F is for…

My A to Z Challenge theme is: characters from my From the Ashes trilogy.

Since none of my characters in my book have a name that starts with the letter F, I have a good excerpt for today from my book.

F is for…

From the Ashes

"Read it," he orders.

"It's the spark that keeps you moving,

The final rope to which you hold,

Hope is a lie, because in the end,

There's only the dark and the cold.

Take from others all you prize,

Through fire you'll prevail,

The sacrifice for victory

Is the same, should you fail.

When lies have finally burned away,

For revenge the silence cries,

When flames of rage have torn us down,

From the ashes, we shall rise."

The words make me shiver. There's an uncomfortable silence after I finish. Azad touches my shoulder and helps me to my feet.

"You know what they're asking for?" Marco asks.

Azad nods. "There's only one thing it could be."

My worst fears are confirmed. My blood runs cold in my veins and I shake my head, backing away from Azad. "No," I say. "No, that's not what it means."

Azad raises an eyebrow. "That's all it could mean, Jaina. This is what the IA demands. We must show no mercy."

***

Thanks for stopping by today everyone! Yesterday I didn't get around to sharing my favorite posts for yesterday, so here we go today!

1. Bean Grower and other F names
2. Found
3. Stormy's Epic Adventurous Quest Journey – F

Comment and leave a link to your blog so that I can check it out! Don't forget to check out other A to Z Challenge Participants here, and make sure to stop by my new blog about life, love, history, science, and all sorts of random things, My Unofficial Guide To Everything.

Have a wonderful day :)

–Jess

Eyes of Eden

Okay, I know not everyone's into poetry, but I write it now and then when I've got nothing better to do (which is never, so more like, when I feel like not doing what I should be doing.)

Either way, I wrote this poem and had nothing else in mind to post today, so here it is.

Go easy on me, poems aren't one of my strengths, despite how many I write.

Eyes of Eden

Cross the world,

Face the black,

Run for you,

Then double back.

Watch your face,

See you smile,

Stay with me

for a while.

Reach for you,

But turn away,

Must forget,

Or fall astray.

You are fading,

Fading fast,

Let you go,

Relive the past.

What I was,

Was tied to you,

Shed my skin,

Follow through.

Eyes of Eden,

Look for me,

Take my hand,

Set me free.

I am day,

You are night,

Make your stand,

Hang on tight.

Lead the way,

'til death we fight,

For you are dark,

And I, the light.

So there you have it.

Any ideas on what it's about?

I'll give you a hint. There's no wrong answer.

--Jess

T is for Tense

T is for Tense

It’s like a rope.

One that’s pulled so tightly, that it feels hard as steel.  Sometimes it’s loose.  But most of the time, it remains tight.  Oh, so tight around me.  Suffocating me.

My fingers tingle with anxiety.  Awaiting my moment.  The moment I that I can break free.

Deep breaths.

I can do this.

***

Here's the song Let Me Fall by Josh Groban:

I'm not sure if that really fits the mood, but I've been listening to it all morning.

We all know that feeling.  The feeling of tension.  We need it for our stories.  Without tension, everything would be kinda boring, wouldn't it?

In real life, tension can be stressful.  Whether it's tension between you and a friend, between two countries, or between you and a Sith Lord trying to destroy the galaxy (that last one only applies to a few of us...), our lives are full of tension.

Yet, as I mentioned, tension in real life can be stressful.  It can make people frustrated or angry.  It can motivate them too, depending on the kind of tension it is.

I have to say, I don't think I have a lot of tension in my life.  Which is a good and a bad thing, depending on how you look at it.  The tension I have mostly comes from the inner conflicts with myself and the tension I feel while writing a story.

And then, there's also tension between me, my brother and sister.  (We're usually pretty good around each other, but we have our moments...)  If you have siblings, I think you'll understand.

But without tension, life get's a little dull, too.

Just think.

A world where nothing really went wrong... A world where there's nothing left to fix and everything is find and dandy all the time.  It gets old.  Boring.

So, um... I'm not sure what my actual point was when I started this post, other than what you already know: tension is good for stories!

Now, since I can't think of a good conclusion to this post, I'm just going to end it.

Have a Thoughtful (?) day!

--Jess

R is for Revenge

R is for Revenge

Remorse.

Burning rage in my soul.

They took her from me.  I let the enemy take her from my arms.  If I had fought harder, maybe I could have saved her.  But this was not my decision to make.

These prison bars are strong, but they don’t imprison my hate.

And when I am free, they all shall feel my wrath.

***

Okay, so this little flash fic/poem thing was written from one of my characters POV in my sequel.  She's a really fun character to write... not because she's funny (quite the opposite, actually).  But it's more because she's so passionate.  Her daughter was taken away before she was imprisoned by the enemy, and she's determined to escape and then, well, pretty much destroy them.

Now, for the music and a few random things after.  This is In The Middle of the Night by my personal fav, Within Temptation:

Um... I'm not entirely sure what that picture is about, but this clip had the best sound quality out of all the other ones. So just ignore it and enjoy the music.

I'd like to apologize for posting so late today.  Fridays are our crazy days.  Not that the rest aren't crazy.  It's just that, out of all the others, Fridays are at the top.  It's our big skating day.

Speaking of skating, go check out my sister Alyssa's blog, Life is Good. Her whole A-Z theme is skating, and she's also competing in a big competition tomorrow, so wish her luck!

And if you want to know the crazy thing that happened to me yesterday, check this out. Actually, it happened more to my mom than it did to me, but still.  I would post about it, but I try not to be too repetitive-- I already do that enough in my novels!

Hope you guys have a Relaxing rest of the day (or evening, or morning, depending on where you live.)

--Jess

K is for Knightly

K is for Knightly

It is not fire that puts out fire.

Only water can do that.

You can’t be cold to those who are cold.

Only warmth will melt the ice.

It is not war that ends a war.

Only love can be your savior.

You shan’t receive if you do not give,

Only you can release your soul.

***

If you're wondering what that little flash fic/poem has to do with the word Knightly, I mean it in the 'brave' sense of the word. Like, brave and chivalrous. And sometimes it takes courage to end a war or be kind and giving.

Oh, I also found this really interesting K word.

Definition for kleptomaniac:

Web definitions:

someone with an irrational urge to steal in the absence of an economic motive.

I just thought that was weird!

Once again, I was having a really hard time finding a song that fit the theme, so, I might have stretched my own rules a little today.

But, the word Knightly made me think of knights and for some reason, this song reminds me of knights and fighting and all that sort of thing.

Played by an electric string quartet, I present the song Requiem for a Tower played by Escala.

Have a Kooky day!

--Jess

F is for Forsaken

F is for Forsaken

We have been forgotten.

Alone and left for dead.

Behind your lies, I found the truth;

A truth I’ve come to dread.

The darkness closes in,

And it closes in too fast,

The world that we once had,

Is but a dream lost in the past.

This all is just a nightmare,

Yet from one we can’t awaken.

We must pay for what we’ve done,

Today, we are forsaken.

***

And here's one of the many songs I write to a lot by Within Temptation, called Forsaken...

Have a fabulous day!

--Jess

D is for Discouraging

D is for Discouraging

Your mind is dry and desolate,

Creativity long since passed,

And everything you write,

Isn’t something that will last.

It annoys you to the core,

Your scene just isn’t right,

Your eyes want to close,

You want to give up the fight.

But do not be destroyed,

In disparity don’t you moan,

We all have insecurities,

No, you are not alone.

***

Okay, maybe the poem is a little cheesy, but I couldn't think of anything to write for 'D' and for the Insecure Writers Support Group post! Anyway, here's a discouraging song (lol) called Destroyed by one of my favorite artists, Within Temptation.

Oh, and here's the A to Z Challenge linky list.

Have a Delightful day!

--Jess

P.S.
Who wants to be my 300th follower?

Be Prepared!

First of all, thanks to all my new followers from the campaign and for all the wonderful comments on my flash fiction post!

Alrighty, with that statement out of the way, I can tell you some exciting news! I have a skating competition tomorrow! (In case you didn't know, yes I'm a figure skater.) I usually don't get nervous until I'm actually at the ice rink, awaiting my turn to be called in front of the judges, but I'm not exactly sure how prepared I am for this one. I've got two jumps in there that I can't land consistently and a spin that doesn't exactly spin very well. So, with that being said, yes, maybe I am a little nervous right now.

Me and Alyss after one of our many competitions!

I'm not really someone that preforms well under pressure either. My knees get a little shaky and I constantly feel like I need to take a trip to the bathroom. Not to mention, the past few weeks I've been much more interested in my writing than in my skating (which I guess isn't a terrible thing because writing is my first favorite thing ever), but it isn't so good if I want to have a winning chance.


So, I'm sure you've made this conclusion already, but no, I'm not exactly prepared for this competition. I've got a little bit of an idea of the people I'll be competing against, but to be honest, I could lose miserably, or take first place. I've got no clue how this is going to play out.


And here comes the catch. Maybe I'm not the most physically prepared person there. But from a mental perspective, I very well could be. Not because I can land my jumps or do my spins, but because I'm prepared to lose. I'm prepared to skate hard then walk away with nothing but a green ribbon saying "Honorable Participant". And I can be happy with that.


How can we take this into writing perspective? Well, we need to be prepared. We don't exactly know what we're up against. We could luck out with our manuscripts, and just happen to send it to the right place, reaching the right person at the right time! And that's awesome! But more often than not, we get a nice rejection letter (if we're lucky).


Writing can be rough and sometimes even ruthless. But we can be tougher than that! We've got to look beyond rejection and see that it's all part of the journey. People will knock us down and honestly not like what we write. But what matters, is that we'll get back up and try again! And sometimes, getting that rejection can make getting published in the future all worth while!


Have a great weekend!


--Jess


P.S.

I updated my 'Poetry' page so it's got all of my recent poems. I also got a few new story ideas, so I'm excited!

Campaign and Awards!

I have been having so much fun these past few weeks! I've been able to edit quite a bit of my novel and have actually found some time in my day to read! I've been playing my violin more often and all of those blogfests were awesome! I'm also signing up for the blogging Campaign over at Rachel Harrie's site! Signup closes on the 31st, so be sure to go over there to meet new blogger friends!

Also, I have been awarded by Laila Knight these two awesome blog awards:

They both came from Laila Knight over at the Untroubled Kingdom of Laila Knight! Go stop by her awesome blog and give her a nice 'hi'. Thanks so much Laila!


I should probably pass these on now. The rules are:

1. Thank and link to the person who nominates you
2. Share seven random facts about you
3. Pass this award to five new blogging friends
4. Contact and congratulate the awarded bloggers

Okay so seven random facts, here I go!

1. I love Japanese food. I'm like, obsessed with it. (I wonder if it's because I'm a quarter Japanese...) My least favorite food is fried onions. I can eat plain ones, as long as they're not cooked in any way!
2. I am a very artistic person. I love to write (duh), paint, draw and play violin. By the way, I love any kind of music. (All of the kids at my old school thought I was crazy because I actually liked Opera.) It really just depends on the song for me.
3. I'm TERRIBLE at writing romantic scenes. And they're not even kind of good, they are actually terrible! It's really funny :D
4. I used to like a guy in 6th and 7th grade and ever since then I decided that I would wait until college before ever having to go through that again. (That's probably why my romantic scenes are so bad!)
5. I don't really follow any particular religion. I just choose the good things from each one and that works pretty well for me. (As long as you're a nice person it shouldn't matter too  much right?)
6. I love dreaming! I don't care if the dreams are scary or fun... as long as I'm dreaming! More than once have I found inspiration for my stories and poems in my sleep!
7. I'm in love with science. I want to be an astrophysicist when I grow up (as well as a writer of course!) but any kind of science I think is awesome!

The five people I'm giving this award to are:

1. Anna Saikin at http://annasaikin.blogspot.com
2. Teralyn Rose at http://teralynpilgrim.blogspot.com/
3. Ellie Garrett at http://elliegarratt.blogspot.com/
4. Isis Rushdan at http://isisrushdan.blogspot.com
5. Alyssa McKendry at http://lifeisgood-forever21.blogspot.com

So go check out those awesome blogs! Hope you enjoy :)

--Jess

Poem The Day: If You Were Lost

If You Were Lost


If you were lost,

I'd go to sea,

And journey the world,

In search of thee.

I'd battle a hydra,

Yes, that is true,

In a cold dark valley,

Just to be with you.

I'll fly with the dragons,

That control the skies,

And I'll dance through the flames,

Just to glimpse your eyes.

I'd climb every mountain,

I'd search every plain,

For only you,

Can heal my pain.

But if where I look,

Is not where you are,

I'll sail off the Earth,

And search every star.

If you were lost,

I'd look for thee,

But would you come,

To search for me?

--Jess

Sparkfest

Well what an awesome time for Blogfests! Yesterday there was Ellie Garrett's super awesome Star Trek Blogfest, there's the upcoming Worst Movie Ever on September 19th hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh, and from today to the 26th, there's the Spark Blogfest!
So the first question in the Sparkfest is:


What book made you realize you were doomed to become a writer?


I don't think there was a specific book that made me become a writer. My very first bit of inspiration was probably a Dr. Seuss book. What little kid doesn't love the sound of the rhythm and rhyme of the stories? I remember, before I could even write, I would tell my mom a few rhyming lines and she would write them down for me.


When I was seven years old, I read a series of books called the Great Illustrated Classics series. I remember reading War of the Worlds and Journey to the Center of the Earth for the first time and being captivated by story.


And then of course there was George Lucas. How can I not give credit to him? Star Wars was the deciding factor for me. Maybe I would be a writer, but I'm not sure I would be the writer I am today.


Anyway, check back tomorrow to see what inspired my current W.I.P.!


--Jess

Morning On The Water

The birds are singing shyly,

The water's almost still,

The sun dances on the surface,

With a slight and sudden trill.

A hummingbird flies past,

With quick and sudden grace,

The other birds still singing,

No voice takes on their place.

A heron swoops on past,

Scoops up a beam of light,

The sun still slowly dancing,

A bid takes sudden flight.

Clouds are passing overhead,

The horizon is sky blue,

The world is calm and still,

'Til a boat comes rolling through.

Now the water shatters,

Birds that sang, now not a sound,

The sun is dancing faster,

But peace cannot be found.

--Jess

Lurking Shadows

Emitted from a crystal light,

Come the darkest spirits of the night.

From the deep inferno of our souls,

Angry actions build up tolls.

Tolls that someday we must pay,

Getting closer day by day.

Our dark actions, or even heart,

Will tear our dear young world apart.

With darkened shadows and silhouettes,

They wrap good minds in fiery nets.

Bringing evil very near,

And more dark shadows to appear.

--Jess

P.S.


Look me up on WriteOnCon as violingirl4036! I just joined last night :D

Editing (Part 1)

So, after I finished my first draft of my story I was planning on taking a break. And I did for like an hour or two then went to bed. But Saturday morning... how could I resist taking another look at it? My book needs attention like a baby and I couldn't leave it alone for a whole day! I've spend every day for the whole summer with it... I can't just let it go.
So, my schedule for Saturday turned out to be something like this: Eat breakfast, Write, Eat Lunch, Write, Eat Dinner, Write.
The only problem is, I'm really not used to editing. For the longest time I only wrote poetry. And poetry for me doesn't need major editing, except for adding a word maybe changing a rhyme, but that's all. To edit an entire novel? That's got to be quite a bit different than poetry.
Luckily, I haven't been editing all alone. My mom knows my entire story, every secret and philosophical nuance, literally everything. Anyway, I think it's been really helpful to have her look at it, mostly because even though I admit my story isn't perfect (no where near perfect, I should add) I love it. I don't know how it is for everyone else (and maybe it's just because I'm a teenager, or because I'm a first time novelist), but personally, I love my writing. Now I don't think that's a bad thing... You need to like what you're writing to a certain degree so that you keep writing! But editing becomes much more difficult when it's harder to see my own flaws. So that is what my wonderful mom is helping me out with.
I'm really glad I have a mom I can talk to and tell pretty much everything. When I discovered the end to my story (I always discover the end about half way through writing it), my mom was the first person I told. Anyway, I just think it's really awesome that my mom isn't just a mom, but a really good friend as well who I can trust to be gentle with my story as well as pretty harsh. So thanks mom!


--Jess
P.S.
I think a few of you follow my mom's blog, but if not you might want to check it out. Click here: Imagine Today

Impossible Dream

I wish we all could see,

How we hurt and plague another,

Maybe one day we will see,

How to respect and love each other.

Once I had a dream,

And together we would stand,

Helping out each other,

Forever hand in hand.

Over grassy fields,

And through opens plains,

The same human blood,

Running through our veins.

Though what once was a fire,

Is now just a spark,

Waiting to forever,

Be enclosed in the dark.

But just one spark,

In just a few days,

Is just enough hope,

To light up a blaze.

--Jess

P.S.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Eyes In The Night

He watches the sun,

As it sets to bring night,

He watches the moon,

As it rises in sight.

He scans the horizon,

With hungry eyes,

He's perched on a cactus,

In search of his prize.

Then he sees it,

It's there then it's gone,

But he is too wise,

To lose it for long.

He flies to a tree,

With prey in his sight,

He attacks his target,

Then disappears into the night.

--Jess