I just got my scores from the ACT back... and almost puked. Or something else dramatic, I don't know. It was shocking.
Now the first time I got a 28, which is a pretty good score. I've heard somewhere that students usually get a lower score on their second time. I have no idea if this is true, but let's just say I was expecting something in the same range. Not... that.
So I sit at the computer thinking, I've got to tell my mom I have my scores. I swear, she's been way more anxious than me. This time around, truthfully, I didn't even care. But she came into the room and I ended up just staring at her. I couldn't say the words.
Because I am just not that smart! I got a freakin' perfect in reading. Okay, not entirely surprising, but...
...a 34 is just ridiculous.
I still have to wait for the written scores, and that will change things up. It's the only one I really cared to know anyway.
Now I just have to show Mom.
Feeling ridiculously... something, and all "Oh God"...
Shine,
Thursday, April 24, 2008
The ACT... again
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Chosen by Ted Dekker
(Okay, I must apologize sincerely for not getting this up on time. Better late than never? Anyway, sorry, sorry, sorry.)
I read this book as soon as I could get a hold of it, because, well, it was Ted Dekker. 'Nough said. It didn't disappoint. *grins*
It's April 21st, time for the Teen FIRST blog tour!(Join our alliance! Click the button!) Every 21st, we will feature an author and his/her latest Teen fiction book's FIRST chapter!
Thomas Nelson (January 1, 2008)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ted is the son of missionaries John and Helen Dekker, whose incredible story of life among headhunters in Indonesia has been told in several books. Surrounded by the vivid colors of the jungle and a myriad of cultures, each steeped in their own interpretation of life and faith, Dekker received a first-class education on human nature and behavior. This, he believes, is the foundation of his writing.After graduating from a multi-cultural high school, he took up permanent residence in the United States to study Religion and Philosophy. After earning his Bachelor's Degree, Dekker entered the corporate world in management for a large healthcare company in California. Dekker was quickly recognized as a talent in the field of marketing and was soon promoted to Director of Marketing. This experience gave him a background which enabled him to eventually form his own company and steadily climb the corporate ladder.
Since 1997, Dekker has written full-time. He states that each time he writes, he finds his understanding of life and love just a little clearer and his expression of that understanding a little more vivid. To see a complete list of Dekker's work, visit The Works section of TedDekker.com.
Here are some of his latest titles:
Adam
Black: The Birth of Evil (The Circle Trilogy Graphic Novels, Book 1)
Saint
Our story begins in a world totally like our own, yet completely different. What once happened here in our own history seems to be repeating itself thousands of years from now,
some time beyond the year 4000 AD.
But this time the future belongs to those who see opportunity before it becomes obvious. To the young, to the warriors, to the lovers. To those who can follow hidden clues and find a great
treasure that will unlock the mysteries of life and wealth.
Thirteen years have passed since the lush, colored forests were turned to desert by Teeleh, the enemy of Elyon and the vilest of all creatures. Evil now rules the land and shows itself as a painful, scaly disease that covers the flesh of the Horde, a people who live in the desert.
The powerful green waters, once precious to Elyon, have vanished from the earth except in seven small forests surrounding seven small lakes. Those few who have chosen to follow the ways of Elyon now live in these forests, bathing once daily in the powerful waters to cleanse their skin of the disease.
The number of their sworn enemy, the Horde, has grown in thirteen years and, fearing the green waters above all else, these desert dwellers have sworn to wipe all traces of the forests from
the earth.
Only the Forest Guard stands in their way. Ten thousand elite fighters against an army of nearly four hundred thousand Horde. But the Forest Guard is starting to crumble.
one
Day One
Qurong, general of the Horde, stood on the tall dune five miles west of the green forest, ignoring the fly that buzzed around his left eye.
His flesh was nearly white, covered with a paste that kept his skin from itching too badly. His long hair was pulled back and woven into dreadlocks, then tucked beneath the leather body armor
cinched tightly around his massive chest.
“Do you think they know?” the young major beside him asked.
Qurong’s milky white horse, chosen for its ability to blend with the desert, stamped and snorted.
The general spit to one side. “They know what we want them to know,” he said. “That we are gathering for war. And that we will march from the east in four days.”
“It seems risky,” the major said. His right cheek twitched, sending three flies to flight.
“Their forces are half what they once were. As long as they think we are coming from the east, we will smother them from the west.”
“The traitor insists that they are building their forces,” the major said.
“With young pups!” Qurong scoffed.
“The young can be crafty.”
“And I’m not? They know nothing about the traitor. This time we will kill them all.”
Qurong turned back to the valley behind him. The tents of his third division, the largest of all Horde armies, which numbered well over three hundred thousand of the most experienced warriors, stretched out nearly as far as he could see.
“We march in four days,” Qurong said. “We will slaughter them from the west.”
Friday, April 04, 2008
God and Daydreams
What do you do when God taps you on the shoulder? I swear, sometimes I think He does crazy things just because He can. For example...
Okay, you remember way back when, when I posted about getting my reading position at WRP? (Going well, by the way.) Yeah, well, I... didn't tell it quite how it happened.
Yes, Georgiana D did lead me to the site. But I mean, what the heck kind of reader goes and looks in the employment oppurtunities section for the fun of it? Not me. Not usually.
But that sunday, as I lay in bed thinking, daydreaming, I came up with an idea. A situation to throw myself into recklessly. For the heck of it. I do it all the time.
Every night, or every morning, especially during those times when you're half asleep and the dreams come like music, I take characters, mine own, from books, myself, whomever, and toss them into situations, clash them against people, that I could never do in real life. Or in a real book. *grins*
But then I started getting excited about this idea. I said to myself, What if it really happened? Wouldn't that be cool? And then I started saying, But no, it couldn't happen. It's just my head getting to me.
Never say that when God's listening.
Fortunately, I was careful what I wished for. And when I went downstairs, trying to calm my tense stomach and fluttering pulse, I got on the computer and went straight for the WRP employment opportunities, knowing that it couldn't possibly happen.
Who, after all, would want a sixteen-year old girl to proof read a manuscript?
Apparently, the Wild Rose Press.
There was one thing, one small detail, that wasn't exactly the same as my daydream, but I didn't care. Nothing could disappoint me. I was on top of the world. Nothing could bring me down.
Last weekend, we went to Randy and Cindy's house, my dad's brother and wife (with a baby due in June! awww). Saturday we went shopping around some, got a flippin' awesome smoothie... etc. We had planned on going to Half Price Books, but just didn't have the time. We would go the next day.
That night in bed, listening to the TV downstairs, so tired I felt feverish, I wildly abandoned myself to a daydream.
Half Price Books, back corner clearance shelves, browsing the $1 shelve... and I stumble across... Coyote Dreams. This book was on my mind because I had just picked it up the day before at the library after waiting over a month for it and I to converge there on the same day. I finally had my sweaty little hands on it. And I couldn't read it yet.
But I'm patient.
Next day, we go into Half Price Books and Mom and I head for clearance. As I mentioned in my last post I'm broke. I even forgot to take my purse. The only way I was buying a book was if I found it real cheap and borrowed the money from my parents until we got home and I could pay them with spare change. Most of it in pennies.
So we browse. And then I stop, my mouth gaping and odd sounds coming out of it. Sort of like a high-pitched "Unhh..." Mom looks at me and I at her, and I say "Last night, I dreamed..." and on.
So I pull Coyote Dreams off the shelf and borrow $2 from Mom. Because it wasn't on the $1 shelf after all. But I didn't care. I was on top of the world. And this time I was staring down at the world around me in awe.
I read the book that day, no more waiting.
So now, God's tapped me on the shoulder twice. You've got my attention. Now what?
Thursday, April 03, 2008
ADAM by Ted Dekker
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Spring Reading Thing 2008
It begins again! I know it doesn't feel like it, but it's almost spring. Glorious, glorious spring. Hope. And a fat list of books. Eh-yeah.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out Callapidder Days, or particularly, the Spring Reading Thing post. This has all the info you might need to join us, and the Mr. Linky. *grins* Basically, lots of people, lots of books, and some free stuff. What more could a girl ask for? Plus, it gives me a chance to acutally read all those books that have been lying around my room, patiently awaiting my pleasure.
My prospective list for spring, in no particular order, following:
- A Passion Most Pure by Julie Lessman ~
- Across the Face of the World by Russell Kirkpatrick ~
- Stranger in the Shadows by Shirlee McCoy ~
- Kingdom's Hope by Chuck Black
- A Girl, a Guy and a Ghost by Sherrie Rose ~
- The Cat's Pajamas by Gilbert Morris ~
- Vanished by Kathryn Mackel ~
- Snow Angel by Jamie Carie ~
- Death of a Six-Foot Teddy Bear by Sharon Dunn ~
- Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis ~
- The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis ~
- The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis ~
- The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis ~
- Maximum Ride: School's Out -- Forever by James Patterson
- Twilight Eyes by Dean Koontz ~
- Illuminated by Matt Bronleewe
- Deadfall by Robert Liparulo
- The Sound of Secrets by Irene Brand
- Leaper: The Misadventures of a Not-Necessarily-Super Hero by Geoffrey Wood ~
- My Name is Russell Fink by Michael Snyder ~
- Angel in the Alley by Keith Clemons ~
- Sounds of Silence by Elizabeth White
- On Wings of Deliverence by Elizabeth White
- The Briton by Catherine Palmer
- When the Sandpiper Calls by Peggy Darty ~
- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
- The Honorable Imposter by Gilbert Morris ~
- A Soldier's Family by Cheryl Wyatt ~
- Raintree: Sanctuary by Beverly Barton ~
- Adam by Ted Dekker [I've got to find Eve...] ~
Hey, 30 even, not bad, not bad. See you on the flip side. *winks and laughs*
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
It's All In Your Head
Or at least mine.
Seriously, my brain comes up with the most improbable scenarios. Usually in the dead of night. I wonder if that's connected.
WRP started out this way. (Okay, early morning. Who gives a *cough* hoot?) Now I'm having daydreams that are wild, fun, impossible, and way to embarrassing to admit in anything that may constitute a public forum. (Kyrie, here I come!)
So, my head's stuffed with cool stuffs. But, it's all in my head. Yup. That's me.
My head needs cleaned out occasionally, I'm a'thinking. Somebody find me the vacuum cleaner. Gettin' dusty up in here.
*wanders out looking for cleaning supplies and imaginary e-mails*
*grins evilly in Nathan's direction* Figure this one...
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Search for the Lost Books
For any who have read Ted Dekker's the Books of History Chronicles (The Circle Trilogy, Showdown, Saint, Sinner, Chosen, Infidel, Renegade, Chaos), there's a game to be played. And prizes to be won. Check out this release.
March 4, 2008
Ready to Get Your Search On?
Pull out your thinking cap. Start warming up those fingers.
The Search begins in 2 Days. Find the Book, Win the Chevy.
Clever searchers have already begun uncovering the back story. To catch up check out the following websites:
Latest Blog Revealed by Paradise Sage:
Paradise Sage
Try and Uncover these Photo Clues:
Photo Clues
David Abraham's Blog:
Click Here
Created by fellow searcher, Puppetmaster, to help keep everyone in the know:
All The Details
Thoughts and Opinions are always welcome on the message boards:
TedDekker.com Message Boards
Find the Book, Win The Chevy.
My personal favorite though is Kaylanah's Blog. And for more details check out my super long post.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Full Moon Madness
Monday, February 18, 2008
NaNoWriYe
(Yes, another one.)
Call me insane, call me whatever you flippin' want. Personally, I call myself visionally challenged. I am just too darn lazy to get off my keester (or on it) and write. This is important to me. Really. I need to write. I just don't. And that's slightly problematic.
So I've gone and done it again. I've signed up for National Novel Writing Year.
My goal for the year is 100,000 words. That's a lot of crap. Although hopefully it won't be crap, because I'm giving myself some time to do it. If I don't procrastinate, that is. And if I do complete NaNoWriMo this year, that leaves only 50,000 for the other 11 months. Even though I have missed a month and a half, I should be able to make it past my goal. If, to quote another writer, I get in some butt-to-chair, fingers-to-keyboard time.
So, hopefully (I use that word a lot), I will start *coughs* posting my sentence a day again. Meaning, I'll be writing at least one sentence a day again.
See ya.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Strength
I know a kid, Kevin. He's two years younger than I and he's dying of cancer. I can't really remember how long this has been going on (I'm a monster with dates), but first he got leukemia, then lymphoma (or was it the other way?...). He was doing well after awhile. He got a bone marrow transplant and things seemed to be going well.
Then he crashed. I don't really know what happened, but they don't think he's gonna make it. There's nothing more the doctor's can do.
I found out this morning that the decision to stop trying new treatments, it wasn't made by his parents. He made that decision. That is strength.
And it made me wonder. Would I do that? Would I be able to do that? I don't know. I pray I don't have to find it. But it makes me wonder just the same.
And it made me determined to keep on top of something I discovered last night. Something to build strength. It's called The Éowyn Challenge.
Now do you realize how far those sturdy little hobbits walked during the course of The Lord of the Rings? Over 6,000 miles. That's really far. Me, I'm just aiming for Rivendell right now. Distance from Bag End to Rivendell: 458 miles.
1 down, 457 to go. See ya there.
Shine~Ley
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
*Stares Blankly At Screen*
Feeling weirded a tad bit right now. Pardon me.
I was feeling restless reading The Three Musketeers, after all I just won a book. So I decided to get on and go OCD checking e-mail. (Hey, I'm leveling up in DF too. Is that considered constructive?) So, I open up Yahoo! and guess what's waiting in my inbox?
No, I didn't win a million dollars. I never believe those anyway. I won... another book.
Yes, a book. That's three this year. Two today! It's like my birthday, but better 'cause it's totally unexpected. Like hearing a song you love on the radio is so much more exciting than popping in the cd. Unexpected and exhilarating. Not to mention just plain freaking weird.
I'm feeling the need to mark this day on my calender for all posterity or something equally irrational. I feel special.
Shine~Ley
'08 Is Looking Fine....
I won a book today.
Yes, me. I won. A book. My second this year.
That should be impossible. And I did it all by my lonesome. Buddy.
I never win. Ever. It's only February 5th. Whoa.
As you can see, I am still in shock.
But, seriously, COME ON!
*starts humming to self* I won, I won, da da da da dum.....
*giggles*
Monday, January 14, 2008
I Have a Job! (o' Sorts)
So it's not exactly a paying job.... I can deal with that. It's not like I can drive anywhere yet anyway. Something online works perfect for me. And this is exactly what I want.
So, this perfect pseudo-job? You want to know what it is? If you insist....
I'm a reader for http://www.thewildrosepress.com/ 's YA line, Climbing Rose. They're a very new line in the Wild Rose family, only having seven books out so far. I am very excited to be doing this. For me, it the the perfect opputunity. I'll be reading manuscripts, filling out evaluation forms, and perhaps even pointing out typos and mechanical mistakes. EEee!
And all this is thanks to Georgiana Daniels (for whom I have been giving out shameless plugs) who posted about her new and debut novel, Table for One, which is now available at The Wild Rose Press, and led me to the site. Yay!
Shine~Ley
(This is my first post of '08! Ipes!)
Monday, December 24, 2007
Fall Into Reading Wrap-up Post
Yeah, it's a couple days late. But it's here. Be happy.
I got almost all my books read. I was so close. But not quite. *sighs* Five of the books on my list didn't get read. Anna Karenina, Around the World in Eighty Day, Anne of Green Gables, Arrowsmith, and Bringer of Storms.
I admit, the first four I didn't really want to read. I will be reading them at some point nonetheless. They had to be returned to the library and I forgot to check them out again. Genuinely, I did forget. And if you know my memory, you might actually believe that.
The last book I didn't read, Bringer of Storms, I still intend on getting to before the new year. *snorts quietly* Guess we'll see, ya?
Getting all those books read was a relief. Of course, I now have a new stack, but it's slightly smaller and more manageable. I can get it done. If I managed this fall, I can certainly do it this winter. Boo-yah. *smiles*
Well, I have to go. Grandparents and the mysterious Matthias are here, and soon... the Relatives! *gasps*
Happy Christmas all!
(You better be happy with this Nathan!)
Shine~Ley
Monday, December 03, 2007
OBD
I am currently obsessed and bored out of my mind. I'm anxious to see which will win the next round. Undoubtedly, it will be a tie.
I have been playing spider solitaire for the last hour (and a half?) and if that's not a sign of absolute boredom, then, dang!, I don't know what is. I am also compulsively checking various forums and sites and turning imaginings to absolute mush from overuse. Obsession 101.
I've officially gone insane. (Again.)
Ah, yes. Also, I've been listening to This Is Halloween (the Marilyn Manson version), you know off of The Nightmare Before Christmas?, almost constantly. Something about that song just makes me want to giggle erratically. Hey, it's a distraction.
I should go write. It's a portion of my obsession, so I should be happy, but it interests me little. Really, I should go read, but that has nothing to do with it whatsoever and so interests me none at all. I'm never going to catch up on history. *sighs*
The joys and horrors of my 'little obsessions'. Why do I do this to myself? Oh wait, I remember. I don't. It just happens. Where are my books when I need them?....
....Life's no fun without a good scare....
Well, now that I've bored you all out of your minds, I'm off to moan and dream...
Shine~Ley
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Good-bye November, Helloooo December!
It's that time of year again. Bitterly cold weather, yet no snow. Cold feet, cold hands, and we're still not sure about the hearts thing. The panicking over the Christmas shopping yet to be done is starting to mount. And the final NaNo wordcounts have been posted, the documents closed and saved (or deleted) for posterity.
Ah, yes, it December, the most miserable *coughs*, I mean, wonderful time of the year.
Why am I up at the wee hours of the morning, when all sane people are in bed, you ask? Maybe you missed the portion when I mentioned NaNo, or maybe you just don't understand the term, but on this night, all across the globe, there are thousands of people just like me, some already finished and others frantically trying to.
Yes, it is the First of December and the grand and awe-inspiring National Novel Writing Month is finally over.
I, like the rest of the insane members of this crazy world of noveling, stayed up late typing as fast as my chilled and sore fingers could. Luckily I had a Buddy to keep me company into the wee hours of this chilly first day of December, to cheer and amuse, to encourage and rejoice with, our own dear Nathaniel, who hit an official wordcount of 4,505, quadrupaling his word count in only a few hours.
Though neither of us accomplished the distinguished (although, admittedly, demented) goal of 50,000 words of pure reading pleasure (read: absolute, but entertaining, crap), we accomplished our own personal goals with great zeal and verve. My own goal was to pass up my last year's NaNo count, which I achieved in excess of almost 4,000 words, bringing my total to 12,097, as an official, validated, and locked count.
Another fall almost crumbled and blown away, another winter creeping up in its silent ice-slippers. Seasons change, word counts peak and bed times come.
We have succeeded in changing our own little worlds this quiet night. November died, but novels, writers, were born. And a young December presses on, determined to give birth to a bitter, joyous winter.
And so, this hyped and slightly disturbed writer signs off for the night, wishing only to leave her readers enlightened and hopeful for the new month, coming season, and future NaNo.
Here's to future WriMo's and NaNo winners!
Congratulations to all the 2007 winners!
Special congratulations go to the especially deserving Circle Wrimo, history (fondly called hist) aka, haironastick, who outwrote everybody with an insane drive worthy of a true WriMo. You have inspired us all.
And to close, I finish with a quote I deem fitting, from our own dear Chris Baty. "Your optimism and plucky refusal to adhere to reality inspires us all."
Good night, cruel world! Save some cake for me!
Shine~Ley
Friday, November 09, 2007
NaNoWriMo
Yes, yes, YES!
I finally started my nano-novel! YES!!! Only 351 words, but dang, it's a start. I've decided that as long as I get more words than last year (8,000 some odd), I'm happy. Officially, I'm aiming for 20,000. I wasn't intending to do it by hand. It's slower and if I'm going for 50,000 it's too slow. But right now, I'm good just to write. Period. Maybe this'll help pull me out of my dump.
YES!!!!
Shine~Ley
(check me out!)
Friday, November 02, 2007
NaNoWriMo
It's November 2nd and I haven't written a word yet!!! AH!! *panics*
I'm leaving in like, an hour (less? I don't know) for ATF in Cleveland. I don't even have time to write! I'm scared. But I am taking my research with me. Maybe I'll have a little time. God help me. I can do this.
Anybody else up to the challenge (and maybe doing better than I am?)?
Ich bin nicht allein!
Shine!~Ley
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