hello, life

don't remind me, that some days i'm the windshield...

...and other days i'm just a lucky bug.

Beautiful People--Kionan

It's time for the June edition of Beautiful People! *cue cheering*

It's June. Oy. Where is this summer going?

Anyway, I decided to do one of my favorite characters from my novel The Count. He's heir to the throne of the land of Aislin, and throughout the story, becomes Tal's best friend. So say hello to Aislin's crown prince, Kionan. He says you can call him Kio for short.

Where shy Tal and I are still getting to fully know each other, this guy walked into my head, sat down, and proceeded to inform me how his side of the story was going to play out. He also seems to get a kick out of surprising me with inconvenient plot twists. It's royal orneriness, I suppose.


1. What kind of music does he/she like? The music of Aislin is inspired by ancient Gaelic/Celtic music with some Greek influences. Kio likes music that's lively and energetic, like this, or the Aislin battle songs, like this.

2. Does he/she like to go outside? Yes! He's a very active young man and loves to be outdoors, riding, swordfighting, just plain adventuring, and occasionally falling off cliffs.

3. Is he/she naturally curious? Somewhat. He is someone who's always questioning certain things, but he's not actively curious about everything.

4. Right or left handed? Kio is right-handed.

5. Favorite color? Deep red.

6. Where is he/she from? The city of Coladh, capitol of Aislin.

7. Any enemies? Many. It's all but impossible to be a prince without enemies, and although Kio doesn't usually seek out fights, he's not the most accomodating personality either. He has enemies of his father who are waiting for any chance to usurp the throne, enemies who simply dislike him, and a growing threat to Aislin of invasion from a neighboring country.

8. What are his/her quirks?  He likes to put honey on things like apple slices and sausage. When he's deep in thought or excited about something, he can hardly keep still; he paces the room, drums his fingers on the table, waves his arms in the air. And he hates lukewarm drinks. If they're meant to be cold, they need to be cold, and if they're hot, they should be steaming.

9. What kind of things get on his/her nerves? People with no sense of humor, being interrupted in the middle of a book, questions with no answers, fainting ladies, flirtatious ladies, desperately-trying-to-marry-him ladies, meaningless court customs, and gravy.

10. Is he/she independent, or needs others to help out?  Kio looks after himself, both as protection against those who would seek access to the throne through him, and out of a deep impatience with fawning servants and courtiers. However, he is a restless person who often needs others to anchor him.

And there you have it! There's still plenty of time to join in this month's Beautiful People; you can link your blog post up here!

You make my frown turn upside down...

I love Wal-Mart.

Normally, I hate Wal-Marts with a passion. They're more gigantic than any store has a right to be, and being in one just has a tendency to send that creepy cold feeling down my spine.

But for now, Wal-Mart and I are on very friendly terms. Why? Because yesterday, I went on a quest. Tiptoeing into the music section and holding my breath, I peered at the shelves. And...there it was.



(*excuse me while I squee*)

 Yes. Owl City can even make me fall in love with huge, drafty, creepy stores where getting from the toothpaste on one side of the store to the milk on the other side takes about an hour. That's how long I've been waiting for this. That's how brilliant a certain guy named Adam Young is.

Because Owl City is more than music. It's layers and layers of imagination and color and adventure tucked into a few words and given a whimsical title. It's a place where there's always fireflies and vanilla twilights, and you return with rainbows in your veins and fresh eyes to see the beauty of this life we get to live.

So goodbye...I'm hopping in my hot air balloon and floating off to Owl City, and I may not be back for awhile.