Category Archives: Music, Movies, and other Muses

A line from a song, an image from a film, an unexpected moment of beauty in everyday life – my mind absorbs them all

Giving Thanks

Posted in Music, Movies, and other Muses by

Here in America, this is the week that we celebrate Thanksgiving. It’s one of my favorite holidays.

Instead of a regular post, I’m just going to list out a few things that I’m thankful for.

I’m thankful for the God of the universe who created me and who loves me.

I’m thankful for my love of writing. It’s one of the things that makes me happiest.

I’m thankful for loving parents and a wonderful family and circle of friends. I’m thankful for my sister, who has always been my biggest supporter and is often my muse, my editor, my brainstorming partner, and my beta reader.

I’m thankful for all the great books out there that have been written, and all the ones that have yet to be written.

I’m thankful for all of the wonderful experiences I’ve had so far in my life and all the places I’ve been to; I’m thankful that there are so many more places to see and things to do that I have to look forward to.

I’m thankful to be living in this time, where the power of technology enables me to hear music and read books from places I never even knew existed before, and allows me to connect with amazing and talented people all over the world.

I’m thankful for all of the people who read this blog. I hope I’ll continue to write things that you want to read!

Enjoy this holiday, and remember to appreciate the things you’re thankful for!

My Bookshelf

Posted in Music, Movies, and other Muses by

They say that you can tell a lot about a person by the books that they read. If this is true (which I fully believe it is), then I’m about to reveal a large part of myself that my readers and friends may or may not already know.

Here are two pictures of my bookshelf (well, one of my bookshelves). I have several shelves full of books, and several more boxes in the attic of books that I don’t have room for right now. One day I want to display them all in my own library. Anyone remember Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and that enormous library that stretched to the heavens? Yeah, that’s my dream library.

But I digress. Until I’m able to have the Beast’s awesome library and show it off to my friends and readers, then we’ll all have to be content with the skinny shelf that’s next to my closet door.

The top two shelves:

Bibles go on the top shelf. It’s something that’s important to me, so I want them displayed for prominent visibility and easy access, because I use them a lot. And no, I do not equate The Chronicles of Narnia with the Holy Bible (despite its Christian message). There just wasn’t room on any of the other shelves for it. Lame reason, yes, but that’s what I did.

The next shelf down features some books that I deeply enjoyed reading and have gotten a lot of meaning from, and some of them I’ve read many times. It’s a random assortment of books, the arrangement based on a combination of importance in my life and space on the shelf.

The next three shelves:

The first shelf has a lot of my favorite fantasy books on it (Lord of the Rings and Narnia encyclopedias, the Bone series). Other assorted cool books fill up the rest of the space, like the Norwegian collection of  Beatrix Potter’s stories and the picture encyclopedia of musical instruments. This is also the tallest shelf, so again, it’s mostly about space issues.

The next shelf has all the littlest books on it, which conveniently are mostly foreign language dictionaries and other non-English books (some of which I can sort of read, others I’m clueless). Sadly, the tall Norwegian Peter Rabbit book wouldn’t fit on this shelf.

Then there’s the shelf of total randomness. Again, some of my favorite books, and ones that I enjoy looking at or re-reading. It’s everything from a collection of stories about Inuit women to 17th century religious poetry to historical fiction about ancient Egypt. And, of course, another Narnia book.

Not pictured is the very bottom shelf, which houses my atlas, some photo albums, other assorted oddities, and is shielded by a cardboard box to keep my rabbits from chewing on the books.

So there you have it—one of my bookshelves. Interpret this how you like, but it’s me, for better or worse. Hopefully I didn’t hit a TMI level with this.

And what about you—what does your bookshelf say about you?

Music Review: “Dobbelis,” Máddji

Posted in Music Reviews, Music, Movies, and other Muses by

Since I love music almost as much as I love books and writing, I’ve decided to do another music review. This time I’m writing about Dobbelis (Beyond), the first release by Norwegian Sami singer Máddji (full name Ánne Máddji Heatta).

Máddji and her music come from Guovdageaidnu (also called Kautokeino), a town in northern Norway. Máddji is a Sami—the indigenous people group of this arctic area. All of the songs on Dobbelis are in her native language of Northern Sami.

Musically, the influences of other famous Sami singers like Mari Boine and Ulla Pirttijärvi can be heard; but Máddji’s songs are not a copy of any of them. She brings a unique amalgam of new age, tribal, and even a hint of jazz to the world of Sami folk and rock music.

Songs like “Cihkosis” (Hidden) and “Guhkki” (Far) have the hypnotic quality of the spoken word to accompany the singing. Equally hypnotic is “Iđitguovssu” (Dawn Light)—Máddji’s clear, breathy voice floats through this trance-like song, punctuated by distant and haunting percussion.

For those who prefer songs with more energy, there’s “Idjarávga” (Night Creature) and “Stállu.” The title song “Dobbelis” (Beyond), while also upbeat, still has Máddji’s voice wandering through like an ethereal wind from her homeland.

Sami yoik—a traditional wordless chanting—dominates much of the album, especially evident in songs like “Báru Luohti” (Yoik of the Waves) and “Ovllá Niillas.”

“Idjarávga” gives Máddji an opportunity to show another aspect of Sami yoik—the mimicking of animal sounds. The imitation of a wolf howling is unmistakable , threading in and out through the background of the song.

I’ve used a lot of tracks from this album as inspiration/mood music for my writing, and I look forward to hearing more from Máddji in the future.

I would highly recommend this album to anyone who is fan of Mari Boine or similar music. And if you haven’t even heard of any Sami musicians but are looking for something new, then Dobbelis might just be the thing for you. Give it a listen!

Máddji’s site: www.myspace.com/maddji

Máddji – “Guhkki”

The Awesome Idea

Posted in Music, Movies, and other Muses, Writings about Writing by

Everything that’s ever been created or ever will be created starts with a thought.

Sometimes this idea starts like a tiny seed—just one small unassuming thought that grows and develops into a full-blown Awesome Idea.

Other times, the Awesome Idea hits full grown and the one doing the thinking is bowled over by the intensity of the beginning, middle, end, and solution all wrapped up in one package all at once.

I’ve had story ideas come to me both ways. Sometimes I’m inspired to write because I get the whole plot—or at least the rough outline—all at once. Even this full-grown Awesome Idea gets built upon, of course, as I write it down. (I have yet to think up a whole story—complete with every word in place, dialogue tags done, no mistakes—without actually writing it down first. Now that would be an Awesome Idea indeed).

But usually, the Awesome Idea for a story comes to me in bits and pieces, and I have a lot of work to do before I have something that’s concrete enough to even begin writing it down. A character, a loose concept, one word or one line, an image or a musical phrase that captures my mind—these little disconnected flitting thoughts are usually what I begin with. Then comes brainstorming, building, experimenting with combining two or more of these disconnected ideas to see if they could gel together to begin growing into the Awesome Idea.

For my current project, I can actually trace the Awesome Idea that is the trilogy I’m writing (hopefully it’s awesome!) to one exact moment, one specific kernel of an idea. It’s grown and changed, of course, and went from a stand-alone book to a trilogy. The setting moved from Russia to Finland, and my one main character was joined by a sizable supporting cast.

But it all began when I was watching a movie called Kautokeino-Opprøret (a Norwegian film; the title translates as The Kautokeino Rebellion). The movie is based on the true story of a revolt by indigenous Sami people against the encroaching government, in a remote village in Norway in the 19th century. There’s one scene where the Sami are combining their separate herds of reindeer into one giant herd, to prevent one particular woman’s reindeer from being taken by the government in payment for a fine.

A line popped into my head: what if an entire herd of reindeer just vanished? And thus was born The Vanished Reindeer, the first novel of my trilogy. I then enhanced that core of an idea with a small dose of Finnish mythology and a large dose of fantasy.

Just a reminder: I’m talking about the birth of an Awesome Idea. The final product—my novel—has absolutely nothing to do with the Norwegian movie, is not based on a true story, and is not intended to be a commentary about indigenous peoples or governments. But that’s where it started.

I’d love to hear your thoughts! Writers, artists, musicians, and creators out there—how do your Awesome Ideas develop?

Music video/trailer for Kautokeino-Opprøret, music by Sami singer Mari Boine:

Season of Change

Posted in Music, Movies, and other Muses, Writings about Writing by

This past weekend was the autumnal equinox. Fall is here—my favorite season.

Even though I’m a fan of winter, where I live, we don’t really have winter. Some winters it gets below freezing, some winters we have several inches of snow and loads of ice, some winters we can keep the windows open all the time because it never gets cold. I’d be a bigger fan of winter if I actually lived somewhere that had winter beauty and winter sports.

But anyway, fall is here now, and it’s my favorite season for many reasons. First and foremost, the weather starts getting cooler. Days when the air is dry and so it’s warm in the sun and cool in the shade, and nights when you need a jacket–I love it.

Apple cider and bonfires on chilly nights. Crunching on acorn caps on the sidewalk. Standing under a tree waiting for a breeze to blow a shower of colored leaves down.

Like spring, fall is a season of change. Summer disappears suddenly and everything about the world becomes different. Some might see fall as a season of death or of going to sleep, as trees become bare and the hours of sunlight grow shorter.

But I see it as a bringer of joy. The fall brings the harvest–apples, pumpkins, squash, and many other things that we have waited patiently all summer to receive. Longer dark nights means more time for looking at the stars. And after autumn comes winter, with its many celebrations, like Christmas.

To me, this season of change often is a turning point in my mind for making changes in my personal life. Of course I make resolutions at the new year. And any time is a fine time to set a new goal or start a new habit. But with change literally in the air all around, in the fall I feel prompted to reevaluate myself.

What did I accomplish in the past nine months? What can I do with the 1/4 of a year that’s left to me to achieve some of the resolutions I’d set back in January? Has the quality of my writing improved? Have I been meeting my daily or weekly writing goals and being disciplined with my writing time? Did I find a critique partner like I said I would? I wanted to read a certain number of books this year–am I on track for that?

If you’re a writer, these questions may resonate with you. If you’re not a writer, I think they still apply. There are about three months left in this year. How close are you to accomplishing your 2012 New Year’s resolutions? Have you hit your goals already? Then celebrate! Are you so far behind that you’re thinking why bother to get started now? Get started anyway! You might surprise yourself.

Share your thoughts! Do you have any changes you’re making in your life? This year isn’t over yet!