The Pen of a Ready Writer

Andy Griffith show via Pinterest      Many thanks to Anne-girl for hosting this month's Plot Bunny event.  And also congratulations to all the participants.  It was neat to see the stories that everyone came up with.   If you go quickly, you can head over to Anne-girl's blog and find links to the other plot bunny participants on the right-hand side of her blog.    And I earned this award for participating:     We now return to our regular programming...

     Kevin leaned his head against the back of the couch and watch scenes flick across the television screen through half-opened eyes.  He was bored.  Bored with the television.  Bored with the day.  Bored with his life.      Over the sounds of explosions and screaming emanating from the television, Kevin heard his mother enter the room, her low heels clicking across the rich wood floor.  She stopped behind him and Kevin felt a brush of fabric tickling his forehead.  Kevin swiveled his eyes up and saw the lower edge of a dishtowel sweeping over his hair.  His mother held the other end of the towel in her hand and seemed completely oblivious to Kevin as she stared at the television with a furrowed brow.     She could be so aggravating sometimes.     "I wish you wouldn't watch that garbage," his mother said, still frowning at the characters portrayed in the movie.   ...

Series:      The Third Revolutionary War Title:      The Lost Truth Back Cover:      When the nation was born, its leaders warned of what could happen if the people lost sight of the Truth.  But, nearly three hundred years later, that warning has been forgotten or dismissed as old-fashioned.  As the government begins to crumble, the nation totters on the brink of its third revolutionary war.  Is there any way to stop it? Characters: Kevin:      son of a crooked politician      disillusioned with the world Wesley:      torn between pursuing a religious or political path Marian:      a budding writer      longing to do something or write something of great importance     

     There are a number of rules impressed upon a new cashier.  These largely revolve around speed, precision, and customer satisfaction.  And you learn very quickly that most customers think merely of themselves and that the cashier gets blamed for everything from a slow-moving line to the increased price of bacon.  I say "most customers" for not every customer falls into this category.  Scattered throughout the day, a different type of customer appears.  Like salt on a bland dish, they make the whole day better.  And it is for this reason, that I remember them.      We had a customer -- he was what we call a "regular," coming in several times a week.  He was an old man with a thick Polish accent and a shuffling step.  With his little European-style hat and jacket, he looked like he belonged to another world.      On this particular day, he came through my line.  Slowly, h...

Title:     Tips for Shoppers: Anecdotes from the Life of a Grocery Store Clerk Back Cover:      A clerk in a grocery store sees all manner of people.  From proud old ladies to rude gentlemen, from compassionate customers to selfish shoppers, from the most upstanding citizen to the sneakiest thieves -- the stream of people is a never-ending series of life lessons.  From the eyes of a humble clerk come a set of stories that every shopper should read.

     Aldrich awoke with a start.   Sweat trickled from his brow.   Instinctively, he reached up and placed his hand over his left eye.   Then slowly he sat up and looked around the room.      The moonlight poured into the room through the open square window, lighting the floor.   Aldrich could see his two sisters sleeping on their pallet on the other bed in the room; Hope was nearly lying on top of her older sister.   The two boys were on a pallet on the floor.      Aldrich put a hand against the wall, gaining comfort from the familiar, rough boards, and lay down again with a sigh.   It had been a dream that woke him – the same dream that haunted him for as long as he could remember.   Voices, a flash of light and pain, and then darkness.   And he always woke up in a cold sweat.      What did it mean?      Aldrich remembered the time h...

Title:      The Forest Prince Back Cover:      For as long as he can remember, Aldrich has known no life other than that of a woodsman's oldest son.  But, thanks to an old hermit, Aldrich learns that he was born a prince.  As a baby, he suffered an accident that caused a blindness in one eye.  Fearing the reaction of the people, the lords switched the deformed prince with another baby.  When Aldrich further learns that the replacement prince is a spoiled brat, he journeys to the castle to set things straight, one way or another!

via Pinterest      The early morning dew filled Amelia’s sneakers with water.   She remembered choosing them that morning.   “ These are old ,” she had thought to herself.   “ It won’t matter if they get wet .”   But she had been thinking of river water – not ordinary, everyday dew.   Amelia made a rueful face as she trudged down the hill in soggy sneakers.      “Hurry, ‘Melia,” called her younger brother.   Luke had been a fireball of energy all morning.   The upcoming river trip was a dream come true for him.      It was a dream come true for Amelia as well.   Not even her soggy sneakers could dampen her mood.   She had never been on the river before, but she had long hoped for an opportunity like this.   She tucked a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear, tugged at her hat to make sure it was secure, and listened to the early morning chorus of birds. ...

Title:       The River of Time Back Cover:      " Amelia stared wonderingly at the river.   Her soul filled with the poetry of it.   And in every direction she looked, there was not a sign of man.   There was nothing to indicate the progress of the 21 st century.   Amelia suddenly felt suspended in time.   The branches overhanging the river could have belonged to any period of history…"      Amelia and her brother are excited to embark on their first canoe trip.  But there is something unusual about their canoe, and the  simple ride down the river turns into something of historical proportions, carrying them through 5 centuries.   Join Amelia and Luke as they journey down the River of Time! via Pinterest

Title:      A New Reign Back Cover:      What happens when an old legend comes to life?  Not even their wicked ruler could entirely kill the hope of the people who dreamed of the legend's return.  When their hopes come true and a new reign is instated, the people rejoice.  But the influence of the old, evil reign lasts far beyond its visible power, and the people find that the new reign demands more of them than they ever imagined.

I am doing this plot bunny backwards: posting the 1st scene before the back cover blurb.  But it only seemed fitting as the first scene was written before I gave much thought to the rest of the book.  So, without further ado, I present to you the first scene of my fourth plot bunny: Character from Narnia movie via Pinterest     “The boy belongs to me,” the woman said, her cruel eyes sending hateful messages.   She wrapped her fingers like claws around the small boy’s shoulder.      The man opposite stood staring at her, wondering at the twistedness of this remote country.   “Impossible,” he said, simply.      The crowd that had gathered around them stepped closer, unwilling to miss any word of the confrontation between their reigning lady and the stranger.      The woman laughed lightly.   “You are not from this land,” she said patronizingly.   “You don’t kn...

     Isaiah wove his way through the lunch line like all the other children, but his mind was not on food.  His imagination painted a scene before him where he and his faithful dog climbed a treacherous mountain, forded a raging river flood, and fought an attacking pack of hungry wolves.  Nearly every day now, he dreamed of the adventures he would have with his dog; and nearly every night he prayed for God to please give him a puppy.      "Earth to Isaiah!" called his good friend, Carl.  "Are you going to sit with us, or are you just gonna stand there?"      Isaiah flushed, embarrassed, and hurried to join his friends.  Carl was already sitting with Jake and Roger at a table near the center of the room.     “One of our hound dogs had puppies,” Jake said.   He drew circles in his soup with his spoon.   “Anybody want one?”      “I would but I got to ask m...

Title:      A Real Dog Named Georgianna Back Cover:      All his life, Isaiah wanted a dog of his own.   He dreamed of owning a collie, or a wolf, or even a hound dog.   But when his dad comes home one day with a tiny Yorkshire Terrier, Isaiah could not be more disgusted.   That wasn’t even a real dog!   Isaiah cringes with embarrassment at the thought of being seen with his new dog -- until the adventures start happening and Isaiah learns how much heart can be found, even in a tiny package.

     Greetings, all!  There are five more posts that I wanted to do in my BB Villain series, but, at the moment, I am planning to postpone that until July.  I apologize if this inconviences anybody, but please check back in July for it.  And, in the meantime, enjoy the special event material of this month.      June looks like it will be very full of Anne-girl's Plot Bunny Challenge .  Plus, Beautiful People starts this month, too (although I may wait until next month to join).  This is why I am saving the rest of my BB Villain posts for July.  There will be so many things to enjoy that I fear the villain would feel terribly crowded (and, as you know, he hates crowds).       As I am required to post 8 plot bunnies, my goal is to present 2 bunnies per week.  Enjoy!   (stolen from Rachel Heffington's blog )

a picture of people marching under the close watch of guards from the For King & Country music video of "The Proof of Your Love" via Pinterest      “So this is Project M?” Erin commented.   She leaned forward across the empty chair, peering into the screens of the monitors.   It was a dismal view.   The cameras tracked prisoners marching in some underground concrete tunnel.   “Where are they?   The basement of some dilapidated building?   An abandoned subway tunnel?”      “No one knows but Mr. DeKoorce himself,” her guide, Haley, answered.   “Our job here at Project HQ is simply to monitor the progress of his projects.   There is no need for us to know the locations.”      Erin cast a glance over her guide, taking in the straight blonde hair, polished red fingernails, seamless makeup, and professional but attractive business suit.   Then she returned her gaze to the...