Epic--Movie Review

For long ages, the Leafmen have fought back the forces of Rot and Decay despite the villain's greater numbers-- for the forest has Queen Tara on their side. She keeps the forest alive and grows back the greenery. Now, for the first time in a hundred years, Tara has a chance to give some of her power to a special plant pod in case anything ever happens to her...

Of course, that really is ridiculous. A desperate battle being waged between minute but no less heroic warriors and goblinish creatures called Boggens? Yeah. Mary Katherine, now known as M.K., doesn't believe a word of her dad's far-fetched theories. She's returned to build a relationship with him after the death of her mother--a relationship that fell apart ever since her parents separated over her dad's crazy obsession.

But one stormy night, M.K. finds herself shrunk to only a few inches tall...and surrounded by teeny little soldiers and talking slugs. Furthermore, she's commissioned to help save the forest and stop Rot and Decay from spreading even further. Will she ever find her father again and repair the damage between their hearts?

~

I love this movie!!!

The animation is GORGEOUS. The plot is engaging, humorous, dramatic, and touching. The characters are wonderful. M.K is easy to relate to. She's trying her best to mend things with her dad, but he just seems to have lost it. Has he? Despite his hummingbird attention span and his craze over little people in the forest (or perhaps it is because of these things), her dad is a very lovable character. There's the courageous warrior Ronin, the hot-headed but noble rookie, Nod, and oh, yes...the slug and snail. They are hilarious. While the thousands of Boggens are dumb enough, the main villain has a chilling personality that makes him worthy of his evil role. 

It was almost as if this movie was made for my family, because a guy running through the forest, slugs and snails, bats, rot and decay, and a pug all have something to do with my brother's job. We laughed so many times over so many inside jokes.

Epic has to rank amongst my favorite animated movies. Do not miss out. It is charming, delightful, and well...EPIC.

*  5 Stars  *

Interview at Molly's!

Hi everyone! Today my character from Moonscript, Tellie, is being interviewed over at Molly's new blog, The Writer's Pondering. Go over to find out more about Tellie, what her favorite food is, and what she thought of Errance first time she met him!

Author's Quest

So after seeing some of the fun tags bouncing around the blog world, I decided to start one of my own. Here we go and hope you enjoy it! I'll be using my current work-in-progress, Moonscript, to answer my questions.

1. There you are in the middle of writing one of your favorite stories. Suddenly, a portal materializes in front of you, and a note is tossed through. You read it and discover that it is a plea of aid from one of your favorite characters--you know, the comic relief one. You leap through the portal (Danger? Who cares about danger?) and meet your character! Your reaction? (Explain who this character is first.)

WOW! I'm in the world of Orim! Which character do I meet? A comic-relief one eh? Hmm, there's a few of those in Moonscript to contrast and balance the dark premise. So I'll choose....Daisha! Oh my goodness, I mean The Daisha. What was I thinking forgetting the The? Good thing she wasn't around to hear me. Never offend a creature of her size. The Daisha is a flying beast with silky grey fur. She can talk and she takes herself very seriously. It must have been quite the chore to write to me, even though her paws are elegantly fingered. When I'd meet her, I'd probably squeal and give her a big hug. If you're not a bad guy, she's just a plush cuddly toy. :)

 2. Wow. Things really are a disaster. The story is taking a life of its own. Worst of all, your awesome hero/heroine has fallen in love with the completely wrong character. How do you convince them that your match is really the best person for them?

Errance has fallen in love with Zizain instead of...the other girl who's name we shall not mention? (You thought I was going to give away spoilers? Ha!) That makes zero sense. He doesn't love anybody, much less Zizain. Why is MY match so much better? Uh, let's see. The girl I chose for him is kind, caring, sweet, but firm and confident. She's a gentle character who would stick by his side no matter what. Zizain? She's...wild, outgoing, saucy, somewhat flirtatious, and very bold. Plus, she's just obviously meant for another character. 'Nough said.

3. Oops. You just got captured by the villain. But you can handle this, right? After all, you created their nefarious mind. What's your plan? Do you exploit his weakness or do you take advantage of your knowledge of his lair to escape?

 Oh, I'm in trouble. I might also be in the depths of despair. Imprisoned by the Voice, the representative of His Darkness. Here is a place in Orim I never wanted to visit. His weakness? His obsession with bringing darkness to the Celestial elves. Yeah, I'm not making any bargains with him. He'd just go back on his word anyway. So ha, ha, I'll escape through the sewer lines! ...Except somebody already did that, and the Voice has blocked it off by now. Drat. I guess I'll just sit here and pray.

4. Unfortunately, your awesome hero/heroine just go captured too...and they're wounded. Rats. You can't just leave them now can you? And they're feeling pretty discouraged. What would you say to encourage them?

Ah, poor Errance. But hey, at least this is sounding more like my story. Of course, it's me with him, not Tellie. I could share some encouragement--but he'd probably just blow up at me.

5. Great job. You just practically promised your character a happy ending. But can you guarantee it? You're in the story now, and you might never have written your hero into such peril. But wait a second...you are the author! So what if the story isn't going how you thought? Make a new happy ending! Do you single-handedly  rescue your hero or do the other heroes come and save the day?

So let's say I found a way to freedom...but Errance is too discouraged to escape. What would I do? Okay this is going to sound heartless, but here is what I would do.
Leave.
I'm sorry, but this is one battle he's going to have to fight on his own, just so he can find out that--well, that's be to big of a spoiler to share. ;)

6. Whohoo! You're free! And things are shaping up. Maybe not the way you had written it, but hey, perhaps you got a new perspective on the story! Now...sniffle, sniffle...you have to say good-bye to your characters. Do you hug them good-bye? Give them something to remember you by? Give an inspirational speech, telling what you love about them and what hopes you have for their future?

Yay! A happy ending! And I didn't mess anything up, besides stealing Tellie's hero time. Sorry, Tellie girl. Now I have to leave? No fair! I want to go to Aselvia and meet the elves! But...sigh...leave I must. I have nothing special to give them except for hugs. I won't hug Kelm; he'll think it's gross. But I'll hug Tellie, Tryss, The Daisha, Zizain, and maybe even Coren. Do I dare hug Errance? I'm not sure he'd appreciate it, but he should be getting used to them by now. And a speech to them? I'd tell them I admire their faithfulness to each other and their determination to do the right thing. I'll let them know that their story's not over. I have big things planned for them in a sequel!

Tag Time!
Whoever wants to participate in this tag, please do!!! 

As a start however, I tag

Beka at The Other World
Grace at Fictionally
Anne at Tales of Goldstone Wood
Gillian at Of Battles, Dragons, and Swords of Adamant
Molly at A Writer's Ponderings
Clara at Darling Diaries

If any of those I tagged do not wish or do not have the time to participate, that's totally fine! If you're not on the list, please do not feel left out! I would love for you to join in! :D

A Poem--The Artist's Touch

I remembered this poem I wrote about a year ago and I thought I'd share it with you.

The Artist's Touch

By

Hannah Williams

Though earthly things are beautiful,

There is beauty greater still.

Though the world is full of glamour,

It never can quite fill.

Have you seen the Artist work?

Have you seen His fingers touch?

The world is slowly fading;

The paint is turning grey.

As the canvas frays around us,

All we can do is pray.

All it takes is a beginning,

To see the world remade.

The picture will be repainted,

With a paint that does not fade.

The day is soon in coming

When the picture will be new.

The fields will be greener;

The sky a perfect blue.

Have you seen the Artist work?

Have you seen His fingers touch?

His brushes are his fingers;

They brush and hold and spin.

He cleanses with His blood

The filthy stains of men.

The picture will be repainted

With a paint that does not fade.

The day is soon in coming

When the picture will be remade.

~

-Photo courtesy of my brother

Tag Time! Favorite Movies

So I've been tagged by both Clara and Beka to list my favorite movies. So here we go.

#1
Obviously, this is my first choice. And as a matter of fact, I'm in the middle of watching it for the umpteenth time. Once again, I was really struck with the deep messages displayed throughout, and the actors' brilliant job of bringing the characters to life. 

But after my #1 movie, I have no order to my favorites. So I'll just list a couple that come to mind...

I was surprised to love this movie so much, and it remains a complete joy!

I also really love this inspiring film based off the true story of Bethany Hamilton.

Dragons...taming dragons....riding dragons....What's not to love? And do you know that a second one is coming out??? I hear it will be a trilogy. Ahh!

Probably one of the most 'epic' movies of my childhood...and is still firmly placed as one of my favorite animated movies. The story is awesome, the music is gorgeous, and I adore the humor.

So that's a few of my favorites. I also really love the historical movie 'Amazing Grace', 'The Kung Fu Panda' movies, and 'Secretariat'.

Now I get to tag people to list their favorite movies.

Rebekah at Backing Books

Sarah at Dreams and Dragons

Rayne Spyrell at Writing in Rivendell

Upcoming Book Release!

So I just discovered something the other day.

Book 12 of the Ranger's Apprentice Series!!!!

Pure coolness.

I read all previous eleven books, and while I won't list them with my favorite books, they were enjoyable and clean, save for some violence along the way. I really enjoyed the characters of Will, Horace, and Halt, each for their separate personalities, though I think Halt is my favorite, despite his somewhat ruthless code.

So for any of you Ranger fans, take a look at the final book in the series! And for those of you who haven't read any yet, consider picking up the series. 

 

The story that brings the Ranger's Apprentice arc full-circle!

Will Treaty has come a long way from the small boy with dreams of knighthood. Life had other plans for him, and as an apprentice Ranger under Halt, he grew into a legend—the finest Ranger the kingdom has ever known. Yet Will is facing a tragic battle that has left him grim and alone. To add to his problems, the time has come to take on an apprentice of his own, and it’s the last person he ever would have expected. Fighting his personal demons, Will has to win the trust and respect of his difficult new companion—a task that at times seems almost impossible.

John Flanagan returns for one final bow to the series that has conquered millions of readers worldwide with this pulse-pounding adventure that brings one era to a close, and ushers in the next . . .

~Book cover and summary taken from Amazon.com~

Gah! The release date is in November! I most certainly shall pick it up at the library when it comes out.

Inspiring Characters

We all have our heroes. They are people we observe who we aspire to. Frodo dreams of having adventures like Bilbo. Taran wants to be a warrior like Gwydion (Chronicles of Prydain). Rin wants to be confident like Isi (Forest Born).

In a story, it's important to have characters to relate to. Someone the reader understands. She's timid...she doesn't have confidence to face the challenges ahead. I get that. Or, he's cocky. His arrogant attitude is constantly getting him in trouble. Boy, that reminds me of someone. But by the end of the tale, this character (if he's a protagonist, at least) should have changed. They should have overcome their challenges and discovered that they're more than average. They should now be someone the reader can aspire to.

If your character remains the same from beginning to end, your story might be rather flat. Is your character stronger now then when they first begun? They should have discovered their self worth or found their courage. They might have learned that it's better to build people up instead of tearing them down. If they haven't changed, there's no inspiration for your reader to change. And we should be changing. We should be striving to become a better person each day.

An easy way to began the character's journey is having another character that inspires them.Usually, this is an older character who has learned many things. Or it could be a young character whose gone through much in their few years.

These sort of characters can often be some of my very favorites. Sometimes, they are the main character, and I really enjoy that. Sure they're so awesome, the reader says. But they're nothing like me. Really? If examined closer, the veteran character might indeed be like the observer underneath all their experience and trials. How did they let their troubles and joys change them? What are they still struggling with, and how are they facing the events ahead? If written right, I think they can be some of the most fascinating characters of all. They're great examples, both to the other characters in the story and to us.

But why do these characters so inspire us? Hopefully, it is because they are reflections of the Greatest Example of all.

Best. Tag. Ever.

So I saw this tag over at Sarah's blog, Dreams and Dragons, and I adored her answers. You must really go take a look. Then the hostess of this enjoyable event,  Rayne Speryll, graciously tagged me, so now I get to participate!

1. If the main villain of your favorite book/movie/TV series showed up on your front doorstep, what would you do? (Explain who it is first...)

Vahe hails from The Tales of Goldstone Wood, specifically Moonblood, where he reigns King of Arpiar, the land of Veiled People. He is Faerie, a goblin of terrible strength and power. But through his dark ways, Vahe has veiled himself, his people, and his land in a false, but overwhelming beauty. World conquest has always seemed to be on the top of his to-do list. If he's anywhere on our world, I'm sure he has plans of conquering it.


So if he's conquering the planet, what is he doing on my doorstep? I'm pretty sure I would recognize him immediately. There's not many tall guys walking around in robes woven of roses, with golden skin, black hair, and silver eyes, and who are so gorgeous it hurts just looking at them.

I suppose I wouldn't open the door. But he could knock down my door with his little pinkie, I have no doubt, so I might dial 9-1-1. Of course, that would put the responders lives in mortal danger. Maybe I'd try to outsmart him...like that would work. But by this time, I hope I will have thought to pray...pray really hard!

 2. Now supposing the heroes opposite this villain showed up just after your exchange. What would you do then? 

Woohoo! Prayer answered! But let's say it's Oeric...I'm so ashamed to say, I might scream. Come on, my nerves are already taunt from meeting Vahe! I know Oeric is one of the awesomest, noblest knights of Farthestshore, but he's a terrifying goblin--no enchanted veils on this dude! He's big...really big. So after my squeal of fright, I think I'll go scurry and hide behind him.

Let's say Eanrin came along too. Then I think I just fainted of overexposure to pure awesomeness.

 3. So... moving on, the heroes defeat the villain (with some help from you, of course- whatever it may be. ;) But the next day, you're just walking along, minding your own business, when you suddenly come across the same villain... who is now lying in the dust severely wounded and unconscious. What do you do? 

Blast it, Vahe, why don't you stay in your own world? Of course, his real body actually is in his own world. If he's on Earth, he must be using the body of some unfortunate mortal as a host, which is the only reason he would now be wounded. I would stop to help for the poor mortal's sake if nothing else. After all, it's him hurting, not that dratted Vahe! Although, I admit if Vahe really was in severe pain and in need of help, I'd probably say a prayer and see what I could do. I'm so noble, I sometimes frighten myself! ;)

 4. Now his minions show up and kidnap both you and him and take you to their universe (or version of your universe, whatever it happens to be.) Your reaction? 

Gah! Goblins everywhere! Yikes, its gorgeous here. But no-no! The beauty is just a false illusion! The scent of roses is making me sick...my mind is blurring! Soon I'll be nothing but a witless thrall! Quick! I borrow a tip from Lionheart and hold my stinky sock up to my nose! Hey, that's more like it! The enchantments aren't working on me, buddy, oh no.


5. Your fantastic heroes have arrived to rescue you- but now you're faced with a choice. The villain, out of gratitude for your earlier help, (assuming you actually did help him when he was wounded) has offered you a chance to travel back to your own universe. However, the heroes warn you not to trust him. The only other way for you to get back home is to travel with the heroes on a long and dangerous journey... and there's no guarantee that you'll survive.
What. Do. You. Do. 

Ta ta, Vahe. Enjoy trying to take over the world with dragons; I happen to know it won't work. You're on your third and final life, buster, and the clock is ticking.

And did I really hear correctly? Oeric and Eanrin invited me to accompany them on a journey??? Gasp-Gasp-Gasp! Yes, yes, thank you, noble knights of Farthestshore! I'll try not to ask too many questions. Oeric will be patient with me, I know, but Eanrin will probably say a few cutting words to get me in line...though he might actually enjoy my star-struck chatter. He might sing for me. One song will fine. I hope he's not too insulted when I interrupt him on his fourth ballad.

This is so awesome! There will be danger and terror, but as long as I'm following the Prince's Path, I know my destiny will be greater then I ever imagined!

~

Now I'm not sure how to tag other people properly, but I'll tag--

Beka at http://thewriterofdreamthings.blogspot.com/
Molly at http://thesassysister9.blogspot.com/
Clara at http://limwendiaries.blogspot.com/

Once you're tagged, you can take these same interview questions and answer them in your own way on your blog. If the people tagged don't really want to join in, they don't have to! If any of you reading this would like to partcipate, consider yourself now tagged!

Soaring High...

So I just finished spending the past three weeks with my marvelous friend, Missy! We continued acting out the fantasy drama we've played for the past few years with her little brother and some of his friends. And we're still not done! She and I also started and completed two dramas, one Middle-Eastern flavored, the other Native American. And for more then a week, we acted out an incredible epic about winged people, which we will have to continue next time we see each other.

So I'm exhausted.

But in celebration of those wonderful weeks, I'm going to share some photos taken during my visits to her last year! Oh, and one thing you should know about Missy. She's a falconer. Did I mention she's marvelous? Last year, her mentor gave me the opportunity to hold one of his birds. Actually, I got to do it again this year, but I don't have those pictures back yet.

Here's the falcon Missy trained with.

Here we are, falcon's on our wrist!

Can you tell I'm thrilled?

And here is one of Missy's falcons!

That was a wonderful experience to add to my writer's window, and if I ever decide to have a falconer in my stories, I know whom to ask for advice!

Vote On Fan Fiction Contest!

Huzzah! Once again, the Goldstone Wood Fan Fiction Contest is upon us! I was delighted to participate in it last year, and my mind has been buzzing ever since with story ideas. The contest received more than thirty entries this year. Also, winners will be selected by fan voting. You have the entire month of August to read through the excellent stories and select your top three favorites. I've already read a few and all I can say is that choosing a winner is going to be extremely difficult.

Head over to The Tales of Goldstone Wood Blog to see all the wonderful stories and vote for your favorites! Have fun!