Z = ZERO

At the beginning of April I figured there was probably a zero chance that I would complete the challenge to write everyday except on Sunday. I was late a couple of days, which meant I had to play catch up. But I did reach this goal.

I'm hoping that now I will continue to write frequently on this blog. I have lots of things to say, and lots of pictures to post.

NEVER UNDER ESTIMATE YOURSELF - even when you think there is no chance in the world = a zero chance. You can really do it.

YOUNG

I am young when it comes to writing. I don’t have much experience in that area, and I haven't had lots of time to develop that part of my life. I didn't even consider writing regularly until ALL my children were grown and gone from the nest.

As you can see by the sidebar I do have a book published and several stories in another book. My two book signings went very well, and my book did win a Golden Quill award last year. To me that proves you are never too old to try something new.

In other aspects of my life I’m much older. Do I regret not trying my hand at writing much earlier? YES!

If you want to write - DO IT. It doesn't matter if the children are still at your knees. It doesn't matter if life is crazy. If you don't do it now, you will always regret that decision.

X

In my dictionary there isn't even one page of words that start with the letter X. There re only three words that I'm familiar with.

X-Ray which we all know is a bunch of pictures of different parts of our body.

Xylophone is an instrument with several mounted rows of wooden bars played with two small mallets. The music it makes is beautiful.

And finally, a Xerox machine that some of the younger people have no idea what this is, but I worked one of these machines many times. I much prefer the nice printers that hook up to our computers. Less mess, less work, and not near as noisy.

I realy don't have much to say about any of these things that start with the letter X.

W = WITCH

Witches have always fascinated me. I know the dictionary says they are women thought to have evil magic powers. I agree with the magic powers, but I'm not convinced they were evil women. We always think of them as wearing a black cloak, a pointed hat, and as the first pictures shows they fly on a broomstick. In the second picture it gives me, a writer, a chance to let my imagination run wild. Usually at Halloween my costume of choice has usually been a witch. I still like to dress up and pretend.

One of my favorite places that I visted on a vacation was at Salem where I strolled the halls of the witches museum. When I returned home I told my three red-headed granddaughters that if they had lived in Salen during 1692 they would have been considered a witch.

Salem Witch Museum

A few years later I was in Colonial Williamsburg, VA and sat on the jury for the witch trial. If you have never been to Salem or Williamsburg and are curious about the witches you should visit these two places.

VACATION

I have always loved to travel. There is nothing better than to see the beautiful creations that God made. I've travelled from the midwest part of the United States to the south, west, north, and east. Each state has something unique and special. I really could never say what I liked best. Mountains are great, but so is the desert.

I like flying in a plane, but I also like driving. It's also lots of fun to cruise, or go by train. I'm not sure I would have liked travelling by wagon train, but maybe it would have been fun.

I've still got lots of places to visit. One year I took a three week vacation to Scotland, England and Wales, and could have stayed at least another three weeks. There were still so many places I wanted to see.

One thing wrong with vacations is, THEY ARE NEVER LONG ENOUGH.

U = Unicorn

This picture is the one I like because of all the color. Here is what the definition reads - it is a legendary animal commonly portrayed as a white horse with a goat's beard and a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead. I also found other definition, but the one I liked best said it is a symbol of purity and grace. I have always loved these beautiful, graceful animals. Several years ago, my daughter painted a unicorn scene for me. I have a picture somewhere, but can't find it right now.

TODAY

Above my computer I have a beautiful picture. You are looking at the backs of three children and a dog. They are looking out over a lake and in the clouds above is a huge moutain with a castle, a rainbow and two unicorns. The heading below the picture reads, “It’s sad when we give up the castles of our future for the fantasies of our todays.”

What kind of thoughts run through your head when you read that statement?

Snow/Spring

Haven't we all had about enough snow for one year? I have.

Don't get me wrong, I love the snow. I love playing in it, and I love shoveling it. There is nothing more beautiful or peaceful than looking out at your entire yard and neighborhood covered with white snow. If I could stay home I wouldn't care if it snowed every day, but I hate driving my car in the snow because the roads are always icy.

Besides the snow I also love the spring time. I'm excited for the flowers to start blooming. With them comes the fragrance. Also the birds come and I could spend hours watching them fly from tree to tree or into the many birdhouses in my yard. My husband loved to build and paint bird houses, so we have many of them.

Reliable

Yesterdays word was to be reliable. I guess that's a strange word since I'm a poor example of reliability. I admire and look up to the people that I can rely on. It's great to know that if someone says they will do something, it will happen.

I guess here I encourage everyone to try to be more reliable and follow through on the things you say you will do.

QUEEN

I love to read stories about queens - some are good and others are wicked. It's fun to imagine myself as a queen. Of course, I'd be very beautiful, and since I’m a good person, I would be the kind of queen that everyone loves. I would rule my kingdom with kindness. I would dress in a gorgeous gown, and eat the most delicious meals. I'm not sure how I would deal with people waiting on me and helping me because I like to do things for myself. If I saw someone being mistreated, I would step right in and fix the problem. Maybe queens don't get to do that sort of thing. Maybe I had just better stick to being myself - just plain ol me.

P = Pirate/Princess

There is no way in the world I can choose which of these two I like best.



How can you even choose your favorite when you read through the princess book?



Reading about famous pirates in history is about the most exciting type of story I can read. I particulary enjoyed learning about the female pirates, Mary Read and Anne Bonny. Wow, they were a couple of cool ladies.

So, do you like to read about a princess or would you rather read a pirate story?

Obstacles

Life is full of obstacles. There is always a new hurdle to jump, a problem to solve, and something difficult around every corner. As a writer the more of these obstacles we include in our books the better the story. I try to include complications in every chapter. The best stories are those with new surprises jumping out at you when you least expect them. Keep your stories true to life, with lots of obstacles. Life isn't easy and it should be difficult for your characters.

Nightmare

To me a nightmare is a bad dream that causes fear. Sometimes my dream contains danger. If it is a stressful dream I usually have trouble returning to sleep. As a child sometimes this feeling lasted for a long period of time. I don't have a nighmare very often, but when I do it takes me a long time to trust willing going to sleep. I would rather stay awake and look into the dark to make sure nothing bad is going to happen.

MAGICAL

My favorite word that starts with M is magical. With some of the words I've chosen this month already I'm sure you all know that I love to write about mysterious and magical things. Most of the books I read also have enchanting and captivating things happening. I really don't live in a fairytale world, but I sure dream and imagine what it would be like.

L = LEPRECHAUN

The definition that I found about a leprechaun is they are a type of fairy in Irish folklore, usually taking the form of an old man, clad in a red or green coat, who enjoys partaking in mischief. Usually they are about the size of a small child, with a beard and hat.

I’ve heard many stories about them making shoes, or their pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but the story I like best is that if you ever capture them they have magical power to grant you three wishes. That is if you release them. I’m not sure that I would ever trust one of these cute little creatures.

Kindness

When I thought about the letter K, the first word that entered my mind was kindness. It is one of the most important actions in this world. Wouldn't earth life be so much better if everyone was kind to one another?

On the other hand, I really have a lot of work to do. Yes, I'm usually kind, and it's something I don't usually have to think about, but there are times I have to remind myself to be kind. If you get me angry, I'm not very kind. By nature I'm a caring, nice, gentle, thoughtful, compassionate, and considerate person. Most days I usually don't have to think about those actions. They are just automatic to me. Now, I just need to remind myself to always act with kindness toward others.

JACK

Jack was the youngest of nine children.





We were married on May 2, 1961 in the Manti Temple. Yes, this coming May we will have been married for 50 years. That is why the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of the letter J is Jack. He has been a part of my life for a long time.

I = Imagination

One good thing about imagination is I can believe I wasn't late with yesterday's post and think it's still Monday. A writer needs a good imagination. Sometimes you may be laughed at, especially when you are trying to imagine something while other people are around. Without a good imagination there are many of my stories that would never have been written. It's great going to that little part of your brain and being able to conjure up what ever you want. Your characters can be whatever you want them to be, and they can live anywhere in this world or another world.

Peasant Queen Book Reveiw

I recently completed reading, The Peasant Queen, by Cheri Chesley. I enjoyed the book which begins with the tale of a simple farm girl who runs away from home. There is plenty of magic in the book and lots of action. As in all good stories there is also romance, but lots of twists and turns along the way.

This is a book that I would recommend to readers of all ages. It will keep you turning pages and sitting on the edge of your seat to see what will happen next.

Historical

Give me anything historical and I'm happy. I write historical fiction, and I read historical fiction. As I drive back and forth to work I listen to historical books on tape. Some of them are fiction and some are facts.

I love museums where you can stroll for hours looking at things from the past. I don't think that means I live in the past, it just means that I treasure things from long ago.

I have a great appreciation for my ancestors and the things they did to get me to where I am. I will always honor those who came on the Mayflower, as well as those who went to Virginia. The Hugenots have always fascinated me and I will always appreciate those ancestors who came here for the freedom to worship. Of course, that means I also appreciate the Mormon pioneers who sacrificed a lot to come to the valley I now live in.I often wonder if I would have had the courage my ancestors did. They all gave up so much so that I could live in a free country.

GHOST

The story I just finished writing and now I'm in the editing process has a girl ghost. I’ve always been fascinated by the very existence of ghosts, and yes, I do believe in them. Not in a frightened sort of way, but as a being that is helpful and has a reason for still being locked into an earth life. I don’t think they are evil, but are troubled and don’t mean to frighten anyone.

It’s up to you – you can believe me or think I’m crazy. Either way is okay with me. I just wish I had a picture of one. Then you'd believe me.

F = FAIRIES

One of my many collections is of fairies. A corner of my family room is devoted to these fairies. The first picture is of my fairy fountain.




This one is my pirate fairy















I have to include one of my favorite fairies (not in my family room) but one who appeared at a writer's conference - Tristi Pinkston and one of my favorite authors James Dashner.

Elf

The first thing I thought about when thinking about the letter E was an elf. As a writer I've always been fascinated by elves. My elves are mysterious. What do your elves look like?

My elves have a short body and large expressive eyes, pointed ears, golden colored hair and high cheekbone. They are rarely seen by people. If you can see them they appear only at certain times and at special places such as around trees, in forests, in mountains or by waterfalls. Some of them even live in underground caves.

My elves are peaceful and they love nature as well as music. They are calm, and patient, but they are also strong and have lots of endurance especially against magical influences. The older they get the wiser they are.

I love creating magical settings.

Daydreams

I know there are many daydreamers out there. For me it's a time for happy, pleasant thoughts. As a writer I often find myself spacing out. Sometimes I review past memories, or I imagine my characters in different settings. When I'm doing this I don't consider myself lazy. Instead, I'm being constructive. I am developing new ideas for my next book. Of course, people who are not writers don't understand this, but without time to daydream many of my books would never even have a first page.

C = Castles

Until my trip to Scotland, England and Wales in 2006 with my sister, I had only seen pictures of castles. The first castle ruin we visited in Scotland was Dumbarton that dated back to 450 A.D. We then took a ferry to the Isle of Butte and saw the ruins of the Rothesay Castle built about 1098. The following day we went to the huge Edinburgh Castle.




After Scotland we went to England. The first castle we visited was the stunning medieval Alnwick castle (the film location for the Harry Potter movies).



One of the most memorable nights during our trip was spent staying overnight at the castle in Durham.



The following day we went to the 14th century Raby Medieval Castle, and the ruins of the Bernard Castle. Another beautiful castle we visited was in Nottingham. We then went to see the Keniworth castle ruins in Warkwickshire.




My favorite castle was the one in Warwick founded in 1068. That day besides touring the castle, we experienced many things. We saw the world’s largest siege machine – Trebuchet. We went on a ghost tour, watched knights on horses, and a jousting match with knights and squires. We also attended the King Maker’s feast in the evening.



The next castle we saw was in Wales. The first one was the Chepstow castle ruins, and then we went to the Cardiff Castle.




Back in England we went to the Farleigh-Hungerford Castle ruins, and then we went to the Winchester Castle built in 1067. This castle holds the famous King Arthur’s Round Table. In the same village was the Wolvesey Castle ruin.



You probably think all we did was visit castle, but I actually have more pictures of churches and cathedrals. We also visited areas where our ancestors were from. It was a wonderful three weeks of exploring.

Brain

This A – Z challenge isn’t so easy. It’s only the second day and I’m already having trouble. The only thing that is coming to my mind right now that starts with a B is brain. Maybe it’s because this has been on my mind a lot.

About the time my husband started getting really sick; my son was diagnosed with a slow growing brain tumor that was activated by a car accident last August. He had surgery and had it removed in November. The things I’ve seen him struggle with are amazing. (Wow, that’s the word I used yesterday.

My son’s occupation is computer programmer. The first problem he noticed after surgery was he had trouble with number sequences. Next he had problems with multitasking. I can’t even imagine what life would be like if I wasn’t able to do more than one thing at a time. He hasn’t let either of these difficulties stop him. I can’t believe the strength he has to take everything one step at a time. The great thing is he is doing it. He is going forward with each obstacle that comes his way. His determination is great. The exercises they give him in therapy are difficult and some of them I can’t do. He has become a strong man because of all these challenges. Yes, he has changed, but it is for his good.

Amazing

I decided that it was about time I got back to writing my blog, and decided to take the Alex J. Cavanaugh A-Z blogfest challenge.

Since today is Friday, April 1st I need to use the letter A. In grade school we always said that A = apple. However I'm not going to use that word.

The main reason I've been away from my blog for so long is I had been taking care of my husband. He passed away on March 15, so now I need to get back to one of the things I love most, and that is writing.

I have discovered in the past 15 days how amazing people are. I have been showered with love from all directions - people in my church, my writing friends, neighbors, my high school buddies, and relatives. My house has been overflowing with food, and with flowers. It's wonderful to be surrounded by so many caring and marvelous people.

People are incredible, and amazing.