L.Y. Levand's Blog, page 37

December 01st, 2012

Troy watched Beenie fly away, and his whiskers drooped.

"Mom's going to kill me," he murmured. His tail dropped to the ground. He didn't want to go back and find his mom, but he didn't want to go after Beenie, either. She'd gone up into the tree branches, and flown after the hedgehog.

He thought he knew where the hedgehog was going, though. His nose twitched. Maybe he could go there, and wait to see if Beenie showed up. Then, if she needed his help, he could...well...try to help.

He perked up a little bit. If she didn't need his help, he could go home.

As he scampered around the trees, he hoped that she wouldn't need his help. If she needed his help, then they were both going to get in big trouble.

November 30th, 2012

I love my imagination. It takes me fun places, and drops great stories right into my lap when I least expect it.

I do not, however, enjoy it when my brain decides it's going to work out one or more stories I've forgotten about. It did this last night. To make it even better, I was less than half awake for this, and found myself incapable of making it stop while I was whisked around in a funny dreamland that was somehow related to a scifi story idea I had years ago. (Since when do staircases squish you if you don't go down them fast enough?)

I just love it when that kind of night is immediately followed by an alarm clock going off, and me waking up so completely that there is no way on earth I can go back to sleep. Note sarcasm.

Anyone else ever have nights like that?

November 29 Interview with Ann T. Bugg

Author Ann T. Bugg
Ann T. Bugg is the Queen of her castle in southern Minnesota where she lives with her Knight in shining armor (who has come to her rescue more than once) and her own little Princess Valerie. The pets in her magical kingdom come in all shapes and sizes, as do all the critters that make their way out of the enchanted forest. Horseback riding, long walks with her dogs (Otter & Dottie pictured above) and embroidering are on her list of hobbies, but writing will always be her first love.
Ann also writes Women's Fiction under the name June Kramin.

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Interview With Author Ann T. Bugg

1: In your books, there's a magic mirror that transports two girls into a fantasy world. What made you choose the idea of a mirror?

I guess since I was having them run into Snow White, I tried to incorporate familiar things from that story. This is a case of my reality spewing into my writing. I had a beautiful, heavy mirror with a black swan wrapping up the side. It was ruined in a basement flood. I envisioned that being abandoned out in our barn since it was ruined and something like that happening. It did sit covered with a tarp a long time before I cold bear to part with it.

2: In what way is the magical world through the mirror set up? (Are there countries and kingdoms, for example.)

There are a few different kingdoms named throughout a few of the books. The girls travel quite a distance walking & sometimes by wagon with the help of friends. In one book, they actually go back and discover some things they left hidden years before. I've always wanted my daughter to make a map of the first couple books. The mirror isn't always the key. In a few books they visit other "realms" as well. I didn't want to make King Arthur Cinderella's neighbor. ;) That's where other helpful characters like Merlin the magician come in handy. In one book they discover the city of gold. Long story short (too late...) it isn't any one place throughout the series.

3: Samantha goes to visit Valerie in the summer when they find the mirror. Why?

Again, more real life spewing into the books. The girls live 5 hours apart. We actually have Samantha for a week each summer. Once I had the first one done, it just seemed like a good idea to use that to continue. Of course since they age a year each book, I've quickly written myself out of a series I'm toying with some vacation destinations & winter vacation books, but I'm not sure how to go about it. Book 3 1/2? LOL... we'll see what happens.

4: Did you originally plan to make this a series?

In a word - no. I wasn't sure I'd finish #1 let alone now be sitting on 9. I just thought of my favorite stories & how those 2 would handle the situation. They really are fun to work with! They are the bosses in real life and on paper!

5: Is there anything you would change about your books now that they're published?

I don't think so. The stories are obviously very close to my heart. I had one reader not like the point of view & think that it was wrong for what the gnome knew - but that's what 1st person omni is. The narrator knows all. I didn't mean to be confusing - it's just how the story unfolded. It's meant for 8-12 years old. I think the more directions you can see things and have them explained - the better. I've read it so much - I don't think I could change it if I wanted to. Everyone else has loved the gnome. I've made t-shirts with him. He stays :)

6: What was your inspiration for writing about Samantha and Valerie?

They are easy targets! Some days watching them is like watching a Disney show. They never actually played the game that I have them play in #1, but I just saw them doing it. Some day we are going to sit down & invent it! All the ditties come from them. I'm waiting for the non-fan mail from parents. "Thanks. Now my child walks around saying 'Loser loser, double loser....'" LOL

7: What was your target audience for these books, and why did you choose that particular one?

Middle Grade - ages 8-12. They were 8 when I started writing the books. I learned kids like to read about kids their own age so that's where I kept it. I see a lot of Young Adult these days where the swear words fly. I wanted to keep it clean. (okay... I have my mom in mind there, too. :)

8: Are you planning on doing any more books with Samantha and Valerie?

I'm hoping to fit a few more in before I call this quits. I haven't ruled out writing some YA with them... it will just have to take a back burner right now to a lot of my women's fiction that is coming out. If I don't have too many pots on the fire, I'm not doing it right!

Thanks!



Book 1


Book 1: Through the Mirror and into Snow (Snow White)
When best friends Valerie and Samantha discover a magic mirror in Val’s 100-year-old barn in southern Minnesota, they eagerly go through it. Immediately they run into the young Snow White, who has just escaped the huntsman. The girls vow to help her find her father, knowing the dangers that await. On their journey, the fun-loving double-trouble duo quickly discover they are caught up in the middle of their favorite fairy tales.

Having the knowledge of the stories as their only weapon, Val and Sam help two other princesses, make a surprising friend and discover they have a fairy godmother of their very own.


Book 2



Book 2: Into the Forest and Down the Tower (Rapunzel)
It’s time for Samantha’s summer visit again. Both she and Val are anxious to see if they will take another magical journey through the mirror. After learning of a problem with one of the horses, Odette makes her appearance and tells the girls it’s up to them to help him.

What Charlie needs is something that can only be found in their magical land. It can’t be given to them; they have to solves riddles and discover the answers themselves. A family of elves guides them, but even elf powers are limited when it comes to what stands between the girls and what they seek.

Trolls and unicorns were everything they imagined and more, but rescuing Rapunzel from her tower was an added bonus they never saw coming.


Book 3



Book 3: Off to Camp and Discovering Art (King Arthur)
Valerie and Samantha are disappointed that their schedules were not allowing them to spend a week together this summer like they have done every year since they were young. Their parents are able to plan a weekend camping trip towards the end of summer. The girls are happy for the visit, but sad to think they can’t go through the mirror this year on another adventure. They discover the magic is not only within the mirror, but within themselves when they are together. Merlin the magician shows up to take them on their quest to help Arthur find his true identity and his place in Camelot.
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November 28th, 2012

I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer.  ~Jim Carrey

In a time and place where most people think primarily of things and accomplishments, it must be something of a shock to see someone who's successful saying that wealth and fame aren't the answer. Why? Because, for most of us, wealth would make our lives easier, and it's what we dream about. But, perhaps, the people who have fame and fortune would like what the rest of us have. Our lives may be difficult, but they're simple. And we're not in such a place where each friend may just be pretending to care for you in exchange for something they want.

November 27th, 2012

Thanksgiving is over, and you have all those empty pie tins left, cluttering up your counter, your fridge, or your dishwasher. What do you do with them? Throw them away? Or...turn them into a fun craft for your kids?

You'll need beads or colored beans - or even macaroni, and glue. Set up your kids at the kitchen table (spreading it with newspaper first might be a good idea) and have them glue patterns of their beads around the edges of the tins. You can also give them glitter, if you don't mind getting the stuff everywhere.

When the glue has dried, you have little candy dishes, candle holders, napkin holders, or potpourri containers to give as gifts! Or you could just save them to hang around your garden to scare away animals. That works, too.

November 26th, 2012

Well, Thanksgiving is over, and if you're like most of us, you probably still feel a little sleepy and bloated from the weekend.

The first thing you should do is ration your leftovers. You do not have to eat all that leftover turkey in one day. The pie is probably gone, but if not, you don't have to eat all that at one time, either. Stuffing yourself - again - is not going to make you feel better. I would advise you to eat lots of fruits and veggies, and drink lots of water. That should help you out.

November 25th, 2012

How many of us have looked at one Bible verse once, and thought we understood everything it said?

Most of us, I think. And yet, even looking at something as simple as a flower, can you see everything? No, you have to keep looking, and you have to dissect, and you have to watch how it grows, how it reproduces, what happens when there's not enough water, when there's too much water. And still, do you understand it? No. You still don't know what happens when you put food coloring in the water, or when you grow it inside, or when it's cold, or when it's hot.

So how can we look at one Bible verse, and assume to know it's meaning?

November 24th, 2012

Beenie flew forward, frowning. She could tell that Troy wasn't following her - at least, not yet. She wasn't sure where the hedgehog had gone, so she flew upward, zooming past leaves and branches. And then...she saw him. He was waddling through the dead leaves, the package still held tightly in his teeth.

Beenie smiled and clapped her hands. Then she flew forward, trying to catch up to him; she had to stay up high, so she'd know where to go. She dodged twigs, leaves, and, occasionally, birds. They would twitter at her angrily and fly away.

She wondered if Troy would try to follow her. She felt a little sad about leaving him behind, and wondered if he was sad about being left. She hoped he wouldn't get in trouble with his mother for letting her go off without him.

November 23rd, 2012

Good morning/afternoon/evening! I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving yesterday, and didn't eat too much.

If you did eat a little much, and are feeling a little bloated, here are a few of the things I do when I feel that way:

Drink lots of water
Eat more fruits and veggies
Do a light workout (key word being LIGHT)
Avoid lots of sugar or fat

Oh, and if you're out shopping for Black Friday, drive safe, don't trample each other, and if you don't get that item you wanted, just remember everything you were thankful for yesterday!

November 22nd, 2012

First of all, WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON THE COMPUTER? You should be enjoying your day with family and friends, and stuffing yourself full of turkey. Second, if you came to read my blog, I suppose I'd better make it worthwhile, yes? So here's an email on gratitude I found in my inbox this morning, written by Gary Henry of Enthusiastic Ideas.

Gratitude (November 22) “Gratitude is the memory of the heart” (J. B. Massieu).

THIS IS THE SEASON FOR THE GIVING OF THANKS. The harvest is complete, provisions have been made for the winter months ahead, and as the snows begin to fall, we take time for one of the year’s most delightful customs, the tradition of Thanksgiving.

“Gratitude,” as J. B. Massieu defined it, “is the memory of the heart.” Just as the intellect can recall truths that are positive and enriching, the heart can remember events that were joyful and blessings that were needed. Gratitude is the appreciative remembrance of these things. It’s the recollection of good things that came to us over and beyond our merits, the appreciation of grace.

Gratitude happens to be one of the most powerful gifts we’re able to give to those around us. Not many of us can resist its power. When someone expresses real appreciation for something we’ve done, that expression is a gift that calls forth the very best qualities within us. We respond to it with a healthy desire to be even more encouraging to others in the future. So why can’t we give that gift more often to those people we deal with daily? They’d respond to our gratitude in the same way we respond to theirs! By giving ourselves to them as grateful individuals, we would have granted them a wonderful grace.

In truth, most of us are grateful to some extent. The problem is, we either don’t make that gratitude known or we don’t make it known in a timely way. As a Greek proverb puts it, “Swift gratitude is the sweetest.” As powerful as the gift of gratitude is, it loses its potency with every day (indeed, every hour) that passes between the reception of the benefit and the expression of our gratitude for it. So that thank-you note needs to be mailed as quickly as we can get it written!

Nowadays, most of us would have to say that our lives have been blessed bountifully. Whatever problems or needs we might’ve experienced, these are not as great as the good things that we’ve been privileged to enjoy. It’s a fact that we live in an age of “affluence.” But if we don’t properly appreciate the manifold goodnesses that grace our lives, we might as well be poor. Indeed, we ARE poor, in the very worst sense, if our hearts aren’t storehouses of gratitude.

“It is only with gratitude that life becomes rich” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer).

Gary Henry – WordPoints.com