In two days...

I've almost read halfway through Jane Austen's "Persuasion." I can't believe it! It took me months to finish reading "Mansfield Park," Jane Austen's longest novel with a whopping 344 pages. That was a lot back then. I've also learned that aside from "Persuasion" being her shortest book at 181 pages, it's also the last novel that she published before she died.

On another note...Any "Chicken Soup for the Soul" story submissions for the category I chose and one about "Canada" is due tomorrow/today. It's 11:56 PM by my clock, so it's technically still February 27th, but it might be February 28th by the time I finish this post.

There's another book topic of theirs I'm thinking of submitting a story to later. The deadline for that topic is sometime in May. It's still a ways off.

I haven't been able to do much writing in my poetry book since I wrote "In the Secret." Inspiration comes and goes, but I hope to take some time out of my day soon to have another creative writing session.

Before they were movies...

They were paperback or hardback books. "The Twilight Saga," and "Harry Potter Series" most people know as books turned into movies. How many people today know that "Breakfast at Tiffany's," "The Jane Austen Book Club," "East of Eden," "The Grapes of Wrath," "The Great Gatsby," "To Kill A Mockingbird," and Matt Damon's "Bourne" trilogy also started out as books before they were turned into movies? The list is endless!

"Sex and the City" was a TV series turned movie from a book as well. "Lipstick Jungle" wasn't as popular a TV series, but came from the same author who wrote "Sex and the City": Candace Bushnell.

How many people in the world today realize Jane Austen's contribution to the movie industry? "Pride and Prejudice," "Sense and Sensibility," "Emma," "Persuasion," "Mansfield Park," and "Northanger Abbey" are all Jane Austen's books, and all have been made into movies. The more well-known titles have countless remakes as well.

I'm on my Austen high horse because I just finished reading "Mansfield Park," started reading "Persuasion" today, and before either of them I read "Pride and Prejudice." Each love story has a happy ending, but not without hardship. The differences I've seen in "Mansfield Park" and "Pride and Prejudice" leaves me in awe of Jane Austen. They seemed so different from each other at times, it was like two different people wrote each book.

Even if you've never read any of these books, chances are you've seen a movie adaptation.

Veterans

It's not Veteran's Day,

but I was thinking about them anyway.

The sacrifice that was made

whether they were POW slaves,

or not I don't know.

I just know they have selfless souls.

Some came home to awaiting wives

while others gave their lives

so I could be free

from a dictatorial monarchy.

Some soldiers become veterans

before the war is over.

I think of Desert Storm,

and what the norm

is now we're in a war

with Iraq again about terrorism.

My daddy fought for his country

in the last century.

First in Korea then Vietnam,

but he came home.

I would do anything to have him back

among the living as a matter of fact.

Three Newer Poems

In The Secret

In the secret where we've met

I'm allowed to be upset.

What you did before

leaves me wanting more,

but do I want to risk

it all to be kissed?

How do I know

if our love would grow,

or if it will fade away

on some distant day?

Leaving me heartbroken,

and yearning for completeness again.

Is it too much to ask

to forgo everything that passed?

If I could forgive and move on,

I know I'll be able to find "the One."

Breathe Out, Breathe In

I breathe in, I breathe out

a wellspring of emotions

and abysmal notions

of a life I can have

if I took the risk to grab

on tightly with both hands,

and follow the rainbow's end.

Why aren't you here?

I need to hear your voice loud and clear.

I need some sage advice

on how to get on with my life.

Instead I breathe in, I breathe out

while living without.

I need a father, I need a friend.

When will the death spiral end?

I'm teetering on the brink,

so I breathe out, I breathe in

until I can see you again.

I'm constantly taking pills to numb the pain

of the jackhammer in my brain

while I fight to keep sane.

Across the Universe

Across the universe

everything is reversed.

Day is night,

and night is day

ever since you went away.

I don't know if I'll ever get back

the happiness I now lack.

The empty hollow deep inside

is what I constantly hide

from family and friends.

With my family, they're also on the mend.

A "boulevard of broken dreams"

is where I seem

to be living these days.

I would desperately like to move away.

Just a note to say I wrote "In The Secret" last night, and the other two poems are older. They all seem to fit together, so I decided to clump them into this post.

Check out WriteLife, Write About Life | Writers - Create, Share, Publish, Market

I want you to take a look at: WriteLife, Write About Life | Writers - Create, Share, Publish, Market 

This is where I plan to publish my next book through.  Here's a little history about it:

WriteLife, LLC is a collaborative publishing company. Our mission is to locate the best writers and offer them the opportunity to write, publish, and sell their work. We are currently accepting top-quality nonfiction, fiction and children’s manuscripts. If you are a serious writer, we invite you to go through the publishing, and marketing process with us. The site is free to use. 

"Chicken Soup for the Soul" Entry

I've been spending the day thinking about what story I wrote I would like to share first with my followers, and decided on my short story "An Answer to Prayer" that I submitted to "Chicken Soup for the Soul" that may be put into it's next book about devotionals during times of trouble. I say it's the next book because it has a deadline of February 28th for story submissions. So here it is:

An Answer to Prayer

“During your times of trial and suffering,

when you see only one set of footprints,

it was then that I carried you.”

-Footprints In The Sand

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."
Deuteronomy 31:6

I’m only thirty years old, but I have faced many hardships in my short life. Through it all, God has been the glue keeping me together through my devotional time with him, and in my worship time. Whenever I’ve felt discouraged, I’ve thought of the poem “Footprints in the Sand.” No matter how many times I’ve read the words, I’ve felt so blessed and comforted knowing I was in His loving arms.

On November 17^th, 2009, my world came crashing down on me once again. My dad had been battling prostate cancer for a couple years, and went home to be with the Lord that day at 1:30 am.

My parents divorced when I was two years old, but they remained great friends. My dad and I had a very close relationship. I was a daddy’s girl. Anyway, on November 17^th, my sister came to the door with my mom and one of my brothers to tell my brother and me the news. I could tell by the look on their faces when I opened the front door that my dad was gone. Up until the day he died, my brother, Ray, and I had been regularly visiting my dad 3-4 times a week. I always loved the way his face lit up when he saw me, was willing to buy me things when I couldn’t afford it, and gave me rides if he saw me walking on the street. My dad rededicated his life to God five years before he died, and couldn’t wait to go home to Jesus when he found out he had cancer. He would tell us how he was ready to be with the Lord, and not to be sad because he was going to a better place.

A couple days after he died, I was sitting at my computer desk missing him like crazy. Through my tears I prayed, “Dear God, I need a hug really bad, but the person I want the hug from is now there with you.” Almost instantly, I felt arms wrapped around me and knew my prayer had been answered. God was giving my dad a chance to hug me goodbye.

It’s been over a year since my dad passed away. I miss him and think of him everyday. When I’m grieving the most, I remember the special hug I received. He’s no longer in pain, and I try to remember all the good times we shared while he was still alive. Now I have two Heavenly fathers watching over me. I feel blessed that my dad had a full life, and eagerly await our reunion someday.

Writing Projects

I have many writing projects I work on as time allows. There's my second poetry book, "Second Thoughts," that has been my main project for a couple years. I'm about to publish that as soon as I finish adding a few more poems to it. Then there's a couple romance novels on the back burner, one is titled "A Day at the Beach," and the other one is in brainstorming form. There's also a spiritual autobiography called "Leaving a Legacy of Love: One Woman's Journey Through Life" that I work on from time to time, and a book idea I had for "Letters to Jesus" that's pretty self-explanatory.

There's also a book called "The Shepherdess Princess" that I began writing for a writing contest. I guess it could also be deemed a romance novel, but has a lot to do with the Prince in the story, and his taking the throne back from his evil uncle. The romance between the Shepherdess and the Prince begins in their childhood where they start out as friends, and become something more as they end up fighting his uncle side by side.

I also wrote and submitted a short story to "Chicken Soup for the Soul" to be put in an upcoming book. If my story is chosen, I get a check for $100 and they send me a free copy of the book with my story printed in it when it's published.

Welcome to the garden!

This page will solely be used to share my writing projects with the outside world, and my love for writing in general. What I share here will eventually be bound into book form, or may just be talking about authors I love or what I happen to be reading.

I normally have to be by myself in order to create what I write, and sometimes that means taking a notebook and pen to some park where I could be at one with nature and feel a sense of serenity. I've also longed to have my own garden someday, so I could sit for hours among the plants and take everything in. Like my very own "Secret Garden" to enjoy. Until that day comes, this'll have to do.

So, welcome to my garden paradise...