Elijah David

Currently Writing:   Merlin Book 2 Currently Reading:   Dune  by Frank Herbert                                  The Silmarillion  by J.R.R. Tolkien (reread)                                  The Woodcutter  by Kate Danley (Kindle)                                 The Slippery Slope by Lemony Snicket (audio) For the purposes of this post, I'm not considering any instrumental tracks, but I will mention some of my favorites. "Heart of Courage" by Two Steps from Hell was the trailer music for the Walden version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe , and it still gets me excited for Narnia. There are various tracks from the LWW and PC soundtracks that evoke the longing for Narnia, such as "Narn...

Currently Writing:  Merlin Book 2 Currently Reading: Dune by Frank Herbert                                 The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien (reread)                                 The Woodcutter by Kate Danley (Kindle) I've been wanting to do another Top 10 post since the first one. I can't do a Top 10 Books general post because there are just too many I love, so I decided that Top 10 rereads was the best way to go. So here, in no particular order, are my Top 10 Books to Reread: The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis I'm counting this whole series as one book, not only because I have an omnibus edition, but because I love to read all of them again and again. All told, I've probably read the whole series five or six times, and individual books anywhere from that number to ten or so. I never come out of rea...

My friend Mirriam has started a series of giveaways on her blog for the regular commentators: she's giving away a sketch to a randomly selected commentator once a week. Yours truly was selected as the first recipient and, with her permission, I am sharing a picture of my prize with all of you. This is Mirriam's take on the Mad Hatter from her Wonderland retelling that I was blessed enough to be a beta reader for during June. Mirriam is just one of the awesome friends God has blessed me with over the years, and she's one of the most creative I've known. Reading her Wonderland retelling and another of her works in progress this summer gave me some renewed inspiration and motivation to forge ahead with my second Merlin book, which, as I've said a few times lately, is giving me grief. She's not afraid of dealing with deep issues and talking about the things that really matter, but she's just as happy making snarky comments and fangirling over Marvel (...

Currently Writing:   Merlin quartet book 2 Currently Reading:  Dune by Frank Herbert                                 The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien (Reread)                                 The Hostile Hospital by Lemony Snicket (audio)                                 Daughter of Light by Morgan Busse (Kindle)                                 Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Vol. 5 by Hayao Miyazaki Tad Williams once wrote about the difficulties of writing second books (and sometimes third books, in his case) because they are essentially the middle of the story of a trilogy (or quartet). As such, these middle books must begin and end i...

My friend Mirriam  recently blogged about her top ten on-screen characters, and I was inspired by it despite not having seen most of them in action. Here, in no particular order, are my current* top 10 on-screen characters. Captain America/Steve Rogers (Marvel Cinematic Universe) – Steve Rogers is the man I wish I could be – so devoted to his ideals that nothing (not HYDRA, best-friends-turned-assassins, or even bullies on the streets of New York) can stop him from defending and realizing those ideals. He isn't perfect, but he strives to hold himself to his code of truth and freedom, seeking to punish bad guys and save good guys – and maybe even redeem a few of those bad guys along the way. He's not afraid to confront those he disagrees with, but he never quite crosses the line into showing disrespect (unless he's dealing with Tony Stark, in which case that's the only way to be heard). Merlin (various works, including Disney, Hallmark, BBC) – Merlin is my absol...

Currently Reading: Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan Stroud, Dune by Frank Herbert Currently Writing: Merlin book 2 "When we read, we start at the beginning and continue until we reach the end. When we write, we start in the middle and fight our way out." -- Vickie Karp Beginnings are hard. I'm starting the second book in my Merlin quartet. Technically, I have half a draft written from NaNoWriMo 2013, but there are portions of that draft that aren't going to survive this one, including the beginning. It just wasn't gripping, and some of the characters' circumstances changed between edits of the first book since I wrote that half-draft. Despite starting in a different place, this draft's beginning is not so great, either. I'm not worried about getting the beginning of the book perfect on the first draft. That didn't happen with the first book, and I shouldn't expect it now. It will be easier to rewrite the beginning chapters when the middle...

Currently Reading: Poems  by C. S. Lewis                                 Even This I Get to Experience by Norman Lear                                 The Golem's Eye by Jonathan Stroud Currently Writing: Poem-a-Day challenge for National Poetry Month                               draft 3 of Merlin Book 1 (previously SOMEDAY) Where does inspiration come from? I mean, of course, where does the inspiration for art (whether written, musical, or visual) originate? As a Christian, I believe that all inspiration ultimately comes from God. As Creator of the universe, He is the source of creativity and therefore its muse. That isn't to say that I think all art is God-breathed in the way Scripture is, but I expect it's a differenc...