A little over a year ago, I wrote a little children's story that has now taken a whole new meaning.

At the time, it was harmless, a simple little story that came from a quote I had seen. I wrote it for my creative writing class, and ever since then I have been happy with it. One of my favorites. Here it is, for those of you who missed that part of my life.

“Have you ever noticed that mice don’t have any shoulders?” –George Carlin
 
                                             Scimpers’ Shoulders. Or Lack Thereof.. 
 
            The pitter patter of little paws sounded across the dark, basement floor. A mouse could be seen scampering toward another mouse, who was rummaging through the available trash, hoping for any kind of morsel for eating. The first mouse, who’s name was Scimpers, inquired of the other mouse, Gippy, a query that was rather surprising because it is quite a profundity. 
            Scimpers said to Gippy, “Have you ever noticed that mice don’t have shoulders? Have you ever wondered why?”
            Gippy, though, was right in the middle of sniffing a potentially delicious piece of cracker, which to his surprise included salt! In the mice community, this was a rare and special occurrence, right up there with finding a substantial chunk of cheddar cheese. So, naturally, thoughts of Scimpers and his strange question, no matter how fleeting they were, had vanished as he devoured his cache. When every last scrap was consumed, Gippy was finally brought back to reality by Scimpers’ persistent stare. 
            “Uh, what again?” Gippy asked.
            “I said,” Scimpers reminded rather exasperatedly, “Have you ever noticed that we, as mice, have no shoulders? I mean, they seem largely necessary.” 
            Gippy just stared. “Why?”
            Scimpers expressed his frustration with a deep, vexed “Ugh!” He was quite upset that this fellow mouse wasn’t hung up on such a paramount question.
            “Why? Why?? For the same reason that I can’t just shrug this off. I can’t shrug at all! Because in order to perform a shrug, one must have shoulders! So I can’t let this go, or shrug it off, until I get an answer to my question!” 
            After his little rant, Scimpers was quite out of breath, for this was becoming very important to him. “I need an answer!” he finally said, and sagged to the floor. 
            Gippy thought this over, although this did not seem at all important to him. But if he could give Scimpers any kind of logical answer, he knew that Scimpers would likely go away. But after this thought, Gippy sighed. Mice were not meant to be logical creatures. They lived to scamper and flee from other animals, and eat. That’s it!
            “I’ll give you an answer,” Gippy replied. “Your answer is maybe mice, the most humble of creatures, do not have shoulders because they don’t need to shrug, because they should not be asking unanswerable questions that they would need to shrug off. Impossible questions are for those who have nothing to do but think, and we mice just don’t have time for idle thinking.” 
            Scimpers thought this over for a minute. Gippy waited, although he began to look longingly at the pile of trash several feet away that he had not inspected yet. He feared that Zippy or Pippy, who were nearby, would get to it first.
            Finally, Scimpers shook his head and walked away. Gippy was very relieved, and moved over to the rubbish and stuck his nose in. 
            Meanwhile, Scimpers had migrated to another treasure seeking mouse, whose name was Tippy.
            Scimpers said to Tippy, “Have you ever noticed how mice don’t have any shoulders?”

A story about cute little mice. Care to venture a guess why this story does not now seem to me like the cutesy little fable that it was supposed to be? Well, I'll tell you another story.

It was yet another sleepless night. This has been happening way too often lately. Its completely screwing up my sleep schedule. I've begun to hate sleeping in, but that's a hard thing to avoid when I lay in bed until 3am or later. One night sleep even alluded me until 6 am. I thought I was going crazy. 

This night though, I was hearing sounds. This may have been a sign of growing senility, or an absolute truth. Take your pick. Just know this: What I was hearing all night was little scampering sounds of Scimpers' peers, complete with a tiny little squeaking as they were conversing with each other.  

Yes. This really happened. 

I know because the next morning, my radio, set to a timer, came on at 7am and I woke up just enough to notice new sounds. Closer sounds. Sounds that were no longer muffled by the ceiling panels. The mouse was IN MY ROOM!

Yes. This really happened.

Immediately I sat up, wide-eyed, with absolutely no more sleep in mind. I listened more closely. Yes, there was definitely something snuffling around the corner, behind my desk, where I had stupidly left a shopping bag. 

So I am freaking out, not yet crying, wondering what to do. I text my mom, telling her the situation. We text back and forth, and gradually I start to cry, cause I just have no idea what I am going to do, or even If I could do anything. 

I was just getting up to reach across my room to grab a Kleenex when one of them RUNS ACROSS MY ROOM! I jumped about a foot in the air, screamed, and grabbed my phone, crying my dignity away. I call mom and the first thing I say is a very garbled "It just ran across my room! I don't know what to do! Mommy I don... kn...t...do... help meeeeee...!"

Needless to say, I calmed down enough to get myself out and drive to Salt Lake, thank goodness. I would not have been able to live in that darned apartment a moment longer. We went back that night to the rest of my stuff, (half of it already moved out), and later in the week to clean and check out. Its lucky I was so close to moving out. 

Now, this story may only serve to tell you that I am a huge wimp who is driven out of my apartment by mice, or just a waste of your time cause you just couldn't care about my failings as a mouse killer. Whichever, just know, I am not sure I am still able to watch Ratatouille anymore. That's what this experience has done to me. And makes me VERY glad that I move into my new apartment tomorrow morning. Couldn't be more excited. Maybe my life will no longer be unoriginal and unexciting. Just maybe. I am leaving the possibilities open.

But really, knowing me, my life will not turn into a Hollywood movie just by moving to a new place. I will be satisfied with a CW TV show, though.

As always,

AmandaInLogan(via Salt Lake)

P.S. I apologize for the stupid highlighting thing going on. I could NOT get rid of it. 

We Are Robin Hood!

A new favorite T.V. show? Indubitably.

And yes, thats right, I said T.V. show. THREE FULL SEASONS of this awesomeness.



Watch a trailer here.

I loved this show. It was such a fresh new take on the old story, but it had all of the same stuff. At least until the end of the second season when the writers decided to CHANGE the original story! It made me real angry at first. I even protested and didn't watch it for a week. (Thats how long I lasted, I loved the show too much.) However, it turned out okay. If you want to know what I mean, watch the show! (It's on Netflix Instant Streaming)

Anyway, so, for the sake of those who haven't seen it and may still want to see it, I can write a little promo for it. But then after that I will have to give a spoiler warning cause I want to talk about what I thought of it, and that means giving the plot secrets away!

But first, to summarize:

"Deep in the heart of England, lives a legend, Robin Hood"

It is the same old typical tale. Robin of Locksley, played by Jonas Armstrong, returns from the Holy Land (in this version with his faithful soon- to- be freed manservant, Much, played by Sam Troughton) where he finds Nottingham to be under the rule of evil old Vasey, Sheriff of Nottingham (Keith Allen). He finds Marian, played by the lovely Lucy Griffiths, to be still unmarried, but less than thrilled at his homecoming.

And he finds his people to be overworked, poor, and miserable.

Whats new (as far as I know) is that his lands and Locksley Manor are now being run by the Sheriff's right hand man, Guy of Gisborne. Guy, played by Richard Armitage, who I had formerly seen in the movie North & South (and who I love!), is an evil, greedy, power hungry man who desires Marian to be his wife.

"Le-dee-da-dee-da", the same old stuff, throw in a couple more principle characters and a bit more epic bow and arrow stunts from Robin, and he has ended up as an outlaw, with a small gang of fellow outlaws to help him fight the sheriff, trying to put things right, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, until such time as the beloved Richard, King of England, returns and saves them all.





Its a great ride, watching from episode 1 to the series finale. Lots of surprises along the way. I found myself gasping in complete surprise several times, and even once I turned off my computer and walked away, I was so mad.

Now for the Spoiler Warning. There will be some major spoilage from here on out, so if you have not seen this show and still intend to watch it (please do!), stop reading now! If it were me reading this, I would have been so mad if I had kept going. (I am talking mainly to you Sis. I don't want you blaming me, and I really want you to keep watching the show!)

I am not going to give an entire summary (horror!) that would be too long. I am just dying to share my thoughts on a few things.

First off: My favorite characters (minus Robin Hood).



Sir Guy of Gisborne, jilted lover whose inner battle of Love vs. Power ends in guilt ridden tragedy.


Guy's story is, in my opinion, the best. Looking back, knowing his full life story, I am amazed at how far he has come. He was hit with deep tragedy so young in life, and it is clear that for many years to come, he would still be sunk in his own little lake of despair, keeping him from finding true happiness.

For some strange reason( or at least it was strange at the time), throughout the whole series, he was my favorite character. Even though he was an evil, pig-headed idiot that was trying to take Robin's girl, I still liked him. This was a first for me. I usually cant stand the bad guys.
Guy of Gisborne was constantly trying to earn the love of the Lady Marian. This above all else, showed that he was truly good at heart. The man he was on the surface was angry, bitter, power- hungry, do-all-that-he-can-to-get-what-wants-even-hurting-and-killing-innocent-peasants. But a man like that cannot love like he did. He grew to truly love Marian, and would do anything for her. He even had a moment of truth, somewhere in the second season, where he had to choose between being the Sheriff and Prince John's ally, which meant a life of riches and power over the poor, or fighting and almost surely dying with Marian. I squealed with strange delight when he chose Marian. He turned his horse right around and chose love.

However, Marian would never be his. She loved Robin, and Guy was destined to have his heart broken. And when that became a reality, the battle between his love for Marian and his desire for success and power was rekindled and the wrong, shallow side won. In a desperate act for power, he killed Marian (for good this time) and ended the battle but started a life of intense guilt and sorrow. He turned into a man whose only solace was his fight for ultimate power that had no desire behind it anymore. He became a man who lived each day in his own private Hell. (He became a man who no longer washed or cut his hair.)

He is the only reason I continued watching after Marian's death. I knew, now that she was gone, and at his own hands, that he was going to undergo an intense emotional journey. And those are my favorite! I wanted to see how he would take this new situation, how he would either move on, wallow and let the guilt and despair run his life, or rise above it. I am happy to say that it was that last course that he took. Eventually, through a series of events and revelations that I wont get into now, he allied himself with Robin and helped to save Nottingham. The best part about that was that he (to use the schoolyard metaphor) stood up to his bully, the Sheriff, and proved that he was not just some kid who could be pushed around. It annoyed me to no end whenever he let the Sheriff control him. I could tell that Guy didn't like it either, so I knew eventually he would do something and I couldn't wait for that.

Okay. I think I should be done ranting about Sir Guy now. I could say plenty more but it would just make this post way too long (not that it already isn't).

My other favorite character is Allan A Dale. I am so glad he stayed for the whole series. He wasn't originally a favorite of mine. In fact, he made me really mad several times. But his journey is almost as fascinating as Gisborne's. Although not as emotionally fascinating. He doesn't kill the love of his life after all.

But he does let greed fight with his conscience. His inner battle is Greed vs. Loyalty and Good. All he wants is money and food, and he is good at lying his way out of trouble, until he joins Robin's campaign. There are two memorable times he lets his greed make him forget his loyalty to Robin and the people of Nottingham. He finds himself in possession of quite a bit of gold and determines to leave Nottingham to start a better life with it, leaving Robin and the gang behind. He even persuades Will Scarlet to come along. Thankfully, he changes his mind, or probably Will changed it for him, and he rides back and saves Robin and the others.

Later, after being captured, Allan is bribed by Gisborne to turn spy against Robin. Did he stay loyal to his fearless leader? "A Clue: No." To my complete horror, Allan accepted, and he spent a good part of season 2 aiding Gisborne and the Sheriff in their campaign against Robin Hood. However, he regretted this and ultimately won his spot back in Robin's gang of outlaws, and staunchly became a fierce do-gooder and a very good looking one at that. :)

In the end, when his loyalty was once again questioned, and this time he was truly loyal, he died for the cause. He lived the last of his days firmly on the side of good, and proved that with his blood. I was openly furious. He was not originally my favorite, but he did end up being one of them. I didn't want to see him die.

Like Guy of Gisborne, he was also jilted at love. A few times, actually. When Djaq (pronounced jack), joins the gang after being freed from a line of Sarasin slaves destined to work in the mines, it soon becomes clear that having a girl in the gang causes a few of the outlaws to fall in love. Both Allan and Will start to fall in love, but it is Will's boyish charm that wins out, and Allan is forgotten.

Then, later, when once again a girl, Kate, joins up, he starts to feel something for her too. But this time Much, Robin's humble and faithful best friend who has no luck in love (or tact, for that matter), also falls madly in love. But Kate will have none of that, and falls for the legend himself, Robin. Allan has once again lost.

Its sad really. You'd think he could have somebody to love him. But I think that both Djaq and Kate did love him a little. Djaq believed, more than anybody else, that Allan could prove himself to be loyal, and when he didn't, I think that was when she lost interest. And Kate showed deep sorrow when Allan died. But really, who could compete with Robin Hood?

Okay. One more favorite character. I wont rant as much about him because I dont really know why he is a favorite of mine, and he was only in a couple of episodes. He is Carter, the assassin bent on killing Robin. But Robin turned Carter's emotions upside down and created another fiercely loyal friend. He had a small little emotional journey of his own. I desperately wanted him to stay on as one of Robin's gang, but he went to fight alongside King Richard instead.





Will Scarlet claimed the title of my favorite first though. I really like him. Mostly because of his eyes. :)

Sorry, girl moment.






And finally, the last character to be introduced, and who was only in the last few episodes, which is too bad, because he had potential, is...

Archer. Half brother of both Guy and Robin. 'Nuff said.






















                            Brothers in arms.




And in the end, Robin ends up with Marian. And they all live happily ever after! Well, "live" isn't the best word for that. They all pretty much die. But i'm okay with that. For once.

If life were a rerun, it would be fantastic. There would be zero guessing, no major decisions on where to go. We would already know what to wear, what to say, what career we are meant for. We would even know who to marry, how many kids to have, and what their lives are going to be like also.

But really, who enjoys reruns, truly? At least as much as they enjoy them the first time through, when there are endless possibilities, and endless chances to be proven right or wrong. That's where the adrenaline comes. Its such a great feeling. I mean, if you're deep in a forest, your backpack fell down a cliff taking with it everything you have but the clothes on your back, and you're being chased by a particularly malicious bear, you're not going to get scared and start truly fearing for your unfulfilled life as your feet are pounding through the thick and dark forest if you already know that your intuition- filled friend is going to show up with a well-timed helicopter and whisk you safely away.

Be honest now. Would it be as rich of an experience without the adrenaline and without the mystery? No! It wouldn't! And be honest, is watching Inception or other some such movie a second or third time through as exciting? No! The mystery is gone!

Now, this is all coming from a girl who LOVES to re-watch movies, TV shows, and re-read books. Ask me how many times I have seen Tangled, and its only been out on DVD for a couple of weeks. And ask me how many times I have read Harry Potter. And I will go ahead and tell you now that I am going through Chuck episodes for the second time, and I will probably go for a third, fourth and fifth.

So, going back to the idealistic side of the rerun philosophy, a part of me does think that it would be stupendous. I am at a sort of transition in life. I look ahead and I have NO idea how its going to go. Am I going to graduate and get a great job, am I going to get married before or after that, am I going to change my major at some point because I will realize that teaching is not for me, am I, am I, am I? It goes on. The possibilities are endless because this is my first time through, this is not a rerun. But, just as I really wanted a heads up before the power went out last week, I would really kind of like a similar heads up in my life. Sadly, though, and probably beneficially, thats impossible.

So, I keep on guessing.

But here is another thought. What if our lives were written out in a book? Our own personal pre-memoirs.  That offers up a simple solution. Just read ahead. We wont know everything in life, just a small part of it. We could figure out, for example, just WHEN something is going to happen. Or how. Whatever. Just as long as some of the maddening mystery were taken away.

That's innocent enough right? Wrong. Dead wrong.

Hopefully, you have read Harry Potter. All seven books. And if you have then you would recall that at the beginning of each chapter there are pictures, having something to do with the story. NORMALLY they are blameless and unoffending, not giving anything away. However, towards the end of the very last book, (therefore the most important ending, right?) there is a very infuriating picture. Well, I used to look ahead at the pictures only, studiously avoiding the words themselves. I thought it was the okay part of reading ahead. Once again, DEAD WRONG. I saw this picture (not wanting to spoil for those who haven't read the book, I wont say which one, although a Potter expert could probably guess) and I was soooo mad.

I will leave it at that to avoid pointless ranting. However, I describe this to illustrate the dangers of reading ahead, so that theory is also out.

Sadly, that leaves me still guessing.

Our lives haven't been made into a movie or written in a book because they are still being written. But, THAT, dear readers, is the exciting part. We don't already know so we get the full and delicious suspense out of life.

One of my many philosophies going through my head at random times. Apologies.

Always musing, always looking forward to the next page, never reading ahead, and always,

Amanda In Logan

6 #1 Reasons Why:

Something I have been thinking about lately. I have a Top 3 for almost every category; movie, book, song, artist, writer, etc. Or approximations of some of those. So I decided to say why. But instead of running the risk of repeating myself and talking about my #1 favorites ( I tend to talk about them a lot). So I will just talk about the other things, that are less discussed in my daily life. (Is this making any sense? 'Cause it does to me, but I do recognize that it is probably very convoluted. I apologize. )


Anyway, so here goes. 


1. The #1 reason why I love John Keats.


If you don't know who this guy is, check out this masterpiece:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YItOUJlZpY


Okay, so he does happen to be my number one favorite poet, but since I have newly discovered him, I haven't yet exhausted the topic.


This guy KNEW poetry in a time when apparently no one else did, because he was very unsuccessful in making money in this trade. He wrote it beautifully. A few months ago, I watched Bright Star and instantly fell in love with this guy's words. The movie is a portrayal of part of his life, of his love affair with Fanny Brawne. I don't know how accurate it is historically, but it introduced me to his poetry. If you actually sat and listened to the poem that I gave a link to, you might also understand why its so deliciously, canorously stupendous. But I also know that some people don't take to poetry as much, so its okay. Nevertheless, here is an example of one of my favorite poems of his:


                          When I have fears that I may cease to be 
                          Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain,
                          Before high-piled books, in charactery,
                          Hold like rich garners the full ripen'd grain;
                          When I behold, upon the night's starr'd face,
                          Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,
                          And think that I may never live to trace
                          Their shadows, with the magic hand of chance;
                          And when I feel, fair creature of an hour,
                          That I shall never look upon thee more,
                          Never have relish in the faery power
                          Of unreflecting love;--then on the shore
                          Of the wide world I stand alone, and think
                          Till love and fame to nothingness do sink. 

    This is a masterpiece in my opinion. These and others that Mr. Keats wrote make my heart sing because he skillfully entwines words like no other, except maybe Shakespeare.  


"Poetry should... strike the reader as a wording of his own highest thoughts, and appear almost a remembrance." So true. Check out more quotes by the master himself. He is a brilliant philosopher, taking the form of a poet. 



Also, admittedly, the movie also made me fall in love with Ben Whishaw. I think he expertly portrayed the poet with magnificence. I would love to see him in more stuff. 


2. The #1 reason why I hate dinosaurs. 


Okay, I think I might be alone in this but I HATED Jurassic Park. While it is a good movie, I do know that, I just hate that movie. Mainly because it came out in 1993 and so I saw it at a very young age, and it gave me extremely vivid and frightening nightmares. They handicapped me. Ever since then, the only dino movie I can watch is The Land Before Time, and even then I hated the parts with T Rexes. Please, no judgments. If you had the nightmares I had, you might be the same way.


3. The #1 reason why I tolerate commercials.


Basically, they are a fixture of the modern world, and all must tolerate them. We all know they suck. Especially when you are watching a movie. They just don't have the same rhythm when interrupted by those darn ads! 


What's this? You mean, with new technology you can somehow skip the commercials? What? Tell me more?!? Unfortunately, myself and my family are not yet advanced in our technology that we can enjoy this luxury...


If I was in the ad industry, I might just like them more, but as it is, I am not (maybe not yet). So I do nothing more than tolerate them, except in the case of the one Super Bowl commercial with the little kid Darth Vader. Did you see that?!?! So cute.


4. The 5 reasons why I cant get enough of musicals.


Les Miserables
Moulin Rouge
Tangled
The Lion King
The Phantom of The Opera


And these are only the ones I have discovered (but not the only ones). They are simply phenomenal, each for they're very own reasons. Les Mis for the tear jerking effect the music and lyrics have; Moulin Rouge for Come What May, that is such a beautiful song especially when sung by Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman; Tangled for giving us a singing Zachary Levi :) ; The Lion King because well, why not?? Jason Raize, who played the original Simba on Broadway, FLOORED me when I heard Endless Night. He is flawless; The Phantom of the Opera because this is the archetype of awesome music. The whole thing is awe-inspiring. 


Note: These productions are in no special order, just simply the order I wrote them down.


5. The #1 reason I believe in Jesus Christ.


Forgive me for going into a bit of religious rant, but, especially lately, my testimony continues to grow. The reason is that the spirit repeatedly confirms in Jesus as our Savior, and the Savior of the world. Hymns, the Scriptures, other's testimonies like Joseph Smith, Amanda Smith, and cute little kids'. And then there is that wonderful feeling I get when I pray to my Heavenly Father. It is better than when I hear Jason Raize, or that feeling you get when the commercials are finally over, or the blessed peace I feel when I think about how dinosaurs do NOT still roam this Earth, and even more than when I read the words written by "the magic hand of chance" belonging to John Keats. 


Thats my kind of testimony. :) 


The #1 reason why my life is so unexciting: I spend my time thinking about things like the above points. Someone please find me a new hobby. 


As always and always finding new things to delight in, 


Amanda In Logan





                  
                        

nobody ever told me Logan was going to be so cold!

Ready for my rant? Okay, here goes:


It was sooo cold the past two days! Seriously. It was 3pm and it was BEYOND FREEZING! Coupled with the wind, it was a miserable walk to and from class. I look out the window before I leave to make sure its not snowing or something, and what I see is the sun! This is not normal in Logan I have come to find out. We have lots of cloud cover. But it was clear skies and sunny! I was excited. So I put on my warm but light jacket and walked outside. I go up around my apartment and start up the stupid hill and the wind was blasted into my face! Thats when it fully hit me. It. Was. Cold. No, not even cold. It was Siberian, algid, arctic, below freezing, below zero,benumbed, biting, bitter, blasting, bleak, boreal,brisk, brumal, chill, chilled, cool, crisp, cutting,frigid, frore, frosty, frozen, gelid, glacial, havegoose bumps, hawkish, hiemal, hyperborean,icebox, iced, icy, inclement, intense, keen,nipping, nippy, numbed, numbing, one-dog night,penetrating, piercing, polar, raw, rimy, severe,sharp, shivery, sleety, snappy, snowy, stinging,two-dog night, and wintry.(Yes, that is the whole thesaurus.com entry for the word 'cold'.)


I swear. I needed to wear a full on body suit in order to be warm at all. I almost felt as if I was walking on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. In my mind I can just hear Leo DiCaprio saying "It hits you like a thousand knives stabbing you all over your body. You can't breathe. You can't think. At least, not about anything but the pain".


Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration in this instance. It just screams hyperbole. But really. It was so cold! All I wanted to to was go home as soon I could and turn on my mattress heater and curl up under my blankets. 


But I had to go to class so I was not afforded that luxury. And what a luxury it would have been! It sounded like heaven to me during those moments of battling the icy wind. I'm thinking of writing a poem, using all of the best diction I can conjure up. Heaven knows
I can think up something. Check back later. Maybe I will post it.










As always (at least until my ears are defrosted),


AmandaInLogan

Dear Mr. Lund

Those who are as devoted to the written word as I am undoubtedly have a favorite author, or even several favorites. And they all most likely want to meet and have a little chat with that author, or at least write them a letter. Since I cant seem to find an address for my favorite author, this will have to suffice. Besides, it is part of my road to being a writer, so it seems a fitting thing to write, I think. 

Dear Mr. Lund,

I am a devoted reader and aspiring writer who deeply wants to express her gratitude and awe to such an author as you. You don’t know it, but you have left a great impression on my life, and I am only eighteen years old.  So I am writing to you, with the same feelings a young child has when writing to Santa Claus. I am going to try to put into words what exactly I would like to say to you if ever I got the marvelous chance to meet one such as you.

I feel like I have grown up with your books, namely, The Work and the Glory and Fire of the Covenant. And I want you to know that they have been on the top of my favorites list for quite awhile. I can still remember when my dad played the tapes of Pillar of Light on one of our car rides, in an attempt to stifle the bickering I am sure. I was too young to really understand, or sadly, care what it was. But years later I still remember that the description and the words I heard as I drifted off to sleep were almost magical. And that is how I still feel, after many times reading your books.

Your writing may not be a fantastical tale of witches and wizards or magic carpets and fire- breathing dragons, but, nevertheless, it is entirely magical to me. When I first read The Work and the Glory, I was a little seventh grader. Yes, I was 12. Looking back, it was probably some really heavy reading for me, but I devoured it all. In fact, I read so much, and so fast, that I ended up winning a reading contest, with the sole help of your incredible tale, Mr. Lund.

Now, a short six years later, as a freshman at Utah State University, I know that your books will always be among my absolute favorites. As a reward of finishing my first ever semester of higher education, I let myself read a novel, just for fun. And I chose to reread Fire of the Covenant. (Yes, I know an immense tear- fest.) I have read it an innumerable amount of times, but every time I read it I still marvel at how much your words, and the events you portray, really get to me. Your immortal sentences seem to resound in my head year- round, and I am always wondering, “What would the Steeds think about this?” or “Couldn’t I marry a man Like Eric Pederson, so gentle, so chivalrous?” and Lydia McBride Steed is one of my biggest role models. I think she is one of your best characters (although they are all pretty great).

As I mentioned before, I am a wannabe writer, and I have come to think of reading your books as a sort of research experiment. I like to read them to familiarize myself with brilliant writing, the kind I hope to produce myself one day. Historical fiction is my favorite genre of writing. There is just something about learning while you read fiction that I am entirely hooked on. But, while in the midst of this research experiment, I lose myself in the enjoyment of those stories! I cannot fully say just how much I enjoy the plots, and those heart- wrenching moments. They are so special. After finishing The Fire of the Covenant, I started The Work and the Glory, because I just couldn’t resist. So now, I am halfway into Volume 2. I am getting closer and closer to the part where Nathan gives his baby son a blessing, and in it naming the young boy after the Steed’s lost brother, Joshua. That right there is one of those sweet moments that just make me cry. And you do it so well Mr. Lund. I can hardly handle the anticipation until I read that part again.

Now, to come to one of the main reasons I want to write, I want to tell you about my own project plans. One of the characters you featured in your books, specifically Volume 4; Thy Gold To Refine, is an ancestor of mine, Amanda Barnes Smith. When my dad told me about that, I was so excited. She was one of those who I loved reading about the most. Her spiritual strength, and the amount of faith she held in the power of prayer inspired me so much. In fact, recently I have come to decide that her story will be the one that I would like to feature in a novel of my own. Without full out copying your brilliance, my challenge for myself is to write her story, loosely based off of your own writing style but make it unique to mine. It may be a several year project while I am still in school, but it is what I want to do. That is why I have held onto your books so desperately. As I build up my ability in writing, I think of them as my textbooks, and you my teacher, or mentor. And my blog is my weekly exercise in developing that ability. Along with rereading your books a ridiculous amount of times, I have been diving into the story, trying to discover it all and imagining it in a novel form.

Without seeming too self-important in my grand plans, I just wanted to say that you, Mr. Lund, are extremely inspiring. I can tell that your understanding of the Gospel is way beyond the normal, and you have made me understand the gospel even more, and made me adore Joseph Smith and the Restoration and the ever faithful Saints. I guess my mind is one of those that need history played out, with all its drama and emotion, to fully understand, and comprehend it. So I am ever thankful for your genius. You must have received inspiration straight from God to write those books, just for my benefit. But I know that it is way bigger than just me. I know that the whole world benefits from your inspiration, and that is proof of God’s all-knowing power. He knew that your books could change the world. And they do. They change it in a million tiny ways, in a million people’s whole world. They may not be as life-changing as the actual events they depict, but in their own special way, they do change lives.

So, Mr. Lund, I was just writing to say, thank you so very much. Thank you for giving me the Steed’s, and Maggie McKensie and Eric Pederson. And thanks for inspiring me to write my own story. And thanks for being absolutely awesome.

                                                                          

                                                                     Sincerely, your biggest fan and best reader,

                                                                                    Amanda In Logan