Linda Adams: Author, Editor, Singer/Songwriter

I've Successfully Moved!

2008-10-20T17:35:00.000-07:00

All right, gang...
I've managed to import my blog properly into Wordpress.
The new URL is:
http://alyssastory.wordpress.com

Please update your bookmarks, and begin commenting over there instead!!

I'm still working on the sidebar/fun stuff, such as Photo of the Week, my book covers, the links, and all that jazz. The widget gizmos are different over there. Twitter doesn't work as well, but I found a workaround. And I'd have to pay a monthly fee to match my green background and colors to my website, which bugs me, but I'm... too frugal. hehe.
Overall it's not bad. Come see!

Comment Moderation Policy

2008-10-18T14:56:00.000-07:00

Those of you following my blog for a while know moderating comments is a new feature for me.

Those of you new to this blog, please understand that I will be glad to publish your comments regardless of whether you agree with me, so long as you present your thoughts in a polite manner, as I have mine.

This means without yelling in ALL CAPS, use of excessive punctuation!!!!!!!!!!!, name-calling (of anyone), making assumptions about my feelings which are clearly different than stated (proof you are either not listening, or deliberately misunderstanding), or attacking my religion.

Verbal abuse will not be published. Thank you.

My Stand on the Issues

2008-10-17T14:07:00.000-07:00

Those of you who've followed this blog for a while know that I'm not big on making political commentary. I'd rather stay out of it entirely, and if I could, I'd hide in a hole until all the elections were over. But that's not the right thing to do: the right thing is to RESEARCH the issues, PONDER on what you feel is right, and VOTE accordingly. Please, register to vote TODAY if you have not already done so!

Now for the soapbox. :)

Let me preface this by saying first that I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. Let me also say I carry no hate in my heart for anyone - not even those who hurt me. I seek for tolerance, forgiveness, and understanding of other points of view in all aspects of my life. I have love for all peoples and all nations, and for all my friends, including those whose political and religious views differ greatly from mine.

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in good standing. (Also known as "Mormons," though that's technically an incorrect term.) As such, I believe in the preservation and strengthening of traditional families and family values. I hold marriage as a sacred covenant. I uphold the Bible as the word of God, given to us to direct and aid our lives. I also uphold the Book of Mormon as the word of God, a second witness to the truth contained in the Bible. I sustain the leaders of my church - the First Presidency, and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, as modern-day prophets, seers, and revelators, called of God to guide us in our modern times. These three elements form a solid tripod of doctrine for us to stand on--and where the Bible may be unclear, mistranslated, or its words twisted to mean whatever someone wants it to mean, the other two elements reinforce, clarify, and explain.

I value my freedom of religion in the United States of America very highly. I am grateful we are all allowed the privileges of worshipping God however we choose. And because I value my faith, and my ability and freedom to exercise that faith as I see fit, the heavy agenda-pushing I see regarding Proposition 8 in California concerns me deeply. It is not because I wish to deny others certain privileges, or because I have "intolerance" or "hatred" for any group of people (I don't).

In today's politically correct winds, it is no longer "okay"--and it shouldn't be--to harass or discriminate against anyone of a different race or nationality or sexual orientation. But it's still perfectly all right to harrass and discriminate against Christians, like myself, and other persons of faith. It's all right to poke fun at the religious guy. It's all right to call him stupid, unenlightened, uninformed, unthinking, bigoted, and any number of names. This is clearly a double standard.

We have already seen in Massachusets, where same-sex marriages are legal, the same-sex agenda pushed into elementary school classrooms. Second-grade children were read a picture book about two princes who married each other. Parents sued feeling their religious freedoms were violated, and the case was dismissed, saying "They are not entitled to a federal judicial remedy under the U.S. Constitution." (Parker v. Hurley, http://www.ca1.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/getopn.pl?OPINION=07-1528.01A) A Methodist minister was sued by a same-sex couple who did not even belong to his congregation for refusing to perform a religious marriage ceremony. The church lost their tax-exempt status as a result. How does this uphold the Constitution?

You cannot tell me my freedom of religion is not at stake, with evidence like this behind it. It is already being trampled on. The groups behind these agendas are pushing very hard to destroy it. They are doing so in the false name of "tolerance," when it is clear as the sun at noonday that their vicious responses to any who object to their agenda are as intolerant and filled with hate--if not more so--than that of families who simply want to be left alone, to preserve their values and the tenets of their faith. And yes, those who object tend to be those with religious beliefs. It is clear they want us out of the picture--and they will do whatever they can to turn the tide of public opinion against us. It is clear they would like to destroy those beliefs if they could. How long before the government begins to regulate what a religion can teach, or practice, in the name of "no discrimination?" How long before these groups turn to violence to enforce their agenda?

Freedom of religion should be guaranteed in this country. Yet there are clear and glaring examples of when it has not been so. My religion, in particular, suffered severe attacks to homes and families in the 1800's, until we were obliged to relocate to the Salt Lake Valley, an unincorporated territory. In Missouri, Governor Boggs ordered us to leave or be exterminated--a law which remained on the books, actually, until far into the next century. Our homes and temples were burned, our men shot down in cold blood, our women and children tortured--all without any redress whatsoever from the United States Government--and in spite of the Constitutional guarantee of religious freedom. Could it happen again? I hope not.

Here's another notable news item. In California, a class of first-graders recently took a school-sponsored field trip to their teacher's lesbian wedding. Nevermind what kind of wedding it was: I've never heard of a field trip to a wedding before. My second-grade teacher got married during the school year, way back when, and my class didn't even get invitations. My son's fifth-grade teacher got married last year--his class wasn't invited, either. And why was the teacher's wedding even held on a school day? If this wasn't a publicity stunt, I don't know what is. And if we're going to teach wedding diversity to children, then we'd better also invite this same class to a straight wedding, a Catholic wedding, a Jewish wedding, a Muslim wedding, and how about a Buddhist wedding? Did I leave anyone out? Let's make sure we're completely fair. If we're going to teach "diversity," let's not forget that the very word itself means "a number of things that differ from each other." Not just one different thing.

And I must ask, where was all this "mandatory diversity training" in schools in the 60's and 70's, when the country was filled with race riots, the speeches of Malcom X and Martin Luther King, and the erasure of unfair and truly discriminatory Jim Crow laws in the South? I went to elementary school in the 70's. I cannot remember ever hearing the names of Rosa Parks or Ruby Bridges there. I learned about these brave souls when I was older, and still study the history. But I cannot remember one single time in public school, in that era any lesson on appreciating racial diversity. I am deeply grateful I was taught well at home, as a child, that we are all children of God, and to love everyone--which I did, and always have done. It's my natural way.

I also ask, when have we ever, as a nation, segregated homosexuals, forced them to use their own bathrooms, sit in the back of the bus, drink out of their own drinking fountains, refused them the right to vote, or even--horror of horrors--sold them as slaves? Never. I urge you to consider for a moment the difficult, terrible struggle against prejudice and basic human rights that African-Americans (and many other ethnic groups) have faced in this country. I urge you to think for a moment how much bigger a problem this has ever been; how much more prevalent and widespread the discrimination, the violations of human dignity, and outright terror faced, with no redress or even sympathy from the public eye at the time. I urge you to consider that while we have made significant progress against the terrible, deplorable ugliness that is racial prejudice, it is a disheartening fact that it still exists. It still needs work. A lot of work. Ask any person of color in the United States whether or not they are still affected by it. I am sure you'll be enlightened.

So: considering that racial discrimination has ever been a plague and has yet to be stamped out, where are the groups calling loudly for "diversity training" to be taught in elementary schools, insisting that their childrens' books be read--books, say, on making friends both black and white? Where are my children's packets? I haven't seen any "diversity packet" ever come home, in either of the states in which my children have attended public school, in the past thirteen years. One wonders whether these packets are only promoted and sent out in states where same-sex marriage is legalized. One wonders whether the promoters of such packets, which do also include picture books and facts on other cultures along with the same-sex family picture books, are genuinely interested in all diversity, or only their particular brand of it.

The books my children read have characters in them of all races and nations, and I embrace cultural diversity. I am thrilled that my children's classrooms, where we live, include friends from many nations, races, and backgrounds. That's a wonderful thing. But the point remains that there are no formal groups, of which I am aware, with the sole purpose of educating young children about different cultures, or even the history of this struggle in America. There are no groups bent on educating the white man in America about the everyday discrimination that persons of color still endure (which might be a good thing, actually--where is the Black Disney Princess, anyway? Oh--right, they turned her into a lion). And if there are, they're sure not hitting the headlines.

It begs the question: Why not?

My answer is because this type of prejudice, while reprehensible, does not directly attack families. It does not attack anyone's religion (of which I am aware). Yes, it needs to disappear. But it doesn't affect the fundamental process by which societies are renewed, regenerated, and prospered, generation by generation: families. I believe traditional families and religion have been under attack for some time, and that this is yet another example of the attack growing worse. Those who spin the words around would twist all people with Judeo-Christian values into "haters" and "bigots," "intolerant" of anyone who is different.

I am aware there are some crummy issues homosexuals face in their lives today, including discrimination by people who are homophobic or just plain mean-spirited (of which, I am neither). I have gay friends that I care about very much. These friends are wonderful people who lead productive lives, yet face a lot of pain due to these issues. I don't know of a solution which will make both sides happy. But I must support traditional marriage and families.

Families must be strengthened, not torn apart and attacked on every side, or redefined with every passing wind of popular thought. And families of faith must be allowed the freedom to teach their children the basic principles of their religions, whatever they may be, without suffering persecution for those beliefs. Without interference or indoctrination against those beliefs coming from the government, its agencies, or public schools.

With as hard as those behind the agendas are pushing against people like myself, who just want to keep my religion intact without being attacked and discriminated against for my beliefs, I feel I have an obligation to stand up and be counted. "Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God" (*"The Family: A Proclamation to the World," paragraph 2) is exactly and only what my religion teaches.

I feel I am, indeed, being attacked and persecuted for my faith when I express these views.

My support of Proposition 8 (even though I can't vote in California) does not mean I hate anyone. It is, in fact, against the principles of my religion to hate anyone. It means only that I am highly interested in preserving the religious freedoms I now enjoy.

Thanks for listening.

An Election Funny

2008-10-17T14:01:00.001-07:00

Okay, I got this in my email this morning and it was too funny not to pass on. Even if you're a supporter of the picked-on candidates here, you should get a chuckle.

It said:
"Forget black and white! Forget male and female! Forget liberal and conservative! It is really very simple!"

"Any questions?"

Withdrawing my support of Google.

2008-10-14T17:14:00.000-07:00

An Open Letter to Google:

I have recently heard of your lobbying against Prop. 8 in CA.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/our-position-on-californias-no-on-8.html

I am unhappy to see heavy corporate lobbying, and funding, going into issues that families and voters can decide on their own. I am sorry to learn that you have thrown out political neutrality to support an issue which has nothing to do with your business or any of the neutral services that you offer.

Surely you know that you have many users, advertisers, and investors on both sides of the issue. I am surprised you would choose to alienate at least half if not the majority of your clients by taking this highly charged political stand. I am, indeed, shocked that you would throw down this gauntlet in light of the fact your business name is now commonly used as THE household verb for searching the internet.

In my opinion, businesses such as internet search engines, email providers, and blog hosts have a fundamental need to remain neutral in all matters of politics. You fall in the same category as public libraries and other public services. You have made a terrible mistake, and I'm sad to see it.

I have been happy with Google's excellent services as a search engine over the years, and have appreciated the excellent services you offer, including Blogger and my children's Gmail accounts. However, as you are well aware, there are a multitude of other options available to us. You do have competition--plenty of it.

If Google as a corporate entity is going to get involved in politics and moral issues and use massive corporate spending to try to influence the way I and my family feel about these issues, I am afraid the time for my support of Google is done. As soon as I figure out how to do it, I will be migrating my blog elsewhere. My children have other email accounts available to them. And there are many other reliable search engines to choose from, all of which work very well.

Please reconsider what you have done.

I would far rather see Google spending large corporate dollars on feeding the homeless, clothing the needy, shipping wheelchairs and needed immunizations to the poor in Africa, or even causes as simple as donating the same amount you've wasted on political campaigning, to our citizens whose homes have been recently destroyed in Hurricane Ike. After all--if the money is just sitting there waiting for a worthy cause--there are far more important, more noble, and far less polarizing causes this money could have been used on.

This is a truly disappointing use of corporate funds and influence.

Linda Adams
Author
www.alyssastory.com

Another Parenting Phrase..

2008-10-06T17:57:00.000-07:00

So today we're making this year's applesauce with the Victorio strainer, which spits seeds and peels out one end and applesauce out the other. My 8-yr old is helping (along with turns by the other kids, who've been great help.)

So she says, in repsonse to something I said:
"Cooooooooooooool." With eyes wide as saucers and a big wide grin on her face.

So...what did I say to elicit this response? Any guesses?
Is this about the nifty strainer she doesn't see out very often? No.
Is it about the yumminess of the applesauce? No. (It's very good, BTW.)
Oh, no.... not with this little one.
Here's what I said.

"Oh! Don't swing that spoon, honey, you'll splash applesauce all over--all the way to the ceiling."

~sigh~

Just a tiny note....

2008-09-30T17:53:00.000-07:00

I'm changing my "The Mountain Is..." sidebar feature to a Photo of the Week feature instead. I'm still walking - but it's a chore to download a mountain photo into the PC every day and get it popped in. So - when I get an amazing shot of Mt. Rainier, I'll still post it. I'm not sure anyone's really following this particular feature anymore anyway... it's been outdated and I want to keep this fresh.
Thanks!

In Memory of Mara

2008-09-26T20:39:00.000-07:00

I'm posting this as a small tribute to a little girl who passed away in our stake this week to brain cancer. Mara Adams (NO relation to us - just family friends) was diagnosed about 11 months ago with a DIPG, or an inoperable glioma tumor on her brainstem. Monday Sept. 22, at 8:12 am, she left the Earth to return to our Heavenly Father.

Her services were today, and were beautiful and comforting. People on "Mara's Team" stayed up very late putting thousands of pink and purple ribbons along the five miles of roadside between Mara's house and the church.

I'm finding that even though we have strong testimonies of the plan of salvation, the Atonement, and the power of the Resurrection, it's still hard to part with such a sweet little girl. I can't imagine what her parents are feeling, or what it must be like to have to go through this trial. They are truly a wonderful family and very kind, loving parents.

I wanted to share her website and blog with you, because it's very touching and uplifting, even though you'll need boxes of Kleenex:
http://www.maraadams.com
There's also a lovely pictorial of Mara someone has put together on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5STq_vHIeg

She was a lovely, courageous, and spirited little girl who loved life, and is resting now in the Celestial Kingdom. I am so grateful for the doctrine of eternal families, and for the sealing powers that ensure we can be together forever.

Booksigning! Sept 18, Auburn WA

2008-09-10T14:47:00.000-07:00

Newsflash! I've been invited to sign books at the Nuttall Dentistry Open House next week in Auburn, WA:

Kent Nuttall, DMD
722 12th St
Auburn, WA 98002
Phone: 253-939-0700
Date: THURSDAY, Sept. 18
Time: 4 - 7:30 PM

Dr. Nuttall is a great dentist, and has just finished a huge remodeling of his office. He's hosting a really fun event to show off his new digs. They'll be grilling burgers out front, with more snacks inside.

In addition, he wanted to showcase some of his more interesting patients during the event, and I made the list! Fun. He just called me today, so I'm getting the word out as fast as I can. Along with me will be a gal from Indonesia who survived the tsunami, and I think a few others. I doubt I hold a candle to the tsunami, really - but he's giving me a table and some space to show off my books and sign them for you. Thanks so much!

Good thing I ordered more books in stock!
I'll be ready to roll. See you there!

End of Summer Update

2008-09-03T14:37:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!
It's gone pretty well taking the head count with 'anonymous' posters... so I'll leave that setting on for the time being, moderating comments on posts older than a few days. You can still comment and leave your count! I won't forget you. Promise.

School started today for everyone but my first-grader. I'm typing this up as I wait for my middle-schooler to come home and let me know how that first scary day in middle school went. So I'll keep this short.

I'm still plugging away at the manuscript. I added a decent number of words over the summer, and it's coming along and fitting together all right. I feel I've passed the halfway mark (should I even admit that?) - yay! - unless it winds up a lot longer than I think it's going to be... which could happen.

The great news is that starting tomorrow, I begin that long-awaited chapter of my life called "No Kids At Home During the Day" - and I expect to push forward on the book at a faster pace than I've been able to before.

The hours between 8:30 and 2:30 will still move fast though, and I'm sure there will be plenty of service moments in there to spend the time. But I do treat my writing like a job, which means (if you're among my local friends!) I may not answer the phone while I'm working, and so forth.

All right. Wish me luck, and as ever, if you are so inclined, I appreciate your prayers and kind thoughts in my behalf. Thank you for your continued support and wonderfulness! I have the best fans on the planet. :)

Need a HEAD COUNT, Please...

2008-08-11T18:20:00.000-07:00

All right folks, it's about time I took an informal survey to have some idea how many copies of "Zion Rising" (that'll be BOOK 3, those who are waiting!) I'll need to order.

Since there's been a LONG wait, I'm willing to put out a First Edition on my own while I shop it to publishers. (Yes... my 2nd publisher also ceased to publish books last year, so I have to start all over... again) I have several options to look into, but the bottom line is business, and I don't want to wind up with too many--I can always reprint.

So... if you're waiting, AND are going to BUY the book, not just snag a copy from your friend (which is OK! I'm happy you're reading it!), please leave a comment here with a # of how many you'd pre-order.

This is NOT an official pre-order call! I need a better spreadsheet before I work that out.

But if we're all lucky, and it's a green light from the first readers without massive plot rewrites, my hope is to have something available to all you wonderful people before the year is out. Keep praying for me... I do need them. :)

Thanks!

PS: I'm doing a scary thing here and opening up my blog to comments by "Anyone" temporarily, so you don't need a Blogger/Google account to chime in on this one.
This is a TEMPORARY setting! Please don't abuse it. :) Thanks!

Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming...

2008-08-04T13:42:00.000-07:00

That's my theme for August.
I love Dori and her simple but effective advice to Nemo ("Finding Nemo" by Disney) in this little, one-line, catchy song. It works - and it's very true.

I'm continuing with Tristi and the gang on a second BIAM (Book In A Month) challenge, which is really just continuing the momentum we got going in July. Feel free to join us, if you're a writer and need some motivation!

Tristi's BIAM Challenge Blog

It is my fervent hope and prayer that I will have a completed, reasonably presentable draft available to selected "First Readers" sometime in September.

Please, if you feel so inclined, include me in your prayers that I'll have all the tools and capacity I need to finish this book. This request goes especially to any of you who happen to be WAITING rather impatiently to READ it. :) I could certainly use this help if you can give it. I'm a firm believer in the power of prayer. I know that as we all pull together that good things can come to pass.

Thanks for all your loyalty and support!

Hooray!

2008-07-27T00:35:00.001-07:00

Okay... this may be a little silly, but it worked.
I'm participating in Tristi Pinkston's BIAM (Book in a Month) challenge this month, and she told us all that if we made our writing goal for Friday and Saturday, we could snag this picture from her blog.

So: I did it!
I wrote 1500 words last night and 1300 tonight.

And no, you can't read any of them.

Sorry! The sneak preview window is officially closed until the MS is complete.

However, I am open to additional motivational tools to keep me going, your sincere prayers on my behalf that I can finish this thing this summer, and your continuing support and loyalty to these books. I appreciate each one of you very much!

THANK YOU!

If you're on Facebook -

2008-07-23T23:40:00.001-07:00

Then come on out to my brand-new "Pages" for each of my books!
Come see!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Prodigal-Journey-by-Linda-Paulson-Adams/21514688670
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Refining-Fire-by-Linda-Paulson-Adams/40245143464

While you're there, you can click to "Be a Fan!" of each book, and if you want to, you can post something to the discussion board or the Wall. Could be fun!

Thanks!
...And YES, I'm still working furiously on Book 3 of this trilogy!

Quick UPDATE on Kirby & Corbin!

2008-07-09T23:30:00.000-07:00

Hi folks!
It's confirmed - Kirby and Corbin will perform a mini-set at the Good Ol days Stage at 3 p.m. right smack in the middle of main street in Auburn.

Also, they will be signing autographs at Deseret Book at 11:00 a.m. Please ask me if you don't know how to get there.

Also, if you buy 4 $10 tickets, you get one free - 5 for $40 - a great deal!

We expect to sell out the day of the concert, as we'll be selling the rest of the tickets during Good 'ol Days, so please don't wait till the last minute to get yours, or you may be disappointed!

This is not General Admission (sit wherever you want) but numbered seating, which is another reason not to wait. Why sit in the back-40 when for $2 more you can sit up-front and center?

If you've been to any event in the PAC--you know what I'm talking about.
Thanks, everyone!

Come see KIRBY HEYBORNE in concert!

2008-07-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

I have exciting news!
KIRBY HEYBORNE is coming to Auburn for a concert on August 9th at the Auburn PAC at 7pm! Kirby is appearing with special guest CORBIN ALLRED. That's a Saturday, and the same day as Auburn Good Ol' Days, where I hear they'll be taking the stage downtown for a few, too.

Many of you know Kirby and Corbin from movies they've been in, separately or together: Saints and Soldiers, The Best Two Years, and quite a few more.

Tickets are $10, $12, or $20 - but hurry, Premium seats are going fast!

I have tickets for rows F or P in my hot little hand for you, or you can order online: http://www.kirbyheyborne.com/concert_tix.php
If you order tix online, please put my name, "ADAMS," in the memo box, because then we get credit for the sale. (perks! perks! perks!)
You may also call LISA SAXEY at 253-229-6470 for tickets - please mention we sent you! Thanks!

Kirby is an actor and singer/songwriter, and is a terrific entertainer in concert. He has an amazing voice. Last year my jaw dropped as I listened to him outsing Elton on "Rocket Man." Wow! His humor between songs will keep you cracking up in the aisles, and his original songs will keep you listening.

Truly a fun concert with a great person. Kirby always stays after as long as it takes to meet every fan who wants to say hello. He's signed our T-shirts, purses, cameras, scraps of paper and yes - even CD's.

To preview Kirby's music, visit his website, or listen on his MySpace: www.myspace.com/kirbyheyborne. Add him as a friend!

Thanks, everyone! See you at the show!

Who should play Alyssa?

2008-07-03T15:07:00.000-07:00

Soooo......
Who would YOU cast in a movie of my books?
Who's your favorite actress for Alyssa? Peter? Jon? Debra? Caldwell? General Horne?

There's a FUN new website out there - Storycasting - which lets you set down who you'd like to see playing the roles in all your favorite books. It's really fun.

I just got my books set up out there and got an Author account.
It's a blast. C'mon, it's summer - play a little!

Hop out there and let me know who you think would be great!
Here's the direct link to my books:
http://www.storycasting.com/author.aspx?id=cea4516e-ff6f-4418-af1e-6e69a45abf67
Thanks!

Blessings Fall From Heaven

2008-07-01T14:52:00.000-07:00

Surely Prince Edward Island fell a little less far from the Garden of Eden than the rest of the earth.

I'm back, and adapting to the four-hour time zone difference, still a bit woozy and brain-foggy, but ready to get started on another BIAM challenge over in Tristi's neck of the woods: http://tristischallenges.blogspot.com

Here's a brief report of a miracle that happened on our last day in PEI. We spent the day in Charlottetown, wrapping up the gift-shopping and last-minute sightseeing before we were due at the airport. I was lopsided on my souvenirs: I'd found gifts for my girls, but being in a rather "girl" oriented locale (what with all the "Anne" trinkets), I was doing poorly finding anything to bring home for my boys.

Finally! We found a store that had some toys... pop guns, kites, and the like that fit just perfectly. I was so relieved!

Then we went to Subway for sandwiches to take on the plane, and hit a couple of fun used book stores on none other than - yes, I'm not making this up - Queen St.

We took our packages back to the car and stowed them before making a tour of Province House, which is the place where the Idea of Canada was born, during a lavish all-night ball where all the dignitaries discussed uniting the separate provinces. (Happy Canada Day today, BTW, all you friends from the North!)

Then it was off to the airport, where we checked in the rental car.

And in taking out my bags I was horrified to discover that while somehow I still had my Subway sandwich, I no longer had the white bag containing all the goodies for my kids (and one or two for myself, to be honest). It made no sense! How could I have one bag, and not the other? I'm ashamed to say I freaked out a bit - we were a touch later than we wanted to be, with one hour till takeoff, the car was already checked in, and we were at least twenty minutes outside downtown Charlottetown where we'd done the shopping, down by the harbor. Not only that, but I'd checked the airport gift shop when we were there before, and hadn't found anything suitable - even willing to spend more money, there wasn't anything nifty around.

Well.... a wonderful employee named Jill at the rental car counter offered to make some phone calls for us. We called the Subway, which was the most likely guess as to where I'd left the bag - and they had the bag behind the counter.

One problem solved. But we had no way to fetch it.

Jill then offered to call another employee who was downtown at the time, and explained the situation. This wonderful person picked up the bag for us and brought it to the airport. Then our outgoing flight was delayed an hour, which took the stress off of worrying how soon the courier would arrive. I've never been happy a flight was delayed in my life!

It's a tiny airport - as you can see from the photos - so getting back and forth between all the counters wasn't the navigation nightmare it normally is.
But still: this was a real and true extra mile, and I am extremely grateful. It took not one, two, or even a few honest and kind people to ensure that little sack was returned - and I'm well aware there are very few other places on earth where it wouldn't have been gone forever. They wouldn't even allow me to tip them - I tried - they said, "No, no, this is just what we do!"

Such are the people who live on Prince Edward Island.

Thank you, so much... to everyone who had a hand in making that effective return... especially to my Heavenly Father, who must have been looking out for me and my little plain white sack of toys. I feel greatly blessed.

Anne & Diana On the Island

2008-06-25T07:42:00.000-07:00

I have a terrible confession to make... and that is that I'm new to the Anne of Green Gables books by Lucy Maud Montgomery. These are delightful books, and I'm slowly making my way through them. I read a few of her other books in college, but I have an odd tendency to avoid things that are just too popular. (Thank goodness I learned about Harry Potter before Harry was big - I may have skipped those too.) I'm just odd that way.

So... with this year's vacation taking me to a wonderful place with one of my most wonderful lifelong friends, I thought it was about time I started reading - since Jen has always said I'm "Diana" and she is "Anne" (yes, she has red hair!), and we are kindred spirits. And this year she invited me to go with her to the place it all began, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Now I understand better what "kindred spirits" really means. Who couldn't fall in love with the delightful character of Anne Shirley? I dare you to try.

A second terrible confession will tell you I'd never left the Continental United States, either. So - I'm fixing both at once.

I'm enjoying a lovely beach house with a breathtaking view here on "The Island," having a wonderful time reconnecting with my friend. Taking a few moments to share some of the breathtaking scenery with you all, as we take a momentary break from touring the countryside. It's an incredible place - lush greens, red sands and dirt reminiscent of Zion National Park, blue sky and water, white fluffy clouds in the sky. All these colors are accompanied by friendly people, stores closed on Sundays, picturesque churches along every road, and rolling rural landscapes galore. Just as L. M. Montgomery described them.

The most scrumptious discovery so far is that the Canadians here know how to make dairy products to exceed all other dairy I've ever tasted... hands-down the best cottage cheese, milk, butter, sour cream, cheeses, and especially ice cream. (I hope my clothes don't shrink too much from this trip!) I can't even begin to describe it. It was also a nice discovery, after tootling around all this quaint countryside, to find that Charlottetown really is an actual town, with lots of familiar sights: Wal-Mart, Old Navy, Michael's, supermarkets and all the familiar fast-food chains we know in the USA. (Yep - we'll skip eating at those... we have that at home!)

So here's a few photos. I'm tickled pink I landed some of these. Usually I'm not much of a photographer, but I've been lucky.

I posted a few more to my MySpace Photos/Scenery album than I linked to here.

A family of Canada geese was hanging out just across the fence of the miniature golf course we were playing.

We found this little fellow among the lupines. Anyone know what these insects are? I sure don't.

Close-up of a lupine. The lupines grow wild all along the side of the road here. We haven't found any ladyslipper yet, but we're looking.

Writing Update - Breakthrough!

2008-06-18T23:34:00.001-07:00

Yay!

Finally amidst the chaos last week my subconscious opened up a little file and let me know another piece of the plot puzzle of book 3. That may sound strange, but this book is coming together more strangely and more disjointed than any other story I have ever written... and I have to hope that somewhere in my mind, I know what I'm doing.

So now I have answers to a few questions, and I can move forward.
It's nice when writers' block comes undone. But it meant I scrambled to get the chapter written down before I lost it - in the middle of a hundred other things I had to get done. Oh well! So it goes.

Now I just have to figure out whether my readers can handle Brigham Young creating a time-dilation field in the middle of an intense showdown between Alyssa and...

Oh, I've said too much already.
You guys have any office pools going on who dies in the last book?
You should.

Bwahahhaahahahahahaha.... yes, I know I have a rotten streak.
:)

Landmark Day

2008-06-14T23:52:00.000-07:00

Today was significant.

Today my oldest child graduated from high school.

I feel strange, and old, and like too many eye wrinkles are showing up in snapshots lately - but also very pleased at how terrific she's turned out, and in awe that this day has actually arrived. It wasn't that long ago she was tiny and toddling.

She was chosen as Student of the Year by the Department of Performing and Visual Arts faculty. In addition, she informed us a few weeks ago that "I want to speak at graduation," went off and wrote a great speech in a few minutes, turned it in on time and auditioned, and was chosen as one of three seniors to speak at commencement.

I wasn't surprised - because whatever she decides she wants to do, she does it. And she turns it out well. But I was still amazed. All the seniors are pretty incredible, actually. She has some fabulous friends graduating with her.

I'm beginning to understand the feeling behind the verse: "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." (3 John 1:4, KJV)

I'm realizing that this event signals a life change for all of us in our family: it is the beginning of the end, the point where children fly away and begin their own adventures, the signal that someday, there really will be an empty nest.

With five more to go, that's still hard to believe, but we have the proof of our own eyes in front of us: children do grow up. Whether you want them to or not, whether you do your parenting well or poorly, the relentless passage of time shapes them into adults. At this point, as parents, we have to sit back and hope we taught them all we wanted to teach them, that they listened enough, that we listened enough... and let them go.

Healing -

2008-05-23T18:06:00.000-07:00

You might not believe this, but truth is stranger than fiction--after I last posted, two other acquaintances from our church congregation also passed away in April, both in their 40's, both sudden and unexpected.

Two sets of three, or six deaths in a month?
I couldn't put that in a book - I'd be laughed out of author-town.

I am healing. I'll be back to blogging soon, I expect. I've been outside in the spring weather, planting things.

Seems to always help.

We have a new kitty that we named Delilah (yes, after the Queen song - she's a lot like that cat, except she doesn't have accidents on furniture). Here's a photo:

She's six years old and we rescued her from the Humane Society, where she had been turned in because the previous owners had a new baby in the house. (We had six babies, and cats, and never had any problems... well, we're glad for a wonderful new cat, but sad this happened to her.) She has a massively loud purr and loves to ride on our shoulders. Lots of fun.

Thanks for all your support. My friends are wonderful. You know who you are. :)

Three More Friends...

2008-04-09T17:13:00.000-07:00

...have passed away since Saturday.
Ruby passed away Saturday evening.
http://livingwithruby.blogspot.com
B. passed away Monday around midnight in ICU.
And D. passed away Tuesday morning in a one-car auto accident.
http://www.kmbc.com/news/15829654/detail.html

This is a little tough.

My daughter has the flu (again) and I have to go tend to her.
I'll be back when I can.

The Rainbow Bridge

2008-04-04T17:11:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd post this link too:
http://www.indigo.org/rainbowbridge_ver2.html

The Rainbow Bridge is a story/poem by Paul C. Dahm.
It's gone around and around the Internet, so many of you may have read a version of it before. Bring Kleenex... especially if you haven't heard it until now. This is a very nice Flash player version with photos of pets and animations.

I really like the meaning behind it. I can believe such a place, or something like it, exists somewhere.

He's Gone...

2008-04-02T19:23:00.000-07:00

Tango passed away yesterday between 5:30 & 6 pm.
We had to take him to the vet to help him not suffer anymore.
Yesterday he lay on his side on the couch all day long... he couldn't stand up anymore, or walk, but if I tried to cuddle him, he squirmed away - he just wanted to lie flat on his side. His eyes looked vacant, like nobody was home. He was miserable.
It was time.

We buried him in the backyard after everyone got home from their evening church activities. Eight people standing around with a strong work-light, crying and having a family prayer.
Today the kids are all right.
I'm exhausted.
Less crying today than yesterday, waiting the terrible wait for the appointment.
Today I washed his bowl and cleaned his litterbox and put things away.
He was just about 16 years old.
It's been good to reflect on the blessing he was in our lives. We have many Tango stories which will keep us smiling. Gratitude for him and his great companionship help ease the sadness. We haven't had a kitty this old before, and he didn't slow down at all until the last two weeks of his life. That was a blessing too. He was an active, alert fella and always wanted to be in the middle of things. He wouldn't have liked a long slow-down period just sitting by the fire. I've observed many blessings throughout this process, and a number of small but tender mercies.
He was a great cat.
I don't know if there will ever be another one like him.

[Edit: Adding two links from the www.lds.org website that I found this afternoon, which were comforting. I appreciated the quotes from past prophets found here.]

Here is one from the Friend, geared for children, with doctrinal references at the bottom (bring Kleenex!!):
My Old Friend, Shepherd
Francis M. and Sheila R. Woodard, “My Old Friend, Shepherd,” Friend, Apr 1999, 20 (I may print this one off & use it for FHE soon)

I Have a Question: Animals and the Resurrection
Gerald E. Jones, “I Have a Question,” Tambuli, Mar. 1979, 19–20, 48
(Very good quotes & references... very comforting.)

Tango is still with us

2008-03-30T19:41:00.000-07:00

...For now.

I disturbed him with the flash in these photos... sorry, kitty.
If you know Tango, you can see the weight loss in his face here. He gets a little thinner every day, a little weaker.

It's so hard to gauge when is the "right time," whether or not the soul of a little creature wants to stay, or move on Home. I can't tell whether he's in pain, but he's moving slow, taking his time to lie down. When he's standing, he wobbles a bit and seems unsteady. But he can still jump up on the couch or the bed, climb the stairs, and do most of the normal things he's used to doing. He's still himself.

Tango hasn't shown his age at all until this past week. People are always surprised when I say he's 16... but we have the kids' memories, and photos, to prove it. He's an old man now... in human years he'd be around 90, I guess.

Today he wanted to wander outside for a bit, so I followed him. He looked mildly insulted at my chaperoning his little jaunt. But I'm not about to let him out of sight outdoors at this point. I brought him in when I got cold. He probably would have stayed out longer, but it was pretty brisk out there.

The weather has been unusually strange for spring in Seattle. It snowed three times this week, after no snow all winter long. It should be warming up about now. Crazy.

I can't explain very well how treasured my time with this particular cat has been. I've always had a cat, and I'll look for a new kitten after he's left us... but he's been a remarkable cat. It's hitting me pretty hard.

At this point I don't know if waiting for him to go and watching him slowly collapse is harder than it's going to be after he's gone, and I'm left with empty arms, no more fur to pet, no more meow to greet me. And I can't bear to send him off before he's ready to go. They say "they'll let you know," and that's been true with the other pets we've had to send to sleep in the past... but I have my fingers crossed that maybe he'll just go quietly, at home, in peace.

The Easter Egg Hunt is on!

2008-03-24T20:08:00.000-07:00

All right. In the interest of sheer nonsensical fun, to lift myself out of the doldrums I've been in all day, I've hidden an "Easter Egg" somewhere on my webpage for you. Clue: Yes, it has to do with Book Three.
Visit www.alyssastory.com to find it!

Those of you familiar with the Easter Egg concept in DVDs and video games - you're already gone.

Those of you who aren't, or who aren't waiting for the elusive Book Three - what's wrong with you? :)

I didn't even hide it very hard. Next time I do this, I'll make it harder.

Enduring to the end, and Easter thoughts

2008-03-24T10:42:00.001-07:00

All right, I'll say straight-up that this isn't a fun topic.
But my sixteen-year-old cat Tango took a turn for the worse with his kidney failure this past week, and this morning it's readily apparent he's not going to be with us much longer.

He's been holding on fine for a while without getting worse. But today he's dehydrated and moving slowly. There's not a lot of heroics to do here, although he's going to the vet soon for an evaluation. It's a matter of time now... days, weeks, or months, I'm not sure yet.

This photo is one of my favorites. This is the face that greets us at the door when we come home. He's been a wonderful companion. I've always had a cat, but this one is special. He almost died when he was five years old, and I prayed back then for God to please give me five more years with him. Well... the Lord gave me not five, but eleven. I can't complain. But it's still hard to know he'll be gone soon.

But it's not just my pet, this week.

Besides him, my most wonderful friend from high school and college roommate, told me Friday that her cancer has begun to grow again. No one knows how long it will be, but soon she'll run out of meds that work on her type of cancer, and there will be nothing more they can do but wait for it to take over.

I have another dear friend who is over eighty and recently suffered a stroke. She's too weak to get better, and the latest news Sunday is that they are working on hospice care... so it's only a matter of time before she also leaves us.

I'm understandably sad about all this, but in the midst of it I find myself surprised... and surprised at my own surprise.

I've known Tango's kidney failure would eventually take him from me. I've known for years about my friend's cancer. And my other friend's stroke was several months ago. None of these things today are surprises.

Beyond that... frankly, it's "just a matter of time" for any of us. No one wants to think about it, but the fact is, we're all going to die. It's always struck me a little funny in the movies when some disaster is coming and someone screams, "We're all gonna die!" - because that's stating the obvious. The surprise in such a scene comes from the moment being "now!"

From the moment we're born, the clock starts ticking. Each of us has a different timer. No one knows the exact moment ours will run out, but we all know it will. No matter what your personal views are on life, religion, or the existence of the afterlife, that much is a known fact. No one escapes it. No one can cheat it.

The most known fact about mortal life is that it's temporary. But it's still a surprise to be told death is approaching someone we love, soon.

My personal testimony is strong in an afterlife that's a pretty nice place to be, where we'll be with our loved ones (yes, and our pets too, in my opinion), families, and friends again, only it's a much better place. I feel confident that the life of the soul is immortal, and continues to develop and grow beyond the grave.

I have a firm testimony of a literal Resurrection, brought about by our Savior, Jesus Christ, which miracle and gift we commemorate at this Easter season. I know this truth with every fiber of my being. I know that every soul that lives will return Home to that God which gave us life, and that for those who have lived well, like my friends, it will be a joyous reunion. They will be with the Savior. And in due time, every soul will be resurrected, body and spirit reunited to its perfect frame, never again to be separated. This is the object and design of our existence.

I have a reasonable understanding of death, how it was brought into the world by the Fall, and how its effects are removed by the Atonement of Christ. I feel I have a grasp of its purpose, and some idea of where we go afterwards, and that it's not a bad thing.

All this, and I'm still miserable when I have to face someone I love leaving.

Another Great Song

2008-03-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

Okay... here is another AWESOME song, by my friend Mike Caro (Substudio) in NYC. Please take a listen. I've been playing it over and over... I can't believe these guys never made it big. They just barely missed a window. This was recorded 18 years ago... and should have been a big hit. Man!

I think I enjoy this song as much as any Queen song. Wow. :)

"Life's Strange (Join The Parade)"
©1990 Falcaro
http://www.substudiomusic.com/LifesStrange.mp3

To join in a discussion about this song, click here:
Just Plain Folks Forum - "Life's Strange"

Enjoy! I'm not sure how long Mike will leave the song up, so hurry.

First Signs of Spring

2008-03-13T20:13:00.000-07:00

I've been rained out from walking twice this week, today included. Normally it doesn't come down this hard - it "mists" more than really rains - and when it wasn't pouring, my schedule was full. But the other day I was able to take some photos of early signs of spring. These were taken with my cell phone, so the quality isn't great, but it's fun to see the bulbs coming up.

The miniature daffodils are a cheery sight as you come up to the house.

The Johnny-Jump-Ups, or violas, have actually bloomed all winter.

The bluebells are starting to send out tiny, delicate little buds.

The hyacinths are starting to push up too.

The trees are starting to bud, though no leaves are out yet. Our redbud tree bloomed this week, and it looks like our new peach tree may blossom any day now. All the rhododendrons are forming buds. There are so many everywhere... it's just gorgeous when they come into bloom every year.

I thought it would be fun to post these, in case you're in a spot packed full of snow. And if you're in the southern hemisphere, headed for fall... we can compare seasons.

I'm Still Here!

2008-03-12T21:55:00.000-07:00

I did walk today - just so you know - but have not posted my pictures yet.
It's been quite a busy week!

Mt. Rainier is OUT, enjoying the sunshine!

2008-03-05T09:08:00.000-08:00

All right!
After a week of taking photos and posting them, this is the FIRST DAY Mt. Rainier has shown up in all its glory. It's a gorgeous sunny morning, and the sunlight caught it just right.

How about that!
If you're local to Seattle - hop out somewhere today where you can see it before it's gone.
If you're not local, but watching the photos change on the sidebar, maybe you'll get a feel for why we all get excited. :)

I'll post the picture here as well, so it stays up:

A Curious Phenomenon

2008-03-03T11:39:00.001-08:00

I've noticed a trend. Now, maybe I'm a little slow getting this, but... oh well.

To get a leg up on being a Famous Band in the new millenium (to be fair, the trend goes back to the 90's), your band needs a name with a compound word. Not a REAL compound word, mind you - something made up which makes either no sense, almost no sense, or is based on some inside joke only the band members know.

Remember in the 60's, you had to have a cool animal name starting with "The?" Notable non-animal exceptions were The Who, The Doors, The Zombies, and The Guess Who... but you still had to have "The." There's still a few of these around.

Let's look at a few big names on the scene:

Coldplay
Nickelback
Radiohead
Sum41
Sugarland
Lifehouse
Then there's the ones that use a space between the two words. I'm counting these too:
Maroon 5
Pearl Jam

And MySpace lists a number of lesser-known indie/unsigned artists in their Top 100:
Stone Sour
Mayday Parade
DragonForce
Yellowcard
Buckcherry
Sugarcult
Blind Melon
TeamSleep
Beecake
Cobra Starship
Questlove

And who can forget Kurt Cobain's favorite, the Meat Puppets? There's a name that sticks with you, whether you want it to or not.

It's possible Queensryche started it back in the 80's... (although is "schryche" even a word?) But they weren't huge. (Name one hit without Googling - yep.) So where did this come from? Who really started it? Why does it persist? Why do I torment my brain with these sorts of questions?

I was a little disappointed to find out that "nickelback" is actually a football term. But it's not a common term, and it doesn't mean a player worth 1/5 of a quarterback, so I'm counting it.

I'm not counting words & phrases you can make some sense out of, either, though there's a few of those: "Crossfade" is an audio term, and "Push Play" is kinda smart subliminal advertising. Although, to be fair, the Foo Fighters, Artic Monkeys, Flogging Molly, Switchfoot, and Finger Eleven should get some sort of honorable mention for being unique.

I rest my case. It's a trend, and there's no stopping it.
And no, I didn't make a single one of these up.

Rock on.

At a Loss For Words...

2008-02-27T20:58:00.000-08:00

If a picture's worth a thousand words...

This really, REALLY should show up as a "Strange Parenting Phrase," but I can't even think of what to SAY about this one.
This gigantic tangle in my 7-yr old's hair is self-inflicted.
Apparently she wanted a ball at the top of her head. Not a bun, a "ball."

And you all wonder what's slowing me down from getting that third book out the door...

I hope this will seem funny in the morning.

The Mountain is... In or Out?

2008-02-27T16:21:00.000-08:00

As if it were some sort of moveable belly button....

Seattle folk refer to our beloved and beautiful Mt. Rainier as being "in" or "out," depending on the daily weather. This sounded so strange and funny to me when I got here, that it made me laugh out loud for a while - but now I understand why, and have started using it myself.

"Is the mountain out today?" we ask each other, as though it were the mountain that moved, and dressed itself in the clouds playing hide and seek, instead of vice-versa.

Anyway. The phenomenon exists - might as well roll with it.

I've decided to hop out for a short walk every day, to get some fresh air and exercise - something we all could use a little more of. And to keep myself going, I need a bit of purpose in it (besides just "walk for 20 minutes"). Our dog passed away close to two years ago, and I haven't felt up to bonding with another one just yet - but once upon a time, "walking the dog" was a great, and obvious reason for being out. But as that's a lousy reason to rush into obtaining a new pet, and we're still not quite ready for a puppy bouncing around, that won't work.

So, considering that in about ten minutes's walk, I can get to a gorgeous view of Mt. Rainier, I'm going to snap a photo of the mountain every day, and post it here on the sidebar. I'll let you know if the mountain is "out" or not, as we say around these parts.

I promise not to cheat and drive to the viewpoint. If I miss a day, you'll know I either got too busy to post the photo, or didn't get my walk in.

Aaaack! Accountability!
What am I thinking?

Kudos to TASHA SMITH of Auburn!

2008-02-22T23:11:00.000-08:00

We got to go to an OSU vs. BYU Gymnastics meet tonight. I've never been to a live meet before, so that was pretty cool. As much as I'm a BYU fan, they were outmatched fair and square - it was still close, though.

The night finished off with an well-executed floor routine by Tasha Smith of OSU, who happens to be from Auburn, WA, near where I am. She's a junior, and truly had a sense of performing for the crowd. She scored a PERFECT 10 on her routine, to a standing ovation!

My daughter got video footage of it, but I'm not sure of the uploading rules on something like this. Her info is here: OSU Page on Tasha. YouTube has her floor routine from last year... so maybe it's OK to post this one. We'll see.

The cool part (for me...) was that she started her routine to "We Will Rock You," which got the whole crowd clapping in rhythm, and included a few seconds of "air guitar" before the song changed to the next thing. She was awesome. Great interpretation, Tasha! Loved it!

Lunar Eclipse Tonight!

2008-02-20T19:50:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my buddies at JPF hollering in the Shout Box - I heard about the lunar eclipse in time to take a quick snapshot. It's worth a little trip outside, if you happen to be awake in your corner of the Earth. It'll be going on for a little while yet.

I don't have much of a camera to photograph it with, but this is what it looks like in Seattle. Enjoy!

Tonight's Top 24

2008-02-19T23:55:00.000-08:00

http://myvote-americanidol.blogspot.com/

Okay, this is fun.
This blog is run by Canadian voice instructor, Vikki Flawith. She's going through as each American Idol show wraps up and voicing her vote. Good job, Vikki! I'll post over there, or on JPF, rather than take up space here on it.

I hardly watch any TV, but I'm stupidly hooked on this show. I'm rooting for David Archuleta and Brooke White so far, because (like me) they're both LDS. Go team!

Poem of the Week

2008-02-19T13:22:00.000-08:00

I've had a lot weighing on my mind this past week. It's hard to watch, learn, or hear about all the wickedness and cruelty going on in the world today, from genocide to the daily murders in the papers, and so much more - it's easier to sit in our houses and go on with our little day-to-day dramas and not think about the big picture. It's hard to feel like one little person - me - can make a difference in any of it.

And still... while knowledge of what's out there is important, it's so bad that dwelling on it can just about make anyone succumb to despair. Yet it's not hopeless. There is good in the world. There are amazing people who make up everyday heroes.

We watched a recent "Extreme Home Makeover" episode where they built a new home for a Marine who lost his leg in Iraq and was now raising four children by himself. This was an amazing man. He'd been given a second chance at life. He bled to death before reaching the hospital, and was brought back. He wanted to be a great dad for his kids. And he went around helping others who found themselves wounded, like himself, and helping them work through the absolute horror and difficulty of it all. It's wonderful to find good people out there - and there are many of them - just doing their best and trying to make the world a better place.

Now what does this have to do with the poem of the week, you ask?
Well, several years back I wrote this one, originally titled "patterns of light." It's about looking beyond the difficult moment to see the light beyond. In my art classes, this was called "finding the white space." White spaces are those shapes beyond what is immediately visible, the outline of the space which frames the objects in the scene. I invite you to look for white spaces in your lives - your personal heroes, the ones you love, the beauty found everywhere in the earth, from spring flowers to a baby's laughter - and focus on those things. Yes, there is also the shadow. But if that's all we see, it take over. It will consume whatever space we offer it.

Here is my call to offer the darkness less space - and fill the void with light.

white space
by Linda P. Adams

patterns of light and shadow
play on the floor by the baby
in the afternoon sun.

my sleepy eyes, desperate
not to see bare branches
desolate from winter’s chill,

focus on sunshine, pale light
between shadows of branches,
white space diffused by gray.

my spiritual eyes find hope,
focus in on pure white spaces
far beyond this moment.

My New Look

2008-02-18T10:03:00.000-08:00

I didn't mean to leave my previous post up at the top so long - I just got busy this week. I redesigned my website and gave it a whole new look. If you're coming in from the site, you'll notice that you stay in the website frame when you come to this page now. I figure you know how to get yourselves out of that if you want to.

For the first time, I integrated a Music section into the site, which is a big step for me. Now you can download several pieces of my sheet music, from full arrangements to lead sheets, and stream or download a few MP3s. All free. I hope you like it. More is on its way soon.

So anyway, please post your feedback - my teenage son says it looks like I dumped a bucket of blood on my head. (Good thing he hasn't seen Carrie.) Other people said my hair is too wild for an LDS author photo. Steve's co-worker said, "Whoa, what's with the rockstar look?" Uh... that wasn't intentional? Someone else can't stand the color green in any scenario.

But the male consensus over at Just Plain Folks seems to be "just plain hot." And no, Steve doesn't seem to mind - he put my new logo up as his laptop wallpaper. Haha!

I know I can't please everybody... but I'd like to know how it hits you.
Thanks!

Heaven, I'm in Heaven...

2008-02-11T17:02:00.000-08:00

I had a very cool moment today!

Many of you know of my deep and abiding love for everything Queen.
If you know me well, you know I'm truly not celebrity ga-ga, and there are few famous persons I have the desire to meet. I'm just not that way. But Brian May, Queen guitarist, happens to be on that really, really short list.

I was reading Brian's Soapbox this weekend, and on a whim this morning I sent him a poem I had published in 1999 which I felt went along with what he was saying.

He wrote me back! And even included my letter on his "Letters" page:
http://www.brianmay.com/brian/letters/lettersfeb08b.html#29

Knock me over with a feather.
Thank you, thank you, Brian!

Small Take on Politics

2008-02-11T08:25:00.000-08:00

I am not a very political person.
Yes, I vote. Yes, I care. But I don't get into the day-to-day cacophony of it all.
What I am most is a patriot.

I recorded the National Anthem last week and I wanted to offer it here as a tribute to all our servicemen in the Armed Forces everywhere.

Click to listen

I included the 3rd verse penned by Francis Scott Key:

"Oh thus be it ever, when free men shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation.
Blest with victory and peace, may the heavn' rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: In God is our trust.
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!"

These words spoke to me this week as they never have before. I connected Key's words with the promises made in the Book of Mormon about this land, and those who would come to it; that it should be a land of liberty, blessed forever, with the injunction that: "Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land."

This nation was, at the time of the Revolutionary War, rescued by heaven to become a free people. We have an extraordinary thing here, and we take our liberty too much for granted. Francis Scott Key understood that. He understood that with our trust in God, our flag would keep waving.

Let's retain that motto. On our money, in our national anthem, and in our hearts.

Poem of the Week

2008-02-05T17:52:00.000-08:00

This is a feature I started over on my regular website, but I think it might work nicer to bump it over here. We'll see how it goes. This is my tribute to our late prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley. It's fresh ink, so probably needs some revising, but I'll post it anyway. Feedback and comments are appreciated.

the last leaf
by Linda P. Adams

the last leaf on the tree
eventually

blows away
on a gentle breeze
wandering home
to rustle and gather
with all of the others
who left long before

swirled on the wind
seeing the world
in new wonderful ways

the last leaf on the tree
eventually

cannot stay
it must move on, on
where the children await
with smiling eyes
with wonder and sighs
and come home rejoicing

(c) 2008 Linda P. Adams; All Rights Reserved. That means: Ask permission before copying/forwarding - or just link to this webpage instead - Thank you.

Press Conference Today

2008-02-04T21:27:00.000-08:00

For those of you interested, here is the video link to today's press conference announcing the new First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Just in case the flash player isn't working right, you can also find it here: http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/#current
There's a neat biographical video there on the life of Thomas S. Monson as well, with an adorable baby picture.

I've been down with flu (again) today, so this will have to do for now. But I am in full support of our new Presidency. It gladdens my heart to know the Church will continue to roll forward, uninterrupted, as it always has.

Find out the FHE scoop here

2008-02-02T15:11:00.000-08:00

http://blogs.ldsfiles.com/musings/

I'm featured today in Anne Bradshaw's "Foam Evening" series of articles on how we hold Family Home Evenings in our house. Part one of two is up. Enjoy!

My First Music Download

2008-01-29T11:01:00.000-08:00

WOW. Okay, everyone, sit up and pay attention. This is a song by my friend Scott Campbell and performed by my other friend John Daubert. It's called "Still Making it Up As We Go" and Scott wrote it for his wife for their 25th anniversary. I had already fallen in love with the uptempo version of this song, but I hadn't heard John's mellow version yet.

I'm an awful chicken when it comes to downloading music (always worried about a hard drive crash, backing up, etc), but John - you drove me to FINALLY download a song.

John sounds like a blend of Billy Joel and Elton John. This is breathtaking. I'm not kidding. And I'm terribly, terribly choosy when it comes to falling in love with a song.

This perked me up a good deal today, as I'm still sad from Sunday's news. (See my previous post.)

Thank you, John, Scott, and Mike - this was recorded at Mike Caro's excellent studio in NYC. He's a gem as well.

Enjoy.

A Day of Mourning

2008-01-28T12:32:00.000-08:00

I was very saddened yesterday evening to learn of the passing of our dear prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley. My heart is heavy, even though I know the Church will continue to roll forward under equally competent leadership. I have loved this man with all my heart, and have tried my best to listen to and follow his wise teachings.

I daresay most of the 13 million-plus members of my faith are feeling the same way today. I loved his good nature, his easy humor and ready smile, and constant encouragement to stay on the strait and narrow path, to remember our pioneer ancestors, and to study the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon. I honor and revere him as a true, modern-day Prophet of God. I already miss him terribly.

This wonderful and kind man has been a fixture in Church leadership for me all of my life. As long as I can remember I have been hearing his loved voice in General Conference, and watching him serve many years as an Apostle and in the First Presidency before the succession of President of the Church fell to him.

After I learned the news last night from my closest friend, and cried with her on the phone a bit, then cried and talked with my family, I made a number of phone calls to other friends to share the news with them before they heard it from an email, website, or (as teenagers do) text message. As I talked to a number of them, it became clear that many did not know or were not aware of the process of succession in the Presidency of our church.

As I pondered on what I could say today, in a meager attempt to give a fitting tribute to this faithful prophet and man of God, it occurred to me that it might be most helpful if I say a few words on this clearly defined and easy to follow process. The news story says, "A successor is not expected to be formally chosen by the Church’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles until after President Hinckley’s funeral within the next few days." And this is true. However, there is order in our religion, and especially where the choosing of a new President and prophet is concerned.

I feel the best way to explain this is to provide you with a documented quote from an official Church source. This is from The Presidents of the Church: Teacher's Manual, Lesson 9, "Succession in the Presidency;" a Sunday School lesson taught to all youth in the Church ages 12-13. It also cites a Conference address given by President Kimball, a previous prophet, in 1972. [For members of our faith, such Conference addresses and talks are considered official doctrine.] The lesson may be found in its entirety online: http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=32c41b08f338c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=e87b767978c20110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1&contentLocale=0 [Editor's Note: For ease of reading, I've removed the phrases where the teacher is directed to "Explain...," marked by ellipses("...").]

Here you go:

"• If the President of the Church died today, who would be the next President of the Church? (...The senior living Apostle would be the next President. This is the established procedure, and only a direct revelation from the Lord can change it. ...The name of this member of the Quorum of the Twelve [is President Thomas S. Monson] and...this Apostle is the man who has been an Apostle the longest, next to the current President of the Church. ...On the death of a President his counselors return to the Quorum of the Twelve according to the dates of their ordination to Apostleship.)

"When a member of the Quorum dies, those whose ordination dates come after the one who has died move up; thus the twelfth one would become the eleventh and so on. When a new man is chosen to be an Apostle, his ordination date gives him a designated place in the Quorum of the Twelve. The new Apostle would then become the twelfth member of the Quorum.

"...The Lord knows all the men who will be Presidents of the Church. The Lord calls them to be Apostles, and then when he is ready for them to be the President of the Church they are already serving as senior Apostle in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

"Before he became President of the Church, Spencer W. Kimball said, 'Full provision has been made by our Lord for changes. Today there are fourteen apostles holding the keys in suspension, the twelve and the two counselors to the President, to be brought into use if and when circumstances allow, all ordained to leadership in their turn as they move forward in seniority.

"'There have been some eighty apostles so endowed since Joseph Smith, though only eleven have occupied the place of the President of the Church, death having intervened; and since the death of his servants is in the power and control of the Lord, he permits to come to the first place only the one who is destined to take that leadership. Death and life become the controlling factors. Each new apostle in turn is chosen by the Lord and revealed to the then living prophet who ordains him'" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1972, p. 29; or Ensign, Jan. 1973, p. 34).

So there you go. I hope this is helpful to some of you who may have been wondering. It's very easy to follow, and to know who the next President of the Church would be on any given day.

No, there have not been any formal announcements as such, though that will come shortly, but neither is there any question or argument, or any need for speculation.

Note that in the above quote, the manual states that "only a direct revelation from the Lord can change" this established process, and of course that is always possible, since we believe in continuing revelation from God. However, it's clear that this is the established pattern by which all fourteen presidents who have succeeded Joseph Smith - from Brigham Young to President Hinckley - have been chosen.

I trust in the Lord's power over life and death to place the chosen man in the proper position at the right point in time. I will sustain our next prophet with the same fervor as I have President Hinckley. The work of spreading the Gospel will carry on uninterrupted, with Jesus Christ at its head, who directs us through His chosen mouthpiece on the earth. The Lord has always used prophets to speak to His people. I bear my witness that He has called prophets and apostles to lead us again today, the same now as in times of old. I am deeply grateful for their guidance and wisdom. I am indeed grateful to have enjoyed the great blessing of President Hinckley's wisdom, wit, and divine counsel throughout my life.

For these blessings I thank my Lord and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. I testify of His Divinity, His goodness, mercy and grace. May we all come unto Him and increase in faith, in living by the Spirit, and in following the prophets, is my prayer.

Sheet Music is For Sissies

2008-01-18T18:27:00.000-08:00

Maybe I'm up in the night, but hear me out on this.

Did you know that recording artists DO NOT write out the sheet music for their songs? AT ALL. As in, PERIOD, EVER.

All that sheet music for the Beatles, Carpenters, and anything else - from Def Leppard to Josh Groban - is TRANSCRIBED by employees of sheet music companies (Hal Leonard et al) who listen to the recordings, figure it out, and write it down.

In most cases the artists never even HAD any written music. There's a good chance they didn't do more than tell the band "I, IV, I, vi, V, lead break in the middle eight." One of the most well-paid female songwriters (Diane Warren) freely admits she doesn't read music. And in Nashville, they use a chord numbering system - not notation - that I have no hope of ever wrapping my brain around.

To pitch your songs, you need an audio recording (demo) with a lead sheet (chords & melody only) and a lyric sheet.

I was shocked when I figured this out.

It was through talking to networks of other musicians that I started to comprehend this.

And all this time, I thought I had to have perfect, immaculate sheet music in order to submit songs (which I could never quite come up with). If I had known that little fact even ten years ago - much less twenty... ~sigh~

I sent an audio worktape to a Demo Derby over the summer, and the guy made Nashville charts for his band and returned a finished backing track without ever seeing one printed note of music. All my chords were RIGHT ON, and I had some tough jazz chords & progressions in that thing. I kept asking if he wanted a chord chart. He just said, "Nah, I've got it."

No sissies allowed.

However, as we grow up we tend to go to our piano lessons and play in school band and do our recitals - so face it, we get trained from infancy to depend on sheet music, if we're musically inclined at all.

Yet this reliance is unheard-of in the "real" music industry. (I'm talking popular music here - not opera or symphony, which must still require complex scores.)

But if you think about it... how do we teach music to our children? By LISTENING and MEMORIZATION.

We memorized the "Savior of the World" music last fall - and half the choir was panicking that they had to be "off book" by October. Hey! Did we all forget we didn't NEED to read music in Primary?? What happened? That ability is still lurking inside us. It's gone soft from lack of exercise. Are the notes and words really all that much harder because you're in 8-part harmony? Not so much.

Music existed before music theory.
And it existed before sheet music, too.

And you know what - the choir learned that music. And because it was memorized, it distilled deep into our hearts and became part of our testimonies. It became precious and well-loved.

Could it be that's why those Primary songs are among our dear and cherished memories?We can still sing them, without books, 20, 30, 60 years later.

And beyond Primary... I bet you can still belt out "Comet... it tastes like gas-o-line..." (How many of you just started singing? Gotcha!) You never forgot the words to "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" either. Did you.

Have you ever in your life looked at music for the "Comet" song?
Does it even exist?

Once I got away from this "sheet music thinking" last year, and started learning THEORY and CHORDS (my John Thompson lessons were badly lacking in that department), I actually began to develop as a musician in ways I never knew I could. I thought I'd never be able to memorize. I was terrible at memorizing even the shortest songs.

But I've discovered I can play favorite hymns from memory - a lot of them!!! Once I get the chord progression down, I'm set. Before that, I was married to the hymnal, eyes glued to the page.

Does this sound familiar?

Now I can sit down and play from my heart.
Memorization is SO much easier.
I'm more free to share my work with other musicians.
I'm liberated to improvise and arrange existing songs.
I can pick up notes from a recording.
I've become a better songwriter.

Good fruit.

Linda

Finishing Books

2008-01-14T22:53:00.000-08:00

Man - I still haven't been able to crack open the Herbert book again.
Oh well. Maybe I'll just ask my hubby how it ends, instead.

That's all for today. I seem to be out of words. Huh!

Random Quote for the Day -

2008-01-09T22:15:00.001-08:00

So I was reading a Far Side collection in a waiting room this week, and came across this one. I think you can picture it just fine:

"If a tree falls in the forest, and it lands on a mime, does anyone care?" --Gary Larson

:-)

PS: My thumb is healing just fine... barely a bruise which feels about like I had a hangnail. Not anywhere near as bad as I expected it would be. Nice!

DON'T LOOK if you're squeamish

2008-01-07T21:20:00.001-08:00

OK, I warned you first.
I had a little accident yesterday, or more properly put, I tried out Stupid People Trick #13,486: I managed to poke a steel crochet hook 1/4" deep into my thumb.

Not only that, but being a hook, it wouldn't come out by itself, and so my moment of utter brilliance cost us several hours waiting (and a $100 co-pay) at the ER late last night to get it removed. Well, at least my tetanus shot is back up-to-date, for no extra charge.

I know. You all want to know:
HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?
Well, #1 Thing Learned is: Don't crochet when you're that tired.

I have a rubbery "comfort cushion" sleeve that I normally keep on the thing, since a Boye #11 steel hook is very tiny. It tends to slip off sometimes, and I usually find a hard surface to push the tip of the hook against to slide it back on. But I was tired and I've been sick lately, and was sitting on the couch with all soft surfaces around me. So I had the brilliant idea of trying to push it against my sweater zipper, which seemed firm enough at the moment. And POW!

PAIN.

Um, THAT wasn't supposed to happen...
And bingo, I discovered that's a perfect way to embed a crochet hook into your thumb. It went straight through all the layers of sweater and zipper.

Yes: It really, really hurt.
Yes: I got to keep the crochet hook (which was unharmed by the incident).
No: I didn't need stitches.

My thumb is still numb and swollen from the needleful of Novocaine. Which hurt going in, BTW, about as bad as the hook did. But it only took a tiny incision to fetch it out, since by the time I was seen, it had worked its way (painfully, without my help) most of the way back out.

The nurse said she'd seen a lot of embedded objects in her 21 years as a nurse, but never a crochet hook. Goody. I'm unique.

The hardest part was balancing the hook with my other hand to hold it steady, so the hook wouldn't jiggle inside my thumb. It suddenly felt very heavy. And wiggly.

I didn't do much today.
I'm not in pain... just exhausted.

And again....

2008-01-05T15:24:00.000-08:00

I can see I may need a 'label' for these things, so they're searchable.

The Infamous Parenting Phrase that fell out of my mouth THIS week was:

"DON'T LICK THE FUDGE!"

I now return you to your regular programming.

Throwing Books

2008-01-03T18:25:00.000-08:00

Okay, so it happened. I actually THREW a book across the room last night, I was so mad with it. Granted--that hasn't happened in years. And I was very tired. And I'm still recovering from a sinus infection.

Which book? The White Plague by Frank Herbert. Which I am only reading due to its being about a genetically engineered plague (so I can both learn from, and avoid copy-catting the thing in my series), and because it's by Herbert, who is one of my hubby's favorite authors.

This book is gallingly slow. In addition to its snail pace, Herbert has a tendency to introduce totally insignificant characters and spend inordinate amounts of time with them while the plot goes absolutely nowhere. Said characters are never later found to be important to anything in the plot. Either that, or they die on the next page. (And still don't become important to the plot later on.) Finally it started rolling along a tiny bit faster, and getting mildly interesting, right around page 300.

Then I turned the page and started a new chapter. About the new Pope in the Vatican. Something that has barely been referred to in the entire novel -- and which (from all I can tell) has little bearing on anything else in the plot. What do I care whether there's a new Pope in the Vatican or not? Nobody else, among the almost-entirely-Catholic cast of characters, is even concerned about it!

And that's when I threw the book.
Urgh!

Will I finish it? Yes. Not because I care what happens next, or about any of the characters (which really--one should care about someone in the book by page 300), but to see how he plays out his little plague story. It's an interesting concept at heart. In fact, I'm tempted to update it from the 80's and mold it into a screenplay just to make it more accessible to ordinary people like myself. It wouldn't be hard: there's so many unnecessary words on each page that trimming 450 pages to 120 would be a breeze. Did I say "Urgh!" yet? I did? Oh.

Urgh.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T19:23:00.000-08:00

Hello there! How's your year going so far? Have you made any new goals?

I have ONE BIG ONE for this year: to get that elusive, slip-slidin'-away BOOK 3 of my trilogy finished and available to the public before the year is out if it kills me. (Let's hope it won't.)

Everyone cheer. :-)

It's time: Prodigal Journey came out in 2000, and Refining Fire in 2004. I have to keep the pacing even... don't I?

Now, I also have some intermediate and smaller goals, hopes and dreams for this year. Some may prove more elusive, some less. We'll see. But meanwhile, for January, I've decided to join Tristi's Challenge BIAM (Book In A Month).

What I'll be doing is assembling a short story and poetry book that I've wanted to get together for a long time now. The material is more or less written. It's a matter of finding what I want, putting it in order, and editing it into a ship-shape manuscript. Why am I doing this first? Several reasons. First, it's small and manageable, but it will push me back into a real writing schedule, which has lagged behind the past few years. And I need that. Second, because it's so do-able, finishing it should encourage me onward into the bigger project of Book 3, which I must admit has so much riding on it at this point, so many people waiting for it that I don't want to disappoint, that it's started to feel like a monstrosity, too big for me to chew: which I doubt it is, in reality, but it feels that way. Accomplishing something on a smaller scale will be a good stepping stone. Third, it's just plain been too long since I brought out anything new -- or even submitted anything new anywhere. I need something, simple, new, and fresh. Fourth, because it feels like a jolly good idea. Fifth, because I want to.

Enough said.
How about you?
What will you accomplish this year?

Play the Game - Dec 28

2007-12-28T17:36:00.000-08:00

C'mon and play!
My From the Banana Tree ADJECTIVE this week seeking an attractively dressed, big-spending NOUN is: FRILLY. Just click that link and post your noun!

My EASY Word of the Week is: DESSERT.

My CHALLENGE Word of the Week is: LUCIFUGOUS, which means: avoiding daylight. Don't ask me to pronounce it.

Click the links, use the words in a sentence, and start tallying up points toward a free book! Have fun!

We Have a Winner!

2007-12-27T16:49:00.000-08:00

Congratulations go out to "yarstrom" on my Message Board, who has just earned his 7 points on the Leader Board and won a free book!

I'll set up new games for the coming week shortly - out of time for today.

How Was Your Christmas?

2007-12-27T16:22:00.000-08:00

It's been such a full and busy season this year; even so, I've taken time to reflect on the joy and miracle of the birth of Jesus Christ, and ponder on His magnificent love for each of us. I have felt His love for me in my life, and His tender mercies, and at this season remember these blessings even more. Our participation in the "Savior of the World" play brought so much more of these feelings to the forefront, that it's been difficult to describe them, even as a writer. I've been rendered speechless. Which is truly a rare thing for me.

Even so... there is still lots of gift-wrapping and shopping and random acts of kindness to participate in, which all typically leads to a Christmas morning of eager anticipation and excitement as everything is unwrapped and squealed over.

We had a wonderful Christmas, which felt "just right," not too extravagant and not too small... although, my husband outdid me once again when it comes to finding interesting things for each other. But to be fair: half my Christmas order for him didn't show up because what I wanted wound up being out of stock. (Rain check!)

I did get him a Porsche though. He's always wanted one. So it was fun to wrap up the little Hot Wheels package I found. LOL. Now he can race with the other boys on the 5-yr-old's new track.

He got me the Queen Karaoke CD/DVD set which I hadn't had high on my wish list, but is actually way, way cool. It has 33 songs with sing-along subtitles to the music videos, which play with or without the lead vocal. Sweet!

And Santa brought me a Queen... calendar... hmmm.... OK.... where on earth am I going to put a thing like that? Oh yes, that will look so nice next to the "Road to Emmaus" painting... sure... LOL!!! If it goes up anywhere, it will have to be with the framed movie posters in the family room.

I keep trying to explain that my fascination is much more AURAL than visual. Which is probably why I get pictures as gifts. (For my birthday, I got the new Mick Rock Queen pictorial coffee table book. It's a lovely book.)

I notice I haven't received a Johnny Depp calendar ever... Ha ha!

Our Christmas Photo

2007-12-19T21:45:00.000-08:00

So here is the photo we're sending out with our Christmas cards this year.
I believe it's the FIRST PHOTO of all six kids in the same frame we've had taken since... since... I'm not sure.

We really need to get family photos done again.
I'm afraid they wouldn't turn out much different than this shot, though!

Enjoy...

Paying it Forward

2007-12-17T22:20:00.000-08:00

Today was our 19th anniversary! Yay! Lots of good years to look back on.
Kinda busy day though...

It was the kind of day where everything sorta hits the fan and you try to forget it's a Cool Day that's SUPPOSED to be nifty through and through, but isn't.
But he brought me flowers from Pike Place, I made everyone a nice dinner, then the two of us went to dessert at Applebee's after the little ones were in bed.

And here's the cool thing. This has never happened to us before. We had joked around a little with the gals at the table next to us about the apples in apple pie being "fruit" (ergo, healthy!), but nothing much. We didn't really notice when they left; they were there before us. Then our waitress came up and said, "I'm supposed to tell you Merry Christmas from those two ladies there - " They paid our bill.

~ wow ~

They didn't know it was our anniversary--or that we were trying to be good and not spend too much on a big dinner out--or that the rest of the day had been chock-full of Murphy's Law having a heyday.

I can't even explain how grateful we felt. I'm still sniffling a bit over it. And probably will be for a while. I tend to be on the other end of those type of things. I wish, wish, wish I could tell them THANK YOU! So while I can't find them again, I'll do it here. THANK YOU!

We left the waitress a nice tip, too. :)
Now it's my turn--I'll definitely be looking for someone I can return that generous, very nice favor to, in the near future!

...And, that's why I'm writing this right now.
Restores my faith in the goodness of people.

G'night. Sweet dreams.

I kid you not...

2007-12-14T00:22:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my life.
These words actually came out of my mouth tonight:
"STOP DANCING ON THE TABLE NEXT TO THE BIRTHDAY CAKE!"

...And you all wonder why that third book isn't written.

That was Child #5.
(If you know our family--well then, you knew that already.)

Play the Game - Dec 13

2007-12-13T14:50:00.000-08:00

All right. Since I'm new here, and most of you visiting will be new to me, allow me to introduce you to something nifty. I run a couple little weekly games from my message board. Winners collect points, and 7 points earns a free book!

I could migrate the whole thing over here, but frankly, the message board layout allows me to judge the posts without seeing who the authors are. I'd like to preserve that.

We play:
Word of the Week - easy or hard level, where I set down a word and players give it back to me in a sentence. (I give you the definition on the challenge words!) This week's words: EASY: mighty CHALLENGE: tremellose
From the Banana Tree - based loosely on another fruitily-named popular game, where I throw out an ADJECTIVE seeking an attractive NOUN. This week's lonesome lingo: talkative

Hope to see you there! Play on!

Congratulations Are In Order!

2007-12-12T08:12:00.000-08:00

...For both JAMES DASHNER and his upcoming youth fantasy, The 13th Reality, already receiving rave reviews... James is the next Rowling, folks, I kid you not. Check out his Jimmy Fincher series and you'll see.

...And to BRANDON SANDERSON for landing the heavy role of writing the LAST "Wheel of Time" volume for the late Robert Jordan. Brandon: I believe you can do it. For anyone who doesn't know, Brandon has several epic fantasies out, and a new middle-grade fantasy that is hands-down THE funniest book I have read in years--maybe even ever. Funnier than Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It appeals to young and old alike. I loved, loved, LOVED this book. Go fetch Alcatraz and the Evil Librarians today! Oh--wait--James, Brandon just might be the next Rowling too. The race is on!

Now this is Cool--

2007-12-11T12:51:00.000-08:00

http://ritsumeithoughts.blogspot.com/2007/09/sunday-scripture_22.html

I like this idea: posting a scripture on Sunday. I have a spot for something like this on my message board, but it's not getting much traffic. Let's get together and post some!

My scripture for today is:
1 Nephi 3:7
"I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that he giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he hath commanded them."

To answer my #1 Fan Question:

2007-12-05T14:44:00.000-08:00

....Yes, I'm still working on that elusive Book 3, Zion Rising, the final part of my sci-fi trilogy. My publisher has again gone kaput (still a business, but is no longer publishing books) and so getting it in print has gone back to the drawing board. I'm looking hard at http://www.lulu.com/ as a solid option for that.

But I need a finished MANUSCRIPT before I can take it to press... the plot is giving me fits and the characters aren't talking to me like they used to. I trust that it's all in my subconscious somewhere... I have to figure out how to access it and get it spooling out like it used to.