Dolls, Books, and Things That Matter

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Cruising, Part 1

My grandma recently took my dad's side of the family on a seven day cruise to Alaska. My cousin and I, as the youngest grandchildren, were allowed to come, too. We had a blast!
The fun started before we even boarded the boat. Our boat left from Vancouver, BC, and the very building where we had to check in was also home to an anime conference that day! I don't know too much about anime so I didn't recognize a lot of the costumes, but I did spot a few familiar faces.

A fabulous Jack Skellington (from the movie Nightmare Before Christmas) and the black blob-creature from the movie Spirited Away. I also saw the Tenth Doctor, and I saw The Joker and The Riddler having a fight (with Jesus in the audience, go figure).

As we left Vancouver, we sailed passed Stanley Park. It was beautiful.

Vancouver's skyline and a corner of Stanley Park

We sailed with Holland America lines (what else would you expect from a family of Dutchmen [and women]?). Our boat was called the "Noordam," which, coincidently, is the same name of the boat that carried some of my ancestors on my maternal side from Holland to America over a hundred years ago!

There were three staircases on the boat and on each landing there was a picture or a piece of art. This painting depicts the Noordam that my ancestors sailed on to come to America in the early 1900s!

Our Noordam looked very different.

Our boat, along with one of the tender boats that brought us ashore to Juneau, Alaska.

All of Holland America's boats are registered in Holland; our boat had a Dutch captain and several Dutch officers. It was nice to hear the familiar Dutch brogue over the loudspeakers each morning, even if it was only to tell us the weather and our current position in the water. It was also cool to see all the Dutch touches... Dutch flags, pictures and busts of Dutch royalty, Dutch tea in the afternoon, Dutch breakfasts on the menu, and Dutch pea soup the day we visited Glacier Bay. Perhaps the best Dutch touch were the servers in the formal dining room singing "Lang Zal Ze Leven," the Dutch birthday song, every night to those who had birthdays. It was especially funny because all of the servers were most definitely not Dutch, but of all different ethnicities.

Our boat stopped in three places: Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan. We also sailed into Glacier Bay and spent the day admiring God's fabulous creation. At each stop, we had the opportunity to go on excursions, though most of us did not. Instead, we walked around the towns. It's amazing how many jewelry stores there are in the cities that cruise boats stop at! At least every other store sells jewelry.
In Juneau, I walked with several uncles and aunts and my cousin around the town. We found a Starbucks, which was a like coming home for me since there is a Starbucks on nearly every corner where I live. We also went to two bookstores.

In Skagway, my grandma, aunt, uncle, cousin, and I took the train up to White Pass. By far, this was my favorite part of the trip. I LOVE trains. They are my favorite mode of travel. This train took us up into the Alaskan mountains. It was stunning.

If you noticed the thin trail snaking through the left side of the picture, that is the trail that men seeking their fortune in the gold rush rode to get wherever they were going.

I spent most of my time outside the train car on a little platform, snapping pictures.

There were supposed to be three cruise ships docking in Skagway, but we were the only ones that made it into the bay, because of stormy seas. The store owners were expecting over 10,000 tourists, but ended up with only our meager 1,800.
The night we left Skagway, the wind was blowing harder than my mother (who grew up in the plains of Minnesota) had ever felt it before. Two tug boats escorted us outside the bay, just in case we needed help. Thankfully, we made it to Ketchikan with no mishaps.
Once there, we walked around town again. Most people go to jewelry stores or clothing stores or trinket stores when they go to Alaska. We went to the thrift store. We also walked around Creek Street. It is aptly named, seeing that there is a river instead of a road in the middle of the street. We happened to be in Alaska during salmon spawning time, so the lovely aroma of dead mother salmon followed us around Creek Street.
I loved seeing all of the different t-shirts Alaska had to offer:

Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na Batmoose!

I have to admit, this one is my favorite. It makes me chuckle.

May the forest be with you

There were four other cruise ships docked in Ketchikan with us, including our sister ship, the Westerdam.

Next time... learn about our trip to Glacier Bay, and the other activities we enjoyed on board the Noordam!

Live long and prosper.

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Yorian's Hand Cover Reveal

My friend Jenelle Leanne Schmidt (whose name I love to type. Anyone who can pull off three names deserves a prize. I am not one of those people. If I were to type my three names, it would take up so much room that this blog post would be over already) is coming out with a book! This is the third installment in her lovely fantasy series (I reviewed the first two books here).

Jenelle Schmidt grew up in the northern-midwest. She now resides with her husband and their three adorable children in North Carolina where the summers are too hot and there is never enough snow. Jenelle fell in love with reading at a young age during family storytimes. To this day she enjoys creating exciting adventure tales filled with poignant themes and compelling characters in the fantasy and sci-fi genres.

You can find her website here: http://www.jenelleschmidt.com

Book Description:

The years of Oraeyn’s short rule have been peaceful, but now ominous nightmares plague his sleep and cling to him during his waking hours. When two of his most trusted advisors disappear without a trace and not even the power of dragons can locate them, the fell promise of the king’s nightmares becomes reality.

From the furthest reaches of the world, an ancient enemy stirs. Stretching beyond his crumbling prison walls, this foe seeks to bring life to the darkest of shadows. His army marches towards Aom-igh with deadly intent, threatening all Oraeyn holds dear.

Aided by dragons, and with the warrior Brant and Princess Kamarie at his side, Oraeyn must journey into the wilds of a forgotten realm. Trusting in the wisdom and skill of the enigmatic minstrel, Kiernan Kane, the companions race against time in search of Yorien’s Hand, a relic that may hold the power to save them all.

While I loved learning more about Brant's childhood in Second Son, I can't wait to find out what has happened to Oraeyn and Kamarie and all of the other characters from King's Warrior!

And now, the cover:

This series has some of the most beautiful fantasy covers that I've ever seen. I can't wait to read it!

Live long and prosper

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Happenings

I got a job.
I am now an employed woman.
My job is monitoring a business park for trash and then picking it up and throwing it away. At least, that is what I will be doing for the first few weeks. My boss is the head of his own janitorial company so he gets odd jobs all the time. My boss also goes to my church, which made the whole job-getting process a little easier because I've known him for years and years. The guy who has been training me also goes to my church, which also makes learning the job a little less stressful.
Did I mention that I get to drive a golf cart on this job?
And yet, I still face fears and anxieties. It's hard to realize that you aren't as self-confident as you believed yourself to be. Isn't it strange that I feel totally comfortable going up in front of a hundred people to sing musical theater, but being paid to pick up trash in a golf cart makes me so anxious I can't sleep?
I know I haven't been around my blog much this year. It will probably continue that way as I try to figure out life. Working, anxiety, relationships with friends and with God, my writing, my music, being an adult, and other things that I'm probably forgetting. I might post about it if you're interested.

One thing I want to mention... I am planning on having my Super Secret Fantasy Novel (which I have been hinting-at on this blog for about a year-and-a-half) rewritten by the end of the year. I am looking for several people to read it in the New Year and to express their opinions on plot, characters, and world-building. I guess it kind of goes back to that self-confidence thing. I know my writing is good, but I have no clue if other people will like it or not. I want to know if my story is good enough to share with the world, or if I should lock it in a chest and bury it under my house, only to be taken out when I want to peer, Gollum-like, at it (my precioussss). If anyone is interesting in reading the rough draft of the story sometime in January or February of 2016, leave me a comment or send me an email* expressing your interest. If you want to learn more about the book, you can read THIS blog post. A number of things have changed since I wrote that post, but for the most part it remains accurate.

Are new, exciting-yet-frightening things happening in your lives? Tell me about them!

Live long and prosper.

*Those of you with my personal address can email me there; otherwise, you can reach me at agwerff@gmail.com, which I check about once every two months. Haha, if you email me there, let me know in the comments.

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Water Princess, Fire Prince release party – Interview with Lord Abraham.

Lord Abraham is one of the characters from Water Princess, Fire Prince, my friend Kendra E. Ardnek's new book. I had the pleasure of interviewing him:

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself, Lord Abraham! What do you lord over?

I am the Lord of Lower Klarand. Klarand is the largest island in Rizkaland, and I hold sway over about a quarter of it.

2. Your son Karlos is a fairly prominent character in the book. Can you tell us a little bit about the rest of your family? Your wife? Do you have any other children?

My first wife, Hannah, Karlos's mother, died when he was just a baby. I was tied to her younger sister, Winona, shortly thereafter so that Lower Klarand might have a Lady, since my father died shortly after. We now have a daughter named Iska.

3. You pulled the Fire Prince out of the Firefall. What was going though you head as you did so? Did you think he looked and acted as a Fire Prince should, or did you have some doubts?

It happened rather quickly, so I really didn't have time to think. The boy just shot out of RiFi, and so I automatically caught him and pulled him to the bank.

I'll admit that he didn't fit our preconceived image of the Fire Prince, and he seemed less than willing to do what was asked of him. I had my doubts at moments, but I could see that he was a young man with his head on his shoulder. I hardly blamed him for not loving this world when he'd only just came here, especially when he was ripped unexpectedly from his own.

5. What did you think of the Water Princess when you first met her?

Truth be told, I realized who she was the moment I met her. The way she carried herself, as though she was taller than she was, as though she expected the world to fall to her bidding as a matter of course, and yet no malice in her. The otherworldly sparkle to her eye.

"Here's the girl who will lead us against the Dragon," I thought. "And I pity the Dragon."

6. What is your favorite thing to do when you have some time off?

To be honest, I get very little actual time off, but when I do, I prefer to use it in study or in nature, or in teaching my son the power and wonder of Alphego.

7. Klarand and nearby Rizkaland are very colorful places. What is your favorite color?

A rich dark blue, the color of the sky just before the stars come out.

Thanks for the interview, Lord Abraham!

Book Description:

When the Lady Dragon does come,
Hold fast, do not fear, do not run.
Your Water Princess will fight,
Fire Prince will set all to right.
Each shall come from a Fall,
Their union will save you all.

Despite the fact that she's on track for competing in the Olympics, and he's practically raised his younger brothers since they lost their mom in a car accident, Clara Mandras and Andrew Stevenson are pretty much normal teens. They have normal hopes, normal dreams, and they live in a normal world.
All this is torn away from them when they are thrust into another world and declared Water Princess and Fire Prince. With no experience ruling a country, meeting each other for the first time, and being expected to fight the Lady Dragon – an evil sorceress plaguing the world of Rizkaland – Clara and Andrew are underprepared and inexperienced. Unless they learn to work together despite their standing opposition, Rizkaland's hope will be lost.

What is to come will change their lives forever.

Author Bio:

Kendra E. Ardnek loves fairy tales and twisting them in new and exciting ways. She's been practicing her skills on her dozen plus cousins and siblings for years, "Finish your story, Kendra", is frequently heard at family gatherings. Her sole life goal has always been to grow up and be an author of fantasy and children's tales that also glorify God and his Word. You can read more about her on her blog,knittedbygodsplan.blogspot.com.