N is for NIGHTMARES

Welcome to Yes, This Will Be On the Test.

Waving to visitors, new followers, and fellow A to Z participants. I’m sending virtual hugs to you all for taking a moment to stop by.

I’ll be sharing my “take-aways.” All those snigglets, golden nuggets, and lessons learned from other creative sources.

Scroll down this link to find other wonderful A to Z participants.

The first fellow to give me nightmares was -

the wolf from Peter and the Wolf. 

Prokofiev's music was the icing on the terror cake. I was sure Mr. Wolf lived under my bed. As a kid, I would leap off my bed into the center of my room if I had to get up at night so a wolfish paw wouldn't drag me to my doom.

When I was twelve, I read LORD OF THE RINGS and the wolf was usurped by -

the Nazgul.

Thanks, JRR Tolkien, my nightlight stayed on until I went to college.

TAKE AWAY - 

An effective villain creeps off the page smack dab into your nightmares.

Who scared the bejeepers out of you?

Fangirl Heaven

Prologue: Monday and Tuesday - December 10th and 11th - the Kindle version of Journeys of Wonder Volume 2 can be downloaded for free. GO FOR IT.

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Yes, I'm a fangirl. Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Comic Con, Dr. Who, Firefly, The Avengers...

This weekend my daughter (Yes, I've raised a second generation fangirl) and I reveled in a Lord of the Rings marathon - all extended versions - at the Arclight movie theatre as we gear up for The Hobbit. Total Middle Earth immersion. There really is nothing like seeing films on the big screen.

Today, on his birthday I want to salute the person who awakened my fangirl self, lo those many years ago:

Donny Osmond

I have no proof, but I'm fairly certain he was singing Puppy Love to me. I was in hog heaven back on March 15, 1972 when D.J., Robert W. Morgan, played Puppy Love for 90 minutes straight on KHJ radio in Los Angeles. 

A lifelong dream came true this week when I FINALLY got to see Donny Osmond perform live on stage in:

It was AMAZING. I sang, I swooned, I was inspired. The performances by both Donny and Marie were stellar. So many times we build idols up in our minds to a place impossible to live up to. Not so in this case. Donny surpassed my wildest expectations. I hereby nominate him for national treasure.

Happy Birthday, Donny.

Who makes your fangirl/fanboy heart go pitter patter? Any stories to share?

Welcome to Angela Ackerman

I am honored to have the amazing Angela Ackerman as a guest today. Angela and Becca Puglisi have given the writing community a treasure, The Emotion Thesaurus. It's a master class on show don't tell. 

Their blog The Bookshelf Muse is also one of the best writing resources in Bloglandia.

Angela indulged my Lord of the Rings obsession to answer the following question: 

If you were Frodo and had to bring the one ring to Mordor, who would your 5 companions from literature be and which character trait would each represent? 

Angela:  First off, BEST QUESTION EVER. 

Leslie: Ah, shucks ma'am, thanks.

Angela: Second, this really made me think about what character traits the original companions embodied. Each had a special intrinsic quality that added to a greater whole, and because of this, the venture succeeded. So, with that in mind, here’s who would be on my Dream Team of Five:

Roland of Gilead (Stephen King’s The Dark Tower). This Gunslinger is tough--stringy tough, skilled and emotionally hardened, but the trait he embodies most is tenaciousness. Roland never gave up on his quest to find the Dark Tower, not when loved ones died, nor when some crazy-ass giant lobster ate his fingers off, or even when his reality split and caused his own mind to fracture. No matter what life threw at him, Roland kept going.

Astrophil (Marie Rutkoski’s The Cabinet of Wonders). Now while Astro might be only a tin spider who hides in the main character Petra’s hair, he is wise and resourceful. Most of all, he is incredibly loyal. On a trip to Mordor, I’d need someone who would stick by me no matter what. Besides, who wouldn’t want a tin spider to come along?

Katniss Everdeen (Susanne Collins’ The Hunger Games). I’m sure no one is shocked to see Katniss on my list. She’s dedicated, selfless and has great instincts. Most of all, she is a born hunter and skilled in adverse environments. Taking on the Hunger Games arena is no easy feat, and perfect training ground for Mordor.

Mat Cauthon (Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time). Matrim is a trickster, gambler and trouble loving character, adding levity in a dark time as the seals on the Dark One’s prison begin to break. Always in trouble of one sort or another, but loyal to the core, Mat’s antics cost him part of his memories, replacing what is lost with a battle-hardened warrior, transforming him into a formidable strategist and unparalleled leader. These are all great qualities, but it is Mat’s cleverness that earns him a seat on the bus to Mount Doom.

Merlin (too many sources to name). No matter what fiction piece he featured in, Merlin was an advisor, a wieldier of  magic, and scholar and protector of the people. One quality stands out more than any other however, and that is wisdom. To successfully infiltrate Mordor and destroy the ring, wisdom is key.

So, the ideal traits I’ve gathered for this journey are tenacious, loyalty, skill, cleverness and wisdom. 

Who would be on your Team Mordor? Would you choose to feature the same traits, or different ones? Tell me about it in the comments!

What fun--thanks Leslie for asking me to do such a unique post!

No, no thank YOU, Angela for hanging out and assembling a kickin' team. Frodo doesn't know what he is missing.

Free download of the Kindle version of 
JOURNEYS OF WONDER
until Tuesday night

Take Offs, Parodies, and Spoofs, Oh My

I have a weakness for a good parody. Taking the essence of a story and giving it a humorous twist is an art form in itself.

Here are three examples that would make my personal Parody Hall of Fame.

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Galaxy Quest took the Star Trek fanboy/fangirl phenom, turned it on its ear and make a hilarious movie with its own engaging journey.

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Jimmy Fallon's spoof, Downton Sixbey, of the currently trending, Downton Abbey is "spit take" hysterical. His show is produced in Studio 6B - hence the name. If you are hooked on Downton Abbey - Downton Sixbey is your next step.

And the newest inductee into my Parody Hall of Fame is:

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Yes, it IS a musical parody of Lord of the Rings, Fellowship of the Ring - LIVE on stage. 

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This wonderful production tells the ENTIRE story of Fellowship of the Ring with all the heart and a thousand times the humor of Tokien's tale.

Fellowship! Is playing in Hollywood for the next two weekends. If you live in the area grab your tickets and get to the theater. If you don't live in the area, make your plane reservations, grab your tickets, and get to the theater. Click on the link above to their website to see if the show is coming your way. 

You haven't lived until you've seen a diva Balrog sing a torch song in a red spotlight.

What take offs, spoofs, or parodies would make your Hall of Fame?

L is for Lord of the Rings

Twenty-Six Days of Creative Inspiration

I admit it. I have an incurable obsession with any and all that is J.R.R. Tolkien’s THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Above all else this work inspired me to put pen to paper as a writer. It gave me permission to build fantastical worlds, set forth on adventures, and create swoonworthy heroes (Aragorn, not Frodo).

Confessions of a LORD OF THE RINGS addict:

• I immerse myself in the story every year by either reading the trilogy, listening to the audiobooks (appendices included – you haven’t lived until you’ve experienced the full story of Aragorn and Arwen), or watching the extended versions of all three films.
• I own a cardboard standee of Aragorn (Thank you Peter Jackson for casting Viggo Mortensen.)
• I still have nightmares about the Nazgul (Sauron I can deal with, but those nine riders FREAK ME OUT.)
• I play the LORD OF THE RINGS slot machines (I'm working on unlocking the Helm's Deep bonus.)
• I attended Trilogy Tuesday, December 16, 2003, and watched all three movies back to back in the theatre the day RETURN OF THE KING debuted (That’s a lot of popcorn. I’m on the left in the pic.)

Are you a Tolkien devotee? 

Click on the Blogging From A to Z Challenge logo in the sidebar to access the links to all the superheroes participating in this blog hop.

Looking Back

As I sit making THE list for writing projects I hope to tackle in 2012, I can’t help but reflect on the profound influences that have left indelible marks on the emotional landscape of my life.

As writers, I believe the living script of our existence is the treasure chest from where we summon the seeds of creativity that bud and blossom in our stories. We report, invent, and metamorphosize moments, feelings, and events that have profoundly touched us.

As I wave farewell to 2011, here is a list of 11 notches on my consciousness, in no particular order.

Standing outside in the front yard with my brothers when the men first landed on the moon and swearing we could see them in the binoculars.

Seeing my parents cry when John F. Kennedy was shot.

Watching WIZARD OF OZ for the first time on a color TV and freaking out because the Wicked Witch was green.

1968 – Viet Nam, the soldier on my POW bracelet never came home. Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. being assassinated.

Two perfect children.

The Berlin Wall coming down.

Losing my brother and too many friends to the villainy of AIDS.

Beloved books: Peter Pan, The Three Musketeers, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Gone With the Wind, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter.

Star Wars, because Luke Skywalker and I were facing our destinies in the same year. He as a Jedi, me in college.

Yosemite, Yellowstone, Zion, Mammoth Caves, Grand Teton, Crater Lake, Grand Canyon National Parks, and New England in October.

Drop drills in elementary school, preparing for a nuclear attack.

What memories are etched in your minds?

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Obsession Confession - Middle Earth Alert

I admit it. I have an incurable obsession with any and all that is J.R.R. Tolkien’s THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Above all else this work inspired me to put pen to paper as a writer. It gave me permission to build fantastical worlds, set forth on adventures, and create swoonworthy heroes (Aragorn, not Frodo).

Confessions of a LORD OF THE RINGS addict:

• I immerse myself in the story every year by either reading the trilogy, listening to the audiobooks (appendices included – you haven’t lived until you’ve experienced the full story of Aragorn and Arwen), or watching the extended versions of all three films.
• I read the entire trilogy aloud to my children. (My Gimli ROCKS)
• I own a cardboard standee of Aragorn (Thank you Peter Jackson for casting Viggo Mortensen.)
• I still have nightmares about the Nazgul (Sauron I can deal with, but those nine riders FREAK ME OUT.)
• I play the LORD OF THE RINGS slot machines (I’m up to the Shards of Narsil bonus.)
• I attended Trilogy Tuesday, December 16, 2003, and watched all three movies back to back in the theatre the day RETURN OF THE KING debuted (That’s a lot of popcorn. I’m on the left in the pic.)

All kidding aside, I revere this story. It continues to set a literary bar that I will never achieve, but always strive for.

Tolkien permeates my teaching as well.

“All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost” – is a fabulous writing prompt.

“War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend…” – this works as a Patriot POV on the Revolutionary War.

Are you a Tolkien devotee? What piece of literature continues to glitter the gold of inspiration to your writing?

Middle Earth Fans: Check out Peter Jackson’s Video blog for THE HOBBIT