Harry Potter Christmas Blogfest

Today is Michael's Harry Potter Blogfest! We had to write a scene during the holiday season featuring any of the Harry Potter characters we wanted. I picked James and Lily and is exactly 500 words.

Enjoy.

James Potter tucks his golden snitch into his pocket and grabs a present with flying broomstick wrapping paper from the table. Lily Evans just walked through the portrait hole. “Oy Evans!”

Lily twirls her willow wand, “No need to shout Potter. I’m not deaf.”

“I know. I’m just making sure you can’t use your ‘I didn’t hear you’ excuse today.” James runs a hand through his hair and thrusts the package towards Lily, “I got you something. For Christmas.”

Lily’s green eyes narrow and she pokes her wand at the sloppy bow atop the present. It flops in a rather pathetic matter. “Is it going to explode?”

“I’d never-” James sees the girls face twist in rage and back pedals, “Oh come off it Evans, that was once in first year!”

She glares and her foot taps to the beat of a condemning metronome.

“Okay fine, maybe it was thirteen times but I’ve evolved since then.”

“Have you?” Lily taps her wand against her shoulder. “Will it turn my hair green and silver?”

“It won’t even add gold highlights. I like your hair far too much.”

Lily looks a tad worried, “Is it chocolates filled with love potion then?”

Sirius Black snorts from the red armchair closest to the fire, “He didn’t think of that one, no.”

She must decide James hasn’t the potions skills for she moves on, “Will I get a nose bleed?”

“I’d never harm you.”

“Will I contract Dragon Pox and end up in St. Mungo’s so you can sit at my bedside and act like some knight in Quidditch clad armour?”

James rolls his shoulders and pushes the present under her nose, “I just said it’s not going to hurt you.”

“It won’t dismember, mar, or taint me in anyway? I won’t be angry?”

“I swear on my overly inflated head and Quidditch Captainship.” James holds his hand to his heart.

Lily waits for him to burst into laughter and say it’s all a joke. When he doesn’t, she says “Okay then-”

He grins, “Merry Christmas Evans.”

“Can I finish? I was going to say, if it’s perfectly harmless you won’t mind keeping it.” And with that, Lily Evans turns on her heel and stomps up the girl’s staircase.

Sirius laughs, “Better luck next time mate.”

James chucks the present at his head. “She likes me.”

“Yes and next year you’ll be Head Boy and Girl, she’ll realize she was terribly wrong about you, you’ll fall madly in love, get married and have a kid. People will never forget the beautiful love story of Lily and James Potter.”

James pulls the snitch from his pocket and its wings graze the tips of his fingers. “Our son will be a Quidditch star! There’ll be photos of him all over the Daily Prophet and he’ll be mentioned in books! He’ll be famous. You just wait and see Padfoot. Everybody in the Wizarding world will know his name.”

Sirius palms his face and sighs melodramatically, “I was kidding.”

To check out the other entries, go here.

Protected characters means decreased reader interest

This September, my baby sister went to a University in a Alberta. (For those unfamiliar with Canadian geography or have forgotten where I, myself, live I'll simplify: she moved to a different Province.)

This past weekend, something awful happened to her. (I won' bore you with details.) I had so many solutions, so many ways for her to avoid it. When it was clear avoidance was impossible, the distance between us stretched to ridiculous proportions (at least in my head it did). If I was there, I could've accompanied her, eased the tension and given her support.

I came to an awful realization: I couldn't protect her.

The sad truth is we can't always protect the people we love. Even when it kills us not to be there. And, sometimes, protecting them is really just sheltering them and we're, in a round about way, only hurting them. When something huge happens and they have to deal with it themselves, the lack of small successes over the years, really shows. 

It's the same in our books. No matter how much you love your characters, you can't protect them. If you do, you're only hurting your story. You are actually doing a disservice - no one wants to read about characters when their problems are too easy and it is obvious the author is coddling them.

As awful as this sounds: it's good that my heart breaks and I want to cry when I think of all the stuff my characters must survive during my trilogy.

Twisted? Maybe. True? Undoubtedly.

Do you struggle with hurting your characters? Or is it easy? 

Anticipating 2011

I've never been a goal-setter. To be candid, I've never seen the point and never done a good job at actually keeping the goals that I say I'm going to do.

That's why I'm, honestly, a bit surprised that I succeeded with NaNo. Say what you will about it being too short a time to write so many words, but what NaNo really gave me was a goal and a group of like-minded people with that same goal. Their was a sense of accountability - if I did my normal routine of getting bored and stopping, people were going to know.

With the success of NaNo in mind, I've decided that 2011 is going to be a year of goals and I'm immortalizing these goals on my blog so that I can't back out. If I don't accomplish them, I'll have to answer to all of you.

I know it's a little early to post my new year's goals (as in a month early) but I figure with the holidays and all it will be easier to get it out there now. (Also I can't back out and change my mind in the next month if I do it now!)

Goals for 2011 (That I'll start in January)


*Finish the edits on my recently completed MS

*Start sending out queries by November

*Exercise for at least half an hour every day (it's way too easy during the school months and spending a lot of my free time writing not to do anything - and that's no good!)

*Get a regular blogging schedule: Monday, Wednesday and Friday

*Read 110 books in 12 months (Cause if I flip 110 it's 2011 minus the two!). I feel like too often, as writers, we focus too much on our own journey - we say we don't have time to read because we're writing. And that's crap. There isn't an excuse not to read and be a part of this community if I expect to be a part of it and have other people read my books one day. I've let my reading slip and there's no valid excuse for it.

Besides, reading makes you a better writer. Period. (Why wouldn't you want this? See? No excuse cause in the end, it's helping you and your journey too.)

I'll probably mostly read fantasy and paranormal (cause it's my favorite) but I'm branching out to read all genres because, well, why not? I'm even planning to read a few leadership and business books at Mom's insistence (it may help me promote and sell my book one day!).

Do you think I'm insane for wanting to do all of this in 2011 while being a full-time student and getting (hopefully) a job?


Have you made any goals lately? How do you feel about making goals? 

Make a splash!

Now that I've officially finished all final school projects I can move onto exams - which is a lot less work! 


The Christmas lights are going up on city streets, businesses are decorating and holiday cheer is everywhere. At the end of the week, I get to make sugar cookies with Grandma and mom. I know it's almost Christmas when my family makes cookies together. 


You'll get to see pictures during Jen and mine Be Jolly by Golly Blogfest. Don't forget to sign up if you haven't yet.


Since today is December 1st, it means it's time for Talli Roland to take over Amazon and you (yes you!) can help.

Help Talli Roland's debut novel THE HATING GAME hit the Kindle bestseller list at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk by spreading the word today. Even a few sales in a short period of time on Amazon helps push the book up the rankings, making it more visible to other readers.

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

No Kindle? Download a free app at Amazon for Mac, iPhone, PC, Android and more. (I did!)

About THE HATING GAME:

When man-eater Mattie Johns agrees to star on a dating game show to save her ailing recruitment business, she's confident she'll sail through to the end without letting down the perma-guard she's perfected from years of her love 'em and leave 'em dating strategy. After all, what can go wrong with dating a few losers and hanging out long enough to pick up a juicy £2000,000 prize? Plenty, Mattie discovers, when it's revealed that the contestants are four of her very unhappy exes. Can Mattie confront her past to get the prize money she so desperately needs, or will her exes finally wreak their long-awaited revenge? And what about the ambitious TV producer whose career depends on stopping her from making it to the end?

The wait is over

Don't let the magic end with this post, go check out these awesome girls. Seriously, the magic of Potter compels you! Laurel, Lisa, Renae, Colene and Jen.

Today, three generations of Wideen's will be watching the matinée of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Just like we have for every other movie in this epic series. (Yeah, my mom totally pulled me out of school to go watch a movie. You know you're jealous.)

One of the most magical things about Harry Potter is the way in which it brings people of all ages together.

For me, Harry Potter is so much more than a book or a movie, a world or characters. Harry Potter was an escape when I needed one, and a hope when I had none.

Harry potter saved the wizarding world but even more amazing and incredible is that he changed ours. The impact of this one idea is insane. There really is no other word for it besides magical.

(And in case you were wondering, yes, I attended the midnight showing. No, I won't spoil it for anyone.)

Did Harry Potter change you personally? Any other books change you? 


My amazingly talented friend Ramona edited these pictures for me! Check her out. 

House elves do more than just clean

Don't forget to visit my fellow magic bringers!

Colene, Renae, Laurel, Jen and Lisa.

Dobby the house elf's mental list to protect a Mister Harry Potter sir from a GREAT EVIL at Hogwarts this year!

1. Forge letters from Harry Potter's friends telling him he shouldn't go back because he isn't Hogwarts material. Learn to write first!

2. Steal Harry Potter's letters from his friends so he feels alone and unloved and wants to stay home. Destroy confidence!

3. Steal all of Harry Potter's socks. No one goes anywhere without their socks!

4. Block the entrance to platform 9 3/4 so Harry Potter  thinks the school hates him so much it doesn't want him back.

5. Curse a bludger to attack Harry Potter. With broken bones he'll be unable to defend himself, get scared and leave.

6. Iron hands. Bang head against wall. Punish self for thinking of protecting Harry Potter. (Maybe he feel sorry for Dobby and go home?)

7. Break Harry Potter's wand so its like Mr. Wheezy's and backfires. Puking slugs and other nasty things will happen. Harry Potter will think he's loosing his magic.

8. Iron Harry Potter's head so he sleeps for a long time and Dobby can take him back to the Dursleys.

9. Frame Harry Potter for a serious crime of Master's. Harry Potter will be sent to Azkaban and the Dementors will protect him there!

~~~

Oh, Dobby, you meant well I'm sure.

Ever done anything crazy to protect someone? What else would you add to this list?


PS. Farewell to Dobby on the soundtrack makes me want to cry!  Alexandre Desplat has managed to capture death in a song. So powerful.

Sifted through and Sorted

Make sure you check out my fellow friends bringing the magic of Hogwarts to the internet.

Jen, Lisa, Renae, Laurel, and Colene

I'm breaking down the Hogwarts Houses for you. No allegiances and no mercies. Be prepared.

Gryffindor

Pro: Daring to go where no man has gone before. The girls staircase for example. 

Con: Tendency to find themselves charging recklessly towards death for reasons distressingly unknown to them. 

Ravenclaw

Pro: Can do it better, faster and with less time in between. No one writes papers quite like they do.

Con: No, your significant other really doesn't want to know how they make Bertie botts beans taste like boogers.

Hufflepuff

Pro: Everyone wants to read an open book. 

Con: Being known for loyalty means in a war, their on the front lines. And Gryffindor already has the market covered on heroism. (Poor Cedric!)

Slytherin

Pro: With forked tongues talking their way out of any situation is easy.

Con: Ambition often leads to siding with the crazy person with the big ideas who is mentally and emotionally unhinged (not to mention soulless).

In all seriousness though, I don't think any of the houses are either inherently good or bad. I mean, Pettigrew was a Gryffindor and he betrayed his friends and was rather cowardly. And the supposedly cold-hearted Slytherin's? They have Snape who loved fiercely and showed tremendous loyalty.

No one is black and white and neither are the houses. They all have strengths and weaknesses.

All that house rivalry stuff? I'd like to point out that Colene and Renae are Gryffindors, Lisa and Laurel are Ravenclaws, Jen is a Hufflepuff and I'm a Slytherin and we all teamed together to bring you this week of awesome. (I also like all of them.) If the houses banded together like the sorting hat suggested - well, I guess it would've ruined JK Rowling's plot so I can actually understand why she didn't go there. 

If you're curious about the house you'd be in, this is the best test I've found so far: GET SORTED.              


What House are you in? Your stance on house rivalry?


PS. If you don't already know, I'm a huge music person. HUGE. Like, music is even more important to me than books (though I at least have some vague talent with writing so I can actually go  somewhere with it. Maybe). Anyway, the point is, the scores for the Harry Potter movies are always good. I didn't think it would be possible to ever top Half-Blood Prince though.... I can't believe I'm saying it but the Deathly Hallows soundtrack trumps the other soundtracks. All of them. I'm a little in shock myself. I only hope this is a reflection of how the movie is going to be! If you like movie scores, or music that is so powerful it inspires emotions without words then I highly recommend getting yourself a copy (and Half-Blood prince too). Obliviate, Lovegood, Ron's Speech, Rescuing Hermione, and Detonators are, as of tonight, my personal favorites.