Deflated. Uplifted.

Apparently no news is good news. Who came up with that anyway? What if you won $10,000? I would consider that pretty freaking good news.
This phrase somehow fits into my little story here. Bottom line: I'm not self-publishing with Trafford. It was kind of a blow to me personally, mostly because I had been so blinded by the aspect of getting published at all that I didn't even want to consider the angle of this company. Why, oh, why must we be satisfied with the shiny website and press releases? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I didn't invest a huge chunk of money into a company that would call me fifty times a week offering promotions but with no real results. Still. Patience is a virtue.
The good news is (Aha! Here is where that phrase fit in!) I'm not finished yet. Oh, no. Not even close. Where disappointment and heartbreak dwell, a light, though small at first, will wink out of the darkness and grow to a pulsing glow, light a heartbeat. I know God is with me, helping me, guiding me. All I pray for is His wisdom. May He lift me up when I am low, and feed me encouragements when it feels like the world is spiraling into an endless abyss.

-Grace

I'M. GETTING. PUBLISHED!!!

God has given me the opportunity to get my work out there! This is like one of those dreams where it's so vivid in your head, but when you wake up it vanishes entirely. The only difference is I'm waiting for this to vanish like a rainbow.
I was researching publishing companies in my local area, and this website came up claiming they find a publisher that conforms to the writer based on your answers to a few questions. So I fill out this little grid-in questionnaire, and it sent my information to Trafford Publishing, a name I had never heard before. As I browsed the site, though, I quickly discovered it was a self-publishing company. Not what I wanted at all. But it was too late, they had already gotten my information. But then I began to think, "Hey, this is a big step in a possibly-good direction." Maybe they would call me back in a few weeks.
A few hours later I get a voicemail (my phone's vibration setting is so soft I can't really hear it or feel it), and when I listen to it, a woman named Lou Fuentes from Trafford Publishing says she was very pleased to hear of my interest in Trafford and would like to talk more with me about my book. I was so shocked and excited I almost screamed! I'm getting published!!! was my only thought. I immediately called my dad and told him about it, greeting him with a casual "Omigoshomigoshomigoshomigoshomigosh!" After his own research of the company, he encouraged me to go forward with it.
Ms. Fuentes contacted me yesterday and I told her the gist of my short story (synopsis over the phone). She sounded very interested and we talked a lot about publishing on ebook. They are doing all the marketing, I am supplying a certain amount of money. And the nice thing about this company is that I am not bound to stay with them if some other publishing company sees my story and would like to sell it through them. I maintain complete control of all copyrights, and I will hopefully be working with a team of experts to help me with distribution, cover art, and a bunch of other things I can't seem to think of.
God is so good!

-Grace

The Movies. The Books.

Don't you just love watching those movies you grew up with? I just watched the 1953 version of Disney's Peter Pan with my niece, and it was funny how I recalled sitting in front of the TV in my nightgown, totally and completely engrossed in the movie. I'm glad my girl got to watch it. I thought it would maybe stimulate the imagination in her that hopefully never goes away. Because really, who didn't wish they could fly when they were a kid? I hope movies like these, the ones that shaped my childhood and made me dream in color, never go out of style.
Last night I watched The Phantom of the Opera with my mom and dad. Yeah, there's a reason it's one of the most fantastic musicals ever! When he hits that last note in Music of the Night, doesn't it just make you hold your breath? But I think if I had the chance to play any of the characters, it would be Carlotta. She's just hilarious and dramatic. Those always seem like the funniest characters to play.
Have you ever had someone ask if you've read the book of a recent movie adaption? Which do you prefer, reading the book before seeing the movie, or, well, the other way around? I know some parents want their kids to read the books first, books like The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It's a kind of strategy, I suppose, to get them off the computer, but it also seems like an opportunity to dive into a completely different world.... Like Kansas! Paradise, Ohio. Tucson, Smicksburg, Rosewood, San Diego. Middle-Earth, Palancar Valley, Persephone, Sharon (the latter is a place of my own creation ;-) ). Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, France.
That's one thing I want to do with my stories. I don't just want to take the reader on an adventure; I want to take them on a journey.

-Grace

Notes from Today

I would like to recap a few things my Pastor touched on before his sermon. The first thing on my notes is "We can't stay where we are," and he meant that spiritually. If we're walking with God, we should strive to always be moving forward in our faith, to not be stuck in our routine like Moses. We can't stay where we are, as in don't be content to stay where you are, be ready to move with God, wherever He may lead you.
On that note, and I really loved this, was "Don't be satisfied with bearing fruit, but bear more fruit. Don't be satisfied with bearing more fruit, bear much fruit." How that stood out to me!
And finally, my pastor was talking about how he looks forward to coming into work everyday, and he looks forward and even prays, "Lord, I hope there's a challenge for me today!" He even gets excited and prays that there's some problem he needs to deal with (which there sometimes is) or some person who's mad at him (which is also the case at times). But the one thing he said was that "we are on a great adventure!" And you know... he's right. And we should be treating our lives as an adventure. But remember, what makes life exciting is not the positive things, but often the bad/negative things. Yay, you found a good deal at Walmart. Sweet, that person let you into their lane. But your car broke down? Oh my gosh! You can't find the thumb drive with your entire powerpoint presentation on it? Aaahhh!!!
See what I mean? I liked this part of his pre-message. One reference he made was to Indiana Jones. Once we finish one adventure, we should be thirsty for the next one.
I've been dying to write this all day, so I hope you all enjoyed it. :-)

-Grace

Miniseries

I'm having a thought here.... Just to pass these tedious days of summer, I'm thinking of starting an online fiction/fantasy miniseries. What would it be about? I have no idea. As I said, it was just a thought. One thing I am worried about, though, is someone stealing it, and I really don't wanna have to go through all those "copyright" formalities. Hmmm. This I will have to ponder, and if all goes well... I guess some formalities are necessary. Thoughts? What would make a good miniseries? Just give me a few names, words, or plotlines and I'll see what I can do.

-Grace

"The Amazing Spider-Man"

So does The Amazing Spider-Man live up to the hype? Yes, it most certainly does. I saw the movie with my parents, having no idea that my dad was an apparent Spider-Man-junkie. I loved this new story, with characters I had only heard about, like The Lizard. Mr. Andrew Garfield did a fantastic job in capturing the haunted nature of Peter Parker after the death of his uncle. (Crap! I didn't mean to spoil that!) He actually reminded me a lot of my one brother. Him and this Peter Parker shared a lot of similarities, both physical and otherwise. Brooding, hoodies, kind of a recluse. Honestly it was refreshing. Peter was a wonderfully fleshed-out character, and Emma Stone portrayed Gwen Stacy beautifully. The family dynamics were intriguing to watch, as well as the relationship between Peter and Gwen. I also loved all the effects. To my surprise, it didn't at all distract me from the plot, take center-stage, but in fact added to the fascinating, scientific world which Peter has thrown himself into. Though I hardly see a movie which I don't end up liking for one reason or another, I would most certainly suggest this one to fans of the series, as well as those who fell in love with the first three movies. That, and I simply refuse to reveal any spoilers or other such details, so get off your computer and head to the theater!

-Grace

"Brave"

My mom and I were able to take my dad to see the Disney/Pixar movie Brave the other day. It was my second time seeing it, and I must say I'm liking it more and more. Firstly, hats off to the entire animation team. They did a wonderful job making an animated movie seem very real. As I understand it, Merida's hair was no small task, and I've actually found myself wishing I had her wild red locks. Anyway, this movie was amazing for so many reasons, besides the aforementioned animation. But I particularly like how they made it not a love story (like in Tangled though I like that one, too) but focused on the mother/daughter relationship between the elegant queen and headstrong princess. I don't want to give too much away, but I would recommend this movie to anyone, especially those of Scottish ancestry. The music is phenomenal, the characters beautifully sketched, and the scenery and landscaping are beyond captivating.
So in short, go screen this movie and see where it takes you.

-Grace