For the Few Reading This: With Update

I realize that some of my past posts have been confusing, for which I apologize.

The problem is I am at a crossroads, and must figure out what exactly to do with my Spakelings. I could:

a) Set this aside for a later time
b) Continue this more regularly, now that I'm settled at school, and only do quotes and book reviews
c) I could edit up the First Spake Tale and self-publish it and use this blog as a way to garner interest in my series.

I think for now I'll start with b) and then move on from there.

If any of the few people reading this has any sort of advice at all, feel free to let me know what you think about the matter.

As for the Update: I did recieve a reply to the query letter I sent out. It was a negatory. I need to read through my manuscript once more, oduble check everything, and then find another agent to query.

Unless I decide to go with c). I do admit it is a very temtping decision. But is it the best decision for this book? I'm just not sure yet.

Quote of the Month: Virginia Woolf

"She waited. She picked up a knife from the plank. He saw her standing against the green glass, the fig tree, and the blue hydrangea, knife in hand.

'She spake,' Isa murmured. 'And from her bosom's snowy antre drew the gleaming blade. 'Plunge blade!' she said. And struck. 'Faithless!' she cried. Knife, too! It broke. So too my heart,' she said" (Woolf Between the Acts 78).

Status Update: Whoops it's Late!

June is passinggggggg wayyyyy toooo fast! Oh my sugar babies!!

Soooo... My updates is:

1) We finished writing our query!! It looked like this:

2) Then we mailed it out!!! It looked like this.

Then I went to a wedding and took this picture:

Have a fun month my lovlies!!

BoM: Detecting Strudwick

HIEROGLYPH DETECTIVE BY NIGEL STRUDWICK

Found it: Borders Bargain Bins

Age: Intermediate

Useful: 5/5

Own it? Absolutely. And gifted to numerous friends.

Review: I picked this up super cheap thinking I might be able to learn maybe one or two interesting things from it. Boy. Was I ever wrong. The entire thing was interesting. It was written in such a way that it was easy to understand, but it wasn't dry or boring or anything like that. And the formatting was fantastic. I want to find whoever formatted this book and give them a giant hug. By the time I was finished with this book (which, it's a smaller book and easy to get through, so it doesn't take long for one to get through this wonderful gem) I actually had learned some Egyptian phrases. I nearly died from excitement. If anyone is looking for an introduction into reading Egyptian Hieroglyphs I most ardently suggest this book. It gives a wonderful basis, using actual Egyptian inscriptions from stelas and the like, providing the novice with essential vocabulary and sign understanding. I think everyone should own this book.



Where can I find this Wonderful Fantastic Book???


Borders
B&N
Books-a-Million
Amazon

Quote of the Month: Scotch

"I had forgotten that the real world sometimes hurts more than the mythological parts of the world." -- Scotch

You May Have Noticed It's Not Monday

Omgoodness I'm so sorry my peoples. Miss Naomi worked until 6 and then was busy getting ready for the wonderful BEA event (which I will tell you about later) and completely and totally's forgot. It is NOT forgiveable. And although we were supposed to be having an interview with Kevin, that didn't happen. He decided to take a trip to London without telling us. Silly little man. So I, Amarilla, who you were lovely able to meet last month, will be telling you just a smidgen about Spakes.


Some of you have heard bits and pieces from over at Naomi's blog, others of you may have stumbled upon this blog by accident and are so confused you are trying to run away quickly but you got sidetracked because of this:

CAKE!

That looks absolutely delectable. And love the colors.

It's like a magnificent edible hat.

So I will be answering the most common questions I myself have come across, so that Naomi can have a break and go eat onion rings and yogurt in peace.

Q: Oh my Potatoes! Are Spakes like werewolves?!?!?!?!

A: No. Not really. Yes, Obadiah does tend to have a jackal-like form, this is because of the Egyptians and their weird-o mythology. It's not because he is a wolf-man. Although, there are some theories out there that werewolves originated from a Spake gone mad. A certain man named Peter Something-Or-Other. Other people think this idea is preposterous. But Hezekiah agrees with me. With the right kind of contagion and the right amount kind of DNA chemical breakdown, it is a possibility. Now that I've bored you... But there are other shapes a Spake can take. Solomon is more like an evil hippopotamus (not as cute as it sounds) and others are more feline in manner. Also, some would say a dragon-like shape, though that's yet to be determined.

Q: Okay... So what exactly IS a Spake? And where on Earth did they come from??

A: I'll skip the first part and head directly to the second. Nowhere. Spakes are not from earth. And no, before you go all sci-fi on me, they didn't come from outer space. They're from a nearby reality that spirals around our own string of realities. It's all very complicated. As to the first question. What exactly is a Spake? we don't know. Honestly, I don't think Kevs and I ever will know. Or anyone for that matter. Even the Spakes themselves. What they used to be doesn't exist anymore, and when they were pulled over into this reality they became something different. The name Spakes wasn't even a term for them until around the 1600's. (Okay, alright, yes. That is based entirely on a hypothesis by moi which may or may not be plausible. Still. I think it is.)

Q: Are they mad dangerous? Or only mildly dangerous? Like, will they kill me?

A: This depends largely on the Spake. It also depends on whether or not they would label you an Innocent, though not necessarily. There are some Innocents that Spakes like Christiana will kill anyway, just because she can and just because she's psycho. Others, like Solomon, or Obadiah, try to contain their hunger and not feed off of humans for as long as possible. Still... If you do happen to meet a Spake, try to steer clear. You never know. You might end up meeting Hezekiah who, if he doesn't kill you or impregnate you by scientific means, you might end up a test subject. So run. Discreetly.

Q: Oh my babies! Oh my Socks! Can I protect myself from them?? How do you kill them?! Help!!!

A: Calm down. Can you protect yourself? Possibly. Tree branches can prove useful at times. How do you kill them? Ha! I can't tell you that. I am supposed to keep some secrets secret, you sillies.

Q: Are there Pixies and Fairies and other mythological creatures alive in this world??

A: That is not a Spake-Related question, my lovely. Move on!

Q: If there are Spakes alive in this world and killing people in this world, does that mean that there could possibly be such creatures as Pixies, Fairies, Hob-Goblins, Vampires, Zombies, Elves, Trolls, Krakkens, Kobolts, and/or Dragons wandering around in this Reality or another one nearby???

A: Oh! Look at my wrist! It's time to go. I'll see you later my lovelies. Bye!! *dances away*

Monthly Status Update

Alright, so. Update...

Query: Written but still not sent. If I don't send it by the end of this month I need to beat myself with some pasta.

Writing: Thanks to the help of my sister I started writing again. I'm working on and off on Jacqueline's, Hezekiah & Christiana's, and also a story that happens years later. It's about a psychotic girl named Carli and a not so psychotic girl named Dalya.

Timeline: Autumn Rose has worked out a pretty stable timeline for her character Cleodentri, which should work for Fido's story (the third in the series. Sorry, I don't think you know any of this yet. It's Scotch, Jacqueline, Fido, and then Amarilla for the first four.)

Other Than That: I bought a fantastic Egyptian book.

Other Other Than That: I'm going to BEA and I totally get to meet Carrie Jones who is agented by the dude I'm querying. I'm hoping he'll be there because then I could totes hand him the letter in person and then die from Awesome Shock.

The End.

I am so busy and have to run. Have a super good night. Enjoy the Castle Finale!! :D

P.S. Apparently Wombats can be trained to attack people. How perfect is that??

BoM: (Book Of the Month) In a Pinch

EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY BY GERALDINE PINCH
Found it: Local Library

Age: Intermediate

Useful: 2/5

Own it? I don't, but I might

Review:

I read straight through this book and I have to say, I do not recommend such a venture. Although written well enough, and filled with quite  a lot of information, it can be a bit dry and at times overwhelming to read at one swallow. However, if one is searching for a reference book this could very well prove useful. The cross-references are particularly useful. Although I was not a huge fan of this book, as the writing was not particular to my taste, I would not mind owning this in case I needed to look up a certain person. That stated: as a good read, this does not rate high, as a reference tool, it is adequate.


Where can I purchase this book?
Amazon
Borders
B&N 
Books-a-Million

If you've read this book please let me know what you thought, or if you have any recommendations similar to it! I'd love to hear what you think :)

A Marvelous Movie for the Month of May

Here is a Movie Naomi put together. Enjoy!

Quote of the Month: Hezekiah

Here's one for the Romantics:


"I am not asking for a single night of shallow delight. I want you singularly."

Arbor Day!!

Now, I don't really celebrate Holidays. Neither does Micaiah. But Arbor day has always been special to me, since no one else really cares about it. At all. Usually. Yeah, sure, Earth Day gets a whole big huzzah, but not Arbor Day. No one cares about the trees. And hwo God made them. And stuff. So happy Arbor Day my friends! :D ~Jacqueline

Picture This

Opossumtown? Really?

This has got to be somebody's idea of a joke.

Whoever named this town must've been related to Scotch.

Character Interviews: Amarilla

Age: Lost track a long time ago; some time in the sixties?
Likes: Shoes, Sugar, and oddly: Babies
Dislikes: Inappropriateness, Loud noise and/or Messes
Fears: Being Alive Forever
Skills: Absquatulating footwear; Faithfully enduring the oddities of man (and woman)
Quote: "Let's Keep it Clean, People."

Kassie April 21 at 7:47pm

well miss rillla, may I call you rilla?

Amarilla 'Rilla' Louise April 21 at 7:48pm

*sigh* That Scotch. I've told her my name is NOT Rilla, but does she listen? No. Because she is Rude.

But since I believe in politeness, and you asked politely... Yes. Yes you can, Kassie dear.

Kassie April 21 at 7:55pm

well rillla how long have you been the dead un-dead?

Amarilla 'Rilla' Louise April 21 at 8:00pm

1) Too long

2) More Specifically: I'm not really sure. I was never good at keeping track of time, and once I was dead I stopped entirely. I know it was during that whole "Hippy Let's-go-to-Woodstock" time. I never made it of course, because Jedediah found me first.

Kassie April 21 at 8:09pm

have you ever magine getting revenge on who ever made you like this?

Amarilla 'Rilla' Louise April 21 at 8:12pm

Pfft, no. Revenge never helps anyone. Generally. I prefer running away from my problems. Also, it wasn't Really Jedediah's fault. or at least... I don't think it was. He's kinda' confusing as an individual. But I don't hate him or anything. Life is complicated and you kinda' just have to take it as it comes. Being upset about it won't change anything.

Kassie April 21 at 8:14pm

so do you "like" this jedidiah person? ;)

Amarilla 'Rilla' Louise April 21 at 8:19pm

He's... Odd. I don't not like him, but I wouldn't want to go shoe shopping with him.

Kassie April 21 at 8:26pm

shoe shopping? your a hippy? and you like shoes?

Amarilla 'Rilla' Louise April 21 at 8:32pm

Omgoodness! Yes I love shoes! Who doesn't? Well. Except for some strange ones. And though I am a hippy does not mean that I cannot have a sense of fashion. Have you seen hippies? Some of them have wonderful senses of fashion.

Kassie April 22 at 9:16pm

I never said they didn't.
1) do you think you will ever fall in love?
2) whats your "weakness"?
3) whats your "strength"?
4) what is it that gives you this strength/weakness?
5)where do you live?
6) before you became the dead undead what did you want to do with your life?
7) do you think you could still do it?

Amarilla 'Rilla' Louise April 25 at 9:12pm

1) Love? Well... I didn't think so. Before. I mean, it would be rather difficult to have a relationship with someone who is almost dead and not always solid in the physical realm. But then I met Daniel and I thought... Well. Love never turns out the way you think it will, now does it?

2) My weakness? Oh babies. I never thought of that before. Probably the fact that if someone were to take away my amethyst necklace I'll just become un-solid and won't be able to touch or do anything. But before I was not-quite-dead? Sugar. I was addicted to sugar. I missed that the most when I was first not-quite-dead, I think.

3) As for strengths... I may not be the best of persons, but I get along with almost everyone and I am faithful to people no matter what. Even if they try to kill me. Or almost kill me. Or are morally ambiguous. I care about everyone. A lot. All right. Forget sugar. I missed people the most when I became a Connector.

4) The weakness is all due to stupi... silly little gems and they're ability to mess with a persons soul essence, or something. I really am not sure, Solomon would explain it better. As for the strength, that was just home-grown in my bones.

5) Most of the time I live in the Donovan Funeral Home. But then Someone went and killed two people in there and did not clean up well after themselves. I might end up moving to a crypt, but there are no shoes there and it may be a little too close to Luna (another Connector). We don't really get along, which is unusual for me and I tend to run from people I don't get along with. I just don't know what to do with them. Especially when they're allergic to/hate sugar.

6) I don't remember very well as it was awhile ago. But I know I never had any specific plans. I did want to grow a herb garden though. I remember that. Also, I wanted to learn how to play the guitar. Maybe take a trip out to Death Valley. That place is better than babies.

7) Now that I have the amethyst keeping me solid I could probably grow the herbs and play guitar but it is unfortunate... I can only be so far from where I was killed. Or where the remnants of my body are. It still isn't quite clear to me which one that is. But any of the ways, that means taking a trip to Death Valley will probably not be happening. That's one of the few things I regret. And Oregon. I definitely wanted to go to Oregon. But life is funny that way. It does weird things that are quite silly. *nods*

Aeschylus Quotes

I think Solomon helped Aeschylus write the Oresteia:

“…and radiant dreams are passing in the night, the memories throb with sorrow, joy with pain…it is pain to see dreams and see desires slip through the arms, a vision lost for ever winging down the moving drifts of sleep.” (lines 419-424)

“And once he slipped his neck in the strap of Fate, his spirit veering black, impure, unholy, once he turned he stopped at nothing, seized with the frenzy blinding driving to outrage – wretched frenzy, cause of all our grief!” (lines 17-24)

“…now I wait, I listen…there – there is something breathing under the night’s shroud.” (lines 453-455)

“Its eyes on fire, little beggar, fawning for its belly, slave to food.” (lines 721-722)

“But a man’s life-blood is dark and mortal. Once it wets the earth what song can sing it back?” (lines 1017-1020)

“Drop by drop at the heart, the gold of life ebbs out.” (line 1123)

“…they have their harmony but it is harsh, their words are harsh, they drink beyond the limit. Flushed on the blood of men their spirit grows and none can turn away their revel breeding in the veins – ” (lines 1190-1194)

Monthly Status Update

1) Currently Pleased with my Query Letter. Hopefully will be able to have my sis take a look at it and get that bad boy sent out.

2) Waiting to hear back from Sekrit reader Mr. P. Will let you know when we do *nods*

3) A Tomb Stone is working on Cleodentir's story.

4) I'm piddling around with Jacqueline's story (#WYSFLWS) but not getting very far

5) Worried that #WYSTS isn't edited enough. *sigh* We'll see.

Book of the Month

HIEROGLYPHICS: THE WRITINGS OF ANCIENT EGYPT
BY MARIA CARMELLA BETRO

Found it: Local Library

Age: Mature Readers

Useful: 3/5

Own it? I don't, but I would

Review:

A thorough look into the Egyptian Hieroglyphics, seeing how there culture and religion affected their writing. Although, at times, Betro may be a bit inaccurate in her musings (the Hieroglyphs by themselves cannot give us a complete look into the Ancient Egyptian lives) most of the time she is spot on. There is a lot of good information about the gods and about the normal persons daily life. I can truly say I learned a whole lot by reading this book. It's probably not meant to be read straight through, but it can be. The language was a little bit academic, which made me label it for more mature readers. If one is interested in either the language itself, the culture, or the mythology of ancient Egyptians, I would recommend a perusal of this book. It most likely will not disappoint.

Where can I purchase this book?
Amazon
Borders
B&N

If you've read this book please let me know what you thought, or if you have any recommendations similar to it! Thanks!

Monthly Quote

"We are All waiting for Death and we are All Not sad." ~Solomon