Unfortunately...

Yep... I have to do it again. This time, however, I am finally going to write a short heads-up post.

Life got overwhelming, really fast. Beyond issues at the workplace, my school load piling higher and higher, concerns about my future, minor health issues, and so on and so forth; I can't really bring myself to focus on much writing let alone blogging.

I'm hoping to get most of these issues figured out by the end of October. So, until then, I wouldn't expect to see much here.

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On a happier note, most of you will already know this if you're friends with me on Facebook, but... I finished the book series I've been writing!

It's the book series this blog is named for, in fact - the Flame Cycle. I've been writing this series since I was 11 years old. Nine years of writing, four novels, and an incredible journey. 

Now, I have a ton of editing to do, but the fact I've hit the finish line on all of the first drafts is pretty intense for me since this series is what got me into writing as a professional goal (I had written just as a hobby before). These characters have been with me through everything - my crappy junior high years, enduring high school, graduating with me out of high school and out of my community college...

Their stories may be "over," but I doubt I'll ever let them go. No author should ever let their stories go, even if they move onto something else. When you pour your heart into something you've written, you can't step back and just move on. You'll always leave a piece of yourself with that work.

That's why it's so wonderful to be a writer. When you write, you're giving yourself to the words, and in essence giving a part of yourself to your readers. It's one of the most magical things about writing.

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And with that, I'm going to end it here. I'll see you guys as soon as I can figure everything out and, if I can, I'll try to slide in a post here or there. Remember why you write and keep at it. (: Write on!

~~~I will still be posting for Danielle Shipley's FINAL BOOK of The Wilderhark Tales! Don't forget to check back in for those and go see more information on her blog!~~~

Random Monday: I'm Marrying a 6-Year-Old, Apparently

Let's kick off my once-again-revival with some good fun.

If you have me on Facebook... I am indeed copy-pasting. Shame on me. But I'm going to have more posts later that aren't from Facebook, so it'll be okay. 

(:

Last night at work a little boy was there, and when I was about to start cleaning he took a very big interest in me. I'd been answering a question for his mother when-

Boy: Hey! Hey! Hey! Excuse me! Hey!

Me: ...Yes?

Boy: You...are you the guardian of this place?

Me: Guardian? Sort of, I guess!

Boy: Do you open at night and close in the morning?

*His mom is trying not to laugh, I'm grinning*

Me: Close, it's the other way around. I close at night and open in the morning.

Boy: Ohhh. It's already night... What's your name?

Me: Kendra. What's yours?

Boy: Nathaniel! (Or, at least, I think that's what he said. His mouth was full of pizza.) I'm six, I'm going to be seven soon!

Me: That's neat! My birthday was just this past week. Last Tuesday.

Boy: Wow! Happy Birthday! My birthday's November 22nd.

Me: That's coming right on up.

Boy: Hey, uh... Have you ever, uh... Do you know Walmart?

Me: Yeah?

Boy: It's like, just down the street. It's got so much stuff.

Me: I know, it's a pretty big place.

Boy: You can BUY all the stuff. There's so much.

Me: I know, right? Get this. About two months ago now, I went all the way across the country. *Boy's eyes widen* I went to a mall there, which is sort of like Walmart, but it has a bunch of different stores. It had FIVE floors of stuff.

Boy: WHOA. Were there lots of shoppers?

Me: Yep. There was even an ice rink.

Boy: WHOA. Are you, uh, are you off tomorrow?

Me: I open in the other store, why?

Boy: When you get off...you should take me to that mall.

Me: *Laughs* Well, that might take a while! It took me almost three days to get there!

Boy: Whoa. Oh. ): 

Me: I'm going to go to the bathroom now, okay? 

Boy: Okay. When you finish, you should come back so we can talk some more.

Me: I need to get started cleaning, but if you want, you can follow me and we can talk while I clean.

Boy: Oh, okay!

(I went to the bathroom and came out, and he got out of his chair when he saw me, running over to me. I start spraying down tables.)

Boy: Can I help? Can I can I?

Me: Um... Sure. 

(I give him the spray bottle and instruct him to spray down some of the washers. He runs off and does so. In that time I've moved to another table, and he yells, "Kendra! Where are you?" until he finds me.)

Boy: You scared me!

Me: I was right here, sorry!

Boy: Hey, Kendra, you know something?

Me: What's that?

Boy: When I get older, I'm gonna marry you.

Me: ... *Laughs* Oh, really?

Boy: Yeah! I like you that much!

Me: You've got this all figured out then.

He asked me a couple more random questions about myself and the workplace, and his mom thanked me for humoring him and letting him help me clean. They left after that. Unfortunately I didn't get to tell my "future husband" goodbye; I'd been helping another customer in that time. It turned out to really help me make it through the night. He was so adorable. 

Make sure to check back in tomorrow for something special.

There's also going to be some book reviews in the coming weeks on Thursdays, and remember that Interview Saturday is indeed still open if your characters have any interest at all in getting some spotlight here.

Random Monday: Tones

I've always been intrigued by how the subtlest differences in tone can work. Sometimes they can sound similar and sometimes unearthly different. 

I won't lie - my parents bicker a lot. I tend to leave the room whenever they do. In my upstairs room, I can hear the fluctuating tones of their voices downstairs. I groan to myself every time I realize they're arguing.

Imagine my surprise one night when I ventured downstairs to get a drink, thinking they were in a fight, and instead found them snickering together. Somehow the stress in their voices matched, to a degree, some of the joking tones they used. 

On the other hand, in my workplace, I've been having a very hard time with my manager. In a sentence, I feel as though I'm inconveniencing her every time I ask a question. Even her texts to me give off the air of, "Leave me alone, I don't have time for this." 

Just the slightest shift in volume of a voice can mean the world. One night when I was speaking to her, I asked a question, and her voice dropped - almost un-noticeably - but enough that I felt as though I couldn't ask any other questions for the rest of the evening.

This is actually a great tool to utilize in writing. Simply making a character use a different word than they would usually use, or use a shorter sentence than they might normally say, can speak a lot for what the character is actually feeling.

Just a random musing I've had lately. What sort of experiences have you had when it comes to people's tone of voice?

Have a happy Monday, everyone!