Molly Ringle's Blog, page 19

Some concerns about Sauron's battle plan.

Found on Pinterest. Yay Pinterest!

Go here to view and delight in it:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/101260691595592872/

On writing a series

My favorite influences, of the moment, for series that do a good job juggling large casts, humor, angst/tragedy, romance, a teen angle, and a strong supernatural element: the Harry Potter books, the Buffy TV series, and the Avatar: the Last Airbender series.

Why I mention this:
This Greek myth series has been giving me a writing experience I've rarely had: that of handling a large cast, over a sprawling amount of time, with lots of subplots and embedded smaller stories. (Thus "The Chrysomelia...

Desert aesthetics

One type of Christmas card or holiday image I always particularly liked was the star of Bethlehem scene: a lovely star in a deep blue winter night sky, over the warm yellow-tan hues of desert sand and camels and torchlit Middle East ancient buildings. Not because of the religious moment, but because of the colors and the beauty of the composition. So I think one reason I long to visit the Southwest, especially in winter when all we have up here is gray, is that they have that same color palet...

Persephone Sinks Back Into the Earth

A couple of years ago, as the spring equinox approached, I wrote a short piece about Persephone digging herself out to get the season going. Today is the autumn equinox, and I've finally written a corresponding piece about her descending back to the Underworld. There. We now have a pair of equinox bookends.

I should note that these two vignettes do not feature the same Persephone and Hades that I've written about in Persephone's Orchard. The Persephone and Hades shown here are more magical and...

Malabar spinach for hot weather

Edible plant spotlight: Like fresh spinach, but don't like how it bolts and gives up in hot weather? Plant Malabar spinach instead. It likes to climb or form vines, loves sun and warmth, and tastes similar to fresh spinach. Grows robust shiny leaves, not limp like regular spinach leaves. I planted some from seed here in Seattle, and it didn't even sprout until the heat got going later in summer--which is exactly when most salad greens give up for the season. It's been quite happy since then,...

Take Back Halloween

Halloween approaches! Source your costumes now. And may I highly suggest Take Back Halloween for some awesome ideas? They are the nicest and smartest people, and the costumes are doable even for those of us who cannot sew. The Persephone costume, for example, which I'll likely try, just requires folding and pinning a sheet over your shoulders and tying a rope around your waist. Can do!

Or be a pirate: Anne Bonny, Mary Read, or Ching Shih...or Amelia Earhart or Frida Kahlo or the cross-dressing...

On Hades' purple cloak. Purple, what?

Her gaze landed upon a young man across the room in a dark purple cloak, his beard clipped short, his curly black hair braided back and adorned with a wreath of ivy—much less showy than the bright spring flowers Persephone and the others wore in honor of the equinox. He stood apart from the others, squinting against the bright sun as he gazed out the window at the sea.

Soon he turned his head and noticed her. The brooding expression on his face evaporated as he regarded her, an appreciative sm...

Cyndi Tefft: Even In Darkness blog tour

Today I am pleased to transform this space into a stop on the blog tour for Cyndi Tefft, fellow Seattle author! Her paranormal Scottish-Highlander romance series, beginning with Between and followed by Hell Transporter, just received its third installment, Even in Darkness, and I think it's the coolest of the series yet.

The short takeaway on the series: If you liked Gabaldon's Outlander series and crave more, or liked the idea of it but found that one too long and involved, try Cyndi Tefft's...

How Pinteresting

I have succumbed to what I thought was the time-wasting madness but turns out to be more like the hypnotic relaxation. Yes, I am talking about Pinterest! I am not the kind of person who tacks physical pages to physical boards as a method of organization or inspiration, so I was reluctant to join that site. But if anyone had told me how lovely and QUIET it is on Pinterest, I would have joined sooner. There is an option for leaving comments, but most of the time, no one does so. You just silent...

Guest post: Kaitlin Bevis on Persephone and mythic fiction

Today for a guest post I'm excited to welcome Kaitlin Bevis, author of the Daughters of Zeus series! She has explored the Persephone myth (among others) in her books, and explains its origins and her adaptation of it here.

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Guest author Kaitlin Bevis:

Myths were passed on and adapted through oral retellings through multiple cultures, and retold by a variety of authors. Homer, Ovid, Virgil and many other classical writers each put their own spin on the myths to suite their stories, just as...