Bouquet for an Author

I sharpened 72 pencils today.

Is there anything more glorious than holding 72 sharp pencils in your hand?

And they're all mine... mwahahaha... Well, after we use them on Saturday for a big party. Then they will all be mine.

Bouquet for an Author.

Ironically, as I write this, Paperback Writer by the Beatles just came on the radio.

Live long and prosper!

Nightstand books of August.

It's here again... You can find out more information HERE.

There are three categories to this pile... Books I'm reading, books I'm still reading, and books I hope to start in the month of August.

On top is The Princess Bride by William Goldman one of the most wonderful and brilliant books ever. Most people are familiar with the movie, and the book is just as good or even better. When I need a book to just take my mind off of the world (or off of the other book I'm reading/have been reading forever...) The Princess Bride (or Sharon Creech) is where I go.

Next down is Do Butlers Burgle Banks? by P.G. Wodehouse. I'm not too far in yet, but it promises to be just as entertaining as all the other books I've read by him.

I'll just breeze over the next two... though I have been making very good progress in Ivanhoe. I'm really, really enjoying it.

The rest of the books are books I'm hoping to read this month. Destination Unknown by Agatha Christie, which is a library book and, therefore, has to get read.

Underneath that is the second Horatio Hornblower book. I enjoyed the first one very much and am looking forward to continuing the series!

And finally, the first book in the Warrior Cats series by Erin Hunter. Only, it's in Dutch, not English, hence the Dutch Dictionary, to help me along.

Live long and prosper.

August: The month of tags

I'm taking part in yet another tag today! This one is part of Kendra's blog party! I'm squeezing this in at the end, because it's the last day. I hope you don't mind, Kendra!


1. How long have you been blogging?
 It will be three years this coming fall.
2. Which of the books on my WIP list intrigues you the most?
After reading about 300 Dragons on your blog, I think that one would win! Though the one with the Nine Gems of Virtue certainly sparks by interest as well...
3. You're stuck on an island that has no sign of other people. What five items would you like to have with you in this event?
I. A library. This counts as only one item because all the individual books and shelves are the atoms that make up the being which is called 'library.'
II. My laptop (with internet and a printer) to write on and to watch Netflix on.
III. An unlimited supply of paper.
IV. An unlimited supply of pencils (that actually work).
V. A pencil sharpener.
*nods* I could survive on a desert island all by myself with only those things. Though most of them are actually more than one thing...
4. Someone gives you a thousand dollars. What do you do with it?
$100 goes to church. $100 would go towards all the self-published books on my wishlist (and a CD). The rest I would probably save for college.
5. Is there any book that you wish you had written? (Not because of the money involved, but because you love idea so much you wish it was yours)
What an intriguing question. I'm not sure. I don't think I could separate any works from their authors.
6. What is your favorite fairy tale?
The Fisherman and his Wife.
7. Describe Kendra in seven words.
Explosive imagination, bursting with creativity, fun, friend.
8. What is your opinion of popcorn?
I like to eat it occasionally - but I hate it when the little shells get stuck in my teeth.
9. How many different crafts can you do?
I've seen others put down writing, so there's that... I can also knit (though my knitting is limited to things in a straight line - e.g. scarves), and I used to "scrapbook" (mostly paste pictures on pieces of paper and staple them together). I sometimes attempt to draw or create something out of cardboard.
10. How long have you been following my blog and how did you find me?
I'm not sure how long I've been following you, but I'd guess in between a year and two years. I found you through Jack.


Live long and prosper.

"The prince is having a ball!"

My good friend Miss Jack Lewis Baillot came out with her fourth book (details on A Test of Loyalty HERE) not too long ago and is celebrating by unleashing the characters on us poor peasants. Today, I have the pleasure (although that is debatable, seeing who they are) of introducing you to the Three Princes. These three princes are not too terribly nice, however, as they are chasing their youngest brother, Prince Lachlan, around the kingdom, trying to kill him.


 1. Hello, princes! Would you please introduce yourselves and tell us how old you are?

 Igor: You're...asking us all this, at once? I have to do this with THEM?

 Valdimar: You whine a lot for being the oldest.

 Damian: Well, you two can bicker, I am going to answer this kind lady's questions.

 Valdimar: *Snort* No one is going to fall for your kind pretenses. 

 Damian: I am Prince Damian, second youngest son of King Garolds of the Southern Kingdom and I am seventeen years of age.

 Igor: Reasons like this is why I want to kill you first. 

 I am Igor and the oldest son of King Garolds. I turned twenty seven on my last birthday.

 Valdimar: And I am Valdimar. I am twenty three.

 2. Before he died, your father, King Garolds, left instructions that the last of his four sons left alive would be the next king. How did you feel when your father made this announcement?

 Igor: I felt cheated out of my birthright. I am the oldest son and therefore the rightful heir to the throne!

 Valdimar: I wasn't surprised. I always thought my father knew Igor would make a terrible ruler and I believe he did this so I would have a legitimate excuse to become king. 

 Damian: Don't listen to ether of them. Father just wanted to make them feel like they had a chance at being king. He knew all along the throne should go to me but I was the youngest, so he had to give me a reason to become king - a lawful one.

 Igor: Lachlan is the youngest.

 Damian: He doesn't count

 3. Before your father's announcement, were you three brothers close to one another, or has there always been competition between you?

 Igor: My brothers are and have always been nuisances. They are the reason we have a bad reputation in the kingdom. There has never been a chance of us getting along because Valdimar and Damian are impossible to form any kind of relationship outside of milk tolerance.

 Valdimar: Competition is putting it nicely. Try loathing.

 Damian: They've always been envious because our father favoured me over them.

 4. You three are currently hunting down your youngest brother, Prince Lachlan, in an attempt to kill him and rid yourselves of 1/4th of the competition. What will happen after you kill Lachlan?

 Igor: You make me sound horrible. I am doing this for the good of my people. It is me being king - and I will be a fair king who will actually care about them - or one of my brothers. They will only ruin the kingdom and cost lives of those we are sworn to protect-

 Valdimar: Shut up, no one cares. You're a horrible prince and you'd be a worse king. I'd kill anyone if it means stopping you.

 Damian: I don't know where you are getting these rumors...I don't want to kill anyone.

 5. Why is it important to each of you to become king?

 Igor: Like I said, my brothers would only ruin the Southern Kingdom and I, as the eldest, have a responsibility to keep that from happening.

  Valdimar: There is little point in answering this. It is clear to all I would make a better king then any of my brothers and it is my duty to do so.

 Damian: What both of them said, only about me.

 6. Obviously, you haven't spent your whole lives fighting amongst yourselves for the throne. What are your hobbies and enjoyments?

 Igor: I enjoy hunting. I have done falconing in my younger days and it was one of the more pleasant pastimes I have found in a long while.

 Valdimar: Sword play. I also enjoy archery. 

 Damian: Horse back riding and any chance I have t scale rocks I take it.

 7. If you were stranded on a desert island, what three objects (including food and people) would you choose to be stranded with?

 Igor: What an odd question, fair maid. I...suppose my sword and my bows and arrows so that I might be able to hunt for my own food.

 Valdimar: My sword. A servant to cook for me. And a chicken, so that I might have eggs.

 Damian: My horse, a dog for companionship, and my bow and arrows.

Thanks for stopping by!

Find out more about Jack and her mad adventures (not to mention her other books) on her website HERE.

Live long and prosper.