My Mini Midweek Vacation

We are kicking off our Get Pop Cultured Week at work. 

Basically, we're having several days where we're celebrating almost everything in pop culture. There's going to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle day, a Comic Con preview day (I think), Frozen Friday (yes, the movie), and more. 

On the 19th of this month, there's a Get Pop Cultured costume day. And it has been strongly advised that as employees ... we  have to dress up. 

I was even offered money to help go and MAKE a costume if I needed to. There was no way I could do that. 

Therefore, I made the decision to take my two days available off work to disappear to Grand Rapids to raid the thrift stores for costume ideas. 

I landed on doing the cosplay that I really wanted to do for JAFAX next year. 

I decided to dress up as Ponyo's mom from Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo. She's the Mother of the Sea and she's in charge of ALL the oceans and its inhabitants and she basically sets her husband straight when he tries to control their daughter in the movie. She was just so cool. So I decided to go as her. All I need is a dress, a wig, makeup, costume jewelry, the works. 

Go thrift stores! 

<---- Ponyo's mother as she arrives on the scene.

And the second photo featured here is Ponyo's mother at the END of the movie. So you can kinda see where I'm going with the costume. It looks simple ... but she has little elements that are going to be difficult to pull off. Like her very specific jewelry. For the 19th, I may have to skip the necklace, but I KNOW I can pull off her headpiece. I've seen some pretty phenomenal cosplay for her so far, so I hope I can pull this off. The end result should look SOMETHING like this ...

Then, to complete the look, I'm going to create my own little Ponyo and her sisters for me to carry around. THAT secret I am not revealing in my blog until I create the final product. I'm not very artsy or crafty and the way I'm creating Ponyo ... not giving it up until I know what it looks like. All I know is that after my day of shopping today ...I'm feeling a bit more confident about this more and more. 

Sometimes, I wonder why I wasn't ever MORE crafty. If I could suddenly learn how to make something or create something that was actually pretty epic, I would leave everything and travel the Renaissance Faire circuit as a career. I really would. I'd be awesome at it and I know I'd love it. Travelling from place to place, meeting new people, seeing new cities, and .... being able to watch a joust on a semi-regular basis? Yeah, that would be heaven. The only thing I think I'd miss was the regular-ness of life and being near a Biggby or Barnes & Noble. 

With the Renaissance Faire season fast upon us all, it just gets me more amped up to go again. I love the ren faire. I just love it. *sighs happily* 

With my writing, I have drastically been improving the original draft. I've got a decent bad guy and he has MOTIVE for hating the main characters now. So yay me. Also, I have some motivation to keep going. I always got kind of bored with rewriting and re-editing. So I had a feeling that my readers would get bored as well. When I had finally figured out the fatal flaw ... which was the bad guy having no reason to even BE a bad guy, I feel like life has been given to the pages of the novel. I haven't brought him in yet, but he's been mentioned and it makes me type that much faster until he arrives on the scene in all his red-haired, topaz-eyed, twitchy glory. ^_^ 

There have been many instances where I have been so into a novel and mostly it's when I'm reading one ... but now? I'm feeling it for the one I'm writing. What a difference! 

So it just means that I sit in a lot of coffee shops, drinking chai lattes or large pots of Glitter and Gold tea while typing furiously at a keyboard.

It has just been an interesting couple of weeks. 

I think it's time to put this blog post to bed, however. What do you think? As a close, I will tell you the books I am on the brink of beginning. Yay books! 

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery is about the lives of two very different people. A concierge who would rather not deal with people at all, but has a secret passion for life and a fear of pursuing it. And a 12 year old child prodigy who hides her true nature from everyone around her to maintain the visage of 'normalcy'. Together, they learn more about themselves and each other.
That's really all I know so far about this book, but it's been on my To Read list for a while and for our August's book club, we're reading it. 

Half Bad by Sally Green is about the battle between good and evil in this teen novel about a young boy named Nathan. He's trapped in the middle of an ongoing fight between White and Black witches. 

Again, that's all I really know. THIS one was an ARC I found at work and pretty much I just looked at the cover and said 'Sure, why not?' because of course that's how I roll. I'm a cover judger. I admit it. 

So those are the books that I am finally going to be beginning. Let me know in the comments if you've read these before or if you've heard anything about them. I'm always anxious to talk books and share ideas. 

Until I write to you again ...

Be Open, Be Loving, Be Yourself

Taryn

Going For It....

Cheers for writing! 

Ever since I fixed my novel and it's no longer left with a GAPING plot hole that I'm sure a meteor could have flown through easily, I have been rewriting and writing like crazy. A friend of mine and myself decided that we've had enough of the rejection letters and the long drawn out wait to even find a literary agent. 
Together, we've decided that we're going to just WRITE our novels and then we'll trade the novels in chunks and slowly edit them between themselves. Then we're going to go through the self publishing route. After all, Jennifer Armintrout, my super amazing author friend SWEARS by this route because your book remains YOUR property. 
Or something like that. Maybe I'll have to ask her again. Get some more info. 

Maybe the next time I'm able to get to her Writer's Group. 

Meanwhile, maybe I will try to share one of my fanfiction pieces. Because my obsession with the Mortal Instruments only grows now that I have finished the final book. All I want is Alec and Magnus to be happy ... or at least I wish that Alec was MINE. (Oh yeah, Ashy. I said it. Alec is mine. Deal with it) 

True to form, I have absolutely no idea what I'm really writing about tonight. It's something that kind of bothers me. Maybe one day when I have my head screwed on straight, I'll be able to actually come up with some sort of idea to post weekly here. Am I right? 

Granted, I WAS just telling a dear friend of mine from Barnes & Noble that in my world, I have no deadlines, due dates, or scary things. I live on a cloud. And all the clouds are made of cotton candy and it rains chocolate. The trees are made of cupcakes and the leaves that fall from the trees are rainbow sprinkles. Bunnies, unicorns, and all things fuzzy are the co-habitants of this world and everything is happy. All the time. 

How could you NOT want to live in a world filled with these little guys? 
The real world is a scary place. In my head ... my world is WAY better. *laughs*

I think that's why I feel like I really connect with the main character in the novel I am currently reading. 

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell 
It tells the story of a young girl named Cath who ... is starting college with her twin sister Wren. Wren doesn't want to be her sister's roommate. She wants to be her own person. And Cath? She's nervous and anxious and scared (all of the above are different feelings. Trust me). Her roommate, Reagan is kind of anti-Cath and she has a boyfriend who's around ALL the time. She hasn't even had the courage to face the cafeteria. And her sister ... is nowhere to be found when Cath needs her. She just feels ... alone. So she retreats to a book obsession and a book world where everything makes sense to her. Fanfiction, forums, and writing are her escape. But ... soon ... as we all do, Cath is going to have to face the real world and step away from the fandom and look towards her future. 

I'm aware that we can't live in a happy, fuzzy bunny world all the time. I am very well aware of this fact. 
But the world we live in isn't easy. The lights are dulled and the air feels cold; the sky is unwelcoming and people are unfriendly. It's loud and dark and harsh. 

But there is a light we CAN grab onto. God gave me a gift when he gave me a good family, an amazing circle of friends, and of course ... my books and imagination. Without these things, I'm sure I wouldn't have survived my OWN experiences in college. Both at Kalamazoo Valley and at Cornerstone. 

I wish that I could say that one day I stood up and said 'No more hiding', but that isn't true. 
And because I know myself ... I know that that will never happen. A part of me will always be caught in two different places. One foot in someplace where I can disappear to in my own head (my writing world) and the other foot in reality that I HAVE to face on a daily basis. And ... that's okay. 

Whoa did that get intense. Thanks for hanging onto the ride there. 
Maybe that's just the mood I'm in. I don't know. 
Well, my store is closing so I've got to take off. I'll try to write you again soon. Don't cry. Don't sniffle. Don't be sad. I promise that I won't sound so .... depressing next time. 

Be Open, Be Loving, Be Yourself
Taryn

Nearly Here

July 2nd is nearly here and THAT my friends is the next meeting of the Barnes & Noble Book Club that I now ... am the leader of. 

First off, I was like 'Whoa, when did this happen?' and Second, I was like 'All right. What improvements can I make?' 

For one, I'm making an even BIGGER effort than ever to read and complete each monthly selection. I managed to keep up when I had read Frog Music by Emma Donoghue and now I am working on the selection due for that day. 

The Here And Now by Ann Brashares is about a girl named Prenna and her friends and family who are living here in the 21st Century but they're originally from ... some thousand years in the future. In HER time, Earth has been devastated by a disease caused by mosquitoes and through the miracle of time travel, they have traveled back to our time and try to avoid suspicion from the Time Natives, otherwise known as people who shouldn't suspect them in our time period. 

Basically, they have a list of 12 rules they have to follow to avoid detection and of course one of them is ... not to ever fall in love with a Time Native. Which she does. 

So far, I find the book a bit tedious and dull. Prenna does everything that she can possibly do that would GET HER CAUGHT breaking the rules, yet she stupidly looks around like 'What? How on earth did that happen?' It makes me scream at the book 'Well of COURSE your best friend was taken away. You were telling her things where you KNEW the leaders of your little community can OVERHEAR YOU, YOU MORON!' 

Needless to say, I think the book could have been a THOUSAND times better if Ann Brashares had actually taken the TIME to write the book properly. At least develop the plot a little more. 

On my 1 to 5 scale, I give this book ... 

Give it a rest, Ann! You're forcing them out as fast as possible and you're ruining your talent. 

Still, simply from the leader of a book club ... I will remain impartial as I come up with some discussion questions for it. 

And isn't it odd how I got on a roll for ... however long it was where I wrote every Monday and Wednesday without fail and recently, it has been on Tuesdays and Thursdays? I don't know why ... but it had suddenly dawned on me that I had switched the blog up to this. Have there been any objections to this? Let me know! 

Meanwhile, I just go about my life, doing my own thing ... 

Although, I really wish that Avatar the Last Airbender was on Netflix. I really miss the episodes in Book 3 when Sokka, Katara, and Aang first go into the Fire Nation. Mostly because Sokka is HILARIOUS. 

See what I mean? I blame one of my besties, Emily. She apparently has been on an Avatar binge so every now and then I think of funny quotes and post them on her wall. 

Well, I should probably let this lie for a while. This where my mind goes, I tell you. 

Maybe I just need more tea. 

Oooh! I should get a cup of Rooibos. Drink ALL the tea. 

OR ... maybe I need a tea that will give my brain a jolt. To get me back on track. I'll have to go through that tea book some more. Maybe it will talk about a couple of types. Meanwhile, let me think of a new topic to talk about ... thinking .... thinking .... think, think ... think ... think think *sits in chair like Winnie the Pooh* 

I've GOT IT! 

So you know that really weird feeling you get when you think you've forgotten something, but you can't put your finger on it. And it slowly starts to get to you until you feel like you've gone completely mad? 

That was a customer in here yesterday. She was panicking because she lost her car keys. In the store. A whole bunch of us were fanning out and looking all over in the area where she was SURE she'd lost them. After maybe 20 minutes, she STILL hasn't found them. I even looked all over on top and underneath the shelves she was browsing when she was sure she lost her keys. 

I finally asked her 'Why don't you check your purse one more times?' She gave me a look that clearly told me 'do you think I'm stupid?' but she did anyway. This time, I noticed there was another pocket on the front of her purse. I point it out. She says 'No. They wouldn't be in there' I asked 'Are you sure?' Again, I got that look. That one that speaks volumes and is understood without saying a word. I simply looked back. She sighed and opened up that front pocket. Guess what? She found her keys. 

She told me over and over and over that she was so thankful that I had helped her find them. 

It reminded me about ALL the times that I was sure that I had lost or misplaced or forgot about something that was never going to come back to me. And I know we've ALL had these moments and you realize that whatever it was ... was right in front of you the entire time. 

When we panic, we don't look properly. We just give it a cursory glance and then look EVERYWHERE else. So here's some other advice that I need to remember to give myself. Because it works for everyone no matter what the problem is. Let's look close to home first. Usually, that's where it is. 

And let's try to throw that one phrase out the window ... you know the one

Question: "Where was the last place you saw it?" 

Answer: "Well if I KNEW that, I wouldn't be LOOKING for it" 

All right, I'm really going now....

Be Open, Be Loving, Be Yourself

Taryn

Ran For All It Was Worth

And yes, I AM talking about the Cheetah Chase.
On Friday night, my friend came over to stay the night since we figured it would just be easier to carpool to the zoo. I'm really glad we did now. 

5:55am - The alarm went off. 

6:20am- We finally got on the road. 

7:00am- Arrive at the nearby High School to wait for the shuttle. So. Much. Traffic. 

7:40am- Still on the shuttle and finally getting dropped off to go get our numbers and tote bags and t-shirts, ran DOWN the hill to the Bag check to STORE our bags and then get in the Runners group for the race to begin.

8:00am - the race is ON! 

And no, you can't see me anywhere in this. I was NOT at the front of the pack. I just wanted to show from that angle just HOW many people were there. 
According to the Binder Park page, more than 1500 people participated in the Run/Walk this year. 

I even saw a few people I KNEW while running. That part was really cool. I was like 'Oh hey! Sara!' and 'Hey Katey, fancy seeing you here' and 'Oh! Look! There goes Chris'. 

I thought a couple of times I was going to have to stop and walk or just stop in general, but I was listening to my WCSG radio app on my phone for the entire run and when I was running up a particularly awful hill and that 'stopping' thought entered my head ... THIS song came on. 

And then, the final time, I thought I was going to stop ... I had just spotted the sign that said we were at Mile 3. By that point, I was like ... um ... no, that would be dumb. There's no way that I can't make it now ALL the way to the end. 
I finished in 48 minutes. I felt so proud of myself. 

OHHH ... and later when I was on the Binder Park Zoo Facebook page, I found THIS picture. 

<--- See that little striped shoulder and the ear right behind this blue shirted girl? That's me. LOL! 





That kind of made my day. I'm not going to lie. I kept going through all the pictures to see if I could find my bestie who finished 3 minutes before me, but she must have been super speedy because I can't find one. 

Then on Sunday, my bestie and I went to JAFAX which is basically a cosplay convention for Anime, Manga, Pop Culture, and Comic Books. There are panels that convene, talking about various topics from Anime Speed Dating (no joke), designing your own Kimono and Hakama, and Trivia about Anime. Then there are the vendors! It's kind of like going to the Renaissance Faire. Every vendor is different and selling different things and all of them make you drool as you stare in wonder at all the pretty things. 
There's one thing that I have ALWAYS wanted though. An Alcapasso. This 'stuffed animal' is a popular collectible in Japan and very difficult to track down ... even on the Internet for a decent price. And at JAFAX, they have them. I had been saving and saving all year to get one. They're basically alpacas, but some are dressed like pirates, some are big, some are small and most are rare. I got one of the new minis wearing the lacy ribbons. 

They have no website! And most that I have ever been able to find for sale are by sellers online IN Japan and the shipping fees are horrendous. They're just so STINKING cute. 

ANYWAY ... now that I have bored you to death with talk about my find at JAFAX, I can move on to stuff I found at work. 

There's a book that I want to get for the ChocolaTea that's called Tea Sommelier. In it, it talks about the various uses for tea, what kinds are available and how they are steeped. It even talks about what foods would be best for drinking certain teas. 
And since I am sitting at Barnes and Noble and reading this book, I will enlighten you all with a little blurb about a certain type of Chinese Green Tea. 

Tai Ping Hou Kui 

Typically, this particular green tea is found in China at the foot of Huang Shan mountains. During processing, this type of tea takes on a very unique shape. It's unusually long, has flattened leaves and can measure up to 6 inches in length. 
I actually like the color of this leaf. It's a very rich, brilliant green. The flavor of the tea is reminiscent of the orchid and is surprisingly sweet. 
Generally, the tea is recommended to be steeped for about 3 minutes to really develop its full flavor.
So far, I have yet to discover if ChocolaTea offers it as one of its teas and I will explore this so I can give you a full report on where it can be located. 

TeaSpring <---- Or you can visit this website for more information and even to order it in ounces if you so desire. 

What I found absolutely fascinating about this tea is that it was given the recommendation to drink it alone. With no particular food because it already had such a unique flavor. It has made me fascinated with this tea AND this book. But half off a lot of money is still a lot of money, so if the book is still here when I write the next blog post, I will give you another tea fact from it. I want this book. Just saying. 

After all, if one is going to learn about tea, one has to understand the true spirit of tea. So further study is required. 

I do believe that is all I have to say at the moment. I wish you all well. 

Be Open, Be Loving, Be Yourself
Taryn

Somewhere Different Right Now

Hey!! 

I'm posting from a new location other than ChocolaTea. I bet you'll never guess where. 

Oh go on. Guess! 

Beaners? No. Too expensive and their blenders are too noisy. 

Waterstreet Coffee? No. STILL too expensive and their coffee tastes ... what's the word ... haughty. Like it's bigger than what it really is. 

Okay, I'll just tell you. You'll never guess. 

Barnes & Noble! Okay, maybe you really could have guessed that. Give me a break. I wanted to use my Employee Discount.

There is a new coffee shop in Schoolcraft I have been curious about, though. It's in the teeny tiny building on Grand street and it's called The Grinder Coffee. On their website, they have the CUTEST story about how they fell in love with the location and the building and the small town atmosphere and charm. 

I have a theory and correct me, if you don't agree Tori but I think that location is jinxed. It has been a variety of restaurants, including Chinese, American, Italian, another Chinese restaurant, and even a smokehouse at one time. 
I'm holding out hope that this little coffee shop makes it. Schoolcraft hasn't had one in while since the Whistle Stop about 5 or 6 years ago. And THAT was good coffee. 

I am sending out much good chi and juju to The Grinder Coffee! You need all the help you can get. 

Yesterday ...

I got to go into work for a few hours. From about 4pm to close. I wasn't in the cafe, which was a nice change of scenery and got to work instead ... at cash register. I knew that I had worked in cafe so long because I kept asking people if they wanted anything else with their books. Like I would if someone was ordering coffee and I offer them a cinnamon scone. Customers kept giving me strange looks like ... "Yeah, this is it. I wanted the books." 
But all in all it was a really nice evening. I'm looking forward to my shift tomorrow because I want to practice marking cups with foam like the above picture. Granted, most customers won't see it in their lattes because it gets covered up with a lid, but at least I get to try it out more. I love being a barista. 

That's not a bad thing, is it? 

Okays moving on.... 

So guess what? Only about 8 more days until the Cheetah Chase 5K race at Binder Park Zoo. I. Am. So. Ready. I went for my run this morning and ran for nearly 20 minutes straight without STOPPING. When I got back, I felt like I was on top of the world. On the actual day of the race, I have to be there around 7am with my bestie so we can get our numbers and t-shirts. We have to park at the local high school and a shuttle takes us over to the zoo, so obviously, they can keep the gates closed from the public until the actual race is over. 
I'm so PSYCHED! The only thing I'm a little anxious about is the terrain changes. From asphalt to boardwalk to grass/dirt is still not something I've completely been able to practice on. So I admit that on the hills, I may be walking, but still! After I tackle the 5K, I'm going to start training even HARDER to complete a half marathon. 

I should get this on a bumper sticker. Because at this current moment, I feel like expressing this feeling to the world. Love running. 

A little story for you. 
When I first started running.... I hated it. I couldn't breathe. I felt like my legs were leaden sticks underneath me and it hurt like the dickens by the time I was done. But I had an amazing accountability partner. One of my besties, Faith. When I ran with her and started getting that feeling that said 'Stop running' ... she pushed me to keep going despite the fact that I wanted to stop. She wouldn't LET me stop until we had reached a half hour mark. After the first few DAYS of us doing this routine where I would be begging to stop and she would make me keep running ... it got ten times easier. No joke. Now I crave it! And training for this 5K? It's only made it better. 

My suggestion for anyone who wants to run? Get your own Faithy. But you can't have mine. *laughs* 

So wish me luck on June 21st! I'll try to remember to take pictures along the way. They'll be blurry, but the attempt will be there. 

Be Open, Be Loving, Be Yourself 
Taryn 

<---- me being random back in ... December?

Giving A Cat A Bath

I may have mentioned this before ...

I have a cat. A long haired black cat. Her name is Gypsum. When I first got her as a kitten, she was tiny and ragged and shaved because when she was found, she was covered in all these mats and furballs. 
Since I got her, she's had ... maybe three baths in her lifetime. 

She got her fourth yesterday. I was brushing her out and I found this huge clump of matted furs. I realized that she just wasn't able to clean it ... so I had to do it. I put her in the tub and she knew IMMEDIATELY what was happening. Let me tell you ... she was NOT pleased. I started cleaning her off and getting the dot of shampoo in the mat and getting it unstuck together. 
Gypsum let out the most pathetic MEOW I've ever heard. It was kind of like a cry for help. 

This was about as close as it gets to the sound of my cat getting a bath. I felt so bad. 

Afterwards, I had her wrapped up in a warm, fuzzy towel and I brought her to my room and just calmed her down. When I let her out of the towel, she curled up on my lap, purring like the bath never happened. And when I brushed her out to her sleek perfection? Gypsum really loved me then. 

There are two things I did learn from the experience though. 
1.) Trim cats nails FIRST. Ouch did I get nailed a couple of times on my hands. 
2.) Kitty treats afterwards sooth the savage feline. 

For those who might be reading this and thinking ... it's animal abuse? 
Cats, as clean as they get themselves do NOT have a tongue that is twice as long as its body. 

Lickitung Pokemon has a tongue that's twice as long as its body. Forgive me.  I've seen several episodes on Netflix. 

So they miss bits of their fur that good old-fashioned soap and water can get out. Plus, because my cat is long-haired ... she tends to get kinda stinky. I only use a bath as an absolute LAST resort so I hope you don't hate me forever for doing this to her. 

Oh and in case you were wondering what my cat does look like ...? 

I know I'm biased, but isn't she just the prettiest? I maintain that she could win kitty shows. 

Moving on ... *stares up at picture of cat while typing* 

Since I last posted, things are still ... relatively the same. I'm still thinking about money. I still think about work. I still think about getting a SECOND job that wouldn't make me want to jump out 12th story window (*coughs* Target *coughs*) 
But ... I'm still taking things one day at a time. You never know? Maybe it won't matter and then the plot of that book series by Susan Beth Pfeffer I read will come true and I won't HAVE to worry about that stuff anymore. 
P.S. I'm about to start book 3 in that series. 

The World We Live In. It goes back to the first family in the series, Miranda, Matt, Joey, and their mom but it crosses over with book two Dead and Gone. 

Meanwhile, I still have to make it through City of Heavenly Fire. Yes, I know. I got the book on May 27th ... but give me a break! It's the FINAL book in the Mortal Instruments series and it's so depressing that I have to give it some time and draw the book out. I still have until Fall of 2015 until her next series begins after all. 
I promised no spoilers so that's all I'm going to say on THAT book. 

The next book I'm currently reading is ...

Everlasting Enchantment by Kathryne Kennedy
Another romance novel. But it's part of a series I started back in ... I don't know ... 2006? 
It's set in London, but the author's made the whole world kind of filled with magic. Everyone has some sort of magical ability and based on what power you have determines your status kind of thing. And this series has to do with shapeshifters or the Baronet class in the ton. 
I've been following this author for a while on Facebook and I got the ARC (Advanced Readers Copy) a while ago and finally got to it in the To Read pile. Don't worry Kathryne Kennedy, I will buy an official copy as soon as I can. 

I will finish CoHF and write a brief and non descriptive review for everyone as fast as I can. 

But until then, I will remain your faithful blogger.

Be Open, Be Loving, Be Yourself
Taryn

When On A Writing Binge ...

... You need the following items. 

1.) Soda! Caffeine is essential to a writing binge. More likely, you'll be writing LONG through the night and will need the continued caffeine jolt. 

Plus, once you're through with all your cans, you can take them to a recycling center and feel like you've saved the environment. Go trees

2.) Paper! Every now and then, you need scratch paper to jot down ideas. Ideas that aren't formulated enough to actually put IN your novel. So always have scrap paper on hand. 

Maybe not this much ... but you get the idea

3.) Snacks! Sustenance is necessary through a writing binge. How are you supposed to write an entire novel with only soda in your system? Healthy snacks optional. :P 

Although carrots or apples with peanut butter wouldn't be a bad option either. 

4.) Comfy Chair! You're going to be sitting there for a while. So you'd better get the coziest chair you can find. 

Now this would be sitting in luxury. 

5.) Music! You get the right jams ... you'll be writing all night for sure! 

Getting lost to the tunes is kinda fun! 


All right, there's my 5 things that I think are ABSOLUTELY necessary for going on a Writing Binge. 
The reason I opened with those are ... I've been writing. A lot lately. And seriously, if I had a day where I could get away with it, THIS is what I would do. What I wouldn't give to just have all the time in the world to have one. Maybe when I was in high school or in college did I have the opportunity. Heck, even that year where I lived in Holland, MI ... I had time to do this. 
Good times! But it's been so long since I've had a decent uninterrupted writing binge. 

What kind of things do you do to make you feel like you're 'losing time' in a good way? Something simple like walking the dog? Something a bit more complicated to master like the writing binges? Maybe you throw yourself into knitting until you look up at the clock and it's time to make dinner? 

If you ask me ... everyone needs this. To stop thinking about bills, responsibilities, work, and scary life stuff. 

Taking a DAY. Just one DAY doesn't hurt anything. Sometimes, I think I take things WAY too seriously. I come home from work and I think about money. How much I have. How much I don't have. How much I need. How much, how much, how much ... well ... sometimes the real question is this. How much more can I take? 
As a person who suffers from anxiety, these questions can circle and circle until you're only seeing the negative things. You're only seeing positives in very minuscule things that don't seem to add up compared to everything bad going on around you. 

As one of my many times relied on verse ... 

Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the Plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you hope, and a future" 

Even though I see nothing but 'bad' all around me, it helps to SLOW ... DOWN. Because all my worrying and counting and calculating isn't going to help. God KNOWS what I'm going through. He sees the worries in my heart and He still loves me despite the fact that I'm a complete nutcase at times. 

So there's my little piece of advice. Take a minute .. heck, a DAY to try and alleviate any of your fears. Take your worries and put them in a box and send them to God. 

Be Open, Be Loving, Be Yourself
Taryn

Living, Breathing Books

HELLO!!! *hears a couple crickets answering back* 

So City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare was released on May 27th. It was a beautiful Tuesday morning. I was sitting in my car from 8:45am ... awaiting my bosses to open the doors to let me in so I can buy my copy. 

I go in and there it is. 

I freaked out. I admit that I let out a bit of a girlish squeak as I picked it up. It's the FINAL book in the Mortal Instruments series. The book blogs have been talking about this book for the last TWO YEARS, debating about what's going to happen to these beloved characters. 

Clary Fray has to finally face her evil brother, Jonathan "Sebastian" Morgenstern before he unleashes his Endarkened Shadowhunters on the world. Is there a cure for those forced to drink from the Infernal Cup? 

Jace Herondale is learning how to use the Heavenly Fire that courses through his veins as a weapon, but at what cost when it means he can no longer have physical contact with his girlfriend. 

Ugh! It's a book series that we're all anxious to finish ... but terrified at the same time because so much is at stake in the novel. Plus, we have to wait another year and half until her new series, The Dark Artifices is released. 2015, you can't come soon enough. 

There's another book that I'm looking forward to as well. 

It was recommended to me by a friend and author, J.H. Trumble. 

Now I know nothing beyond the main synopsis of the book so here it is. 

When a cheating boyfriend leads to an unexpected summer job, Rowena discovers that the best way to let go of the past might be to dive right into it.

Rowena Duncan is a thoroughly modern girl with big plans for her summer—working at the mall with her best friends, taking trips to the Cape, date nights on the beach—until she catches her boyfriend making out with another girl. Heartbroken, she applies to an out-of-town job posting and finds herself somewhere she never expected: the Renaissance Faire.

As a face-painter doubling as a serving wench, Ro is thrown headfirst into a vibrant community of artists and performers. She feels like a fish out of water until Will, a quick-witted whip cracker, takes her under his wing. Then there’s Christian, a blue-eyed stunt jouster who makes Ro weak in the knees. Soon, it’s not just her gown that’s tripping her up.

Does that sound fun or what? 
I can't wait until I can get a copy of this because this book combines my TWO favorite loves when it comes to books. Renaissance Faires and Romance! Teehee! So I'm putting it out there. I'm psyched about even more books to pick up. Not that I really need anymore. Am I right? 

On another note ... WHEN did it get to be June? I feel like someone has been using Hermione's Time Turner (yes, I used a Harry Potter reference) and I woke up in June. Yesterday was January, I swear! 

We live in a fast paced world and I get that we've entered the Technological Society or whatever, but what I wouldn't give to return to the days where books weren't read on e-readers, internet wasn't used as a PRIMARY means of communication, and social networking was hanging out at the mall or wherever WITH actual people. 
Okay, rant over! 

I'm better now. Especially considering how invalid that it must be considering that ... I'm writing this rant ... on a BLOG on the INTERNET.
Yeah, I have problems. 

Oh well. 

Fare thee well everyone! I can't wait to write something for you again. 

Be Open, Be Loving, Be Yourself

Finally Did Something Right

I was looking at the timeline of my novel. 

I had it all setting out before me and I was analyzing every part of it, searching every scene for a way to tie it all together when it hit me. My bad guy. He really has NO role in it except towards the end. 

And let's face it, I don't want to be a Nora Roberts novel waiting to happen. I want my bad guy to actually BE prominent, a source of fear in my main characters mind that will keep her AND my readers up every night, devouring each page until the very end. 

Now I do try my hardest NOT to sound like a book snob, but seriously? Where's the plot if your bad guy doesn't show up? 

I imagine that the characters wander around aimlessly like this ...

Duh! 

I think that face says it all. Whatever! 

Anyway ... things are complicated enough than to add to them by constantly staring at a blinking cursor and wondering what your bad guy is doing ... so I simply found a way to put in his issue right away. Now my bad guy has a REASON for constantly coming after my main character. 

That has been a trial by itself. 

Prologue

                Heaving with exertion, muscles screaming for relief, and head pounding, Cara was hurrying back towards the manor as fast as her legs could carry her. When Teresa, her boss and the housekeeper told someone to run, they ran. Cara was no exception. Especially now. A thousand different thoughts were whizzing through her mind as the enormous house came into view at the end of the street. What was she going to say? How was she going to say it? She pushed the wrought iron gate open with a heavy groan and let it close behind her. The feeling of being back behind the gates brought back the uncertainty of what she was about to do tenfold, but Cara pushed the feeling away. Putting on a final burst of speed, she cranked the door handle and rushed inside, ignoring the inquisitive looks of the other servants as she zipped past them out of the enormous living room and towards the back of the house. His study was in sight, then. Cara slowed to a walk, trying to slow her breathing and racing heartbeat. She closed her eyes, inhaled a deep, calming breath and knocked … a bit more rapidly than she’d initially intended.

                “Come in.”

                The voice beckoned her inside and Cara turned the knob and entered the study of the Vampire Lord. “My Lord?” She lowered her head in a bow, not wanting to meet his gaze.

                “What is it?”

                “I have a message from Teresa. It’s urgent. I tried to get here as fast as I could.” Cara raised herself to her full height and finally looked at her master, Azreal Somerfeld.
                “Well?” Azreal had remained seated at his desk, folding his arms across his chest. “What’s the message?” He waited as Cara pushed a folded piece of paper across the desk to him. Azreal picked it up and unfolded it with an exasperated sigh and began to read silently. Cara continued to stand there awkwardly. She knew the rules well. She could not leave until he dismissed her. Azreal put the letter back down on the desk and leaned forward, interlocking his fingers together and looking up at his servant. “And what exactly does Teresa propose I do?”

                “Steal her.”

And there it is, folks! THIS is the beginning prologue for my novel. Now my bad guy, Crescent is going to royally pissed and go after Azreal if he goes in and steals his pet. And please note that this is just the ROUGH draft so no critiques at this point. 

It's times like this when I realize that my choosing to be a writer was indeed an excellent life choice. Now I just have to do one TEENY TINY thing ... get published. Small detail, right? :P 
Meanwhile, I'm going to start throwing myself into Freelance Editing. 
According to the Writer's Group I attended a couple weeks ago, that's the way to get started. It is what I went to school for, after all.

Moving on, shall I? 

The training for the 5K at Binder Park Zoo is actually going really well. But that's all I have time for ... because ... I have to go to work. But hey, tomorrow's Wednesday so I'll try to post something tomorrow too. Hopefully it will be something that doesn't make me feel like such a primadonna. Oh well. What do you do? 

Be Open, Be Loving, Be Yourself
Taryn

Tea For Me. Tea For You.

I am sitting in the tea shop (shocker) and it dawned on me that I haven't had anything frozen like a frappe in so long.
I decided to fix that. Instead of just a pot of tea, I got a chai tea frappe. It's so frozen and delicious. 

Plus, I've been doing so much better on my diet lately so I figured I deserved something frozen. I've been running every morning (except for this morning) to get in training for the Cheetah Chase 5K at Binder Park Zoo in June. I'll be doing my run closer in the evening tonight when its cooler outside. 

There are two 'races' in the Cheetah Chase. 

One is the Gazelle Gallop (the run). Or you can do the Sloth Walk (the walk). I'm signed up to do the run portion because I feel like I'm going to be so ready to do that. When I started training, I had forgotten how much I loved running. At first, it sucks. You're wheezing and heaving and feeling like you're about to die, but once I hit my stride, I feel powerful and fast and unstoppable. 

I love the burn I feel in my legs when I've reached my limits and can push myself through it. Plus, I have my favorite radio station as an App on my phone so it gives the most uplifting music to listen to ... and that keeps me going too. 

Speaking of the Binder Park Zoo, they just opened up for the season. The bear exhibit is now open and I WANT TO SEE!!! 

I'll bet they're really cute and climbing up trees and having fun because they're so young. I can't help it. I love the zoo. 

I have been reading that romance novel I mentioned in  my last post. I admit it, it's actually really good. I didn't have the highest hopes right away because I've never read Mary Balogh before ... but now I'm hooked. The main guy, Vincent, is blind and the way Balogh describes his world is fascinating. She does a really great job keeping up the fact that he can't see so everything from his perspective is all described by touch, hearing, smell, and taste. It's actually kind of interesting. For example, instead of just writing 'He picked up the tea cup and took a sip', Balogh writes instead something like 'The smell of bergamot assaulted his senses and the taste of the Earl Grey went down his throat like a bitter medicine'.

I made that sentence up, but you get the idea. Focusing on the other four senses instead of sight makes the reading experience that much better. 

However, I can't wait until I get to the next book on my list. I'm FINALLY going to read Cinders and Sapphires by Leila Rasheed. 

It's a Young Adult book about a girl named Rose Cliffe who goes to this house to be a lady's maid to Ada Averley who is about her age. For the first time, Rose has a chance to make a friend, even if that friend is her employer. And when a scandal surrounds Ava's father, they depend on their friendship to get through it. 

I got it for a STEAL from a bookstore in Grand Rapids that was closing down. I HATE when bookstores have to close due to business being slow. I wish I could say that I had a plan to make bookstores come back in popularity again, but I don't. I'm just one person after all. It's one of the things that breaks my heart though. When I was little and my heart set on being an author, I also had this idea that I would open my own bookstore where I could sell my own books as well as other local authors and have my own coffee bar/tea shop and have a stage for poetry readings or author signings. 

But in today's world? I don't know if it'd make it. 

For my SECOND big book recommendation, I wanted to share another book on my To Read List that I found. 

Alienated by Melissa Landers

Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them.

Handpicked to host the first-ever L'eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she'll have inside information about the mysterious L'eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara's blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn't sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L'eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn't seem more alien. She's certain about one thing though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class.

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn't just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life-not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.

Doesn't that sound good? I thought so. I read this on the cover jacket and was like 'MUST. READ.' I'm on the waiting list for it at the library. I would get it at work but it's not there. Sadness! *sighs* I love Sci-Fi stories. I might have to try and share some more of those on here. I tend to get carried away with other genres for a while and then come back to some of the favorites. Like Terri Pratchett or Neil Gaiman or Ray Bradbury or Brandon Sanderson. 

All right, I'll leave you all for now, but I'll be back and with more inspiration to share with you all. 
Until then, I remain your faithful blogger

Be Open, Be Loving, Be Yourself
Taryn