Fantasy Fiction Tour

Okay - so this may not exactly be headed our way, but check out these authors. They're all fantastic and have a few best-selling dents in their shields.

By the odd chance anyone will be headed that way - make sure to check it out. Don't forget to get lots of pictures and signed copies of all the books for me. Hee hee...

CSFF Blog Tour

So, I've just joined the CSFF Blog Tour. What in the world is that you ask? It's the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog Tour. At the end of each month, I'll be highlighting and reviewing a different book from our beloved genre. You can check out the website above or I'll be keeping a button on the side bar. As soon as I get the list, I'll be adding the names and links to all the participants below the button.

So keep checking back to see which book will be highlighted next.

New Book by Tolkien

Yep - you read it right. There has just been released a new book by J.R.R. Tolkien. It is a book that apparently was unfinished when he died, so his son Christopher Tolkien took many years to compile all of the notes and prepare it for publishing. Christopher says that all the language is really J.R.R.'s, so apparently, the notes and unfinished manuscript were enough to equal a whole new book.



I'm super excited! I just got my copy today. I'll be participating in a blog type book-club thing over at WTB's blog. We'll be reading at a prearranged pace and regularly discussing each section. Come check it out.

Suspense Technique #2 - Intense Emotion

Okay - here is my winning entry for Wayne Thomas Batson's Suspense Technique #2 - Intense Emotion. Check out other people's entries too and the instructions for the technique at Enter the Door Within.

***

The view from the upstairs balcony was of tangled and gnarled branches, parched grass, and the remnants of what was once the most envied rose garden in the entire county. Brach leaned over the rickety wrought iron railing, trying to catch a glimpse of the ancient oak that had once supported his boyhood tree house. It had all started there.

As he stood in the warm evening air of July, at the back of the house his great-grandfather had built nearly a century ago, a slight breeze caressed his face. He could almost smell her on that breeze, a sweet flowery scent that drove a chill down his neck and back. He closed his eyes; he could see her face glowing in the sunshine as they wrestled on that very lawn so long ago. His heart began to ache; his legs lost the will to stand. As he collapsed to his knees, Brach felt that he would bleed from the pain of her absence. It was his fault she was gone; his fault her time on earth had been so short; his fault that he would spend the rest of his days alone.

His breath came in great gasps as he fought against mounting sobs. Deep in his soul, he knew he had no right to mourn her loss. It was for himself that he wept. Brach swallowed his grief, and inside him, it transformed into anger and rage. Despising himself for his selfishness, he let out a roar of desperation that shook the loose panes of a nearby window. Shattering as they hit the ground, the panes of glass were yet one more casualty at the hands of a man who had caused more pain than joy for those he knew.

***

God's Amazing Creations

Rarely am I impressed by television. I tend to stick to the Discovery Channel and such because I find real life pretty fascinating. The last few Sunday nights, I've been catching their new eleven part series called "Planet Earth." WOW!

The photography is phenomenal. The sound is incredible (especially when listening to it with surround sound). The way the information is presented is awe-inspiring. Above all, what keeps striking me every single time I watch an episode, is how wonderful and perfectly orchestrated God created this planet for us. From mountain peaks to ocean depths, this series entertains and educates the entire way through. (In the episode I saw tonight, "Seasonal Forests," they even used the birth of Christ as a reference point for time - a pleasant surprise these days.)

Apparently, it's taken five years to get and put it all together, yet the technology is right out of the future. They were able to capture extremely rare species of animals, without disrupting their environment. From miles away, using special cameras mounted on helicopters, they were able to highlight a shot of something that seemed mere feet from the camera. Using low-light cameras, the shows were also able to unobtrusively show the nocturnal world that few even knew existed.

So grab your spouse, grab the kids, and sit down in front of the television prepared to be awestruck with the complexity and wonder of God's creations.