Guest Blogging

I'm not really here. You can't prove anything! Okay, in my defense, I'm just popping in to let you know I was invited by Christine to guest blog over at Day Dreamer. If you get a second, head over and check out her blog. She is such a great person and has a very wonderful blog!

Darkness and Silver Linings

It's just the beginning of a very crazy summer for me (and the temperature won't dispute that one bit), so with a little bit of sadness, I'm announcing that this blog will be dark from now until September. Between traveling (a lot of traveling including a 2 month stay in UT/CO), family obligations and the usual to-do list, something's gotta give and for the moment, the blog is getting the ax. I'll still check your blogs now and again because I'll miss you terribly if I don't.

To go out with a bang, I'd like to pass on my latest award. Thank you, Kayeleen, for giving me the Silver Lining Award! I find that quite a few of your blogs help me to see the silver lining, but I can't list all 100+ of my favorite blogs (and people). I figure you have all summer to look over this list, so I am going all out. I've picked 40 from my favorite's list- ten for each month I'll be away. I had to narrow it down somehow! (For the most part, I grabbed the first blogs google reader brought up.)

Jenni James - How she does it all, I will never know!

Susan R. Mills - Her cute shoe to writing analogies are awesome!
Sara McClung - Funny, cute and she's running a vampire contest at the moment! Go check it out!
Cheree Smith - The title of her blog is Justified Lunacy. Enough said.
Christine Fonseca - She's sweet and honest. You'll love her!
L. T. Eliot - Always has great posts.
Natalie Whipple - This woman has more talent in a single strand of hair than I have in my whole body and it's safe to say I'm not exaggerating.
Kelly Lyman - She is one of the most determined people I have ever met. It's truly inspiring!
Beth Revis - Ever wanted to be a fly on the wall in a high school English class? You will after you check out Beth's blog. She's amazing! ;)
Wendy Paine Miller - Wendy is one of the most thoughtful (as in deep thinking) people I know and I guarantee you'll instantly feel welcome at her blog.
Christina Lee - For a load of writing fun and fashion, check out this blog. You'll love Christina too!
T. Anne - Each post ends with a thought-provoking question, which I love.
Lisa and Laura - Hilarious. Every post is an adventure!
Shannon Whitney Messenger - It's always fun to read about her journeys into publishing.
Kiersten White - She is quite a storyteller and her blog shows her talent. I can't wait to get my hands on her upcoming book!
Terresa Wellborn - I don't know where she finds the photos, quotes and poems to go with her thoughts, but they're always spot on and amazing!
Laurel - One of the most kind people in the blogosphere and that's saying a lot because there are a lot of kind people in the writing community.
Tricia J. O'Brien - Not only is she a very talented poet, but she sure can point and click! Her photo/haiku combinations are breathtaking.
Sarah Bromley - Sarah is an amazing person with an amazing blog.
Rachelle J. Christiansen - Check out her book "Wrong Number" if you love a good mystery. It's great!
Jaime Theler - For a new word a week, run to her blog. It's a lot of fun for the word nerds out there like me. :)
Suzette and Bethany - These kind and funny sisters write awesome posts and host sweet contests.
Nichole Giles - Go here for a healthy dose of happy!
Ali Cross - She might be taking a blogging hiatus, but she's still getting a spot in my list because she's awesome!
Elana Johnson - If you don't know how cool Elana and her blog are yet, go now! Run, don't walk!
Michelle McLean - Friday just wouldn't be as great without the funny gems Michelle digs up!
Jeannie - Her blog isn't called Jeannie's Happy World for nothing! I love her Monet Mondays.
Elizabeth Mueller - She deserves a prize for being the sweetest blogger in the blogosphere. And she's got talent too!
Danyelle Leafty - Have you ever read her words? They're memorizing, enchanting! Another blog to run, not walk to.
Danyelle Ferguson - One very uplifting blog.
Christine K. Bryant - Between her great blog guests and her own awesome posts, this blog is well worth your time.
Shannon O'Donnell - She's more like pure gold than silver lining. I don't think even the dreary gray clouds could stay that way for long around her.
Shelley - One amazing author. We're all big fans at my house.
Katie Ganshert - If you ever have trouble counting your blessings, go to Katie's site. She is so kind and uplifting!
Windy Aphayrath - Her blog is a fun and informative kind of random. I love it!
Amalia T. - Besides having a gorgeous name, she is queen as far as knowing mythology goes. Her blog fascinates me. Plus, she's an amazing person. Don't you love extras? ;)
Lynette LaBelle - Her fun Fridays are my favorite, but all of her posts are great!
Daisy Whitney - Daisy is one of the coolest people I've never met and her blog is definitely a favorite.
Mercedes M. Yardley - She's quirky and creative. You'll love her blog and her whimsical horror.
Angie Lofthouse - Her posts are informative and inspirational!


And as a bonus, here are four of the best book review sites I've found:
Kristi at The Story Siren
Rachael at Book Love: Teen
The Literati Read and
Searching for a good read?


I hope you all have a fantastic summer!

Nashville

I'm sure you've seen similar posts around the blogosphere this week, but I just wanted to spread the word as well. There have been so many tragedies across the globe this year and the southern states have been the latest to get hit hard. With all the media coverage of the tragedy in the gulf, there has been little said about what's happening in Tennessee, which is a shame. There has been so much damage and devastation from flooding and these good people need our help. Here are a couple of websites to check out. Thank you!

The Community Foundation

Do the Write Thing for Nashville

Come to the Edge

Come to the Edge by Christopher Logue:

Come to the edge.
We might fall.
Come to the edge.
It's too high!
Come to the edge!
And they came,
and he pushed,
and they flew.

I don't think I need to explain my feelings on this one. We as writers experience this a lot and I just wanted to share it with you. I hope you're flying high!

Ten-Word Tuesday

Success doesn't taste as sweet without failure as an appetizer.

Spread the Awesome

Elana Johnson is not only a talented author and a great friend, but she's brilliant. Her latest brain child comes in the form of showing appreciation to the authors we read by praising the paper-form magic they write. I'm not the only one who is onboard with this project. There has been a huge response from the blogosphere. To go backwards, check out Kristi Helvig's review of Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr at http://sistersinscribe.blogspot.com/. To follow the chain in a more traditional manner, follow this link http://lesserkey.blogspot.com/ to Chantal Kirkland's blog where she tells us why As You Wish by Jackson Pearce is so great.
To get a complete list of participants, go here.

This is where I insert whose book I'll be reviewing, but first I'm going to get real honest with you. This is my first book review. I'm actually a bit nervous about what to write. I have done more reading this year than I've been able to do in a long time. Three books stood out to me among a dozen or so. The first was The Dark Divine by Bree Despain and the second was a cute story by Ally Carter called I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You and the third, the one I'll be reviewing, is Brandon Sanderson's Elantris. (See how I cheated and got in a plug for three great books there? Yeah, I'm terrible.)

I've rambled enough, you say? Time to review? Okay, deep breath...

Welcome to the city of the Gods! Sort of... The book begins ten years after this magnificent place has been cursed. No one knows quite what happened, but the lingering effects are deadly. At least, that's what Raoden, Prince of Arelon, and his people have always been told. Raoden finds out the hard way when he too mysteriously contracts this killing curse. A crying shame too, since it happens the night before his soon-to-be bride, Sarene, arrives. Not one to sit idly by with the rest of the ladies and gossip, Sarene pushes her way into the political circles of the court. Not an easy task, as women are looked upon as frivolous in Arelon. Throw in Hrathren, a very devout high priest, hell-bent on converting the whole world to his religion and you have an exciting fantasy novel, full of mystery and intrigue.

Genre: Fantasy

Plot: Fantastic, fast-paced, fabulous ending

Characters: All likeable - strong female protagonist, kind, intelligent male protagonist, wicked awesome villain(s). Fun secondary characters as well.

Content: Clean enough that I'd recommend for 10 and up. No swearing, no sex, mild violence.

Moral: Love conquers all.

World-building: Not only is the world unique and complex, but I never felt overwhelmed or confused by it, making it a great read for someone who is new to the genre. It has more of a fairytale quality to it than full-on high fantasy. Though it has elements in it that make it feel epic as well.