SQT from Fantasy and Sci-Fi Lovin’ Blog! Congrats! This blog is great, you should all go over and visit today and offer your congratulations. SQT, you can go here to see larger pics of the t-shirts and the sizes that they come in. I just need to know what color and size you want. You can email me the details and your address to cvincent68@comcast.net.
Fear not, there are a few more t-shirts, a Terri Windling print, and many other fun giveaways in the very near future.
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We now have 56 people signed up for the Once Upon a Time Challenge. That is fabulous! It is never too late to join, so if you know anyone who you think would love to read these kind of books, encourage them to join in. There is much more fun planned for this challenge period and plenty of time left to complete the reading.
Also, I highly encourage you to visit the Review Site. There are 60 book reviews posted already and many more being added daily. If you haven’t linked to your reviews, please do so. Also, if there are those of you (like Kailana) who have finished but will read more fantasy OR those of you like me, who have read more ‘alternate’ titles than titles on your chosen list, make sure you link to those reviews as well. I want this to be a repository of fantasy reviews that people can use if the want to find a good book to read, or avoid spending time on a book that just doesn’t cut the mustard.
Update: Per Jeff’s request (and because I meant to do it before and forgot), I have added a link to the review site in my sidebar. The image just under the Once Upon a Time button is now the Once Upon a Time: The Review Site link. Use it for easy access.
Again, if you don’t see your site linked over in the sidebar on the Review Site, please leave me a comment here to let me know so I can get you added.
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(Reduced wallpaper image from Guild Wars Factions PC game)
Sometime between 5:30 (when the dog got up) and 7:00 a.m. this morning, I had the most marvelous, vivid dream. I was in an outdoor mall in some city and it was exactly my kind of mall. There were bookstores, art galleries, candle shops, etc. It was amazing. As I walked around I had the sense that I had been there before, but as I rounded a corner there was a new store that I had not seen. I looked up and there was a large painting of some fantasy book cover that I recognized that drew my eye. Next to it, however, was the most enormous painted map of the land mass that was Atlantis that I ever saw. It was various shades of greens and blues and was just stunning. As I stood there gazing at it, contemplating whether or not it would even fit in my front door (the painting was huge), I saw a vision of a lady dressed like an Athenean goddess, directing an army of workers as they dug out rocks from the side of a mountain. I knew instantly that this woman was about to flood the existing lands around her with an enormous amount of water to create a land mass that would be Atlantis. As the water burst forth she had powerful magicians (who oddly enough looked like elfin characters from the Oblivion PC game I am playing) who used their power to direct the flow of water where it needed to go to accomplish the task. This part of the dream was as clear as watching a movie, and it unfortunately ended there as it was time to get up. I was so disappointed to awake with the knowledge that those paintings, and that store, do not exist.
Just thought I’d share! 😉
In searching for an image to put in this section the above wallpaper reminded me somewhat of the dream, so I thought it worked.
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On a more somber note, I wanted to take the time to publicly pray for the families and friends of the victims of the shootings at Virginia Tech yesterday. The lives of many creative individuals in pursuit of their hopes and dreams were cut short needlessly yesterday. I thought long and hard about posting anything but this today, thinking at first that all those things seemed so unimportant in comparison to this tragedy. But then I remembered that these things are what life is all about and the way to honor any who leave us too soon is to go on celebrating the things we love about life: the relationships, the creativity, the dreams, hopes and desires, the ability we have to share the nuances of our lives through this medium with those who are interested. I weep because each one of those lives had the potential to contribute something amazing, whether on a small or large scale, to the world we live in. Once again it is a reminder to live life to the fullest and love those around us.
I appreciate all of you so very much.
Congrats to SQT!
Your dream sounds awesome. 🙂
The news of the Virginia Tech shootings is deeply sad. My heart goes out to the families involved.
Congrats SQT. You’ll be the envy of all your t-shirt wearing friends 🙂
The Virginia shootings are terribly sad. As they say on Metafilter: .
Carl, your thoughts on the Virginia Tech tragedy are beautifully said. Thank you for your kindness and sensitivity, and for reminding us of the most important things in life.
While I am very happy to be the recipient of such a great T-shirt (thanks!) this post does put into perspective how fragile life is. I used to be a school teacher and shooting incidents like the one at V Tech hit close to home. My heart goes out to the families.
Somehow I got the feeling that you where thinking about JennSee when you posted this, my heart breaks for all of those parents. I know what is ahead for them and can really offer no words to comfort them. There is a book out there that might help but I have not way of getting that info out to them. Maybe someone will read this and give them the info. “I I Wasn’t Ready to Say Goodbye” by Brook Noel and Pamela Blair. It helped me as much as one can be helped at the early stages of grief.
You would be right on, Cynthia, especially after our recent email conversations she was definitely in my mind as I wrote that section of today’s post. Thanks for the book recommendation. The internet makes the world a really small place, so I too hope that somehow one of those families gets ahold of that information.
Congrats to SQT!
What do I have to do to get dreams like that Carl? Mine pale in comparison, I must say 😉
I feel so much for those people at Virginia Tech. What a sad time. There have been plenty of students coming forth with their stories to the media now and it’s heart breaking. I’ll be praying for them all.
I usually don’t have that kind of vivid dream on a regular basis, but I was having a major allergy attack yesterday, something I rarely get, and I took double the daily dose of my wife’s Allegra because one wasn’t helping. And I was awakened several times in the night by my restless dog. So, I think a combination of drugs and lack of sleep contributed to that dream. But, wow, it was worth it!!!
Haha! Sounds like that will do it.
Well Carl, dang it, finish the story! Write the outline, flesh it out and give it to us! I want to read more. Why was she creating Atlantis? Was she cruely wiping people out by the flood? Is that why Atlantis sank? More I tell you! More! 😉
While I was watching her work, Carrie, in the back of my dream-mind I was under the impression that she was destroying England to do it…just goes to show how dream-logic works! She seemed like a malicious ruler, no doubt about it.
Car, I am really touched by this sentence of yours: “But then I remembered that these things are what life is all about and the way to honor any who leave us too soon is to go on celebrating the things we love about life: the relationships, the creativity, the dreams, hopes and desires, the ability we have to share the nuances of our lives through this medium with those who are interested.” As a person who’s suffered the loss of a loved husband (and grandmother) I think that this is the only effective choice we have, to continue the celebration of the things we love in life. That’s what they would want us to do, I’m sure of it.
Thanks Bellezza, I agree with you. That is what they would want us to do.
Congrats SQT! Cool shirt.
Your words and sentiments about the Virginia Tech tragedy are really beautiful. It’s one of those nightmare situations that just make a person’s heart break. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Carl, thank you for posting your thoughts and condolences about the Virginia Tech tragedy. It has hit far too close to home for me and while I’m trying to stay away from the news, I think it’s important to remember the students and facilty who lost their lives so suddenly. And for those who survived, as they will be forever scarred by the horrific events.
Carl, We appreciate you as well my friend!
My heart also goes out to all those families involved in the VT tragedy. I can’t fathom why someone would do something like. I pray everyday my kids make it home safely from school with all the insanity in world.
Congrats to SQT on winning the shirt!
Awesome dream Carl. You should defiently try fleshing it out into a short story or novel. I say this in all honesty you have real writing talent and I hope to read some fiction work from you one day. I will be first in line after Mary and Tori to buy your first sale.
Who new I had such power to get changes made on your blog. I can feel the power going to my head now! Broohahaha!
Everything I write is fiction, Jeff. 😉