Icing on my Cake

"You are the icing on my cake, you are the smile I can't replace,

You are, you are.

The way you smile, the way you laugh,

The way I can't help but catch your joy, your joy..."

//icing by charity vance//

Today I made 3096 words. Not as much as yesterday, but then again, I woke up early and my computer monitor would not work. For like...half an hour... I sat on the floor plugging and unplugging it and hoping it would work before I finally escaped to the downstairs and a very messy Dad's Office to write my dose. Also, it was some tough material (mystery endings and the like.) I picked up my contacts from Walmart (good heavens, that has been a heck of a mess) and they're still not quite right...but almost. They are wearable. Then my cousin Matthew, who is a photographer, took me to the Cultural Arts center where we shot some photos of my new pink trench-coat so I can do a review for eShakti on my other blog. Matthew is the guy with whom it always appears I'm flirting,. He's a cousin. We are close. I'm not always writing, darlings. That picture above pretty much encapsulates me. You have my permission to study it. Also, I have discovered that my spy-face (made up of laughter, sass, and my cousin staring at me with his camera) pretty much looks exactly like a winky emoticon:

;)

-And-

Likeness? I think so.

Also, I have rearranged the pages so that they are clickable. Thanks for all the input on the new design. I like making things comfy for my readership. Well, my eyes are tired from staring at my computer screen with these banged contacts, so I'm off. Cheers and may tomorrow be a productive day of writing as well!

Treasure Hunt: Bits of Me Inside The Book

Whenever my family gets a new movie on DVD, we love to watch the behind-the-scenes clips, the making-of, and the directors' commentaries. I mean, really: is there anything cooler than getting to climb inside the director's creativity for an hour or two? We got so good at this a few years back that we could quote (word for word) the blooper real for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Not kidding. When Daniel bought me the first Hobbit movie for my birthday last summer, I was probably more happy about the extras and vlogs than I was about the actual film.

Now you know this useless thing about me.

Maybe you like to get behind the scenes as well? Today I'm going to give you a chance to do just that! Below I have listed ten "Easter eggs" inside Fly Away Home for you to find when you read the book. Copy off this list and keep it with you while you read...when you've found them all, email me at theinkpenauthoress@gmail.com and I will add your names to a growing list of the successful-seekers here on the blog!

1. My birthday. I was born on July 20th. This might be a slightly tricky one to find, but I promise it is in there.
2. The inspiration for printing the book matte. Keep your eyes open for this one!
3. My typewriter. Callie owns a certain kind of typewriter and recently I was given one of the same brand. (though after Callie's came into existence) Which brand is it?
4. My three favorite detective/mystery-writers. I mention three in the course of the story...who are they?
5. How I eat my ice-cream, otherwise known as "cooker-baker". Enough said.
6. My favorite author for "pleasure" reading. My taste in casual literature is given via Mr. Barnett.
7. One of my dream-dresses. What color is it? The dress is the only outfit described twice in the book and I'm not certain I'd look good in it. (Which is why it's a dream dress)
8. My favorite "vintage" song. You'll know it when you read it and many of you could already hazard a guess.
9. The languages in which I am fluent. I match Callie on this one. (Plus "ubbi-dubbi" which probably wasn't present in the 50's.)
10. The perfume my grandmother wore in her glory days. Look out for Nalia's perfume and you'll have the answer!  

I can't wait for you to have the book in your hands and find all ten "bits of me" in Fly Away Home. Those of you who have ordered your books already should be able to begin soon so the rest of you: hurry and get your copy so you can play along! 

Today I'm more than excited to be over for an interview at Sarah Sundin's Blog and guest-posting about not having a dating-game mentality with your novels at Safirewriter! Come visit and leave both the wonderful hostesses a comment or two. :)

Answering the Inquisition

Hello peoples!
    I will get around the answering all the questions in half a mo, but I wanted to let you know that in exactly one week from today, Anne Elisabeth Stengl will release the winners list for the Five Glass Slippers collection. Eeeeeesh. I honestly have no expectation to win: there were so many entries and so many excellent entries. February 1 shall tell us. If I don't place, I am going to have a lark expanding The Windy Side of Care into a novel/novella! So either way, I am quite content. Now, on to the question-answering! You guys asked some good ones.

Do you have problem with magic like Lord of the Rings?
Short answer: no. I like good and evil to be portrayed in a biblical manner, and I feel that The Lord of the Rings (and the Chronicles of Narnia and so on) do that. I have not read any of the Harry Potter series, but I have heard the lines between good and evil are a little blurred so I would be less interested in that. But then again, I haven't investigated for myself so I am not making an official statement in that manner. I don't have problems with fairy-tale magic either, or fantasy realms provided good is still good and evil still evil.

Do you like Disney?
YES. By Disney I assume you mean the classics? I'm not a fan of the Teen Disney or Toon Disney or what-have-you. I love the classic animated films and the new princess films (Tangled, Frozen!) and I like some of the older live-action stuff like The Swiss Family Robinson and Toby Tyler. But and incredibly stout "yes" to the classics. My sisters and I once amused a young man by singing the entire soundtrack to Beauty and the Beast on the way to see Frozen. 

Absolute favoritest forever and ever books (excluding Christian fiction romance)?
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis.
A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken
The Railway Children by E. Nesbit
An Old-Fashioned Girl by L.M. Alcott
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy
Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
All of Beatrix Potter's little books. 

What are your convictions about staying at home?
Home is a good place to be in many situations. If my parents weren't supportive of me staying home, I would not be able to be a writer because I'd have to work full time to support myself. That being said, I believe each person needs to consult the Lord's plans for them on this. Staying home is the right thing in some cases. In others, it isn't. Easy as that. I am not against young women having jobs, nor do I scorn those who have moved out of the house before marriage. Some of my best friends have followed God's plan for their lives and He has led them out of their homes and into rich fulfillment, just as other friends have stayed put and reaped the same benefits. 

Favorite music? 
Broadway show-tunes, Colbie Callait, Andrew Peterson, Michael Buble, (swing in general?) Ella Fitzgerald, Kate Rusby, Disney music, Josh Groban

Movies, t.v. shows?
TV shows: Psych, White Collar, Sherlock, Masterchef Jr., I Love Lucy, Monk, Sue Thomas F.B. Eye.
Movies: The LOTR trilogy, Amazing Grace, Emma 2009, National Treasure, Captain America, The Avengers, North & South, the old Pride & Prejudice , Letters to Juliet, The Young Victoria, Miss Potter, My Favorite Wife, Roman Holiday, Charade, Peter Pan, Frozen, and many many more. 


I would be curious to know whether you view yourself as an introvert or an extrovert. 
And introverted extrovert, meaning that I am out-going and love to be around people and am not terribly shy, but I do have a shy side that comes out when I am tired and wishes me to take a moment to collect myself alone.

I'd like to know if a typical week sees you more at home or more away. 
Lately, at home. I do go through spurts of working with GenJ/traveling that will keep me away, but since I don't have my own car and my job is authoress, I don't spend much of my week away from home.

Are you the big-spender type or the extremely thrifty (I think I already know the answer)?
Medium. I am thrifty but I don't have a problem spending money on something I know I need/have been wanting for some time. This means I will get the best deal I can (and wait till it is on sale or I have a coupon or whatever) but I am not afraid to lay out the money when it comes to it. This is all hypothetical, you realize: entirely dependent on if I have any money to lay out. 

Do you have/work in a garden?
In the spring/summer, yes. Two years ago we about killed ourselves with a produce/flower stand at a farmer's market which required farming two acres of land pretty much all day every day in the heat of summer and spending Tuesdays and Fridays prepping for spending Wednesday and Saturday at the market. *flop*
Last year we were blessed to have it easy with a garden just to supply our family's needs.

Do you have any other animal friends besides your cat?
Friends? I like wild creatures of every sort. I like our dog (Churchill Sherlock Lewis) on occasion. I like our cousin's cat, Bilbo, who sort of camps out over here sometimes. I don't like our goats.

Are you a competitive person?
No. I'm too nice.

Do you find yourself to be more soft-spoken or loud and bold?
Enthusiastic (and therefore a bit loud sometimes) but not brassy and flamboyant. 

 Do you prefer dogs or cats (or rabbits)?
Sociable cats are easier to hold, but well-behaved dogs are cute. And if it was a nice rabbit, I could love one, I suppose. 

Your favorite quote from The Princess Bride?
Now you guys know my guilty un-homeschooler secret: I hate this movie. I can't understand why everyone freaks out like it is the greatest thing ever. And the weirdest thing is, I am the extreme minority. But I know I have a good sense of humor. The only thing I can figure is that I don't find slapstick/on-the-nose humor funny. I'm a fan of British wit of the dry, cutting, clever sort. THAT being ranted over, my favorite quote:

"Truly, you have dizzying intellect."

Fuzzy socks or bunny slippers?
I am a barefoot or high-heels kinda girl. Flip-flops too. So...fuzzy socks?

What is your favorite black and white movie?
Roman Holiday

Does your wardrobe have a tendency to whisk children to Narnia?
Unfortunately, I have no wardrobe. My closet is shelf-less and therefore currently looks like Armegeddon and my dresser is rather Un-Narnian. But if I HAD a wardrobe, I think it would be amicable to the idea.

If you had to choose between never reading a non-fiction book again (not including the Bible) or never reading a classic again, which would you choose? (I'm cruel, I know.)
Hmmmm. Sadly enough, I would choose never reading a classic again. See, my knowledge would grow so much slower via the literary route than the facts route, and truth is so often stranger than fiction. What I would do is read every history book I could find and learn languages and research things and then write classics for other people to read. OOOH. Good plot. An author cursed never to be able to read fiction, but always longing to write it....

If you found a Gregory Peck look-alike, what would your reaction be?
Oh, you mean besides following him around the place taking furtive pictures while pretending to take selfies? If I actually met him, I would try to be charming and hoped I stuck around in his mind a little, and then I would come home and virtually cast myself on my best friend's bed and wail the whole story to her, and she would comfort me with Tom Hiddleston pins and assurances that he is probably a jerk in real life, so don't feel too bad he didn't notice you. Whiccccch will probably make me doubly upset because Tom Hiddleston wouldn't notice me either. ;)

Can you fake a British accent?
Rather. Several styles with a bit of thought.

When did your love for the 40s and 50s begin?
Hmmm...probably when I first started noticing that I actually liked the clothes in the history books and then I started loving retro fashion and then started watching old movies and listening to swing music and...yeah. :)

How many siblings do you have?
Eight. :)

Could you introduce them to us?
Daniel: 23 years old, works with Generation Joshua, in a serious relationship with one of my best friends; we are very close. Think...Sophie Scholl and her brother. Or, for a more cheerful take, a better-fated brother-sister pair.
Sarah: 19. My roommate and the mathematical-brained child. She is more extroverted than I, but quieter. Good at debate. Plays piano and has a good man-voice for all the Broadway man roles.
Leah: 16. Currently has a tap-dancing mania, plays piano, crazy upper-body strength, likes to be around her family, good at drawing.
Anna: 14. The diva. She has a dream to tour like Jackie Evancho and to eventually be on Broadway. She has a beautiful voice and modern fashion-sense. She likes stripes and polka-dots.
Benjamin: 12. My history-loving buddy. Witty, sports-lover, handy for butchering  deer and stocking the woodstove.
Abigail: 9. Mini-me when I was her age, only she has the tendency to get a grown-woman's emotions as a nine-year old. A little Mama, very dependable. Likes to read.
Grace: 6. The crazy one. Take Eloise by Kay Thompson (books or movies) and that is Grace. She makes the craziest faces and can impersonate Gene Kelly with an umbrella scary-well. She loves glamorous, almost tacky outfits (Lena Lamont, Lilly St. Regis?) and is a little drama queen.
Levi: 2. A spoiled little boy who everyday grows to look more and more like Simpian Grenadine which is just a little scary, considering I started Cottleston Pie when he was an infant. He is a little, dimpled charmer who loves to pray and is going to (by his own admission) "be masterchef when I grow up."
 
Do you like living in the South?
Yes. :) I am not a raving-tearing southerner, but I am so proud to be a Virginian. Virginia has a way of wooing and winning hearts. People who come from other states to go to college or work here never want to leave. She's my girl.

Which Austen character are you most like?
Lizzy Bennet mixed with Fanny Price 

Favorite thing to order at Starbucks?
Raspberry Dark Mocha or a Java Chip Frappuccino or a Salted Caramel Mocha. I am not brave enough to make them up.

Has Peter Pan ever forgot his shadow at your home? (It happened to Wendy once, but in my case, he lost his footsteps.)
He visits quite often, actually, and tugs Churchill's ears which is why Churchill will randomly leap up from a dead sleep and go careening at a bawl to the front door. But I have never quite seen him. 

What's your favorite season of the year?
Autumn. The time of the gypsy-winds. 

Do you like classical music? If so, what composers/eras?
Oh dear. I'm afraid I'm a bit ignorant in this respect. I love classical music but I couldn't tell you what era/composers. Maybe you can tell me? I like the light, fairylike stuff, and Aaron Copeland is nice too, and sometimes I like a big, rousing symphony sound. I just turn on WHRO and listen to whatever is on...

Can you draw?
At times. I am none too good, but passing-fair.

Have you seen Cranford?
Aren't you the dark horse? Yes. Most quotable movie EVER even though half of everyone dies in each episode. Some people hate it. I quote it. Haven't seen it in ages though because friends borrowed it and never returned it. *woops*

Do you play any musical instruments?
It is my great sadness that I do not. I sing rather well (in a non-professional, tune-carrying way) but I have not made time for studying any music. I do know a bit of music-theory and all that, but every time I sit down to teach myself piano I get depressed and give it up as a bad job. See? Like Lizzy Bennet:

"But I consider that my own fault because I would not take the trouble to practice.

Thanks for all the questions, everyone. This was rather fun. :)

In Which I am Cold and Curious

Oh my stars.
Guys.
It is really cold in here. My nails are painted with Essie "Wicked" and I'm wearing an owl necklace and my hair is warm on my neck and around my face and I'm curling my toes under my feet because it's just that cold.

Not like you cared. I just thought I'd tell someone.

My Lair is a beautiful Lair.

This wall seriously keeps growing

My Lair is a messy Lair.

But I feel like it could host penguins, it's so cold this morning. We've been having snow. Not a lot of snow but more snow than we got last year (which was none). We've also been having fires in the woodstove. I always feel like you've got to have the touch of the faerie-folk in your fingers to be able to make a fire; I can't make one very well. I am good at resurrecting coals, but I generally just gape at the grey ashes of fire-undone and wish for a blaze. Imagination helps not at all in these scenarios. Anyway, we heat our house with wood and my Lair doesn't get any of that heat and that's why it's so chilly in here. It does make for a good exercise room, though, being quite chilly and unheated.

Being cold or tired always leads to funny thoughts, it seems. The other night I was tired and making cinnamon rolls and it's my maxim always to scrub the sugar and cinnamon into the dough by hand and it just felt so good under my palm that I just stood there scrubbing and getting sleepier by the moment until Mom came into the kitchen and laughed at me.

It is always funny to me to think of what you guys think of me. What I mean by that is, I wonder if I am anything at all (as a person) like the Rachel Heffington you occasionally view in your mind. That being said, (and me being a proponent of getting to know people as people, not just as their career choices) do you have any questions for me personally? We always have gobs of fun doing the little Questions About Our Books, we authors, but what about Question About Us? We don't usually answer those. I mean, I know how it goes. One of my writing-blog acquaintances (Rebecca Williams) whom I actually met in real life (entirely by chance) is probably walking around like:

"Yes. Rachel Heffington. She's the one who almost plowed into me at the PHC coffee shop, right? Yeah...she has a cat named Nickleby, right? And she's plump. Or wait. Skinny. Or...I don't know. And didn't she say she was an introvert? Or and extrovert? Oh who cares."

Well. If you do have questions about Me, why don't you leave them in a comment below and I'll do my level-best to answer you tomorrow or the next day. It gives me laugh to think I'm probably quite different in real life than what you think. :)