Crank it up!!!!!!!!!!

I'm incredibley sorry!!! I thought that I had set it up so that these would post automatically, please please please forgive me, and don't stop showing your support for RWR, please. I'm going to be posting all of the posts that I had previously set up for this week. Again, SO SORRY!!!!!!

Ok, so these are two AWESOME music videos that I wanted to share with you guys:

And. . .

~Elizabeth

Inheritance Part Four--Dragon Day

I'm incredibley sorry!!! I thought that I had set it up so that these would post automatically, please please please forgive me, and don't stop showing your support for RWR, please. I'm going to be posting all of the posts that I had previously set up for this week. Again, SO SORRY!!!!!!

TODAY IS DRAGON DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No, not officially, but it is here!

MAJOR TOPIC: Continuation of Dragons

Obviously Sapphira would have to mate for dragons to not go extinct. . .who would she mate with? Shruikan seems like an impossible guess, but I suppose we should not fully rule anything out at this point. 

Thor is, in my opinion, the most likely option, considering how close Sapphira and Thor are in age.  

And then there's "Greeny". . .What if Sapphira is Greeny's mentor, and they fall in love? Probable. 

MINOR TOPIC: "Greeny"'s Parents

Well, by the looks of Greeny, he has the eyes of Glaedr. Sapphira (Brom's Sapphira) was blue, and Glaedr was gold. . .gold and blue make green. . .Do you think there's a connection? Maybe that was why Glaedr didn't want to mate with Sapphira, because she looked to much like her namesake. If this theory is true, it would make it quite possible that Greeny would want to help the Varden, since both of his parents were on their side.  Yes? No? Maybe?~Elizabeth

 



Poem

I'm incredibley sorry!!! I thought that I had set it up so that these would post automatically, please please please forgive me, and don't stop showing your support for RWR, please. I'm going to be posting all of the posts that I had previously set up for this week. Again, SO SORRY!!!!!!

Alright, something's wrong. . .I've posted some of my stories, yet not any of my poetry. . .I must remedy that. This is a poem I wrote for a book I'm attempting to write:

Wonderings of a Prisoner

Is the air warm, or is it cold,

Am I young, or am I old?

Am I alive, or am I dead,

Is there hope, or is it just said?

Have I been chosen,

Or in fear frozen?

What happens if I fail,

What if I prevail?

Am I free, or am I confined,

Will I live, or will the agreement be signed?

Is there hope, or is all lost,

Is it free, or is there a cost?

Is the air warm, or is it cold,

Am I young, or am I old?  

~Elizabeth

SOOOO SORRY!!!!!!!!!

I'm incredibley sorry!!! I thought that I had set it up so that these would post automatically, please please please forgive me, and don't stop showing your support for RWR, please. I'm going to be posting all of the posts that I had previously set up for this week. Again, SO SORRY!!!!!!
I saw this video on the band's site (http://www.tenthavenuenorth.com/), yes this is the same guy who did the smeagul imitation,  and I had to put it on. Is it. . .
Immature: check.
Weird: check.
HILARIOUS: check.

This is where about half of the viewers are throwing their heads back laughing, while the other half is thinking, "What an idiot." Some people might even be doing both. . .~Elizabeth

TOTW

The winning stories can be found on the theme of the week page.

Lord of the Rings

Leslie here. Ok, I know I have been a slacker for a while. Unfortunatly, I am gone for the next three weeks as well. When my summer camps are over, I will have more time to write. But for now, I am going to post my first book review.

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by: J.R.R. Tolkien
One ring to rule them all, One ring to find them. One ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them. In the land of Mordor, where the shadows lie.

Overview
The hobbits of Middle Earth are quiet creatures who live in the shire. The strangest events that happen are the occasional visits from Gandalf the wizard. Themost exiting event in the Shire is the double birthday of Bilbo Baggins and his nephew, Frodo. So when Bilbo literally disapears, the shire is shaken. Frodo is left a magic ring by Bilbo and he starts on a journey to destroy the evil Ruling Ring. He travels with his three friends, finding more friends on the way, and ends up at the house of Elrond where they create a fellowship of the ring.

Violence/Romance
Lord of the rings has some violence. Frodo and the hobbits are captured be an evil minded tree. They are also lost in a place where evil thoughts reside. On their way to Elrond, Frodo and friends are attacked by black riders and Frodo is wounded. From then on they are persued by the Black riders. The Fellowship is trapped in Moria where a rather gory battle and Gandalf fights a Balrog.
Various comments are made about a relationship between Aragon and Arwen.

Spiritual
Middle Earth is a land of magic. Gandalf uses magic and so do many elves. Tom Bombadil almost seems to be a deity in his land. The black riders and the army of Mordor seem to worship Sauron.

Opinion
This is one of my all time favorite books. It can seem a little dull in parts, but the depth of the writing is remarkable. You are able to draw many parallels in Lord of the Rings.

Rating
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10


If any of you have anything to add, please leave a comment!

Inheritance Part 3

Major Topic: The Dream

“A strange, fair ship waited for them, shining under a bright moon. The figures slowly boarded the vessel; two of them, taller than the rest, walked arm in arm. Their faces were obscured by cowls, but he could tell that one was a woman. They stood on the deck of the ship and faced the shore. A man stood alone on the pebble beach, the only one who had not boarded the ship. He threw back his head and let out a long, aching cry. As it faded, the ship glided down the river, without a breeze or oars, out into the flat, empty land. The vision clouded, but just before it disappeared, Eragon glimpsed two dragons in the sky.”

This passage is found earlier in the series, a dream of Eragon's. Many (myself included) believe this is a vision of Eragon in the future, holding his soul-mate. . .although, I cannot allow myself to fully believe the obvious. If Brom could come back to life, is it possible that it is him with Selena? Brom and Selena coud be the couple on the boat, while Eragon and his mystery lady were flying in the sky. Or maybe Roran and Katrina could be the boat couple. Maybe Murtuagh and Nausuda could be the ones flying away. 
OR, Or, or. . .CP says two dragons, not two riders. There could be one couple on each dragon (maybe Roran and Katrina and Eragon and who-knows-who.) If this mystery could be figured out, then it is quite possible that the entire book could be unraveled.

Minor Topic: Eldest
( I must admit, this is a theory I got from a friend--I cannot claim it as my own.)
Why not Elder? 
Yes, I suppose you could say that CP chose Eldest because it sounds better, but what if there's another sibling? Could this sibling be the new dragon rider? Would the sibling be Morzan's child, or Brom's? Do we already know this character? It's a little far fetched, but Eldest still gives room or possibility. What do you think? 

By the way. . .I know this is really off topic, but does anyone know how to get rid of a bee sting? I got one yesterday on my foot and now it's swelling a lot. I've already tried Epsom Salt and the whole mix-baking-powder-with-water thing. . .any other suggestions?~Elizabeth

Interview with Emily White!!!

Emily White!

Brief Bio:
Emily White is a twenty-eight year old writer, happily married with two boys. Her debut novel, ELEMENTAL, is a sci-fi book about seventeen-year-old Ella being published May 1st by Spencer Hill Press. Her favorite color is pink--not magenta, a "pretty" pink.
How Leslie and I came to meet her:
Leslie and I discovered her blog a few months ago, and we emailed her asking if she wanted some YA input on ELEMENTAL  before it was coming out that June (this was before she got the offer by SHP). So, she send us the ARC's (Advanced Reader Copies), and Leslie and I absolutely loved it. We were planning on reviewing it right when we started the blog, but then the offer from SHP came, and she informed us that the decision is no longer up to her for us to review it. Mrs. White said that we would have a chance at being the first to review it if we got our follower level up a lot higher (as in we would need at least a hundred followers) and that SHP probably wouldn't be allowing anyone to review it until at least just a few months before May 1st. 

The Interview:

1. What was the first thing you did when you got the offer from Spencer Hill Press?

I called a good friend of mine because I really didn't know what I wanted to do.  I'd been self-publishing and was very close to the release date and Kate, the person from SHP who'd contacted me, made it clear that my book wouldn't come out for another year if I signed with them.  It actually took me about a week to make my decision. 

2. How long did it take you to get the cover together?

Well normally authors don't have much to do with covers for their books, but seeing as I'd started by self-publishing my book, I actually did have quite a bit of say over it.  I can't remember exactly how long it took Victoria Caswell (the genius behind the cover) to design it, but it was at least a few weeks.

3. I heard that there's going to be a book trailer for ELEMENTAL, when can we start looking for that?

The trailer should make its appearance some time in October.  The song we've gotten permission to use is from an AMAZING band who will be releasing their first album in October, so the trailer's release will coincide with their album's.

4. Why did you choose the name ELEMENTAL?
Ella can manipulate the elements, and though she's never outright called an elemental in the book, that's essentially what she is.  Plus, she's a little crazy and I like the play on the title--Ella mental.  :)

5. How long did you spend writing it?
Between my first first draft, my second first draft where I decided to change the whole thing to first person and ended up rewriting all of it from scratch, and edits I worked on this book for almost three years.

6. Are there any other novels you've been working on?
There are a few.  I've got a paranormal book that's in the middle of edits, a hard sci-fi that's still in first draft stage, and the sequel to Elemental that's also in first draft stage.

7. How is your relationship with your editor, Kate Kaynak?
Kate is great!  She's so easy to work with and fun to talk to.  I've never actually met her in person, but will be doing that this August at Pi-Con in Connecticut.

8. Describe your book in 150 characters or less.
Seventeen-year-old Ella may be able to control a few elements, but not the monster inside her.

9.  Nice! How far into the second book in the series are you?
Just the first draft stage, I'm afraid.  After I finish the edits my editor has sent me for Elemental, I'll be able to work on Elemental #2.

10. When did you start to have a passion for writing?Since I was four.  I used to doodle lines and lines of swirls, pretending they were real words and great stories.  I always knew I wanted to be a writer.  There may have been other dream careers that popped in there once in a while (like paleontologist, archaeologist, politician, etc), but I always knew that those were just secondary careers.  Writing always came first.

11. If your house was on fire, and all of your family was out of the house, and you could only save one thing, what would it be?Oh dear, this is embarrassing.  Can I lie?  Please?  No, well...honestly, I'd save the blanket I've had since I was a baby.  There are too many memories wrapped up in that thing; I could never willingly lose it.

12.  Well, at least you're willing to admit it. What would your advice be to young YA writers?
Push yourself.  Try harder.  Always improve.  When I was in school, I was always better at writing than everyone else in my class, so I allowed myself to stay at that stagnant level.  My standard of talent was based on how good I was compared to people who didn't have a passion for writing.  When I graduated from college and started socializing with other writers, I realized how much I still needed to learn.  I'd wasted so many years thinking I was "good enough" when I wasn't even close.  When I finally realized that I could always improve, that's when my writing started looking like something other than gibberish.

Well, thanks for letting me interview you!

Thanks, Leslie and Elizabeth, for having me!  These were some great questions and I loved answering them!  Do be sure to check out Elemental, which is now available for preorder on Amazon, and Elemental's facebook fanpage to keep up with giveaways and contests. 

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Elemental-Emily-White/dp/1937053040/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310833109&sr=1-2

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Elemental/212879475408278

My blog : www.emilytwhite.blogspot.com

Victoria Caswell's blog: http://viccaswell.blogspot.com/ 

SHP's website: http://www.site.spencerhillpress.com/ 

Well, followers, that was RWR's first interview! Leslie and I love suggestions, so tell us (either by email or in the comments) who else you want us to interview/have guest post!!!~Elizabeth

Just a little longer. . .

As I said on Monday, winning stories will be posted next Friday, so that Leslie can help me judge. We will probably post more than just our usual two stories, considering we're doing this theme for two weeks as opposed to one.~Elizabeth

Masterpiece

If any of you have been on my page, you would know that I love quotes. This one was a little to long to put on the page, so I figured I should simply dedicate a whole post to it:

I walked a mile with Pleasure;

She chatted all the way;

But left me none the wiser

For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow,

And ne’er a word said she;

But, oh! The things I learned from her,

When Sorrow walked with me.

-Robert Browning Hamilton

Read it over, understand it, learn from it.  It's so, so important. ~Elizabeth

Inheritance Part 2

 

If you saw my post last Wednesday, you know that I'm setting apart each Wednesday of the month of July for my theories for Inheritance, the fourth--and last--book in the Inheritance Series. If you didn't see it, well, now you know.

Major Topic: Future Ruler of Alagaesia.

This is an area where I would have to think CP would be a little more obvious. . .or would he? It is quite possible that King Palancar had a decedent that could claim the throne when and if Galbatorix is dead, perhaps Roran?

Or, if Angela is Galbatorix's daughter, would she have rights to the throne? Improbable, but still fun to look at.

What about a council as opposed to one leader? This council could be made up of all of the living dragons and their riders. Wasn't that, after all, when Alagaesia had peace?

Nasuada has a chance, but right now I'm debating whether or not she's even going to live to see the end of Inheritance, let alone become ruler.

There's not really enough information to make a solid theory on this subject, but the options are fun to think about. 

Minor Topic: Brom

Can Brom come back to life? Truly ponder this, because it is quite the possibility.  Eragon now knows about the existence of eldunari's, and if he gathers some, perhaps the one he already has is enough, he would probably have the power to bring Brom back to life. What do you think? Is there a chance?

*Tidbit* I have scheduled an interview with Emily White this week, and it will be posted here for all to see Monday. ~Elizabeth



WOW!!!

Wow. Wow. Wow. . .
Isn't this amazing?!?!

I found this picture when I went on yahoo, and I must say, I'm quite impressed. I wonder if this house is for sale. . .I'm insane, I know.~Elizabeth 

Long Week, Big Plans

The theme for this week's story contest is that the last sentence has to be, “And they all died.”
Since Leslie and I really like this theme and are hoping to get a lot of stories for it, we are allotting two weeks for this theme as opposed to one. See the tab about TOTW for more details.

To see the story I wrote to go with last week's theme, go to Elizabeth's Page.

Leslie is gone this week, so I will be posting tomorrow and Thursday as well as my normal days. I have a fun week planned, and I'm trying to schedule an interview with Emily White ( www.emilytwhite.blogspot.com ) on Thursday, so look out for more information on that.

In the meantime, I thought I would add a little more music into the blog. Jeremy Camp and Matthew West, anyone?

You can never go wrong with Jeremy Camp.

A heart-toucher.

Have fun writing!~Elizabeth

TOTW

The winning story is. . .

Lisa was angry, so she threw the book at Nate. Nate dodged the book with amazing reflexes. He avoided punch after punch getting closer and closer, and then-
          

           Hold on there Nate. That is not how it happened. You are not; repeat not, some freaky-ninja-awesome-fighter-thing. This is how the fight really unfolded:
           

           Nate snuck around the corner, hiding in the shadows, sneaking toward Lisa. She was like a sitting duck, reading her book. His plan was foolproof. Rip a couple of pages out of her book and then run away. It was that simple, nothing could go wrong now, (Or could it?). He snuck up behind her, grabbed the book, ripped a page out and, the book was gone. Somehow, Lisa had grabbed it back with great speed. Lisa was angry, so she threw the book at Nate. (See, If anyone is a ninja around here, it’s me) The book nailed Nate in the back of the head, knocking him to the ground. Their mom walked into the room and stopped what could have been a big fight. Their mom took Nate by the hand and started to walk him out of the room. Nate turned around and stuck his tongue at Lisa. Lisa was angry, so she threw the book at Nate.



Rob A. Bank

Inheritance

 

Many websites and blogs have put their theories of what will happen in this book on their site, most of the ideas being the same/stolen from someone else. I was quite surprised to find that (out of the websites I've viewed) none of them have my ideas in them. So, every Wednesday in the month of July, I'm going to put my theories for it on this blog. There will be a major and minor theory in each post. 

*WARNING:THESE WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS* 

MAJOR TOPIC: The rider of the green dragon.

I don't believe that Christopher Paolini wouldn't have someone as obvious as Roran, Arya, or Nasuada be the next rider. But I also believe the new rider will be someone that has been in all three books. So. . .Who other than Katrina? No, not really Katrina, rather her offspring. Her offspring that is inside of her. I believe that the dragon will hatch for her baby, leaving people to think that she's the new rider, but since the dragon isn's speaking to her, Katrina, Roran and Eragon figure out that it's her baby, not her. Which adds a major twist to the story: They have less than nine months to fight and defeat Galbatorix. Katrina has never been truly trained. What will they do?  

Think about it: it's unnexpected, and would make it so that Katrina couldn't leave Roran. It would also drive Roran to new hights for defending his family. It's flawless.

MINOR TOPIC: Angela.

There are multiple theories that could work for Angela:

1. She is Galbatorix in disguise (I cannot take credit for this genius idea).

2. She is a werecat. (once again, I cannot take credit).

My favorite theory: She is Galbatorix's daughter. Yes, seriously. How would she have the dragon body parts (in Eragon), unless she was related--or close--to a rider? It would make sense, considering she has long life, which could be inherited from a dragon rider relative. Also. . .both Eragon and Murtaugh have dragon-rider fathers, so what if Shruikan was her dragon, that her father stole from her? It would work for a good ending, too. Picture it. Shruikan sees Angela, recognizes her, betrays Galbatorix, and the Varden has the upper hand. Both things would contribute towards her extremely long life. It would also explain her bitter hatred for Galbatorix. 

What do you think of my theories? What are your theories? What's a topic you want me to put on in one of the following weeks?  ~Elizabeth 

Fourth of July!!!!!!!!!!

It's Independence Day!!!!!!!! Bring out the fireworks!!!

 

Of course, for the sake of American History. . .

I could easily go rattling on for hours about the importance of this great day, John Hancock's famous signature, what happened after this was sent to England. . .but I can't, because there are some other things to share with you today.

As some of you know, Leslie and I are huge fans of the Inheritance Series, and that the forth and last book, Inheritance, is coming out this November. So, when I saw this video, I practically started jumping up and down:

I don't know about you, but I find that I'm often drawn to huge books, so the sight of that manuscript is getting me even more excited about Inheritance's release. I am hoping to put my personal theories about it on my post on Wednesday. Have you read the previous books? What did you think? What do you think is going to happen later in the series? What are your favorite parts about the Independence Day? Let me know in the comments!

The rest of the story I wrote can be found on Elizabeth's Page.

If you haven't already seen the theme for this week's contest, it is simply that the beginning of the story must begin with, "Lisa was angry, so she threw the book at Nate."

Beyond that, do whatever you want with the it (within reason, of course). Send your story to:
yawhowrite@gmail.com

Theme of the Week

To see the winners of this weeks theme of the week, please look at the Theme of the Week page.