Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Humorous Writing

I decided to return to poetry. I try to be funny. I don't know if I am actually as humorous as I believe I am. Since my Advanced Creative Writing Workshop with Sara Rivara, I haven't written as much as I should. Naturally, when I actually take the time to write something down, I have to make sure that it is eternally trapped on the internet.



So goes forth my endless fate.
I raise my pen.
I sign my name.
Down and down and down I fall.
Down the rabbit hole.
I’m in hell.

I lie in poverty on my bed.
My head is throbbing.
My fingers ache.
Down and down and down I fall.
Into deep slumber.
I’m in a nightmare.

There can be no reprieve.
Every month.
Every year.
Down and down and down I fall.
Into the mire.

I’m trapped by bills. 




There you have it, folks! My poem. The only thing that's on my mind these past few months have been bills and how much I do NOT have any money. 
Maybe that's WHY I read so much. Reading is much more fun than having to write another check or call in another payment. 
Student loans are no fun. 

This is obviously a very short entry to my blog. Oh well. 

Be Open, Be Loving, Be Yourself
Taryn

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Almost There...

Greetings Loyal Readers,

It is June 23rd, 2016 and in just two short days, I will be running the Binder Park Zoo's Cheetah Chase 5K for the third time. 
The first year I ran it, I felt like a rock star. I finished in 48 minutes and was feeling pumped. 
The second year, I was FREEZING. It was raining the entire race and it was so cold that I basically walked and shivered the whole way. My bestie, Ashleigh, who has run it with me every time was with me on that race. 
This year ... well, I am going to be completely honest and admit that I had gained a lot of weight, so I am not feeling ultimately very confident about this race. Still, I think I am going to have a ton of fun. As long as I don't look at my finish time as a failure and as a success to have just FINISHED the race, I think that will help too. 
It really reminded me though that I do have to be better at watching my weight and taking better care of myself. 
I joined WeightWatchers again and I am going to try extra hard to make this stick. You never know... maybe by the fourth time running the 5K, I will beat my time for sure. 

All I am asking for are your prayers and good wishes as I attempt this feat again. It may be only 3.1 miles for some, but it feels like a lifetime when you are actually doing it. 

Do you want to know my secret to getting through the race without even realizing it? 

Here it is ...

Instead of listening to a psyched up musical playlist, I listen to multiple Adventures in Odyssey episodes. No joke. While I run, I listen to Connie and Eugene bicker, Mr. Whitaker solving moral dilemmas, and encouraging Bible verses at the end of each episode. 
Trust me, I know it sounds odd, but a radio drama is kind of like reading a book, but better because I kind of forget what I'm doing. I'm drawn into the story and forget that I am running at an odd pace outdoors on a gravel path. 
The only thing I KNOW I am going to get distracted by are the animals we catch glimpses of. For example, I always try to get a blurry picture of a cheetah. Yes, it is blurry on purpose. 

I usually add a tagline to the bottom that says 'Caught the Cheetah' or 'Chasing the Cheetah'. 

It's fun. Go with it. 

Image result for Binder Park Zoo cheetah

Oh I just can't wait to see these fuzzy kitties. 

So I bet that you are also DYING to know what I am reading right now. As of last week, I told you that I was reading Dreamtime: A True Story That Hasn't Happened Yet by Alan J Martin. It's still true now. The book is kind of long and really deep. Ayin and his friends Jiles, Talus, and Dove wake up on this mountain in a different world. They are summoned to fix the problems that have arisen. Ayin is a reluctant hero. A nomad. He is guilt-ridden after the death of his friend Sawm and now, with the burden of this whole world on his shoulders, he has to save the mysterious Tree of Dreams before it destroys all of creation ... even his own world. 

Ayin also has a bit of a temper. If he feels like he is caged up for too long, he immediately charges out regardless of the danger to his own self. It makes him very headstrong and along those same lines, makes me want to yell at him to get back to where it's safe. Needless to say, he never listens. 
I highly recommend this book if you want a high fantasy adventure. 

The other book that I just started is Soundless by Richelle Mead. I had read her entire Vampire Academy series and loved it. This book is way different than her vampire lore. 

For as long as Fei can remember, there has been no sound in her village, where rocky terrain and frequent avalanches prevent residents from self-sustaining. Fei and her people are at the mercy of a zipline that carries food up the treacherous cliffs from Beiguo, a mysterious faraway kingdom. 
 
When villagers begin to lose their sight, deliveries from the zipline shrink and many go hungry. Fei’s home, the people she loves, and her entire existence is plunged into crisis, under threat of darkness and starvation.
 
But soon Fei is awoken in the night by a searing noise, and sound becomes her weapon.

Ever since I read that, I was entranced by the prospect of this book. At first, I was wondering how Richelle wrote a book that has no speaking. Was it all description from one girl's point of view? Was it all the girl's thoughts? Nothing could have prepared me for what actually is happening in her village. And no, I am not giving away any spoilers.

That is all I am giving you right now. You'll have to wait in suspense for the next edition of Books, Tea, and Overactive Imagination. As always, I remain your faithful writer...

Be Open, Be Loving, Be Yourself
Taryn

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

An Hourly Reminder

Me, Porcina, and Lamplighter by D.M. Cornish

Hello Everyone,

I promised you a slightly longer post, so here it is... 
Prepare to be amazed! 

This week has been chock full of activity all things considered. I have gotten to work at all three jobs already and it has been keeping me busy. 

Granted, if it was really up to me, I'd be tucked under the covers all day reading a book. Kinda like this .... ------>


And what's wrong with that? You know .. besides the whole lack of productivity thing. UNFORTUNATELY, that's not really a possibility. For two reasons; 1.) Because it's not the responsible thing to do and 2.) I have a FitBit Alta.

It's kinda nice having this new little gadget on me all the time. I like that when I am seated for a while, it vibrates and sends out this little encouraging message to get up and move around. When I am editing at the library, I can only have an hour on the computer before it automatically shuts down to let other patrons have a turn. So around that same time, I am getting a reminder from my FitBit to get up and move. It is also an awesome way to get away from the computer screen for a while, so I don't drive myself crazy simply staring at a blinking cursor all day. 
I think that's actually why I haven't replaced my laptop yet. It's better to go to the library. Forces myself to work, get up and move around, and then work a little more. 

Trust me, this routine is amazing when you are editing and you suddenly wish that you could throw stuff across the room. Then the timer starts to blink that you only have a minute left and you take a deep breath, save, shut everything down and are able to get up and run away from the manuscript for a while. 
Sometimes, I get that way because I'll be correcting one sentence over and over again, unsure over what I originally wanted it to say. 

Perhaps, it's only me. I should really meet more editors and find out what their processes look like. 

I know what other writers do, but not editors. 

Any editors out there who read my blog? Got any helpful advice or hints to make yourself stop the overthinking? (<----Is that a word?) 

Anyways, I should tell you right now that I finished up School For Good And Evil: A World Without Princes and wow, it was good. I love this series because it teaches young readers that friendship is two-way street. You and your friends have to be up front and HONEST with each other. 

So no I really can't wait until book three comes out in paperback, because I really need to know what happens to Sophie and Agatha. 

Meanwhile, I have returned to my own publishing company's stomping grounds, so to speak. I am reading one of our best author's books, 'Dreamtime: A True Story That Hasn't Happened Yet' by Alan J. Martin. 
I will give you an update as soon as I get past chapter three. 

I have to go now. But see? I fulfilled my promise and gave you a longer post. I wish you all well. 

Be Open, Be Loving, Be Yourself
Taryn

Monday, June 13, 2016

Fantastic Sunday (June 12th)

I work at the happiest place on earth.

No, it's not Disney World. It's Barnes and Noble. 

Yesterday, we had the last day of our B-Fest, the National Teen Book Festival. There were games and prizes and lots of activities. I participated in some of the games, because my inner child was screaming at me to take part in the Spelling Bee. 
But yesterday was the day of our Author Panel. We had four authors set next to each other with a small stack of their books in front of them.
All of them were local authors. One was published in the Major Market with HarperTeen. She was Lindsey Klingele with her book The Marked Girl.
Then we had A.C Troyer with her book Terrapin. Wil Radcliffe brought his series The Whisper King and last but not least, Lindsay Mead and her book The Beast


Now ... as I am sure that you are aware, I get very starstruck around authors. All authors. If you've written a book, I am your biggest fan. (But not like Kathy Bates in Misery, I promise) 
Naturally, when my bosses told me that I was going to be the one leading the discussion panel, I was squeaking (in a good way) about it. I was absolutely psyched to be a part of the Writer's portion of it, but this just vastly made it better. I stood next to the table and began reading off as many questions as I could come up with on the spot. It was so much fun and very informative. I got a lot of compliments on my leading of it too. So I hope that that made me look good to my bosses.

I even got two of the books signed for myself. 

Yes, mother, I know I have a problem. 

But sadly, I don't have any desire to correct said problem. Oh well. Maybe that means I am growing in my own independence. It's about time. I am almost 30. 

Well, I am going to leave this here for now. I know ... this was short. I promise you'll get a longer blog post later. I PROMISE!! 

Be Open, Be Loving, Be Yourself,
Taryn

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

The Last Word



Ready ... Set ... Go! 

Okay, here's where I begin. Supernatural. Not the genre. The show. 
My besties Ashleigh and Emily sucked me into it. I was told for YEARS (literally) to watch this show.
My reasoning for not watching it was always a very simple phrase .. "Heck no! I'll have nightmares for months" 

I caved. 

I started on season 1 with my head buried underneath my blankets and one eye fixed tentatively to the screen. There was so much screaming and lots of fake blood spraying all over the place that I thought that my friends really were completely insane for liking this. 
By season 2, I was still having to hide momentarily, but I was vastly getting more and more involved in the lives of Sam and Dean Winchester and their fight against the forces of evil.
Season 3 ... I was hooked and couldn't look away. The entire series can be summed up as kind of like a creepier version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

And incidentally ... I love Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Anyway, my point is that the show has 100% captured my attention and I'm now on the last season available on Netflix. Season 10. 
Between Castiel getting his grace back and Dean being all rampage-y, I have so many questions as to what's going to happen next and want to talk to my friends about it. 

Image result for Nettle KingThis show reminds me of my reading habits as well.
Have you ever been so stuck on a book that you just want to shout to everyone around you about it? 

That's what is happening to me with Nettle King by Katherine Harbour.

This is the third (possibly final) book in the Night and Nothing series and every time I read, I wind up with a hundred more questions. 
Like ... what is happening to Lily Rose since she returned from the Ghostlands? Why is she so affected by iron and hallowed ground? Did Seth Lot do something to her? 
Who really IS Moth? What did Absalom do to him? Is he actually on Finn's side? Why is the shade of Jack killing everyone of the blessed ones? Will Finn and Jack wind up being okay together? Or will Finn wind up being turned into a Fata herself? 
All I have ever wanted is to find a loyal fanbase of this series and talk about this book at length with them. I even wrote a nice letter to the author herself, complimenting her on creating something that has had me so enthralled. It doesn't take much to hook me on a series, but it DOES take quite a talent to HOLD my attention to one series even after I'm finished. 
Needless to say, I will be very sad when I am turning the final page of this book. 
Sometimes, I have this vision of being able to turn around and grab the first person I see by the shoulders, give them a shake, and demand to know what they think about the books I'm reading. It's a funny image to say the least. I can even imagine the look on their faces because they have no idea what I'm talking about.
My friend, Faith, was almost always the one who would suggest a book for me to read. We'd both read it at our own pace and then would have these lengthy discussions about them. Arguing over who the best characters were seems to be our favorite topic. I still maintain to this day that Irial was the best in the Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr.
(stolen from google btw) 


See, Faith? Irial had it all! The punk look. The dark eyes. The enormous wings. *sighs* You're missing out. 

I do believe that books can maintain that grab on a person. If you let it. I actually had a customer come in and ask me if I was being honest about being able to like anything that I read. I told him yes. I may tend to lean towards my Teen Fantasy stories, romances, and Sci-Fi books, but yes, I can and will read anything that is suggested to me. The customer proceeded to tell me that he thought that I was fibbing about that because there was no way that I would be interested in just any subject. I gave him my example. 
I was an English Major. I hate math. I am not strong in science. I am not all that fascinated by Biology. But when I saw a book called 'Naming Jack The Ripper' by Russell Edwards, I still picked it up because something about it caught my attention. I told him that even though the book was filled with mathematical formuli, chemistry equations, and Biological factors involving testing DNA strands, I still couldn't put the book down. 
I believe that we can be fascinated by any book. Not just what's in our comfort zones. When you walk past a book on the shelf that catches your eye, you never know, it could be something that you'll enjoy as long as you keep an open mind about it. 

Needless to say, the customer was speechless. I don't think he expected me to actually have an answer to his question. He still comes in and asks me questions about other books and whether I've read them. He doesn't even question my taste anymore. He just comes in and asks what I've been reading lately. 

Truthfully, I say that you can love any book. You can ask questions about any book. I think you've earned your right to say that you're a true bibliophile when you are able to look beyond your favorite genre and say that yes, you'll read ANYTHING that's set in front of you. School will even be improved in your mind so long as you take a moment to clear your mind and enjoy your textbooks. 

All right, I think I've stood on my soap box long enough. 
Image result for Twilight Sparkle soap box

Farewell everyone! Until NEXT time!

Be Open, Be Loving, Be Yourself
Taryn




Thursday, May 12, 2016

Read It And Weep ... Literally



Dear Readers,

If you are reading this letter, then what that means is ... that I have died ... of sheer boredom.
I have been sitting at a computer in the Test Center and staring at a panel of computer screens, watching for potential cheating. 
There's just one thing wrong with this. It's Summer semester. There's no one here except for a bunch of mechanics taking their re-certification exams. 

I'd much rather be staring at the black and white pages of a book.
I am currently reading the second book in a series by Colleen Houck. It's called Tiger's Quest. 

For those who have read this and really, really, really love it ... I'm sorry.
Image result for tiger's quest


I will give the publisher this much credit. The covers are very pretty and well-done. As to the author, I give her minor credit for coming up with a sorta decent storyline. It's poorly executed and reads like a late 90's Disney Channel TV show. 
The main character is Kelsey Hayes. She's 18 years old. Her parents are dead. She lives with her perfect foster family. Then out of the blue, she decides to go to work for the circus to pay for school books when she goes to college. When she's there, she meets a fuzzy white tiger named Ren and for some reason, she becomes obsessed with him. 
Fast forward a little ways ... Kelsey gets 'permission' from the foster family to randomly cross the ocean to India with a man they only met ONE time to help deliver the tiger to its rightful home. 
That's when it happens! Oh wait! Ren isn't really a tiger. He's a 300-year old prince trapped in the BODY of a tiger. Wow. Didn't see that coming. And naturally, he's also madly in love with Kelsey who is prophesied to save him. 

To make the plot even weirder, Ren has a younger brother who ALSO is stuck in the body of a black tiger. His name is Kishan and hundreds of years ago, Ren's then fiancee left him for Kishan, triggering a whole new unnecessary love triangle between Kelsey, Ren, and Kishan. 

Throw in some weird Indiana Jones rip-off adventure scenes, ancient creatures that are poorly described, and one seriously messed up love relationship, you get this book series. 

Book 2 is no short of the same weirdness. 
Kelsey has left India to return to her home in Oregon. Guess what? Ren can't live without her and follows her like a creepy stalker to the States.
Here's the other weird part. When she got home, she finds out that she's been moved out of her foster family's house (which they are totally okay with) and moved IN to a huge house in the middle of nowhere right NEXT to Ren's new house. 

It makes no sense.

Okay, my rant is mostly over. Don't EVEN talk to me about the shark fin soup incident on page 51. 

Screw it! I'm going into it anyway. Here's page 51. 


"then dinner was served: fish to symbolize abundance, a whole lobster to represent completeness, Peking duck for joy and happiness, SHARK FIN SOUP to grant wealth..."

That's IT RIGHT THERE!!! I don't care that it was supposed to be a traditional Chinese ceremony. Shark fin soup is ILLEGAL in the United States and for obvious reasons. Short answer. Because it's INHUMANE! 
Do you know what shark fin soup actually IS? Let's back up a bit.
For starters, the shark is NOT a willing donor of its dorsal fin. Nor is it humanely killed for it. The fishermen who capture the LIVE shark haul it on deck, hack the dorsal fin off and then toss the still living, still breathing shark back into the ocean. A shark can NOT live without its dorsal fin. What happens next is this. The dying shark, unable to move the way that it is supposed to, slowly sinks further and further to the ocean floor, to depths beyond its capabilities. The sharks gills are unable to provide it the oxygen it needs, so it is suffocating on the way down. When it lands on the ocean floor, it is immediately set upon by crabs, parasites, and other bottom dwellers and is eaten ALIVE as it slowly dies. 



I apologize for the graphic violence of the photo, but this cause is serious to me. I follow several groups that are trying to STOP shark finning. It is murder. Plain and simple.
Colleen Houck made a nasty faux pas to me by mentioning the soup.
A bowl of shark fin soup
Here's the actual reason behind this little rant. Shark fin soup is a mostly tasteless broth soup. It is flavored with chicken stock. The shark fin itself is tasteless. It provides no nutrition. The only thing it does is add a texture to the soup. Yes, it is still being practiced in China, Vietnam, Korea, and Japan. It is also only catered to the wealthy, but it would never, never, NEVER be found here in the public eye anyway, of the United States because we have recognized this to be an inhumane and unjust practice. 

What I really want to tell Colleen Houck is this. "Learn your facts before you write them down". She could have easily looked up marriage rituals for here in the United States and wrote them accurately without mentioning an archaic, brutal, and now illegal practice. 

All right, my rant is offically over. I solemnly promise. It was just something that affected me greatly as I read that one sentence in an otherwise ... mediocre book.