Music In Writing

This post has been on my mind a lot recently. I love listening to music while I write. It helps me feel inspired. Even when I'm not writing, I'll hear a certain song on the radio or on my iPod and suddenly I'll be thinking about my stories. Have you ever flipped on the radio, heard a song, and immediately thought about a certain book or movie?

And, no, that song can't have been part of a movie soundtrack.

I might not be making much sense. It's okay if you don't get it--yet. Let me give you an example.

I was in the car on my way back home from a violin lesson when I heard "I Will Wait" by Mumford and Sons. I've heard that song dozens of times, but for some reason when I heard it this time, my thoughts went straight to a book I've been writing recently, a medieval fantasy novel called The Sorceress. I could imagine certain scenes in the book set to that song perfectly. Suddenly, I was designing a trailer for the movie adaptation of the book in my head. I had a whole cast and everything.

Now I may have been getting ahead of myself, but that's how you get inspired. Not by trying, but by not trying. Inspiration strikes you like a bolt of lightning. It's quick and sudden. If you don't grab it and hold on to it, it'll slip away.

Something I love to do in my writing is to imagine my whole book as a movie and design a soundtrack for it. If I can imagine certain scenes set to a certain song, I'll add it in my soundtrack. I can tell you exactly when each song would play in the book/fake movie. Sometimes the soundtracks only have two songs, and other times they have twelve. "The Sorceress Soundtrack" has been revised multiple times. I've added and taken out songs too many times to count. When I'm writing that book, I'll listen to my soundtrack for inspiration. I'm listening to "The Sorceress Soundtrack" as I write this, since I was just writing The Sorceress. Here is the soundtrack at the moment:

"Eyes Open" by Taylor Swift.
"Kingdom Come" by The Civil Wars.
"Safe and Sound" by Taylor Swift.
"Lights" by Ellie Goulding.
"Counting On You" by Mikey Wax.
"Home" by Phillip Phillips.
"Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol.
"I Will Wait" by Mumford and Sons.

These songs are some of my favorites. A few of the songs in the soundtrack are from "The Hunger Games: Songs From District 12 and Beyond." That album is one of my favorite albums. The songs are either intense, calm, or moving, but they are always inspirational. Sometimes I see similarities between my main character, Anya Perriwinkle, and Katniss. My inspiration has come from The Hunger Games, whether it be the book, the soundtrack, or the movie, multiple series by Tamora Pierce, and music.

Now, if you will excuse me, I have more writing to do.


What do you do for inspiration? Do you listen to music while you write? Do you think you'll make a soundtrack for your book in the future? Leave a comment! :D

Poetry Contest

Remember how I won our local library's poetry contest in 2010? Well guess what?

I won again this year!

My winning poem, "The Monster Under My Bed" won alongside my friend Dana's poem, "I Love To Read." I think Dr. Seuss (along with my dog Scout) inspired me when I wrote this:

The Monster Under My Bed

I yawn and stretch and look around.
The world is quiet.
There is no sound.
But then I hear a growl below,
And with a startled jump I know,
That something green from toe to head,
Is lurking under my bed!
Slowly I lean down to see,
If this thing is scary and wants to eat me.
Then I think that I might be,
Overreacting and being silly.
This monster may not be so bad,
He might be the best friend that I never had!
He might want to eat cookies and play hide and seek,
This monster might be very meek.
But then the monster growls again,
And I jump and squeak and cover my head.
I take a deep breath and lean down and see,
That the monster isn’t a monster,
It’s just my silly puppy.

What do you think? Which one do you like better?

The Story Cartel

For all you writers out there, here is a link for something I found called "The Story Cartel." (Click HERE). I've gotten some samples of "The Story Cartel Course" and it is awesome. It's very detailed about things you can do to make your story better, but it's also to the point. Joe Bunting, the guy who runs "The Write Practice," is the one who does "Story Cartel." I highly recommend you check it out.

Happy writing! :D

Nooooo, Google Reader!

This morning I logged on to Google Reader to find this message covering the screen:

Google Reader will no longer be available on July 1.

Nooooooo! I probably follow at least 50 blogs! There's no way I can check every one individually each day! I really hope someone else takes over Google Reader so I can keep using it. In the mean time, if you follow my blog by Google Reader, I suggest you start following me by e-mail, too, so you can keep up on things.

Blarg.

Beauty and the Beat - An Album Review

As part of our school, my brother and I each chose an album to listen to throughout that week to review on our blogs. I chose "Beauty and the Beat" by the Go-Go's, which I got for Christmas.

The Go-Go's are happy and fun. Their music is upbeat and great to dance to. They have great harmony. The songs got stuck in my head very quickly. I like to listen to songs while I clean my room such as "Call Me Maybe" and "Brighter Than the Sun" so "Beauty and the Beat" was another great addition to my "Cleaning Up Playlist." They reminded me a lot of Cyndi Lauper. A lot of their songs sound the same and I thought that they could've had a bit more variety, but overall the album was fun to listen to.

The album had 11 songs total, but my top three favorites were "Our Lips Are Sealed," "We Got the Beat," and "You Can't Walk in Your Sleep (If You Can't Sleep)." "Our Lips Are Sealed" sounded as if it could've been the opening song for a movie. "We Got the Beat" is one of their more famous songs and is just fun and happy. "You Can't Walk in Your Sleep (If You Can't Sleep)" had really cool harmony and different singing parts that sounded really great together. (Sorry, I could only find a live video for "You Can't Walk in Your Sleep (If You Can't Sleep).")

I would give this album a 4 out of 5.

Before and After--The Process of Creating a Query Letter

As requested by my mom, I have decided to write a post about my query letter. The first draft and the final draft (at least I think it's the final draft) will be posted below. But first a few tips that I've learned:

1. Go to this site for everything you need to know about query letters. The woman doing this is brutally honest, but very effective and helpful. She definitely knows what she's doing.

2. Start your query letter with a bang. You need a nice hook that will get an agent's attention.

3. Be specific. Don't use words like "some" or "very." A sense of mystery is okay, but you don't want to be too vague. The agent will be left feeling clueless!

4. Thank the agent for their time and consideration. Apparently a lot of people neglect to do this. You can't just hand over a query letter without thanking them for taking the time to read it. Then you'll come across as cocky and entitled.

And now for the query letter finale:

BEFORE

 To Whom It May Concern,

Cassandra Day is a unicorn. She lives in a world called Fantasya where magical creatures from royal Pegasi to tiny elves live in peace. Well, they used to live in peace. Gargamouth, a giant with a hot head, wants to take over Fantasya and rule all of the creatures living in it by killing off the unicorns and Pegasi using his army of trolls and elves. Cassandra knows she must she must stop Gargamouth, and her best friend Cornelia, who is also a unicorn and is a bit better about plan-making than Cassandra, wants to help her.

But before either of them can do something about this gigantic problem, they are both whisked away to Earth where they must blend in with the humans. Cassandra and Cornelia disguise themselves as humans and search for a way to get back, meeting all kinds of danger along the way, such as nearly getting captured by trolls and exposing themselves to the human race. Can they defeat Gargamouth and bring Fantasya to peace once again?

I would love it if you could represent my book Fantasya: A Giant Problem. It is a complete 23,541-word manuscript and the first book in a fantasy trilogy intended for middle-grade kids, but I think all ages will enjoy it.

I am a twelve-year-old homeschooled girl who loves to write. I won our local library’s poetry contest in 2010, I write for our local library’s newsletter, I won an honorable mention for the Hershey Story Contest, I have a blog (themagicviolinist.blogspot.com), and I write a monthly post for The Write Practice (thewritepractice.com).

Thank you for your time and consideration and I hope to hear from you soon!

Sincerely,

Kate XXXXX
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AFTER

To Whom It May Concern,

If someone doesn’t defeat Gargamouth the giant, all of the unicorns in Fantasya could die.

Cassandra Day, a unicorn, needs to defeat Gargamouth if Fantasya, a world full of magical creatures, will ever be at peace again. Cassandra and her best friend, Cornelia, another unicorn, devise a plan to conquer the hot-headed giant. But when they accidentally touch an Earth Flower they’re whisked away to Earth where they must blend in with humans to survive.

How will the unicorns hide from humans, escape from the trolls who threaten their lives, and return to Fantasya to defeat Gargamouth? If they don’t, will Fantasya fall into ruins? Will all of the unicorns die?

Fantasya: A Giant Problem is a 23,500-word middle grade novel intended for children ages 7-12. It is a story of how friendship and teamwork can conquer any task.

I am a homeschooled girl who loves to write. I post at my blog themagicviolinist.blogspot.com two to three times a week, and am a monthly contributor at thewritepractice.com, a blog for writers. The Write Practice has over 6500 subscribers and nearly 30,000 monthly readers and was voted one of the Top Ten Blogs For Writers in 2012. I write for the Annville Free Library’s newsletter and won a poetry contest at the Lebanon Community Library in 2010.

Thank you for your time and consideration and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Kate  XXXXX
XXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXX

I'd like to give a little shout out to our family's friend Dave and also to Michelle from Random Writing Rants. Thanks so much for helping me out! :D

So be honest. If you were an agent and saw this query letter would you ask for more pages? Would you even be interested at all? Would you think I'm not experienced enough and have no idea what I'm doing? Leave a comment! :D

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 30 A Motto or Philosophy

Day 30 of the 30-Day Blogging Challenge. You know what that means. This is the last day (SO PAY ATTENTION). ;)

When I saw what Day 30 was I immediately thought of Phil from Modern Family, my favorite TV show. I will be sharing some quotes from "Phil's-osophy," but first some more serious stuff.

Something I heard that I really like is "don't do anything that could hurt yourself or another person." In other words, use your common sense and don't hurt people (that means NO VIOLENCE, PEOPLE). So driving while you're drunk, fighting a war (though I know how it can be "necessary," I prefer the diplomatic route when it comes to ANYTHING), shooting guns at people, smoking (and that hurts other people, too, because we're breathing the nasty stuff in), and many other things. If everyone listened to that, there truly would be world peace. So why doesn't anyone do it?!?! It's so much simpler and easier. So help me spread the word! :D Post this motto/philosophy/whatever you want to call it on your blog, use it as your e-mail signature, share it with your friends, anything that will help tell people about this. Then tell your friends to spread the word. I know I can be a dreamer, but it doesn't hurt to dream and help, right?

Now some quotes from "Phil's-osophy," which is a book of philosophies that Phil made up:

"If you love something, set it free. Unless it's a tiger."

"When life gives you lemonade, make lemons. Life will be all like, 'What?!?!'"

"You can tell a lot about a person from his biography."

"Success is 1 percent inspiration, 98 percent perspiration, and 2 percent attention to detail."

"Always look people in the eye, even if they're blind. Just say, 'I'm looking you in the eye.'"

"You only get one chance at a first impression. I suggest Julia Child because it’s easy to do."

"The most amazing things that can happen to a human being will happen to you if you just lower your expectations."

"Dance until your feet hurt. Sing until your lungs hurt. Act until you’re William Hurt."

"Take a lesson from parakeets: If you’re ever feeling lonely, eat in a front of a mirror."

"Never be afraid to reach for the stars because even if you fall, you’ll always be wearing a Parentchute. TM."

"Older black ladies make the best iced tea."

"Watch a sunrise at least once a day."

"If you’re ever in a jam, a crayon scrunched up under your nose makes a good pretend mustache."

Which quote was your favorite? Leave a comment! :D (And remember to spread the word)!

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 29 Hopes, Dreams, and Plans You Have For the Next 365 Days

The challenge is almost over! *Sniff*

My hopes, dreams, and plans for the next 365 are pretty much the same thing. I hope to get an agent, my dream is to get published, and my plans are for Fantasya: A Giant Problem to get published first. I've been working hard on my query letter and I think the first book in the Fantasya series is almost a finished project. Of course, I'll still have to edit a ton more if when (good thoughts here) I get an editor. But for now I think I've done all I can.

If you would like to give me some feedback on my book and/or query letter, it would be greatly appreciated! :D Here is my query letter, followed by my prologue:


To Whom It May Concern,

If someone doesn’t defeat Gargamouth the giant, all of the unicorns in Fantasya could die.

Cassandra Day, a unicorn, needs to defeat Gargamouth if Fantasya, a world full of magical creatures, will ever be at peace again. Cassandra and her best friend, Cornelia, another unicorn, devise a plan to conquer the hot-headed giant. But when they accidentally touch an Earth Flower they’re whisked away to Earth where they must blend in with humans to survive.

How will the unicorns hide from humans, escape from the trolls who threaten their lives, and return to Fantasya to defeat Gargamouth? If they don’t, will Fantasya fall into ruins? Will all of the unicorns die?

Fantasya: A Giant Problem is a 25,500-word middle grade novel intended for children ages 7-12. It is a story of how friendship and teamwork can conquer any task.

I am a homeschooled girl who loves to write. I post at my blog themagicviolinist.blogspot.com two to three times a week, and am a monthly contributor at thewritepractice.com, a blog for writers. The Write Practice has over 6500 subscribers and nearly 30,000 monthly readers and was voted one of the Top Ten Blogs For Writers in 2012. I write for the Annville Free Library’s newsletter and won a poetry contest at the Lebanon Community Library in 2010.

Thank you for your time and consideration and I look forward to hearing from you soon.


Sincerely,

Kate XXXX

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Prologue
   
There is no “once upon a time” in this book. That’s how a fairytale starts. And this is not a fairytale. No, this is a true story. No matter what you humans may think, this is a true story about unicorns.
    Exactly ten years ago, on November 4th, a unicorn was born. This unicorn wasn’t any old unicorn. This unicorn was special. Even if no one knew it yet.
    Camilla and Carter Day had been waiting for what seemed like forever for this moment. As soon as Camilla began to feel the familiar pain in her stomach and the kicking of the foal inside of her, they rushed to a Healer and waited for the foal. The Healer used her magic--wind magic, which all unicorns had--to help ease the pain as the foal was born. Carter nuzzled Camilla. He whispered soothing words in her ear. His mane tickled Camilla’s forehead, but she didn’t notice. She was in so much pain. Even wind magic was no match for the pain of birthing a unicorn. She began to sweat and suddenly she was nervous. What if the foal was deformed? What if it was missing a leg or a hoof? What if-?
    And suddenly, it was over. The pain was gone. The Healer and Carter both backed away. Lying in front of Camilla was the most beautiful foal she had ever seen. It was a girl with a pure white coat, mane, and tail. She was tall, her legs spindly. Her limbs looked as if they would snap if someone stepped on them. She was skinny and her eyes, oh her eyes. Her eyes were a bright, beautiful blue, like an ocean. Her forehead was the perfect size and shape for a horn. There was even a little indentation that showed that when her horn did grow when she was around one-year-old it would be big and round.
    “She’s gorgeous,” the Healer breathed. “Beautiful.”
    “What should we name her?” Carter asked his wife.
    Camilla answered without hesitation. “Cassandra.”
When she spoke the name, the foal looked up and stared at her mother lovingly. She tried to stand up, but fell over immediately.
    Camilla laughed and Carter smiled.
    “Cassandra, huh?” He had a thoughtful looked etched upon his face. “It fits her for some reason. How did you think of it?”
    Camilla shrugged and nuzzled Cassandra.
    “It just came to me as I looked at her.”
    “Cassandra,” Carter said again, looking at his second-born child. Their first child, Cindy, was currently waiting a few trees away with another Healer. Carter waved his hoof in an inviting way and the Healer brought Cindy over, who was galloping as fast as she could at just two-years-old.
    “Now be careful around the foal,” Camilla said to Cindy as she eyed Cassandra with a look of utter awe upon her face. “She can’t play rough games with you like you play with Dad--”
    But Cassandra was already wobbling over to Cindy, whinnying and baring her teeth. Cindy smiled and began to play one of the wrestling games she played with her dad.
    Camilla glanced over at Carter, her expressive blue eyes wide with terror, worry, shock, and amazement. Camilla, and neither did Carter, for that matter, didn’t know what to think about this situation. Newborns didn’t wrestle other unicorns. If they did, their little, fragile bones would snap.
    The two parents (and the Healer who looked like she might faint from surprise) looked over at Cassandra and Cindy. Cindy rolled over on top of Cassandra and then, just as Carter was about to intervene, Cassandra kicked and struggled and managed to roll over on top of Cindy.
    “This isn’t happening,” Camilla muttered to herself. “This is not happening.”
    “It is happening,” Carter said in a quiet voice, barely moving his lips. “Our little newborn is apparently very strong.”
    Camilla chuckled along with Carter. The Healer just fainted.

    Exactly one year later on Cassandra’s birthday . . .
    “Happy birthday, my little Cassandra!” Camilla cooed as Cassandra stretched, yawned, opened her eyes, and smiled.
    “’Appy day, Mommy!” Cassandra said, copying what her mother had said.
    Camilla laughed.
    “It’s your birthday, Silly.”
    “Silly!” Cassandra said, galloping around the nearby trees.
    Carter snuck up behind Cassandra and wrestled with her. Soon, Cindy saw and joined in.
    “Time for breakfast,” Camilla announced. Cindy jumped up and galloped away after her mother who was in the meadows of Prosperity Border.
    Let’s pause for now so I can fulfill my job as a narrator and fill you humans in.
    Fantasya is the world that unicorns and other creatures live in. It is hidden in a different dimension. No human will ever find it. And if they did, the magic would kill them as soon as they touch the ground.
    There are three parts to Fantasya. There is one side named “Prosperity Border,” the other side named “Miserable Margin,” and the middle is named “Elf Interior.”
    Pegasi rule Prosperity Border. They're royalty. Prosperity Border is currently ruled by the queen Aleena, the king Adam, and the princess Abigail. Prosperity Border is where all the unicorns and Pegasi live. Pegasi and unicorns control the magic of wind.
    Miserable Margin is where the giants rule. The giants rule the trolls. The Giants look like Cyclopes in human myths except they have two eyes. The king Gargamouth and the queen Gorgina rule Miserable Margin. The trolls do whatever they say. The trolls and Giants control the magic of water.
    Elf Interior is ruled by elves. All elves are equal there. Although, there is one elf named Edward who is the Treasurer. When an elf is named Treasurer, they are in charge of whom they work for depending on the amount of gold that is offered. Elves are not good, nor, bad. They are mischievous and will only help different creatures if they get gold in the deal. They control the magic of Fire. Now, back to the story.
    Cassandra galloped after Cindy and jumped into the air, hovering a few inches before crumpling to the ground. Cassandra giggled and shook the dirt off her legs, racing to catch up with everyone.
    The family of four began to eat their breakfast (grass) when Camilla gasped.
    “Oh my.”
    “What is it?” Carter asked, swallowing a mouthful of grass.
    Cindy raced off to go to the bathroom behind a Unicorn Tree. A unicorn tree is a tree with white bark and golden leaves.
    “Her--her horn.”
    Camilla’s silvery coat suddenly paled and turned white. Her face was a mixture of excitement and shock. Her blue eyes (that matched Cassandra’s perfectly) were wide and round. Carter bent down lower and took a look at Cassandra’s forehead.
    There, smack in the middle of her forehead, was a horn. It was only half an inch long, and it was golden.
    Let’s pause once again so I can catch you up on unicorn horns.
    Unicorns live for about fifty years, sometimes more, sometimes less. When a unicorn reaches ten, they are an adult and their horn is fully-grown.
    A unicorn’s horn is very sharp. They are as sharp as what you humans call knives. When a unicorn is an adult, they can produce strong magic. Unicorns cannot produce very strong magic until they are an adult.
There are three different types of horns. There’s the common white horn that almost every single unicorn has. There is also the rare silver horn. If you lined up a hundred unicorns, maybe three would have the silver horn. Then there is the super, ultra-rare, golden horn, which almost no other unicorn has; and Cassandra has that super, ultra-rare, golden horn. In unicorn legends, a unicorn that has a golden horn is destined for greatness. She is the third unicorn in the world that has ever had that horn. The first unicorn in Fantasya had that horn and so does her sister Cindy. Golden horns can produce gold out of water. This can be very handy when trying to persuade someone to help you. But if you produce gold out of water, you get tired and your magic is weaker which can be very dangerous if you’re attacked soon after producing gold.
“Carter,” Camilla said in a very high-pitched voice. “Our Cassandra has the super rare horn. The same horn as her sister. That’s not common! At all. The only other unicorn to have this horn is the first unicorn that was ever alive on Fantasya. Cassandra was also very strong when she was born. She wrestled Cindy. And she has started to fly a little and she’s only one. What do you think this means?”
    Carter thought hard about this.
    “You know how in legends a unicorn with a golden horn is destined for greatness?”
    “Yes,” Camilla said slowly. She suddenly gasped. Carter nodded.
    “I know they’re only legends, but I think Cassandra is destined for greatness.”
    “What about Cindy?”
    Carter smiled.
    “Cindy, too.”
   
    Exactly one year and three days later.
    “CARTER!”
    The high-pitched shriek of Camilla rang all throughout the forest. The sound of other unicorns screaming and whinnying in terror was deafening. Carter ran to find his wife and children. Cassandra, who was only two, and Cindy, who was now four, saw their dad and ran to him.
    “What’s going on?” Cindy asked.
    “I don’t know,” Carter said gravely.
    Cassandra had no idea what was going on and just galloped next to her sister and father.
    “CARTER!”
    This time the shriek was louder and strained as if she was trying not to cry. Carter rounded a corner and saw what was going on. His breath left him.
    Trolls and elves of all shapes and sizes (the trolls typically being medium sized, bulky, and burly and the elves typically being short and squat) were stampeding across the meadows and the forest. Unicorns lay dead across the ground, blood stained the pure white trees, trolls swung their clubs and shot water sprays, and elves burned trees to the ground and shot their magical arrows. Carter could not believe it. They hadn’t had a war in . . . forever. Fantasya was normally a place of peace, not war.
    And there Camilla lay, dead. Her skull looked as if a club had smashed it in and three arrows protruded from her chest. Carter stumbled in disbelief and silent tears streamed down his face. Cindy, who was just old enough to understand what had happened, roared in anger and stamped her feet, looking around for the murderer. Cassandra, who was too young to understand, asked her father, “Why is Mommy laying down?”
    Carter’s voice caught in his throat as he spoke. A huge lump had formed in his throat making it hard to talk.
    “Mom-Mommy’s sleeping,” he said quietly.
    “Oh,” Cassandra said. “Should we be quiet?”
    Carter shook his head, his pure white coat, mane, and tail catching the sunlight.
    “Mommy’s sleeping, but she’ll never wake up.” Carter began to cry audibly and Cindy did the same.
    “Never ever?” Cassandra asked. Her lip began to tremble.
    “Never ever,” Carter confirmed. That was when Cassandra looked down at her mother and kissed her on the cheek. Tears were in her eyes but they would not spill.
    Carter took a deep breath and looked down at his children.
    “You two need to stay here,” he said very firmly. He looked at Cindy and said more quietly. “I’m going to go fight. Cindy, if something happens to me, take care of Cassandra. Do not follow me out there. Do you hear me?”
    Cindy nodded solemnly.
    “Good.” He kissed both of his children on the forehead, careful to avoid their growing horns. “I love you.”
    Tears still streamed down Cindy’s face. Cassandra looked like she was in shock. She stared straight ahead, straight through her father, and looked into nothingness.
    Carter took one last look at Cindy and Cassandra before galloping off into the meadows.
    “Follow me,” Cindy said to Cassandra.
    Cassandra followed Cindy deeper into the forest. They walked until the sounds of battle faded and were distant.
    “Cassandra,” Cindy said very seriously. “You stay here. I’m going to help Daddy.”
    “But Daddy said-!” Cassandra began. Cindy cut her off.
    “Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.”
    Cindy nuzzled her younger sister and ran off to join her father.
    Cassandra sat down, then immediately stood up and walked around in a circle, unsure of what to do. Stay or find Daddy and Cindy? Stay or find Daddy and Cindy? She finally decided that it would be best to follow Cindy’s orders, no matter how much it pained her to not go find them and figure out what was going on.
    An hour passed. Cassandra slept. Two hours passed. She woke up and nibbled on some grass and fallen leaves. Three hours passed. The sounds of war had disappeared and she could hear a unicorn passing by.
    “Oh my goodness!”
    The unicorn spotted Cassandra and rushed over. The unicorn has a white horn.
    “You’re-you’re the unicorn with the golden horn that I’ve been hearing about. Your parents are Camilla and Carter, right?”
    Cassandra nodded hesitantly. Where were Daddy and Cindy? Who was this stranger?
    “I’m Caroline. Your dad-.” She gulped.
    Cassandra knew that look of grief. She stared before speaking.
    “Is Daddy sleeping?”
    “What?” Caroline was confused.
    “Mommy was laying on the ground and Daddy said she was sleeping and would never ever wake up.” Cassandra began to weep silently.
    Caroline gulped again.
    “Yes, Daddy’s sleeping,” she said sadly. “And he will never ever wake up, either." She felt terrible having to be the one to tell this foal that she was an orphan.
    “Where’s Cindy?” Cassandra was still crying and her voice caught on each word.
    Caroline shook her head.
    “Is she sleeping, too?”
    “I don’t know, Honey. Nobody knows where she is.”
    Cassandra’s face fell and she sat down.
    “Cassandra, I’m going to take care of you,” Caroline said. “I have no husband and no children. You can be my daughter.”
    Cassandra brightened, but only slightly, Caroline hadn’t expected her to jump up and down with joy after what she had been through. She was only two and both of her parents had died and her sister was missing.
    “Okay," Cassandra said.
    Cassandra nuzzled Caroline. They gave each other watery smiles.

Be sure to come back tomorrow and read the last day of the 30-Day Blogging Challenge! :D

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 28 A Scar You Have and Its Story

I don't have a scar, but wouldn't it be cool to have a lightning bolt shaped scar on your forehead like Harry Potter? At least I think it would. Or maybe something else, like a peace symbol! Or a heart! Or a 'K' for the first letter of my name! Oh the possibilities . . .

What's a scar you have and its story? If you don't have one, make one up! Leave a comment! :D

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 27 A Physical Feature You Love

So I'm not sure if this means I should write about a physical feature of mine that I love or a physical feature that I love in general. So I'll go with features that I love in general.

I love hair. Whether it's black or brown or red or dyed, I think hair is very interesting. I usually go into great detail to explain the hair one of my characters have or the facial hair of the villain. There's so much you can do with hair in real life or in writing.

I also love eyes. They can be big and round or small and squinty. My characters have green, blue, black, brown, hazel, and even golden eyes. In fact, a whole book of mine is dedicated to eyes and the magical abilities that they hold! My main character Hazel has hazel eyes. Her eyes are magical so she can use telekinesis. One of the secondary characters, Josh, has blue eyes. He can see the future. The bully has red eyes and he can summon wolves to command.

What's a physical feature that you love? Leave a comment! :D

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 26 A Childhood Memory

All of my memories are childhood memories. (That's the magic of being 12). But one of my earliest childhood memories is when I got my favorite stuffed animal: a cat named Menedy.

Scout cuddling with Menedy.

When I was about three, I spotted a bunch of stuffed cats on a rack. They were all Beanie Buddies, which are larger versions of Beanie Babies. At the time, cats were my favorite animal. I immediately began to play with them and talk to them. When it was time to leave I said, "I'll come back!"

I can't remember what happened afterwards, but I know some time later when I was in the car, Vavó said, "Kate, I have a surprise for you." I said, "What is it?" Vavó pulled one of the stuffed cats out of the bag she was holding. I started hugging it and said, "I'll call you Menedy!"

I have no idea why I named her that or where I got the name, but the name stuck and now Menedy goes with me wherever I go. As you can see in the picture, she's very old, very floppy, and very loved. I even made her some clothes. Menedy used to be pure white. Now she's gray. The only patch of white is behind her ear. You can't see it unless you fold it back.

What is your favorite stuffed animal? How about your favorite childhood memory? Leave a comment! :D

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 25 A Recipe

Because I'm a chocolate and peanut butter junkie (as shown in THIS post), I will now share with you the best cookies ever  . . . that just happen to be chocolate cookies with peanut butter chips. Ahem. Here it is:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Delights

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups peanut butter chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325. Beat butter, sugars and vanilla in mixer until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Gradually add flour mixture. Stir in chips. Using your cookie scoop, or just two regular table spoons, place onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-13 minutes. Cool on sheets for about 2 minutes, then remove to cooling rack.

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 24 A Movie No One Would Expect You To Love

I haven't ever watched any movies that people didn't expect me to like, but I have read a book that even I didn't expect to like. I loved reading The Host by Stephenie Meyer. But who would expect that from me? It's romance, sci-fi, and Stephenie Meyer all wrapped up into one book. I read all 600 pages of it in two days after my BFF recommended it to me. The movie is coming out in March and I'm going to go see it with my BFF and neither of us can wait for the sequels to the book. I've watched the trailer for it multiple times. Most reviews I've read about the book say it's 'sci-fi for people who don't like sci-fi.' It's true. Though admittedly I haven't read a lot of sci-fi, from what I have read it's not my favorite genre. I definitely prefer fantasy.

What book or movie did no one expect you to love? Leave a comment! :D

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 23 A Way In Which You Want to Be Remembered

I bet most of you are thinking that I would say a great author, and although that is true I don't want to be remembered just for that. I also want to be remembered as someone who supports equal rights and peace and also as someone who is kind and giving.

How do you want to be remembered? Leave a comment! :D

Journal Entry #1

For school my brother and I are going to start doing journal entries about the past week each Monday morning or Sunday night. Here are a few things that stood out to me from this past week:

"The Amazing Race" TV show started on the 17th. So far my least favorite teams are Max and Katie and Jessica and John. I like the YouTube people. They seem like a lot of fun. I'm still sort of getting to know the other teams, but the second express pass is causing a lot of drama.

On the 19th I started my first volunteering shift at our local library! I got to work in the back room and check books in. I also got to shelve DVDs and find the DVDs that people have requested. I worked from 10-12. My next shift is tomorrow and I might actually get to work at the front desk!

On the 20th Daddy took my brother and me to the planetarium. I love finding constellations. It was super cool! And between that and a PBS show called NOVA that we watched, I got all sorts of inspiration for a new book I'm writing called Cosmo. It's about a fourteen-year-old girl named Cosmo Moonshine who lives with her single mom in an apartment in New York City. Cosmo wants to be an astronomer and go to college, but she and her mom are extremely poor.

On the 22nd Daddy took my brother and me to an Internal Combustion Engine class for our homeschool group. After that our family went to an all-you-can-eat pizza place with a bunch of our friends. My BFF Kirsten, her sisters Avery and Sophie, and I laughed a ton and talked a lot about Taylor Swift. We also talked about The Host since the movie is coming out soon and we want to see it when it comes to the movies.

On the 23rd my friend Dana came over. We played some board games and built some awesome houses and other structures on Minecraft.

On the 24th my brother and I watched a bunch of "Phineas and Ferb" episodes on Netflix while our parents had their book club. The most hilarious one was called "Bad Hair Day." We loved the ending best.

Today (the 25th) a bunch of friends came over to play D&D from 10-12.

We did all this and more in between a ton of Minecraft.

How was your week? Leave a comment! :D

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 22 A Website

Here is a list of some of my absolute favorite websites:

The Magic Violinist (Tee hee) ;)
I Don't Eat My Drumsticks
Sushi and Pizza
The Write Practice
Musings From Neville's Navel
Meredith and Callixta
Redpunzel
Webkinz
Wizard101
Minecraft

Have fun checking all of these out! :D ;)

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 21 Something You Know You Do Differently Than Most People

I know there's probably something here that I'm forgetting about, but I just can't think of it right now. I do wear mismatched socks, but apparently a lot of people do that now. I did it before it was "trendy," though. ;)

My feet, decked out in mismatched socks. But you got that already, didn't you?

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 20 A Hobby of Yours

I have lots of hobbies. Most of them include writing, reading, or playing with my friends. So I'll tell you a little bit about a few hobbies I have:

1. Writing

Most of you already know this, and I bet a lot of you like to write, too. Recently I've been working on answering comments in my most recent Write Practice post and working on my newest book Cosmo. I'll probably put the first little bit of Cosmo up on my blog soon.

2. Reading

Books I have been reading recently include Reached which is the third and final book in the Matched trilogy, Alanna: The First Adventure and In the Hand of a Goddess which are the first two books in The Song of the Lioness series, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix which is the fifth book in the Harry Potter series.

3. Doing Silly Things With My Friends

Such as teasing my BFF's older brother by stealing his bag of Root Beer Barrels and threatening to eat them all, trying to quote all of the lyrics in a Taylor Swift song as fast as humanly possible, and talking about how excited we are for a new movie to come out that was based on a book but not realizing that someone changed the subject to a different movie and you feel as if you missed something in the book because you don't remember reading that part at all. I did all of these things yesterday with my friends and more while eating pizza at an all-you-can-eat pizza place.

4. Organizing

I like to organize things over and over again. Especially my computer desk, my room, and my nightstand drawer. I have an easy time organizing things and cleaning up. Keeping those things clean, however, I have a harder time with.

What are some of your hobbies? Leave a comment! :D 

An Interesting Fortune

Our family hosts a monthly D&D group at our house. Every time the kids come over to play we have snacks. The favorite snack seems to be fortune cookies. We often find crumbs and random fortunes around the house afterwards, but this most recent session I found an interesting fortune . . . (it was under the couch):

"You will find great fortunes in unexpected places."

I'm almost positive someone put it there on purpose. It seems exactly like the kind of thing my friends would do.

Have you ever found funny fortunes in your fortune cookie? Leave a comment! :D

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 19 A Talent of Yours

Prompts like these where you have to write about something you're good at rather than something that you just like to do make me uncomfortable. I'm not a bragger, so I'm going to leave this one up to you. What do you think a talent of mine is? Leave a comment! :D

An Interview With Cosmo Moonshine and Funny Lyrics

While Cosmo and her interviewer are preparing for the interview, I thought I would tell you about some hilarious lyrics that I misheard. In Phillip Phillips "Gone, Gone, Gone" there's a part where he says "You're my crutch when my legs stop moving" but it sounds like he's saying "You're my crotch when my legs stop moving." Now nobody in my family can help but laugh whenever he says that. They should really fix that.

Anyway, I can see that Cosmo is politely tapping her foot, so on with the interview! Please welcome Cosmo Moonshine, the protagonist from the novel I am currently writing Cosmo. And here to interview her, her best friend Celeste Smitherson!


Will you please introduce yourself?


Cosmo: But you already know me!


Celeste: Yes, but the rest of the world doesn't.

Cosmo: I know, I know! I was just kidding. My name is Cosmo Moonshine, I'm fourteen-years-old, and I am not a unicorn.

Celeste: Then what are you?

Cosmo: ... A human? That was kind of what I was implying.

Celeste: Of course. But Moonshine . . . isn't that--?


Cosmo: An illegal alcohol? Yeah. An unfortunate last name, I know, but Kate didn't realize that until after she created my name, and after that there was no going back. But I like it. It's pretty! Plus it makes for some good jokes in the book about me.

Tell us about your family.

Cosmo: Well, there's Muffins, my white and brown speckled cat, and then there's my mom. Her name's Sandry Moonshine since she kept her maiden name. A good idea since my dad divorced her when I was nine!

Please tell us more about your hobbies. 

Cosmo: I looooove astronomy. I've always loved studying the sky and space and anything that appears in the sky: the sun, the moon, the stars, the planets, you name it! But the stars can get kind of hard to see when you live in NYC. I want to go to college and study astronomy. I also want to be a famous astronomer. But I also like hanging out with my mom and my cat. Writing is another thing I love to do.

Who do you think is more in control: Yourself or Kate?

Cosmo: Mostly Kate, but I jump in and give her some ideas. She'll start writing a short paragraph describing my room and then I'll interrupt and give an elaborate story about why my ceiling is painted black. If you were wondering, I painted it that way because it looks like the night sky when I'm falling asleep. I also painted white stars and constellations on the black ceiling. 

Who is your greatest enemy and why?

Cosmo: It's not really a who as much as a what. Ever since after my dad divorced my mom we've barely been able to keep our apartment and have a hot meal on the table at the end of the day. So I'd say that poverty is my greatest enemy, as well as my mom's.

Who (or what) do you think inspired Kate most when she was creating you?

Cosmo: NOVA. NOVA is a PBS show and she watched twenty minutes of one of the episodes about space. They kept explaining things about "the cosmos" and she thought of my name. Cosmo is practically writing itself ever since she went to the planetarium! That gave her tons of ideas!

What is your biggest dream?

Cosmo: To be able to afford going to college. Then I can be an astronomer. For now I'll just keep on dreaming.

Thank you for coming, Cosmo! And be sure to read Day 18 of my 30-Day Blogging Challenge! :D

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 18 A Time When You Felt Passionate and Alive

A time when I felt passionate and alive. I can think of multiple times where I have felt that feeling, but whenever I felt that feeling I was usually writing. In every single story I have ever written or am currently writing I have felt passionate and alive at least once. Every single story. That's a ton of stories. And some stories I feel that way in every chapter! My family can tell when I'm really excited about writing something because my fingers can't seem to type fast enough and I can't keep up with my thoughts! I feel that way in most every single NaNoWriMo story and the most recent story that I am writing: Cosmo. More about that later. (Stay tuned for an exclusive interview with Cosmo Moonshine)! So, yeah, I'm slightly totally obsessed with writing!

How about you? When have you felt passionate and alive? Leave a comment! :D

Also, click HERE to check out my most recent post on The Write Practice!

An Interview With Cassandra Day and Cornelia Moonstone

Please give a warm welcome to Cassandra Day and Cornelia Moonstone, the protagonists of my completely edited novel Fantasya: A Giant Problem. A Giant Problem is the first book in the Fantasya series. I wrote it in 2010 and have only recently finished editing it. I'm currently trying to find an agent to represent me, so if you know of any really good ones, let me know. ;) Cassandra and Cornelia have traveled here all the way from Fantasya (with a little pinch of pixie dust each). And here to interview them, their friend Cecilia!

Will you please introduce yourselves?

Cassandra: No way!


Cecilia: ...


Cassandra: Just kidding.


(Cassandra winks).


Cassandra: I'm Cassandra Day, as you already know, I am ten-years-old, which is the age you are officially an adult as a unicorn, I am a unicorn, and I have the ultra-rare golden horn that only three unicorns in history have had. In legends that means that I'm destined for greatness, but having a golden horn didn't seem to help my sister Cindy, who has been either dead or missing for years.


Cornelia: My name is Cornelia Moonstone, I am also ten-years-old, and I'm a unicorn. Oh, and I have a silver horn, which is semi-rare.


Tell us about your families.

Cassandra: Well, I'm an orphan. Both of my parents died in the war. My sister Cindy went after my dad and hasn't been seen since. A kind unicorn with a white horn, which is the most common and almost every unicorn has, named Caroline has adopted me. She and Cornelia are all I've got. And Cornelia's not even related to me!


Cornelia: You and I both know that it's possible we're sisters and just don't know it.


Cassandra: True.


Cornelia: My dad died in the war, but my mom is still alive. They both have, or had, white horns. I have no siblings.



Please tell us more about your hobbies. 


Cassandra: I love to fly, run around, goof off with Corny, and eat.


Cornelia: Yes, everyone knows you love to eat.


Cassandra: What are you implying?

Cornelia: That you're (*ahem*) bigger than most unicorns?

Cecilia (as Cassandra opens her mouth to argue): Please, let's get back to the interview.

Cornelia: Right. Sorry, Cece. My hobbies . . . hmm. I guess mostly the same as Cassandra. I like doing anything with her, really.

Who do you think is more in control: Yourselves or Kate?


Cassandra: It's a mix. Kate already had most of the story planned when she started writing it. Well, mostly the beginning and the end.


Cornelia: We were pretty much in control by the middle, though.

Cassandra: Yeah.

Who is your greatest enemy and why?

(Cassandra and Cornelia shudder).

Cassandra: Gargamouth the giant. He and his wife Gorgina want to take over Fantasya! The Pegasi and unicorns are fighting against Gargamouth's minions, which are the trolls and elves, but we're really fighting a losing battle. Corny and I want to stop him, though.

Cornelia: Mostly you. I'm not too keen on the idea of fighting him by ourselves, but I'll help Cassie out when it comes to saving Fantasya.

(Cassandra smiles at Cornelia and Cornelia smiles back).

Who (or what) do you think inspired Kate most when she was creating both of you?

Cassandra: Fantasy novels. Harry Potter, Fablehaven, you name it! Listening to music and filling out the NaNoWriMo YWP (Young Writer's Program) folders really helped, too.

Cornelia: And I think Kate, without realizing it, patterned Cassie and I after herself and her best friend Kirsten! I find a ton of similarities between my personality and Kirsten's personality. And Cassie could be Kate's twin, if it weren't for the wilder bits of Cassie's personality and the fact that she's a unicorn.

Cassandra: The funniest part of all that, though, is that Kate didn't even notice the similarities until 2012 when she finished editing the book!

(Cassandra and Cornelia laugh).

Thank you guys for being on my blog!

Cassandra: It was a pleasure!

Cornelia: Anything for our creator!

(Cassandra and Cornelia wink).

Coming up next, an interview with my most recent character: Cosmo Moonshine! She's a human living in NYC. She's the protagonist of my first realistic fiction book: Cosmo.

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 17 An Art Piece

I know a lot more about books, authors, and music than I do movies, actors/actresses, and art. I want to learn more about art, because I also want to know more paintings. And right now I don't know a whole lot. So I will now Google "famous pieces of art" and pick out my favorite.

I love this one because of all the colors and swirls. It's very unique and leaves you to wonder why he's screaming. Personally, I think it has something to do with those two figures near the edge of the bridge.

This one is so cool because it's very detailed. Down to the reflection of his hand on the ball.

The 30-Day Blogging Challenge: Day 16 A Song That Makes You Cry

I've only listened to this song once, because I didn't think I could take it again. "Ronan" by Taylor Swift has to be the saddest song I've ever heard. She wrote it about a four-year-old boy that she read about on his mom's blog. He got cancer and died. Click HERE if you want to listen to it.

**!!WARNING!!** Listening to this song may cause sadness, depression, tears, and/or a lack of tissues. The Magic Violinist is not responsible for anything that may happen while or after you listen to this song. Listen at your own risk.