Time Travel

New Years, with all its “Top Ten” lists and “Best Of” picks looking back at the past year, seems an appropriate time to write about time travel.

Time travel is a great, almost cliché, science fiction device. [I've noticed that some online SF magazines don't even want stories about time travel anymore, because it's been used so frequently.]

Thoughts On Arrogance

Why are most successful people arrogant?

I've always wondered this. Could it be that success requires a certain amount of bravado to grab attention?

[I would like to think that quality work would be more effective at grabbing attention than some blow-hard tooting his or her own horn.

Elves Mythology

In honor of the recent release of the Hobbit, Desolation of Smaug and the fast approaching Christmas Eve, I'll share some of my research about Elves.

The word “Elf” seems to have originated in Scandinavia, specifically among the Norse people of Denmark, Norway and Sweden and spread to Iceland and Greenland with their settlers.

Movie Reveiw - PG13 - Hobbit, The Desolation of Smaug

It was a fun roller coaster ride from the Misty Mountains to the Lonely Mountain. Peter Jackson's team had me on the edge of my seat and dodging 3-D projectiles for a good hour before I even remembered my nine year old beside me experiencing his first midnight showing.

He loved it, by the way, and is still sleeping off the after effects.

And just a word to people considering young children's viewing, it is very violent due to the huge numbers of battles. But at our house orc-elf-dwarf violence is firmly in the fantasy realm and doesn't really count as violence if done properly. Peter Jackson helped us out there, because the battles are not nearly as gory as the prime time TV commercials that annoy us so much as parents of a young child.

New Muse

I have a new muse, a baby dragon, that's only just hatched a little while ago. It's green and doesn't know how to fly, yet.

In fact, its wings are still quite small. But even just hatched, it is the size of a large dog. It speaks when it is in the mood and has many wise things to say. It says I need help with my antagonists. It promises that it can help me. [How does it know so much since it is so young?] [Where is its mother?] What is the whole offspring rearing model for dragons, now that I think about it?

Tree Reviews - Picture Book - the Salamander Room, by Anne Mazer

[Characters are from a middle grade Fantasy Series I am currently working on to make the review unique and interesting for kids.]

“I had another one of those dreams, last night...” Caitlynn starts with excitement.

“You mean one where the trees are doing a book review for you?” Jake laughs. “Cat, you are so weird!”

“I think they're cool!”

“I wish I would have dreams where the trees do my homework and tell me the answers.”

Autumn



Red Maple

I love Fall. It's my favorite time of the year. I used to wonder when I was a kid, if it was because I have a fall birthday. But the older I get the more I realize, it has never had anything to do with birthdays. Autumn is just the best time of the year (for me).

 Winter's snow and ice are stunningly beautiful.



 Summer's relaxation and butterflies are superb.


 Spring's flowers are amazing and so refreshing after the long wait through the ice and dark

Book Review - Education - How To Tell The Difference by Beverly Slapin, etc. and Writing about Native Americans

I wish to have Native American characters in my SylFaen Tree Saga, so I was delighted to find and read this book. How To Tell The Difference: A Checklist for Evaluating Children's Books for Anti-Indian Bias, by Beverly Slapin, Doris Seale and Rosemary Gonzalez. Slapin and company demonstrate misrepresentations of Native Americans in Children's Literature and compare them to appropriate representations.

It explains how many books use stereotypes and pejorative language when talking about Native Americans. I realized how much this book is needed when three seconds after describing the purpose of this book to my teenage son to recommend he read it, I came across a misrepresentation.

Tree Reviews - Picture Book - Chipmunk Song, by Joanne Ryder

Caitlynn

[As an experiment I am reviewing an older book that I love, using characters that I are pulled from the fantasy series I am currently working on, The Sylfaen Tree Saga, to make the review unique and interesting for kids.]

“Last night...” Caitlynn started with excitement.

“Was this a dream?” Jake challenged and laughed.

“I heard the trees talking.”


 “I didn't know trees could talk.”

Symbology of Acorns

                     

Well, research is minimal on the mythological implications of acorns. I'll share what I've learned, but I think I'm going to need to draw from my personal creativity to flesh out this symbol. I'll explore that after I report the research results.

1. Biological facts - Acorns are the seeds of Oak Trees.
[Check! My inner science teacher is coming out. I couldn't resist the opportunity to make a diagram. If anyone is interested in it, you are welcome to copy and use it.]

Finding a First Topic

Crickets chirping

I wrote this second post to go with the first whimsical explanation to myself. It's fun and light hearted. But more importantly, it leads to my first topic.
 
   Finding my First Topic
          “Okay. Here we go... This is me following my muses... I need a topic for my first entry. Muses,
     any suggestions?”

Introduction - A Hopeful Venture

I love to write!

I hope to be a published author of middle grade and young-adult fantasy books some day. Since creating worlds requires lots of research, there should be plenty of extra non-fiction topics to support a blog that other people might find helpful.

 While I was trying to find the words to start a blog I wrote a first post that I decided had a more fanciful tone than I wanted to start out on, but was fun and is a good spring board for my first question for you, my readers. Here's how I was originally going to start my blog.