6th Grade Writing Contest 

 Each student was to write a short story around a line from 

Prophecy of the Flame - Book One 

"I looked up from the sentinel I'm keeping into the eyes of a young boy"

The student with the most votes will win a limited edition Prophecy of the Flame post card.

 

By Rachel M. Welker.

 

I look up from the  sentinel  I am keeping into the eyes of a young boy. They are full of hunger and pain. I glance back down at the tiny statue that is keeping watch over me and hand it to him. His eyes fill with joy and wonder. "Keep it," I whisper, barely audible, "it will protect you." I stand up and walk away. I take one step at a time, barely able to put one foot in front of the other as I walk. Now that I have no guard I am helpless. I might as well be left to die.

I walk for a long time, never stopping, never resting. I am somehow staying at the  same  pace. The forest keeps me awestruck. Never before have I seen such a beautiful place. Then, I feel an overwhelming weight in my chest. It is time. I lay myself down and close my eyes. They never will open unless my prince comes to save me. And I desperately hope he does.

6th Grade Writing Contest 

 Each student was to write a short story around a line from 

Prophecy of the Flame - Book One 

"I looked up from the sentinel I'm keeping into the eyes of a young boy"

The student with the most votes will win a limited edition Prophecy of the Flame post card.

By Lauren

I look up from the sentinel I'm keeping into the eyes of a young male wolf. He had very messy black fur and neon green eyes. Whatever he was thinking, I bet he thought I was a ghost by the way he looked at me. All of the sudden, his eyes flashed and I looked down and he looked up. Or was it still him? He looked awfully like... like... ME., a scarlet and black wolf with ice blue eyes.

My eyes pirced me. What was smell... smoke?

I slowly turned my head, or his, to see all the land behind me was filled with neon green mixed with blue fire. I had absolutely nowhere to flee. Howling didn't help me.

The Chocolate Chip Cookie That Calls Your Name

The Cookie

The other day, I saw a broken chocolate chip cookie in a bag on the table. 

I knew it'd been a while since I made that batch of cookies - I couldn't remember exactly how long - but I had that chocolate craving I get about once a month.

The cookie was hard (it was soft after I made it). It didn't really taste that good either. After one bite, I chucked the rest.

A couple of hours later, after dinner, I had the worst indigestion, ever! In the morning, I woke up with a burning throat and a tiny bit of vomit in my mouth. All day long all I  managed to hold down a few crackers... that's it!

I'll never eat an old cookie again!

Family Night at the Hardy's

We just had a family weekend. My husband, Tony, and I were beat so we just played Halo with the girls . It went something like this:

“I see Bob... I’m coming to get you Bob... I’m going to kill Bob....” chants my 9 year old followed by, “One more for me. Oh, look, there’s Hardy.... I’m coming to get you Hardy... What, where’d you go.... there you are... I’m going to kill Hardy....” 

My screen goes dark. I’m dead. I know she’s a sweet little girl and doesn’t realized the panic and terror she’s invoking with her high pitched monolog of doom, but hey, it works!

Then there’s my six year old: “I see Dad. I’m going to jump over you and kill you.” Followed by massive giggling. And sure enough, that’s just what she does: Jumping as she makes her avatar jump and spinning as she kills him with two punches to the back of the head.

Then you hear the girls fighting, “No fair making a fortress! That’s cheating!”

Apparently, my youngest has developed an interesting strategy in Halo. She buys a cache of weapons, stashing them in a corner. Then she plants mines all around the area so only she knows the safe route. Next she walks into the open until she spots another player. 

You can guess what comes next. Blam! You step into a mine as you chase her. Not bad for a 6 year old.

As the girls fight,it is a sight to see. They stand in the middle of the room, jumping around and ducking as they try to evade and strike at the same time.

This is all due to, Nacho, our foreign exchange student from Spain. He was a great teacher and should be proud of his students - they have now become masters of Halo.

Weekend at LTUE

My first LTUE

Live, the Universe, and Everything

I went to the LTUE conference in Utah for a  weekend. All I can say is, “Wow.” It was a truly beautiful experience, coming together with writers and lovers of the written word. There was a spirit of harmony, acceptance, and camaraderie that flowed throughout the symposium, making this one of my favorite conferences yet.

The size of the convention really surprised me. There were 144 panelists presenting information on everything from getting published, blogs, writing, and everything in between. There were so many wonderful authors... here are a few of my favorites:

Tracy and Laura Hickman were in attendance. Not only is Laura Hickman an author of some D&D campaigns, she is as lovely as she is kind. Her book Baking Outside the Box is on my must have list – it sounds like a fun book and has been getting great reviews.

Tracy Hickman is a prolific writer but I will always remember him as the co-author of a Dragon Lance series, starting with Time of the Twins. These are great YA books that were released before there was a YA category. I enjoyed the books so much as a young reader; I remember finding a picture or two in each book – it was like finding buried treasure. These pictures are the reason I had sketches done for my first book, Prophecy of the Flame.

L.E. Modesitt Jr. was only there for a short time, but it was great to see him again. I’m looking forward to the release of his new Recluce novel!

 

I also had the honor of meeting James A. Owen. The warmth he shows for his fans reveals a generous heart. I’ve discovered his YA series that starts with Here, There Be Dragons. I am looking forward to working my way through each one of them.

David Farland, i.e. David Wolverton, has written over fifty science-fiction and fantasy novels. He is a legend in the SF&F industry and am thrilled to have had a chance to meet him. Nightingale is his most recent release – I’ll post a review of that in a month or so.

One last author really made an impression: Bree Despain. This is an upcoming author to watch for. She has a great series out, but I think it may be misleading.  Though the covers scream ROMANCE – they have a great fantasy thread that is full of action, suspense, and paranormal world that so many men would love.

If you didn’t make the conference this year, put it on your schedule for 2013: it is a conference you won’t want to miss.