This will be their last weigh in as chicks. They seriously don't like it and it is harder to get them to stay bloody still long enough to take a photo that includes the leg ring.
While some are considerably heavier, they are all putting on weight.
Snowball 1
Snowball 2
Snowball 3
Snowball 4
Snowball 5
Snowball 6
Snowball 7
Snowball 8
Snowball 9
Snowball 10
Now they're under the workbench and they can stay there until they have all their feathers. Some are really being quite aggressive. If start to show aggression toward me, they'll be first on the chopping block.
I’m continuing my discussion of my favourite characters of the Blades of Acktar series by Tricia Mingerink. I cannot promise this to be entirely spoiler free, but I won’t tell more than necessary. And anyway, if you care about getting spoilers, just go read the books.
Loyalty. That’s the first word I associate with Martyn. Duty is the second. This guy follows orders. Martyn was Leith’s best friend in the Blades. He’s kind of a nice guy. At least as far as assassins go. But unlikely Leith he’s not going to walk away from his duty just because some girls were strangely kind to him. He’ll follow orders. Even that includes doing terrible things.
One interesting aspect of Martyn’s character is that he doesn’t do so well without someone to follow. He’s the main character in Deliver and *spoiler* in Deliver the Blades have been disbanded. King Respin is gone. Martyn is feeling slightly lost and betrayed, and confuses and uncomfortable. And he’s more lost than he realizes. He needs someone who will give him orders. And someone who will challenge his stubbornness. And once that happens and he realizes that he’s been an idiot, he slowly comes round.
Shadrach Alistair
Shad is the son of Lord Henry Alistair and Leith’s new best friend. He’s not got some tragic childhood, or (so) many people trying to kill him. He’s just a nice guy. And a lord’s son. Which is somehwat of a recurring joke. As a lord’s son he had a rather different upbringing to Leith. But he’s still pretty good at tracking and fighting. Maybe not quite as good as he thinks, but he can handle most things. He’s more of a leader and is quite involved in the resistance against King Respen.
While Shad doesn’t make it into my top characters, he does get some of the best lines. Or is around when some of the best lines are said. In real life he’s probably the guy you’d want around. A good man, not overly complicated, with no enormous scars in his past. He’s dependable.
More Blades
Jamie Cavendish is a Blade trainee. He’s kind of awesome. Very brave. He deserves a lot more space than I’m giving him right here. But I haven’t got the time. So just read the books.
Blane Altin. One of the youngest Blades. Someone Leith wishes he’d gotten out. One of the resons I despise King Respin. Turning boys into killers.
Ranson Harding. The Blade one above Blane. They’re friends. Almost like brothers. He also could be a nice guy if given the chance.
There’s one more character I’d really like to to talk about, specifically from Deliver, but i haven’t got a picture for he and I’m not sure what to say. So I’ll just squeal. Kayleigh!!! Really she’s an awesome character. One of the reasons to
This post is half tongue-in-cheek and half serious points. It could probably also be called 11 things that any fiction can do, but that didn’t sound so cool. And before anyone gets more annoyed at me, I’m am not trying to say fantasy isn’t equal to other genres. I’m just reminding people that other genres are also worthwhile.
Also though I only mention fantasy I’m really talking about spec-fic in general. Anything out of this world, or partially so.
Non-fantasy stories can spark imagination too
I hardly read any fantasy as a child, but was my imagination decreased by that? No. My bed being the covered wagon we we’re travelling to the frontier in was one of the most realistic games. We had magic blankets that floated on lava and imaginary families inspired by a non-fiction kids book. Biographies of missionaries have sent me all over the world. I can imagine crossing a vine bridge in Papua-New Guinea though I’ve never even seen a photograph.
Other stories can have brave heroes
So think of a fantasy story. There’s a fair chance it will feature a brave hero completing amazing (or slightly less amazing) feats. But heroes exist out of fantasy. Just think of a war story. Many have brave, inspiring heroes. Also heroism isn’t just about battles. A nurse just going about her duties is a hero, parents struggling, but still doing the best they can for their children. They are some of the best heroes.
Other stories can create deep emotion
Emotion comes from characters. Characters are common to stories. That was slightly too simple, so I had better elaborate. Emotions are created in stories by reminding you of real motions you’ve felt. (or something like that) All you need for this is realistic characters.
Other stories deal with social and philosophical issues
Fantasy is a good medium for focusing in on certain themes without bringing a long a lot of baggage, but other books can do very well. Dystopian is also spec-fic, but it is often great at this. Also stories that deal directly with the actual issues can be enormously powerful. Sometimes A story of a malnourished refugee in Africa, might be more powerful than that of a refugee from the land of Ulinent. We can’t help people in fantasy worlds, but we can in the real world.
Other books can awake a longing for great purpose
Some stories can bring an inspiring sense of awe and purpose, a reminder of how great the world is and that there’s much more to life than simple survival. Fantasy is a great vehicle for grandeur, but the simple thing of out world can also achieve this. It’s our world where we have purpose after all.
Other stories can be complex and twisty
I’ll admit that the most complex books I’ve read have been fantasy. But I’ve read some historical that comes close. Maybe the twists don’t come from outside the laws of nature, but that doesn’t been we’ll see them coming.
Other stories can be fun and adventurous
This is really obvious and actually two points. Adventure exists in our world, and it can be pretty exhilarating. A humour or even quirkyness isn’t out of this world either. Some of the most laugh out loud books I’ve read have been collections of letters sent by real people. Reality can be plain ridiculous at times.
Other stories can have beautiful settings
Our world is a beautiful place and it can be described magnificently. Grand scenery isn’t sole the property of fantasy books; it might just be a little more common in them. When you have to invent your whole world, it might make you a little more aware of what it looks like. Or maybe not. It probably comes down tot he author and their skills of visualization and observation. Personally I don’t pay enough attention to my surroundings and forget to describe the made up world of my own stories far too often.
Other books can be relate-able
Well of course. If a cat who must kill a dragon is relateable, surely someone trying to catch an ordinary criminal ought to be relateable. Though honestly some people click better with some characters. It’s not a fixed thing.
Other stories can be original
Fantasy doesn’t have the same limits as other books, but it still manages to have a huge number of tropes. Other genres have tropes too of course, but they also can overcome them. The characters can vary hugely. The thoughts and themes behind the books are limitless. And the minds behind the books are different. Sometimes not having to invent a whole world can yield more depth of character.
And in case you aren’t into fantasy: Other books can be unrealistic
Hugely unrealistic. For example where the whole conflict is caused by a simple misunderstanding that would be fixed in a conversation. (yes, I’m talking about romance novels here) That’s not very realistic. Or when everything turns out fine due to some coincidence. Or when someone doesn’t act like a normal person would. Or when things just turn out to perfectly. If you’re trying to escape reality, fantasy (the genre) isn’t the only way.
I wrote this because I grew up mostly reading historical fiction, and Enid Blyton books and did love them. I don’t want to leave all that behind for fantasy. Kids adventure stories are fun even though it’s ridiculous how adventures keep happening to the same kids.
Today I am reviewing Emmeline by Sarah Holman. It’s the first book in the Vintage Jane Austin Collection. Now I’m not really into Jane Austen very much. I’ve been slowly making my way through her books on audio and I’ve still got Persuasion to go. But Emma is my favourite and I like retellings.
Emmeline did not disappoint. Sarah Holman’s style is different to Austen’s of course, but she’s kept the spirit of the story while changing it to another time. I found it a little more relate-able, 1930 is much more like 2017 than 1815 is.
I love the characters she has given us. Emmeline Wellington is very much Emma Woodhouse, yet she’s slightly different too. There an extra little bit of kindness or teasing; I can’t quite pin it down. Mr Knightly has become Frederick Knight. He is (as is suitable to the time period) only a few years older than Emmeline and has some boyish habits. The relationship between them is a little. He’s the best friend since childhood, not the good neighbour who takes the part of a much older brother from time to time. In short they’re closer.
There’s a few things that have always bothered me about Jane Austen;s books. Her opinion of clergymen is one. Yes, there is Mr. Tilney tilting the scale back, but I don’t like her tendency to make them self-serving, social climbers. We don’t have that here. Instead of Mr. Elton, there is a fashionable young man who’s a little bit too modern and doesn’t respect traditions.. (He wants to have a dance, Shock! Horror!) His wife is suitably insufferable.
The other things that bother me are the lack of real Christianity1 and the non-productive upper-class living. Both of those have been changed. Emmeline is undoubtedly, though not overly strongly Christian in it’s feel and society. And Emmeline has a job in her father’s business. Rather like mine actually. Her father own a General Motors showroom and the Depression plays a large role in the story.
I loved the other themes that came up in it and the little changes and the big twist at the end. Yes, there’s a big twist at the end. A secondary plot of sorts. And there’s delightful ending, much humour and much fun. I’m looking forward to reading more books in this collection someday, even though they’re not by Sarah Holman.
(Just a quick comment to add that I am not denying that Jane Austen was a brilliant writer who made great use of theme.)
1. A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of Professed Christians in the Middle and Higher Classes in this Country Contrasted with Real Christianity by William Wilberforce was written during this time.
Yes, another cover reveal so soon. Which means another book coming!
Shadows of the Hersweald is the third novella in the Legends of Light series by Hope Ann. It’s a Hansel and Gretel retelling, something that isn’t seen so often.
After her wonderful reimgining of Rapunzel in Song of the Sword, I’m really excited for this. I’ve had the priviledge of beta reading some of hope’s other books and she’s a brilliant author. but you don’t want to hear more about Hope, you want to see the cover. But first you must know more about the book.
A battered soldier from a defeated army, Haydn knows the only end to the arrival of the Prince’s governor is chains, followed by punishment and possible execution. Except he hasn’t counted on the Prince himself. Or the pardon which his recent foe has declared to acquit all those who fought against him.
A pardon Haydn detests.
A pardon that refuses to punish the rebels now threatening his own village. And his sister.
Guilt-ridden from his own actions during the war, Haydn knows there are others who have no conscience at all. Others who are using the freedom of the pardon to forward their own desperate schemes.
With enemies closing in on all sides, a pardon that refuses punishment for the rebellion, and nightmares of murder and fire hovering in the back of Haydn’s every thought, can he save the only ones left he cares about before it is too late?
This gorgeous cover, by the way, was created by a good friend of Hope’s who just started a blog which you can find here.
Oh, and Hope has something else that I haven’t had time to watch myself, but I’m looking forward to. The book trailer for Shadows of the Hersweald!
Hope Ann is a Christian wordsmith, avid reader, and dedicated authoress. Her time is taken up with writing, reading, archery, knife throwing, creating writing prompts, helping care for the house and eight younger siblings, and generally enjoying the adventures of life on a small farm at the crossroads of America. She has self-published fairy tale retellings on Amazon and is currently working on several projects including a fantasy novel and futuristic trilogy. You can find out more about Hope and
I’ll probably have amother post up later this week, but until I’ve got the new website running and figured out what the new normal for my life is, it will be a little erratic. I am hoping to do some kind of serial story though.
I started writing a new story this month. It’s the secret project I started planning in January. I hadn’t done much, but a sudden challenge to write a book this month came up. I know I won’t write all of it yet, but it’ll be good to get something done. I have gotten out of the habit of writing large volumes of words.
I’m writing by hand again and I’m up to 17 pages for the month. In my defense, I only started on the 2nd and that was making my scene list. Also I’m preparing to go on holiday. I should be able to get lots done while I’m away from the internet.
It’s also time for the Beautiful People link up by Cait and Skye. I consider using my main character Cassia for the questions, but for various reasons that won’t work well. Instead I’ll tell you about a friend Cassia makes early on in the story. I haven’t got to her introduction yet in writing, so this will be fun. Her name is Izavee Echo eHerian and she’ll be answering the questions for herself.
What’s your favourite book/movie/play/etc.?
I love the stories of Quinrilian the Virtuous, a hero at the end of the Desolation of Darkness. My brother Quinric is named for him which makes the stories even more exciting. We would act them out together.
Is there anything you regret doing?
Of course. Lots of things. One thing I’d be better off without was the memory of meeting some Reika at a dance. I was only twenty-two at the time and shouldn’t have been there, but I’d pleaded to go and Father gave in. One of them pulled out one of their tricks and almost lured me away.
If you were sick or wounded, who would take care of you and how?
Quinric would do what he could, then call for our sister or a lady friend to do what he couldn’t. After that, he’d probably ask Rylen to come over and cheer me up.
Is there an object you can’t bear to part with and why?
I doubt bicycles exist in this world,
but Izavee looks a little like this.
I will never part with my mother’s necklace of service. I’ll get my own soon, but hers is forever more precious. She might have died thirteen years ago, but her influence has helped me as I’ve grown up.
What are 5 ways to win your heart (or friendship)?
Be loyal to the sanctuary. Listen. Don’t tempt me to corruption. Bring me flowers. Don’t sleep in.
What do you usually wear? Describe it top to bottom.
Top to bottom. That would be starting with the hat. I have rather a lot of hats but my favourite is a soft scarlet ekinett with an extra wide brim. I’ll wear a plain dress in any pale colour with a navy or teal jacket over it. And brown ankle shoes with buckles.
What’s you favorite type of weather?
I love warm, dry days. That’s why Zafeíri is my favourite month. It’s usually like that.
What’s the worst fight you’ve ever been in?
Me? In a fight. I never fight. What, it doesn’t have to be physical. Alright then, it was when I turned 25 and Father wanted a big party. I was just starting to realize I wasn’t all that grown up and didn’t want one. He won.
What names or nicknames have you been called throughout your life?
Iza and Vee were pretty common. Rylen calls me Echo. He says I echo the scrolls.
What makes your heart feel alive?
Visiting the sanctuary. And talking with Rylen. Or riding home on a windy day.
And that was Izavee. I hope you enjoyed getting to know her as well as I did. You can ask any questions about her and I’ll answer them if they’re not infringing on secrets.
Don’t forget to check out other Beautiful People at Paper Fury.
My friend Hope Ann is releasing her book Shadow of the Hersweald tomorrow. It's the third book in her fantasy retelling novella series and my favorite so far.
The fact that I enjoyed this one so much shows that I rather like anti-heroes. Because our main character Haydn is certainly an anti-hero. He's got good intentions and he's got boundaries, he's not exactly a bad person, but as he says, "There are some who don't deserve a pardon." He's determined to make sure they don't get it.
The other characters are equally fascinating and very well developed for the length of the book. In fact the whole story felt much longer than a novella. The plot was very rounded and I got a great sense of this new part of the world.
The Hansel and Gretal aspect of the story became apparent pretty quickly, but it went places I didn't expect it. I probably should have, but I don't tend to doubt perfectly nice characters. Anyway siblings are one of my favourite character pairings and this didn't disappoint.
If you like fairytale re-tellings or Christian fantasy, I highly recommend this. I'm looking forward to see what aspect of this diverse world Hope will bring out next.
About the Book
They would have to come that afternoon. Haydn glared at the rutted road twisted away from the gate beneath him, slithering into the shadows of the Hersweald. And what was the flaming idea behind leaving him in charge? Tregaron in the hands of a criminal… that would put them all in the good graces of the province governor, no questions asked.
A battered soldier from a defeated army, Haydn knows there is only one end to the arrival of the Prince’s governor. Except he hasn’t counted on the Prince himself. Or the pardon which his recent foe has declared to acquit all those who fought against him.
A pardon Haydn detests.
A pardon that refuses to punish the rebels now threatening his own village. And threatening his sister.
Guilt-ridden from his own actions during the war, Haydn knows there are others who have no conscience at all. Others who are using the freedom of the pardon to forward their own desperate schemes.
With enemies closing in on all sides, a pardon that refuses punishment, and nightmares of murder and fire haunting his every thought, will Haydn recognize the truth or will his fear condemn everything he loves to destruction?
Although the history of Aslaria and the conflict between the Prince and the rebel, Tauscher, flow chronologically through the series, each novella in the Legends of Light series is a stand-alone story. Each novella focuses on one of the nine aspects of the Fruit of the Spirit while twisting fairy tales in a clean, exciting, and inspiring manner.
“Open the gates, Dyfed,” Haydn called down. His voice jolted the men to their feet.
They sprang into action under the terse orders of a short figure with muscular arms. The heavy planked gates swung open with protesting groans. The great doors quivered against the earthen walls as the horsemen approached.
Mathias was in the lead. The man’s hair was grayer than last time. Thinner too, perhaps, but his grizzled face, set jaw, and sharp nose belied any change in either strength or personality. His blue eyes never glanced upward as Haydn saluted. But another pair did.
Haydn stared, his arm frozen in mid-motion. Traveon… Where had he come from? Of course, it was expected the governor would bring his son. Some said they’d reconciled during the war. Or maybe it had more to do with the death of Mathias’s wife.
Traveon’s lean face flashed a quick smile and his hand brushed his brown hair in a sharp salute. Haydn’s throat tightened, his breath hissing between compressed lips. He’d braced himself against arrest or judgment before his mother and Gorawen. But Traveon… He bit back an oath. Now they’d be one happy circle of family and old friends.
Haydn blinked and swallowed hard as the last horseman passed through the gates. He gave a quick nod to the men below and the doors squealed shut. Haydn pivoted. His boots clomped down the steps, each thud echoing like a heavy drumbeat.
“Keep watch until Eurof returns,” Haydn ordered over the heavy crash of the bar falling back into place.
About the Author
Hope Ann is a Christian authoress who lives on a small farm in northern Indiana. She was homeschooled and now helps teach several of her eight younger siblings.
She has been writing for over five years and has so many story ideas that she doubts she will ever stop. Her favorite genre to write is high fantasy with a touch of the allegorical. A close second is futuristic suspense. Her goal is to not only entertain with her stories but to provide inspirational fiction for young adults.
Predictably, she loves reading fantasy, fairy tales, mythology, and futuristic suspense. Her favorite authors include J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Dickens, Frank Peretti, Mark Twain, and Serena Chase.
Her hobbies include photography, movie making, knitting, tree climbing, writing e-mails to friends, listening to Celtic music, and collecting shiny trinkets for story inspiration.
Shad is the son of Lord Henry Alistair and Leith’s new best friend. He’s not got some tragic childhood, or (so) many people trying to kill him. He’s just a nice guy. And a lord’s son. Which is somehwat of a recurring joke. As a lord’s son he had a rather different upbringing to Leith. But he’s still pretty good at tracking and fighting. Maybe not quite as good as he thinks, but he can handle most things. He’s more of a leader and is quite involved in the resistance against King Respen. 
