80 Post Challenge – Post 39

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Ileandra Young

Have you ever seen a ghost?

cartoon ghost from OpenClipArtI’m guessing films don’t count, right? I mean I’ve seen Casper, developed a crush on Devon Sawa when I was only just slightly older than him (even though I wasn’t much of a fan of blondes at the time). I’ve seen Ghostbusters, The Sixth Sense and several other odd films that feature ghosts here, there and everywhere.

But that’s not what you mean.

Okay; well I thought I saw one once. Then I realised that it was just the end of my duvet and that I was kacking myself for no reason, so really, I guess the short answer to that question is no. No, I haven’t, but not for want of looking.

After Casper, not that I believed in them particularly, but I always thought it would be cool to see one. I liked the idea that they were (sometimes) friendly and that they were just people who had lost their way. Everyone can relate to getting lost once in a while, right? Its just a shame that these people are dead and lost. It seems like a bit of a raw deal and I used to feel sorry for them.

Then ghosts started getting scary. I remember we had a neighbour was (and hopefully still is!) Canadian. Lovely chap who would stop and chat to you over the wall. He caught my dad one day (I say caught because at times when you’re late for school and you really have to get the bus, there really is no time to stop for a chat!) and they ended up talking about the ‘ghost carriage’ that supposedly rumbled across the park on Halloween night, a good eight feet off the ground. It marked where the level of the grass used to be before they levelled the place to make a park, you see.

And this chap reckoned he’d seen it. And I seem to remember him always asking my dad if he wanted to join him visiting the park at stupid’o’clock (he probably didn’t call it that) on Halloween night to see if he could spot it.

I don’t think he ever did, but I would have liked to. Shame really, because it was always passed my bedtime and by the time I was old enough that such a thing was less of an issue, I’d stopped caring. Aaah well.

 

 

 

 

My 80 Post Challenge is brought to you with help from Tom Slatin’s 80 Journal Writing Prompts.

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Six Sentence Sunday 20/11

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Ileandra Young

I’m getting quite into this Six Sentence Sunday thing, and I like the idea that I can share with you so simple a piece of my work with little or no effort.

So… this is six sentences from Silk Over Razor Blades, the piece currently on the look out for willing beta readers. Remember; let me know!

“I’m not pregnant, Ramona!”

“How do you know?”

Ileandra thought back to that morning’s search. “I just do; trust me.” She slammed the testing kit back into the cabinet and flushed the toilet; watching food and coffee swirl down and away, with a tired sigh.

At least one persistent fact from the websites was true; vampires could not eat human food.

Six Sentence Sunday

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80 Post Challenge – Post 38

Posted on November 19, 2011 by Ileandra Young

Name one thing you feel brings out the good in people.

Yellow happy smile from wikimedia commonsThis is going to sound cheesy as hell. I beg you not to hate me, particularly since I believe this very, very firmly….

A laugh and a smile.

Yes, the pair combined.

Obviously of the pair can do wonderful things, but put them both together and you’ll be surprised at what you get out of people. Face to face, across the phone, it all works.

Did you know that you can hear a smile? Did you? That if you are smiling, it comes across in your voice far better than anybody (except perhaps the most talented of actors) is able to recreate? Its automatic. A real smile leads to real warmth and people can feel that when you talk to them. Laughing only makes it that much better and such a thing really does have the power to heal.

Something so simple as a laugh and a smile, can lift people out of a dark place. It can give hope to those who have been stuck without those human rights (yes, I feel they are human rights) so long that they forget what they feel like.

Have you ever felt so low, so down, that nothing was going to help you? I have. I went for a walk that day; just a short one but it took me through vast crowds of people. I kept my pace fast and my head down, trying to work off some of what I was feeling. It didn’t work. I stomped all the way back home (full prepared to let rip at my house mates) and was almost onto my street when somebody bumped into me. They excused themselves. I looked up. They smiled and then laughed! Just a small chuckle – not malicious or vindictive or anything like that. It was an embarrassed titter.

But it lit me up. I could feel it. Something inside swelled like a flower and I found myself smiling back! It didn’t solve the problem – of course it bloody didn’t! – but it made me feel better about finding ways to solve it. Bringing that smile to my face, and matching that titter – a nervous reflex, but a laugh nonetheless – woke me up, shook me and reminded me that things could have been a lot worse.

And fuck yeah; was I right about that. Lol, I’ve had a lot of ups and downs since then, but something that I always try to reminder is to smile and laugh. If I can’t do both… at least one. If frees me up to do better things and I’m sure it does the same for others too.

Hmm… have I drifted from the point there? Perhaps slightly. But I still feel pretty good right now. 😀

 

 

 

 

My 80 Post Challenge is brought to you with help from Tom Slatin’s 80 Journal Writing Prompts.

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Book Review: Digital Fortress

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Ileandra Young

Author: Dan Brown
Title: Digital Fortress
Genre: Thriller
ISBN: 9780552151696

‘When the National Security Agency’s invincible code-breaking machine encounters a mysterious code in cannot break, the agency calls in its head cryptographer, Susan Fletcher, a brilliant, beautiful mathematician.’

-_- Lord.
How old is this book *flicks through front pages* okay 1998.

In that case I’ll forgive how dated it is and make sure that keep in mind that this is Mr Brown’s first thriller. But after than my leniency ends.

Twelve pages in and I was already pissed off by floating perspectives, irritating lovey-dovey perfect man-woman couples of brilliantness, and the persistent, protracted spiels of how great one person is or how unlucky another is. I feel somehow that the Phoenix Writers would have a field day with this one.

From the start my brain was hammered with pages and pages of back story gunk that the tale itself just did not want. I knew all about how the perfect couple met and how they were getting married and how well done they liked their bloody toast (that’s an exaggeration) but none of it is relevant to the rest of the book.

I suppose it terms of story, if I want a mindless read, there’s enough there to keep me happy. Its plain enough English that all the ‘technical’ and ‘science’ speak isn’t too taxing to get your head around and therefore one is able to merrily keep turning the pages while half singing along to whatever Radio One might be playing.

Since I am one of those people who refuses to leave a book without finishing it (damnit!) I did get to the end of the piece, but I’ll tell you what; 100 pages from the end I was begging for it all to stop. I knew who the ‘killer’ was. I knew what the code was. I knew that nobody would be able to fix it except for the perfect couple reunited across the miles to confess their love and save the day as a sort of afterthought. I suppose its fortunate they could be distracted well enough from each other to make sure the world got saved; or else where would we be?!

Humph.

I don’t mean to be quite so venomous – or maybe I do? – but this chap is the same one who wrote the Da Vinci Code. Now there’s another book I’ve not read, but with all the hype and films and gushing that happens about it, I have to wonder if its one of those things that’s all smoke and no fire. *ahem*Twilight!*ahem*

Perhaps because, at the end of the day, I myself am so normal, I hate wonderfully beautiful characters and incredibly intelligent leads. For goodness sake, the best stories are about people and the mistakes that we make, but if these people are so perfect then it just makes it all the more irksome when they do something daft! Like the characters of this book seemed to do over and over and over.

Meh. I picked this up for free from a book-swap at work so I shouldn’t complain too much. I’ll just say that it was entertaining enough, but if I wanted something I’d pick up and read again, this book is not it. Soweee.

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Liebster Blog Award

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Ileandra Young

How awesome! I’ve never won an award before, so I can only say thank you again and again to Maria for awarding it to me. 😀 As well as that I MUST apologise for taking so long in getting this thing up here. I cannot believe I forgot! How much do I absolutely suck. -_- Soweee… forgiveness? I have cookies…!

So… those those who don’t know, this award is all about showcasing bloggers with less than 200 followers.

Its a fabulous idea and I’m thrilled to be awarded so I feel its only fair I pass on the love and highlight five other bloggers with less than 200 followers.

Vincent Holland-Keen @ Dragons Fandango
Designs computer systems and is currently the director/editor of Un:Bound Video Editions.

Theresa Derwin @ Terror Tree
Book reviewer and lover of horror, fantasy and SF (thanks to her father who raised her on 50s Sci-Fi Universal Monsters, tango & popcorn).

Michelle Wolfson @ Wolfson Literary Agency
Established literary agent and new blogger aiming to compliment her prolific Twitter presence.

Johanna K P @ The Manicheans
Lawyer, piano player and cat lover (yey cats!) prolific blogger too!

Leona Wisoker @ The Writing of a Wisoker on the Loose
Started writing super duper young (like meeeeeee! ^_^) and published her first novel Secrets Of The Sands in April 2010.

Well done everybody! Have one of these!

And don’t forget… now you’ve been given the award; you need to do the same. Highlight five other blogs you’ve found with less that 200 followers and spread the love! ^_^

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