Movies I Watched In September 2016

Titles with nothing before them I watched for the first time.

Titles with ** before them are re-watches.

Titles with # before them I watched with my little siblings.

Full House Take 2 ~ 2012 ~ 6 eps

This drama continues to be absolutely hilarious.  

Cantabile Tomorrow ~ 2014 ~ 4 eps

This was another amusing one.  And the music!!

Back To the Future ~ 1985

Wow!!!  This movie.  Wacky, but funny!!

E.T. the Extra Terrestrial ~ 1982

This one was so sweet!!  And little Drew Barrymore was adorable!!!

An Affair to Remember ~ 1957

I love old movies!!!  Even when they are a bit corny!  Mum and Mel didn't enjoy it very much.

The K2 ~ 2016 ~ 2 eps

 And the drama that we were waiting for!!  It is Ji Chang Wook's newest and we are watching it as it airs.  It started out a bit more thriller-y than I expected, so I didn't know if I would be able to watch it, but it leveled out and I'm loving it!

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  Omo!!  I have over 10,000 pageviews!!!!

Interview: Kendra E. Ardnek

  Today I am interviewing Kendra as part of the Lady Dragon, Tela Du Book Release Tour.

  My questions will be in blue, Kendra's answers will be in purple.
 
  Welcome to The Flowering Vales Kendra!  If you don't mind, we will sit here on this grassy slope and enjoy this bit of sunshine while we talk.

  I love sunshine, so I don't mind a bit!

  Good!  And here is some lemonade if you become thirsty.

  Yum!

  Okay, now let's start the Questions!  You have said before, that Rizkaland was inspired by Narnia.  Is the Doorkeeper your version of 'The Wood between the Worlds'? 

  The Doorkeeper is complicated and no, not inspired by "The Wood Between the Worlds," but her power is distantly connected to the wood. She was actually inspired by my desire to insert my own pen-name - then Sandra Elizabeth Nedor - into the series as a recurring character. She got more and more complicated until I retired her, and then brought her back as Laura when I was watching Doctor Who and was intrigued by River Song's timeline.

So, more accurately, I'd say that the Doorkeeper is my version of the TARDIS.

  Intriguing!  I haven't actually watched Doctor Who, but I have heard a lot about River Song.  Is Fantasy your preferred genre to write?

  It is. I've been dabbling in sci-fi and superhero fiction, though.

  Who is your favorite character in the Rizkaland Legends? 

  Laura the Doorkeeper. She has a long, complicated story that I've only brushed the surface of, and is such fun to write. And brilliant for foreshadowing, I might add.

  Oh it definitely is that!  Do you know how many children Clara and Andrew will have in the real world?

  Yes and no. I'm afraid I can't give any details on that until book 6.

  I see!  Do WPFP characters and the LDTD characters ever meet in our world?

  

  That's much of the premise of book three. And, actually, Reuben and Andrew have already met, as Reuben's cousin is Andrew's best friend.

  Kevin, right? 
 

  Yep

  

  Which leads to my next question.  Do Kevin and Rhoda go to Rizkaland together?

  That will be book 5!  Do look forward to that.

 

  Oh I definitely will!!  It will be interesting to see how soon after she reaches Rizkaland, Rhoda begins to figure out that the others have been there before.

  And her reactions to finding out the truth about her cousin and best friend...

  Yeah!  I wonder if she might be a little upset at first. 

  She might. Any more questions? 

  One more.  What are a few songs that symbolize Rizkaland for you?

  I actually have a YouTube playlist set up for the series: Rizkaland Inspiration .  Some of the specific ones are "Just Fall," "Write Your Story" and "Greater."

  I will have to check it out.  Well, thank you for joining me.  I am very much looking forward to reading Lady Dragon, Telu Du when it is completely finished.  Have a nice day, and God Bless.

 Thank you for having me! 

  You can purchase Lady Dragon, Tela Du on Kindle HERE and in paperback HERE.  Also the first book in the Rizkaland Legends, Water Princess, Fire Prince, is available HERE for free until the 23rd. 

  

Character Interview: Laura

  

  Today I am interviewing Laura, or the Doorkeeper as some of you know her.  My questions will be in green and her answers are in black.


  Welcome to my blog Laura.  It is very exciting to meet you in person.  *motions to a white wrought-iron bench next to a lily studded pond*  Please have a seat.

  Ah, yes, I'm excited to be here. *sits down.* Ponds can be so pretty, you know.

  Very, especially when they are covered in water-lilies which are my favorite flower.  Now I have a few questions for you.  You have the amazing gift of being able to travel between worlds.  Have you ever been to Middle-earth? 

  I will confess that I have. I enjoy having picnics with Tom Bombadil and Goldberry. 

  Oh my goodness!  That sounds amazing!!  Middle-earth is my favorite world.  Most people consider it a fictional world, but it has never felt fictional to me!

  I'm sure that you have run across many interesting foods and drinks in all of your world traveling.  What are a few of your favorites?

  Ooh, let's see. I must admit that I'm rather fond of Pomella Cider from Rizkaland, and Earth's spaghetti. And Twintas, a sort of fruit from Aloetway. Luna has some divine Spiced Soup - like tomato soup, but a bit richer. Then there's pizza, nothing tops pizza - except maybe Filla Pudding in Wienta...

  Ooooo!!  The Spiced Soup sounds delicious!  Do they serve it with Grilled Cheese sandwiches?

And you're right.  Nothing tops Pizza.

  They don't really do cheese in Luna, unfortunately, though Amber did enjoy the combination once introduced to cheeses in Lintooalintae.

  Do you ever have trouble learning the languages of the different worlds, or do they come naturally to you because of your world traveling gift?


  That is a complicated question that I can't fully answer, but yes, most languages come naturally to me. I'll give some more details in book 3, though, so you can look forward to that!

  I will!  Do you have a favorite world?


  Earth, actually. It has such an interesting history, and some of my favorite people live here.

  Have you ever been to Ireland?  I have a bit of an obsession with that country.

  Once. It's kind of a funny story. You know their legends about leprechauns?

  I do!  I find them quite amusing and love reading them. 

  They're kinda ... my fault. Someday I'll get back to Ireland, round up those little people, and send them back to Quina where they belong ...

  Oh really?  Well, I am kind of glad that you let them loose.  They have provided lots of tales and enjoyment for many people!

  Aye, I suppose.

  Have you ever ridden in an airplane?

  And on one, but I do not recommend that.

  Well it is definitely something I won't try!  Do you enjoy watching movies?


  Depends on the movie and whether or not I know the real events behind the story. And how much time I have on my hands and how tired I am. Movies are great for when you're tired. They don't require much thinking, you see.

  That they don't!  I find them very relaxing too....well, I guess it actually depends on the movie!

Do you have a favorite book?

  I actually don't do much reading, but any copy of God's Word in any world is amazing.

  It is.  Though I have only read the copy that exists in this world and in the English language.  It is getting a bit late and I have to make supper for my family, but I do have one more question. 

  All right.

  If you hadn't been chosen as the Doorkeeper, what is a career that you would have chosen and which world would you have chosen to live in? 

  I really don't know. I know I probably would be on Earth, but I have no idea of my career. I probably would still be doing some form of travel, though.

  Maybe a traveling Wedding Planner? 

  Maybe. I don't know. I really don't. And since I am the Doorkeeper, I really don't have to worry about it.

  Exactly!  Well I really do need to go now, but it has been very, very exciting to have you here.  Please feel welcome to drop in whenever you want and as a parting present, here is a bag of my favorite homemade Apple Cider Doughnuts.

  Oh, they sound delicious. *opens the bag to sniff* and they smell delicious, too. I'll see what I can do. My timeline is so tangled, I can't say when or if I'll ever show up again - but you never know!

  Well, you are always welcome!  Thank you again for coming!


  You can learn more about Laura in Lady Dragon, Tela Du, which can be purchased on Kindle HERE, and in hardcopy HERE.  Also, Water Princess, Fire Prince, the prequel to Lady Dragon, Tela Du, is free on Kindle HERE until the 23rd.

Book Review: Lady Dragon Tela Du ~ Kendra E. Ardnek

Two girls with one face
Two girls with twisted fate
One in purple, one in red
One shall speak the other’s death
Who shall win their final war?
Lady Dragon or Tela Du?

Amber, the Lady Dragon, has been promised a fifty-year reign over Rizkaland and nothing can stop her from claiming it. But when you've lived six thousand years, fifty is such a pitiful number. Only one person can keep her from making this reign permanent - the Tela Du, a girl who shall share Amber's face.

The last thing Petra wants is a magical world interrupting her plans for a normal life, let alone an ultimate battle against the Lady Dragon with only one prophesied survivor. She has her childhood best friend, Reuben, at her side, but she's not sure if he's more of a help or a hindrance right now. Though she'd much prefer to just return home and forget about this whole crazy affair, things change when she discovers that the world has surprising connections to her own family - including her sister who disappeared without a trace two years before. Still, Rizkaland can't possibly expect her to risk her very life, can it?

**Warning!  This review my contain spoilers if you have not read Water Princess, Fire Prince.**

  My Review

I very much enjoyed Water Princess, Fire Prince, so it was delightful to return to Rizkaland in its sequel, Lady Dragon, Tela Du.  Once again Kendra wove spiritual truths, life lessons, humor and love together with wonderful characters in her unique fantasy world.

  The scenery made me laugh a lot.  Like, seriously, the colors of the foliage?  I am not making fun of it!!  Not at all!  Sometimes I'm just amused by the most random things and the mental picture of trees and grass and bushes in bright pink and yellow and blue had me laughing.

  There weren't as many different animals in Lady Dragon, Tela Du as were in Water Princess, Fire Prince, but we did have to chance to learn more about the animals on the Isle of Taking Beasts, and their different gifts are quite remarkable!!

  But the people were the best part.

  Petra was well written.  Yes she annoyed me at times, but that was because of her personality (which is quite different from mine) not because of how she was written.  Her attempts to shut others out and her resentment of Ashley irritated me, but I admired her strength and commitment when she finally accepted her rule as the Tela Du.

  I adored Reuben.  He was a boy after my own heart.  Not only do we have similar personalities, but we also share a lot of the same interests.  If I had read Narnia when I was younger (I didn't read it until I was 16), I also would have sat in closets waiting for it to take me to Narnia.  But his strength and courage, his unwavering support of Petra, and his amusing and unfailing sense of humor were my favorite things about him.  And his incredulity when he learned that Andrew Stevenson was the Fire Prince, had me in stitches.

  My heart bled for Ashley.  Losing her parents and then being thrust into an unknown world and having to live with someone who disliked and resented her as much as Petra did, that's pretty tough!  But her unfailing sweetness and faith were beautiful.  And her awe of the Arden and Eaglechaser parents was adorable!

  Summer and Tyler were quite amusing.  It was great to finally meet some of the Ten and to learn how all the different characters are intertwined.

  Amber.  Amber is rather an interesting character.  I loved delving into her backstory and learning about the girl behind the Dragon.

  And Granite.  He was my favorite character.  I find Granite even more intriguing then Amber because he isn't evil like her.  They didn't fall together.  So seeing the "good vs. evil" byplay between the two of them was very, very interesting.

  And then there's Laura.  What can I even say about her?  She is such a fantastic, amazing, complex character.  We didn't see many different sides of her in Water Princess, Fire Prince, but she is very prominent in Lady Dragon, Tela Du, and we see more facets of her character.  Powerful, angry (she's scary then!) and at times hurting so much that you just want to reach through the book and give her a hug.  There is so much sadness, pain and loneliness in her life, but also a lot of love and happiness.

  While Water Princess, Fire Prince is my personal favorite of the Rizkaland Series, Lady Dragon, Tela Du is an excellent story that I would recommend to readers of Christian Fantasy who are over 15 years of age.

Author Bio:  Kendra E. Ardnek is a homeschool graduate who picked up a pen at an early age and never put it down.  The eldest of four, she makes her home in the Piney Woods of East Texas with her parents, younger siblings, giant herd of giraffes, and honor guard of nutcrackers.

  You can visit Kendra on her BLOG, and OFFICIAL WEBSITE.

  You can buy Lady Dragon, Tela Du on Kindle HERE, and in paperback HERE.  A Kindle copy of Water Princess, Fire Prince, the first book in The Rizkaland Legends, is also free until the 23rd.

Snow!

  Last night while Mum, Mel and I were watching our episodes of Kdrama, we took a break and I went to check on something.  I chanced to look out the window and.......IT WAS SNOWING!!!!!!!!  As I have mentioned before, snowfalls always turn me into a 5 year old again.  I was hooting an hollering (as loud as I dared because everyone else was sleeping) and grabbed the camera.  Oh and it was about 10:45 pm.

I know, there is hardly anything out there, but it was still snow.

It didn't stick, except on the mountains.

I really like this one.  If you look hard enough, you can see the Russian Olive trees.

  Oh and I posted a VERY good Plum Cake recipe over on my other blog.  Zwetschgen Datschi

A Very Exciting Day...

  Today was a day that I have been looking forward to for a month.  Today, I had the great privilege of meeting up with Maeve Daley and her family.  They were traveling coming right past our place, so we met up a a nearby truck stop.  We were able to hang out for 2 hours and we had a lot of fun.  And I we got pictures!!  Mum and I took Jill with us so that Maeve's younger sisters had someone to talk to.  They had a lot of fun too!!

Maeve, Me, Jill, Clare and Fiona.

  Thank you Maeve for suggesting it and thank you Mum, and Mr. and Mrs. Daley for allowing it!!