Bloglovin' claim

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Just to claim my blog on Bloglovin'...it's kinda weird >_>.

*Bloglovin Blog Hop!*

I'm happy to announce that I'm participating in a Bloglovin  blog hop hosted by Brandi at Blkosiner's Book Blog! 

And this is particularly exciting because...I am taking small steps toward not being a total n00b when it comes to blogging. Yay me ^_^'!

Anyway, check out Brandi's blog to enter her Book of Choice Giveaway before the contest ends on the 19th and to see the linky list so you can hop around--go to the post here.   

If you want to participate, Brandi has the rules in that post.

Hop question: What are you reading now?

Graceling by Kristin Cashore. I've wanted to read it for a while now, but I had to get through some other books first :). 

Top 10 Fantastical Modes of Transportation

Here is a list of the most epic modes of transportation *ever*!

Requirements for being on the list:

A) It must be fantastical, although the source—movie, book, game—doesn’t matter, and

B) It must be about the coolest thing you’ve ever seen, heard, or read.

#1: Aslan’s Breath

Narnia Series

Ok, this is #1 because, I mean come on, how cool would this be??!  

In the 6^th book in the Narnia series, Jill is transported to Narnia from a mountain that is probably 3x taller than Mount Everest…by the breath of Aslan.  There is nothing that I can add to this to make it seem cooler than it already is. SO. EPIC.

Arythin, the TARDIS
Doctor Who (c) BBC

#1.5: The Tardis
Doctor Who

When I first compiled this list, I wasn't really a Whovian. I'd heard of Doctor Who and seen a youtube clip here and there...but I'd never really watched  it. And then I saw the first season, and fell in love. I've been wanting to add the Tardis to this list for a while, but never got around to it. 

Anyway, the Tardis is brilliant. I mean, come on--you can time travel in it, it's a blue police box, and it's bigger on the inside. What's not to love? *sound of Tardis departing*

#2: The Flying Bison

Avatar: The Last Airbender Series

Appa is the coolest flying animal I’ve ever seen, and I want one just like him. He’s adorable, fluffy, sweet, and he can travel long distances via flight (or swimming, if need be). I just had to have him on this list!

#3: Chocobos

Final Fantasy IX

If you know anything about Chocobos (or FF), you may be wondering why I totally discriminated against every game in the series by refusing to credit any of them except for IX.

When Romance Isn’t Just Romance in YA fiction

Ok, confession: I’ve wanted to express my sentiments about sexualized romance in YA fiction for ages. And today, after reading a tweet that discussed whether romance actually needs to be in a YA novel for it to be good (and another tweet about unnecessary romance in YA novels), I am going to share my views about ‘romance that isn’t just romance’ here.

One of my most basic presuppositions about humans is that they are very impressionable and, under the right circumstances, can be easily manipulated. I think this is especially true for youth.

So. Going along with that presupposition…we have teens—highly impressionable, (potentially) easily manipulated teens—that are being exposed to ideas about who they are, who they are supposed to be, what constitutes a relationship, what constitutes a good relationship, etc.

And then, we have YA books that serve as idea-givers alongside other sources of media, from tv to radio to the net and beyond.

Are you beginning to see the magnitude of such influence??? (If you haven’t already, that is?) But back to making my main point…

Time Crunches and Paradigm Shifts

Have you ever found yourself crunched for time? It’s obnoxious, no?

I’ve found myself in one big crunch here lately when it comes to writing. Ok, so I had surgery, recovered for a week, and back to work I went. But instead of working part time, I’ve been working full time (with the exception of about a day and a half) for the past two weeks.  

How do authors do it???

I can’t imagine working a full time job while also working off hours to make writing deadlines while also taking care of children at home while also attempting to keep the house relatively clean and SURVIVING, much less functioning.

Many authors have managed to perform this feat, but I am definitely not one of them…

Welcoming Rest

Sometimes I feel like my life is spinning out of control--as though the things that are going on around me are too fast, too abundant, and too energy-depleting to carry on any more.

This is perfectly normal in a society that runs on the idea of going more than the energizer bunny himself. But I think it's pretty sad to admit that if I hadn't had surgery this past week, I would probably still be trying to run on empty.

Sure, the main culprit is definitely my lack of rest in being still with God. This culprit has a few accomplices, though, and they can be downright sneaky.