Jean Neff Guthrie's Blog, page 2
November 20, 2016
Thankful Quotes
A few years ago, when stores displayed Christmas trees the day after Halloween, I wrote a “thank you” Facebook post every day in November. I wanted to keep the spirit of Thanksgiving alive and present in its month. As I focused each day on what I appreciated, I noticed small miracles—unexpected gifts, fewer worries, more harmonious relationships. I decided to make a tradition of expressing thankfulness each day in November.
Following are some of my favorite quotes for the Thanksgiving season:
“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” Oprah Winfre
“When you are grateful – when you can see what you have – you unlock blessings to flow in your life.” Suze Orman
“When you practice gratefulness, there is a sense of respect toward others.” Dalai Lama
“Feeling gratitude isn’t born in us – it’s something we are taught, and in turn, we teach our children.” Dr. Joyce Brothers
“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” Willie Nelson
“I’m thankful for the ability to share my faith in a lot of different places. It’s something that I take as a responsibility and an obligation to handle as best as I can.” Tim Tebow
“Thanks to television, for the first time the young are seeing history made before it is censored by their elders.” Margaret Mead
Humor at Thanksgiving
Appreciation lightens the heart, and laughter makes it glow. Following are my favorite thankful quotes on the lighter side of life:
“Be thankful we’re not getting all the government we’re paying for.” Will Rogers
“I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose.” Woody Allen
Click here to read more thankful quotes
Jean Neff Guthrie is the author of Mystical Aria: Seeking the Gallion Queen , which hit Amazon #1 Best Seller in February, 2016. Visit www.JeanNeffGuthrie.com for novel highlights and purchase. Click here for VIP Access to Aria, which includes two free chapters, character map, promotions, news, fun facts, and more.
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October 30, 2016
Seven Similarities of Plots and Projects
On the surface, writing a novel and creating a software project schedule seem about as similar as sumo wrestling and calf roping. However, Jean Neff Guthrie—author of young adult science fiction novel, “Mystic Aria: Seeking the Gallion Queen,” and information technology program manager—reveals seven aspects that meld her two passions.
Plot and path. Every novel has its plot, and every schedule has its critical path to success. On any given day, both may appear as fiction.
Inevitably, adjustments are made in project schedules as the team uncovers uh-oh issues unknown at the beginning of the project. As a result, change requests are documented and adjustments are made to the project schedule. Similarly, great plots evolve with unexpected changes in characters and twists in events. What the reader didn’t expect elevates the emotional barometer and keeps the pages turning.
Begin and end. Every book has “Chapter One” and “The End.” According to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, a project “Is a temporary endeavor with a beginning and an end that creates a unique product, service, or result.”
Characters and resources. The cast of characters in a novel emulate the list of resources in a project schedule. The project resources typically plan, design, code, test, and deploy software. The novel’s characters fly in a spaceship, defeat evil, contact an alien queen, or try to kill Harry Potter.
Critical path of a project schedule depends on alignment of predecessors and successors. Thing one happens, then thing two, then thing three. For novels, authors skillfully sequence events to build emotion and suspense. Thing one happens, which leads to thing two that then causes someone to save Harry Potter.
Author and Sequels
Author and project manager. The author works with a team to publish a novel and prays that the target audience buys it. The project manager works with a team to document an agreed-upon schedule and distributes it to the stakeholders who hopefully buy in on it.
Sequels and releases. Many authors sprinkle hints of a sequel within their books, typically punctuated with a cliffhanger in the last paragraph. During IT software projects, a backlog of features become the schedule for future releases.
How easily a writer can adjust from novels to project schedules depends primarily on two qualities: imagination and perseverance.
Jean Neff Guthrie is the author of Mystical Aria: Seeking the Gallion Queen , which hit Amazon #1 Best Seller in February, 2016. Visit www.JeanNeffGuthrie.com for novel highlights and purchase. Click here for VIP Access to Aria, which includes two free chapters, character map, promotions, news, fun facts, and more.
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October 27, 2016
Dare-me Halloween Costumes
On Halloween, most of my friends dress up as vampires, witches, or main characters from recent superhero movies. I say “nuke to the no” for these boring choices. Give me a daring Halloween costume—disgusting, gross, or astro alien.
Here are my seven funtastic ideas for daring Halloween cloaks:
1. Ugly dog contest winner. Personally, I’d nominate the neighbor’s little, mangy mutt as a model.
2. Chewing gum stuck to the road. For extra laughs, I’ll add tire marks to show I’ve been run over by a car.
3. Dirty, stinky sock. I’ll look in my sister’s gym bag for inspiration. Ga-rooos!
4. Edgar from the Men in Black 1 movie. I’ll stuff my mouth and sleeves with bugs. Astro ga-rooos!
5. Cow with automatic milker that works on one side only. I’ll include a name tag, “Lopsided Lucy.”
6. Bermuda Triangle, with a plane that goes into me and then disappears.
7. The snake from Harry Potter movies. I’ll need to practice slithering and hissing first.
I dare you to join me on Halloween to go trick-or-treating in Virginia Beach dressed up in one of these outfits. Even if you take the easy road and wear a vampire cape or alien queen mask, stop at the Vanir house for dark chocolate goodies.
That’s my blog, and I’m sticking with it.
Aria Vanir, Earth Ambassador to the Gallions
Aria Vanir is the psychic tween protagonist in Jean Neff Guthrie’s young adult novel, “Mystical Aria: Seeking the Gallion Queen,” which hit Amazon #1 Best Seller in February 2016. Visit www.JeanNeffGuthrie.com for novel highlights and purchase. Click here for VIP Access to Aria, which includes two free chapters, character map, promotions, news, fun facts, and more.
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October 1, 2016
Pendant of One Hundred Faces
Who would have guessed that looking into an alien Pendant of One Hundred Faces would allow me to see another planet three galaxies away? I can watch Queen Supreme Nashata and other Gallions who live in a world of peace on planet Vitchera in the Jenegu Galaxy.
Queen Supreme Nashata gave me this pendant when we made first contact on the Gallion superspaceship, Rama XI. When I looked into it, I saw Gallion youngones in their mountain homes and adults feeding communicorns. As in, unicorns that sent and received messages. I wondered how I saw so much in a white crystal the size of my thumb.
Jackie tells me to spy on the Gallions. She’s such a bossy older sister. She’s all about spying, SEALs, and sports. She wants me to write reports on the status of the Gallion military and defense systems. Nuke to the no, I’m not doing that!
I want to watch the communicorns running in the meadows and aquards flying into the milky ocean by the capital city.
From observing the aquards, I believe they can stay underwater for at least eighteen minutes. Probably longer because I get bored of waiting for them to surface and play music on my tMuz instead. Since aquards look like solid-black bald eagles, it’s hard to tell them apart. Unfortunately, the pendant doesn’t let me see underwater for thorough aquard tracking.
Watching Alien Friends
I’ve yelled, “Hello!” to Princess LeSom while she’s in Central Quarter of the Gallion palace. She doesn’t answer. Guess the Pendant of One Hundred Faces doesn’t have audio. Perhaps Peakte, my favorite alien engineer, can make a modification to it next time the Gallions visit Earth.
I saw the queen supreme using her Gallery of Worlds to watch rulers of other planets on the Intergalactic Oversight Council. I wonder if she’s spying or simply observing.
Nashata’s son, Mitushi, spends most of his time reviewing mission strategies with his fleet captains. The Gallions don’t fight among themselves. They protect their planet from invaders mostly with their Shielders and spicy-fast superspaceships.
Once Mitushi turned his head away from his his fleet captains and looked directly at me. Like he sensed that I was watching him through the pendant from Earth.
Mitushi teaches us to be part of the wholeness. Maybe he’s so connected that he knows things around him, even when they aren’t there physically. I wonder if Mitusi is highly intuitive like me. If so, does the queen supreme hide his secret of psychic ability like my mom does for me?
The Gallion youngirls don’t shop as much as my friends and I. They get what they need from a manifester. I want a manifester so I don’t have to wear Jackie’s hand-me-downs.
I’ve never seen a Gallion try to ride one of the communicorns. If I ever fly to Vitchera, the first thing I want to do is ride a unicorn. How funtastic!
For now, I’ll watch the Gallions–my alien friends–from far away.
That’s my blog, and I’m sticking with it.
Aria Vanir, Earth Ambassador to the Gallions
Aria Vanir is the psychic tween protagonist in Jean Neff Guthrie’s young adult novel, “Mystical Aria: Seeking the Gallion Queen,” which hit Amazon #1 Best Seller in February 2016. Visit www.JeanNeffGuthrie.com for novel highlights and purchase. Click here for VIP Access to Aria, which includes two free chapters, character map, promotions, news, fun facts, and more.
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September 8, 2016
2016 Decatur Book Festival Photoblog
Autographing novel for customer. Readers of all ages enjoy the adventures of Aria Vanir and the alien queen.
Visiting Jessica Parker of BookLogix, the firm that edited “Mystical Aria: Seeking the Gallion Queen.”
Telling the audience how a tDiary message from tween psychic, Aria Vanir, reaches Queen Supreme Nashata.
Autographing copies of the novel on sidewalk of downtown Decatur, Georgia.
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July 10, 2016
Queen of my Own Sandcastle
7/11/2028
Dear tDiary,
When I build sandcastles with my BFF, Tommy Manger, I dream about being the queen of my own castle. What would it look like, and how would I spend my days?
My huge, gold throne is covered with roses that don’t have thorns. The roses come from buses planted outside. Their branches climb the castle walls and enter my throne room through large windows.
I have a barn full of unicorns. Tommy and I ride them in the evenings to the top of the highest hill, where we watch magnificent sunsets.
Jackie can still be my older sister in my sandcastle, but she doesn’t get to boss me around. Frankly, I’d like it better if she’d get her own castle.
Tommy def hangs out in my castle. We have a huge room devoted to high-tech entertainment, where we watch science fiction movies after dinner. Sometimes the movies haven’t even been released yet, like Galactic Gina III.
When I’m queen of my own castle, I never have to do laundry or clean my room. I have handmaiden gnomes for that. The grass never needs to be mowed because the unicorns keep it short. It only rains at night so we can swim in the moat or race unicorns any day.
My favorite ballet teacher and the girls I like in dance class come to my castle. We rehearse in a sunny room full of mirrors with a live orchestra. We practice for hours without our feet hurting or getting tired. The gnomes bring us water from an enchanted spring and fruit picked from the orchard that morning.
In my castle, Dad doesn’t have to go on SEAL missions unless it’s to save stranded dolphins. There’s no war or terrorists or bombings in the lands around my castle.
Mom has a hot tub on a stone porch outside her and Dad’s bedroom because she’s always wanted that. We can have spa time and watch shooting stars after my unicorn rides.
Sandcastle Alien Queen
Good aliens, like the Gallions, are invited to my sandcastle any time. I’ll host a ceremony for the Gallion Queen Supreme, Nashata, on a Saturday night so we can stay up late and listen to Princess LeSom and the Elvins play revorock. Nashata’s the most astro alien queen in the universe, even though she’s the only alien queen I know. At least for now.
Life is good in my sandcastle. Life is even better when I share it with friends–and good aliens.
That’s my blog, and I’m sticking with it.
Aria Vanir
Aria Vanir is the psychic tween protagonist in Jean Neff Guthrie’s young adult novel, “Mystical Aria: Seeking the Gallion Queen,” which hit Amazon #1 Best Seller in February 2016. Visit www.JeanNeffGuthrie.com for novel highlights and purchase. Click here for VIP Access to Aria, which includes two free chapters, character map, promotions, news, fun facts, and more.
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July 2, 2016
June 9, 2016
End of School
6/16/2028
Dear tDiary,
The only thing better than making a curtsy at the end of spring ballet recital is walking out of my last class for the school year. Yeah, summer at Virginia Beach is here!
Summer is me time. No one tells me when to get up for school or what to study or what to rehearse for the next recital. I’m free!
Summer at the Beach
I can’t wait for all the fun I’m going to have building sandcastles with Tommy, learning new spins at ballet camp, going to visitor day at the naval base where Dad works, and reading the latest Galactic Gina book I got for my birthday.
Jackie said she’d teach me how to surf. I’m ready. I’m too big for my boogie board.
I can’t wait until I’m old enough to drive a WaveRunner by myself. For now, I still love riding behind Dad or Drake, bouncing across the waves like a dolphin.
I can’t decide which WaveRunner driver I prefer—Dad or Drake. Dad’s astro because he’s a SEAL and has a military thingy tattoo. But Drake is so HOT and I can’t tell anyone because he’s Tommy’s older brother and I’d die if anyone knew I liked him. I think maybe Drake’s Mom knows I like him because she tells him to take me for a ride on the WaveRunner whenever we’re at the beach and Dad is away on a mission. Maybe Drake will like my new bathing suit and actually talk nice to me instead of calling me Tommy’s chick shadow.
Then there’s the Gallions. I still can’t believe their Queen Supreme sent me a message through this tDiary. I wonder if she’d like to ride on a WaveRunner. The Gallions look part mermaid with tentacles instead of arms and long, web hands. I bet they can swim Olympic fast.
Maybe I’ll ask Jackie if she’ll teach the alien queen, Nashata, how to surf. Hopefully Jackie won’t try to interrogate her.
I hope the Gallions come to visit us this summer. No one else I know has aliens as house guests. We can have tea at my Hospitality Station each morning and then go to the beach. If it rains, we can watch the new X-Files movie.
Aliens watching a movie that humans made about whether to believe in ETs. Won’t that be nuke funny!
That’s my blog, and I’m sticking with it.
Aria Vanir
Aria Vanir is the psychic tween protagonist in Jean Neff Guthrie’s young adult novel, “Mystical Aria: Seeking the Gallion Queen,” which hit Amazon #1 Best Seller in February 2016. Visit www.JeanNeffGuthrie.com for novel highlights and purchase. Click here for VIP Access to Aria, which includes two free chapters, character map, promotions, news, fun facts, and more.
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