It's All In The Details

Little Factoid about Moi: I have been told that I have a very wry sense of humor. 

A lot of people told me that I should START a blog because I can make people laugh without ... trying. Half the time when I say something and my friends start laughing, I am completely clueless.
This happened to me the other day when I was at work. 
A customer asked me ... "What do you think of the Salted Caramel Mocha?" 
I replied with something like "It's sweet, and salty followed up by DELICIOUS!" Apparently, that was too funny for her because I was making a funny face and she laughed really loud and said "I'm getting it."
I got a pretty good tip from her that day too. YAY!!! 

Anyway, sometimes I wonder what makes me say stuff. Words. And stuff. I've always gotten in trouble for running my mouth too much. Trust me ... it's not pretty when you're a little TOO honest with people. Youch!! 

Words are pretty powerful things, aren't they? What we say can and WILL have an effect on people. Sometimes, we're not around to see it. Sometimes we are. But ultimately, I think I have to remember to THINK before I speak. It is NEVER my goal to hurt someone's feelings. Never. Ever. 
If it was up to me, I'd just keep making my wry little zingers to make someone's day but bad days CAN happen. 
I always think back to a verse in James 3:5 

"Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark." 

Sometimes if I'm blatantly honest, I hurt people's feelings. And when I decide to hold back my real feelings, I'm holding it ALL back and eventually I blow up. It takes a great deal of effort and meditation to keep everything in balance. (Yin and Yang can be quite pesty) I have a bit to atone for, but that's the blessing of God. He always forgives. 

Oh the joy of being able to KNOW when to shut up. 

Speaking me talking too much ...? I haven't been reading since this week started. I am ashamed. I probably read 10 pages of Rush by Maya Banks. And ... it's a bit ... dull. I get that I was told that it was amazing ... and if you love the book, I apologize if I'm making you upset. 
I just think that the character Mia is really whiny. She's all 'blah blah, I'm in love with Gabe and he'll never love me', but then she acts like she doesn't really care and still follows him around like a lovestruck puppy. It's just NOT very believable to me. Granted with that kind of book, I'm not exactly looking at a Pulitzer prize winner, but still ... I was hoping that it would be more entertaining.
Don't worry. I'll finish it.
Another little factoid about myself: Once I start a book, I can't NOT finish it. I will fight my way to the last page. Even I have to drink 10 gallons of coffee to keep me awake to do it. 
For example, I'm going to tell you a book that I had to FORCE my way through. Conveniently enough, this book is ALSO the book chosen for the Barnes & Noble Book Club this month. I told a couple of my friends to not bother. Save themselves. Run away now. Hahahaha. 
Here's the book. The Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet by Jamie Ford. 
It was just ... so ... BORING! 
I mean, I get what the author was trying to say, but did he have to do it in such a way that made the reader WANT to go to sleep? 

It's about the friendship and love between Henry Lee, a Chinese American boy and Keiko Okabe, a Japanese-American girl. And it's in the time of World War II when the government was forcing the American-born Japanese people into internment camps where there was little food and poor housing. The story is told by an older Henry who is on a renewed search for Keiko when some of the Japanese people's things are found in the basement of this abandoned hotel. 
And that's IT! Seriously, the story just drags from there. I just wanted him to hurry up and start looking for her instead of moping around and talking about Keiko and wishing his relationship was better with his son. 
I've heard Jamie Ford's other books are better. Perhaps I will give him another chance. I just didn't get into this book. But. I. Finished it. 

Any books that you have NEVER been able to finish reading? What were your reasons? Would you ever go back and finish it? 

I'm nosy. Sue me. 

Let's go now into my Wednesday Writers Workshop. 
This is a lesson that I have learned from classes in the past. 
Today's Topic: The Little Details. 

Where I'm going with this is ... do you know WHO you're writing for? Who's your audience? 
I think that in order for you to get an idea off the ground, I think you need to think about WHO YOU ARE WRITING FOR. 
Age range: Are you writing for Adults? Teens? Kids? (Example: Let's pick Teens since that's who I mostly write for)
Next question. Will it interest them? Think about what's selling at the moment. For example, if it's the historical biography of Marie Curie, but you're only going to talk about the science and use huge words .... then no, I wouldn't say that's a great book for Teens. Now if you take that same topic and go the route of 'This was her life and what brought her TO the science and what she's known for' then you have a better chance of capturing a Teen reader. 
Are you stuck? Ask for feedback? Tell a friend or better yet, ask another Teen ... would they read what you're writing? Show them a bit of what you've written and ask questions. The worst thing that can possibly happen is you have to start over! It sucks, but it's easier to fix something that's not fully completed in my opinion. 

The last thing I can suggest with remember your audience and who you're writing for ....? 
Here it is! 
Remember your Purpose! If you feel like what you're writing is SO changed compared to what you'd typically write ... don't hesitate to change it. Ultimately you have to be yourself. If you're writing for a teen and what you're reading back to yourself sounds childish and not in your voice ... CHANGE the tone to your own voice. If YOU don't believe your writing ... your audience won't believe it either. 
The point of writing is to let your soul free for you to express yourself. Not change who you are. 
WHOA! That sounded really philosophical. 

Another piece of writing advice for today?
Who you're writing for? Is it for you as well? You're never going to be able to actively be a part of your own book if a piece of you doesn't LIKE what you're writing. 
Before you decide who you're just going to randomly write for ... think about what you most typically READ. If you typically read Young Adult ... don't just suddenly decide to write for Adults until you're absolutely SURE you know what the story is. Or at least ... if you DO decide to do that ... don't change your voice to suit that audience. Make it your own. 

All right, there's my Wednesday Writers Workshop for today. 
I hope that it was helpful. It sounded a bit jumbled to me.

But it's my blog. 


I can do what I want. *snickers* 

And hey, I'll improve as this blog continues on. 

Be open, Be loving, Be yourself
-Taryn

Last Week ...?

It was busy, busy, busy. 

I got SO MANY hours at work and it was awesome. On top of that, it was blissfully quiet where I was staying. 
One of my besties, Faith moved into a new house in Mattawan. It's really cute and has this gorgeous living room and the whole place just has a lot of charm.

I'm still voting on them getting a pony. And a goat. And ... probably some chickens since there's a barn. 

I finished that book 'Openly Straight' by Bill Konigsberg and am now on 'Rush' by Maya Banks, 'The Graveyard Book' by Neil Gaiman, and 'Wolfsbane' by Andrea Cremer. Oh I know that I have a full plate ahead of  me. I'm trying to create a small pile to put by the bed of ALL the books I have yet to read. There are some that I found from a LONG time ago that I just kinda forgot about. Whooops! 
Why? Why? Why? Bibliophilia is both a blessing and a curse! 

This page from The Library by Sarah Stewart pretty much sums up where my life is going. I think I'm okay with that. 

On another note, I'm sitting at the tea shop. Guess what?? POLLY MADE A NEW TEALATTE!!!!
It's called Pirate's Treasure! It's made from my fave tea, Glitter and Gold and has the vanilla syrup and a butter rum syrup, all steamed with nonfat milk. I'm. So. Happy. 
I love tea. 
I might have mentioned that before. 
Especially on a day like this. For those NOT in Portage, Michigan ... the last several days have been nothing but cold, dreary rain. We got some relief on Saturday with some sunshine, but then it returned to the rain. So with nothing else to do, I grabbed my books and just started reading. 

I have been looking forward to reading these for a while. 
This book -------------> 
I read book one, Nightshade, a WHILE ago and I remember getting SOOO mad at it because I wanted Calla (the main character) to come to her senses and return to Ren. 
And when she didn't ... the love triangle continued and I put THIS book, Wolfsbane at the bottom of the pile. I finally decided to buck up and just read book two. So wish me luck that I don't get mad and throw THIS one against the wall. 


I'm hoping for a nice week. After all, it's only Monday. I get a few days on the book floor this week, which only makes me smile more. :D You're just going to have to bear with me while I sort through all my books. And of course ... keep you suggestions coming.
I'll get to each of yours. In time.

In other news, I STILL have no word from that job in Alaska. But I'm still praying and hoping that something will come of that. I'd be an amazing copy editor for them. I'm sure of it. So please ... keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I continue to reach out to them about the position for the Anchorage Daily News. 

Meanwhile, I suppose I shall continue working really hard this week and making myself look awesome on the book floor. For tomorrow. YES! 

And I think I'm rambling. 

Shall we move on? I think so. 
I just wanted to mention ... again ... that Halloween is right around the corner and there are SO many more decorations hanging up on houses and in front yards. This year must be the graveyard theme. I've seen a TON on Romence road alone. And one looks like they put up this creepy gate to make it look like they're driving up into the cemetery. I wish I'd snagged a picture of it. 
What do you guys like decorating with? Do you do themes? Or do you just kind of wing it? 

This just looked kinda cool. I love the tombstone that says 'You're Next!' Hahahaha!
Sometimes, my mom will go all out for Halloween but this year, it's been a bit more difficult. Everyone has been super busy. So this year we have a really nice set of pumpkins on the front porch and these really Autumn-y colored mums. Our house never gets Trick or Treaters anyway, so we don't HAVE to go all out. That makes it nice. 

Feel free to leave me any comments or questions! I love them and am happy to talk with any readers. 
*winks* You know where you can find me. Just look at the back tables of Chocola-Tea and I'll be there, typing away. 

I will see you all on Wednesday for the Writers Workshop. And I promise not to stand on my soapbox too long. I just get passionate about writing, books, and authors. 

Be Open, Be Loving, Be Yourself,
Taryn

Already The Middle Of The Week

Can you believe it? It's already Wednesday.
Monday was a bit on the crazy side so I wasn't able to post. But hey! I'll make up for it today. I hope. 

How has your week gone so far? 

I am pleased to announce that the last two days, heck THREE days, I've been in the planning stages for NaNoWriMo. At last I have an idea. For my 8th year, I'm hoping to get a third win! Another 30 Days of Literary Abandon, here I come! 

I'm thinking of a title like 'Broken and Beautiful' since it's going to be about a young woman who follows her rock star boyfriend to California and, as you can probably guess, she gets there and finds out her boyfriend has been cheating on her since he stepped foot off the plane. 
Bam! An idea was formed. AND I got the idea while working cash register at Barnes & Noble. No idea how those two are related. But it worked. Ideas in my head. And I've been writing them all down furiously.

A computer is great. Not going to lie. I love them. But I think it would be even BETTER if I could drag around a typewriter to write my novel. You could be all 'yeah, I carry my typewriter with me. what of it?' 

I so hope one day to get one of my very own. I had one when I was young, but it broke and it was an old electric one. Above all, if your typewriter breaks nowadays, you're pretty much screwed because who knows how to repair a TYPEWRITER anymore? 

*takes a sip of tea* 

Moving on! 

Today is kind of a busy day! I finished a book, started a new book, and packed two more with me just in case I finish the other one. Then, I vacuumed and picked up the living room, watched Grey's Anatomy on Lifetime channel, then did the dishes. I contemplated doing my laundry .... but then .... decided against it.

Hey everyone, you get a new fact about me. There's nothing I hate more than cleaning bathrooms. But laundry comes in a close second because you have to take a basket of dirty clothes, take them to the laundry or basement or what have you and you put them in. You have to separate whites, colors, darks, lights, and add the appropriate amount of detergent/fabric softener. Then you have to pick what temperature is perfect for each basket of clothes. 
Here's MY way of doing laundry. Unless it's delicate or has zippers or just seems like something that shouldn't be shoved in the washing machine ... mine ALL goes in. I put in the laundry detergent, put it ALL on cold/cold and turn it on. Simpler. More effective. And less loads. 
But then you have to put them in the dryer and make sure that everything goes in and comes out dry or even just SLIGHTLY damp. I have no problem with this part. Here's where I get stumped. The putting away. I hate doing that. My clean clothes wind up just STAYING in the laundry basket and I sort through what I need when I need it. 

Am I the only one that does this? *raises hand and looks around* Anyone? Anyone at all? 

Dirty or clean? You'll never know. Hahahaha! 

Now .... because it's October 16th and Halloween is about 15 days away or so, I wanted to share another one of my favorite Halloween traditions. The decorating. Last year (or was it the year before), I carved a pumpkin in the shape of one of the Skelanimals. The bird. Looked like this...

And yes, these are fair game. They're on google, after all. But yeah, I love carving pumpkins. Now the degooping of the pumpkin. Kinda gross still. It's cold and slimy. *shudders* But the end result's worth it. Don't you think? SO CUTE. 
Another of my favorite Halloween traditions to decorate are the Fall leaves garland and little haunted houses, the Boney Bunch Collection, the fake spiderwebs and the Halloween lights. 

When I lived in Holland with my roommate, I surprised her by decorating the entire front porch and even the bushes out front. I had taken the old ceiling light and had covered it with fake cobwebs and hung a long strand to about eye level and then tied on a plastic spider. Then I put up lights and fake Caution tape everywhere. That is one thing I miss about where I lived. Being able to hand out candy. The kids in Holland loved our decorations. Because even though it was simple, it was creative. 
I love seeing all the costumes kids choose every year and love seeing their faces when you hand them their favorite candy bar. I even had water bottles set out for the parents who'd been walking all over town with their kids.
I loved being able to go all out for Halloween night. 
And for those who've seen It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown ... No one got any rocks. 

I thought about it. 

But I decided that that wouldn't be funny. It's just depressing. 

And now let's go on to the Wednesday Writers Workshop! 
Today Topic: Reading! 

A lot of people think that you can just sit down and start penning the Great American Novel. That it's easy. It's not. 
In order to bring out your inner writer, you have to be able to read anything. I can and do. It took practice, actually. For a LONG time, I had refused to read anything nonfiction. I only read CERTAIN fiction books and didn't even touch the Romance section. It wasn't until I met my dear friend Jeanne that I truly grasped this concept. She reads EVERYTHING. She wasn't afraid to read anything new or strange or banned. She was the one who told me that in order for me to be able to write, I had to have an understanding of everything else that had been written. 
I started with my favorite kind of biographies. Stories of people studying wolves or the reading field guides from the library. I then went on to reading different nonfiction accounts from documentaries that I liked. Thus, breaking my fear of nonfiction. 
This writer believes that no book can be counted out. 
No author should be ignored. 

I have a very firm philosophy that when it comes to literature, it all matters if it tells a story (of any kind) and can make one think. My philosophy also stems from the fact that I'm a Christian, born and raised (ooh, you got two facts about me today) and that I was RAISED to believe that all people deserve a chance. They deserve to be looked at as people. Not objects. My mom taught me that you can't look at a person and judge them for what they look like, how they act, or what defines them. I took that lesson and have never really looked back. 
I accept people. This includes authors. All of them. 
I'm not kidding when I tell you that I read everything or that if you suggest me to read a book, I won't think twice. It WILL get added to my 'To Read' pile. 

So there's my suggestion for any writer. 
Do you read just one genre? Do you ignore others because they're 'controversial' or you're worried what people will think of you if you choose them? 
My advice on that? Ignore those feelings. So what if someone looks at the title and wonders what you're reading. You look them straight in the eye and you tell them 'I'm a reader, I'm a writer and (Emily and Ash, you'll appreciate this) .. Don't look at me with those judgy little eyes' 
Read EVERYTHING. Read the newspapers, read magazines, read the banned books list cover to cover. Read the side of buses. Read advertisements. Read the books with the weird covers and titles that you can't understand. Read the classics to understand what was popular in the 1800s. Read the fine print on contracts. Read Harry Potter just for the fact that it's Harry Potter. Read it all and don't look back. 

I also wanted to share what I'm currently reading. I just finished reading Requiem by Lauren Oliver in the Delirium Trilogy. And I refuse to do a review on it based solely on the fact that ... I'm not sure what I think of it yet. When the dust settles in my brain, I'll let you know. 

Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg! 

This book is a bit more on my controversial side since it's LGBT literature. But I think it has some good storyline in it. 

"Rafe is a normal teenager from Boulder, Colorado. He plays soccer. He's won skiing prizes. He likes to write.
And, oh yeah, he's gay. He's been out since 8th grade, and he isn't teased, and he goes to other high schools and talks about tolerance and stuff. And while that's important, all Rafe really wants is to just be a regular guy. Not that GAY guy. To have it be a part of who he is, but not the headline, every single time.
So when he transfers to an all-boys' boarding school in New England, he decides to keep his sexuality a secret -- not so much going back in the closet as starting over with a clean slate. But then he sees a classmate breaking down. He meets a teacher who challenges him to write his story. And most of all, he falls in love with Ben . . . who doesn't even know that love is possible."

Again, it's a bit controversial for those who do NOT like LGBT literature so ... and I quote. "Don't look at me with those judgy little eyes" (Thanks Emily for making me watch that show. DAMIEN IS SO FUNNY) 
It was recommended to me a WHILE ago and I finally got to it on the pile. 

Be open, be loving, be yourself!
-Taryn 

Who gets a Saturday Post?

YOU DO!!! 

I am currently at a Barnes and Noble in the Rivertown Crossings Mall in Grandville, MI. And ... guess what? 

I. Got. To go. Apple picking! 

Best. Day. Ever. 

I wound up with several Jonagolds and Galas. Picked 1 Granny Smith and 1 Honeycrisp. Then my friend and I each got a small cup of hot apple cider. Then I got to pet a goat in the petting zoo AND pet a cat that was wandering up and down the orchard. 

My APPLES!!!!

Yeah, I had a LOT of fun today. And above all, I needed it. I was working the last 8 days straight as I had mentioned and this was EXACTLY what I needed to unwind a little bit. Plus, I found a book that I want now from Barnes and Noble. 

This is my life. Books! This is a book that my bestie found, actually and it sounds pretty cool. It's called The Rules For Disappearing. 

She's been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky . . . But now that she's been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.

Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they've given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do-or see-that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all of the Suits' rules-and her dad's silence. If he won't help, it's time she got some answers for herself.

But Meg isn't counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who's too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there's only one rule that really matters-survival.

I took this directly from the Book Jacket since ... you know ... I haven't read it. But doesn't this sound kinda AWESOME!!? 
I think this is the best Saturday! :D 
And if my mom can read this, I hope she's having fun at the Rig Training session. It's kind of warm, but I'll bet the trails look pretty. 

Until Monday. This has been a Saturday Special from yours truly,
Taryn 

Encouraging!

October appears to be in full swing. 
Today, it's simply BEAUTIFUL! The sun is shining and there isn't a cloud in the sky. Also, the oranges and reds in the trees are simply GLOWING in the sunshine. The temperatures aren't that bad either. It gets pretty chilly in the mornings, though. You can start seeing your breath in the mornings. I think that means I have to finally take the plunge and start wearing a small jacket. 
Summer is over. 

I have to admit it. 

To get started, can someone buy me this jacket? It's STINKIN' CUTE!!!!! 
And I think I'd look cuter in it than the model chosen for it. I'm just saying. *laughs* 

So what have you been doing lately? 
I've been working for the past 8 days straight. And it's been awesome. But sometimes ... I really, REALLY need to unwind, hence my three times a week (sometimes) visits to Chocola-Tea. YAY. 
Guess what? They got new cases. So the lighted up chocolates immediately catch your eye when you walk in. It's almost not fair how good it all looks. But I've been doing so well on Weight Watchers that that's my motivation for staying far away from it. 
Still ... there's nothing wrong with LOOKING, right? 

My favorite chocolates are in the bottom picture on the very bottom left. Chocolate Mint Smoothies. 
I just have to keep reminding myself 'You're on Weight Watchers. You're doing so well." 

That actually brings me into .... the Wednesday Writers Workshop! 
Last week's Topic: Settings.
This week's Topic: Mantras and Encouragement. 

I know, it's a bit of a stretch from the last topic, but I was thinking about this today and about how I NEVER would have kept writing if it wasn't for the people in my corner cheering for me. 
It's good to have a cheering section! The best writers say that the one thing you can have is your own writing group. Writers supporting one another, providing critiques, encouragement, and commiserating together. When a writer is by herself .. it's not awful ... I'm NOT saying that they're going to fail or they're never going to accomplish anything ... because that's not true. What I'm saying is that .. it seems a bit easier if you know you're not alone. 
I was six years old when I first started writing 'books'. They were really a piece of lined notebook paper and I wrote on the front and back of this piece of paper and THAT was my book. 
When I was 16 years old, I really buckled down and became serious about writing. 
When I was 17 or 18, I completed my first novel with the help of National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo for short. I sincerely believe that the reason I actually FINISHED the novel was because of the support groups on the NaNoWriMo website. It's amazing what a good support group can do for a writer. 
I made friends in the forums and we spitballed ideas back and forth, creating more characters, plotlines, and stories than I think I ever could have done by myself. 

I do highly encourage any writer to get involved with a group of fellow writers. It doesn't take long to find one in your area. Seriously. Google can be your best friend when it comes to this. OR, you can go to Nanowrimo.org and go to the forums. You can find writers groups IN YOUR CITY to meet with. 
It's scary. 
Believe me, it's scary to go for the first time.
The first time I went to one, I was shaking so bad that I thought my teeth were going to chatter right out of my mouth, but then we all started talking and laughing and drinking more coffee than the average human should consume and it was a lot of fun. 
The second time I got involved was English Society at Cornerstone University. I got so involved with that that I became PRESIDENT of the club by my senior year. Since I found writers groups, I have written 7 complete novels. 
Meeting with like-minded writers can change your whole world.

After all, not everyone can be a virtual recluse like Emily Dickinson or J.D. Salinger and churn out masterpieces. 

It happens. 

But it's rare. And I don't recommend it. 

For anyone interested in meeting other writers, I do also suggest a Writers Conference or two throughout the year. 
And yes, you DO know you're a writer when you're starstruck by meeting an author like Anne Rice, J.K. Rowling, or Ted Dekker. I seriously GEEKED out when I met Jennifer Armintrout for the first time. I kinda had a freak out moment when I meet Tracy Groot too. 
Writers Conferences get you a chance to meet firsthand with authors and even publishers who can give you advice on your novel and how to get started on it. 

Breathe Writers Conference

This was the first one I ever went to! It's where I met Tracy Groot and ... she's kinda awesome. Just saying. *giggles excitedly* 
I'm still saving up to go this year on October 18th. The location is right on their website. 

The Breathe Conference got me started and helped me release my ideas. Meeting with other writers and showing your work really wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. 

I hope that that was helpful advice for the Wednesday Writers Workshop!
It was just an idea for a topic that stuck with me today and I wanted to get it all out. I hope I did it in a clear and understandable way. 

Wishing you the best on this October evening.
-Taryn

Bit Chillier

Brrrr! 

I woke up this morning, went outside to hop in my car ... and instantly regretted choosing a short sleeved shirt and no jacket. 
I think I'm in denial that Summer is over. It means I have to wear layers now. 
Living in Michigan kind of gives you easy acclimation to weather changes though. You have to since the running joke is that the weather changes every five minutes. 
One minute it's snowing.
The next, it's raining.
The next, no one can tell. 

But that's what I love about this state. The unpredictability. Makes the Fall that much better.

Another thing I really like when it gets chilly though ... the tea! I get hot tea lattes and pots of tea to warm things up. Today's choice was a small pot of Hot Cinnamon Spice! 

This loose leaf tea is a black tea, meaning that it is caffeinated. It's basically a type of tea that is more oxidized that oolong, white, or green teas. This means that it generally has a much stronger flavor. Also, unlike the green tea, black teas can hold onto their flavor for several YEARS depending on how well you keep your keep your tea leaves contained. 

Once the tea leaf is plucked, it is then withered by blowing air over it. After this, a process of Crush, Tear, or Curl (CTC) is performed which is commonly done for use in teabags. The CTC process can be done by machine or hand. Machines can do it efficiently, but for high quality tea, many prefer the method done by hand because PEOPLE can sort out the better tea leaves and that tea is highly sought after. 
Next the tea is oxidized under a controlled temperature and humidity. This allows the tea to reach its maximum flavor potential. 
Then the leaves are dried.
Finally, the leaves are sorted into grades, which are whole leaf, fannings, and dust. And the tea is ready for packaging.

And THAT, ladies and gentlemen is how you get that cup of Earl Grey or English Breakfast that you love today. 

Granted, this is a very abbreviated explanation that I snatched from Wikipedia. 

Also, if you have any OTHER questions regarding tea, you can always ask the wonderfully knowledgeable Polly Kragt at Chocola-Tea. She's brilliant. Enough said. 

Anyway, I really like tea. You might have figured that one out. 

Oh! I forgot to mention. I have more Halloween ideas that I really want to try out. Mainly fun snack recipes. What's YOUR favorite Halloween snack? And I don't mean candy (though that is absolutely awesome). I'm talking about something that you can make for, say, a party or get together. 

Ham and Cheese Spiders

My mom and I made these once before. It was when I was in .. high school, I believe. And I deviated from the recipe a bit because I hadn't liked some of the ingredients, but now that I'm older and have more discerning tastes, I'd like to try this again. I remember having so much fun making these. They're for Halloween and aren't they CUTE? 
Click on the link above if you think 'hey, I want to do this for my own Halloween party'. I love finding ideas and posting them. So I hope you enjoy what I discover along the way.

That sounded a little random. I should work on that. *shrugs* Oh well. 

BAM! Now that's random. 

Okay, now that my fun's over, I'll move on. Promise. 

Well, my favorite tea shop in the whole world is closed, so I'll leave you with my random cat (above), a Halloween recipe, and tea lesson. 
My next post will be a Wednesday Writers Workshop so I hope you tune in then, too! 

Until again my faithful readers,
Taryn

Here we are! 

I promised you fun things for my love of Halloween and here it is. Starting with my first post in October. 

Life lessons learned in a Corn Maze....

1.) If you hear a squeaking sound behind you, don't look! It probably IS a man dressed up like Saw on a tricycle. 

2.) If you hear a chainsaw behind you ... don't question. Just run. 

3.) Yes, it's true that they can't touch you, but sometimes rules are broken. Tell them to back off and don't be scared to do so. It hurts when those fake chainsaws hit your leg.
4.) If you are offered fresh, homemade donuts after you make it though said Haunted Corn Maze ... don't say no. It's worth every penny.

5.) If you're horribly lost and the only person around is a man dressed up like a rotting corpse ... it is okay to ask where you are. 

6.) Do NOT go across the bridge just for the 'heck of it'. Just get through the maze and save yourself the scaring. 

I love Haunted Corn Mazes. It's scary because there's no 'right' way out and you never know what you'll encounter behind every corner. Sometimes nothing. Sometimes scariness.

My favorite corn maze is actually in Dorr, Michigan. 

I did get myself into a spot of trouble when one guy chased me down to the point of exhaustion and I got hit several times in the leg with a fake chainsaw. 

Visit the Witches of New Salem Haunted Corn Maze. 

So there is my little tidbit about one aspect of Halloween that I love. In the next post, I'll give you another. 

Moving on ... to my Wednesday Writers Workshop

Last week's topic: Creative Energy. Where Does Yours Come From? 

As promised, I will share my paragraph with you. To summarize, my novel is about a girl named Alice. She is taken into the vampire slave trade and made a 'pet' to her master, Azreal Somerfeld. This is a scene I forced out for the MIDDLE of the book since I get my passion from writing the BEGINNING. 

                Alice darted across the pond in only her sneakers. She loved sliding along the ice and wished that she had ice skates. Her favorite pair had burned in the fire. She giggled as she slipped along the outer edge of the pond. It was frozen solid under her feet and she felt perfectly safe, knowing that it wasn’t going to break underneath her. The only thing that caused her even a bit of worry was knowing that no one was nearby should she require any assistance. She had long ago tossed her heavy jacket, scarf, and hat on a bench that was on the edge of the pond. Not too far away was a small family of deer that were grazing on the mosses of the trees. A pair of squirrels chased after each other around a handful of seeds on the ground. Several birds darted around her head too. It hadn’t helped that she had brought down some pine cones coated with peanut butter that she had perched up in the trees too. She watched as the birds picked the peanut buttered linnet seeds off the pine cones, chirping their songs to the air. She laughed again as she darted across the pond again. Then she heard a small sound from behind her. It was someone … male who was clearing their throat. She whirled around, losing her balance and falling down hard on the ice. Azreal Somerfeld was sitting on the bench and watching her. He didn’t look angry, but he certainly didn’t look happy either. Alice quickly composed herself and approached him, fear filling her up. She shivered as she came closer to him and gathered up her things from other side of the bench. He grabbed her arm then to stop her.

That's what I got! Not fantastic, but at least I did my own homework. Where did you wind up? What did you write? Feel free to leave me a comment and tell me. 

This Week's Topic: Settings!

For me, the location of your character is one of my favorite things to describe. If it's a real world location, then you can look it up and get a feel for the place you're describing. Or if you're making it up, you can add your own elements to the place. Does it have bouncy grass that makes you feel like you're wearing moon boots? Or water that's purple? Are there mountains? 
Describing the place your character is gives your reader a background to get sucked into ... not just your character. When I've read books that have no description for the places the character was walking, I can visualize the character ... but it's like there's just white space behind them. 
So go ahead and describe where your character is. Don't get worried that the reader is going to get bored. Details. Matter. 
Your character deserves the limelight, of course. But it's like going to a play and there are no props. The story isn't believable without background or locations. 

This is a picture of the new cover of C.S. Lewis' book, Perelandra. It's a take on the garden of Eden story. When Ransom (the main character) lands on the planet, Venus, the first thing Lewis did was start describing the new planet. From everything to the scales on the dragon that approached him, to the color of the green water, to the misty yellow clouds overhead to the orange fruits that grew on the trees that were so exquisitely delicious that my mouth watered. 

By the time I was done reading that segment, I knew more about the world that Ransom was walking around. I could visualize everything. This is why your setting matters. So your character can see for themselves what they're missing in front of them and so the READER can see for themselves what's going to happen ... perhaps even before the character does. 

Every little detail has merit. 

Don't be afraid to write it in. If you love it, make your reader love it. 

Until next time,

Taryn