Drops of Inspira

  Hello again! I'm atrociously late with this post, but in my defense, my life was upended late last Saturday and my Wi-Fi access has been spotty. This has also been my first NaNoWriMo without caffeine due to health reasons, so it's been interesting to say the least. Today, I'm answering some questions from  Christine Smith's   Know the Novel series. So, without further ado, let's drop into the questions. KNOW THE NOVEL PART TWO: WITHIN THE WIP: Q1: How's the writing going overall? A:  So, here's the thing... Sometimes, I've been the "Little Engine that Could" and other times I'm a speedy penguin The first half of the month, everything just poured out like liquid gold, but certain life events have slowed things down. It's been hard writing when everyone around you is in panic mode.  Q2: What's been the most fun aspect of writing this novel so far? A: Yup. That's pretty much it. My characters go from serious to goofballs in 0-60 ...

  Hello again! I've been reflecting on my favorite places where I live, and at the top of them, is this place:     You can kind of see it in the lefthand corner, the schoolhouse with the bell tower. When I was little, it was the town library, and I loved to go there and get as many books as I could, or just hang out there in the old, one-room schoolhouse. So, there's no prompt picture today, but I'll give a prompt all the same. Prompt: Pick a place in your hometown, and write a poem or do something creative inspired by it. Here is my response based on the above picture: Well, that's it for today. I will be back later this month with the second part of the Know the Novel Link-up. Until then... - Julia Garcia / Arysta Henry

    Hello! Today I'm posting a review of my most recent read, The Beauty of Magic by Rachel Ann Michael Harris .  Here is my review: When I saw the bear on the cover, I knew I had to read this book. I'd just recently finished writing a short story of my own with a bear as the main character and so was feeling like more stories with bears. This one did not disappoint.    I thoroughly enjoyed this blend of fairytale retellings. Right away I spot elements of GoldieLocks and the Three Bears, Snow White and Disney's Brave. Such a unique, delightful blend!    One of the things I loved about the heroine, Svana, is that she was a strong, sweet main character.  She knew how to fight,  but that wasn't all there was to her. She loved her family, her people and the others in her life, willing to put her life on the line for others. In a word,  Svana was selfless.  The settings were unique and interesting too. A castle in the woods, a large cave...

  *Happy squeak!* I am so excited to be joining  Christine Smith  in her Know the Novel link-up for writers in this festive season of the year. What festive season, you may ask? Why, NaNoWriMo season, of course! *Flings glitter.* Many years ago, I did my first NaNo and started my wild ride or writing and an intense commitment to the craft that has lasted until this very day. (Hopefully it doesn't end here. That would be tragic, and while I do love a good tragedy, I would like for my life not to be tragic. Thank you very much.) *Pull self out of hole she fell in.* Ahem.... Where were we? Oh yes. The link-up. Moving forward. October is the month where we introduce our NaNoWriMo projects to the world, so in the spirit of that, here is my introduction post. KNOW THE NOVEL PART ONE: INTRODUCTION: Introducing: Drop , book #2 of my Drops of Inspira trilogy. Q 1: What first sparked the idea for this novel? A: I actually featured the first book for this link-up series a few years...

  Hello! As promised, I'm back with a very important announcement: I'm going on my very first hiatus. I've been keeping this blog running without much pause every month since March 2019 and have decided that maybe it would be a good time to take a break. So, effective immediately, I am going on hiatus for most of next month, coming back on the twenty-seventh of October for  Christine Smith's  "Know the Novel" blog tag. I'm hoping to take the month of October to brainstorm and outline my NaNoWriMo novel and to work on edits for my current one.  What does this mean? Well, for starters, it means that next month there will be no introductory post, and it also means there will be no "Poetry 15th" poem or prompt. I'm hoping to take a much-needed look at how I'm doing things on here and come back on a regular posting schedule in November.  I Need Your Help This means I need your help. If there is something that you'd like to see me cover, a ...

  Hello! Today's prompt comes from a poem that I've been working on for about a year now. Most of the time my poems come to me in snatches of inspiration, starting out with an image or a line, and then I just follow the idea until the end. Here is this month's prompt: For some reason, the word, "herald" always comes to mind when I think of this season. A picture that comes to mind is an autumn herald with a crown of colored leaves, riding through a carpet of stained-glass leaves on a horse. Anyway, musings aside, here is my response to the prompt. The poem itself was so long that I couldn't fit it on a quote graphic. Autumn Soul by Julia Garcia I am an Autumn Soul, A bright, eternal fire, A will-o'-the-wisp, in the lantern light. I'm a crown of red and green, A fairy amidst the evergreens, I'm a spire of smoke, Twisting to heavenly heights, A pumpkin patch, in a carpet of gold. I'm a sheet of diamond rain, A blanket of fog. I am a ghost on the ...

  Hello! Today, I'm  participating in The Goblin and the Dancer Blog Tour by spotlighting my friend, Allison Tebo's book, The Goblin and the Dancer.               About The Book Grik the goblin spends his days as a janitor cleaning the Metropolitan Dance Hall, drawn to the Elvish world and tired of the darkness of his underground home. He secretly pines for the ballet company’s lead dancer, Rosanna, but his own ugliness and shyness stand in the way of confessing his love. When a handsome soldier named Paul appears on the scene to make a bid for Rosanna's affections, Grik’s jealousy bubbles over and he commits the unthinkable, plunging all of them into the river and down into the depths of the earth. Determined to redeem himself, Grik leads Rosanna and Paul through the place he calls home: but even a goblin can’t be prepared for everything that is found underground. Trapped in the dark, nightmares both within and without rise to the surfa...