My Thoughts on "Dear Evan Hansen."

Dear Evan Hansen is a musical about a high-school boy with severe social anxiety. A boy who loses a classmate to suicide. A boy who tells a lie and finds himself lost in the turmoil of that lie.

I first heard of DEH some months ago. Since I thought it was about suicide and that is a topic that usually gets glorified or white-wash suicide, I was a little wary of it. But I looked it the album and quite liked it. So on a whim I found the bootleg online and watched it.

It turns out today wasn't a great day....

It was good. I understand why so many people love it. It has themes that most people relate to on several levels. Loneliness, depression, anxiety, emptiness, fear, isolation, you name it. All that stuff. There aren't many musicals with a Teen as the lead, so for teenagers to finally have characters their age on Broadway is a big deal. Especially such a relatable teen.
I surprise myself by liking the story as much as I did. It had a good message about hope. About accepting yourself, flaws and all, about hanging on even when you feel like letting go. I think that's an important message for young people to hear, especially in these troubling times.

I quite like Evan. He was sweet, awkward, and thoughtful. But he was also human with flaws; Like, being an opportunist and a liar. I liked that the writers didn't make his anxiety or insecurity into an excuse for his bad decisions. It wasn't like, "He has social anxiety and low self-esteem, so he couldn't help needing a family or making stupid, damaging choices in order to get it." They acknowledged that he was in the wrong, even if his intentions were good. He hurt people and that wasn't right. Even if he just wanted to be loved or accepted or whatever. I liked that little message because so often people say "I couldn't help doing such-and-such a thing it just had to be that way." Um, no. There is always a choice in these matters. It's important for people to know that just because you're suffering, have mental issues, or are living in bad circumstances, it doesn't mean have free reign to do bad, or potentially harmful things to yourself or those around you.


"I try to speak but nobody can hear."

The soundtrack was good. It wasn't staggering like Secret Garden or A Tale of Two Cities, but it was still full of amazing lyrics, melodies, and emotional moments. It definitely had it's own sound which was nice. It was unique, different, and boldly NOT like every other musical out there. (Is it just me or do a lot of musicals have that generic "Broadway" sound to them? Kind of annoying...)  The only song I didn't care for was Sincerely Me. Evan's "friend" has a dirty little mind and says inappropriate things, making it awkward for everyone. So I just skip that song. 8-D It's not all that important.

The cast was great. I loved Ben Platt as Evan, though I sometimes thought he got a little loud. But since it was a more modern score, meant to sound 'in the times' the power in the cast and the music didn't bother me. It fit the story. It was a little bit like Ghost in regard to sound and feel. It's not like the musicals I usually collect, but I'd like to own it and would certainly recommend it to anyone who likes musical theatre. The characters were good aside from Jared (whom I really didn't like, to be honest.) They all had things I could empathize with. Especially Zoe. I loved Zoe's character. I would like to play her someday. She is such a forgotten sort of girl with quite the load of emotional baggage. My heart went out to Zoe, especially during the song "Requiem." She's had it rough, poor thing.  Her relationship with Connor was a bad one. I'm not sure how bad he was since we don't get to seem them interact that much, but it was bad enough. Like, he sounds kind of abusive. (AND THEY DON'T EXCUSE THAT!)

"After all you put me through, don't say it wasn't true."

The suicide element was tough, but I thought they handled it as well as can be expected. I definitely appreciated it more than 13 Reasons Why, simply because instead of Connor striking out for revenge he just snapped one night. And yeah, I hate that it happened and I hate that Connor would do something like that, but it handled the topic better than 13 Reasons Why. It gave the same message in a healthier, more powerful way.

I felt Connor's story was more sympathetic. Like, maybe if he had someone, if he'd reached out, things could have been different. He could have chosen hope. He was still wrong and I still hate it but his death was sadder. And the script was discreet enough that you can't be sure about Connor's state of mind or intention. In Evan Hansen's first performances there was a song - later cut from the Broadway edition- that talked about "missing pills and a missing kid..." And since Connor had a problem with drugs and getting high, there is a fair chance he didn't mean to kill himself. He just felt like crap and accidentally went too far. There's also a chance he wasn't stable enough to make a choice like that with his full understanding or will, since he apparently struggled with mental problems. As a Catholic I personally found that positive, because if it wasn't premeditated and if Connor was mentally ill, than his soul has a chance.

And yes, I get too invested in fictional people. 8-P

If only they'd found each other sooner. Maybe they could have helped each other....

Something else I liked about this show is when Evan went to adults for help, he actually got help! AND THAT IS A POSITIVE THING! Kids need to know they're going to get support from the people above and around them. They need to know that when they talk about mental issues, anxiety, depression, fear, abuse, and so forth, they're going to have support from people around them. And even if people don't listen at first, even if you are alone, that doesn't mean you will always be alone. That's important. That's something I was exploring in my own musical before I even listened to DEH. Like, don't give up on the future!!! Even if you're broken, lonely, scared, lost, forgotten, that doesn't mean you will always be that way. Just because you're alone right now, that doesn't mean you won't ever have anything in the future. It doesn't mean you won't someday have better friends, a better home, better circumstances, a better life. There is every possibility that you will have all those things and more. There's always reason to hope.*

*At the very least you can hope for heaven. :-)

The one word of warning I would give is that the fan-base (especially on Tumblr) is pretty kinky. You get a lot of sexual, dirty thoughts in regard to the story and characters in it. Kind of like Johnlock fans. *hides face* The musical itself is clean and has very little to frown at besides Jared, but the fans can be seriously dirty and inappropriate. Obviously there are nice, normal fans too, who are like, "No, Evan is straight..." but just heads up.  8-D It's like any other fandom out there, you have weird fans.

If you like Musical Theatre and emotional stories, I would definitely recommend this musical. I believe you can watch it somewhere online, but if you don't feel safe going on weird sites, the full album is on youtube, complete with Dialogue 8-)




So let the sun come streaming in, cause you'll reach up and you'll rise again!

*swings around cape and leaps off stage laughing*

Bella

Let's Be Brave

Brave

I have decided to be very, very brave and share a little bit about the musical I have been working on since January of last year. That's a long time folks. I think if I start blogging about it, I might actually finish it before January of this year. At least a first draft. 

Let's Be Brave. I first got the idea for Let's Be Brave when I listened to the "Weight of Us," waaaaaaay back in August of 2016. I loved the line, "Time has come, let us be brave." I thought that was very inspiring and in the back of my mind a seed was planted. I have this thing with bravery. I think if you just have courage, you can get through anything. So, when my mind presented me with a title and a bare idea of a young girl who decides to be brave in times of hardship, I grasped at it. I began to plot, to diagram, to write.  

What is Let's Be Brave? It is a musical about children from broken families/broken homes, who find each other and through their friendships, are able to find courage amidst  suffering. They start a "Let's Be Brave" Club.

My musical so far focuses on five/six different children. 1.) Violet, Emily, Jamie(?) Tonia, May, and Charlie.

Each character suffers from some kind of abuse, grief, low self-esteem, anxiety, hardship, or suffering. The premise of the story is that when you are faced with tribulation, you mustn't give into it, but instead rise above your bad situation. Whatever happens, you must learn to soldier on.  I am still in the rough draft of this musical, and character may change or shift as time goes on. But I thought it was best to get this out there once and for all, because this post has been sitting in my drafts since the beginning of July and that's sad.

I have an unhealthy fear of people stealing my ideas, so I'm not sure how much I will post about this musical at first. But you will get updates! I plan to start sharing more about all the musicals I'm working on - including the Howl one - and maybe even starting a Youtube channel for them.

*SCREAMS FOREVER*

And guys, I promise there is an Evan Hansen review coming soon. I'm sorry it's taking so long. I can't seem to find time to blog.

God Bless everyone! Hope to talk again soon!

*swings around cape and leaps off stage*

Bella

Things I love, and other stuff.

I love it when the grass is dewy and the air is soft.

I love summer so freaking much.

I love it when I make muffins and the come out soft and yummy.

They even had chocolate chips in them

I love it when I get up in the morning, and the sun is shining, and the air is cool.

I want adorable lil' animal friends that help me with setting out flowers, and other household chores.

I love it when I spend the afternoon writing and I actually get stuff done. Not just editing but REAL WRITING! *ecstatic*

rewarding myself on a job well done.

I love it when my adopted brother brings over ice cream because he knows we've all had a long week, and we watch Leverage and forget about our problems.

Elliot

I love it when I go swimming and all my troubles float away with the waves. All that matters is the water, and the wind. I feel so light when I go swimming. Its great.

"Darling it's better down where it's wetter, take it from meeeeee!"

I love it when I go to the library and bring home a books that are good.

#Ingo

I love having tea at night.

This gif might be from Beyond the Boundary, (EW) but it's still very accurate.

I love it when I listen to beautiful music which makes the world better.

You are loved more than you know....though your heart is far too young
to realize the unimaginable light you hold inside.

I love it when I find a new musical and it hits an emotional achy place in my heart.

I'm not actually obsessed with this musical, it was just nice to finally
find a musical that was clean and touching, and actually, you know, good.

Speaking of new musicals, I recently watched Dear Evan Hansen, and I now have Waving through a Window feels.

I try to speak but nobody can hear....

Update: I need to not listen to Waving Through a Window within the same hour I listen to I can't Recall. THINGS happen.

Carton gives me sads.

Update number two: I'm such a A Tale of Two Cities fangirl I made a blog just for that story/musical. Yep. I'm a nerd.

Update number three: It's really annoying when you have something like 200 songs to choose from on your music player, but somehow none of them are the one you want to listen to right now.

no... no... skip. skip.skipskipskipskipskipskipskipskipskip... 

I Can't Recall!!!..... MmmmmYes. No argument here.

Update number four: I ACCIDENTALLY PUT A TALE OF TWO CITIES ON SHUFFLE AND IT PLAYED I CAN'T RECALL, IF DREAMS CAME TRUE AND LET HER BE A CHILD RIGHT IN A ROW. AND THAT WAS FAIRLY TRAUMATIZING.

Basically Carton's whole story in three songs.

I would say that gives "Hamilton's" Helpless-Burn-It's Quiet Uptown-Shuffle a run for it's money

Update number five: I should do a Shuffle Tag for all my musical. Just put each one on shuffle and post the first three songs that play on each. Interesting idea. Hmmmmmmmm.

Update number six: I started a timeline for my Let's be Brave musical. I will probably start posting about it soon. (?????) The outline is three pages long and I'm afraid. Lol.

Update number seven: Guys. Spiderman, Homecoming was fabulously great and I will own that greatness. Tom Holland was great. Peter was great. Michelle was great. Tony was great. Tony and Peter bonding and that adorable father/son relationship!! Yas. Ned in general. The villain. The *GAAAAAAAASP* scene! The "NO BEBE PETER!" scene. And of course, THAT SCENE. 


Kudos if you can guess what THAT SCENE is.


*squints at the top of my page* This post started out so deep. I got excited about Carton and forgot my list. *siiiiiigh* What a mess. Thanks for sticking with me guys! I better sign off before this mess becomes a message!

Yeah, that was lame.

A Dear Evan Hansen Review/Talk is on it's way.  Back soon. Love you all!

*Swings around cape and leaps off stage*'

Bella

PS: Should I start doing vlogs? I think I might.

10 Favourite Musicals Link-Up!

Christine Eyre over at Overflowing Mind and Pen is doing a Favorite Musicals Link Up on her blog, and invited me to join. Of course I jumped at the opportunity. It's a musical Link Up! I can't say no to that.

Anyone can participate in this. It runs until February 28th. The Rules can be found on Christine's blog, HERE.

She had a cool little Button, but for some reason it won't show up on my blog. 8-(

Here are my top ten favorite Musicals:

1.) The Phantom of the Opera
2.) A Tale of Two Cities
3.) Ghost
4.) The Secret Garden
5.) Finding Neverland
6.) Jekyll and Hyde
7.) Newsies
8.) Jane Eyre
9.) Les Miserables
10.) Mary Poppins

 You can post about as many or as few as you'd like to per day.  Which is awesome! By this point I'm sure all of you know exactly why I love TPOTO and ATOTC so much. I've posted about both of them enough times to relay how I feel about these beautiful musicals.  So today I'm going to post about TPOTO and Ghost. If you want you can skip my thoughts on Phantom and jump down to Ghost. It made make it more fun for you.

Reasons I like The Phantom of the Opera.

This is easy. I grew up on The Phantom of the Opera. I don't remember when it wasn't a part of my life. I think by  the time I was four years old I was already familiar with the music, and by the time I was eight I was singing along with most of the main songs. It was a big part of my life. The musical that played when a big sister did my hair in the morning. The songs that blared out in the car when we drove down to Barnes and Nobles. The songs we sang together when we did dishes or chores. Yeah. It was everywhere, and I got attached to it fast. The older I got the more I loved the music, the composition, and the characters. It was obviously worth the fame it had.

He welcomes you to his Opera House, and requests that you continue to keep Box 5 empty for his use.

The Phantom of The Opera is still my favorite musical. In the past few years I've become even more in love with it. One of my favourite elements of Phantom is the love story between Christine and Raoul. There are plenty of arguments made against this beautiful pairing, some being that Christine should be with the Phantom, (ew) others being that Raoul didn't deserve her, or vise versa (what?) and some being that they barely knew each other so they couldn't be in love.

That last point is silly. Yes, when the musical first opens Christine hasn't seen Raoul in years. They were best friends in childhood but it's been a long time since either of them have spent time together. There's obviously still a spark between them right off the bat, but it would be a bad call to say they still knew each other after so much time had passed.

HOWEVER. Between the time that Raoul proposes to Christine at the end of Act One, and the Phantom taking control of the opera house and presenting an opera in Act Two, six months pass. The two characters have plenty of time to date, to catch up, to learn each other all over again. And it's pretty obvious at the beginning of Act Two that they are happily engaged and very in love. So, the argument that they don't know each other is invalid. I'm just saying. Throughout Act Two they are together as often as possible and fiercely protective of one another. Especially Raoul. He's like, You hurt Christine, I'll smash your face. It's precious how much they care for each other.

Anywhere you go let me go to.

Of course the other brilliant element of this story is the Phantom himself. His character is beautifully written, layered, and tragic. He's creepy and insane, he doesn't seem to grasp right from wrong, and he is obsessive with what he wants. Yet there is a sadness in him that is hard not to empathize with. He had a rotten life. He was driven to insanity because of his deformity, because the world hated him, because he was a genius with absolutely no outlet. That's sad. He's sad. your heart bleeds for the poor fellow. It doesn't excuse how disturbing and cruel he can be, but it does add some depth and tragedy to his character. That's one of the reason I don't like it when an actor plays the Phantom too angry or harsh. There needs to be that underlying element of tragedy or the ending isn't as powerful. You need to see his vulnerability early on. I really love how Michael Crawford breathed that trait into his performance. Dave Willets also did an excellent drop balancing the insanity and cruelty with vulnerability, and from the bits I've seen of him John Cudia did a good job with it too. I like the Phantom to be creepy, crazy, and obviously the villain, but also have that gentle unexpected side that can love. That side is his redemption and it needs to be seen throughout the story.

The Phantom of the Opera is such a unique story, full of love, sacrifice, and redemption. It's timeless, it's interesting, it's full of gorgeous music that brings you right back to the Opera House in 1881. The vocals are incredible, the characters are well written, and the whole story is worth listening to.

Ghost.

Ghost is a new musical that I've only recently discovered. The music is a lot more modern than I usually like in a musical, but Ghost pulls it off. I listened to the OBC in September and fell in love with the story on the spot.

*Spoiler* I'd never seen the movie Ghost and I didn't know anything about it either, so I had no idea what to expect. I was upset and horrified when Sam was killed. I cried right along with Molly when she lost him. I was just as shocked as Sam when I found out who betrayed him. I was so freaking into this story! It was the first musical I'd found in a while that actually made me cry. *End spoiler*

If there's anything more I can do, I'll do it and find my way back to you.

I don't know how closely the musical followed the movie, but the story was rock solid, emotional, and stirring. The characters were great, well-written, and strong. As usual I liked the Original Cast best. The newer casts are a bit much for my taste. The original's balanced power with a soft undertone and that is really important in a musical like this. Caissie Levy did an excellent job in the role of Molly Jensen. She embraced the loud and vibrant music without becoming too brassy or obnoxious. She would belt in moments of intense anger or regret where it was obviously meant to be so, but she always brought her voice back to a gentler, softer tone. She never went over-board with her belting or her vocal power, and she balanced the anger with deep sadness and pain so that it never overwhelmed the character. I loved her portrayal of Molly. Richard Fleeshman did just as well in the role of Sam, bringing power and the modern sound to his role, but keeping a more vulnerable tone whenever possible. He got loud and sharp but he never stayed that way for long. That's why I like the Original Cast best. I don't usually like musical with modern music because it's too loud, brassy, and annoying. The vocalists sound like they're trying to out-belt each other, the tones are overwhelming and heavy... it's just too much noise and not enough technique or beauty. The Original Cast of Ghost were very aware of their power and made sure not to overdo it. They made the volume and capacity work. The newer casts aren't always so careful. Most Mollys' sound like they were Elphaba in their first life. I think a lot of them were. 8-P It's like Girl. Stop yelling.

But yeah, this musical is really emotional, beautiful, and powerful. I would definitely recommend it. I believe there is a scene near the beginning between Sam and Molly, but besides that it's pretty clean too. It's an excellent story with incredible lyrics and solid music. It's wonderful.

Oh, my love, my darling, I've hungered for your touch.

Here ends my first official day of the Musical Link-Up. 8-) This was fun! Hope to see you all again soon!

*Swings around cape and leaps off stage*

Bella

Let's Be Brave

Brave

I have decided to be very, very brave and share a little bit about the musical I have been working on since January of last year. That's a long time folks. I think if I start blogging about it, I might actually finish it before January of this year. At least a first draft. 

Let's Be Brave. I first got the idea for Let's Be Brave when I listened to the "Weight of Us," waaaaaaay back in August of 2016. I loved the line, "Time has come, let us be brave." I thought that was very inspiring and in the back of my mind a seed was planted. I have this thing with bravery. I think if you just have courage, you can get through anything. So, when my mind presented me with a title and a bare idea of a young girl who decides to be brave in times of hardship, I grasped at it. I began to plot, to diagram, to write.  

What is Let's Be Brave? It is a musical about children from broken families/broken homes, who find each other and through their friendships, are able to find courage amidst  suffering. They start a "Let's Be Brave" Club.

My musical so far focuses on five/six different children. 1.) Violet, Emily, Jamie(?) Tonia, May, and Charlie.

Each character suffers from some kind of abuse, grief, low self-esteem, anxiety, hardship, or suffering. The premise of the story is that when you are faced with tribulation, you mustn't give into it, but instead rise above your bad situation. Whatever happens, you must learn to soldier on.  I am still in the rough draft of this musical, and character may change or shift as time goes on. But I thought it was best to get this out there once and for all, because this post has been sitting in my drafts since the beginning of July and that's sad.

I have an unhealthy fear of people stealing my ideas, so I'm not sure how much I will post about this musical at first. But you will get updates! I plan to start sharing more about all the musicals I'm working on - including the Howl one - and maybe even starting a Youtube channel for them.

*SCREAMS FOREVER*

And guys, I promise there is an Evan Hansen review coming soon. I'm sorry it's taking so long. I can't seem to find time to blog.

God Bless everyone! Hope to talk again soon!

*swings around cape and leaps off stage*

Bella

Bring me thunder, bring me lightning, bring me all things that are frightening! Bring me monsters, I'll enjoy them, bring me phantoms I'll destroy them! BRING ME GIANTS!

You know how sometimes you hear music and it's nice and exciting and it makes you feel better? And then sometimes you hear music and it gets into your soul, and makes you feel stronger, and braver, and all freaking inspired? I love music like that.

James Barbour has a CD called "Bring Me Giants," which is one of the most epic, awe-inspiring masterpieces I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. It makes me feel like I can take on the world. RAWR! BRING ME GIANTS!! I AM DAVID!!! YAAAAAAAAAS!!!

This CD is incredible. It inspires me to write music. It really inspires my musicals, which is both exciting and stressful. 'Cause here is the thing. I really love writing lyrics and I really love writing musicals. But okay, I'm relying on my Middle-School-Music memory and that is hard. Also, how do you write music when you don't play multiple instruments or have immense understanding of music theory?? Let me tell you, there is nothing quite like having inspiration for music and lyrics and epic orchestras, and sitting there like, I DON'T KNOW MUSIC LIKE THAT! It's sad!

Oh, on top of that I'm trying to compose music using a Piano App on my phone.

You don't know the struggle unless you've tried this yourself.

Why are phones screens so small? For real. I sit there like, Plink- no - Plunk, Piiiing?... - that's not right - Pling, Plaaaiiiing - AHA! *furious scribbles cords A4 and D4 on sheet of paper* Right. PLOOOOooong. Pleeeeng. PLOOOOOooooooNK.... no - Pleeeeeeeeeeeenk.

The struggle is real. For once my fingers are too big! I can only play one note at a time.

What I really need is one of those big electrical piano keyboards. The ones that are all portable and stuff. And you can Plug In other instruments.

Like dis.

#ChristmasWishList

It's hard wanting to write music and hitting walls because you're not a musical genius. It's hard wanting to act and not being able to because you can't drive yet. It's hard to be artistic and have to work. 8-P I want to write, I want to act, I want to take music theory, I want to use my talents to spread some good, even if it's small. I really want to start practicing my clarinet again because I think that would help with making music. I would have done this already, but my sadly it's in storage and I haven't been able to dig it out of the garage yet. 8-(

With all of these dreams stretched out before me, I come to a big decision. If you could all pray for me it would be very helpful, because I'm really nervous about it.

I've decided to step out of my nanny job.

This was a hard decision for me, one that I've been considering it for some time. You know how sometimes you do something and it's just not quite a fit? Well, that's what happened. I love both my nieces tons and will miss them a lot, but I can feel that this isn't where I'm supposed to be. Joe and Jess have been very good to me and I've had a good sort of year... but I do think it's time for a change. There is so much I'm not able to do here. Joe's house is in this cul-de-sac thing, and all connections to town are off the freeway, which I hate. There is nowhere I can go within walking or riding distance. I still don't have my license. *growls* I've also been missing Mass a lot due to conflicting schedules and work hours and such, and that has been hard. There is also a lot of stuff I need to figure out and I think this is for the best. I've been praying a lot about this decision, and if some of you could pray for me as well I would be very grateful. 8-D I hope to come back here soon, since it has more opportunities for actors, but before I can do that I need to give myself a little room to breathe, take a step back, and say, What do you want, Bella?

I mean, I know I want to act - and I even found a good Community Theatre group down here, which I'd like to join as soon as possible. I want to audition for their Spring Show which is The Secret Garden. If I like it, I can think about moving back into this town, but doing so on my terms, and in the places I want to be.

Anyway, please pray about my dreams, please pray that I can pursue my acting, even if it's in a small way, and please pray that these changes are right. 8-)


I'm working on another blog post, so you should be hearing from me soon. I hope you all have a good weekend!

*swings around cape and leaps off stage*

Bella

Writers Camp [ Day Ten ] Sample Time!

I'm still behind. What can I say? This week has been something of a dark well of doom. I totally failed my driving test. Parallel parking is the stupidest thing ever invented.

Stupid parallel parking. Why is it even a thing?

Today you get to sample some of my writing! I know I've shared some stuff before, but today I will share some lyrics from one of my new musicals, as well as the first page of the Juliette Private Detective; AOA book.  8-) Please enjoy!!

LYRICS FROM THE MUSICAL I'M WRITING!!! This isn't the one about the world turning grey. I don't have a name for that one yet, nor many actual melodies. I want to call it Colored in Love but I'm not sure about that name. Anyway! Here are lyrics from my Fan-Musical, the musical I'm writing in honor of one of my favorite books. I'm not ready to share the name of it yet. But Hopefully one I'm done I can plan some sort of Concept Fan-Cast of some kind. I dunno. Thoughts! Anyway, these next lines are taken from one of the love songs. I quite like it. It's called Curious.

FEMALE

MALE

Curious...

Curious.

What is this feeling / curious

What is this? Curious.

For a moment was there something?

For a moment could I almost...?

It's builds inside me / curious.

It wants to build / how curious

Concern... for me...

For a moment did my heart just run?

For a moment did I just...?

Running through me / this feeling.

Something trying / to break into me...

Curious,

Curious!

strangely disturbing and strong

Strangely disturbing, it almost won!

What is this curiously in me?

What is this curiosity beyond my reach?

YARRRR? YE LIKE? CAUSE I'M SCARED ABOUT SHARING LYRICS.



Onward!! Here's a little sneak peek at my detective book!

Juliette, Private Detective AOA. 

Juliette was her name. Juliette Veronica Walgrey. Though usually she just went by Juliette, and sometimes just plain "J" which is what her brother called her. She was an even 5-2 1/2, and rather on odd sight to behold. She preferred skirts to pants, and had thick auburn hair which she kept tightly french braided whenever she worked a case. On the window of her flat was a sign that read "Juliette Walgrey. AOA." Among other things she liked to call herself a consulting detective, or Private Detective. She was the last one you'd expect.
   Juliette's office was small. It was downstairs from a restaurant and it wasn't even properly hers. It was borrowed. But for a girl so curious, she did pretty well for herself, and quite a few people knew in in the little City. She made lovely coffee at Revive. Even Tonia, the coffee shop owner said so, and she wasn't big on giving compliments. At this time, however, Juliette wasn't at her part-time, four hours-a-day job. She was standing over a dead body and feeling grumpy about it.
   Now, most days Juliette didn't mind being called in to inspect. It usually meant a paycheck. Yay! This morning, unfortunately, the call came at four thirty A.M., and Juliette thought, as she stood there with her lukewarm cappuccino, that murders should wait until at least six. Seven was better. She felt very out of sorts, and most of her mind was still back at home in her bed. She was wearing knee boots even though it was June because she hadn't been able to find her sandals by the light of the moon, nor matching socks either. She felt like a potato this morning. A grouchy potato. 
  She felt someone coming up behind her and turned. It was Deputy Rogner with a small brown bag and a cup of coffee. "Oh," he said. "I didn't you you already had coffee. I thought you might like something to eat." He held out the bag. Juliette took it gladly, and then, because her coffee was practically cold anyway, she took the coffee off his hands too. "Thanks, Ace! Much appreciated." She cured her hands around the warm cup and felt slightly better. She took a sip. Aaaaah. now she could focus on the task at her. She turned her attention back to the unfortunate victim.
   The man in question was a certain Political Science teacher by the name of William Smass. He was slouched in the chair behind his desk with a nasty bruise on his temple. The police had yet to locate the murder weapon, but it seemed the culprit had been looking for something. The office was torn apart as if in a frenzy. Poor man. A simple teacher caught in a burglary. Though, what could you steal from a teacher's office? Grades? Actually, that wasn't a bad thought. Juliette smiled. Some students might do any number of things to pass a class.  


Snippets from my book Cyril. This is a story about

Killian and his son live in the Kingdom is Farathon, where a terrible Queen by the name of Nelana has set out for ultimate conquest. Four years ago she invaded the Isle of Solvina and captured the powerful and mythical creatures, the Kiera. Now one has escaped. Nevina roots out a Killian as a man who is skilled with these magnificent beasts, one some might call a tamer. When Killian refuses to help, she captures his son and poi his heart poisons his heart, declaring unless he agrees to do her will, he will loose his son forever. Killian is forced to obey, and he and Cyril start a journey that will change the fate of their country - for good, or ill.

CHAPTER TWO:

Killian heard the carriage before he saw it. He was carving at the time. His hands moved up and down the rough wood, rubbing away all the slivers with careful ease. He didn't move too quickly but he there was a restlessness in his work. Carving had always taken longer than most things, but every year he got older it seemed to get harder. He pulled back another layer of wood with his tool and leaned in close. Just a little smack –  Killian heard the wheels creak and the heavy sound of boots coming at the door, one after the other. He gently blew the shavings away from his jewelry box and placed it off to the side with his other creations. He stood and as he did a loud and demanding knock echoed on the door. He brushed his hands on his apron but didn't even bother with his hair. He knew trying to tidy it would only make it worse. With any luck the grey lurking behind his ears would help hide the dust.

The knock came again. Killian grabbed the nob and yanked the door open. A man stood on the other side, tall and thin, with a ridiculous feathered hat and high black boots which rose above his knees. He looked at Killian and was silent. He waited but Killian didn't invite him in.

“Can I help you with something?” The older man asked, when the staring could continue no longer. He knew the look his visitor wore. It was one he was used to.

“I'm sorry," The Visitor said. He was indeed very pale. “Am I right to assume you are Killian Steindaer, former accountant of the Kingdom?”

“No, I am not. What is this about?”

The Visitor didn’t seem to acknowledge his negative answer. “Sir, you must leave your house at once, and in haste. There is not time to delay.”

“What?” Killian’s eyes narrowed. “Who are you?”

“It doesn’t matter. Your life is in danger, sir.”

“In danger from whom?”

The stranger’s eyes studied the hat in hand. “She’s coming for you. ”

“You must have me mistaken for someone else.” Killian tried to close the door but it hit  The Visitor’s palm. “Please sir. I know who you are. She can’t find you here.”

“I’m a carpenter. I have no wealth, no station. I’m no one.”

“Perhaps not now, but you were someone once. Please. You don’t have much time.”

“I’m not who you think I am.”

“Killian Steindaer, former Scola and enemy of the Queen. You went into hiding five years ago. You can’t hide any longer, Sir. She is coming for you even now.”

“Why would you warn me of this?” Killian asked. “How do you know of her plans, and if you do, how can I trust you?

“You don’t know, unfortunately,” said Visitor. “However, this is your best chance. She’s coming with a request and she won’t accept no for an answer.”

Killian weighed the options quickly. He had hoped he was safe from discovery now, but it seemed that maybe he was wrong. On the other hand, this could be some dirty lie or trick, something to lure him into the open. Though, for what purpose?

“You wouldn’t be lying to me would you?”

“I rarely lie,” answered the Visitor.

“That is good. Bad things will often happen to people who lie to me.”

“I wouldn’t lie about this.”

Killian observed the strange visitor on his doorstep and realized he had no choice but to trust him. If the Queen was truly coming here he could not be found. He wouldn’t be used as her pawn, whatever game she was playing.

“Very well,” He said certainly so he couldn’t change his mind. “I’ll do as you ask.” The Visitor relaxed. “Thank you,” he said fervently. “And sir? if you have family in the area, I would get them out too. You don’t want her to have any leverage.”

“Of course. I’ll be sure of it. Thank you.” The Visitor tried to smile, turned, and started to walk.

“What is your name, friend?” Killian called after him. “In case I ever have the need of repaying this service?”

“I am but a humble servant.” Here the visitor bowed, so low his feathers almost touched his shoes.

Killian found himself smiling slightly. “Very well. Thank you, humble one. Maybe we’ll meet again one day.”

“I hope so,” said the Visitor.

SO? What think you??

*swings around cape and leaps off stage*

Bella

Writers Camp [ Day Nine ] What are you writing?

OH MY GOSH. I AM SO BEHIIIIIIIIIIIND. MUST PLAY CATCH UP!


Day Nine: What are you writing? Today we are going to share plots/characters from stories we are currently working on. Have fun with this!

Brothers of Mage.

(I'm still working on the title.)

Ten years ago a war started in Brinton, a war which spread into The four empires like a deadly virus. it ended when a seventeen year old Mage named Elliot Blackire invented a terrible weapon which was stolen by the Briatons and used to kill hundreds of civilians. Due to suspicious, damning events Elliot Blackire was convicted as a traitor and exiled, never to return home on pain of death. 

Five years after that fateful day, a man by the name of Evan Blackire is convicted of the murder of the High Mage. Elliot, now a Draek Mage, returns to his home country to help his brother escape. Together, they discover a astonishing, fearful conspiracy festering in the country, and must find someway to stop it. Unable to trust the Office of Mage or the Union Government, the brothers plunge headlong into an undercover mission to save their country from self-destruction, recruiting some very odd allies along the way. The future is warped and strange, and it the more the brothers learn the more they realize that many things may not be what they seem. 

Juliette Greywell A.O.A (A -of the- above)

This series is going to be fun I think! It's about a private detective who lives in a small city. Her name is Juliette, she is twenty-three and she stands at just barely 5'2. She often jokes that sleuthing is her hobby because she doesn't earn enough money to call it a normal job. (She works at Ross to cover all real expenses.) While solving one of her cases she meets up with an ex-hacker named Zoe and together they run around solving crimes. They began to spread out, working in the bigger cities that are close to their own and making quite the name for themselves. I'm excited.

LE SISTER STORY!!!

This story is beautiful. I can't say too much about it yet, but I will give you a basic plot. It's about two sisters, Renetta and Jailene, who live in a slightly steampunk/fantasy world. When they're fourteen and twelve they get separated and from there their lives take very different turns. Renetta grows up learning the art of Earth Lore and, while Jailene learns the art of Energy Lore. As the two girls reach their individual birthdays, seventeen and fifteen, the world begins to slip into darkness and much is at stake. Both will play a key part in the future of the Quinton, but it is quite possible these two keys do not fit they same door.

A MUSICAL!!!!!!!!!!

YES I AM ACTUALLY WORKING ON A MUSICAL! I am working on two, in fact. One is like a fan-musical of sorts so I won't say too much about it yet - the other one is about a widow who's world literally turns grey after her four year old son is killed in a car accident. For three years she can't see color or beauty in anything. It's all black and white, cold and hard. Every day is a struggle. Then a young photographer comes into her little town and things slowly start to change...


What do you think, writers? You like?

*swings around cape and leaps off stage*

Bella

I found some new things. Now I must share.

Thing One:

I binged on Avatar: The Last Airbender last week.

FRIENDLY MUSHROOM!

I'm almost finished with Season Three. And I'm a total fan. I'm not even ashamed.

There are five basic stages to becoming a fan of this show.

Stage One: Hmmm. This is kind of fun. But really dopey too.
Stage Two: Sokka is so funny!!!! And Katar is super cool. And Aang is really cute! And tough! These characters make me very happy. I think I even like Toph!
Stage Three: AAAAAAAAAH. What?? Why the cliffhangers??? I hate villains!! WHO NEEDS SLEEP? Sleep is for the weak!!
Stage Four: ZUUUUUKOOOOOOOO
Stage Five: WATER. EARTH. FIRE. AIR. *sings along to the theme*

This show is actually quite good. Is it dopey? Yes. Is it silly? Yes. Don't get me wrong. Avatar: TLA is definitely a kids show. It can be really silly and ridiculous. The animation is horrible. But if you are looking for comic relief, goofy story-telling, good characters, and a fun, interesting premises, Avatar is a good show to watch. The episodes are only like, fifteen to twenty minutes long, so it's really easy to binge on them.  Plus, there is some surprisingly good character development that goes on. (Zuuuuukoooooo)

Thing Two:

I'm sure you have all heard about Hamilton by now. It seems like it's the biggest thing since Les Miserables. I've held a lot of prejudice against this musical because A.) It's Rap and B.) It's the Founding Fathers. I have a problem with the Founding Fathers being turned black, especially George Washington. This isn't racism. This is historical fact. They were white. I also have a problem with the Founding Father's singing rap. And dancing to the rap. It seems a little ... disrespectful? However, I finally decided to give it a go. I shouldn't judge something until I know more about it, right? I sat down with a couple of my sisters and listened to the whole thing.

A Rap Musical

I didn't hate it.

But I don't know if I liked it. The music is very catchy. It's easy to sing along to, even the first time around, and after you listen to it once, you have all these lines from different songs that play in your head. The characters were fine. George Washington as a character was fine. I liked a lot of his lines, and how he put Hamilton in his place. He was fairly close to historically accurate, at least as close as you can get with a modern twist and rap involved. The story itself was also fairly accurate... again, as accurate as you can be with rap.

There were some songs I really liked. There were some lines that were pretty cool. For instance, there is one point where Hamilton says "I am just like my country, I'm young scrappy and hungry, and I'm not throwing away my shot!" I like that line a lot. It stuck with me fast.

I don't think I like the rap angle. The rhythm wasn't bad, the lyrics weren't bad, the characters and songs weren't bad. It was a decent sort of musical to listen to and I think if it had been anything but the Founding Father's, I would have been like - "Yaaay, Hamilton!" As it is I'm more like - "Hmmmm. Hamilton." I did enjoy listening to it. If you can get past the rap (which I'm not wild about anyway) the modern language, the mis-representation of the Founding Father's, and the fact that Hamilton is not that great of a person, it is fun. Aside from some awkward duologue/scenes, and language, it's also pretty clean. Sometimes you hear something and you're like "Well, that was inappropriate." But I don't think you actually see anything dirty. Maybe I'll even watch it at some point, but it will be a bit before I try that. I've seen gifs, and I don't like the dancing, or how the actors portray some things. (Did Washington just high-five Hamilton? What? ... What are they doing, the twist? No. Why?? Uh oh. Here's comes the swagger... no. Please.... Uhm, what is with Philip? Perve.) I think I will probably listen to it again, mostly because it's annoying to only know a handful of lyrics; but also because it is very catchy and it makes you want to listen to it more than once. I still maintain it was a bad call to turn historical men black just to show the America dream of everyone being equal. It's like turning Fredrick Douglas white. I don't think blacks would be very happy about that.


Thing Three:

I did find another musical though, and this one I really like. It's called The Light on the Piazza. It's about an Italian boy falling in love with a cute American tourist. It's super sweet. It has a good message about love being difficult but worth fighting for, and how important family is. It shows that everyone has flaws and you should never underestimate people just because they're different. The music is beautiful and the singers are amazing. Oh, and you get to hear Matthew Morrison sing in Italian!! What could be better?

Clara and Fabrizzio

As usual, I listened to the Original Cast first and it is pretty fabulous. Kelly O'hara has a beautiful voice. Her notes makes me happy. When she and Matthew Morrison sing together lovely things happen. They blend so well! Their love is precious. It's simple and innocent, and even though they fall for each other fast it doesn't seem silly. They get to know each other and their relationships develops in a gentle, natural way. I really liked how their love story saved other people's love also. It's like they inspired their families to not give up on marriage and that was a nice touch. And I love that after Clara meets Fabrizio she gets instructed in Catholicism, cause that makes the Catholic in me squeal. The Light on the Piazza is something all musical geeks should listen to it. It's beautiful, clean, classical, it sends a good message.... the only thing wrong with it is that in the first Act there is a kiss that goes a little too far. Like, it could become a scene if someone didn't walk in. Completely unnecessary. But other than that, it is fantastic!!!

Thing Four: 

I'm almost done with the Inkworld trilogy. That series is goooood. 8-D I think my favorite book will probably be Inkspell, but Inkdeath has been really well done too. I'm sort of afraid to finish it. I'm afraid of the ending.

DON'T KILL THE ANYONE. PLEASE.

The Last Thing: 

Before I sign off, I have a sort of announcement. My idea of Writers Camp seems to have attracted a lot of people. If I can get at least five other writers to officially sign on with this idea, I'm going to make it happen. It will probably start the first week in August sometime. I'm not sure how long it will last. Maybe a couple weeks? We can be super flexible with time and activities.  Basically, we're just going to take time and explore different writing styles and ideas, share some of our favorite authors and stories, discuss things that no one writes about even though they SHOULD be written about, and share ideas with motivation, the importance of writing, and how to get inspiration. There is plenty of time to juggle ideas, as well as which topics are Very Important and should be covered.

If you think Writers Camp is for you, leave a comment and tell me if you're officially in! Feel free to share this idea with other writers you know. The more the merrier.

Peace out y'all!!! God Bless!!

*swings around cape and leaps off stage*

Bella