Courtney's Reads and Reviews

Bone Dressing by Michelle I. Brooks

2013-08-05T09:04:00.000-07:00

Bone Dressing by Michelle I. Brooks

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Making my way through this novel, I found it was a decent story. I was a bit torn on how to rate it, as it did confuse me a bit, but it is definitely a book worth reading.

Seeing as how it is part of a series, I can understand why there would be items that confused me in the process of making my way through it. That being said, (and no I won't go into detail of what confused me. You will just have to read the book...) I would recommend the novel to just about anyone. Most of the characters are very well developed. There was only one or two that seemed to have been a bit vague (not by their description but their actions and personality) but I assume will build and grow throughout the series.

Brooks has a great imagination and it shows in her work. The imagery she spells out makes it easy to visualize the scenes in the book. Everything Syd sees is clear and vibrant and well thought out.

The only thing that really drove me a bit batty throughout the reading was the fact that Syd (main character) uses so many metaphors that I wanted to bop her upside the head and tell her to grow up a bit. Of course, as the book progresses, this does seem to occur less often as she does grow as a character.

All-in-all, it is worth a read.

2013-07-30T08:57:00.000-07:00

God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've always been a huge fan of Vonnegut, ever since reading Cat's Cradle in elementary school. Each time I read a book of his, it reaffirms my love for his style. This book flows so nicely and kept me curious as to how it would end, all the way until I reached it. I will be sad when the day comes when I've read all his novels and there are no more to follow...

© Courtney Conant, 2010-13. All Rights Reserved.

The Queen of Lazy...

2013-07-29T08:46:00.000-07:00

So lately (for like a year or more) I've been feeling extremely lazy and unorganized. I haven't gotten any writing done, my home is a disaster and while my life has been going so wonderfully, I am feeling the need to try and get myself back on track. So here goes...

4 Weeks to a More Organized Home

I started this today and plan to push my way through it until the end of the month and see if I can get back into the swing of things.

I'm planning on pulling out BtKH and getting back to work on it. I know that there are some fans out there waiting patiently for it. Thanks for waiting and I hope that I can get it to you in the relatively near future!

The Ultimate Sandwich

2012-07-02T10:07:00.002-07:00

I know this doesn't fit with ANYTHING that I would normally post here but I received this 'recipe' this morning and felt it was too good not to share!! So without further ado... The Ultimate Sandwich!!

"The Ultimate MAN Sandwich"

Here’s what you are going to need...

I used a loaf of hard crusted Italian bread, 3 rib eye steaks, 1 lb. mushrooms, an onion and some BACON.

Hollow-out the bread . . .

Cook it !

Try to leave the steaks a little rare as they will carry over cook a little more in the sandwich

Shove one of the steaks in the bread...

Sauce the steak

I like to have to halves of the sandwich different so I use half thick worchschire sauce and half Dijon mustard and horse radish sauce.

Layer of BACON

Did I mention BACON?!?!

layer of Swiss cheese.

Stuff in as much of the mushroom and onion mixture you can.

Then the other steak along with the juices from the pan.

Just a little more sauce.

Top off with more Swiss.

Put the top of the loaf back on.

Wrap in butchers paper.

Wrap in foil.

Put a heavy cutting board on top to squish it down.

Now weight and wait and wait.

140 lbs of weight and let it sit for 4 hours

Take weight off.

Cut, eat and enjoy . . .

And there you have it, folks, the ultimate sandwich! Now some of you may be asking yourselves, "What happens with the 3rd steak?" I had the same question until I came to the realization that the 3rd steak was meant to tide you over during that 4 hour period while you are waiting for the 'sandwich' to be done! Enjoy!!

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

2012-06-06T13:35:00.000-07:00

Fahrenh eit 451 by Ray Bradbury
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a day to finish this novel, a novel so prized by Ray Bradbury himself... I was making my way through the audiobook, in which he was the narrator, when I discovered of his passing. Today is a sad day for the literary world, with the announcement of his long life coming to an end.

As a long-time Bradbury fan, I've read so many of his works, yet put this one off, since it seemed everyone and their dog had read it (but not a great deal of his other works). I'm still up in the air as to where to go with this review. The book intrigued me a great deal,, though it seemed to cover a realm of complete impossibility to me. I still enjoyed it, making my way through Montag's life with his unfeeling wife, his job dedicated to laying waste to the lives of those wanting more, to follow the destruction and slow beginnings of the resurrection of the creative mind.

I find myself curious, after getting this novel, to find the original short story (Bright Phoenix) and the following novella (The Fireman) that sparked the start of this novel in the first place. Knowing the basis for this futuristic tale was brought about by Hitler and his book burning phase, I become more and more interested in Bradbury's past and how/why this affected him in such a manner to cause such a tale to be derived from it.

There are many great articles available, but this is one worth reading...
Ray Bradbury remembered for sci-fi classic 'Fahrenheit 451' and other literature

© Courtney Conant, 2010-12. All Rights Reserved.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

2012-04-02T09:21:00.000-07:00

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

And I'm done... I'm sorry to say, I will not be finishing this book, nor touching the other two. After everyone giving these books such rave reviews, I broke down and gave it a shot. I really wish I hadn't. I'm sure that many will not like my review of this, to each his own, I say!

The style of writing was so simplistic that I found myself bored in the first few minutes. I felt as though Collins' was reporting to me, telling me everything that was (and wasn't) important. The main character is supposed to be 16 years old, yet her voice in the story makes her come across as though she is prepubescent and very immature. I understand that they live in a sheltered society, but can't see how the character could be so underdeveloped mentally to lead to that type of personality.

I found it impossible to build any connection with the characters, as I was reading. With the basis of this story, it seemed that I should at least care whether they live or die, but I didn't.

In the end, this series just isn't for me.

© Courtney Conant, 2010-12. All Rights Reserved.

The Cloud Roads (Books of the Raksura, #1) by Martha Wells

2012-03-29T09:46:00.000-07:00

The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A big thanks to Jacqueline Carey for suggesting this one to me! I can't give this one 5 stars, as it wasn't quite a novel that I couldn't put down but it was a great read and definitely worth checking out!

The creation of her characters was very well thought out. Each race (and the combination of lifestyles (ability to transform from a 'normal person' to a flyer) really drew me in. Wells' writing style was simplistic, yet not too much so to where I would get bored easily with it. The farther I got into the book, the more I wanted to read it to find out what was going to happen.

The colors and descriptions really helped to visualize the worlds she was creating, three worlds, to be exact. Not much was mentioned of two of the worlds, though I'm sure they will come into play in future novels. More than anything, I want to find out more about the floating islands. I am looking forward to reading the second book in the series.

© Courtney Conant, 2010-12. All Rights Reserved.

Cell by Stephen King (zombification at its best)

2012-03-22T08:40:00.000-07:00

Cell by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As everyone knows (or at least those that have looked at the books I read), I'm a HUGE Stephen King fan. Due to that, I am always trying to find time to squeeze in one of his books, be it a new one or an old favorite that I've read a dozen times already. This was the first time I've read Cell and I was pleasantly surprised.

I never thought that King would go the zombie route, since everyone is doing it, but his take on zombification and how it might happen was refreshing. The way our society is so digitally dependant, it's no wonder where he got the idea for this novel.

As with all his books, he draws the reader in with his fantastic descriptions and unique take on the possible. He never drowns the reader with unnecessary details though through choice words, it is easy to visualize all that is going on throughout the story. I think my favorite line in this book has to be "a flesh canoe filled with blood".

The reason that I only gave this one four stars is because of the ending. The story just ends and the reader is left with no knowledge of what actually came to pass. Guessing is out of the question because there is no real indicators of what might happen. King leaves it completely open with only one of two options but no way to know how it really goes. It would be one thing, if it were to have a sequel, but that isn't the case.

One thing that I love? There is a brief sentence that ties this book in with all the rest, linking it to his Dark Tower series. He slyly sneaks it in to where, if you haven't read the series, you would have no clue. I, having read just about everything he has ever done, caught it and it made me smile.

© Courtney Conant, 2010-12. All Rights Reserved.

Hitchhiker's Guide - The Finale!

2012-02-29T13:33:00.001-07:00

Mostly Harmless by Douglas Adams
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not as good as I would have hoped but I still enjoyed it. It took me quite some time to get through this last bit of the Hitchhiker's Guide series. It bounced around so much and there seemed to be a great deal of things missing. Characters began disappearing and reappearing at random. I found it quite hard to follow, though still gave it 3 stars because I loved the fact that it did come to some sort of close in the end.

Douglas Adams is one hell of an author that knows how to draw his readers in and keep them going until the end. Even though I wasn't a huge fan of this book, I still couldn't stop making my way through it. That, in and of itself, is a sign of a very talented writer.

On a sidenote, I'm not sure if I agree with the title but I guess I don't really have to. The truth of the matter is this; the Earth IS mostly harmless, though I don't think its occupants are...

Creative Realities – An Escape for All

2012-02-02T08:37:00.000-07:00

I was asked to write this up for another blog about a month ago and have decided to share it here as well. So if you missed the post before, here it is for your enjoyment...

Creative Realities – An Escape for All

Alternate reality, quantum reality, alternate universe… They all encompass the same general concept, another world coexisting with ours. Why do they fascinate us so much? Because it’s an escape!

I have always been intrigued by the thought of there being something better, something else, outside of what I knew and loved. Growing up as a writer, I found that I’d write what I knew, unicorns and dragons, things from fairytales told to me by my mother. Never once had I learned of different worlds that existed alongside ours, yet on a different plane. Another world is not what I mean, as I’m sure most already know. These worlds are happening right here and right now, yet we can’t see them. They are the present, past and future, yet we may never know they are there.

It wasn’t until I saw What the BLEEP Do We Know that I finally understood what another reality truly was. Seeing that movie enlightened me to the possibilities that everything truly is happening all at the same time and that there constantly are other realities existing in the same exact moment.

Never had I thought of writing about an alternate reality until I was about five chapters into my novel, The Blood Moon of Winter. As I was writing, another world came forward and took over. It was as if this other reality had been there all along and chose that moment to become known. I say it like this because that is how it happened. I don’t plot out my stories, but let them write themselves through my fingertips.

While my novel involves an alternate reality, I like to call it my creative reality. It’s not a world like ours, but one that only the deepest pits of my imagination could come up with. It’s a reality that only exists in my mind and the pages of my books and it continues to move forward and grow even without my help. Though it is in my mind, it is real within, making it a true reality for me because I can escape to it whenever I like.

It is my creative reality and it is my escape.

Apt Pupil by Stephen King

2012-01-27T15:41:00.000-07:00

Apt Pupil by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

All I can say is that Stephen King always outdoes himself. I know I've read this before but it is one of those pieces that I can go back to repeatedly and still enjoy immensely.

Todd Bowden is one of the creepiest children out there and gives me the chills to picture him and the disturbing nature he holds within. I think the hardest part about reading this story is the fact that kids like that really do exist!

I love how the book differs from the movie (and no I won't say how it differs). It is worth reading, same as all his works, though not all are as well written as this.

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish by Douglas Adams

2012-01-10T12:30:00.001-07:00

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish by Douglas Adams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's time to move on to the next book in this fabulous series!

Talk about a fun read! Adams really knows how to keep a person turning the pages... I started this book a couple of days ago and found that I couldn't stop making my way through it. I am so glad to have such a great story be my first of the new year.

There are so many different things going on that it does get a bit confusing from time to time but I still couldn't help but love it. I found myself laughing my way through it which is a sign that the author did something right, if that was his intention. Having read his work before, I can pretty much guarantee that it was.

Having old friends pop back into existence when I thought they were gone made the book just that much more enjoyable.

Amazon Best Sellers List!

2011-12-18T12:45:00.004-07:00

I woke up this morning to find that The Mind Entangled - Part One: The Discovery had made Amazon's best sellers list for its short stories. Talk about an amazing thing to wake up to, right? To make things just that much better, I've started to get a lot more reviews for The Blood Moon of Winter and they are really good.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Unlikely Hero, December 17, 2011

The unlikely hero's seem to make the best ones, and this is the case with Lilyana. Meek and retiring, yet full of life and forced into a destiny that draws out inner depths of power and magick. Her transformation into goddess is in itself a wonder to behold.

The narrative starts out slow yet engaging as the main character herself, and then through the course of the book it builds an inexorable momentum that draws you onward. The prose is enchanting, the world is a marvel and the conclusion is fraught with tension and resolution.

I can't wait for the next one. Here's to the Goddess of Makayra. - Author PD Allen

That is but one of my recent reviews and they are all positive! The 2nd edition is getting almost entirely 5star reviews!

© Courtney Conant, 2010-11. All Rights Reserved.

Guest Post for the Reading

2011-12-15T05:56:00.000-07:00

Today I was invited to be a guest poster over on The World of the Blue Bells Trilogy. The theme for the blog is Alternate Realities so I thought I would stick with that and have a little fun. Here is a brief excerpt of the post I made.

I have always been intrigued by the thought of there being something better, something else, outside of what I knew and loved. Growing up as a writer, I found that I’d write what I knew, unicorns and dragons, things from fairytales told to me by my mother. Never once had I learned of different worlds that existed alongside ours, yet on a different plane. Another world is not what I mean, as I’m sure most already know. These worlds are happening right here and right now, yet we can’t see them. They are the present, past and future, yet we may never know they are there.

Drop by and check it out! Also, The Blood Moon of Winter is only $.99 right now for the ebook so make sure to grab a copy while it last. The print copies are in so feel free to order your signed copy today!

© Courtney Conant, 2010-11. All Rights Reserved.

Saints Astray - Revisited

2011-11-23T10:34:00.001-07:00

After two weeks and hundreds of entries, folks have anxiously been awaiting the news of who would be receiving that signed book from Jacqueline Carey. Well, wait no more! A winner has been chosen.

David from Lansing, Michigan is the lucky man, selected at random, to get a copy of Saints Astray.

I'm so grateful that Miss Carey was willing to let me host this giveaway for her and only wish her the greatest success on her latest book.

On a fantastic side note, DarkCon is less than two months away. Jacqueline Carey is the Guest Author of Honor and I get to spend four whole days working side by side with her as her personal liaison. I couldn't be more excited for this oportunity. Talk about an honor!

© Courtney Conant, 2010-11. All Rights Reserved.

Favorite Book Quotes

2011-11-17T06:06:00.001-07:00

And it is time for one of those age old questions... What is your favorite book quote of all time and why?

Me? I have two and could never choose between them.

The first is by Stephen King and it has always made me laugh because I've felt the truth of it many times since first reading it almost 20 years ago. He actually uses the line in two different books of his. Of course, I can't remember which the first one was (I was only ten when I read it the first time) but the second was Salem's Lot.

"There is no such thing as gravity. The Earth just sucks." - Stephen King

The second is by Kurt Vonnegut and is very dear to me. I read this line in The Sirens of Titan a few years back and I couldn't help but feel the power behind the words...

"The worst thing that could possibly happen to anybody would be to not be used for anything by anybody." - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

ALSO: Don't forget to sign up for the giveaway of Saints Astray by Jacqueline Carey! You have until the 22nd at midnight to enter.

© Courtney Conant, 2010-11. All Rights Reserved.

Is Being Self-Published and Indie the Same?

2011-11-15T12:26:00.001-07:00

This is definitely a 'hot topic', so to speak. I think everyone has their views/opinions on it.

Mine? I'm an indie author. I published my own novel, by choice. I had a lot of interest in my book but was told that it was too short for the genre to be published via the traditional route. Everyone wanted me to change it to make it longer but that would affect the integrity of my story so I chose to do my own thing instead.

Should this make me less of an author, by the writing world standards? Being self-published makes me MORE independant because I had to do everything myself. I had to find my own editors, artists, photographers, etc... I also do my own marketing so it takes a lot of work to be self-published.

Don't judge an author by the type of publishing they choose. Judge them by their work!

Tell me what you think!

On a side note... I just did an image search on Google to find a picture to go with this post and found a picture of myself instead! I guess that means my image is at least getting out there and being associated with the indie movement.

ALSO: Don't forget to sign up for the giveaway of Saints Astray by Jacqueline Carey! You have until the 22nd at midnight to enter.

© Courtney Conant, 2010-11. All Rights Reserved.

Liquid Story Binder, help me!

2011-11-10T05:43:00.001-07:00

Always fighting distractions! Between working too much and training for my marathon, I'm having a difficult time focusing on my new novel. I'm supposed to be up to around 15k words right now to be on schedule for NaNoWriMo yet I'm only just over 12k. All I can say is that I'm quite happy with where the story is taking me and am definitely looking forward to finding out how it ends. That will be quite a ways away though...

I've decided to give Liquid Story Binder a try again, as I didn't really attempt to use it much when writing my last novel. I'm only using the free trial version, as I'm not willing to pay for something that I don't even know if I'll use yet. I will say that I like how it organizes things and breaks the chapters down.

I've gone one chapter that I know I have to go back to and so when initially writing it in Word, I highlighted the passage. This meant that I would need to scroll through the whole thing to find it. It LSB, all I have to do is place an asterisk by the passage that I need to return to and hit F7 and it will automatically take me there, when in that chapter. That is pretty convenient but not quite enough because I'd have to remember which chapter it was. So how did I solve it? I made a new heading, something like "fix this chapter", and moved the chapter under that heading (keeping the chapter name/number intact so I know where it goes back to).

So far, I think I'm liking LSB and might end up snagging it for all my work.

What could be better? Just saw that they are supporting NaNoWriMo and offering 50% off through the month. Ok, I might break down and buy it after all.

© Courtney Conant, 2010-11. All Rights Reserved.

Saints Astray Giveaway by Jacqueline Carey

2011-11-09T05:35:00.001-07:00

Anyone who knows me, or has read my book, knows that I adore the word of Jacqueline Carey. The flow of her ideas and thoughts onto the page is mesmerizing and once I start reading, it's hard to stop. I've always been a fan of hers on Facebook and followed her posts. I'm so glad that I do too!

Yesterday she announced that she wanted to change things up a bit from her normal giveaway routine. She offered the chance for 10 bloggers to host the giveaways for her and I just happened to be one of the lucky ones chosen!

Saints Astray by Jacqueline Carey

Enter to win a signed copy!
Giveaway ends 11/22.

This is great for me and my readers both. For me, it's an opportunity. For the fans, it's a chance for a free signed book by an amazing author! Jacqueline and I emailed yesterday and she will be sending out the books herself. This means that if you win, you get it directly from her hands.

Just hop over, sign up and make sure to follow the rules...

UPDATE:
Some seem to be having an issue with how to follow my blog. There is a button on the right of the page to "Join this site". A Blogger/Gmail account is not required to follow.

You can follow using:
* Google

* Twitter

* Yahoo

* AIM

* Netlog

* OpenID

Also, Miss Carey was the one that requested this be US only for the initial giveaway. She has stated that she will be hosting her own giveaway in the near future that will be open to all.

Random Facts...

2011-11-07T08:39:00.002-07:00

Here are 10 random facts about that you might not know about me...

That's me!

1. I like to dress up as a 1950s pinup model. It's so fun and the clothes are so beautiful!

2. I love riding my vintage scooter around town. People always look at me funny and it makes me laugh.

3. I'm training to run my first full marathon in February of 2012. It's rough going but I'm enjoying every painful second of it!

4. One of my favorite things is singing. I've even won a trophy and was crowned 'Famous Sam's Queen of Karaoke' several years ago.

5. I'm addicted to costumes. Any chance that I can dress up and play at being someone else, I take it! This makes Halloween my absolute favorite time of year. I went through three costumes this year, one for a 5k race that ran, one for going out Halloween weekend, and the last for Halloween night.

6. I live on a golf course yet have never touched a golf club in my life... Minigolf doesn't count!

7. I'm very anal about my closet. I have everything sectioned off by the type of clothing (work shirts, dresses, skirts, pants, then casual). Then the sections are organized by color. Everything is color-coded and always in its proper place.

8. While alcohol is mentioned several times in my novel (especially wine), I rarely touch the stuff because I'm allergic to it. If I do drink, I pay for it severely...

9. I have to admit, I have a deep seated love for anime. I've been watching it for such a long time and I can't seem to stop. It is one of my favorite ways to escape!

10. I have over 100 shades of eye shadow yet I almost never touch makeup. I just can't seem to pass up getting a new color because I never know when I might want it, even if it is 50 years from now...

Don't forget to stop by NaNoWriMo to FOLLOW MY PROGRESS as I work on Beyond the Known Horizon, book two in The Land of Makayra series.

Also, if you haven't done so yet, Hop over to my fan page on Facebook and give it a 'like', as I update that much more often.

Novel Update and A Moment for FanFic...

2011-10-17T15:03:00.000-07:00

I've been working on the final stage of rewriting The Blood Moon of Winter and haven't been posting at all. Heck... I haven't even been reading! (SHAME ON ME!!) I've finally finished the rewrite and have moved onto the editing portion now and am excited at the prospect of getting one more book in (Farsighted by Emlyn Chand) before NaNoWriMo begins and things go crazy again!

How appropriate!
The Running Author...

NaNoWriMo is an amazing time of crazy busy, no free time, writing and I plan on (finger's crossed) finishing book two, Beyond the Known Horizon, during that time. That gives me 30 days to complete my goal and I do believe that I can do it. Obviously it will be a rough draft and need a lot of work but getting it done is the hardest part!

I've already put in to take November 1st off from work so that I can have complete focus on that first day. On a side note, (easily distracted) I'm training to run my first full marathon right now. I've got 18 weeks left until the big day, February 19th. This running writer is keeping BUSY!!!

November is not only a great month for writing but also for indie authors. 'Adopt an Indie' month will be taking place all across the web. Yours truly has been adopted by a wonderful blogger, Tanya from All Things Books, and has given Tanya first dibs on reading the revamped version of my debut novel. I can only hope that she likes what I've done with it but I guess we will all see soon!

Speaking of Emlyn, on a whim, I decided to share with you all a bit of FanFic that I wrote for a contest she ran on her site back in February. Harry Potter FanFic to be exact. Below are the rules that I didn't follow, but HEY! I had an idea pop into my head and I had to run with it... Don't forget to leave a comment if you like it. Enjoy!

Here’s what you have to do: take any scene from any of the seven Harry Potter books, any scene at all. Now, pick any character from the series that you like—maybe Snape, Hagrid, Dobby, Mad-Eye Moody, Hermione—I mean anybody. The only rule is that you can’t choose Harry himself. Through the voice of your selected character explain to Harry what really happened in the scene you’ve chosen. Give a perfectly rational explanation grounded in the Muggle world. Wizards never existed as it turns out, and Harry just imagined the entire episode. Your write-up should be a dialogue between Harry and your chosen character.

Crookshanks’ Revenge

“Padfoot, I can’t take much more of this. These kids are driving me crazy!” Crookshanks plodded back and forth along the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He stopped moving about and plopped down where he was with a harrumph. “They just never listen!” he groaned.

Padfoot shook his mangy head and asked with a groan, “What happened now to get you all riled up?

“It’s this damned Weasley kid! Now he’s accusing me of eating Scabbers. I’m about ready to claw the kid’s eyes out. He makes me wish that I really DID eat the damned rat. Now that I think on it… I just might,” he exclaimed. And with that, Crookshanks bolted upright and took off as if someone had lit a fire under him.

“Crookshanks! Don’t do it! Ron will kill you!!” Padfoot yelled after him, but to no avail. He was gone and there was no talking him out of something once he set his mind to it. Crookshanks was a stubborn cat, to put things mildly. Padfoot decided that he had done all that he could to help the children that night and made his way back into the forest to hide.

Crookshanks wandered around Hogwarts, using his superior nose to try and sniff out Scabbers’ hiding place. He knew the rat had to still be around somewhere. He had formulated a plan and finding the rat was only the beginning. He heard footsteps coming his way and darted down the next hallway to avoid being seen. That’s when he caught the scent. A grin broadened his face, causing his whiskers to ruffle.

He ran down the hall, following the aroma of the traitor rodent. As he turned the next corner, he caught sight of Scabbers sneaking his way through the shadows. The chase was on… Scabbers heard the cat following him and ran as fast as his little legs would carry him. His mind was reeling, trying to find an escape. He wasn’t paying attention to anyone around, just trying to find a hole to hide in. This turned out to be a grave error. He darted straight into the path of Professor Snape.

Snape’s foot landed right on the rat’s tail at the same instant that Crookshanks went to pounce. The cat hit the side of Snape’s leg at high speed, momentarily dazed. “Damned pests,” grumbled Snape, looking down at the two animals at his feet. “I hate these damned critters running through my halls, wreaking havoc. Too bad they aren’t like Muggle pets…” As he said it, an idea formed. He looked back and forth between the two and grinned menacingly. “I know a spell or two that can take care of that!”

Snape pulled out his wand and flicked it in their direction as he said, “Rufanatuli!” A light flashed at his feet and both animals screeched. He knelt down, making sure to keep his foot on the tail of the rat beneath his boot. He looked closely into the dazed eyes of Crookshanks and Scabbers. It looked like the spell had worked. They were nothing more than a rat and a cat before him now, no longer sentient beings. Snape watched as the cat realized that its natural born prey was cowering before it. With a chuckle, Snape lifted his foot and watch as the rat scuttled away, being chased by the cat again. “They won’t be doing any more plotting around here…”

It didn’t take long for Crookshanks to catch his favorite food. He captured the rat that he had been chasing after, breaking its neck in the process. He plodded his way back to the tower that he lived in, dinner swinging back and forth from his mouth. He was the happiest cat on the planet, having caught such a prize. Once he reached his owner’s room, he hopped up on the foot of the bed and started eating. As is engrained in all cats, he decided to share with his owner. He left half of his dinner on her pillow so that she could enjoy and know that he did what he was supposed to. With that, he went to sleep.

Hermoine awoke, having had strange dreams in the night. As she opened her eyes, she screamed, waking the entire house. She found herself face to face with a dead rat, or what was left of it. Her mom ran into the room to find her daughter huddled in the corner, whimpering. She looked at the bed and saw her daughter’s long-time pet snuggled into the blankets and a dead rat on the pillow. She made her way to Hermoine’s side and knelt down.

“It’s okay dear. I’ll have your dad come clean it up. Your brother is going to be upset though.” She stroked her daughter’s hair, trying to sooth her.

“But I heard him plotting with the Grim, talking about getting back at Ron!” she cried. “I think he’s turned evil, mum!”

“It was just a dream, dearest. There are no Grims and your cat doesn’t talk. I should never have let you watch that movie.” She stood. “I guess I should go tell Ron that your cat ate his rat.”

“Ron’s here? What’s he doing here?!? I need to get dressed. I can’t let him see me like this.” Hermoine started rushing around the room, trying to pull herself together.

“What are you doing? Why would your brother care what you look like,” her mother asked.

“My brother? Ron is not my brother. He’s my future boyfriend. And I love him!”

“I think maybe you need to go back to sleep for a bit, Hermy. That must have been one disturbing dream…” Her mother pointed to the family photo on the desk.

Hermoine followed her mother’s outstretched finger, saw her and Ron standing in front of her parents and fainted.

Writing What Counts

2011-09-23T09:50:00.001-07:00

So I know I said I would do my best to write every day this week and I really have. I may not have added any words to my manuscript yesterday but I did change some. I took the time to read over all that I had done over the last few weeks to see how well it flows since it is being added into an already complete book.

After reading it through, I have to say that I'm very happy with the results and I do believe that my readers will be too! I've put a lot of time and effort forth into this book, so much heart. I really love all of the past feedback that I've received from my readers and I'm putting it to good use.

I'm thinking that December will make for a great release of the revamped novel, The Blood Moon of Winter. Now I need to find better ways to promote it and get some attention coming in since I'm setting myself a goal of November 30th to finish Beyond the Known Horizon, Book 2 in the Land of Makayra series.

There is so much work ahead of me but I'm trucking along and trying to find time to read and keep my mind fresh as well. Of course, I've been working so much lately, it seems hard to find time for much of anything...

Finding Time to Write

2011-09-21T07:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had a hard time focusing on my writing so I pulled out an old trick, Write or Die : Dr Wicked's Writing Lab. I set my time for 30 minutes and, in between phone calls and people chatting me up, I was able to get another 600 words done. I know it doesn't seem like a lot but if you think about it, at a pace like that, it should only take about 3 months to write a full length novel. I'm only going for bits and pieces here so it works great!

Since I have a hard time finding an open computer in a quiet corner during lunch time, I broke down and bought the program, tossed it on my laptop and plan on sneaking away and hiding/writing on my lunch until the last bits of the revamp are complete.

I need the extra motivation right now to help me get the words on the page. Also, I figure by having the actual program instead of the online version, it will help to keep me away from the net in general while writing. It also helps that my netbook won't have internet access...

My plan is to try and update daily, my progress. I'll try but make no guarantees. (I know, kind of lame...) It is difficult to squeeze in blogging time between multiple jobs, writing and craziness all around. If I don't update the same day, I promise to do it the next though. Stick with me folks and I'll get you the promised revised novel, part two of the short story series AND book two!!

Don't give up on me yet...

Socks for Japan - Update (yes, another one...)

2011-09-20T08:10:00.000-07:00

For those that have been following my blog for awhile now, you will know about Socks for Japan and the effort I put forth in collecting socks for donations. I ended up collecting hundreds of pairs, as well as kids futons and jackets. Shipping out those boxes made me so happy, knowing that the items would be going to such good use. I knew that the items had arrived because I tracked them but I had not heard from the organization in regards to the next steps in the process. I was beginning to think that I might not hear from them and just let it go. I wasn't so worried about hearing from them. I was just glad to know everything arrived, as it should. When I woke up this morning and found a nice little email in my inbox, it brought back all the happy memories that the initial collecting process had given me. So without further ado, here is the email...

Subject: Socks received!
Date: Tue Sep 20 00:32:31 MST 2011
From: Jason Kelly <jason@jasonkelly.com>
To: cc@courtneyconant.com

Dear Courtney-san,

We know this is late, but figured it's better late than never to tell you...

We received your package! It was months ago, so we already sorted your socks and will distribute them when we resume disaster-zone operations in the coming weeks. Watch our pages for photos and updates:http://socksforjapan.com
http://www.facebook.com/socksforjapan

and join our email list to stay informed as we hear back from survivors and others:http://socksforjapan.com/list

and eventually add your own correspondence from survivors, if you receive any:http://socksforjapan.com/lettersfromsurvivors

Thank you so much!

In solidarity for Japan,
Jason

So I would like to send a big THANK YOU to Jason for not only starting the whole process but for also getting back to me and letting me know that everything arrived safe and sound. I just hope that it all goes to good use.

The Carpet People by Terry Pratchett

2011-09-14T08:43:00.002-07:00

The Carpet People by Terry Pratchett

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

It is sad to say, but this is the first Pratchett book that I didn't really enjoy. It was simple but a bit hard to follow. I still have no idea who or what was going on. There were a lot of different, random characters that showed up, yet they seemed to have no real purpose in the story other than as filler. They were there and then gone and I found I was losing track of the actual story.

Nothing was explained or even made much sense. It seemed as though none of the questions that the story posed were ever answered. The story concept was cute but it just seemed to be lacking (in my eyes anyway). What was it lacking, you might ask? Quite a lot. For the fact that he was only 17 when he wrote it, I did give a little. I'm just glad that this slowly lead to the creation of the Discworld series. Don't judge Pratchett's writing on this book alone. He is an amazing author and definitely worth checking out.

'The Lord of the Rings on a Rug'

The Carpet People was published in 1971, It had a lot of things wrong with it, mostly to do with being written by someone who was seventeen at the time.
And it sold a bit, and eventually it sold out. And that was it.
And then about seven years ago the Discworld books began to sell, and people would buy them and say, "Here, what's this book The Carpet People by The Same Author?' and the publishers got so fed up with telling people that there was no demand for it that they decided it was time for a new edition.
Which was read by Terry Pratchett, aged forty-three, who said: hang on. I wrote that in the days when I thought fantasy was all battles and kings. Now I'm inclined to think that the real concerns of fantasy ought to be about not having battles, and doing without kings. I'll just rewrite it here and there...
Well, you know how it is when you tweak a thread that's hanging loose...
So this is it. It's not exactly the book I wrote then. It's not exactly the book I'd write now. It's a joint effort but, heh heh, I don't have to give him half the royalties. He'd only waste them.
You asked for it. Here it is. Thanks.
Incidentally, the size of the city or Ware is approximately ->.

Terry Pratchett
15 September 1991

I'm with this girl here. We both are so happy that this his not where Pratchett ended is writing career! Now chant it with me!!

DISCWORLD