Novel 2 = Complete

I have finished Paradise?. My second novel. It is my pet, my baby, and now I've completed it. As one might imagine, my feelings are mixed. I'm terribly sad because I have said farewell to my children, but I'm also incredibly happy because another story is born!

Here's the rundown of its finished state:

Time Completed: August 31, 2007, 6:40 PM
Pages: 347
Word Count: 152,256
Chapters: 60 (including Prologue & Epilogue)
Genre:Fantasy/Adventure/Comedy
Rating: PG
Category: Young Adult

Synopsis:

On his way to school Jason "Key" Sterling, a rather convincing liar, is pushed into a puddle by a rival. He finds himself swept off to a fantastical world called Paradise, where he ends up in the clutches of Crenen, leader of Yenen Clan, who is loaded with sharp, pointy teeth and nefarious schemes.

As "Key" is dragged along with the conniving Crenen against his will, he begins to uncover the truth of his presence in Paradise. He is the chosen one, the Vendaeva, destined to save the Paradisian People from almost certain doom. Along with 'almost certain doom' and a journey of self-discovery, "Key" must unravel the secrets to a world torn by conflict and prejudice, and face a nightmare in the form of...himself?

Along the way he stumbles upon a stranger secret than he ever imagined, and it's about to shatter his reality forever.But there must be some mistake. After all, since when do liars go to Paradise?


The plot was initially created to take elements of archetypal fantasy and throw it together in a mock-up story. As is often the case the story evolved and became its own adventure with many -somehow- lovable characters and deep emotions. It is often random, usually ridiculous, and apparently addictive.

For the next few weeks I will set the story aside, and then I will diligently tackle the next draft. In the meantime; farewell, Paradise.

Window Fettish?

I don't care if the entire meal center had been depleted, and the cooler was dying, and the fryer was flooding over, and the roasted chickens weren't cooked yet but needed to be, and we had thirty customers in line--

The assistant store director would still get on us about the display windows being dirty! Because, I swear, in his youth something tragic happened in relation to a glass window being dirty.

Now he's obsessed. Tell me, Josh, if the world was ending would I still have to clean the windows?

Of Pseudonyms

When I was little I had considered a pseudonym for when I became an author. But as I got older, and grew more fond of my name, I decided to stick with what was rightfully mine. Until... it was stolen from me.

And by an AUTHOR no less!!

So, now I must make a decision. Stick with it anyway, or choose one of the following:

Mel Worth - Close, simple, and suited to my fiction, but genderless.
Misa Worth - Unique, simple, but girly.
Hikari - Unique, but hard to remember.
M.H. Worth - Professional, fantasy-ish, but almost cliche.

I've gotten so many different opinions, and now I'm confused. I almost choose one, but then... get confused. Again.

I can only imagine what it'll be like when I have to name my children!

Feel Better?

The girl sat with her knees against her chest, hugging them tightly as she cried silently. A door closed somewhere else in the house but she ignored it. Only when she heard the gentle knock on her door did she look up.

"Come in," she called in a weak voice.

Her brother opened the door, peeking in. He watched her for a moment, his expression thoughtful, and then he walked across the carpeted floor and sat down beside her. "Wanna talk about it?" he asked.

She sat in silence for a while, and, with a little sniffle, she began, "Today was just really hard..." she trailed off, waiting for his mandatory response to her troubled day. Something like, 'I'm sorry. What happened?'

Instead he laughed humorlessly. "No kidding! It was awful for me too. First, the boss had to do paperwork, and he left me to handle everything by myself..." he went on and on, talking about all the horrible situations at his workplace, ending only after he'd covered all eight hours worth of torture. Then he grinned and stood. "Thanks for listening, sis. I feel tons better." And with that he left.

The girl stared at the door for a while, her wet eyes shocked. Then she scowled. "I guess I should be grateful he was here at all," she mumbled.

---
Everyone is so willing to share, but never to listen. Problem is, if no one listens, who will be heard?

On Falling

I believe the phrase 'falling in love' is derived from 'having a crush.' Honestly, wouldn't a person rather fly than fall? So, I think those people with their infatuations may fall all they like. Me? I'm waiting to fly.

Words of Comfort

A friend recently contacted me, asking for counsel and encouragement on an issue she has been facing. While I want to help people, I don't feel adequate to give much advice, and I feel that my words of comfort sound insincere (though they are heartfelt). So, I've taken a new approach. Who better to give advice, counsel, and comfort than the Master himself?

A scripture came to mind, and so I shared it with her.

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

Could there be any better words of comfort than this?

A Deli Moment

Boss Lady: "Okay ladies, we're way short on sales today. Know what that means? Comlines! Advertise! I wanna hear you every twenty minutes."
Mel: "Do I have to?"
Boss Lady: "Ya have to."
Mel: "But, that's the one, single, tiny aspect to this job that I don't ever wanna do."
Fellow Employee: "What about breading chicken?"
Mel: "...That too."
Fellow Employee: "Or, how 'bout wogging?"
Mel: "...And that."
Fellow Employee: "And making sandwiches?"
Mel: "...Yeah. Your point?"
Fellow Employee: "...My -point- is that I don't think there's a single aspect to this job that you -do- like."
Me: "Not so! I like--"
Fellow Employee: "Besides your freaking paycheck!!"
Mel: "...You got me, then."

And that, my friends, is why I need a new job.

Qualified For The Work

"A life that is planned is a closed life.
It can be endured, perhaps.
It cannot be lived."
~The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, 1958, starring Ingrid Bergman.

---
One of the best elements to this amazing movie is the reference to qualification. Ingrid Bergman plays Gladys Aylwood, a woman who wishes to serve a mission in China in the early twentieth century only to to be told that she is "under qualified" for the work. Undeterred for long, she saves up enough money to buy passage to China on her own, where she proceeds to make a difference in a way no one could have imagined.

Proof that one doesn't not need to be "qualified" in the eyes of man to do what needs to be done. If we went only by the view of others, how many great discoveries in this life would have actually occurred? It would be a sad world indeed had the Great Thinkers been turned away from their ideals because they were not "qualified" of men.

"For man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7) "and faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work." (D&C 4:5) So what have we to be worried about?

The best part of the movie is the knowledge that it based on real life events. It's not 'just a movie.' It really happened, and she really did what she did regardless of credentials.

What's stopping us from achieving the same?

Tagged!

Caught by Ki.
I love these things. :D

4 Jobs I Have Had:

1. Load Dispatcher
2. Nanny
3. Albertsons Deli
4. Amex Call Center

4 Movies I Can Watch Over & Over Again:

1. Mulan
2. Emperor's New Groove
3. Millenium Actress
4. Arsenic and Old Lace

4 Places I Have Lived:

1. Livingston, Montana
2. Fiddletown, California
3. Murray, Utah
4. Farmington, Washington

4 Favorite TV Shows:

1. Stargate: Atlantic
2. Kung Fu
3. Star Trek
4. ...?

4 Of My Favorite Places That I Have Been:

1. Northern Idaho Mountains
2. Montana
3. Lagoon
4. Other worlds (in my dreams)

4 Favorite Foods:

1. Curry Rice
2. Pizza
3. Italian (especially Johnny Carino's nachos!)
4. Deviled Eggs

4 Favorite Websites I Check Daily
1. DeviantART.com
2. Joyfoot.blogspot.com
3. HomeStarRunner.com
4. Google.com

4 Favorite Hobbies:

1. Writing
2. Reading
3. Drawing
4. Tennis

4 Places I Would Rather Be (or that I want to go to):

1. Japan
2. Germany
3. Chicago
4. Sleeping

4 Friends I Would Like To Tag.....Tag You're It!

1. .
2. ..
3. ...
4. I have no friends (at least, that haven't already been tagged :D )!!

Meet T-chan

This is T-chan. Short for Tortuga.
She's over 25 years old. And counting.

She likes to bite toes (or try, anyway).
I should feed her more. She might then stop.

One of the coolest, yet freakiest things about T-chan is that when you look in her eyes...you just somehow know that she's more intelligent than you'll ever be.

It's rather humbling.