tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10398859513892478972024-02-20T17:25:57.615-05:00Mischief, Mystery, and MagicKristina Schram is the author of several fantasy, YA, paranormal gothic romance, and odd adventure books. She likes the weird, the macabre, and the fantastical. Her motto: Weird is good, bizarre is better.Kristina Schramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16247127901119453576noreply@blogger.comBlogger135125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039885951389247897.post-71360973272594839252014-07-29T11:13:00.003-04:002014-08-02T13:41:02.946-04:00Ghosts in a Graveyard<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love this twin gravestone for a husband and wife.</td></tr>
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First off, I'm a writer of paranormal gothic romances, so it's pretty obvious I love all things spooky and strange. Lately I've been posting photos on my Facebook and Twitter sites relating to the paranormal, romantic, gothic, and the haunted. I thought I'd like to do a little more from the paranormal angle so I tried coming up with ideas on what to post.<br />
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It wasn't hard. Having lived in New England for 17 years now, I've noticed this area has a LOT of graveyards. Just within a couple miles of our house, there are five that I know about. Our yard even has one! Believe it or not, that was a selling point in its favor when we bought the house.<br />
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So I grabbed my cell phone and traveled to the various graveyards, five in all. I took numerous photographs of gravestones, stone entryways and walls, wrought-iron gates, and the like. It was a nice time - graveyards are so peaceful - and I looked forward to going to others another day.<br />
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Then I found something.<br />
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To be clear, I wasn't looking for paranormal activity - the thought never even crossed my mind, actually. I just like graveyards and they, of course, are often considered places linked to the paranormal. The last graveyard I visited was the largest and I spent some time there, wandering in and out amongst the tombstones, snapping pictures and enjoying the sunny day (though, being me, I would've preferred a dark and gusty one).<br />
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When I got home, I downloaded the photos onto my computer and scrolled
through them. About 10-12 photos into the last graveyard, I noticed two
photos, one taken right after the other, that seemed to be washed out. I
was disappointed, since those photos are the only ones I took of that
particular tombstone. Thinking I would probably delete them, I scrolled
farther down and noticed another photo of a different gravestone that
had the same effect, though more localized. Hmm.... That was odd.
The first two photos I figured were from a sun effect. The strange thing was, my back was to
the sun. You can actually see my shadow on the tombstone.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gravestone Monument - Photo 1</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gravestone Monument - Photo 2</td></tr>
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I have to admit I kind of think the first photo looks like a fish - see the eye and mouth on the right side of the monument? Had I caught a ghost fish? Weird, which brings me to another weird thing - what is that open space (the eye) where there isn't any blue/purple? A head? A smudge? I really don't know. But I know it ain't right. Ha.<br />
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With the third photo,
the sun was more to my left and the tombstone was in shadows, though I
think I was standing in the sun when I took the picture. This stone was on the opposite side of the graveyard and much closer to the entrance. Note the two 'open' spots on the far right.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gravestone With Odd Blue/Purple Streaker</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Having a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology, I've had a lot of training on how to be a scientist. Some would call psychology a 'soft' science because it's a nebulous subject to study - how do you measure behavior or personality in a standardized fashion when humans are so unique? But because of that bias, I think at some level we are trained to be even more rigorous and untrusting.<br />
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So naturally I had to set about debunking the pictures. I looked up blue/purple streaks on the Internet for camera phones and found nothing for my particular phone. I think an apple phone might have had some pinkish-blue effect, but it didn't look like what I had and I don't have an apple phone. Not finding anything obviously doesn't mean there isn't a problem with the camera on the phone, but as far as I could see, no one else had posted any of those problems on the Internet. I have never had this issue before, and haven't had it since (though it's only been a few days).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ghost Hunting</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Was it a sun effect? Well, I had to be sure. The next day was gusty and gray and I took my boys along with me to do a little 'ghost' hunting. We're amateurs at best, but we tried our best to go in with open, scientific minds. We had 3 different cameras going, 2 camera phones and one regular one. We took a lot of pictures, my youngest tried to entice the 'ghost' with promises of fame if it showed itself, then headed back home, the rain starting before we'd gone ten feet.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Family Affair</td></tr>
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We got nothing. No blue streaks, no faces, no strange forms, no odd experiences (though I didn't have any strange experiences the day before, either). The youngest was very disappointed, but he has learned how hard it is to be a ghost hunter.<br />
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Did I do something to the camera? Maybe I touched the lens and created the streak. It was quite possible with my fumble fingers. So this morning I tried my theory out. I took two pictures with my back to the sun and two facing it. Before each shot, I rubbed my finger over the lens, quite thoroughly, and took the picture. Nothing. All four were clear as a bell. I'd like to say that eliminates that theory as an explanation, but maybe not. Maybe it depends on the angle of the sun and I wasn't at the same angle as I'd been with those 3 photos. Who knows?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Graveyard on a Dark and Windy Day</td></tr>
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In the end, I had a fun time taking pictures of the old graves around the area and I plan to write another blog talking about the 'stories' behind a few of the stones - stories derived just by reading the tributes.<br />
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So what do you think? Ghost or camera malfunction? As much as I'd like to think I was visited by someone or something from a different realm - a haunted realm - I also am not someone who wants to deceive others or myself.<br />
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But it <i>is</i> fun to believe, if only for a little while, isn't it?<br />
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Update (8/2/14) ~ A friend of mine who knows photography said that what I was experiencing was a color banding issue. Okay. Makes sense. Well, my family and I were out and about yesterday, visiting several different sites around Portsmouth. One place we stopped was a cemetery, and guess what? I got two more photos here (of the same object - an angel) with the coloring issues...but <i>nowhere</i> else. What we can't figure out is why this 'issue' happens only in cemeteries! Here's one of the angel photos:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angel Statue in South Cemetery</td></tr>
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You be the judge...<br />
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For more Mischief, Mystery, and Magic... <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpMKyffyshWbj-S4YaW_ML1v0zRCwc7ddR8kr9eUdHKxetABn0WQKQ85Swhriudgj9x5c6dCm1rIC1kJnNFv5NzwCiJ-l-ZHK3iSiuCl0gbiec2JfJhuo4gGk_kF8KWOeM46XKznXcXV0/s1600/BookCoverBarnes+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpMKyffyshWbj-S4YaW_ML1v0zRCwc7ddR8kr9eUdHKxetABn0WQKQ85Swhriudgj9x5c6dCm1rIC1kJnNFv5NzwCiJ-l-ZHK3iSiuCl0gbiec2JfJhuo4gGk_kF8KWOeM46XKznXcXV0/s1600/BookCoverBarnes+copy.jpg" height="200" width="125" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AHDWMTW">The Wrath - A Paranormal Gothic Romance</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQgXmIFWhyphenhyphenkbXfSttdNVaCPdcWrIvqpvcTfz-w7qtwPNo6tP2Y44FOAV3QNN1n_ef3u0H8w1RTw0LtTukwhuS7Ddftlzov_Hpf-OvbscpeGgUPGPhFSU4YY5uxu1OAKDYvlPoyVv0LEzd/s1600/I+Shall+ReturnNook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQgXmIFWhyphenhyphenkbXfSttdNVaCPdcWrIvqpvcTfz-w7qtwPNo6tP2Y44FOAV3QNN1n_ef3u0H8w1RTw0LtTukwhuS7Ddftlzov_Hpf-OvbscpeGgUPGPhFSU4YY5uxu1OAKDYvlPoyVv0LEzd/s1600/I+Shall+ReturnNook.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JOV9CN2">I Shall Return - A Paranormal Gothic Romance</a></td></tr>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.KristinaSchram.com</div>Kristina Schramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16247127901119453576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039885951389247897.post-82703946304764694292014-02-17T10:55:00.001-05:002014-02-17T10:55:44.002-05:00Paranormal Ponderings...<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cool Photo, huh?</td></tr>
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What started my paranormal ponderings? I think I've always believed in a world that exists beyond my average, everyday life. I think most of us do, or want to, anyway. Why not? Believing in the unusual adds a little spice to life, especially during cold New England Januaries and Februaries. Besides, since I can't actually rule out the existence of mythical creatures, ghosts, and the like, I've decided that it would behoove me to keep an open mind about most everything. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inspired by Ghost Hunters!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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At the moment, I'm busy editing my book, I Shall Return, which is a Paranormal Gothic Romance, and have also published a PGR called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AHDWMTW">The Wrath</a>. Writing these books has stirred up memories of my own paranormal experiences, so I thought I'd share a few of them with you.<br />
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Unfortunately, I haven't had many. Actually, my husband, who's a software engineer, has had more than I have. It's a little annoying. I'm supposed to be the creative one, the sensitive one, and he's the one who sees ghosts. Ah, well. Maybe I'm just TOO sensitive. Ha. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxH7PclUTncI6kuWPBeWDgMADidZXYcuE4ZLfD1e1U_v1c5Y1zle9YnJYo_duE91GFMpVCcC0_Gbykq_Z13HuOBGi4DG1k-lDuXjW2p_wiQ9i-6H8h8pcAVvkisADT-J3KhHyZAzCU_aKG/s1600/fantasy991.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxH7PclUTncI6kuWPBeWDgMADidZXYcuE4ZLfD1e1U_v1c5Y1zle9YnJYo_duE91GFMpVCcC0_Gbykq_Z13HuOBGi4DG1k-lDuXjW2p_wiQ9i-6H8h8pcAVvkisADT-J3KhHyZAzCU_aKG/s1600/fantasy991.jpg" height="320" width="206" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Could it have been a fairy light?</td></tr>
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My first experience dates back to my childhood in Minnesota. Outside my window, about twenty feet away, stood a large spruce tree (they look like your typical Christmas tree). As this tree grew, the lower branches died off, leaving a cleared out area beneath the tree. At night, when I had trouble sleeping, I'd sit on my bed, chin resting on my folded arms, and stare out the window into the darkness. Only it wasn't always dark. There were nights when I would spot a tiny pinpoint of light beneath the tree. I'd stare at it and stare at it, watching to see if it would move, but it never seemed to. At first I thought it had to be something under the tree - an old coffee can or chicken feed bucket - that reflected the light. Of course, in thinking this, I was also quite aware that there really aren't any big sources of light in the dark Northern woods of Minnesota (keep in mind, all the lights in the house were out since everyone was asleep - we go to bed early in Minnesota - what else is there to do?). Even if there were lights, they would have a hard time reaching beneath the branches of the full tree. Still, one morning I remembered to go out and check for evidence and found nothing. No metal of any kind, not even a strange plant or mushroom that might give off a phosphorescent glow (though the light was more like a tiny flashlight or lantern). I continued to see that light for many years, and I still wonder what made it. A fairy 'leaving the light' on for the return of a loved one? Perhaps. It's as good a theory as any. Or was it a lure for unsuspecting folk? I never did check the light at night. Growing up in Minnesota teaches one to develop a healthy sense of survival.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLOl_zyDEIF-W37NUM1jlA-TMagFLa8wXr_jyV-II2bv6zkmDDMjqAeSqe8twV0De0ppEtgiwe5kaMj6HnT8i1YjZMz-idjIh452quHqMuKht778M0gaqw8zSPoSfapJZcxkllhYbkJrA/s1600/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLOl_zyDEIF-W37NUM1jlA-TMagFLa8wXr_jyV-II2bv6zkmDDMjqAeSqe8twV0De0ppEtgiwe5kaMj6HnT8i1YjZMz-idjIh452quHqMuKht778M0gaqw8zSPoSfapJZcxkllhYbkJrA/s1600/9.jpg" height="218" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our old place. The half window marks where the attic is.</td></tr>
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My second experience happened more recently. I was in my late twenties and living in an old New England house, which had been divided into various apartments. I loved living there, with its hardwood floors and old doors. Our apartment had the only access to a giant attic, which we used for storage. Its ceilings were so high that I swear you could've fit a tall ship in there. I had recently given birth to my first child and my sister had come from Minnesota to visit. I, of course, showed her the attic (people in my family like attics) and while up there, I started chattering on about something. A few seconds later, something cold and 'wet' touched my elbow. I swiped it away, distantly thinking it was a water drop. It happened again. I swiped at it and went on talking. It happened again. After a few moments, it occurred to me that the attic was as dry as a bone, meaning no water droplets. It seemed that someone was trying to get my attention. Either that, or he/she was trying to get me to shut up. On a side note, my husband didn't like the attic. He said he felt like someone was always watching him up there. In another room of the house, he said he could sense something bad or off in there. Great. That was where we put the baby's crib. Come to think of it, we ended up moving the crib into our bedroom. Go figure. My husband never mentioned these feelings before we moved (other than that I knew he didn't like the attic), though maybe I sensed something, too, and got my innocent baby out of that room before he could be turned into the male version of Stephen King's <i>Carrie</i>.<br />
<br />
I've always been a big proponent of listening to signs. Some time after moving into our first home, I kept spilling my water. I drank a lot at the time (water, not booze) and kept spilling it. Over and over. Either I was deteriorating physically, or something else was wrong. Since I wasn't experiencing any other symptoms, in any other way, I knew I needed to look further into the phenomenon. It took me a while, but I finally figured that maybe someone was trying to tell me something about our water. So, long story short, we got it tested. Turned out, it had some bad stuff in it. We bought a filter system and it took care of the problem, and after that, I stopped spilling my water all the time. Coincidence? Maybe. Cool? Definitely.<br />
<br />
Another sign I pay attention to comes in the form of my dreams, one of which I remember quite vividly. I kept dreaming that my youngest son was drowning. I endured three dreams where this happened, and each <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCx-d1FI65P3SlNoxJmpWEuHWnM4SbxbKBg3tBdp-WlCRUPy4Sccek-VzQgA1pNDC49Ifc7LC7UDMoQc9Oaz4q6BiSiz0cItljXvYBeQDqVCOGbHfGJ8-vSDoBzY-glRq9egXlaKBBTQxD/s1600/100_4822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCx-d1FI65P3SlNoxJmpWEuHWnM4SbxbKBg3tBdp-WlCRUPy4Sccek-VzQgA1pNDC49Ifc7LC7UDMoQc9Oaz4q6BiSiz0cItljXvYBeQDqVCOGbHfGJ8-vSDoBzY-glRq9egXlaKBBTQxD/s1600/100_4822.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The little guy who was saved by dreams.</td></tr>
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time, I managed to save him. Not long after having my scary dreams, we visited the town beach. We'd been there for a while when the wind started picking up, turning the water choppy. My two-year-old was in the shallow water wading. My older two were farther out. My husband got low blood sugar and we decided to call it a day. I left my youngest to go fetch my older two, who couldn't seem to hear me over the wind and waves. But then I was hit by the sense that this was a bad idea, even though the water where he was standing was only about a foot and half deep. I had only taken a few steps, but when I turned back, he had already gone under (he must have gotten dizzy from watching the waves and sort of slipped in so his back ended up on the bottom). I remember his blue eyes staring up at me through the water, slightly perplexed. I was there within a second, and quickly pulled him into my arms. He was fine, if a little startled at what had happened. I yelled really loudly for my other two to come in right now, and this time they heard me. After having those dreams, I'd been feeling hyper-vigilant all day, and that feeling made me turn back, just in time. Scary, but a good lesson - listen to your dreams, especially if they tell you to buy my books.<br />
<br />
Perhaps what happened to me could be explained away, but what's the fun in that? You can try, though, and if you come up with an alternative explanation, let me know. At any rate, I'll write another blog another day about a few more paranormal experiences that my family has encountered. <br />
<br />
Until then, keep on believing...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.KristinaSchram.com</div>Kristina Schramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16247127901119453576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039885951389247897.post-38554295342821664382013-07-30T16:27:00.000-04:002014-02-17T11:11:38.787-05:00A Spelunking I Will Go<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWtnnZTzEYIGK7NsKjYpanXlabCtKGAeqO_WtJCxo8l0Fs1jDNvpKillUG28f6u0HM5kCBjzCOKdVdMXrgUTmWGNtIms7ApWzJDMZ99nAhHNF_fxMQ1bbDoajJ3vydzpEA5Pp5cXzIr_G6/s1600/IMG_3909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWtnnZTzEYIGK7NsKjYpanXlabCtKGAeqO_WtJCxo8l0Fs1jDNvpKillUG28f6u0HM5kCBjzCOKdVdMXrgUTmWGNtIms7ApWzJDMZ99nAhHNF_fxMQ1bbDoajJ3vydzpEA5Pp5cXzIr_G6/s200/IMG_3909.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At a little nook of a cave in Custer's State Park</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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There's a reason I wrote a fantasy series about an underground world...I love caves! I think I would live in one if I could. A simpler dream of mine is to someday explore a cave without following a cement path or listening to a guide. I want to get down and dirty and crawl on my belly and maybe even get stuck once or twice. I've visited several caves in my day, but as all cave junkies know, the guided tours, though typically fun and interesting, can leave you feeling unfulfilled.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRnkz76tbL4I5Ci7kCUbz_D7dEo2O20_R3nPOQeJKu2pkHP3bGIJOhyphenhyphenvVXRIhaFuPnpqeV5trvroMI1prx3G199AQOTIVkbprD4pvn9l2vpYA5aNxJXbKV-UwLiLcA4KCsS0CBPk7xRyM/s1600/100_7755.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRnkz76tbL4I5Ci7kCUbz_D7dEo2O20_R3nPOQeJKu2pkHP3bGIJOhyphenhyphenvVXRIhaFuPnpqeV5trvroMI1prx3G199AQOTIVkbprD4pvn9l2vpYA5aNxJXbKV-UwLiLcA4KCsS0CBPk7xRyM/s200/100_7755.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting Squeezed</td></tr>
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Here in New Hampshire, we have two major cave sites: Polar Caves Park and my favorite, Lost River Gorge. Neither have big or long caves, but they're enjoyable all the same. Both can be done without a guide. My favorite part at Lost River is the Lemon Squeezer. It's a squeeze, all right, and if you can't make it through the squeeze
gauge, you can't go through the cave. Part of the passage involves pulling
yourself along on your stomach, past a stream that bubbles by on your
right. This cave can be closed at certain times of the year due to
flooding, so either call ahead, or make sure it's been dry lately.<br />
<br />
In New York a few years back, we visited Howe Caverns. I
liked the caves well enough-they weren't my favorite, but I did like two
parts quite a bit. The first was the ride in the boats on the
underground river. In Anaedor, you would ride the Turbles, which would
be more fun, but smellier. The other cool part was the Winding Way, a
very narrow passage with high walls that winds back and forth (hence the
name). It felt very constricting, which was awesome.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoWzOjDPH_9mWVrOSTioQjGkoxZvonTZwOLmvAjmjf-vF9zr4K4kuEu5csyv-KjjOfHrO8-prrR_iD5ZAT0CE8x218OQD6LbVs3EDazmzxhGUAi7FZfMeQtzv-w4dCpL8IlQUpRMp3JVV/s1600/100_6569.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoWzOjDPH_9mWVrOSTioQjGkoxZvonTZwOLmvAjmjf-vF9zr4K4kuEu5csyv-KjjOfHrO8-prrR_iD5ZAT0CE8x218OQD6LbVs3EDazmzxhGUAi7FZfMeQtzv-w4dCpL8IlQUpRMp3JVV/s320/100_6569.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reminds me of Willie Wonka's chocolate river ride.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJ1qJvcVLvnCh6WBmdmZWDxQ_ZmqKibszl60h8l9HOrIZhbb0jBVyR8eggytzBnwET2KnTT574Trni2Sunr6EdSzfAnV8nNaOyeT-03Y5gt33VID85jEWeDd1ob6kRQQRbMokmewGZVw/s1600/100_6576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJ1qJvcVLvnCh6WBmdmZWDxQ_ZmqKibszl60h8l9HOrIZhbb0jBVyR8eggytzBnwET2KnTT574Trni2Sunr6EdSzfAnV8nNaOyeT-03Y5gt33VID85jEWeDd1ob6kRQQRbMokmewGZVw/s320/100_6576.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Winding Way</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBIhZb1T-B8EbX8v9Z9P1NCnAV0F9fvSOUgP2mQOk9JPUwmFtisrd-TruZMHEjoA-f22z0Lbkn3EYPA1k7WfNS1qNt_OiYAqO_wxerE5HL7x-nVvn_IUKU1gcGNXxnmbhjPxH6HoR7lx8/s1600/IMG_3762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBIhZb1T-B8EbX8v9Z9P1NCnAV0F9fvSOUgP2mQOk9JPUwmFtisrd-TruZMHEjoA-f22z0Lbkn3EYPA1k7WfNS1qNt_OiYAqO_wxerE5HL7x-nVvn_IUKU1gcGNXxnmbhjPxH6HoR7lx8/s200/IMG_3762.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every coffee lover's dream.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Recently we traveled home to Minnesota to visit family. When we were done meeting all one thousand of them (my husband comes from a family of 9 kids), we drove to South Dakota Black Hills territory (which is gorgeous, btw). It was a LONG drive (8 hours), but worth it. We visited the Badlands and Wall Drug on the way out, both of which are fascinating landmarks, for very different reasons. I remember both from my childhood, though vaguely. The Badlands were hot and Wall Drug had ice water and cool stuff to buy. Both are still the same.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8WeRNoYKn4WtS1h-a8XpPzckfwBaN6fMfzeVXXC42Rebpr2CUpSbCsQNUbFfitzI7H7llW9WggTgJx92JLPaml0OosH9Vhvtrig-UVAMidpCBXsp_P65KcyjjEOo2IOaNTn87GFQFAI/s1600/IMG_3852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8WeRNoYKn4WtS1h-a8XpPzckfwBaN6fMfzeVXXC42Rebpr2CUpSbCsQNUbFfitzI7H7llW9WggTgJx92JLPaml0OosH9Vhvtrig-UVAMidpCBXsp_P65KcyjjEOo2IOaNTn87GFQFAI/s200/IMG_3852.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wind is blowing the plastic strip.</td></tr>
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While in the Black Hills, we visited Mt. Rushmore (of course) and hit
three caves. We were there for only 2 days, so yes, I'm quite impressed
with myself for pulling that off. We saw Wind Cave first. It's called
Wind Cave because it either blows air out or sucks it in, depending on the barometric pressure. To get in, you have to pass through revolving doors. It kind of takes the romance out of the experience, but there are no
natural entrances to the cave other than that blowhole, and I'm pretty
sure none of us would fit through it. There was an anti-gun sign on the
glass pane going in. I didn't read it, but I'm guessing the point it's
trying to make is that caves and bullets don't mix well. Wind Cave is known for its box work details, which you can see in the
above photos. I would love to do this for our ceilings - it's a great
effect. My favorite part was when the tour guide turned out the lights.
Total darkness forever wouldn't be fun, or if you were stuck in an
oubliette, but it was very cool to experience for a few minutes.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLIjWV7tP_1Jvq744z_NjHXm_sJJqCJSZDirlLogeFgZBHdr4Sm2O8n-LeYTICyfcH2DLVEq8i9_5m5OCP1c1QxTqBSWX3_zjSR6rzVrY_cTgVEYSK4vgF0TlWGBzpeM8tNE6ID6oZ7U/s1600/IMG_3853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLIjWV7tP_1Jvq744z_NjHXm_sJJqCJSZDirlLogeFgZBHdr4Sm2O8n-LeYTICyfcH2DLVEq8i9_5m5OCP1c1QxTqBSWX3_zjSR6rzVrY_cTgVEYSK4vgF0TlWGBzpeM8tNE6ID6oZ7U/s320/IMG_3853.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note the anti-firearms sign.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGTK8Od9to6rfOytlMpoTdjV4NbmQojgJ-vKR1c8FGnyQ6KIRj_Nxk09H9f_dGkltQIgtjU9vKYmwKhiLTsJMTEPavvZzEhO7NfDqN5fIoRXJ63dLGT8y5jzDEq4AVa0cHGHC_2AiIIIcL/s1600/IMG_3868.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGTK8Od9to6rfOytlMpoTdjV4NbmQojgJ-vKR1c8FGnyQ6KIRj_Nxk09H9f_dGkltQIgtjU9vKYmwKhiLTsJMTEPavvZzEhO7NfDqN5fIoRXJ63dLGT8y5jzDEq4AVa0cHGHC_2AiIIIcL/s320/IMG_3868.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do you see the demon? We did.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Wind Cave is known for its box work details, which you can see to the left and below. I would love to do this for our ceilings - it's a great
effect. My favorite part was when the tour guide turned out the lights.
Total darkness forever wouldn't be fun, or if you were stuck in an
oubliette, but it was very cool to experience for a few minutes. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxzggmWFtQvNGK91Hye5qJ0hXJ6DNgmp_Jy9VENi494LG6raJN25F-7ArIM196lohsn8dCEhKQvZSXSaeTTfq5cLql8aIq71d24UKDTtDR81QZVVGhubZ3Z0E9QGL2HA7QQxIpdTq694nM/s1600/IMG_3862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxzggmWFtQvNGK91Hye5qJ0hXJ6DNgmp_Jy9VENi494LG6raJN25F-7ArIM196lohsn8dCEhKQvZSXSaeTTfq5cLql8aIq71d24UKDTtDR81QZVVGhubZ3Z0E9QGL2HA7QQxIpdTq694nM/s320/IMG_3862.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wind Cave and more box work.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The second cave we saw was Sitting Bull Crystal Caverns. It's hard to
take good pics inside a cave, but here are a few samples of what we
saw. It's a small cave, but a beautiful one, and I can imagine what it must have been like when those who discovered the cave first saw the crystals. They must have thought
they'd died and gone to heaven. Our guide was fun and funny and we
thoroughly enjoyed the tour, though you have to go down a lot of stairs, then get back up them - not for the faint of heart, or the weak of heart, either. Once you leave, there's a small cave right
next to crystal cave that you can explore on your own. They even provide the
flashlights!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJCY4edHuMUTLqwPRMljGv-9Uf4HdAyMs271liBdoX7aZvqUxuSW5U3IK6s-HUGfGbeLuIFZRcMTD0FPYNc6hCcE_sgmjS5b8y1I74baNP8EX8lsFBsR0wFXGCt40t0PRNLDN5eFyOIT4/s1600/IMG_4001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJCY4edHuMUTLqwPRMljGv-9Uf4HdAyMs271liBdoX7aZvqUxuSW5U3IK6s-HUGfGbeLuIFZRcMTD0FPYNc6hCcE_sgmjS5b8y1I74baNP8EX8lsFBsR0wFXGCt40t0PRNLDN5eFyOIT4/s320/IMG_4001.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks like teeth, eh?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-hPriuHSjvwJDauVfy_p0twOI9zOun9ZupWP6edfnj6cSGQDUsgWVmpwJDt7S634KTGWaTFt6_iAi4iLFeGhPYRtBRUfpXn4k8gZCDjvQK5bFFeI9ULt2pbuZYewE1k7ynJl8pN4KcDoN/s1600/IMG_3990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-hPriuHSjvwJDauVfy_p0twOI9zOun9ZupWP6edfnj6cSGQDUsgWVmpwJDt7S634KTGWaTFt6_iAi4iLFeGhPYRtBRUfpXn4k8gZCDjvQK5bFFeI9ULt2pbuZYewE1k7ynJl8pN4KcDoN/s320/IMG_3990.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm rich, I'm rich!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrM85ptuk2SWGHeC5IdaDJy2b3kFWobOxDIMFuox9w0Uar0N8yOQGuEyG02kxdMGzRQGviqz4Eq-2hFLlnCI2otDhcK-nx42J3EpaxAoji2QwhtpMf4SmOB7N5Qd0IZ0wsiabuW7jg0o/s1600/IMG_3987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrM85ptuk2SWGHeC5IdaDJy2b3kFWobOxDIMFuox9w0Uar0N8yOQGuEyG02kxdMGzRQGviqz4Eq-2hFLlnCI2otDhcK-nx42J3EpaxAoji2QwhtpMf4SmOB7N5Qd0IZ0wsiabuW7jg0o/s320/IMG_3987.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty pattern...or intestines?</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCZLEo1DHX3X8tj0SYdlSNEMDiuX2wGOsqQbL1U7tYYYIrRVh9s9LJcQ730VoMJdL5ztxqz9_TzDKq7akyPLa7NOeqxHkYQVyDDq_ZNG321uSuS4MxlPnz5hjBvlHZNMnIuBM9_B5Q502L/s1600/IMG_4019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCZLEo1DHX3X8tj0SYdlSNEMDiuX2wGOsqQbL1U7tYYYIrRVh9s9LJcQ730VoMJdL5ztxqz9_TzDKq7akyPLa7NOeqxHkYQVyDDq_ZNG321uSuS4MxlPnz5hjBvlHZNMnIuBM9_B5Q502L/s320/IMG_4019.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entry to self-exploring cave.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_oX1dzAzdDy3tfzTP5bUNVXH6ja_5tbPQC7QdTA7MDFRCuyEg62FNTidi2F5QNbO6-L568yjOUv1BDYP_P9glrcCCTT5MfGNGuBvh2eQeZyLK3o_a_zquSzhUEa7u1Dlg8qPivf7ERNhI/s1600/IMG_4010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_oX1dzAzdDy3tfzTP5bUNVXH6ja_5tbPQC7QdTA7MDFRCuyEg62FNTidi2F5QNbO6-L568yjOUv1BDYP_P9glrcCCTT5MfGNGuBvh2eQeZyLK3o_a_zquSzhUEa7u1Dlg8qPivf7ERNhI/s320/IMG_4010.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rorschach Gem Test: What do you see?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQrpXi8D7dg3j_9fmPvNkLi2ZCQlnpTPk1OzhW5Sns0piAZERh079kU9-MrphysU0M_smSCRTYX37Q4dlIC9qtjstn8YKT1pVSynz8cE_-7sVVLB7DOUIjx0yzA5BDYI-11uQaTeQSml_k/s1600/IMG_4023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQrpXi8D7dg3j_9fmPvNkLi2ZCQlnpTPk1OzhW5Sns0piAZERh079kU9-MrphysU0M_smSCRTYX37Q4dlIC9qtjstn8YKT1pVSynz8cE_-7sVVLB7DOUIjx0yzA5BDYI-11uQaTeQSml_k/s320/IMG_4023.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original entrance to Rushmore - note the ladder.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The last cave we visited was Rushmore Cave. We decided to do the whole
package, including the zipline and the 7-D game. The cave was pretty
neat and we enjoyed strolling through it. I particularly liked seeing some stalactites and stalagmites - they seemed to be pretty rare in the South Dakota caves. There's a reason for that, but I'm not going to tell you because why spoil all the mystery? After the cave tour we rode the zipline, which was awesome, though my husband felt like he was going to fall off - I
recommend holding onto the back of the seat with one hand. My husband and youngest son now want to build a zipline (he and son #2 have already built a trebuchet). Go figure! The 7-D game, which I thought the kids would like but I'd find a tad dull, was awesome! I didn't really care so much about shooting zombies (besides, I stunk at it), but I loved the ride. I wish it would have lasted longer...or been inside the cave.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEldSL78xY7SMLrvdAQW9GH4Y7_K3K7PwLdHHepPnM8yoN8Q5nDzxjM1YjmCjOKUG0RdNMnWkbMWxM4PpXrRbLp56kWGQxPoVxK7tIEjiVjcF7q4u0tHqrK3XXbxZ4kA0p1QjN0CTfmX0/s1600/IMG_4041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEldSL78xY7SMLrvdAQW9GH4Y7_K3K7PwLdHHepPnM8yoN8Q5nDzxjM1YjmCjOKUG0RdNMnWkbMWxM4PpXrRbLp56kWGQxPoVxK7tIEjiVjcF7q4u0tHqrK3XXbxZ4kA0p1QjN0CTfmX0/s320/IMG_4041.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entry into a Goblin's cave?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqWPzSKluV68bZpWDaWHpkCdQoN8RDNW9mlZgk-9sPqGf_4QJL5dEI699-AhTWbRMRdCdV4Maw8nxXIkd64Hm5lU7olu125fBe94JGzMrASvSqM-XXfRjkLJpbeF7arpibAAGII01YM3G/s1600/IMG_4046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibqWPzSKluV68bZpWDaWHpkCdQoN8RDNW9mlZgk-9sPqGf_4QJL5dEI699-AhTWbRMRdCdV4Maw8nxXIkd64Hm5lU7olu125fBe94JGzMrASvSqM-XXfRjkLJpbeF7arpibAAGII01YM3G/s320/IMG_4046.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love the mythical look of this part.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5oHSLziJUOOhWLS-4rgqJHTHHIDKtznsdXtIa7T7Dt0_Cw6sCGWSLP0h8q6jTttwqGQrZJJomJXNNvyB19WBaICFeJEybWwIJGqsxjeqGe9SHzW29i5NO9HSsF1eEN_TOQggcZ5MW_H5/s1600/IMG_4059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5oHSLziJUOOhWLS-4rgqJHTHHIDKtznsdXtIa7T7Dt0_Cw6sCGWSLP0h8q6jTttwqGQrZJJomJXNNvyB19WBaICFeJEybWwIJGqsxjeqGe9SHzW29i5NO9HSsF1eEN_TOQggcZ5MW_H5/s320/IMG_4059.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very cool, but rather suggestive.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4jCP0IEnvZrE1dEEwMDe-QHoyYsGBSDMueWa3nRemU-D7XUfhuwS5NjIgL6FvbPTChezohkuiYv4T4K9STeS87xFzeEyfml4YPcXOEuEbbCmDpHEBvIvcAUs5XES4yDzKAmPI7-sSn2c/s1600/IMG_4064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4jCP0IEnvZrE1dEEwMDe-QHoyYsGBSDMueWa3nRemU-D7XUfhuwS5NjIgL6FvbPTChezohkuiYv4T4K9STeS87xFzeEyfml4YPcXOEuEbbCmDpHEBvIvcAUs5XES4yDzKAmPI7-sSn2c/s320/IMG_4064.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More teeth - likely dragon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcwMvgu8lRIYNxDVZcIvbPmVHyiJMtUMyA_Sten88Qp8VJ75LxU1Wzo1Ph81H8PX8f8nEkjJlf7ArQYfx4092WFfXWpR-TYUJ-KmKCgt8T5oE238pwrX9IfPZD5VrFI0iozOF3wACPegdl/s1600/IMG_4075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcwMvgu8lRIYNxDVZcIvbPmVHyiJMtUMyA_Sten88Qp8VJ75LxU1Wzo1Ph81H8PX8f8nEkjJlf7ArQYfx4092WFfXWpR-TYUJ-KmKCgt8T5oE238pwrX9IfPZD5VrFI0iozOF3wACPegdl/s320/IMG_4075.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up of teeth - need brushing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1g40XFIwf-9HSa8xITfSKpD6-5IZ9pwAvWiX87RuFN6gBeedPcc96Q8yy1UUMIY2zVi3nZ3QyaMkDqRyxHhvG-QUbUlSTHcsP9EK9Im_l_owT1OxryzmZK1GYN-i7GXxgSb9UdZIuLJPi/s1600/IMG_4079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1g40XFIwf-9HSa8xITfSKpD6-5IZ9pwAvWiX87RuFN6gBeedPcc96Q8yy1UUMIY2zVi3nZ3QyaMkDqRyxHhvG-QUbUlSTHcsP9EK9Im_l_owT1OxryzmZK1GYN-i7GXxgSb9UdZIuLJPi/s320/IMG_4079.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The exit - reminds me of how Lavida returned to Anaedor in Book Two.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I'm thinking of heading to Pennsylvania next. There are a fair number of caves there that are calling to me. I'd also like to explore a sea cave some time. If you ever visit a cave you like, drop me a line.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Until next time, fellow cavers!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Come Explore Anaedor! </div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Chronicles of Anaedor: The Return to Anaedor (Book Two)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Chronicles-Anaedor-Prophecies-ebook/dp/B008OZ2XNK/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_1">The Chronicles of Anaedor: The Prophecies (Book One) </a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Chronicles-Anaedor-Return-ebook/dp/B009M76TDE/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1349478550&sr=8-4&keywords=Kristina+Schram">The Chronicles of Anaedor: The Return to Anaedor (Book Two) </a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Chronicles-Anaedor-Lost-ebook/dp/B00B4HA22Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358909702&sr=8-1&keywords=anaedor+lost+ones">The Chronicles of Anaedor: The Lost Ones (Book Three)</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Chronicles-Anaedor-Uprising-ebook/dp/B00BI6W4N6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1361546415&sr=8-2&keywords=The+Chronicles+of+Anaedor">The Chronicles of Anaedor: The Uprising (Book Four)</a></div>
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.KristinaSchram.com</div>Kristina Schramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16247127901119453576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039885951389247897.post-9037935398087889432013-04-01T12:01:00.001-04:002014-02-17T11:15:41.450-05:00One Flew West<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSSGQtKpQUGNNz7_ebbfENtBdy0ZdLrpCFwTEHdvOHyW05ZwhuUutgw4vLjmLId3ebs3o2HJea6iXeRvH982A2-jCAf181MV3t86AiRDgaOcGkIr4wPH5rCYirOPPJGcFWCeENrVKSeTq/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-03-23+at+1.20.28+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSSGQtKpQUGNNz7_ebbfENtBdy0ZdLrpCFwTEHdvOHyW05ZwhuUutgw4vLjmLId3ebs3o2HJea6iXeRvH982A2-jCAf181MV3t86AiRDgaOcGkIr4wPH5rCYirOPPJGcFWCeENrVKSeTq/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-03-23+at+1.20.28+PM.png" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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</style> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you have<span style="font-size: small;">n'</span>t heard of the movie<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/One-Flew-Over-Cuckoos-Nest/dp/B004FQX5B6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1364828959&sr=8-3&keywords=one+flew+over+the+cuckoo%27s+nest"><i>One F</i></a><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/One-Flew-Over-Cuckoos-Nest/dp/B004FQX5B6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1364828959&sr=8-3&keywords=one+flew+over+the+cuckoo%27s+nest"><i>lew Over the Cuckoo's Nest</i></a>,</span> then you haven't been out much. If you haven't watched the movie, you<span style="font-size: small;"> really should</span>. It's <span style="font-size: small;">macabre and disturbing,</span> and at the very least, should make you feel grateful for the life you lead (i.e., if you aren't living it like th<span style="font-size: small;">ese poor gu<span style="font-size: small;">ys).</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">It's hard to believe t</span>he title of the book and subsequent movie came from a nice, seemingly sweet,<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>nursery r<span style="font-size: small;">hyme:</span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u>Vintery<span style="font-size: small;"> Mintery Cutery Corn*</span></u> </span></span></span></span></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Vintery,
mintery, cutery, corn,<br />
Apple seed and apple thorn,<br />
Wire, briar, limber lock<br />
Three geese in a flock<br />
One flew East<br />
One flew West<br />
And one flew over the cuckoo's nest.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*keep in mind there are several <a href="http://www.funtrivia.com/askft/Question52475.html">var</a></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.funtrivia.com/askft/Question52475.html">iations</a> to this </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">rhyme</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There are all sort<span style="font-size: small;">s of interpretations out there<span style="font-size: small;"> about why the author chose this title<span style="font-size: small;">, most of them hav<span style="font-size: small;">ing to do with the obvious polarity presented in the rhyme and the <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">conflict </span>between Jack Nicholson's charac<span style="font-size: small;">ter, Randle<span style="font-size: small;">, and the i<span style="font-size: small;">ndomitable</span> <span style="font-size: small;">Nurse Ratched (whom I've based a character on in my latest book - how could I <span style="font-size: small;">not?</span>). I don't think you can <span style="font-size: small;">go wrong with this <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">interpre<span style="font-size: small;">tation</span></span>, but I thought I'd try to add to it with my own obs<span style="font-size: small;">ervations</span>.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">F</span>irst, I looked up vintery, mintery<span style="font-size: small;">, and cutery <span style="font-size: small;">on <span style="font-size: small;">the internet<span style="font-size: small;">. No luck. I</span> then had to go<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> o<span style="font-size: small;">ld school and crack open</span> my huge dictionary</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">.<span style="font-size: small;"> Guess what? I</span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">didn't find them in there, either. Can you say, <i>conspiracy the</i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>ory</i>? At this point, I'll assume they<span style="font-size: small;">'</span>re made<span style="font-size: small;">-</span>up words (if anyone finds anything to t</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">he contrary, let </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">me kn</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">ow!). Why put in made-up words? <span style="font-size: small;">Perhaps b</span>ecause the author of the <span style="font-size: small;">rhyme</span> was a little </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">out there and loving it? <span style="font-size: small;">Or ma<span style="font-size: small;">yb</span>e it's b</span>ecause they're fun words to say<span style="font-size: small;">.</span> I have no idea what was going on <span style="font-size: small;">in the original author's head</span>, but they</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <i>are</i> fun words to say. <span style="font-size: small;">W<span style="font-size: small;">hatever the reason</span></span>, their mysterious nature adds to the allure behind the poem<span style="font-size: small;"> and speaks to a mind that is diff<span style="font-size: small;">erent<span style="font-size: small;"> and un<span style="font-size: small;">ique</span>, as are the minds of most mentally ill individuals.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">A</span>n apple<span style="font-size: small;"> seed <span style="font-size: small;">represents</span> the beginning of life<span style="font-size: small;">. An appl<span style="font-size: small;">e thorn, if it exists (in looking it up I found <b>th</b><span style="font-size: small;"><b>o</b><span style="font-size: small;"><b>rn apple</b>, w<span style="font-size: small;">hich is <span style="font-size: small;">also known as lo<span style="font-size: small;">co wee<span style="font-size: small;">d, and is, among other things, a powe<span style="font-size: small;">rful </span>hallucinogen)</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>, <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">sounds a little more deadly. These two opposites le<span style="font-size: small;">nd credence to the polarity theory, but also<span style="font-size: small;">, in my mind, say a lit<span style="font-size: small;">tle more. <span style="font-size: small;">A person</span> can start out innocent and full of life, like an <span style="font-size: small;">apple<span style="font-size: small;"> seed, but <span style="font-size: small;">through enviro<span style="font-size: small;">nment, can turn into somet<span style="font-size: small;">hing less wholesome, broken, perhaps. <span style="font-size: small;">C<span style="font-size: small;">ert<span style="font-size: small;">ainly t</span></span></span>his idea could be applied to the charac<span style="font-size: small;">ter of</span> Nurse Ratched, who was really kind of wretched.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbla6jKiPEzf1c2FiGvfNWoGtx540W1E-hAJkodztJu3wG66kxURNhU7aBdDkZABkL24zEQtHdMxBLkb6lFpa_0bCahrUo57psoky0RIs2ZNitmLlszXgj4bTr9wBBM2-RRLxPG0kamlSp/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-04-01+at+11.27.29+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbla6jKiPEzf1c2FiGvfNWoGtx540W1E-hAJkodztJu3wG66kxURNhU7aBdDkZABkL24zEQtHdMxBLkb6lFpa_0bCahrUo57psoky0RIs2ZNitmLlszXgj4bTr9wBBM2-RRLxPG0kamlSp/s200/Screen+Shot+2013-04-01+at+11.27.29+AM.png" height="186" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Next comes the</span> limber lock - what i<span style="font-size: small;">s it? I don't really know. This is the closest I came to finding out what one was...just a <a href="http://www.yankeerebelantiques.com/servlet/the-290/Gettysburg-Confederate-Civilwar-Lock/Detail">link</a> and a picture (see left).</span> I<span style="font-size: small;"> did find this<span style="font-size: small;">: A</span></span>nother meaning for <span style="font-size: small;">limber is a <span style="font-size: small;">ho<span style="font-size: small;">rse-drawn cart used to pull a field gun or cai<span style="font-size: small;">sson (a chest or wagon that stores ammo)<span style="font-size: small;">.</span> I imagine the lock was to keep things in place or to <span style="font-size: small;">keep the chest locked up</span>. I'm not sure wh<span style="font-size: small;">at the wire and the briar have to do with <span style="font-size: small;">anything</span>, <span style="font-size: small;">though both are sharp and pok<span style="font-size: small;">y. <span style="font-size: small;">Interpretation? Well, humans have been known to lock up their sharp and poky emotions, <span style="font-size: small;">thus leadin<span style="font-size: small;">g to mental illness. Ammo c<span style="font-size: small;">an represent those emotions<span style="font-size: small;"> - explosive when <span style="font-size: small;">sparked. I might be stretching things here, but con<span style="font-size: small;">jecture is the beginning of f<span style="font-size: small;">i<span style="font-size: small;">nding out the</span></span> t<span style="font-size: small;">ruth<span style="font-size: small;">, right?</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now we come to the geese. H</span>ow often <span style="font-size: small;">have you seen</span> <span style="font-size: small;">three</span> geese in a flock? I don't think I've eve<span style="font-size: small;">r seen that few. So what could the three mean<span style="font-size: small;">? Freud postulated that our <span style="font-size: small;">personalities are made up of <span style="font-size: small;">three parts:</span> the id, the ego, and the superego. Con<span style="font-size: small;">nect th<span style="font-size: small;">is idea</span> to the flying part of <span style="font-size: small;">the rhyme</span> and you've got a personality that is split in three - one going one direction (the id<span style="font-size: small;">, which is our selfish,<span style="font-size: small;"> impulsive side</span></span>), an<span style="font-size: small;">other going the opposite way (the super<span style="font-size: small;">ego, our conscien<span style="font-size: small;">ce</span>), <span style="font-size: small;">which l<span style="font-size: small;">eaves the ego (<span style="font-size: small;">the part that acts as referee between the <span style="font-size: small;">id and <span style="font-size: small;">the super<span style="font-size: small;">ego</span></span>) flying over a cu<span style="font-size: small;">ckoo<span style="font-size: small;">'s nest. <span style="font-size: small;">W</span>e all know that cuckoo is another way of saying crazy.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> So what we have here is a person who<span style="font-size: small;">se ability to keep himself stable <span style="font-size: small;">and sane has <span style="font-size: small;">broken down</span>.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I don't know about you, but I l<span style="font-size: small;">ove digging<span style="font-size: small;"> into the meaning <span style="font-size: small;">behind things. I could be way off b<span style="font-size: small;">ase <span style="font-size: small;">wi<span style="font-size: small;">th my analysis</span></span>, but <span style="font-size: small;">who cares? I might al<span style="font-size: small;">so be spot on.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now I'm off<span style="font-size: small;">, flying to parts unknown, and perhaps stopping at a cuckoo's nest along the way.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here's m</span>y own little cuckoo's nest...<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mayhem-Nepenthe-Manor-Adventure-ebook/dp/B00BV8UO7E/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1363530670&sr=8-5&keywords=Kristina+Schram">Nepenthe Manor</a>.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.KristinaSchram.com</div>Kristina Schramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16247127901119453576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039885951389247897.post-43898756288499884482013-03-20T16:23:00.001-04:002013-03-20T16:30:00.031-04:00 I Can't Help It If I'm Weird<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGamvX5wlmMC-zo5HPLQsznBpC6zZLkDa-wSuwHP1cNFJwATkiKdmMwfzBpRm9AZmCbI2XZ4vhLw_lQJ0wAXDCtZCz_H5I0SHuJ0NYYVZlS781_37ZqEOxk7ATu8Afmj-_Xh3m5JH6UFy/s1600/IMG_3182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHGamvX5wlmMC-zo5HPLQsznBpC6zZLkDa-wSuwHP1cNFJwATkiKdmMwfzBpRm9AZmCbI2XZ4vhLw_lQJ0wAXDCtZCz_H5I0SHuJ0NYYVZlS781_37ZqEOxk7ATu8Afmj-_Xh3m5JH6UFy/s320/IMG_3182.jpg" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wednesday Rules</td></tr>
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I grew up reading <i>The Addams Family</i> and<i> The Shining, </i>watched<i> One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest </i>when I was probably way too young, learned how to throw a tomahawk and knife from my mom, and concocted strange herbal remedies that often included a bit of my own blood (I think I still have a vial of the vile stuff somewhere).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxUdI0LsJT5tui354aZv9O1OivAvEzWQ7f4Jz2CEO2Z1W5DAqnpNy8mgUzMpfoDF9qY_skoJi0SUwLSl62zbvYHsGSdBA_UcI_vixTEpuO6RYLPSqzYiq9mh8X_Mzoli1PopOw1XfCu2k4/s1600/IMG_3184.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxUdI0LsJT5tui354aZv9O1OivAvEzWQ7f4Jz2CEO2Z1W5DAqnpNy8mgUzMpfoDF9qY_skoJi0SUwLSl62zbvYHsGSdBA_UcI_vixTEpuO6RYLPSqzYiq9mh8X_Mzoli1PopOw1XfCu2k4/s200/IMG_3184.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A yard sale score</td></tr>
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So when I thought of setting my latest series in an insane asylum, my self wasn't the least bit surprised. What could be spookier or more macabre than an insane asylum? ...Or at least what I think of when I imagine an insane asylum. Of course, I had to make my insane asylum at Nepenthe Manor more palatable than a real one. I don't particularly like reality. I mean, I truly believe I'll be able to buy a castle someday. But anyway, if you've ever been inside a mental health facility, you understand what I'm talking about. And I think anyone who has had to live in one would much prefer my asylum.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynOMsOT0mAiSSJs6XcAczQ-QdjHBduHqnOkbfzLjFPb9wVIBKJcCoKOoTfbcfDjqcGgQb_ySz0Ui2agBA1v9ORVN2JWcf6YaiWzPTvDfKzOH5FVt4ftM5VJ4y3ZXOyBayRx0aA3XBITg/s1600/IMG_3178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynOMsOT0mAiSSJs6XcAczQ-QdjHBduHqnOkbfzLjFPb9wVIBKJcCoKOoTfbcfDjqcGgQb_ySz0Ui2agBA1v9ORVN2JWcf6YaiWzPTvDfKzOH5FVt4ftM5VJ4y3ZXOyBayRx0aA3XBITg/s200/IMG_3178.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A couple things I've collected</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWoTBGj8JBgKkXWN4uyL0VRvJgDTsSz70zU0QR00a8yJmAZcL_QWAtX8NtjNlWJBqo4L5F8uXicp3S3AAzaqxW8NQXujJHS0yZahqTKDaROAsJ_lfrk6oHIlN_vgEXe7lo8Aw_Ea8jyry/s1600/IMG_3181.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWoTBGj8JBgKkXWN4uyL0VRvJgDTsSz70zU0QR00a8yJmAZcL_QWAtX8NtjNlWJBqo4L5F8uXicp3S3AAzaqxW8NQXujJHS0yZahqTKDaROAsJ_lfrk6oHIlN_vgEXe7lo8Aw_Ea8jyry/s200/IMG_3181.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just some light reading material...</td></tr>
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So far, of all the characters I've created (or who have knocked on my skull's door), Pandora Belfry is definitely my favorite. I'm starting to think she's my alter ego (the person I would be if I weren't so restricted by our boring society). She does and says things I never would even dare. She's the much more intriguing me I'd like to be.<br />
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And if I were to become more like her? I think the world should be afraid, very afraid.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD98gH_UF_gsYG6aeZ8ykqGRUKfDMdteY_hQ4Liq8u6omNB-_uKtuW3TnWuAVUPp2mU63Mfjrodf92WCJsL5bGwfbwztrPe0dl81hLf_RyneyGyIG6ETCqd2uKNPZekQi4MlChewbhRdk/s1600/IMG_3183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD98gH_UF_gsYG6aeZ8ykqGRUKfDMdteY_hQ4Liq8u6omNB-_uKtuW3TnWuAVUPp2mU63Mfjrodf92WCJsL5bGwfbwztrPe0dl81hLf_RyneyGyIG6ETCqd2uKNPZekQi4MlChewbhRdk/s200/IMG_3183.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my lethal plants</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Let me know what you think of the world I created. And if I should become
more like Pandora. And if you'd like to join me in creating mayhem. And if you're weird, too.<br />
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I like weird.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_GNKxp-1OMeaK1nbMuBMrZnz_cRsszStMdddtdZ3Lcoq87h9ky5OYnhPJ0av82NIAXU4PlKQCa0SLzo0UMCK_48otxnG8uUwULCvJyiLfxe4IOyE3RcLdYCJjlHmLwqLqxEAxpczoah35/s1600/MayhemAmazon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_GNKxp-1OMeaK1nbMuBMrZnz_cRsszStMdddtdZ3Lcoq87h9ky5OYnhPJ0av82NIAXU4PlKQCa0SLzo0UMCK_48otxnG8uUwULCvJyiLfxe4IOyE3RcLdYCJjlHmLwqLqxEAxpczoah35/s320/MayhemAmazon.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mayhem-Nepenthe-Manor-Adventure-ebook/dp/B00BV8UO7E/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1363530670&sr=8-5&keywords=Kristina+Schram">Mayhem at Nepenthe Manor: A Pandora Belfry Adventure</a></div>
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.KristinaSchram.com</div>Kristina Schramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16247127901119453576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039885951389247897.post-87675928651889768552013-03-17T11:47:00.000-04:002013-03-17T11:47:06.945-04:00Don't Forget Us<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNMCLks7zANA0-ndA_PWo5PwnYvALfMdm08Vo3Kz2pWGMBUZrXe-5PLpXMGuGeGGBn6oMNqaME3-WJ_rcyJ30hwdLg6ZZJ9BuNOh2s7RhBPhMJwULVysPA4G_LMsZ6IP7H8bPXVgcq8RJd/s1600/Mayhem-website.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNMCLks7zANA0-ndA_PWo5PwnYvALfMdm08Vo3Kz2pWGMBUZrXe-5PLpXMGuGeGGBn6oMNqaME3-WJ_rcyJ30hwdLg6ZZJ9BuNOh2s7RhBPhMJwULVysPA4G_LMsZ6IP7H8bPXVgcq8RJd/s1600/Mayhem-website.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I just love this picture!</td></tr>
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I've recently launched a new book series: The Pandora Belfry Adventures, which combines my love of writing with my morbid sensibilities with my wish to help people. I'm excited because these aren't just books, they're atypical commentaries on how our society treats the mentally ill. I wanted to take my background in counseling psychology and apply it to the world of Nepenthe Manor in a way that would make people want to read about mental illness - I hope I succeeded in doing that.<br />
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The first book is called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mayhem-Nepenthe-Manor-Adventure-ebook/dp/B00BV8UO7E/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1363530670&sr=8-5&keywords=Kristina+Schram">Mayhem at Nepenthe Manor</a>. It's pronounced like this...<a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/audio.php?file=nepent01&word=nepenthe&text=\n%C9%99-%3Cspan%20class%3D%22unicode%22%3E%CB%88%3C%2Fspan%3Epen%28t%29-th%C4%93\">Nuh-pen-thee</a>. Just click on the blue word because it does a better job of showing you how to say it than I just did. Nepenthe is the last name of the family that built Nepenthe Manor back in the 1880s.<br />
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So you might be wondering...where did I get the name Nepenthe? Actually, I don't remember where I came across the word, which is ironic being that nepenthe means "something that makes you forget."<br />
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In Homer's <i>Odyssey</i>, it was actually a drug. This book is not about drugs. I picked the name to represent what Nepenthe Manor becomes - an insane asylum. And what's an insane asylum but a place full of people society wants to forget and who wouldn't mind forgetting a few things themselves?<br />
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I plan to keep blogging about mental health, psychology, daily struggles, etc. so stay tuned for more interesting tidbits, helpful insights, and peculiar ramblings. <br />
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<b>In case you're interested, here's a synopsis of the Mayhem at Nepenthe Manor:</b><br />
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Precocious and morbidly obsessed with death, Pandora Belfry has spent her entire life at Nepenthe Manor, a dark, Gothic mansion also known as the local loony bin. Recently turned fourteen and growing exasperated with her stifling life, Pandora wants two things more than anything else in the world—to make her escape from the asylum, and to get her mom to finally act like a real mom. Until these wishes are granted, she acts as self-imposed ringleader to a wayward posse of inmates.<br /><br />Known amongst themselves as the Secret Six, Pandora and her friends spend their time at Nepenthe Manor stirring up trouble—holding weekly Midnight Meetings to concoct schemes, sneaking into places like the Nepenthe family cemetery and the forbidden attic, and generally doing everything they can to avoid the curse of living a mundane life. But when a mysterious new inmate arrives at the manor, things change for Pandora, and not for the better. In retaliation for a trick she plays on him, the charming and handsome Xavier connives to take over the posse, threatens to divulge one of Pandora's biggest secrets, and refuses to tell her what he did to get himself locked up. This boy is obviously hiding something, and it’s up to Pandora to use whatever nefarious means necessary to find out what it is, before he destroys the only world she’s ever known.<br />
<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.KristinaSchram.com</div>Kristina Schramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16247127901119453576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039885951389247897.post-45071594044110069692013-03-15T12:01:00.001-04:002013-03-15T12:11:19.719-04:00A Stretch in Time Saves Nine Lives<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4iWBsvRJnwyYWFxDQMWNcwRk9RQTcuBsrs7ldMZxvksyB0KateyfVgRRB4l5xSvv7q9LU6SVg7R65X1PojOOY8iQnMDP4cGXCZdFWvb-q8yzrqXlh8dCXeg39LBrRcTeGyUqMyNz0bJ2/s1600/IMG_3177.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4iWBsvRJnwyYWFxDQMWNcwRk9RQTcuBsrs7ldMZxvksyB0KateyfVgRRB4l5xSvv7q9LU6SVg7R65X1PojOOY8iQnMDP4cGXCZdFWvb-q8yzrqXlh8dCXeg39LBrRcTeGyUqMyNz0bJ2/s320/IMG_3177.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I told it was small...</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I recently entered a writing contest for a new website, <a href="http://www.undertendollarsblog.com/">Undertendollars</a>, and made it to the top three finalists (one of the judges was Amber Dusick of <a href="http://crappypictures.com/">Crappy Pictures</a> fame)! I didn't win the contest, so I guess that gives me the right to publish my little piece here... And since I'm desperate for blog posts, even though it's not the grand prize winner, it will have to do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm including a picture of my shower, which I didn't have in the original, and which probably would have catapulted me to winnerdom. Sigh... Success is all about choices and once again I made the wrong one. Actually, I was just too lazy to stand up and go take the dumb picture.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">~~~~~~~~~</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Dear Under Ten Dollars,<br /><br />It’s March 1st and I just found about your contest and its deadline, March 4th. Crap. I’m supposed to write about how I save time, money, and/or reduce stress in my life. Well, that’s just great cause now I’m getting stressed AND wasting time as I quietly freak out about the approaching deadline. I think I might be missing the big picture here.<br /><br />Time to inhale pink, exhale blue.<br /><br />Okay, I’m back. While meditating, I remembered one thing that I do that saves time. It’s a little weird, though, and I’m not really sure I should share it with the world, even if it means I might win a contest…<br /><br />All right. I’m going to do it. Time is precious, the kids have been home all week on break (one of them is currently playing organ music on our electric piano – and not good organ music), and I’m feeling the winter doldrums. I need to get crazy. Are you ready? Wait for it…<br /><br />I exercise in the shower. Yes, it’s true. Not only do I maximize that hair conditioning time (two whole minutes), I’m showering off the sweat. (Truth be told, I don’t sweat all that much. It’s really just stretches…but go with me on this).<br /><br />A long time ago, back in graduate school, I injured myself studying. That’s right. Studying. I think I’m the only person in the world who has done this and I should probably receive some sort of accolade or letter from the president.<br /><br />Did I get injured from lifting all those heavy books, you ask? Not quite. Was it from racing to the library to snag the best carrel? Not even close. Oh, I know! You got a paper cut! I wish it were that simple.<br /><br />The pain radiating throughout my chest – which, as I staggered to the student health center, I sincerely believed was a heart attack – was from leaning over so intensely, and for such long periods of time, that I hurt myself.<br /><br />Pathetic, you say? Righto.<br /><br />The doctor gave me a few stretches to help avoid the agonizing pain and I did them religiously. In a few weeks, the pain went away and I was able, once again, to study like nobody's business without wanting to cry at the end of the day!<br /><br />These days, I no longer study, but I do write every day. So to keep the pain from returning and to maximize every spare minute of my day, I do my stretches in the shower. I do shower every day, which is not the best for the environment, I know, but it keeps me from forgetting to stretch, releases me from my typical morning zombie-like stupor, and helps my fine, oily hair retain some measure of perkiness. To counteract my wasteful ways, I use natural products, recycle, compost, and hand sew all my boys’ clothes (okay, I don’t actually do that last one because I sew like I imagine a monkey would). So please, fellow Greenies, don’t lynch me.<br /><br />I’ve even added some stretches to my routine over the years – I stretch while the water is heating up and while rinsing out my hair. Crazy genius, I know, but that’s how I roll.<br /><br />It’s a win-win situation. I save time, I stay limber, and I stay clean.<br /><br />So who wants to join me?! We’ll start a shower stretching revolution! We’ll conquer sore muscles! We'll— Um, you know you have to do this in your own shower, right? My shower is like, 3 x 3. It’s tiny and my elbows swing and…<br /><br />Oh, what the heck, come on in! It’ll save on water!<br /><br />Sincerely yours,<br /><br />Kristina Schram, Ph.D. (in Shower Stretching)<br /></span><div class="yiv826493889ecxMsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1363361458046_1924">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">P.S. Here are my stretches:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1. While water is heating up, lift arm over head, grab elbow, and gently pull down for 10 seconds. Do for other arm. Then stretch arms backward, keeping them straight, clasp hands and gently pull upward for 10 seconds. After that, I do the following 20 times (stomach pulled in): lift shoulders, pull back elbows (so your chest
thrusts outward), then drop your shoulders. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2. Once in the shower, while shampooing my hair, I hold in my stomach muscles. As I rinse out, I stand
flat-footed, then lift up onto toes...twenty times. Again, hold in your stomach muscles. I'm not going to repeat this again because it gets annoying...but do this as much as possible while stretching. It's an added core builder.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">3. Once the conditioner is in, I do shoulder rolls, forward and backward (almost like you're rowing, but
quickly), twenty times in each direction. I also do ankle rotations
(make circles), 10 to the right, ten to the left, for each foot. While rinsing out the conditioner, I bend
my arms, turn palms upward (as though in supplication to the almighty shower god), pull back, hold for 10
seconds. Do ten times.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">4. Don't forget to towel off...you could even do leg stretches while drying!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Easy, peasy, one, two, threesy, now you're fresh and flexible!</span></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.KristinaSchram.com</div>Kristina Schramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16247127901119453576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039885951389247897.post-9962662958633696842013-01-17T13:33:00.003-05:002013-02-11T13:46:13.707-05:00The Next Big Thing<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aqIMxo1vpYI/UPhB6k4ADoI/AAAAAAAAARk/5XZ3GNmpZk0/s1600/lostones-small-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aqIMxo1vpYI/UPhB6k4ADoI/AAAAAAAAARk/5XZ3GNmpZk0/s200/lostones-small-web.jpg" width="132" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">THE NEXT BIG THING is a chain of book and author recommendations. Each author answers some questions about their work, then recommends other authors...</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>1.</b> <u><b>What is the working title of your next book?</b></u></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The Chronicles of Anaedor: The Lost Ones</i>. It's book three in a series of four books. Books One (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Chronicles-Anaedor-Prophecies-ebook/dp/B008OZ2XNK/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_1"><i>The Prophecies</i></a>) and Two (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Chronicles-Anaedor-Return-ebook/dp/B009M76TDE/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1354720801&sr=8-3"><i>The Return to Anaedor</i></a>) have already been published. If they weren't, I'd be annoyed if I were you. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>2. <u>Where did the idea come from for the book?</u></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I was living in the city at the time, which was not my favorite place, being that I'm a country girl at heart, but it had this wonderful park full of ravines and streams that totally saved me. One day I was walking <span style="font-size: small;">through the park</span>, contemplating life, when I imagined that a creature was peeping out from beneath a rock, watching me pass by. Kind of creepy, I suppose, but it jump-started my idea of the hidden, underground world of Anaedor.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>3. <u>What genre does your book fall under?</u></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">That's an easy one. It's YA fantasy.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>4. <u>What actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?</u></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Anyone really cute so maybe I'd get to meet them. I think any of the actors from <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> movies could work, especially Viggo Mortensen. I'd put him in the part of Frio, Amoral Hunter, and resident hottie. Though Viggo would have to go blond.</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jt5XWyyLeyU/UPhCAxseM6I/AAAAAAAAARs/Wmfjeyxf29o/s1600/return-anaedor-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jt5XWyyLeyU/UPhCAxseM6I/AAAAAAAAARs/Wmfjeyxf29o/s200/return-anaedor-small.jpg" width="132" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>5. <u>What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?</u></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In Book Three, 16-year-old Lavida Mors, prophesied savior of Anaedor, has to cope with mischievous Lost Ones, a ruthless Hunter determined to use her powers for his own benefit, and a ravenous, giant squid.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>6. <u>Will your book be self-published, or represented by an agency?</u></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I am going through <a href="http://hiveauthors.wordpress.com/">Hive Collective</a>, a publishing company that works with authors to publish their works.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>7. <u>How long did it take to write the first draft of the manuscript?</u></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Maybe 8 months? It's been about 8 years since I wrote it, so I'm not exactly sure. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>8. <u>What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?</u></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">If I were savvy, I'd say the Harry Potter series, <i>The Chronicles of Narnia</i> series, and <i>The Hunger Games</i>. But really, my books are only like the first two. Its only resemblance to <i>The Hunger Games</i> is tha<span style="font-size: small;">t the characters</span> in the books often get hungry.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">9. <u>Who or what inspired you to write this book?</u></span></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Staying home to raise three boys inspired me. If I didn't have writing to keep me sane, I would have lost my mind long ago.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQodLuGqt1Cb9LswRfDB9SLOJrmWt44sSNH-nZWK81pCW3GAVf4Q5QMPMqy9HWE66pWyFNDAodUk6txX9swycT8hVC23DNWEMEsRc8vLSs8pz76TkF2FwDVvZoIx_fg8cyT4DRVda3NEcT/s1600/prophecies-final-72.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQodLuGqt1Cb9LswRfDB9SLOJrmWt44sSNH-nZWK81pCW3GAVf4Q5QMPMqy9HWE66pWyFNDAodUk6txX9swycT8hVC23DNWEMEsRc8vLSs8pz76TkF2FwDVvZoIx_fg8cyT4DRVda3NEcT/s200/prophecies-final-72.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">10. <u>What else about the book might pique the reader's interests?</u></span></span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It's full of magic and mystery and adventure. There's some romance, but it's not too gooey for the boys. You'll find weaponry and intrigue, strange, mythical creatures, and a battle with a giant squid. The book starts out with homicidal Pixies bent on taking out Lavida. She uses a spatula to fight them off, then locks them up. Unfortunately, they escape. <span style="font-size: small;">T</span>hat's when the fun begins!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">After
buying all my books, you might want to check out these other great authors:</span></span></div>
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</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1. <a href="http://www.paulbyersonline.com/">Paul Byers</a> Paul writes adventure books full of non-stop action. He sums up his latest book, <i>A</i><i>rctic Fire</i>, with the following words, "A world running out of natural resources...<span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span>A
madman's lust for power... A plan to level an American city
with thousands dead... A new World Order rising... An ordinary man's
struggle to stop it, if he can only survive long enough!"</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">2. <a href="http://www.facebook.com/dorinewhite">Dorine White</a> Dorine writes middle grade fantasy and has her first book, <i>The Emerald Ring</i>, coming out in May. Here's a synopsis: Twelve-year-old Sara Guadalupe Bogus's ordinary life turns upside down when she discovers an emerald
ring once belonging to Cleopatra. Soon after trying it on,
strange things start happening to Sara. She has troubling visions, can
understand animals, and can transform herself into an Egyptian cat. All that seems pretty awesome until a strange man shows up in town. He's hunting for the emerald ring, and will not stop until he gets it.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">3.<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.stephanieobrienbooks.com/my-fugitive.html">Ste<span style="font-size: small;">phanie O'Brien</span></a> </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Stephanie<span style="font-size: small;">, author of <span style="font-size: small;"><i>My Fugi</i><span style="font-size: small;"><i>ti</i><span style="font-size: small;"><i>ve: A Wartime Suspense</i><span style="font-size: small;"><i> Novel</i>,</span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">gives us this glimpse into</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> her book</span>:</span> "</span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">She didn't want to get involved in the war. The
soldiers and rebels were none of her concern, except for when their
firefights threatened her and the people she cared about. But
when an earthquake struck her seaside town, leaving a prisoner trapped
among the wreckage, she couldn't leave him to die. Even if saving him
meant risking everything."</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Come Explore <a href="http://www.kristinaschram.com/">Anaedor</a>!</span></span> </span></span><br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.KristinaSchram.com</div>Kristina Schramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16247127901119453576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039885951389247897.post-53500909864762759912012-09-14T10:46:00.001-04:002012-09-14T10:46:15.179-04:00The Battle to Become Published<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIdFtY3ZbYByfLzJUj35aflU9jChp4iIOU6JfPbOPnn312lmY16aSDGd7VNU67G7VZovSpAaCGj_CrJJiB6eHukcw5scCTpQ3drIRRi76RUFe8mo_9bVg5rBzcqnq7mVMLMb3qzKjslwP-/s1600/IMG_1476.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIdFtY3ZbYByfLzJUj35aflU9jChp4iIOU6JfPbOPnn312lmY16aSDGd7VNU67G7VZovSpAaCGj_CrJJiB6eHukcw5scCTpQ3drIRRi76RUFe8mo_9bVg5rBzcqnq7mVMLMb3qzKjslwP-/s200/IMG_1476.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>I</b></span> just published a new e-book(let), and boy, was it a battle getting it out there. First of all, when submitting to Amazon, I screwed up the title. Of my own book! I accidentally called it, <i>The Battle to Become Published: When Great Expectations Go Awry</i>, rather than its real name, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Battle-Become-Author-ebook/dp/B00989SU9W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347628732&sr=8-1&keywords=the+battle+to+become+an+author">The Battle to Become an Author: When Great Expectations Go Awry</a></i>. And yes, you're all probably going to remember the first title...it's what I typed more times than I care to admit when searching to see if my book was up on Amazon yet.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Battle-Become-Author-ebook/dp/B00989SU9W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347628732&sr=8-1&keywords=the+battle+to+become+an+author" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5WUwe9IsvVp4jjD5pkAC3VBOPTWqjok5LY63PCEQQWtW9G4LuMAgtDHd3YaIjc66kNYJBUsz65S-AsvHNz0MgE-TYk70w5lZ8uy0xfWWXjioPDq0Yr-tnvIoAqpeaEC3M99Ale1K4NxQi/s200/BookCoverSmall.jpg" width="124" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Battle-Become-Author-ebook/dp/B00989SU9W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347628732&sr=8-1&keywords=the+battle+to+become+an+author">Yes, it says the title right on the book</a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Battle-Become-Author-ebook/dp/B00989SU9W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347628732&sr=8-1&keywords=the+battle+to+become+an+author"><br /></a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Battle-Become-Author-ebook/dp/B00989SU9W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347628732&sr=8-1&keywords=the+battle+to+become+an+author"><br /></a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Battle-Become-Author-ebook/dp/B00989SU9W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347628732&sr=8-1&keywords=the+battle+to+become+an+author"><br /></a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Battle-Become-Author-ebook/dp/B00989SU9W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347628732&sr=8-1&keywords=the+battle+to+become+an+author"><br /></a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Battle-Become-Author-ebook/dp/B00989SU9W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347628732&sr=8-1&keywords=the+battle+to+become+an+author"><br /></a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Battle-Become-Author-ebook/dp/B00989SU9W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347628732&sr=8-1&keywords=the+battle+to+become+an+author"><br /></a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Battle-Become-Author-ebook/dp/B00989SU9W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347628732&sr=8-1&keywords=the+battle+to+become+an+author"><br /></a></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Battle-Become-Author-ebook/dp/B00989SU9W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347628732&sr=8-1&keywords=the+battle+to+become+an+author"><br /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">M</span>y mistake was rather ironic, being that getting this book <i><b>published</b></i> was a huge pain. We mainly had problems making the lists work right (which Kindle Fire 8 now supposedly supports). We also had trouble with icons not showing up or showing up as<br />
some other weird symbol, plus the electricity kept going out, of all things. <br />
<br />
I won't bore you with all the other issues we had, but I will say that we had one last biggie. Other than the book misnaming fiasco, things started out well. I submitted my finished e-booklet and about 12 hours later my Kindle account told me that my book was live. But when I went to Amazon, there was no way to buy it. You could see the book cover, the title, and the author, but no Buy Now! button. I sobbed a little, then contacted Amazon. They were nice and told me exactly when I'd hear back from them about the problem. I submitted my book on Sunday, contacted them on Monday, and heard back from them on Thursday. It was a long wait in Kristina years, but at least I knew when I'd get an answer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHwFx5FtR0kmk-aXNsiJZHNKJJk2c5gGD-KA0_r584gurepfJADs50OlNnKjcSWwzuoDOUKm9fqsqKbiyu8KYuXQkO1C5RddLSoXi5yD6bvfhz1fZcjJf0zfggaRULq75BkZfSn5tw9Bk/s1600/100_9493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHwFx5FtR0kmk-aXNsiJZHNKJJk2c5gGD-KA0_r584gurepfJADs50OlNnKjcSWwzuoDOUKm9fqsqKbiyu8KYuXQkO1C5RddLSoXi5yD6bvfhz1fZcjJf0zfggaRULq75BkZfSn5tw9Bk/s200/100_9493.JPG" width="131" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Always Be Prepared</td></tr>
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Here's what they said:<br />
<br />"At this time, certain MOBI files generated using third party
applications are not supported on our website. For best results, we
suggest you to upload your content in MOBI format generated using
KindleGen tool.<br /><br />KindleGen is a command line application to
convert files in HTML/EPUB files to a Kindle supported MOBI format. You
may download KindleGen tool from the below link."<br />
<br />
Agggh! <br />
<br />
I thought it was my title screw-up holding the book back, but it turned out to be more complicated than that. Apparently, Calibre - the conversion tool we used - only supports up to version 6 (I think that's right; I'm not exactly known for my computer prowess). However, in the end, as scary as those two paragraphs looked, we only had to change one thing. Sounds simple, right? Let's just say, luckily for me my husband (<a href="http://www.gorkee.com/">GorKee</a>) knows what he's doing.<br />
<br />
So here's a synopsis of the booklet (it's not very long, hence the $1.99 price, but it is chock-full of goodness): <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjppYh7aSiyH0ToxQrPUtvzqbXL80ss9rcfoqZk_UxgS5LpnOfqfKB1KIhaRflj8nH25tARmJMzHpBDnbbcH9IuJ5OUWxdNjkgpRZIStgOXQMgpKYlUD0q_0cfiSifczHG3lbu3I-LX7X0/s1600/IMG_0281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjppYh7aSiyH0ToxQrPUtvzqbXL80ss9rcfoqZk_UxgS5LpnOfqfKB1KIhaRflj8nH25tARmJMzHpBDnbbcH9IuJ5OUWxdNjkgpRZIStgOXQMgpKYlUD0q_0cfiSifczHG3lbu3I-LX7X0/s200/IMG_0281.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bleak and Gloomy Outlook</td></tr>
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<b>Are you looking to find an agent and/or get
published? Are you a published author frustrated with the whole process?
Or have you simply heard the horror stories and are looking for a ray
of light before plunging into the fray? In this short booklet, author
Kristina Schram discusses how one’s unrealistic expectations about
becoming an author can contribute to feelings of negativity and
isolation. Dr. Schram offers a real-world discussion of this growing
issue, humorously incorporating her own experiences throughout. She also
offers insights and ways to cope with the increasingly difficult battle
to become a published author. Come prepared to challenge your own
expectations, to laugh and to cry, and to battle against the forces
conspiring to keep you from reaching your writing potential!</b></div>
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Funny, huh?</div>
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<br />I hope to be laughing all the way to the bank some day. I really do.</div>
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<b>Kristina Schram</b></div>
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highly traumatized author of, wait for it... </div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Chronicles-Anaedor-Prophecies-ebook/dp/B008OZ2XNK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1347631421&sr=8-2&keywords=The+Chronicles+of+Anaedor"><i>The Chronicles of Anaedor: The Prophecies (Book One) </i></a></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Battle-Become-Author-ebook/dp/B00989SU9W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347628732&sr=8-1&keywords=the+battle+to+become+an+author">The Battle to Become an Author: When Great Expectations Go Awry</a></i>.</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.KristinaSchram.com</div>Kristina Schramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16247127901119453576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039885951389247897.post-17518532006150913862012-03-25T14:29:00.009-04:002012-03-25T14:48:25.214-04:00The New Poor?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkAZmrmZZg9MtdYom0FJPl4dgtECrVlNrCa639bVJqJEALYOCzKo8wvv75_2anuADSiz6wP_Uw7BZPig1IekZANaGnTTkyC_VrkVU1sjEN5Kggu08jzQjc5qRh9IQu1xvH2PFFF531e6U/s1600/fantasy258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkAZmrmZZg9MtdYom0FJPl4dgtECrVlNrCa639bVJqJEALYOCzKo8wvv75_2anuADSiz6wP_Uw7BZPig1IekZANaGnTTkyC_VrkVU1sjEN5Kggu08jzQjc5qRh9IQu1xvH2PFFF531e6U/s320/fantasy258.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I Feel So Poor Without My Tiara</td></tr>
</tbody></table><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">I recently read an <a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/first-person-earn-more-100-000-still-feel-151200753.html">article</a> on Yahoo! that really rubbed me the wrong way... <i>How to Earn $100,000 and Still Feel Poor</i>. It's a topic I've been thinking about for quite some time, and frankly, I can no longer remain silent on it. My ire concerns the way Americans define the term, poor. Heck, it even concerns the definition my computer <i>New Oxford American Dictionary</i> gives: poor means "lacking sufficient money to live at a standard considered comfortable or normal in a society."</span></span></h6><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">When it comes to our society</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"> I'm all for throwing that definition out the window. Why? Because when it comes to defining what poor means<span style="font-size: small;"> we are messed up</span>. Our view of comfortable or normal equates to what other countries consider champagne wishes and caviar dreams. Poor doesn't mean not having a cell phone complete with sparkly case, it means not having a place to live. It doesn't mean you have to cut your cable package and miss out on <i>1000 Ways to Die</i>, it means your electricity was just shut off. It doesn't mean having to eat out less, it means wondering where your next meal is coming from. I hear people complaining about the economy while talking on cell phones, which more than likely cost a lot of moola to maintain every month (I seriously do not understand how so many people can afford these things when our economy is so terrible - does it make any sense to you?). At any rate, if you're eating three meals a day and have a roof over your head, you're not poor!</span></h6><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"></span></span><br />
<h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">Over the last couple of years, while voting for the town and school budget, I have heard many people invoke the term, "tough economic times" as a reason for voting down basic needs for our town and school. I'm not challenging that phrase...what I <i>am</i> challenging is the number of people who claim to be suffering during these tough economic times, yet their kids (and themselves) have all the latest gadgets (my kids are always telling me about how most kids in their classes have cell phones, gameboys, DS's or whatever's the latest and greatest), the biggest cable package (not to mention flat screen TVs) you can get, the nicest clothes and most expensive brands, and who obviously are getting enough to eat (this is not a slight on people struggling with their weight - it's saying, you aren't poor if you're getting plenty to eat), and so on. It's an insult to the people who really are suffering...those who have lost their jobs, those on fixed incomes, those whose communities have been hit by natural disaster, those who can't take necessary medications because they can't afford them (type I diabetics will often go without insulin because it's hugely expensive), and those who are literally starving, especially children. </span></span></h6><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJDWtu9L5K_cfTH5UebPTamMc_kxDq-ErnFMBfZmWHlXFCqJCVZ4UEyOGBBdPrc8prXywkTWqu24GvpGn0OM0swPeC9E7li9HZDQqYXnMhlsLqNvsTlfDcJYguOlTADJ3XzJ4r63bIlU7s/s1600/kris224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJDWtu9L5K_cfTH5UebPTamMc_kxDq-ErnFMBfZmWHlXFCqJCVZ4UEyOGBBdPrc8prXywkTWqu24GvpGn0OM0swPeC9E7li9HZDQqYXnMhlsLqNvsTlfDcJYguOlTADJ3XzJ4r63bIlU7s/s320/kris224.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homemade Shirt and Bad Haircut Does Not Equal Poor</td></tr>
</tbody></table><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">I grew up on reduced price school lunches, hand-me-downs - sometimes holey, oftentimes too big - and at one point shared a bedroom with 2 sisters (I slept on a couch). We rarely got the latest fad (unless it was cheap, like beaded friendship pins), my mother made a lot of our birthday and Christmas gifts or got them from yard sales, and we pretty much never ate out. Were we poor? No way! And my mom, who had it worse than me by a fair amount and who grew up in a pretty tough neighborhood, didn't consider herself poor, either. She had food, a roof over her head, and clothes to wear.</span></span></h6><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">What's my point? Well, maybe people should start looking at what they do have instead of complaining about what they don't (I will include myself in this, as well, cause I can get whiny, too). It's a simple idea and I can't take credit for it, because it's been around for a long time. Just because you don't have everything you want or aren't living the lifestyle you'd like to live doesn't qualify you as poor. Poor hurts. Are you really hurting if you can't have steak twice a week or had to put off your family vacation for a year? Does cutting your cable package or dumping your cell phone really cut deep?</span></span></h6><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">If you think so, then I suggest you re-think your priorities. You may not truly be poor economically, but you're definitely poor in spirit. And in the long run, that's going to hurt worse.</span></span></h6><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span></span></h6><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}">Until We Meet Again... </span></span></h6><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_615877050" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbVFmjKfqn5SnvfOqLQOaK6RnBEMRI6ZQR2S1yCZ9tphoV8kgz_FC2bM7pkcRkIJnZQrWRH-hGrh7QGnoRnE_ABcFWRoZYZZTm7OI4YQ7Sw-BQ4HOrEYY_AbsQU-IKLiywKVOdbpQ5NxWQ/s200/Anaedor-front-300.jpg" width="128" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Chronicles-Anaedor-Prophecies/dp/1935142100/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332700649&sr=8-1">Come Explore Anaedor!</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" data-ft="{"type":1}" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</h6><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.KristinaSchram.com</div>Kristina Schramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16247127901119453576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039885951389247897.post-794347404717336292011-10-12T13:00:00.000-04:002011-10-12T14:10:09.784-04:00My Top Five Favorite Horror Flicks!In honor of Halloween, I decided to make a list of my top five favorite horror flicks (yes, I just repeated my title, what’re you gonna do, take a chainsaw to me?). I picked these five because, one way or another, they all really got to me. I saw some of them when I was just a kid and still vividly remember them. <br />
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Which might explain a few of my personality glitches…<br />
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Now, before you horror movie diehards get too excited, let me say one thing first. I didn’t get to watch too many movies growing up (we were too poor to pay for entertainment), and certainly not many horror ones. And now, well, with having kids, the horror movies today are just too real and gory for me to watch. That means I’m sticking to those horror movies that I remember from childhood and teenagerhood. Though I must say, there are a couple on this list my mother should never have let me watch.<br />
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So, without further ado, here is my top-five list…<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wO-F5Qxghmc5qBcyOHkLC6e6eEWt3Ezrxq7v7kjMHPw83OWxluymfpcRKs1mq6pip7f6SyA7A8TuZW-zN7qsCvJWmqpcJojXPR6QSLQOddMJQWW_HSyRKoU5uSL_CJho3UwE1PaCCnU/s1600-h/200px-Burnt_offerings_movie_poster.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263319645132543634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wO-F5Qxghmc5qBcyOHkLC6e6eEWt3Ezrxq7v7kjMHPw83OWxluymfpcRKs1mq6pip7f6SyA7A8TuZW-zN7qsCvJWmqpcJojXPR6QSLQOddMJQWW_HSyRKoU5uSL_CJho3UwE1PaCCnU/s200/200px-Burnt_offerings_movie_poster.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 133px;" /></a>1. Burnt Offerings. This movie came out in 1976 and was based on a novel written by Robert Marasco. The story centers around a family who moves into a haunted house…but this is no ordinary haunted house. Each time someone dies, the house gets rejuvenated, literally coming back to life. Bette Davis plays an interesting role in this movie and she’s great in it, as usual. There is also a character in the movie that has haunted my dreams for years. I can still remember his face, and I still shudder at the sight of it in my mind. He is Creepy with a capital C. You’ll know right away who I’m talking about when you see him.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgycs-aZJqbSw4J64kmbaAs4lN5BGqKitMg5mjPJMYmumXtUnLA6UFgsTZ_vk_QO6tPMNffQcaClHoknbcCJX3zemf1iaXTHzcCAKSb9nxRAgWhvIR-HrLwaYWNg155hooEYMut9N_Pubg5/s1600-h/70075675.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263319867478299746" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgycs-aZJqbSw4J64kmbaAs4lN5BGqKitMg5mjPJMYmumXtUnLA6UFgsTZ_vk_QO6tPMNffQcaClHoknbcCJX3zemf1iaXTHzcCAKSb9nxRAgWhvIR-HrLwaYWNg155hooEYMut9N_Pubg5/s200/70075675.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 110px;" /></a>2. The Hand (1981). This movie stars Michael Caine, whom I love. In the movie, he plays a famous comic book artist who loses his hand in a car wreck. Unfortunately, the hand cannot be found. That is, until it starts stalking people and rubbing them out. I can still remember that hand crawling all over the place. The worst part? Not long after we saw the movie, my older sister played a horrible trick on me. Scene: I was lying in bed, innocent and nearly asleep, when I heard a noise. I turned my head slightly to the right only to see a hand, and it wasn’t one of my own. I was so scared I nearly peed the bed (maybe I did, I don’t actually remember). Anyway, after some silent panicking, I started talking to the hand, trying to get on its good side. "This is my pet hand," I would say in a quavering voice. "I like my pet hand and my pet hand likes me, right hand?" My sister must have been dying under that bed. I hate her.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX3tm8KMyC9UdF6pjdRwU8fomAGDbMAqFCChQDGMQKQvzqPAbE9dcPGqYPsZXW2WnwyYYrZ81l2asaWUH-9bfCyuFNBiT2D7pu2elOB5o7UWaGuDgdXIWJDxSEUvQB14gPaKcQTfUXxWo/s1600-h/tf1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263320148610200482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEX3tm8KMyC9UdF6pjdRwU8fomAGDbMAqFCChQDGMQKQvzqPAbE9dcPGqYPsZXW2WnwyYYrZ81l2asaWUH-9bfCyuFNBiT2D7pu2elOB5o7UWaGuDgdXIWJDxSEUvQB14gPaKcQTfUXxWo/s200/tf1.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 82px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 123px;" /></a>3. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). This is the worst kind of horror I can imagine. You can’t fall asleep or a child murderer will kill you? That’s just warped. After watching this movie, I had a hard time sleeping, for a long time. Robert Englund was perfect as Freddy Krueger. Johnny Depp is even in the movie, if you’re interested in him. Most women aren’t, I’ve heard. Certainly not me. But anyhoo, the premise of this movie is the perfect horror story. Don’t fall asleep or you will die. But if you don’t sleep, you will die, or at the very least, go crazy. There are no options here. That’s good stuff!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zvhuUQXH101ywhbeQ9jwwqQx88R2jy6t7_dmb5yUdBwAwH0Bs3i6xb9DGcXERdMlXDfHqrODTxNRYk44bpYQVkrmluJAZhnhVTpa0WZnRkIfcNEu_PajtaCJjLfZuZMqnAipZr65XCA/s1600-h/200px-The_shining_heres_johnny.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263320322522478706" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zvhuUQXH101ywhbeQ9jwwqQx88R2jy6t7_dmb5yUdBwAwH0Bs3i6xb9DGcXERdMlXDfHqrODTxNRYk44bpYQVkrmluJAZhnhVTpa0WZnRkIfcNEu_PajtaCJjLfZuZMqnAipZr65XCA/s200/200px-The_shining_heres_johnny.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 135px;" /></a>4. The Shining. Both Stephen King’s novel and the 1980 movie starring Jack Nicholson, are scary scary. The psychological elements, the woman in the bathtub, the two little girls, the creepy bartender, and the isolated setting, are all perfect for messing with the false sense of safety we all carry around. Plus, you just can’t beat Jack Nicholson in that role or the fact that the movie was directed by Stanley Kubrick (who directed A Clockwork Orange, which is another scary movie, but in an entirely different way). There were so many great scenes, so many memorable lines in this work, that I don’t think you can get much better than this. I guess that’s why it’s a classic. Stephen King wasn’t happy about Kubrik’s take on his book, but I like both for different reasons. It’s okay to love both…that’s what my therapist tells me, anyway.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUkEbnSSO8p2FWAQP1pGQojLPvvX26DCSA5hzxzDIvGovgt1lvRZyzqHLbeAH5vVM436O0m0tyM4tlE605TpGvHuL07a8a2xaqbaSVlTY1llVXa0CKh19hyphenhyphenoJjeFAXF9adnGSbcc82z4fZ/s1600-h/200px-The_Birds_original_poster.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263320485654453762" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUkEbnSSO8p2FWAQP1pGQojLPvvX26DCSA5hzxzDIvGovgt1lvRZyzqHLbeAH5vVM436O0m0tyM4tlE605TpGvHuL07a8a2xaqbaSVlTY1llVXa0CKh19hyphenhyphenoJjeFAXF9adnGSbcc82z4fZ/s200/200px-The_Birds_original_poster.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 129px;" /></a>5. The Birds (1963). This work of art is an oldie but a goodie, directed by the incomparable Alfred Hitchcock. The movie was based on a short story by Daphne du Maurier, one of my favorite authors, and is about birds who attack people. Admit it, after seeing this movie, who cannot help but cringe whenever a flock of birds passes overhead? People today may think the movie is too old-fashioned, not enough action or blood, but that’s the beauty of Hitchcock. He can scare you without using all those special effects. Just big beaks pecking your eyes out. That’s all he needed…and he didn’t even show that. You just imagined it. That, my friends, is good theater.<br />
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Well, that’s my list. Feel free to share your favorite horror movies. I’m interested to know what modern horror movies people like, or if you agree with any of my choices. And remember, don’t move into a haunted house, lose your hand, fall asleep, be a caretaker for a hotel, or get involved with birds.<br />
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Happy Horrors!<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.KristinaSchram.com</div>Kristina Schramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16247127901119453576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039885951389247897.post-36930542073595562572011-05-05T14:03:00.001-04:002011-05-05T14:05:08.598-04:00The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Going the Whole Hog! - Part Two<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9Xo1NhPoPfyqOpNYqDwpHexpP6Zx81A5BQx6udoJBmNteW5BAa1OZVDv5ZkTeGQCUaAxEayD-Y16Hu8vqUTSCeRhMm8U0p-FUFAprnK5x6s8LhyphenhyphenbeBfkVR73w70SysbAUmgeXcxqScM/s1600/100_9433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI9Xo1NhPoPfyqOpNYqDwpHexpP6Zx81A5BQx6udoJBmNteW5BAa1OZVDv5ZkTeGQCUaAxEayD-Y16Hu8vqUTSCeRhMm8U0p-FUFAprnK5x6s8LhyphenhyphenbeBfkVR73w70SysbAUmgeXcxqScM/s320/100_9433.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Wizarding World of Harry Potter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>In <a href="http://mischiefmysterymagic.blogspot.com/2011/05/wizarding-world-of-harry-potter-going.html">Part One</a> of our adventure to visit <a href="http://www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter/">The Wizarding World of Harry Potter</a> at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, I talked about riding the roller coasters, picking out wands, and drinking Butterbeer. Now onto the second half of our story...<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhklz7NIoLzIXtODgxE8JE5jMAnZVzB6FustustejgfLh9GiPpMEweofLm7pFpICqo39bKrvPfjMZ2trQeHykSgx57kyc2tub5i2qN-00xObYJ8zo4V_5KEagpObm_yFna0wHvx8Bje7ic/s1600/100_9330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhklz7NIoLzIXtODgxE8JE5jMAnZVzB6FustustejgfLh9GiPpMEweofLm7pFpICqo39bKrvPfjMZ2trQeHykSgx57kyc2tub5i2qN-00xObYJ8zo4V_5KEagpObm_yFna0wHvx8Bje7ic/s200/100_9330.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Three Broomsticks</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MeMtVlnqBEF7BPKsJ7uMeYkVkJPv9m0V1-tDOIQXstgzoGDnlErHJijuvAOQnmLVcfx0KP13ZDYq8mdOiHJ2Nq1gebHbOndj38gQHes8gs-Ah9UhQOfpbEJVGIJ7E_zOzhHdXAlnhlRl/s1600/100_9325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MeMtVlnqBEF7BPKsJ7uMeYkVkJPv9m0V1-tDOIQXstgzoGDnlErHJijuvAOQnmLVcfx0KP13ZDYq8mdOiHJ2Nq1gebHbOndj38gQHes8gs-Ah9UhQOfpbEJVGIJ7E_zOzhHdXAlnhlRl/s200/100_9325.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eating a Turkey Drumstick</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After a busy morning, we decided to eat lunch at The Three Broomsticks. In Part One I wrote that the shortest wait was about 40 minutes, but I'm going to have to take that back. We only waited about 5 minutes to place our order (there's a glass showcase where you can view all your culinary choices). We ordered, paid, then waited another few minutes to get our food. It came very fast...and that worried me. Surely food made that quickly wouldn't taste very good. I imagined everything being lukewarm, dry, stringy, or all of the above. But, in fact, it was reasonably palatable. We were escorted to a nice table by a window (you can also eat on the patio and if you look over the wall, you'll see carp swimming in the pond below). I ordered the chicken and corn on the cob and ate up pretty much everything on my plate. Maybe I have low standards, maybe I was hungry, but I actually liked the food. It was simple, yet tasty. My husband and the kids ordered the turkey drumstick and/or fish and chips and all seemed happy with their choices. We tried the pumpkin juice, which tastes just like what you'd imagine the juice of a pumpkin would taste like. Nobody really liked it, but I'm glad we gave it a go anyway (I suggest buying only one mug of it - you can always get more later if you are strange and actually like it). Personally I think they should mix the PJ with lots of apple juice and spice it with cinnamon and nutmeg. You know, make it more like pumpkin pie than pumpkin squeezings. I could drink that...and they could dollop the same cream they use for the Butterbeer on top. Perfect!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0Inxgt-gEaXgb5kPTTVZo7cSFd9NQ1a93NWPvdSzDJGxS3yKVe22DnAqzDmiJKseJl0hr1zBBVjxcrmFNu-7fqd1C-5XzKDvBZxHTGaYmaZhbcrSizfOrKcdVEmPw8U2IYJiynlGWfZy/s1600/100_9305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk0Inxgt-gEaXgb5kPTTVZo7cSFd9NQ1a93NWPvdSzDJGxS3yKVe22DnAqzDmiJKseJl0hr1zBBVjxcrmFNu-7fqd1C-5XzKDvBZxHTGaYmaZhbcrSizfOrKcdVEmPw8U2IYJiynlGWfZy/s200/100_9305.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hogwarts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After fortifying ourselves with hearty English food and emptying our bursting bladders (well mine was bursting, but then again, it <i>is</i> the size of a walnut), we headed for Hogwarts for our tour and the ride, <i>Harry Potter and The Forbidden Journey</i> (dunh, dunh, duhhh). The sign indicated that the wait had gone from 150 minutes down to 90 - hurray! Since I could no longer see a line snaking out of the castle and back to the Butterbeer cart, I thought, <i>Hey, maybe it won't be 90 minutes after all</i>, <i>more like a doable 30 or 40</i>. And so we entered the castle with high hopes, only to discover we had to first store our backpack in a locker. If you're going on the ride, you can't have anything on you that might fly off and kill somebody. That means bags, wands, bulky cameras (like ours, so I'm sad to say I don't have any photos inside Hogwarts), and bad attitudes (unfortunately, there was someone behind us in line who didn't follow that rule). The locker was free, but the catch was that on such a busy day, they were all being used. So you had to wait for someone to come along and empty their locker before you could get one. This part was a bit stressful and annoying. The actual process of getting the recently departed locker (there's a lag-time between a person 'signing' out their stuff and you being able to take the locker) was the worst of it. The other bad part is that we discovered you can't fit some of the wand boxes into the locker - they're too long. So we had to take out the wand and store it in the locker, then place the box up on top of the lockers and hope no one saw it. We also needed two lockers because they're small and our stuff is big. But like the troopers we are, we rallied and did what needed to be done.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV_5Zm6QBahNhnIoynKqItSvLq6uk-A8MzEVy6dc19bfYtaTlqldKbLDwBXWZ6QSp34kzzzH36ww_QKTzJcZKKWb8q9e6Zz7XOkZ2AIfXgdotnmj90ciQelI-07hD4QwruBeo-XLvrtss/s1600/100_9331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV_5Zm6QBahNhnIoynKqItSvLq6uk-A8MzEVy6dc19bfYtaTlqldKbLDwBXWZ6QSp34kzzzH36ww_QKTzJcZKKWb8q9e6Zz7XOkZ2AIfXgdotnmj90ciQelI-07hD4QwruBeo-XLvrtss/s200/100_9331.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hogwarts From Another Angle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Once that part was taken care of, we joined the line and actually moved quite quickly through a tunnel-like area. Yes! This was going to be easier than I thought. At one point along the way, you can choose between taking the tour <i>or</i> taking the tour, plus going on the ride. My six-year-old barely made the ride height requirement (which I made sure to check <i>before</i> we left for Florida), but they don't check you here, they check you at the point just before you get on the ride. So you could stand in line for a century and get turned away like criminals. Don't let this happen to you - check heights!<br />
<br />
Anyway, we finally entered the true line, but from this perspective it looked rather long. Crap. At the particular spot where we met up with the line, a drink cart sat beckoning to thirsty line dwellers. If it's hot out and your line starts at the cart or even farther back, be sure to keep some cash (I'm not sure if they took credit cards) on you and buy a drink or two. You'll eventually reach water faucets, but they're a LONG way off (imagine how far back it was for those poor souls who had the 150-minute wait!). We didn't have any form of money (our wallets were in our backpack), so we settled in to wait. Fans blew misty water at us, helping to alleviate the heat, and the lines generally kept moving at a reasonably good pace. As we were walking along, we saw all the lines we were still going to have to go through (think of a giant maze with invisible walls), but we fooled ourselves into thinking, "it's not <i>that</i> long." And then we reached a certain point in the line and saw that it went back even farther, doubling and doubling again and again. This particular area was located in the direct sun without a sign of shade or a fan anywhere. Double crap. We already knew what we had to go through <i>after</i> this part because our line had already passed by all the other people way ahead of us. As we passed by them, they would look at us with sympathy mixed with a hint of smugness. Of course, this is the point at which the guy with the bad attitude started dissing the Harry Potter books, complaining about people cutting in line (they weren't), and talking on his cell phone. At that point, I wondered, "What would HP do?" Because that sun was getting hot and the six-year-old was getting cranky.<br />
<br />
<i>Finally</i>, after we'd started hallucinating about swimming in mugs of Butterbeer and pumpkin juice, we reached the shaded conservatory area. It was actually even hotter here, but you could almost smell the magic as we approached the entrance so we tried hard to stay optimistic...and conscious. When we reached the water fountains, we gulped down mouthfuls of water, splashed some in our face, and hurried along to enter Hogwarts <i>at last</i>. The moment we entered the cool interior of the castle, I decided that the wait, while VERY long, had been worth it. Like childbirth, you forget the suffering almost instantly as you take in this wondrous world that you've seen only in the movies and in your feverish imagination. I won't give away everything that happened, but I will tell you this: You'll see talking/moving portraits, Dumbledore's chambers (where a holographic Dumbledore speaks to you), and you'll visit the Defense of the Dark Arts classroom, where you'll encounter Harry, Ron and Hermione. I couldn't believe how realistic the characters looked. In the Dark Arts classroom, something very awesome happens, so if it's a slow day, be sure to stop and listen to their whole skit and then, wait for it. I'll only tell you that it was magical. I have to say that although I didn't like the long lines, they did give you ample time to look around and take everything in. I loved the tour and kept thinking what a great job it would be to work at Hogwarts. I doubt the employees get as much free reign as I would like, but still...what fun!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisMAMfJB6qCnUcbDUTo1LckvFO6BEdL3gkEcIIaG9cLUhcejn-K-ilD1_rgvy-j-fAHYwrxuDjTKORDQLGr_TGQsda70diH1g-kuSnlPTYDVWj172mapTheeyU_xcmChCxLNazPdmPBhzv/s1600/100_9317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisMAMfJB6qCnUcbDUTo1LckvFO6BEdL3gkEcIIaG9cLUhcejn-K-ilD1_rgvy-j-fAHYwrxuDjTKORDQLGr_TGQsda70diH1g-kuSnlPTYDVWj172mapTheeyU_xcmChCxLNazPdmPBhzv/s200/100_9317.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hogwarts From Yet Another Angle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Soon we approached the line for the ride. I was excited, but my expectations weren't terribly high. I'd heard good things, but I wasn't expecting anything spectacular. Even so, I was in a good mood and ready to go. On the ride, you sit four to a car so I went with my two oldest and my husband went with our youngest. FYI: If you're willing to split up, you can take another line that goes a lot faster. You just won't ride with families or friends. You'll get placed with other groups. If you're okay with that, I'd say go for it. We had a family so we couldn't split up, but I think it's the way to go if you can. You can't even see the people next to you anyway.<br />
<br />
Next, they strap you in and off you go on the best ride I've been on...EVER. Hermione is talking in your ear the whole time - not intrusively, but to warn and guide you. To be honest, I'm not really sure what she was saying, but it didn't matter, I was flying and dodging and flipping upside down. I was encountering spitting spiders and raging Dementors and feeling hot dragon's breath right in my face. I was inside the castle, then flying out of it, down onto the Quidditch field as though I was riding my own Nimbus 2000. Hermione could have been calling me a Numpty and I wouldn't have cared. The ride was so realistic that I felt like I was truly doing everything on my own. I even lifted my feet as we soared down toward the field at breakneck speed. This ride truly made me feel like I was a part of something bigger, like a heroine in a book come to life. Of course, unlike Harry Potter, I yelled the entire way. But I was shouting with joy this time around, not from mindless terror and fear of puking my guts out.<br />
<br />
The ride came to an end all too soon. If the line hadn't been so long, I would have rode it again and again. I LOVED that ride. Now, just to keep you from raising your expectations too high, maybe I was experiencing cognitive dissonance. After waiting in line so long, I HAD to like the ride to make up for all that suffering. I must admit, by the time we entered Hogwarts, I was muttering something along the lines of, "This better be worth it or else Potter gets it..." But I don't think it was that. To me, despite the heat and three wilting children, one of whom decided to be churlish for the second half of the wait (I'm not sure I can blame him), it was definitely worth it. I hope you think so, too. I will tell you this...my youngest wasn't too sure about the ride afterwards (it's a LOT for a six-year-old and probably a little scary, too). When the ride was over, he tumbled off it looking a bit dazed. One of his sandals fell off as he stumbled along to join the rest of us. I grabbed his sandal and his dad scooped him up into his safe, strong arms. And after hearing us rave about it, along with a little recovery time, he decided it had been the best ride EVER. That's my boy.<br />
<br />
It was back to reality after that. We fetched our stuff out of the lockers (the wand box was still there - hurray!), then visited Filch's Emporium, right next door and full of very expensive but fun stuff to look at. Lots of people were wearing Hogwarts attire (not just the staff), which, in that heat, is true dedication. After looking around the shop, we headed outdoors to take some photos and decide what to do next. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ9_8btS3ULvzoPiVI3-CBhyphenhyphenTji2wkk40sn0WBe9XFn4Z27Vw-UUENA9zNpyF414y4zEoBFTPmtqQhEvQsnP6pO0Hj4RftfY3eMhW1LKSOEvgXLrx7RRdNiElKtzpo6tyur-zROka2-dtp/s1600/100_9310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ9_8btS3ULvzoPiVI3-CBhyphenhyphenTji2wkk40sn0WBe9XFn4Z27Vw-UUENA9zNpyF414y4zEoBFTPmtqQhEvQsnP6pO0Hj4RftfY3eMhW1LKSOEvgXLrx7RRdNiElKtzpo6tyur-zROka2-dtp/s200/100_9310.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here Are the Cauldrons I Bought<br />
to Bring Home (I Wish)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj7zVWUzG9TUevE5I_I45jkazvQe6McKnwBuz-TzhsiX0lABd8cXg6daiNXQxSSuLSXH0fXyCdxPwCsRcF8pZXX_TJIz2NdBmAgCy6wmo207LjAVgkMtXye03w4UvskrVYnLT_evgEyhhj/s1600/100_9337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj7zVWUzG9TUevE5I_I45jkazvQe6McKnwBuz-TzhsiX0lABd8cXg6daiNXQxSSuLSXH0fXyCdxPwCsRcF8pZXX_TJIz2NdBmAgCy6wmo207LjAVgkMtXye03w4UvskrVYnLT_evgEyhhj/s200/100_9337.JPG" width="154" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's Right - Two Wands! </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNGMvARFgJ-x-ZJJNULqSvQx7kfAKoUWHpAtahunJ69wdZX_xD9emUvmhJ1raNbCHB35xAHFkfV_mIIiIAknNnJPExYvSZ4ldBI1jvQMBql0TV0eSZm3_BHXUaxmdWUX4Zlp4qIyw82Fw/s1600/100_9339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNGMvARFgJ-x-ZJJNULqSvQx7kfAKoUWHpAtahunJ69wdZX_xD9emUvmhJ1raNbCHB35xAHFkfV_mIIiIAknNnJPExYvSZ4ldBI1jvQMBql0TV0eSZm3_BHXUaxmdWUX4Zlp4qIyw82Fw/s200/100_9339.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Nod to the Gate in Anaedor</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-xkz6uDE5CRDlQUDxh2Oo9UWK7PLrFyLW3xmJdx7fLo1ekFcTx14092aS0jpuKbXCCC2rvz9R1AkKz4H690mKW7hpqdbFXV7LUJqeOBIgZq5Nxc7ES6_8BEi2ASBd85cxE0pIpNe5eY/s1600/100_9338+-+Version+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo-xkz6uDE5CRDlQUDxh2Oo9UWK7PLrFyLW3xmJdx7fLo1ekFcTx14092aS0jpuKbXCCC2rvz9R1AkKz4H690mKW7hpqdbFXV7LUJqeOBIgZq5Nxc7ES6_8BEi2ASBd85cxE0pIpNe5eY/s200/100_9338+-+Version+2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beware the Power<br />
<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3sx1IUEmu-bV_mApUBBVZvTcQzF0FqQwijuMuRh1vQyHkCsvMjB7-XpqLXw1L6gtrPaokFOGFAEkWxFsk5M3bCDwc7CUU_Pc1bMybxEnUgy6Pck26m1eL64z4dcPTBnlt84T1ibXLQpfM/s1600/100_9315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3sx1IUEmu-bV_mApUBBVZvTcQzF0FqQwijuMuRh1vQyHkCsvMjB7-XpqLXw1L6gtrPaokFOGFAEkWxFsk5M3bCDwc7CUU_Pc1bMybxEnUgy6Pck26m1eL64z4dcPTBnlt84T1ibXLQpfM/s200/100_9315.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow-Covered Shops</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvHkgWRaZ9KasHnT5ZX8OrJBnh7M11wjPG_RPOSIc_5seotp9uktm_apeB2Y8AHNArAnj7_0UjFGIVdk-VnAteeMLuHoneoXO_FhPtArdOLvpQaQoQv1Mi_QQ6OFMM1N_2Ug6VumPFDsJV/s1600/100_9441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvHkgWRaZ9KasHnT5ZX8OrJBnh7M11wjPG_RPOSIc_5seotp9uktm_apeB2Y8AHNArAnj7_0UjFGIVdk-VnAteeMLuHoneoXO_FhPtArdOLvpQaQoQv1Mi_QQ6OFMM1N_2Ug6VumPFDsJV/s200/100_9441.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every Flavour Beans</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXWwuTNKNRIUKNWaWywjNWMCbKgmzELqnr1unGPHRcRKoat84scLhUgSCNvO8GVNFhGyJ8sCaCRATXgaYs9k_KosZ4R1F2BlLMOIXsZtlvOld1hFtSWZ9lWC5BdsCYcAFwRa4k7cmHkNPr/s1600/100_9442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXWwuTNKNRIUKNWaWywjNWMCbKgmzELqnr1unGPHRcRKoat84scLhUgSCNvO8GVNFhGyJ8sCaCRATXgaYs9k_KosZ4R1F2BlLMOIXsZtlvOld1hFtSWZ9lWC5BdsCYcAFwRa4k7cmHkNPr/s200/100_9442.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chocolate Frog</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We knew we didn't have much more in us, so we decided we wanted to try Honeydukes, the candy shop, as our last stop. Actually, I was the biggest proponent for it. I wanted my candy. I sent my two oldest to check out the wait and they discovered to everyone's delight a very short line (it was quite long earlier in the day). We got in after about 10 minutes (so I guess I lied again - sorry). The shop isn't as magical as some of the other places, but I'm not sure it needs to be. The candy tells its own story. Two of the boys bought giant lollipops. Two of us bought the chocolate frogs. Three of the group, including myself, bought the Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. At first I thought they would taste like regular jelly beans. Wrong. While they do have some good flavors, like marshmallow and tutti-frutti, they have the nasty flavors, too! Luckily there's a chart labeling the different ones. They actually have vomit, dirt, rotten egg, earwax and bogies (we've yet to figure out if bogies means boogers, though my son says it's BAD, whatever it is). My sons bravely tried the nasty flavors and it was quite entertaining watching their expressions. I told them they could have my nasty ones to share with their friends. Mom of the Year award, you're in my reach!<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiptdm8UOcQmMa0qKttlZFJrvFnQiJjictrJZob6aEohP0d5UzDztA8p3TUGu749U-txbAegxikLeoCy_4Oo9EBbaTIWbQKJrkKxA8-MxW1g3KzFY2EPoS37qN8YIKkgDOtYGuEMQr3El5o/s1600/100_9434.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiptdm8UOcQmMa0qKttlZFJrvFnQiJjictrJZob6aEohP0d5UzDztA8p3TUGu749U-txbAegxikLeoCy_4Oo9EBbaTIWbQKJrkKxA8-MxW1g3KzFY2EPoS37qN8YIKkgDOtYGuEMQr3El5o/s200/100_9434.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Islands of Adventure</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Sadly, that was our last stop. I was loath to go, but we were tired and it was time. We really had a great day, though. Once we made it out of the park (it's a long walk back to the parking lot), we headed out of town and grabbed supper on the way home, all the while discussing our brilliant adventure. We only had time to visit the Wizarding World (only one small part of the Islands of Adventure), but that was plenty for me. I can't wait to go back when the crowds are much smaller so I can see everything at a more leisurely pace. I missed the Flight of the Hippogriff, the Frog Choir (though I did hear "Something wicked this way comes!" in passing), and the Triwizard Spirit Rally. They are first on the list for next time. <br />
<br />
Even though there were difficult moments (intense heat, long lines, fussy kids, fussy mom, not knowing all the rules, losing kids), I don't really remember any of that. What I remember is an experience that was magical and uplifting - even the bathrooms were interesting (think Moaning Myrtle). As a writer, I can only hope that some day my work will become a similar inspiration to people around the world...an inspiration to dream big and fly high! <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixCVqC3Ir-Jw6HChTNYmqFI5kJ-7shyphenhyphenOvqZss-j1Bvqg7g3op-xqUcbLTriJMc7nP35MAV9akstKnI-oUvK4XxPdoWj32mhIA_lqYgkGobnCKfgXWzbzGJPHFg3HsOA6X56pB4Y6ed0waW/s1600/100_9435.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixCVqC3Ir-Jw6HChTNYmqFI5kJ-7shyphenhyphenOvqZss-j1Bvqg7g3op-xqUcbLTriJMc7nP35MAV9akstKnI-oUvK4XxPdoWj32mhIA_lqYgkGobnCKfgXWzbzGJPHFg3HsOA6X56pB4Y6ed0waW/s200/100_9435.JPG" width="146" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I Can't Wait to Go Back!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Until we meet again...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z8YHmq8af0w/TcK4NI8aJfI/AAAAAAAAAPc/mwDtJc5cLww/s1600/Anaedor-front-300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z8YHmq8af0w/TcK4NI8aJfI/AAAAAAAAAPc/mwDtJc5cLww/s200/Anaedor-front-300.jpg" width="128" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.kristinaschram.com/">Come Explore Anaedor!</a></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.KristinaSchram.com</div>Kristina Schramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16247127901119453576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039885951389247897.post-73169278661293977472011-05-04T16:56:00.005-04:002011-05-05T14:04:44.884-04:00The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Going the Whole Hog! - Part One<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_B-orUBK8stNLPM2fEmH5HDOnAintaAT8_SqF1v6NgjjBPPQRIL4XUScBy3CVZK6JU44uq-EBDuS-XbnIwD0JXoEgncLcfuDvNrIA4xvJyZBDSiGwqcZYMS15s4oBKKxfMS9p2bHA0HMD/s1600/100_9433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_B-orUBK8stNLPM2fEmH5HDOnAintaAT8_SqF1v6NgjjBPPQRIL4XUScBy3CVZK6JU44uq-EBDuS-XbnIwD0JXoEgncLcfuDvNrIA4xvJyZBDSiGwqcZYMS15s4oBKKxfMS9p2bHA0HMD/s320/100_9433.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Wizarding World of Harry Potter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I absolutely love the Harry Potter books and movies. They capture all the wondrous things I dreamed about having and doing as a child, and still dream about as an adult, from the bountiful feasts to the castle looming over the loch, from the possessing of magical powers to the partaking in amazing adventures. So it won't surprise you that ever since hearing about Universal's new <a href="http://www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter/">Wizarding World of Harry Potter</a> (WWHP) theme park, I started plotting ways to get there. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6crc4kwYTFU3QcleXkLemHHEDhugsbl6gv6m98Jkt6yt-LDFVw6duWSS4giRmtjxNadlzhKdt3U0EMgMztvRBl2qR4Brcx-kBaBfRAzUKqZDNcQHDk5praKFqrbgMOkLpiohS6X9m0R9/s1600/100_9386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6crc4kwYTFU3QcleXkLemHHEDhugsbl6gv6m98Jkt6yt-LDFVw6duWSS4giRmtjxNadlzhKdt3U0EMgMztvRBl2qR4Brcx-kBaBfRAzUKqZDNcQHDk5praKFqrbgMOkLpiohS6X9m0R9/s200/100_9386.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our New Pet Alligator<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtlAa7VJCFoPt6pvtTC72ilThIPLkXbx1CCuF91sGlNKeVNr1q8UoTgI9Fa6JNQQvi60tmr-wORtcvBIYvAJWqwUWE3A253-8K5ed4V630msrt0xlsUXWm1YjXPyC2BG3mFL_Z55ViZfaX/s1600/100_9394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtlAa7VJCFoPt6pvtTC72ilThIPLkXbx1CCuF91sGlNKeVNr1q8UoTgI9Fa6JNQQvi60tmr-wORtcvBIYvAJWqwUWE3A253-8K5ed4V630msrt0xlsUXWm1YjXPyC2BG3mFL_Z55ViZfaX/s200/100_9394.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Only Way to Travel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This spring, my husband and I decided to take the leap and travel during April spring vacation. The kids were old enough to lug their own suitcase and also past that age where they're getting sick every two weeks. Plus, major snowstorms were pretty rare at this time of year (though this year it appears we got lucky, seeing as how long winter has been hanging on). Lucky for us, we had free room and board while staying in Florida. My husband's mother (an excellent cook) and her husband own a cute little bungalow about an hour from Orlando, located in a 55+ retirement community. This pleasantly quiet community offers several amenities, all within walking distance. There's a golf course (of course), a swimming pool, golf carts for zipping around on (they drive them EVERYwhere, even to the Wal-mart next door, and they are awesome), sand cranes with their babies tagging along behind, horseshoes and shuffleboard, Spanish moss, palm trees, and baby alligators. I'm starting to look forward to retirement - we had a great time living the lifestyle of the no-longer employed - relaxed, yet still quite active, with lots to see and do. Sweet.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBn4shc8o28LhMbFecwWnoAvnzAKAw1uMSRln5H7rPeIG6smsn5jvLCLgCMPFM9epgxIu_miVH2da_4u8Hgsm2gHw0klyWSKq7qiaqPgKJk52eOJDL00PkLmxDJn7ImUg_-0gNeoUtR-Dr/s1600/100_9383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBn4shc8o28LhMbFecwWnoAvnzAKAw1uMSRln5H7rPeIG6smsn5jvLCLgCMPFM9epgxIu_miVH2da_4u8Hgsm2gHw0klyWSKq7qiaqPgKJk52eOJDL00PkLmxDJn7ImUg_-0gNeoUtR-Dr/s200/100_9383.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sand Crane and Fuzzy Babies</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Tfg6GRWqgh-tz7oN_oRxgg4DedFiUEa2VJnJfyiZgDtHUazHYnAvp15FstQeFpZye6EHrDm3xfITECFtwkR5lsnCvMd0-8910unbgPpFVUQnfExxjAW_rLm6O4I38gWVt_6qYJntr0ud/s1600/100_9354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Tfg6GRWqgh-tz7oN_oRxgg4DedFiUEa2VJnJfyiZgDtHUazHYnAvp15FstQeFpZye6EHrDm3xfITECFtwkR5lsnCvMd0-8910unbgPpFVUQnfExxjAW_rLm6O4I38gWVt_6qYJntr0ud/s200/100_9354.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How I Love My Spanish Moss!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>As you might already know, Florida in April can be hot. When we arrived it was in the high 80s. But we came prepared for the heat. Being that New Hampshire was in the high 30s when we left it, we were dressed in pants and jackets (airplane temps are hard to predict...it was cold on the way there, but almost stifling on the way back). In our carry-on suitcases (the only way to fly - no waiting for luggage), I packed sandals and shorts on top, with easy access. We changed in the airport and headed outside to get our rental car. Boy was it hot outside! And boy did that heat feel great after a long winter freezing our buns off.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtKD_wssZIPqMk3sFY8vBNvi_hXPWAPzd0yoNAterKdUYVIhM4zZbN_VonSfI_RbgrcfO4j5SwTW1tU2RILtZtPPY7AUrxPMZHaI9LS68a4rOGasY4Yq09J_Nbxw4fPLPVwpWJgbWhiBMc/s1600/100_9365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtKD_wssZIPqMk3sFY8vBNvi_hXPWAPzd0yoNAterKdUYVIhM4zZbN_VonSfI_RbgrcfO4j5SwTW1tU2RILtZtPPY7AUrxPMZHaI9LS68a4rOGasY4Yq09J_Nbxw4fPLPVwpWJgbWhiBMc/s200/100_9365.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palm Tree<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikB-EbkVsPq69__GXlFIfi4MYHk8N8VufRhEF7N1uRs3k3ROWt10gtDm1siAWgL5eN-DAXJoZvZ3icJ_WrkirjYBzLWQ_WHcPfkETH1jdAUGQC5qEnQfXewJqNX2S1UlEngkkjJ0EpQAn5/s1600/100_9307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikB-EbkVsPq69__GXlFIfi4MYHk8N8VufRhEF7N1uRs3k3ROWt10gtDm1siAWgL5eN-DAXJoZvZ3icJ_WrkirjYBzLWQ_WHcPfkETH1jdAUGQC5qEnQfXewJqNX2S1UlEngkkjJ0EpQAn5/s200/100_9307.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow in Florida?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Personally I'm not a hot-weather person (I was born in Minnesota and have a healthy dose of Norwegian ancestry cooling my blood), but with each year I pass on this planet, I crave the heat more and more. That being said, when we visited WWHP on Friday (the day after we arrived), we were a bit stunned by the relentless sun and heat. Seeing the snow-covered roofs actually helped a little and the fast rides, plus drinking Butterbeer, cooled us off, too. I actually didn't really like the Butterbeer all that much - the first couple sips were okay, but after that, the taste was too rich for my wimpy taste buds (it tasted like a buttery cream soda to me). But I liked the look with lots of frothy cream on top, which gave everyone snazzy white mustaches. We bought the plastic mugs (around $10), which make nice souvenirs and can be filled with lemonade or tea for 85 cents at the Three Broomsticks or Hog's Head Pub. My husband and two of our boys liked the Butterbeer a LOT so I suggest you give it a try. Who knows? You might become a Butterbeer addict. <br />
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When we first arrived at the park at about 8:15 (it opens at 8:00), we found ourselves surrounded by a lot of cars all heading in the same direction. That being said, it was relatively easy to find our way around and not as stressful as I thought it would be - kudos to Universal. We paid our $15 (ouch) for parking and were then guided to a spot to park our car (be sure to remember what area you're parked in...we were in the Dr. Suess section). Upon first arrival (after having our bags checked for contraband food and non-H20 beverages), we got confused about how to purchase tickets. We eventually figured it out, shelled out a whole lotta dough for our tickets (we had one freebie because my husband's mom worked at Universal - it was a nice savings), then proceeded to the spot where they check your ticket (which is where we headed first and were told with 'aren't the newbies cute?' smiles, that we had screwed up).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgusHL8RqIzuid3oX1XLwfVsoCmawTjNXbtfXqbwAjJ3mNl2s9-2RBdtmppO8B94lN4Dq_Q9fzETmbs0UMtAkq0ygJlqtEoZKgjnNohYMlPGJ7b4jO2XRlBS-f4DnHOz_MQ9WYW8OzaWctc/s1600/100_9318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgusHL8RqIzuid3oX1XLwfVsoCmawTjNXbtfXqbwAjJ3mNl2s9-2RBdtmppO8B94lN4Dq_Q9fzETmbs0UMtAkq0ygJlqtEoZKgjnNohYMlPGJ7b4jO2XRlBS-f4DnHOz_MQ9WYW8OzaWctc/s200/100_9318.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to Hogsmeade and Butterbeer Cart</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC4TiKm9FhrT5IdD6nQ8GfdSZLq14pPtXV4X1MDeoc88l26Fn2pC-hkJCx2O8sjnG1UV3QQN2QVPux1142_OM1ev632BT4EVR5i14oeyilBReXgKXJTqyoV6x6PcQQwnSWTdN-Xfihil1_/s1600/100_9303.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC4TiKm9FhrT5IdD6nQ8GfdSZLq14pPtXV4X1MDeoc88l26Fn2pC-hkJCx2O8sjnG1UV3QQN2QVPux1142_OM1ev632BT4EVR5i14oeyilBReXgKXJTqyoV6x6PcQQwnSWTdN-Xfihil1_/s200/100_9303.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hippogriff</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After lots of walking, we finally arrived at the entrance to Hogsmeade. Hurray! It was a grand moment for me. However, the place was packed and really bustling so we quickly split into two<br />
groups to ride the roller coasters. Unfortunately, the sign that read 20 minutes for one of the roller coasters was being changed to 35 minutes as we approached. I went with my two oldest boys to ride the Dragon Challenge, a roller coaster ride where you nearly collide with the other 'dragon' flying around at the same time. As a kid I could ride any roller coaster without any effect beyond joyous abandon. This time I felt nauseous and had trouble keeping my eyes open, so I missed the near-collision part. I also shrieked a lot, which is totally unlike me. Ah, well. Maybe next time I'll be able to stare death in the face. While standing in line, we worried that we needed to present our tickets for each ride (you don't), but we eventually relaxed when we didn't see anyone else with tickets in hand (my husband had the backpack with everything, including tickets, in it - backpacks are good to have, btw - we stowed a bottle of water and sunscreen, along with wallets and the camera). We were in shade for a majority of the 30-minute wait (actually it was like being in the underground tunnels of a castle), so that was nice. My husband and youngest son, who was too short for the DC, rode the Flight of the Hippogriff (be sure to check the website for height requirements for ALL the rides). I didn't get to ride that one, but next time I plan to give it a go. It sounds quite fun. Both of them liked it, though my husband thought it was a bit scary...for him. The six-year-old was fine.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Cg5rBduZ5gPVpG3MSbit81JuBhOTfbZu6bL80uiVraI6eKY622oHx8z1qYfTB5A83QPHKl8vKsqz22DCHm_ZlT1u6yk055IePI0IwCsNcxrzk1LGCLPEDGjkZV3kf2Bn6CGDfPg03gO-/s1600/100_9300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Cg5rBduZ5gPVpG3MSbit81JuBhOTfbZu6bL80uiVraI6eKY622oHx8z1qYfTB5A83QPHKl8vKsqz22DCHm_ZlT1u6yk055IePI0IwCsNcxrzk1LGCLPEDGjkZV3kf2Bn6CGDfPg03gO-/s200/100_9300.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hagrid's Hut</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I'll say this before I go on: the lines for EVERYTHING were really long (and that includes the shops). Our shortest wait was around 40 minutes. At one time, the wait time for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey was 150 minutes (they do everything in minutes to fool you into thinking you won't be waiting forever). And a lot of time we were in the sun while standing in line. Good thing we wore baseball caps and brought along sunscreen.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA6sfc0TkrfRg0zWDqgj1z6tfidU_nsk2-3SpoUCLTkXIIDfA5sr_F8Nd_9qOXiNs1P5hfdd-j5BRypNAK_VYwGuQZmaTPY4RrWmx2dFDDwetLZyHzU-PalmMZ-neZVH3yWGHBNWTwJlEJ/s1600/100_9321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA6sfc0TkrfRg0zWDqgj1z6tfidU_nsk2-3SpoUCLTkXIIDfA5sr_F8Nd_9qOXiNs1P5hfdd-j5BRypNAK_VYwGuQZmaTPY4RrWmx2dFDDwetLZyHzU-PalmMZ-neZVH3yWGHBNWTwJlEJ/s200/100_9321.JPG" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lockhart Entertains Us</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After the dragon and hippogriff rides, we waffled around for a bit before deciding to stand in line to pick out a magic wand in Ollivander's Wand Shop (that's after we finally figured out where to stand). While waiting in that line with the boys, my husband stood in the Butterbeer line to get our Butterbeer. The set-up worked out quite well. While waiting, we viewed the Quidditch box and watched Gilderoy Lockhart. We even got to see the Snitch!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6fT1DBrwk1bVxstS5ZH0OCRJi6-yxzyW9Z7wMR_6Zj_aiRrykYrKFERkMDEmryYExQmnGmtUvmaIoDOhfNYDZa4BtHA5L8ZNyyT2IwHVVVD6SuRgSzOYo2i1Xtr5CS7AthM5OHkJR5d-/s1600/100_9319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6fT1DBrwk1bVxstS5ZH0OCRJi6-yxzyW9Z7wMR_6Zj_aiRrykYrKFERkMDEmryYExQmnGmtUvmaIoDOhfNYDZa4BtHA5L8ZNyyT2IwHVVVD6SuRgSzOYo2i1Xtr5CS7AthM5OHkJR5d-/s200/100_9319.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Quidditch Box</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJqPZbhNIRzclgLxif29P6gKetIKS3KT-SYRAffCET8eJHj83jygtUeiX9lLt3prVtDOMeD2oQUgmZOcb8e3plUaGtssx3nhGvmIVVPq_hS1DZOXdOPxm01drBvuGEE78cNknrhLWqX6N/s1600/100_9320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJqPZbhNIRzclgLxif29P6gKetIKS3KT-SYRAffCET8eJHj83jygtUeiX9lLt3prVtDOMeD2oQUgmZOcb8e3plUaGtssx3nhGvmIVVPq_hS1DZOXdOPxm01drBvuGEE78cNknrhLWqX6N/s200/100_9320.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Snitch Flying Through the Sky</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmH6YqC-1lVNtWKio5WPNY87PwHUd09LdgztsjCAhTyJScFyzBiK_6z_Q5D5NMVziGouORfqYLuSNkXBohgB4R3OpcuO5BWti63fnTd_huL49i5O32DEQ-5XY0k_ka1p7IxZKX7JwJwMu/s1600/100_9323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmH6YqC-1lVNtWKio5WPNY87PwHUd09LdgztsjCAhTyJScFyzBiK_6z_Q5D5NMVziGouORfqYLuSNkXBohgB4R3OpcuO5BWti63fnTd_huL49i5O32DEQ-5XY0k_ka1p7IxZKX7JwJwMu/s200/100_9323.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ollivander's Wand Shop</td></tr>
</tbody></table>When we finally entered the shop, we discovered a dark and mysterious room filled from floor to ceiling with boxes of wands. The proprietor of the shop greeted the group (in a wonderful English accent, of course), then selected a volunteer, who happened to be my oldest son. This was a great moment for him and for all of us. I was so thrilled I forgot to take pictures, which is probably just as well since I got to enjoy the moment without worrying about lighting and focusing and all the stuff that goes wrong when you're in a hurry. The skit was quite funny and filled with special effects and my son literally had his moment in the spotlight when the 'right' wand was selected for him. He hammed it up and did me proud. Very fun. Afterwards we shuffled (herded might be a better term, though they were nice about it) into the wand shop, which is connected to Dervish and Banges, and each of our sons picked out a wand. After much perusal, each selected a different one (phew). While we were looking, one kid told us that he picked Voldemort's wand because it looked the coolest, not because he supported evil. I could relate. We both agreed that evil people generally have all the best stuff and Voldemort was no exception, though personally I'd think he should have worked on getting a nose first. <br />
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While buying the wands, our clerk wondered if she could fit the wand boxes into the tiny plastic bag used to hold my postcard (I had to get at least one memento of my own). A spell was suggested, whereby the other clerk reminded her that 'use of magic' in front of Muggles was forbidden. I, of course, told them not to make assumptions about our Muggles status. Corny, yes, but most definitely fun. The crowd was all pretty much like-minded - ready to enjoy the fantastical world of make-believe and that, to me, was just brilliant. <br />
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Our visit to Ollivanders finished up our morning of fun and adventure. In <a href="http://mischiefmysterymagic.blogspot.com/2011/05/wizarding-world-of-harry-potter-going_05.html">Part Two</a> I'll talk about dining at The Three Broomsticks, our visit to Honeydukes, and our tour of Hogwarts, including the ride, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, the absolute best part of the whole day!<br />
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Until we meet again...<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbVFmjKfqn5SnvfOqLQOaK6RnBEMRI6ZQR2S1yCZ9tphoV8kgz_FC2bM7pkcRkIJnZQrWRH-hGrh7QGnoRnE_ABcFWRoZYZZTm7OI4YQ7Sw-BQ4HOrEYY_AbsQU-IKLiywKVOdbpQ5NxWQ/s1600/Anaedor-front-300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbVFmjKfqn5SnvfOqLQOaK6RnBEMRI6ZQR2S1yCZ9tphoV8kgz_FC2bM7pkcRkIJnZQrWRH-hGrh7QGnoRnE_ABcFWRoZYZZTm7OI4YQ7Sw-BQ4HOrEYY_AbsQU-IKLiywKVOdbpQ5NxWQ/s200/Anaedor-front-300.jpg" width="128" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_292041925">Come Explore Anaedor!</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="blogger-post-footer">www.KristinaSchram.com</div>Kristina Schramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16247127901119453576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039885951389247897.post-24021559938647959682011-03-15T14:06:00.001-04:002011-03-15T16:28:48.795-04:00Authors - Build Yourself a Platform and Stand Above the Crowd!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMhLByEu6xjiZzkGzFIZf59zsb66qmcNhfxTxjSAxRF777RQq_gT87TRTPaX1DAy9dSbAX7dKQsG7Li71lDwx6bFlckMVYhthqovj7UsMGzF4ct7BtEgB2HHXn6lmy_nqIGC-dIno-gG5I/s1600/100_6925.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMhLByEu6xjiZzkGzFIZf59zsb66qmcNhfxTxjSAxRF777RQq_gT87TRTPaX1DAy9dSbAX7dKQsG7Li71lDwx6bFlckMVYhthqovj7UsMGzF4ct7BtEgB2HHXn6lmy_nqIGC-dIno-gG5I/s200/100_6925.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>A little over a week ago, I attended the annual <a href="http://www.nhwritersproject.org/">NHWP Writers' Day.</a> As an author myself, I've always encouraged writers and authors at all levels of experience to get involved in your local writing community. You can learn about writing technique and how to market yourself as an author. You can network with a myriad of interesting people and hear Pulitzer Prize winners read from their work. You might also meet your future agent or publisher! Most importantly, writing conferences get you out of the house, which is essential for your average, introverted, near-hermit-like writer, like myself.<br />
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At this year's conference, I learned about the importance of generating publicity and about developing a good PGP (protagonist, goal, problem). The most useful bit, however, came from the workshop, entitled, "It's all about Platform, Baby!" on how to build an <b>Author Platform</b>. Catherine Blake, president of <a href="http://www.salesprotocol.com/">Sales Protocol International</a>, presented the workshop, which served as a great motivator to get me working on my own platform (apparently having a sparkly throne no longer cuts it).<br />
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An <b>Author Platform</b> is a piece of work that presents the author's credentials and expertise (basically your strengths) along with a relevant personal story that ties into the author's life and background (e.g., after meeting so many young boys who say they hate reading, author, Mary Contrary, decided to write stories targeted specifically for these boys). Your platform is meant to convey that you know what you're doing and have the goods to make it as an author. According to industry experts, platforms are becoming a must-have, and as I always listen to the experts, I determined to build myself a platform right away (preferably out of brick - sticks and straw have proven unreliable and leave you vulnerable to Big Bad Wolves).<br />
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While it's a good idea to have an author platform, creating one isn't exactly a piece of cake. The one thing most of the attendees at the workshop struggled with was how to develop a platform as a fiction writer. We fiction writers don't have the years of experience that give non-fiction writers the expertise to write their book. For example, John Green, a Landscape Architect and avid gardener for 30 years, introduces his book, <i>Gardening for Geeks</i>! Obviously, Mr. Green has the goods to back him up. Personally, while I've done all sorts of things, I really haven't done anything that demonstrates my expertise in making fantasy worlds (other than that I love to daydream about ruling the universe).<br />
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Or have I? <br />
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After sitting down and working on my resume (a very useful tool for building your platform), I started to see how much my past experiences relate to what I want to do AS AN AUTHOR. I started to focus less on what I write (although there was some of that) and more on the skills that show I can do this job. My goal was to make the reader think - Here's an individual who never gives up, who has and will continue to market her own book, who can talk to people and run workshops, and who can even protect me in battle with her tomahawk-throwing skills. She's AMAZING!<br />
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Or something like that.<br />
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What I've done with my platform is different than what I've seen other authors present (visit your favorite author's web page and read their bio to see what I mean). I'm not sure if my approach works, so let me know what you think. Ideally, I'd like to strike up some conversations about this process and give feedback so that everyone can benefit. <br />
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To view my story/platform and resume, click on the link below. <br />
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<a href="http://www.kristinaschram.com/resume/platform">My Platform</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjepGT8Fb_8gXQVR9FEriGWDZp8n9QOvtK1FIZ-60iesLb-jMGkX9IV2gyW3zVOsIU0ioSyocJxpiRmVGBhWpldAkW0tvzCYuNIz7rWdx06qYiGwvZ6mU3YZJAxNDg3WqszGpgWWxVqYL97/s1600/100_6785.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjepGT8Fb_8gXQVR9FEriGWDZp8n9QOvtK1FIZ-60iesLb-jMGkX9IV2gyW3zVOsIU0ioSyocJxpiRmVGBhWpldAkW0tvzCYuNIz7rWdx06qYiGwvZ6mU3YZJAxNDg3WqszGpgWWxVqYL97/s200/100_6785.JPG" width="200" /></a>When you've learned all you can, I want you to get cracking on building a platform that will help you stand above the crowd (but no thrones, please - that idea has been taken)!<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.KristinaSchram.com</div>Kristina Schramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16247127901119453576noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039885951389247897.post-49729684257348862312011-02-04T16:52:00.001-05:002011-02-04T17:54:27.521-05:00A Loaf of Bread, a Jug of Wine and a...Book?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWXR5diZqnUOOKDD4CUWYdH3U5-mIRDH4cxvkQ5jlSBYwIwrR0mz1cPeZ_MphQIj8369ED00ZqHHKCzYp-rns-WHz1r-fKGw6CbNLxmcMpOYK9w0Ms1l2OjvJQe-50qcah2EwKZMg5vMQ/s1600/100_6778.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWXR5diZqnUOOKDD4CUWYdH3U5-mIRDH4cxvkQ5jlSBYwIwrR0mz1cPeZ_MphQIj8369ED00ZqHHKCzYp-rns-WHz1r-fKGw6CbNLxmcMpOYK9w0Ms1l2OjvJQe-50qcah2EwKZMg5vMQ/s320/100_6778.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Here in New England we are getting nailed again and again with snow and wind and cold temps. So when an opportunity came up to attend a Literary Evening (from 6-9) at <a href="http://www.zorvino.com/scripts/eventPg.cfm">Zorvino Vineyards</a>, I jumped at it. As a SAHM (stay-at-home mom to the uninitiated), getting out and about for events other than something school/grocery shopping/library-related is rare. You'd think I'd have all this time with all my kids in school full-time now, but actually I find that 'the bus is here' time arriving more quickly with each passing day.<br />
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With being a SAHM, and it being February, and a hard winter to boot, I'm ready to get out of the house. What better way to accomplish that than to do a book signing where other adults will be milling about sampling good wines and discussing fine literature and, of course, buying books. They can buy a bottle of wine and a few good novels for themselves, and then buy a signed copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chronicles-Anaedor-Prophecies-Kristina-Schram/dp/1935142100/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1296854926&sr=8-2">The Chronicles of Anaedor: The Prophecies</a> to salve their conscience for leaving the kids at home. Doesn't that sound like just the thing?<br />
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I've always loved vineyards, especially after visiting wine country in California (which sounds achingly tempting right about now). But I'm always surprised at the number of vineyards located right here in New Hampshire. Such spots always seem so beautiful and relaxing to me, even in the winter. On February 11th, I can't wait to grab the hubby, my box o' books and a handful of book markers, and head on down to Sandown for a night on the 'town'. Entrance is free, there will be a cash bar and free samples of their wines, and several raffles to raise money for four local libraries. I plan to enter a few of those raffles myself...or better yet, I'll have the hubby do it for me because I'm sure I'll be getting overrun by people wanting to buy my book (one can always dream).<br />
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The reason I'm writing about this event isn't just to brag about the fact, if it doesn't blizzard, that I get to attend it (that's only most of the reason). For those of you who are aspiring to be authors or are already authors (self-published or otherwise), you have probably discovered that in this day and age you have to think outside the box in terms of marketing and selling your book. That means considering other venues for getting your book out in the public eye. Personally I think having a book event at a vineyard is a genius idea (though sadly it wasn't mine)! Even better, these sort of events are not just about you selling your book and the vineyard selling its wine, it's also about raising money for a good cause. I love libraries so any event that raises money for them is awesome in my book <br />
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So put together a plan, then get out there in your community and search out those venues that might consider doing business with you. Be sure to contact other authors you might know and you've got yourself an event! And if you happen to live anywhere near Sandown, NH, I hope to see you enjoying yourself at <a href="http://zorvino.com/scripts/cpg.cfm/1">Zorvino's Literary Evening</a>!<br />
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Cheers!<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.KristinaSchram.com</div>Kristina Schramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16247127901119453576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039885951389247897.post-8243793204973883322010-12-20T19:36:00.001-05:002010-12-20T19:39:18.911-05:00I've Been a Bad, Bad Girl<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaSIScIyeRq_Ox_trgxiKaSGD1Crkf5_GjGeXRHHt1Xdk0a_fi-Xx61srB-NT37mHiNg-nQ7nBHI2WQxt6ZS-VvB3K_g3iQLYCbr3E5qhidNBZ9-bNlMbmjU1gR-vgZ2j3sQ06a2MRew4F/s1600/100_8835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaSIScIyeRq_Ox_trgxiKaSGD1Crkf5_GjGeXRHHt1Xdk0a_fi-Xx61srB-NT37mHiNg-nQ7nBHI2WQxt6ZS-VvB3K_g3iQLYCbr3E5qhidNBZ9-bNlMbmjU1gR-vgZ2j3sQ06a2MRew4F/s200/100_8835.JPG" width="200" /></a>How does one keep blogging whilst doing book signings, making <a href="http://www.kristinaschram.com/">book trailers</a>, marketing one's new book, writing new books, helping coach a 5th and 6th grade boys Parks & Rec Basketball team, and raising three boys? Plain and simple, one doesn't. Well, at least this one doesn't. There's always lots of stuff going on in my life but the time to write about it has waned lately, probably because my spare moments seem to have disappeared like the hair on my hubby's head - slow but sure. Sorry to all. I've been a bad, bad girl.<br />
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If you're at all interested in keeping up to date on my writing life, I suggest fanning up on my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kristina-Schram/9234696630?ref=ts">Facebook Fan Page</a>, or following me on <a href="http://twitter.com/KristinaSchram">Twitter</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23TZadeiQLdWSkXVIN4rTIfPmz7TFalPsEbsBebJWSQV0KV3-SRoJFiS_4rbECNH1BJhkzea-yafw2nc3A4MdXRipajgCPkJ_VuS2sppQHwGYH2-XDh3hVVzp4OdwX-a6uMVrnY6S55qh/s1600/100_8837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh23TZadeiQLdWSkXVIN4rTIfPmz7TFalPsEbsBebJWSQV0KV3-SRoJFiS_4rbECNH1BJhkzea-yafw2nc3A4MdXRipajgCPkJ_VuS2sppQHwGYH2-XDh3hVVzp4OdwX-a6uMVrnY6S55qh/s200/100_8837.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Otherwise, I'm afraid I won't be writing much here. I've been working on a new series that I love and I want to keep writing while that passion is still alive and kicking. I can't wait to send out the first book in the series, which I plan to do in the new year.<br />
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Publishing my book, <i>The Chronicles of Anaedor: The Prophecies</i>, has been an up and down experience and I've been learning a lot...like how frustrating publishing a book can be (administrative/technical problems have been my biggest hurdle). But also, how great it can be. My best experiences have come from participating in several book signings and book fairs and meeting fellow authors and avid readers. People are so supportive and have made this adventure much more interesting and fun for me than I thought possible. Without them, I'd be a quivering puddle of a mess from dealing with all the things that have gone wrong (anywhere from my book cover looking weird on amazon's site, to my books going missing just prior to a signing, to my books selling out but my publisher not being ready with more).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzRdjw4z1AL6i58F72GUDg-64RR7qUsdZByB9b6l-Dl8akrqLRMaIoFSfjd7sH8J8c8asvvosM7-AQ9QFdDaY9NazmYMfguZhiMLZWbeGG3eCnzPECUiZE6aqUnqLydvPYfg5Mrz9GdImB/s1600/100_8839.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzRdjw4z1AL6i58F72GUDg-64RR7qUsdZByB9b6l-Dl8akrqLRMaIoFSfjd7sH8J8c8asvvosM7-AQ9QFdDaY9NazmYMfguZhiMLZWbeGG3eCnzPECUiZE6aqUnqLydvPYfg5Mrz9GdImB/s200/100_8839.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>I will say that one big thing went right. YA Book Reads reviewed <i>The Chronicles of Anaedor: The Prophecies</i> and really liked it! See their <a href="http://yabookreads.com/blog/2010/11/18/the-chronicles-of-anaedor-kristina-schram/">review</a> as well as my <a href="http://yabookreads.com/blog/2010/11/19/interview-with-kristina-schram/#more-1572">interview</a> with them. They gave me 4 1/2 Snitches out of 5! I'm so psyched and honored.<br />
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Anyway, I'm sorry to be so remiss in my blog. Please forgive me and maybe follow me on Facebook instead!<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.KristinaSchram.com</div>Kristina Schramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16247127901119453576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039885951389247897.post-44451658105707687772010-09-27T11:14:00.000-04:002010-09-27T11:14:00.599-04:00Do the Monster Smash: Yet Another Cool Marketing Tool for Authors!My publishers, <a href="http://www.variancepublishing.com/">Variance</a>, who have published my book, <i>The Chronicles of Anaedor: The Prophecies</i>, through their imprint, <a href="http://www.variancepublishing.com/blip-books.html">BLiP</a>, have put my book on <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/21292">Smashwords</a>. <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/">Smashwords</a>, I have found, is a great place to go for all your e-book needs. Why? Because they make your book available via a crazy number of formats. Take a look:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfAo_rvJBZWsh4j8QndMLHXSd_sfekAQr4KqVtfxdMw5IrZgHtAvYLHosAKHPbDcI7YfjRPVpcw16z_Sq4UX1ZzBARlgSMBlfkuILCvckVpHxP374SA44CYk5zdtRIr9yg4B1l2XrXOa4/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-09-27+at+11.07.03+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEfAo_rvJBZWsh4j8QndMLHXSd_sfekAQr4KqVtfxdMw5IrZgHtAvYLHosAKHPbDcI7YfjRPVpcw16z_Sq4UX1ZzBARlgSMBlfkuILCvckVpHxP374SA44CYk5zdtRIr9yg4B1l2XrXOa4/s320/Screen+shot+2010-09-27+at+11.07.03+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
That's hard to beat when you want your book to be accessible to as many people in as many ways as possible. It's also hard to beat the name: Smashwords. I just like saying it.<br />
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So do the Monster Smash and get your book out there!<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.KristinaSchram.com</div>Kristina Schramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16247127901119453576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039885951389247897.post-36622316604197088932010-09-02T09:42:00.003-04:002010-09-02T10:56:42.313-04:00Spread the Wordle: Another Cool Marketing Tool for Authors!I'm back with another really awesome marketing tool for authors. It's called a wordle and can be found at <a href="http://www.wordle.com/">Wordle.com</a>. You can create your own wordle, using your own words, colors, and configurations. It's very simple. Here's the one I did for <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chronicles-Anaedor-Prophecies-Kristina-Schram/dp/1935142100/ref=tmm_pap_title_0">The Chronicles of Anaedor: The Prophecies</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GZb_GkwrtgA/THwYd34dlFI/AAAAAAAAAMs/3IdLX80kmQk/s1600/AnaedorWordle.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511306945490687058" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GZb_GkwrtgA/THwYd34dlFI/AAAAAAAAAMs/3IdLX80kmQk/s400/AnaedorWordle.png" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 204px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
The process takes very little time - all you have to do is type in the words, pick a font, pick a color and play around with the configurations (all horizontal, all vertical, some of both, etc). Once you are finished, you can save the product to the wordle site. This makes your wordle public, so anyone can view it. You can also take a screen shot (the FAQ provides a link that will guide you on how to do this) and save it for display on your website. You can use your creation to make t-shirts or posters or bookmarks. Whatever you want!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.wordle.com/">Wordle</a> is fun and it's free! So get out there and spread the wordle. <span style="font-style: italic;">Your </span>wordle!<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.KristinaSchram.com</div>Kristina Schramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16247127901119453576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039885951389247897.post-61570652105078403612010-08-26T10:53:00.013-04:002010-08-26T11:37:14.324-04:00A Cool Marketing Tool for Authors!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1OFx2BbJ8E8ohobuZteWmesW1OI2vBtTwdM-gJo6goaKOaCmWAVznpqF5VQLkbEqBpThBBc4dPaUxqV9BZ3hSAqz6wacxllqcItmth5U_hvJjbpHkeoNmMGfcSU0uNC-9CW2dhmiKimhQ/s1600/100_8786.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1OFx2BbJ8E8ohobuZteWmesW1OI2vBtTwdM-gJo6goaKOaCmWAVznpqF5VQLkbEqBpThBBc4dPaUxqV9BZ3hSAqz6wacxllqcItmth5U_hvJjbpHkeoNmMGfcSU0uNC-9CW2dhmiKimhQ/s200/100_8786.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509742275129866194" border="0" /></a>Trailers - short video clips - are growing in popularity as a method for various creatives to market themselves and their wares over the internet. As an author, I decided that doing a book trailer for my first book, <a href="http://www.kristinaschram.com/">The Chronicles of Anaedor: The Prophecies</a>, might not be a bad idea. I love movie trailers...well, the good ones. Why not make one for my book?<br /><br />What hooks you into watching a movie? A great trailer. What's a great trailer? One that engages you, tantalizes your senses, and makes you eager to see more, more, more! A good book trailer should do the same. That's why you need an expert to put one together. Timing, too many words or too little explanation, picture quality...all can make or break your trailer.<br /><br />Thank goodness there are experts in the world, because my own tinkerings often lead to computer implosion, and sometimes a threat to world peace. The company, <a href="http://gorkee.com/projects/">GorKee Jar Productions</a>, produced my trailer and I think it's pretty darn good. Here it is:<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dys75ANuJTCB0ruGN_SslrYrwaAdT4MwQDHUpAbvwGxezHZwQkpjzyvl-FFDEMGCkeQjvaw1BKcYrjz1FZxgw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div><br />Now, if <a href="http://gorkee.com/projects/">GorKee Jar Productions</a> did its job right, you would know that <a href="http://www.kristinaschram.com/">The Chronicles of Anaedor: The Prophecies</a> by author, <a href="http://www.kristinaschram.com/biography">Kristina Schram</a>, is a fantasy book full of action and adventure and mystery. Furthermore, it should make you want to run right out and buy it. Or at least click on this link: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chronicles-Anaedor-Prophecies-Kristina-Schram/dp/1935142100/ref=tmm_pap_title_0">Amazon</a>. Or this one: <a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Chronicles-of-Anaedor/Kristina-Schram/e/9781935142102/?itm=1&USRI=the+chronicles+of+anaedor">Barnes & Noble</a>. Or this one for your ebook: <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/21292">Smashwords</a>.<br /><br />You're getting sleepy...very sleepy.<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.KristinaSchram.com</div>Kristina Schramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16247127901119453576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039885951389247897.post-71404436606078921572010-05-10T09:49:00.011-04:002010-05-10T10:20:17.030-04:00Mother's Day Mayhem<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYxLPppCqAqoykNB5zY0eD3Duz2J_8edICKc9MC5Ode96weyZHhmpi98lWvbhGyFdJYmcN3vhfdw9dcYJ41jamJn9PaAw1k1zBAg5_YOQXez4fBvLkIVAlPeTMabN7SkFMtiBooRDH6T5/s1600/100_8451.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 174px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYxLPppCqAqoykNB5zY0eD3Duz2J_8edICKc9MC5Ode96weyZHhmpi98lWvbhGyFdJYmcN3vhfdw9dcYJ41jamJn9PaAw1k1zBAg5_YOQXez4fBvLkIVAlPeTMabN7SkFMtiBooRDH6T5/s200/100_8451.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469644803539389810" border="0" /></a>Contrary to what the title implies, I had a great mother's day. My husband and kids made me a very tasty breakfast in bed. I received flowers and cards with promises to vacuum the house and do five chores worth $20 (I think my 8-year-old has an inflated sense of his helpfulness).<br /><br />For supper, my husband made beef stew, home-baked bread, and spice cake - all were delicious, by the way. He bought an expensive cut of meat, which he thought was called Agnes beef (say Angus, honey, An-gus). Really, I'd hate to think my pleasure was at the expense of a little old lady.<br /><br />In short, my husband and kids did exactly what they were supposed to do for mother's day - they made me feel special. Unfortunately, I'm so used to doing everything myself, I had to force myself to walk away when my husband started making the cake using terribly inefficient techniques. I did help him out at supper time because honestly I couldn't walk away. I have issues, I admit it.<br /><br />But the kicker was the dishwasher episode. Setting: Me lying in bed, relaxed, reading a House Beautiful magazine after eating my delicious breakfast. My husband has just headed into the kitchen when I hear, "OOOhhhh..." in this mournful, oh crud, kind of voice. Sensing trouble, I leaped out of bed (seriously, I did) and dashed into the kitchen. For some reason, I just knew it was the dishwasher. Maybe it wasn't making the same noise I'm accustomed to. I don't know. All I knew was that I was needed to save the day.<br /><br />And then I saw the bubbles.<br /><br />That dishwasher was frothing at the mouth like a rabid racco<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLrzfq2_ltyZ2QMHXNBiHKj_MCycLtLoO2bJR3yQLV7tXvzsTqt012xtFF3kZRIMBDE8zaAr2bRCAqcuVZSyUdMr8jSpOt8DJqZ0xjRmRtJQyz4mw0iXKJO3bpLZMTiT2RohL_gygvMSF/s1600/100_8433.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLrzfq2_ltyZ2QMHXNBiHKj_MCycLtLoO2bJR3yQLV7tXvzsTqt012xtFF3kZRIMBDE8zaAr2bRCAqcuVZSyUdMr8jSpOt8DJqZ0xjRmRtJQyz4mw0iXKJO3bpLZMTiT2RohL_gygvMSF/s200/100_8433.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469644969627526242" border="0" /></a>on. My husband, thinking I'd bought a new sort of dishwasher detergent, put dish soap into the little cup (something they vehemently warn you not to do). Let me tell you, there were a lot bubbles to clean up and scoop out and wash down the sink. A lot. I'm thinking that when I start up the dishwasher again, there'll be more bubbles.<br /><br />When it was all over, I told my husband he was a writer's dream, and then I somehow managed to laugh and give him a hug. What can I say? Mothers need to be needed.<br /><br />Seeing all those bubbles just made my day.<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.KristinaSchram.com</div>Kristina Schramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16247127901119453576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039885951389247897.post-31430516104886154032010-04-21T15:04:00.012-04:002010-04-21T20:25:02.656-04:00The Pitch: Five Minutes to Sell YourselfThis weekend I attended the <a href="http://www.nhwritersproject.org/">New Hampshire Writers Project</a> Writers' Day. I met lots of great people, listened to Nicholson Baker speak and read from one of his works (look him up - he's a funny guy), learned about social media and how the latest great way to market yourself changes almost daily, and most importantly, I PITCHED to an agent. No, I did not throw something at her.<br /><br />Here's the deal: You get five minutes to sell yourself to a perfect stranger (I've heard that at ThrillerFest you get one minute - apparently a miasma of depression and desperation fills the room that day). Personally, I dreaded the momen<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4jEeymCKHvYWNzGB3f9W4BcF-SQ-K6OpUtj4p01WzyfoDTWH8n9k0L1V4c0tLkX812MQHkZ4LUCt5ux-FfH2VlVPu50jL30mn5H97ekUe90mnrlIg55Kf9YX366idx-CESfgakty1BCnh/s1600/100_8405.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4jEeymCKHvYWNzGB3f9W4BcF-SQ-K6OpUtj4p01WzyfoDTWH8n9k0L1V4c0tLkX812MQHkZ4LUCt5ux-FfH2VlVPu50jL30mn5H97ekUe90mnrlIg55Kf9YX366idx-CESfgakty1BCnh/s200/100_8405.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462670766854617026" border="0" /></a>t. I'm not the most extroverted of people and the spoken word is not my forte. Having stopped wearing a watch, and unable to find the one I usually bring for such events, I stayed too long after lunch chatting to a new found friend and had to hurry over to the right building. Of course I was the first to do my pitch, so I had no time to go to the bathroom beforehand. And of course I had food in my teeth (luckily, I discovered this afterward, and luckily it wasn't noticeable - I hope). Basically, I was freaking out, <span style="font-style: italic;">and</span> I had to go.<br /><br />Luckily for me, my agent was great and helpful and didn't bite me once. But let me let you in on a little secret. If the workshop coordinators tell you not to bring a manuscript, don't listen to them. Bring it (or at least the first 3 chapters). You may never do anything with it (and don't force it on the agent), but at the very least, you can hold your query letter in front of you for comfort, and consult it if you forget where you are, who you are, and what the heck you're doing here in this scary place.<br /><br />I learned this little trick by reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mysterious-Benedict-Society-Trenton-Stewart/dp/0316003956/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271895075&sr=8-1"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Mysterious Benedict Society</span></a> (great book for kids, BTW). The children are told to bring only one pencil to take a test, but one character, Constance Contraire, brings 37. Borrowing a book from Constance's page, I brought along the first 3 chapters, a synopsis and a query letter. What did I have to lose? Nothing! The agent asked for a sample of my writing and lo and behold, I had one! Most times I'm a rule follower, but sometimes, you've got to take the initiative, break some rules, stir things up. Who knows what will come out of this? Maybe nothing. But as Elvis always says, nothing ventured, nothing gained.<br /><br />In sum, when doing a pitch, be prepared for any contingency. Keep a copy of a writing sample (preferably the first three chapters and a query letter) in your bag, just in case. Bring a watch and leave yourself time to go to the bathroom to do your business.<br /><br />Oh, and note to self: Next time, avoid eating baked beans for lunch.<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.KristinaSchram.com</div>Kristina Schramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16247127901119453576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039885951389247897.post-73816715618276645392010-03-08T10:37:00.001-05:002010-03-08T13:56:05.940-05:00The Little Red Building on the Corner<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicGAW5I9jr0lRDV41_BZZm3IU-BN7TEf0jjV6i5gx1zigMzqYqY0s1vt3AiwrUZfGCUMxrZj7sqivMeDvkQslXTwvZBcPP9YsuAIMpR0J8UsaIyNG-GGH9cOvpZuNsvFdkV6NG8a9jaPW0/s1600-h/100_8066.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicGAW5I9jr0lRDV41_BZZm3IU-BN7TEf0jjV6i5gx1zigMzqYqY0s1vt3AiwrUZfGCUMxrZj7sqivMeDvkQslXTwvZBcPP9YsuAIMpR0J8UsaIyNG-GGH9cOvpZuNsvFdkV6NG8a9jaPW0/s200/100_8066.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446337618184279282" border="0" /></a>For several months now I have been intrigued by the little red building on the corner. Day after day, I've seen workers coming and going, and vans and utility trucks driving in and out, busy as bees. The building is quiet now, yet I can tell work still continues inside, and I wonder is it ever going to be finished? And when it is, What's my little red building going to be?<br /><br />My imagination hasn't exactly run amok with mad ideas, but it has conjured up a few scenarios:<br /><br />*A cozy cafe/bakery where I can eat lunch or drink a pot of tea and write down delicious story ideas full of quirky sparks and warm bonhomie. On weekend evenings they will offer live entertainment and my husband and I can sit and enjoy a bit of adult, quiet time without having to drive a half hour to get there.<br /><br />*A new and used bookstore where I will find secret books full of magic and wondrous adventures. Where they have open mike night and I can read my terrible poetry. Where I will meet the eccentric owner and discuss Camus.<br /><br />*A unique boutique full of wonderful, imaginative clothes just my size.<br /><br />*All three combined.<br /><br />Just about every day I drive past the little building and the wait to see what it's going to be has me feeling both frustrated and wonderful, as though I were on an adventure. I want the journey to end, yet I don't. I'd like to get going on acting out my fantasies, you see. But then again, what if I ask and I find out my mystery building is merely going to be someone's house? That would be a very sad day indeed - well, for me, anyway. I'm sure the owners wouldn't agree. Or maybe the building is a<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu6cKaEzHMHnFWooiN466FSJ1X3yVNXLoKCwb_SC55D4rN1-3ukn1LGDhK2CjA-JrkO_enFYsDW7OFIqOtHzIQglaLUttHdy-eKS_3yYWLpdyxz2pjJct_liAl7LIxycshV-IKbjZ3ILjD/s1600-h/100_8064.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu6cKaEzHMHnFWooiN466FSJ1X3yVNXLoKCwb_SC55D4rN1-3ukn1LGDhK2CjA-JrkO_enFYsDW7OFIqOtHzIQglaLUttHdy-eKS_3yYWLpdyxz2pjJct_liAl7LIxycshV-IKbjZ3ILjD/s200/100_8064.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446337954187655154" border="0" /></a> business that sells snow blowers. From the beginning, an orange snow blower has lurked on the porch like an ugly gnome. Are the owners already advertising? Egad, I hope not. I cannot eat pastries on a snow blower.<br /><br />My little town is great and living here feels like an honor. But I would love to see a special place where people can gather and watch other people going about their lives, where they can talk and eat good food, where they can laugh and cry and sing kumbaya, all in a magical atmosphere that brings you back again and again.<br /><br />What will the little red building on the corner be? What's your guess?<br />And please...nothing to do with machines.<br />A girl's got to dream.<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.KristinaSchram.com</div>Kristina Schramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16247127901119453576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039885951389247897.post-86267432094428777992010-01-17T16:56:00.012-05:002010-01-18T09:13:53.441-05:00Help Haiti<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJun6zPH98AvMwLzFj_Yia1nIi6Bx3VL3FZT2-MHvTk7HXuQdh_-v1BlyUxDv-avJyEfWSDS9J8zZmUKRfUYbpmvIVTRm5LhBp9yp9c_DVCcycXqC4jcBC9sUGr40ZQO5J-Ynqnn9xZmIO/s1600-h/fantasy1003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJun6zPH98AvMwLzFj_Yia1nIi6Bx3VL3FZT2-MHvTk7HXuQdh_-v1BlyUxDv-avJyEfWSDS9J8zZmUKRfUYbpmvIVTRm5LhBp9yp9c_DVCcycXqC4jcBC9sUGr40ZQO5J-Ynqnn9xZmIO/s200/fantasy1003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427835432619485010" border="0" /></a>This blog is going to be quick and to the point. I know that a lot of people are strapped for cash right now, I know what Rush Limbaugh is saying about how much we've already given to Haiti, but I also want you to imagine how you would feel if you were a Haitian right now, watching your family and friends suffer around you (or you are suffering yourself) and there was nothing you could do to help them. That's my worst nightmare.<br /><br />Already poor and struggling, Haiti needs us - you and me. There are people - children and babies - who are dying in the streets because the facilities are so poorly equipped and so few have the necessary expertise to do what needs to be done. Do or give whatever you can, but please help, and in doing so, keep alive the spirit of the man whose birthday we celebrate today - Martin Luther King, Jr.<br /><br />I've recently learned that <a href="https://www.capitalone.com/give">Capital One</a> has a site where you can donate money and all processing fees are waived. Keep your donation safe and save money at the same time. Don't give money over the phone or respond to email solicitations asking for your credit card number! Stick to reputable organizations like the <a href="http://www.redcross.org/">Red Cross</a> or <a href="http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/">Doctors Without Borders</a>.<br /><br />Thank you for keeping an open mind and heart.<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.KristinaSchram.com</div>Kristina Schramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16247127901119453576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039885951389247897.post-89092068148659358272010-01-05T09:16:00.012-05:002010-01-05T09:46:36.333-05:00The New Year - 2010 and the Art of Zen<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP5o4QASrO1NgoO8pHbuUW37YLt0vTXExSxyoZgpa8dXlvxNpIvATa8HZovovOVY8jCb-WECB9ceAjNbovRFPMisIqxZRUibzI7Rkk755nl563dJuCRZg73H7HhpPHC8VnzvPac3WP7cPT/s1600-h/P9200002.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP5o4QASrO1NgoO8pHbuUW37YLt0vTXExSxyoZgpa8dXlvxNpIvATa8HZovovOVY8jCb-WECB9ceAjNbovRFPMisIqxZRUibzI7Rkk755nl563dJuCRZg73H7HhpPHC8VnzvPac3WP7cPT/s200/P9200002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423265968619033250" border="0" /></a>All right...the party is over. I've taken several months off from writing my blog to recover my energy, sanity and joy of life (the short story version: I was recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism - completely treatable, but not very nice if left untreated). Anyway, I am feeling much better thanks to modern medicine and ready to begin the new year. I even rearranged my workspace.<br /><br />Woohoo!<br /><br />Okay, I admit it. I am one of those people who comes up with new year's resolutions. I am also one of those rare, and annoying, people who actually do what they resolve to do (more or less). That is why I am called an overachiever. Being an overachiever can be great, but it comes with a price (just ask my stomach).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKgNW-_ki7kytoS9bI7JIQ9kjlxtpfhNT_4DexOhFG9hCgIKjX-aixQD6LrVvYMJJKMfVw-AeC_I-bv4ffIi6VnHy86BFxFFAt3SafWWmNMN9VcU1HPqD0RfmSIU3aq5xR9Q67IO1x5cE/s1600-h/100_8057.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKgNW-_ki7kytoS9bI7JIQ9kjlxtpfhNT_4DexOhFG9hCgIKjX-aixQD6LrVvYMJJKMfVw-AeC_I-bv4ffIi6VnHy86BFxFFAt3SafWWmNMN9VcU1HPqD0RfmSIU3aq5xR9Q67IO1x5cE/s200/100_8057.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423266152864164098" border="0" /></a><br />This year I am feeling quite energetic and hope to get a lot accomplished. So, without further ado, here are my resolutions:<br /><br />1. Finish writing two books (both have about 70 pages chock full of goodness).<br />2. Find an agent (the author kind, not the secret kind).<br />3. Send out a new kind of book (my favorite kind to read) that I wrote last year to help find that agent.<br />4. Find a publisher for a fantasy book I wrote last year (although there might be a possibility already for that one). I'm keeping my fingers (and my toes, eyes and ears) crossed!<br />5. Help put together a great NH AuthorFest (and hope for rain this year).<br />6. Market the new and improved, The Chronicles of Anaedor: The Prophecies.<br />7. Save the world.<br />8. Buy more books from local bookstores.<br />9. Do a real, live book signing at a real, live bookstore.<br />10. Have fun being an author (and there's no fun like author fun)!<br /><br />As you can see, this post has nothing to do with the art of Zen. Overachievers have a hard time meditating (while doing so, I compose lists - it's very sad). But Zen rhymes with ten and that's the best I could do and that's what it's all about (apparently I don't overachieve when it comes to poetry).<br /><br />So what are your resolutions for 2010? Do you even make them? If not, why are you such a wimp? Whatever your poor, sniveling excuses are, I'd like to hear from you, so comment away!<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.KristinaSchram.com</div>Kristina Schramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16247127901119453576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1039885951389247897.post-83873311745091484962009-08-10T13:09:00.002-04:002009-08-13T16:33:51.528-04:00New Hampshire AuthorFest 2009!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZN6V2BGvItFfNFZJTqAcPkoFWOpfvEBo6BmXKy1MiFe-7VMQegPfypsL4kx3BQA-f8Qt5EuGeQ3c2s3a8IE5VYkJHCw2il2Yj0Xp7SMgYj9nYnehzZZev32rd3ENfowViTZL1egabnIj/s1600-h/100_7337.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZN6V2BGvItFfNFZJTqAcPkoFWOpfvEBo6BmXKy1MiFe-7VMQegPfypsL4kx3BQA-f8Qt5EuGeQ3c2s3a8IE5VYkJHCw2il2Yj0Xp7SMgYj9nYnehzZZev32rd3ENfowViTZL1egabnIj/s200/100_7337.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368382379052724338" border="0" /></a>I am so excited! These last couple months I have been a part of organizing NH AuthorFest 2009, and I'm pleased to say that it's coming together very nicely! It's been a lot of work, but I'm finding it to be very energizing. We're going to have several authors, a couple publishers, and even a VP of Marketing for a publishing company. The event is being sponsored by Waldenbooks, the Lilac Mall and two local authors, Jeremy Robinson, and myself!<br /><br />Our goal: To inspire future generations of readers.<br /><br />The Date: August 15th from 11:30 to 3:00.<br />The Place: Lilac Mall, Rochester, NH<br /><br />The Timeline:<span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br />11:30 - 1:00 Author Signing and Meet & Greet<br />1:00 - 1:30 Hunter Allain, who's hearing impaired, will be signing <span style="font-style: italic;">Last Night at the Zoo</span><br />(Leslie Allain will be reading)<br />1:30 - 2:30 Author Panel Q & A<br />2:30 - 3:00 Award Ceremony</span> (to award the Leaders Inspiring Readers award)<br /><br />The Guests:<br /><br />Jeremy Robinson – Action/Adventure<br />Kristina Schram – YA Fantasy<br />J. J. Hebert – Inspirational Adult Fiction<br />Jon Merz – Action/Adventure<br />Jeffrey Derego – Sci-Fi<br />Renee Mallett – Local Interest (Paranormal)<br />Gary Turcotte – Local Interest<br />Scot Stone – Fantasy<br />Brooks Sigler – Chick Lit<br />Marianne O’Connor – Local Interest (Paranormal)<br />Rebecca Horan – Memoir<br />Phil McGrail – Publisher, YA Fantasy<br />Stan Tremblay – Publisher’s Assistant<br />Dan Boucher – Book Reviewer<br />Beryl Donovan – Librarian (Gaffney Library, Wakefield, Director)<br />Carol Corbett – VP of Marketing & Publicity<br /><br />Possible Attendee:<br /><br />Nora LeDuc – Mystery/Romance<br /><br />Our goal is to promote literacy, to make people excited about reading, and to encourage others to help those who need support in learning to read, whether they be children or adults!<br /><br />Hope to see you there!<div class="blogger-post-footer">www.KristinaSchram.com</div>Kristina Schramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16247127901119453576noreply@blogger.com0