Posts Tagged ‘Dawn Ford’

Posted on September 28, 2012 - by Dawn Ford

The MARVELous World of Super Heroes

I love super heroes. The good in good vs. evil. Who wouldn’t? But to pick a favorite? It’s like trying to narrow down which kind of chocolate I like best. It’s just not possible. So, instead I’m going to point out some movie and TV moments that could wear out your DVR.

Marvel Comics has many to choose from. Here are my top picks:

X-Men: Wolverine always makes my heart go pitter patter. It’s the whole good guy dressed in bad guy clothing thing. He’s in love with Jean Grey, but she’s in love with Scott Summers. And it’s Scott Summers (AKA Cyclops’s) devotion to Jean Grey that also makes me swoon. The result is that I want to be Jean Grey, who has my two top heroes wrapped around her little finger. Pretty much anything with either of these characters would get me popping the popcorn.

Another swoon-worthy DVR moment is when Spider Man is hanging upside down and kisses Mary Jane. Insert group sigh here. He did use that move in a later movie with a different girl, though, so that drops him down a few points. It’s a lack of self confidence that continues to plague our web flinging hero. Spidey, get over yourself already!

DC Comics heroes are not a complete shut out in my book. Smallville was one show I freed up an hour a week for a couple of years until the show itself got a little weird. What can I say? I’m an angst loving YA author. And Tom Welling makes for a swoon worthy candidate all on his own. I’m so glad they ended the show with Clark getting together with Chloe. Not Lois. Not Lana, who had too many issues that lent itself to bad mojo. My husband even liked watching Allison Mack as Chloe. So, it was a show we actually watched together, which is rare for us and puts it in the top three of my favorite DVR swoon-worthy heroes.

I did watch all the Batman movies. However a billionaire who can’t commit to any one woman doesn’t interest me. I did enjoy The Dark Knight Rises, though. Jonah Hex was another that was fun to watch, but nothing too spectacularly swoon worthy there.

Sorry, DC, Marvel tops you in the pulse racing moments in my book.

Now, let’s consider what super power I would choose if I had a chance. Warning: I kind of went off the deep end in imagining what actual ability I would love to have.

Man of steel? No thank you. How about Nerves of Steel? No more butterflies in the stomach. No more sweaty palms. My stutter would be gone. I wouldn’t lose it when the person cut me off in traffic. Yeah, I can go for that one.

Super sensitive spidey sense? Nah. How about plain old Common Sense. In an election year, this is one power that could make the world a better place.

 

Posted on August 3, 2012 - by Dawn Ford

Freaky Friday Reads

Everyone knows by now I love Christian supernatural and all things strange. So, I gathered some winners to help you turn your normal TGIF into a Freaky Friday and help you ease the end of summer blues.

Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore. A good vs. evil with demons and angels in a fight over humanity. This one’s right up my alley.

Overview: Once you’ve seen, you can’t unsee.

Brielle went to the city to chase her dreams and found tragedy instead. She’s come home to shabby little Stratus, Oregon, to live with her grief and her guilt . . . and an incredible, numbing cold she can’t seem to shake.

Jake’s the new guy at school. The boy next door with burning hands and an unbelievable gift that targets him for corruption.

Something more than fate has brought them together. An evil bigger than both of them lurks in the shadows nearby, hiding in plain sight. Two angels stand guard, unsure what’s going to happen. And a beauty brighter than either Brielle or Jake has ever seen is calling them to join the battle in a realm where all human choices begin.

A realm that only angels and demons-and Brielle-can perceive.

Ultraviolet by R. J. Anderson. This has a little bit of everything in it, a mystery, science fiction, fantasy and dimension travel. Another one right up my alley.

Overview: Once upon a time there was a girl who was special. This is not her story. Unless you count the part where I killed her.” Sixteen-year-old Alison wakes up in a mental institution. As she pieces her memory back together, she realizes she’s confessed to murdering Tori Beaugrand, the most perfect girl at school. But the case is a mystery. Tori’s body has not been found, and Alison can’t explain what happened. One minute she was fighting with Tori. The next moment Tori disintegrated—into nothing. But that’s impossible. No one is capable of making someone vanish. Right? Alison must be losing her mind—like her mother always feared she would. For years Alison has tried to keep her weird sensory abilities a secret. No one ever understood—until a mysterious visiting scientist takes an interest in Alison’s case. Suddenly, Alison discovers that the world is wrong about her—and that she’s capable of far more than anyone else would believe.

Orphan of the Shadows by Abby Ryan. This is another good vs. evil wrapped in a dark fantasy. What could be better?

Overview: In the faraway kingdom of Madaren, Elon Amaeloriey, a young orphan girl, lived a life of pain and struggle from the day her parents passed away. But the lonely life she knew changed forever the day she stumbled upon a gang unlike any other. Elon learns to fight alongside the Dragon gang while they strive to keep their territory free of their rivals and of the Niesin–Bratched’s demons. No longer an Orphan of the Shadows, Elon’s life seems to be brightening until she learns of the Darkness looming over her.

The Dark side believes the King has chosen Elon for a place of authority in the realm, and they will do anything to capture her. The Dark princes of Jasikx, Tarrek and Albree Vaydmehn, are desperately trying to find her. The Light prince, Zedikajah (Kaj), is also frantically searching for her too, in order to keep her safe from Darkness. But his efforts are failing. When the safety of a realm relies on the safety of one girl, will one boy succeed?

Happy Friday everyone!

Posted on July 20, 2012 - by Dawn Ford

Quiet Angels

Dear Sisterhood of the Ink Blog,

One of the greatest gifts we can give to one another is to be a friend.

A friend listens when we have something to say. They actually hear the words you don’t say as much or more than the ones you do say.

She dances with you when you rejoice, and holds you when you cry. Friends see your faults and love you anyway.

Friends take you aside to let you know your shirt is buttoned crooked, or to point out something she knows would embarrass you instead of laughing at you behind your back.

They extend you grace when you are lack.

A friend loves when the sun shines and when it pours. No matter the weather they are there.

Friends celebrate your successes and encourage you when you fail.

Their hands are full of the gentleness that eases your burdens and heals your wounds. They are balm for the soul.

I have been touched by such loving friends. I dedicate today’s blog to my quiet angel Inksper sisters. You have blessed me more than you know with your friendship and love. May it lift you today as you have lifted me.

Click here for a video I thought you’d enjoy.

(Note: The pictures above are those of us who have been blessed enough to meet at conference. Those of us who were not there physically were with us spirit.)

 

Posted on July 6, 2012 - by Dawn Ford

Phrases

My reading list this summer is pretty short. I admit to not having anything new and exciting on my horizon as far as books go. However, I have been doing research on idioms, phrases and clichés for (one of)  my current YA manuscript.

So for a little bit of fun, let’s examine some of the meanings behind the phrases we use that were passed down through the generations and their bizarre historical origins:

1. Frog in my throat. Not the sound your throat makes when you’re sick, but a middle ages medical treatment for thrush. By inserting the frogs head into the patient’s mouth, it was believed the frog would draw the infection into its own body.

 

2. Not up to scratch. To be subpar or inadequate. Comes from the early boxing world where a referee would draw a line and both boxers needed to cross it in order for the round to begin. If a fighter could not, it was said he was not up to scratch.

 

3. Let the cat out of the bag. Reveal the truth. Started as a con game where the seller would try to sell a cat in a bag instead of a pig in the bag. If the buyer figured out the game the seller would have to ‘let the cat out of the bag’.

 

4. Pull the wool over one’s eyes. Fool someone. Back in the days where gentlemen wore white wigs, they were jokingly called “wool”. The phrase came from the practice of tilting a man’s wig over his eyes so he couldn’t see what was going on.

 

5. Chewing the fat. Idle talk. Before refrigeration ships carried food that wouldn’t spoil. One of these items was salt pork. When the other food was gone, the sailors would chew this, complaining and chatting while they did it.

6. Speak of the devil. Someone showing up when you’re talking about them. People once believed the devil would show up if you said his name.

 

7. Have an axe to grind. Having a hidden agenda. Benjamin Franklin told of a man who once praised his father’s grindstone and asked young Ben how it worked. As Benjamin did so, the stranger put his own axe upon the grindstone, praising Franklin’s cleverness. When the axe was sharpened, the man laughed at Ben and walked away which gave Franklin experience of people with “an axe to grind.”

 

8. Second string. Having a replacement or backup. You may think of apples when you think of William Tell, but he didn’t always have the apple with him. He always carried a second string in case the one on his bow broke, though.

 

9. Pull one’s leg. Fool someone. Years ago thieves worked in pairs. One was known as the ‘tripper up’ who would use one of many ways of tripping a victim, the second man would then swoop in and rob them. Pulling your leg referred to the way the ‘tripper up’ would make someone stumble.

 

10. Stool pigeon. Informer or traitor. Hunters would nail the now extinct messenger pigeons to a chair and let them cry. This would attract other birds which the hunters then killed by the hundreds. The poor creature was known as the stool pigeon for his part in the hunt.

What’s some of your favorite old passed down sayings?

 

Posted on June 22, 2012 - by Dawn Ford

Easy Peasy Recipes

Okay, so my husband is a chef. That does not translate to me, unfortunately for him. But there are some recipes that are so easy that even I can do them and get great results. Here’s some of my favorite easy peasy recipes.

Golden Mushroom Rice:

1 can Golden Mushroom Soup

1 can French Onion Soup

1 can Beef Consumme Soup

**1 cup uncooked rice (not instant)

Spray a flat bottomed casserole pan with Pam, add ingredients, stir and put in preheated oven. 350 degrees for 1 hour

The above recipe I have changed in two ways: with pork chops for smothered pork chops or with cubed beef roast for beef stroganoff. **Don’t add the rice if you are going to use the meat. Brown both the pork chops and cubed beef before adding to the soups in the crock pot. For beef stroganoff, after it is finished I add corn starch stirred in cold water to thicken the soups and then add sour cream right before I serve it over egg noodles. Cook both variations in a crock pot on high for 3 hours or until meat is tender.

Acini de Pepe Pasta Poppy Seed Chicken Salad

2-12.5 oz chicken breast meat in can-drained

1-16 oz poppy seed dressing

¾ Tbsp. Sugar

¾ cup dry acini de pepe pasta (in the pasta section, I had to look three times once to find it, they’re teeny)

1 cup Hellman’s Mayo (lite if preferred)

2 Tbsp. milk

1 cup slivered almonds or can use finely chopped celery

Boil the noodles, drain. Mix into noodles the chicken and dressing. Leave in the fridge overnight to set. About 2 hours before serving, add the mayo, sugar, mil, and almonds/celery. Mix well. Serve  on mini croissants or cream puffs.

Yield: about 35 small sandwiches. This recipe has been used in our church at Secret Sisters and Showers often since it is so easy and everyone loves it.

 

 

 

Posted on June 8, 2012 - by Dawn Ford

Greatest Dad

Today I turn the blog over to my youngest son, Colton Ford, to explain the  reasons why his Dad is the greatest.

 

My dad encourages me to do things.

 

He takes me out on the boat to go fishing with him.

 

I learned how to cook and make food with him, like Swiss Chicken, and he lets me help him grill hot dogs and hamburgers.

 

I like planting a garden with my dad and watching it grow.

 

 

My dad cares about me.

 

 

Dad doesn’t care if we go do something, he just likes spending time with me.

 

He has taught me how to do lots of things like mow, paint, and use tools.

 

He watches me play soccer and tells me I’m a good soccer player.

 

 

We like watching football together and he quizzes me on the teams.

 

My dad loves me.

 

Posted on May 25, 2012 - by Dawn Ford

Starts and Stops

It’s been a year since I finished my YA speculative manuscript. I rushed it a bit since it had been a request by a publisher and it wasn’t finished at the time of the request. Although outlined, I still floundered at the end. Why? I had two possible endings in mind, one that would leave it open for a series, and one that would wrap it up tight leaving it a stand-alone book. And it just didn’t feel right.

Lately I have been reading several mainstream YA novels, trying to keep up with the market and stay immersed in the genre. Many of those novels have had rushed endings or endings that weren’t as satisfactory as I had hoped. My mind kept wandering back to my baby, sitting untouched on my hard drive. Back and forth I would debate with myself on starting back up. Something always seemed to hold me back.

I had a discussion this past Sunday with my critique partner who had just finished her manuscript and was having a difficult time getting into a new one. I agreed with her that sometimes writing can be like pulling teeth. I pondered my abandoned manuscript.

I’m not sure what it was about that conversation that got the fire going again, but Monday I sat down and wrote over 3,000 words before I knew it. The start is not quite what I want, but it felt wonderful just sitting down with words flowing out of my fingers freely. I admit, I haven’t had that feeling for quite awhile now. My current manuscript is set aside while I tap into my Muse to breathe life into the old one.

Maybe it’s just that September’s conference is slowly creeping up on me. Possibly, it’s just that I needed another outlet for my creative urges now that I had spurted to a crawl on my fantasy MS. It could be that I’m part ADD and it slips out from time to time. Hopefully it doesn’t speak to the fact that I start things much easier than I finish them.

Whatever it is, I’m running with it. This weekend we leave for Okoboji on a fishing trip. Since I don’t fish, I am left with plenty of time to work on my writing. Honestly, it will feel like a vacation to be able to get something productive done.

I pray you all have a safe and happy Memorial Day holiday.

 

Posted on April 27, 2012 - by Dawn Ford

Survival Lists

As I prepared for today’s blog, I flipped through pages and pages of my research notes. The first subject I came across was How To Survive A Missouri River Flood, jotted down last year after miles of excess snows coursed down the Midwest causing widespread panic along the Missouri River border. I might’ve needed the inflatable raft last year to write from, but this year I’m fairly certain to be safe.

The second survival list I reached was my What To Do In Case Of Zombies. This list allows you access to the essentials of fighting the undead. Since there is no threat of impending brain parasites, neurotoxins, bioterrorism, errant neurogenesis, or mad cyborg scientists attacking the world, I’m confident I can set that list aside.

Next is my survival guide of a nuclear bomb or terrorist attack. On the list, and essential to any survival, is a how-to for building a bomb shelter. This is one of my longest lists, having found much information from Popular Mechanics and Popular Science on what kind of water system is necessary, which generators are the best and quietest, air purifiers, and what to stock your shelves with for three months. I’m building up the books for my library so I won’t be lonely or bored. However, some day you may get to visit my shelter, but it is not today.

I quickly shuffle through a Surviving Parenthood piece, a fault line map (for earthquake readiness), Wilderness Tips (they actually eat that to survive?), and finally my What to do in case of a Tornado sheet (wait, I need that), and I come to the actual papers I’m looking for.

It’s my list to help me navigate the highs and lows of being a writer.

1.)    Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” God has placed this awe and love of words within me for a reason. I can be assured He gave me the ability and the means with which to bring this calling into fruition.

2.)    Psalms 45:1 “My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the King; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer. I’m so thankful for David and his words. They give me hope for my own.

3.)    Proverbs 18:4 “The words of a (discreet and wise) man’s mouth are like deep waters (plenteous and difficult to fathom), and the fountain of skillful and Godly wisdom is like a gushing stream (sparkling, fresh, pure, and life-giving).” The amplified version used here is my preferred one. I see the words as a flowing stream as they come out of me. Many are deeper than I can imagine my own understanding to be. I know it is not my own wisdom that forms them.

4.)    Galatians 6:9 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” I honestly have to recite this in one form or another to myself every day.

5.)    Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin that so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” God pulled the trigger on the race of my life and He holds the tape at the finish. I remind myself not to brush off the words of encouragement sent my way, but embrace them, and keep going whether the finish line is in sight or not yet. I’m on my way, I’m on my way.

Who needs to fear zombies, rejections, and writer’s block? I have the words of life within my reach. They are essential to my surviving this writer’s path.

 

Posted on April 13, 2012 - by Dawn Ford

Making The Middle Grade

Middle grade. One of the most difficult times in life. It seems everything changes-you’re neither a child nor a teenager. You’re kind of stuck there, right in the middle.

Currently, my youngest son has taken hold of the second in the Hunger Games books by Suzanne Collins and is reading Catching Fire. For a boy who loves non-fiction, this is a thrill for his Hunger loving mother. So, in honor of DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) day, I am going to share some middle grade novels that have definitely made the grade.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. Grade level 4 and up. Not only did this book make the grade, it also was made into a the movie Hugo. This is the story of an orphan boy who lives inside a clock in a Paris train station. A hidden message from Hugo’s father leads him on a journey to uncover a mystery.

Breadcrumbs by Erin McGuire. Grade level 3 and
up. This is a Hans Christian Andersen’s Snow Queen inspired tale. Once upon a time Hazel and Jack were friends, until Jack became lost in the forest with a mysterious woman made of ice. Now Hazel must go in after him. Breadcrumbs is rated by Amazon as one of the Best Books of 2011.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio. Grade level 3 and up. “I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.” August Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to mainstream school, until the 5^th grade. Not just faced with being being the new kid, Auggie has to find a way to show his classmates he’s just like them.

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer. Grade level 5 and up. Twelve year old Artemis Fowl is a millionaire, a genius and above all, a criminal mastermind. But even Artemis doesn’t know what he’s taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit. These aren’t the fairies of bedtime stories—they’re dangerous! This book is a classic and one my middle son encouraged me to read.

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier. Grade level 5 and up. Peter Nimble, a ten year old blind orphan has been schooled in the art of thievery. When he steals a box of magical eyes from a haberdasher, he is taken on an unforgettable, swashbuckler adventure to discover his true destiny.

Grab a book, curl up with a tweener, and have a wonderful DEAR session.

 

Posted on March 30, 2012 - by Dawn Ford

Jehovah Rapha: The Great and Mighty Healer

I love the names of God. When I saw we were doing them, it made me more than a little excited but also a little afraid I wouldn’t do Him justice.

I scoured the scriptures trying to find the right words to give glory to God’s healing. Many ideas came to mind. But He has put something on my heart and I hope you will understand what I am trying to convey when you finish reading.

My dad was a Vet Technician and his favorite saying whenever one of us kids got hurt was “It’s a long way from your heart”. I guess patching up animals had given him a finer understanding of what was considered lethal and what was not. Luckily none of my three brothers or I ever had a broken bone, or anything too serious or we would’ve had to put that saying to the test.

I have grown up with many troubles with my teeth, causing me a lot of pain and problems. At certain ages children begin to notice you are different and begin treating you as such and I faced a certain rejection from my peers and adults which in turn made me a little jaded and bitter. I thought if only this thing disappeared I would be normal like everyone else and life would be grand.

By the time I was fourteen the problems became too bad and I tearfully begged my father to help me get it taken care of. He then did something completely out of character and agreed to pay for months worth of appointments by a local dentist who then did as much as he could to fix my teeth. The only hitch was that the discoloration would never go away. He couldn’t say why my teeth were the way they were, but I was going to have to learn to live with it.

However, I was ecstatic. The way I saw it, I was now ‘normal’. You’ll understand my disillusionment when none of my classmates even noticed or treated me differently. Later that same year I was involved in a different confrontation with some girls in my class which led to a bigger fallout and I sank into a pit of self-pity and self-loathing.

God was merciful, though. After that school year ended, my parents found a new house, we moved, and I changed schools. I had a chance to start over and I took it. With a renewed attitude I found friends and acceptance among my new classmates. God was there even before I knew I needed Him. I am so thankful He was.

Looking back later in life I realized that though my “wounds were healed” my spirit hadn’t been. It took me years to get past the resentment and bitterness I felt growing up, and to be truthful I still struggle with it. I’m a broken vessel that He put back together, not perfect in myself, but transformed to a renewed wholeness by His grace.

I think often of the blind and lame who were healed by Jesus’ hand. How did their lives change after they were healed? Did they struggle with it as I had thinking life would miraculously be changed if this thing went away or did they have to work on healing the wounds buried deep in their souls?

I know my God is a great and mighty healer. And even if the answers to our healing aren’t exactly as we think they should be, He is at work in our lives. Sometimes before we even know He’s there.