A Novel Idea – Jesse Daniel

click above to view this week's linkup

Hello dearies! I've gotten behind with blogging – Kendra's blog party, Anna's contest. Mostly, that's because I've been writing (a short story-ish writing for Kendra's party, a FanFic for Anna). For the FanFic, I also decided I should rewatch some of the show, which has eaten into most of that time, as well as things like church and picnics. Of course, Goodreads, Facebook, Blogger, and Instagram aren't much help...

Anyhow, I'm taking a short break to do Ashley's new linkup. Then back to work.

The picture fits him in some ways, in other ways it's not him at all. It's just the best one I've found so far.

Where was he born? In a hospital, in their home, what city? I don't know. I haven't really thought about that, at all. I'm beginning to think they live in Michigan, though.

Where does he live now? See previous question.

Who are the people he is closest to? Family, friends? AnnDrew. They're best friends, after all.

Where does he go when he's angry and need to get away? His room or the skate park. Headphones in, music turned up loud, drowning out the world.

Blog Party Tag

Hello, dearies! Kendra from Knitted by God's Plan is hosting a blog party to celebrate 5 years of blogging and 3 years of being published.

Click the button below to view the announcement page!

Today is the first day, and one of today's posts is a game. Who doesn't like games? Not me!

As you've probably figured out already, this first game is a tag.

Rules: copy/paste the questions and answer them.
Prize: an entry in a drawing to read her WIP, Infiltration.

Now for the questions...


How long have you been blogging?

I created my first blog in November of 2009 (I only remember this because it says on my profile that that's when I joined Blogger). I've long since abandoned that blog.

I started Barefoot in the Snow on 13 March 2014. (Again, I only remember this because I looked up my first post.) Shortly afterword, on 23 May 2014 (I actually remembered that), I created An Ocean Raging, a quote blog.

Which of the books on my WIP list intrigues you the most?
Which from the party list? That would be:

1. The Worth of a King
2. HaV Academy
3. The New Division

That was fun. Because I already figured it out when I was choosing which books I'd most prefer to interview characters from.

Which from all the rest of them? Hmm.

*skims through Kendra's WIP list*

Probably The Ankulen or The Land of Numbers.

You're stuck on an island that has no sign of other people. What 5 items would you like to have with you in this event?

Hmm. Wifi, books (which, of course, includes my Bible), laptop, food, shelter. I guess that's a pretty boring answer, but I'd survive, wouldn't I? As long as people were able to find me once I'd messaged them...

Oh, I'd better add a weapon of some sort, in case of hungry wild animals. Wait, no, I'll just live in the trees. Eh, I'll add one anyhow.

So, final answer: wifi, books, laptop, gun, food. Not that I've exactly thought it all out.

Someone gives you a thousand dollars. What do you do with it?

A thousand, that's all? I'd give some to church, save some, use some, and possibly invest some. Aren't I interesting today?

Is there any book that you wish you had written? (Not because of the money involved, but because you love the idea so much you wish it was yours.)

I like this question! Very interesting. The first books that came to mind are The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Matched (Matched trilogy #1) by Allie Condie, and Icefall by Michael J. Kirby. I'm not really sure, but I'll go with these for now.

• The Book Thief — This is just an incredible book. Actually, out of these three, I'd certainly pick this one. I think.
• Matched — I love the concept of this book, and the style in which it's written. I started reading the first book just before bed one night and ended up reading more than half of it before forcing myself to stop. If I hadn't had to get up the next morning, I would have finished the entire book right then. I enjoyed the rest of the series, too, but this was the best one.
• Icefall — This came to mind because of Ole. I think, all things considered, he's the real reason this book was awesome. I've never thought of it that way before, but I just realized that when I think of the book and why I love it, it's always things he said that come to mind. I loved the style of writing, too. (In fact, it's a direct influence on how I plan on doing my current WIP.) I was less than happy with part of the ending, but I still love the book. (which is saying something — ending is everything) If you're a writer, read this. If you aren't, well... read it anyway.

The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini (Eragon) deserves and honorable mention just for being awesome.

Now go read all three of those. No, really, do it. I'm serious.

What is your favorite fairy tale?

Does Once Upon a Time count? No? Fine. Um... Peter Pan.

Ironic, since Peter Pan was one of the few and greatest failures of Once. I really liked the evilness twist, but they made him so evil there was no reason to like him. At all. There is a time and place for villains you love to hate. But Peter Pan? No. Just, no.

And Robby Kay is such an amazingly perfect Peter Pan, too...

Describe Kendra is seven words.

1. random
2. friendly
3. purple
4. writer
5. awesome
6. blogger
7. interesting

...because I really don't know you that well, but there you are :)

What is your opinion of popcorn?

Fluffy, salty, and buttery. Only that movie theater butter spout will do.

How many different crafts can you do?

I'm supposedly very good at crafts, but I generally hate them. So I really don't know. The only crafts I can think of that I enjoyed at all are origami and iris folding. That probably has something to do with the fact that they're done best by a perfectionist (aka me).

How long have you been following my blog and how did you find me?

I've been following you since 2 July 2014. I know this because the first person I saw when visiting you blog was July's Character Encounters post. The post was published 2 July and so was my first comment.

I honestly don't remember how I found you. After a bit of sleuthing, it seems that you found me first and commented on my first Talk To Me post.

             

Chatterbox: Something Foreign, part 1

This month's Chatterbox is something foreign. In the words of Rachel: "How do your characters interact with those of another culture or nationality?"

Westmoure from Revelations and I worked together using his character, Seiryn, and my character, AnnDrew. This is the first part. You can find the link to part 2 at the bottom of this post.

Now, without any further nonsense, I present to you part one of Something Foreign:


Seiryn closed her eyes tightly as she jumped through the shrubbery. Branches snapped and raked her arms, but then her feet hit concrete and she was tumbling, scraping a knee, but still running. Behind her, the bushes ignited and rushed into smoke and burning stumps. Then, from her left, a knife looped through the air, slicing right past her face. Seiryn slammed a fist to the ground, sending shockwaves rippling out, hoping it would stun her pursuers. She heard the click of Agramnon's handgun, and turning, she pushed open a door and stumbled through, not seeing, and pushing an auburn-headed woman to the ground with a shoulder to the face.

~~~~~~~

AnnDrew walked through the door, wondering what kind of restaurant this was. She'd never been to Egypt before, or any sort of Egyptian restaurant, so she wasn't sure what to expect.

She barely made it inside before she was knocked to the ground by a whirlwind from behind. The intruder grabbed her and pulled her against the wall, where they couldn't be seen from outside. The woman clamped her hand hard over AnnDrew's mouth and hissed in her ear to keep quiet. She watched out the window as three men in red cloaks ran past. It was only after they were out of sight that she released her hold on the girl. AnnDrew gasped for lack of air and turned to face her, wide-eyed.

"Who are you?"

The woman glared. "Shh. Agramnon could still hear you." After a moment, she looked down. "Call me Seiryn. But do it quietly."

AnnDrew laughed softly. "Okay, Seiryn," she whispered. "I'm AnnDrew. Who's Agramnon?"

"A murderer and a mastermind, but don't think about him too much, or he might sense you."

"Sense me? What do you mean?"

"He is present in the thoughts of those who think of him."

"Um, okay..." AnnDrew looked around for a moment. By now, anyone in the restaurant had gone back to whatever they were doing before the excitement. She stepped to the table nearest them and sat down. "Let's sit. Why are you running from those guys, anyway?"

Seiryn eased into a chair. "Well, most likely, they would kill me, if they could catch up."

"Kill you? Why?"

"I stand in their way. Why else would they hunt me? But this is not a place for such dark matters."

"Okay, then. So, are you from around here?"

"Egypt? No. No, I live quite a ways from this place. Uttsaria is my home."

"Where's that? I've never heard of Uttsaria before."

"It's the second largest city in Atlantea."

"You mean, Uttsaria is some part of Atlanta, Georgia, or something?"

Seiryn looked at her blankly. "Georgia?"

"Yeah, in the US. You know, one of the 50 states."

"No... Do they serve beef here? I've been eating salted fish for weeks."

"I have no idea. I was wondering what they serve, myself. I'm from the United States, this is my first time in Egypt."

"What do they eat, in that country?"

"Burgers, pork, steak. We eat fish, too. Pancakes, eggs, and sausage. Rice and pasta and potatoes. Soda, tea, and coffee. Watermelon in the summer, all kinds of fruits, really. I guess you can find just about anything if you know where to look."

"Ever had squid or octopus? How about Char? Or archerfish?"

"No. I've never even heard of Char or archerfish. What is Char? Is that a fish, too?"

"Yes, fish are the only native creatures in Atlantis. Everything else is imported from Phoenicia, mainly."

"Wait, did you just say Atlantis?!"

click here for part 2 of Something Foreign

A Novel Idea – Anna Drew

Hello, dearies! I've happened across a brand new (weekly!) linkup, hosted by Ashley from Ashley Aspires.

Click on the picture to the right to view this week's linkup!

What's her name? Anna Drew Stevens

Is she named after someone? Not that I'm aware of.

Does she have a nickname? AnnDrew

How old is she? 15

Hairstyle? Straight, curly, short, long, etc. She has very bright, rich red hair. It's messy-straight. The style is something very much like the picture above, though shorter. I'd say it's about shoulder-length — just touching her shoulders or a bit longer.

Eyes? Color, size, etc. Take the makeup away, and these are her eyes exactly. In fact, this is a much more accurate picture than the first one, though it's only of part of her face. Right down to the freckles, it's perfect.

My Name Is Dan

Hello everyone! AnnDrew here. Jess has this crazy idea—

I told you, don't call me that anymore. And it's not crazy.

That's him, by the way. Anyhow, he's got this idea that we're to call him Dan now. I told him that's silly, but he won't listen, of course.

It's not silly, it's my middle name. Jess is a girl's name.

No, it's your name. We've always called you Jess.

My name is Jesse Daniel. You've always called me Jess.

Okay, fine, then. It's your nickname. But seeing as I'm your best friend, I'll call you whatever I like, Sue.

Dan.

Alright, Dana.

*rolls eyes*

Guys, guys, knock it off. You're friends, remember?

Riiight.

Jess...

Oh, come on!

Sorry. Habit.

Wait, we actually have to call him that?

Yes, you do.

Oh. Well, I still like Dana better.

*sigh*

Hi.

Hi, Alex.

Oh, hey, Alex!

*glares in Alex's direction*

Where've you been? We were starting to wonder if you'd show up.

Show up to what?

We're writing a post on Jessy's blog.

Or fighting one.

What?

Nevermind.

Not you. Ann.

*looks suspiciously at Jess* Didn't you tell him?

Tell him what?

Jess!

*ignores her*

Jesse Daniel Parker, you—

Calm down, it's fine.

Hmph. *eyes Jess pointedly*

What are we posting about?

Oh, that. We already did. We were talking about how Jess wants us to call him Dan now.

He does?

Well, you certainly make sure Alex knows everything, don't you, Dan.

I hardly see him.

Guys! What did I say earlier?

Right.

Apologize.

Sorry, Jess.

AnnDrew.

Um, sorry, Dan.

Better.

*silence*

Dan?

Fine. Sorry.

Friends? *extends hand to Dan*

Since when were we not friends?

Right...

Good. I think.

Let's go for pizza. I'll buy.

Awesome!

*everyone looks at Dan*

What?

Aren't you coming?

Uh, sure.

Oh, come on. It's time for lunch, anyway.

Yeah, I'm coming.

*AnnDrew and Alex leave the room*

What have you got against Alex? You aught to be nicer to him, and AnnDrew, too, for that matter.

Yes, ref.

*sigh* Let's go eat.

*Dan follows Jessy out the door*

Collaborations

Hello dearies!

Just a note to let you all know about an internet friend of mine, Nadd from Revelations. We're currently working on two collabs together:

1. This month's Chatterbox
2. A series of short stories

We'll be posting them one our blogs, some parts on mine and some on his. So go give Revelations a visit, and keep an eye out for our collabs, both here and there!

Beautiful People: Jess

1) What's his favorite food? Spaghetti

2) What does he absolutely hate? Hypocrites

3) What does he enjoy learning about? Anything. He reads a lot and loves to learn.

4) Who is the most influential person in his life? His youth pastor.

5) What is his childhood fear? He was afraid a tree would be struck by lightning, fall on the house, and crush someone.

6) What is something he has always secretly dreamed of but thought impossible? Winning gold at the Winter Olympics for snowboarding and at the Summer Olympics for skateboarding.

7) What is something he is impractically afraid of? Losing his best friend.

8) Is he a night owl or a morning person? Night owl, definitely.

9) Does he say everything that pops into his head or leave a lot unsaid? He doesn't usually say everything that pops into his head, but he doesn't necessarily leave things unsaid, either.

10) What are his nervous habits? Stretching, hands in pockets, moving.

Dream Come True

Yesterday, my mom told me she'd had a dream. She said that she was sitting at our dining table when I came over with a stack of printed pages about a couple inches thick, which I then dropped on the table in front of her with a loud thud.

My ambition is to make this not a dream but a prediction. One day, I will make this dream come true.

But first I've got to write that novel.

Character Encounters Linkup: Graffiti

I find Jess in what we call our backyard, spray-painting graffiti on the side of the concrete wall. He doesn't hear me approach, and I stand there, watching him. I see he's an amazing graffiti artist — something I didn't know before now.

I shift my position and a stick cracks beneath my foot, alerting Jess of my presence.

our actual backyard
thank you to my sister, Rissa

"How long have you been standing there?" His voice is a mix of anger, confusion, pride, and vulnerability. But most people wouldn't see that behind the walls he's built up.

"Maybe five minutes," I answer truthfully. His steely gray eyes are on mine, harsh and unforgiving if I didn't know better. "That's really good."

He considers his work before facing me again. "What is?" he asks.

"All of it." I wave my hand towards the length of the wall. "I never knew you could paint like that."

"I'll get it cleaned up," he says, bending down and gathering his supplies into his duffle bag.

"Why? It's beautiful."

He looks up from what he's doing, confusion painted across his face. "You don't want it gone?"

she even staged it for me
she read this before taking the photos

"Of course not! Why would I want it gone? I love it."

"I just thought..." He pauses for a moment before saying, "I didn't think anyone was home."

"It's just me. Everyone else is out." I study the wall for a minute. "Are you going to finish it?"

"Nah," he dismisses me with a wave of his hand. "I'm done." He sets the last spray can into his bag and slings it over his shoulder as he stands. "I think AnnDrew's waiting for me."

He studies my face for a moment before walking past me. He's gone several yards before I stop him.

"Jess." He turns just enough to face me. "Come back and finish it sometime? Or paint more."

"Maybe," he answers as he walks away. I follow behind him until I reach the door, then watch as he walks down our driveway. He turns onto the road and out of view. I walk the rest of the way to the door and step inside before remembering I had been on my way to my friend's. I walk back outside and down the alley towards her house, wondering where Jess had gone.

Talk To Me: An Original Linkup

Hello, Dearies! (yes, it seems I'll be using the OUAT reference greeting; excuse me if you must)

Thanks to Carly over at Books and Etc., I'm creating a new linkup, called Talk To Me! Something like Beautiful People, Snippets of Story, and Chatterbox.

Like said linkups, this will be monthly. On the first day of each month, I'll create a post with a new linkup, which will be open until midnight of the last night of that month (e.g. this month's is open until August 1st at 12:00am).

So what exactly is this "Talk To Me" linkup I'm talking about? Well, I'm glad you asked. You simply let one of your characters post to your blog. (Perhaps even create their own blogger profile and make them a blog author like I have; but that's optional.) The point is to get to know your characters better by seeing what they have to say. Here's an example of a Talk To Me post. (That's the post that inspired the linkup.)

Also like Chatterbox, I'll be giving you a category each month. Since I've already written mine for July (though I hadn't yet gotten the idea of a linkup at that time), I'll stick with a category it fits into.

And so, without further ado, this month's category is...

Confessions/Flaws

To participate, simply create your post and then add your link below. (Please be sure to link to your post, not your entire blog.) Preferably, your entry title will look like this: Name @ Blog Title (e.g. mine is: Jessy @ Barefoot in the Snow).

Thank you and enjoy!

         

World Cup Soccer and the Christian Life

As I'm sure none of you know (unless you know me personally or read my quote blog), I am a World Cup soccer fanatic. I love soccer, and especially the World Cup.

Perhaps you couldn't care less about soccer. Bear with me: I'm going somewhere with this; and hopefully I'll go easy enough on the soccer jargon so that everyone can understand, whether you've ever watched a game or not.

Quick explanation of the World Cup: the soccer teams of thirty-two countries are split into groups and play against each other until there is only one team left, the winner (usually Brazil).

Okay, not exactly usually, but Brazil is amazing.

*ahem*

The United States played a knock-out game yesterday versus Belgium. (Knock-out simply means, if you lose the game, you go home. No more World Cup 2014 for you.)

Our defense was decent for most of the game. (I hope you have at least a minor understanding of defense and offense.) The offense definitely needed some work. By the very end of the game, we started playing offense the way we should have been the entire game, but it was too late. By then, our defense had broken down (besides the goalie, who saved more goals than he should have been able to). Though we managed one goal, we gave up two. And we lost.

That's the basic idea of what happened. Now, for the point of this post:

1. Defense is great, but it can't last forever

The best offense is a good defense, right? Sometimes. But as I said, you can only play defense for so long before said defense falls apart. Especially against an offensive opponent (in the case of Christianity, the devil).

You can't expect to always be playing defense and get anywhere in your Christian life. You have to also put up a good offense.

Now, when I say "offense," I don't mean unnecessarily offensive. If you're doing it right, some things about your life will be offensive, simply because they go against the grain of the world. There's no need to add to it by being a "jerk for Jesus."

However, I do mean fight offensively against the devil and temptation. Like the game yesterday, if you have nothing but a decent defense, you will lose. Even if you have a great defense, perhaps the greatest defense humankind has ever seen (which I doubt), you will still lose, eventually. As I pointed out in bold, even the greatest defense will eventually fail if that is all you have.

2. That said, you do need a good defense

In the same way you can't expect to stand without a good offense, you can't expect to stand without a good defense.

As I've mentioned several times, the USA team had a decent defense for a little while. But eventually it broke down, and that's when Belgium scored — twice — and the game was lost. I've already talked about offense; if we had kept up our defense, Belgium wouldn't have scored. And without a goal, they couldn't have won. Of course, it would have eventually gone to penalty kicks, because someone had to win. But that is, for the moment, irrelevant.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist stedfast in the faith," 

I Peter 5:8-9a

3. You can't expect "someone else" to do it all

I mentioned at the beginning of this post that Tim Howard (our goalie) did more than his part. Not only did he do his job, he did it better than could have possibly been expected. Yet we still lost.

You can't sit back and think, "I don't really need to. God can use someone else just as well as me." Because, what if everyone says the same thing? Then you're left with no one but Tim, doing more than his part, yet not enough.

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. 

Galatians 6:9-10

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons. 

Colossians 3:23-25

4. In conclusion: the whole armor of God

If you don't have the whole and entire armor of God on — both offensive and defensive — you won't "stand against the whiles of the devil" for long. Be sure you're wearing every piece at all times.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the whiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: praying always with all your prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; and for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. 

Ephesians 6:10-20