't even begin to name all the times when I or another girl was struggling with something and one or more of the others stepped in to encourage whoever it was. The encouragement took many forms: a helping hand with chores when someone was tired or overwhelmed, a listening ear when someone needed to talk, hugs and strengthening words and comfort food on the second Wednesday when square dancing went sour for two of us (one of whom was me- Accidental Exile syndrome kicked in, for the only time in those weeks). Sometimes, the person doing the encouraging didn't even know how big of an impact they'd made. But always, someone was there when we needed them.

Oh, and on the note of awesome people: I got to meet an online friend of mine, Jenna, since she was Assistant Supervisor for the Girls' Staff. She's even more awesome in real life than online: funny and kind and patient and creative. The first International Night, she wore a Laketown costume she'd made for when she went to see one of the Hobbit movies, and one afternoon, we got to chat about life and books and just random stuff, and it was lovely.

But White Sulpher Springs, like Rivendell, is more than a place of peace and enjoyment. It's a stronghold against the dark, and for me, as I mentioned before, a place of preparation for the journey ahead. The first was evident in devotions every morning, in worship songs in the evenings and at every meal, in frequent prayer, and in so many other things. The latter? Part of that preparation was indeed all the things I mentioned before, the chance for peace and relaxation before insanity hits. Another part was the encouragement from others who've been where I am. But the biggest part was the lessons I learned, one in particular: choosing joy, and what that looks like.

Part of the lesson came indeed from the devotions and formal lessons. But most of it came, actually, from the work I had to do. I, being an average teen, don't particularly enjoy housework. Having come there expecting to work made it a little easier, but there were still days when I just didn't want to do anything. When I had to choose joy or choose to sulk. Before, I'd always had this idea- even though I knew better- that choosing joy meant being happy about what's going on, or at least being happy period. But it's not that. Joy isn't being happy about work or hardship. It's singing anyway. 

See, I usually have my iPod when I work at home. But electronics aren't allowed for WSS Support Staff. So if I wanted music, I had to sing it myself. On good days, I did, so long as no one was around to object- I had a few songs on repeat for most of the two weeks: some Andrew Peterson, one or two Celtic songs, some Owl City. But on bad days, one day in particular when I was tired and my whole body ached and I just wanted to sit down and moan, singing was hard. 

But I did it anyway. And, funny thing, when you're singing- particularly when you're singing Andrew Peterson's "Nothing to Say", it's hard to be miserable. You can still be tired, you can still be sore, but sadness? That's hard to hold onto because your focus goes elsewhere.

I'm no longer at White Sulpher Springs; I'm at my house, in the midst of packing so we can say final goodbyes and leave for our new home. My personal life is currently contained in thirty-three boxes, two backpacks, and a suitcase. At the end of the week, I have two goodbye parties- one hosted by my youth group, the other by my Bible study. And after that- I'm gone, heading into the Misty Mountains (or New York, however you want to look at it) and hoping I don't run into any orcs or goblins or freak blizzards.

But no matter what happens, I'm going to keep singing.

Five Enchanted Roses Review

Hello, everyone! Guess what? Today is the release day for one of my most-anticipated reads of this summer: Five Enchanted Roses, a collection of Beauty and the Beast retellings! Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite fairytales, so when I got the chance to read and review this collection, I was very excited. For the most part, my hopes weren't disappointed; as with Five Glass Slippers, Anne Elisabeth and the other judges chose an excellent, and unique, set of stories for this collection.

Esprit de la Rose: Pirates, mermaids, and a high-seas adventure? That’s more or less the last thing I’d expect in a Beauty and the Beast adventure . . . but it turns out to be quite the exciting tale! I enjoyed the very unique twist on the original story and the mystery of the Esprit de la Rose and her crew. Even though I know the original tale very well, I found myself eagerly wondering what would happen next. There were a few parts, particularly regarding the ending, which I felt could’ve been made clearer, but overall, I definitely enjoyed this unusual take on the classic story.

Wither: Oh, oh, oh. This story. It’s undoubtedly my favorite retelling in the collection, haunting creepy and filled with mystery, but sweet at the same time. Lilybet and Corwin are awesome. And then there’s the ending. Just, the ending. It’s like all the amazing of the rest of the story got tripled and then condensed in those last several chapters. I finished the story and then had to read the ending all over again because it’s so epic and amazing and beautiful, and then I reread it again when I edited this review. It’s wonderful. This whole story is wonderful; I can complain about nothing.

Stone Curse: I’d heard several of my friends getting excited for this story, and so expected to love it as much or more than Wither . . . but I’m afraid it fell a bit flat for me. The author’s version of the curse was interesting, but I didn’t really connect with the characters. Also, I was left with too many questions- particularly, how did the person who caused the curse get the ability to cause it in the first place?- and the ending seemed too convenient to me.

Rosara and the Jungle King: Like our first story, this is a highly unique version of the Beauty and the Beast story, this time set in a tropical jungle. From the first sentence, I was entranced by the author’s writing style and the main character’s voice. I loved Tupa as well, and his relationship with Rosara. There were one or two things I didn’t like- the ending fell a touch flat for me, and I’m not quite sure what to think of the karawara- but overall, I enjoyed this story.

The Wulver’s Rose: A delightful ending to the collection and my second favorite story from it, The Wulver’s Rose runs very closely to the original version of Beauty and the Beast, while still holding unique elements. I like just about everything about this story: the characters, the setting (Scotland, in the mid 18th century), and that the author included Beauty’s dreams, an element of the original often forgotten in retellings. The only reason this didn’t take first place, really, is that really getting into the story took me a few chapters. Otherwise, this is a lovely and sweet story.

Overall, I loved this collection of five lovely and unique Beauty and the Beast retellings. While a dark thread does run through all of them- and some more than others- that's understandable; Beauty and the Beast is a somewhat darker fairytale, and never does the darkness overwhelm the beauty of the stories. I would highly recommend this collection to teen lovers of fairy tales.

Don't Say Goodbye

Things are changing.

I don't talk about my personal life, particularly the sad bits, a whole lot on this blog. Usually that's because there's not much to say about them. But sometimes there are.


My parents told me the news four months ago: we're moving. Not just to a new house, to a new state, almost eight hours away. Since then, life has been successively growing in craziness as we try to get ready to leave. Even so, I don't think the reality of our move fully hit- until this week, when suddenly Skillet's "Say Goodbye" has become the theme song of my life.

It seems strange and
I need to figure this out.

I've lived in the same house for nearly twelve years. To some of you, those who've lived in the same house or at least the same town all your lives, that may seem unsurprising. But for my family and me, it's a not-so-small miracle; by all rights, we probably should've moved at least once already by this time. But we haven't. We've been allowed to stay.

So why do we have to leave now?

 You got your life,
I got mine,
But you're all I cared about.

 I'm an introvert. That may surprise some of you; I'm a lot more outgoing online than I am offline. Online, talking to people, even strangers, is easy. Sharing my thoughts and feelings is easy. Offline, both things are a lot harder, and I tend to spend a lot of time by myself. However, being an introvert also means that I'm very attached to the friends I do have. They mean the world to me, and I look forward to every chance I get to spend time with them.

And now I'm leaving them behind.

Yesterday we were laughing.
Today I'm left here asking,
Where has all the time gone now?
I'm left alone somehow.
Growing up and getting older;
I don't want to believe it's over. 

As I said earlier, despite the craziness of moving preparations, the reality of our upcoming departure didn't really hit me until this week, my last full week here. Next weekend I leave for Support Staff at White Sulpher Springs, and once that's done, I officially move. So, this weekend has been filled with lasts: last Bible Study on Friday, last game night on Saturday, last church service and youth group on Sunday. My community, my friends, are slipping away.

 Don't say goodbye
'Cause I don't want to hear those words tonight.
'Cause maybe it's not the end for you and I.

 I don't want to believe those friendships are over. I want to believe that this isn't goodbye; it's only "see you later." I want to believe we'll keep in touch through email and letters and text messages until I can come back home. But enough other friends have moved or otherwise dropped out of my life that I'm afraid this is the end. That these goodbyes are the end.

I don't want the end to be now.

And although we knew
This time would come for me and you
Don't say anything tonight
If you're going to say goodbye.

Today is, effectively, one of my last full days in my home. I'll be spending the next two weeks volunteering at White Sulpher Springs as part of their Support Staff (which both excites me and terrifies me at the same time), and the movers come to pack up the house shortly after I return. Because of that, I almost feel like I'm already gone- like my home has said goodbye to me already, even though I haven't really said goodbye to it.
But "Say Goodbye" isn't the only song playing in my life.

I know who goes before me.
I know who stands behind.

I don't understand why I have to move. But I know God has a reason for it, that he planned it for us. He even gave me warning of it: in February, during a youth group lesson on words of knowledge, one of my youth leaders- one of the people I'll miss the most after I move- said God had given her a vision of a tornado while she was praying over me. We both thought it was weird but didn't recognize what it meant until later, until I found out about the move and realized this is it. That a tornado is a storm that picks things up and moves them other places, just as the move would uproot my family and me and move us to a new state.

The God of angel armies
Is always by my side.

In some ways, I feel like this move is a test, as if God's saying "When your life was easy, you called me your Great Author and thanked Me for my promise that I know the plans I have for you. Now that My plans are different than Yours, will you still thank me?" And I'm doing my best to do just that- to acknowledge that, yes, He does have a plan, and even if I don't understand, His plan is better than mine- even as I ask Him, why, why, why do we have to go?

The One who reigns forever,
He is a friend of mine.

I'm trying to look on the bright side of the move. The location is far from ideal- but it's also far from the worst it can be. The area, after all, is quite pretty (when it's not raining), and I'll have plenty of places to go take pictures and a backyard big enough to shoot my bow and arrows, and maybe I'll get to meet an online friend or two. I even used to daydream about living there when I was younger, opening my own bookstore- "Ye Olde Bookshoppe", named after a bookstore in one of my then-favorite books- which makes me wonder if, in the midst of this move, God's teasing me a bit. Anyway, we're only supposed to be there a few years, and then we can move.

The God of angel armies
Is always by my side.

 

God is sending us on this move for a reason. I keep reminding myself of that. And I keep reminding myself, as do others, that this'll be an adventure. Occasionally, if I'm in a good mood, I'll jokingly add "All those books about people going to other worlds seem to start with the people moving somewhere new. Maybe this is your chance!" But sometimes, my reaction to the thought of an adventure is the same as Bilbo's reaction to Gandalf's invitation: "Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! I can't think what anybody sees in them!" On those days, my spirit's still singing:

Don't say anything tonight
If you're going to say goodbye.

 

Lyrics from: "Say Goodbye" by Skillet and "Whom Shall I Fear" by Chris Tomlin.

A Gift From a Friend

So I fully intended for my next post to be either serious or a tag post . . . but I've got something I just have to share. Recently, a friend of mine, Lalaithiel, started making collages and agreed to make me two for some of my characters. She sent me the finished product a day or two ago and they're just beautiful, as you'll see in a minute.

 This first one is for Lianna, my brainkeeper/muse. (If you want to know what a brainkeeper is, the short answer is that they're kind of like the emotions in Inside Out, but for ideas and such instead of feelings, and the long answer can be found here. They're kind of an inside thing with The Potter School forums.) Anyway. I love how this collage fits Lianna, with all the books and the one picture at the top of the girl in the library (my personal image of a brainkeeper is a librarian in your mind) and the arrangement, and how it (in my opinion) captures her association with books and notebooks and also clipboards (because she's a disordered-sort-of-organized person) and her "No project's too big; let's DO THE THING!" attitude.

 This second one- my favorite of the two- is for Kaitlyn, my main character of Between Two Worlds. I love pretty much everything about this collage- the pictures and the colors and the arrangement and the quotes Lalaithiel picked (I gave her some suggested quotes, mostly from my story but also the one in the bottom left which is from Golden Daughter and has considerable significance in the story) and just everything. There's the "I am no Shadowwalker" quote on the dark forest, which is insanely appropriate for Spoilery Reasons, and the eye (which, for some reason, reminds me of Kaitlyn's longing for Aralan or at least to belong somewhere) and the one picture with the sparkly lights, and also the one at the very bottom with the holding hands because Aedon and Katelyn are pretty much my favorite couple I've ever written. I fangirl over them, no joke. And I'm also fangirling over these collages, because they're just so pretty and awesome and Lalaithiel is amazing, ok? And not just for her collages, for her poetry and writing and her personality and her friendship.

Anyway, I hope you liked seeing these. If you did, please leave some love for Lalaithiel in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

 -Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)  

The Familiar Question

Written while in line for Apollo's Chariot at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. 
 
The rattle-tat of track and chain
Herald the approaching train,
While screams of terror echo back
With the last car's clackety-clack.
As I step into my seat,
I swear it shakes beneath my feet.
And as it starts its creeping climb,
A familiar question comes to mind:
"After all the time I spent in line,
Why the heck am I on this ride?"