She submitted a very sweet, thoughtful story idea, and although she gussied it up to read like fantasy, it's actually the story of three people in her life who are very dear to her. Their true story is pretty amazing as well.
Here's Amy's winning entry.
There once was a village, deep in the heart of the lush, rolling hills of legend, where people worked long into the night preparing for their prophecy to come true. It was a tale, older than any villagers could remember, told by paddocks and firesides alike, about the dark young princess who would one day come to the village and show them the way to the rainbows. No one was sure exactly what the rainbows were, but they knew they wanted to get there. She would be a gift for two princes of great service and worth. There was much speculation about who the princes would be. Young boys would fall asleep imagining the heroic deeds they’d do to grow up and be worthy of the beautiful princess and her magical gift of rainbows. When she arrived, a celebration would begin that put to use all their preparations, the finest cloth, woven from the softest lamb’s wool, the stores of food they lovingly grew and tended all year long, the candles they made with the help of the bees they cared for, the expertly carved furniture sculpted from the finest wood from the straightest trees. . . It was all waiting for her. Unbeknownst to them, at the heart of their community were two of the kindest, most loving, and worthy souls ever to live in the village. One was a baker, and a teacher, who worked with all the village children, teaching them by day and preparing delicious breads by night to deliver to the most in need. The other was an artist who drew pictures and wrote stories about the village and its people, to capture their work and make stories to entertain and expand their world of imagination. They loved each other very much, and it was this love that made them most exceptional. On a day, like any other, an unknown woman walked up the road and straight to the home of the two men. Her knock was greeted by the smell of baking bread, and the warm smile of a welcoming host. She wasn’t there long before a group of curious villagers gathered around outside, curious about this stranger. They tried to see in the windows. Strained to hear what was being said inside. Soon, the door opened, and the woman came out, closely followed by the two men. She walked through the village and up onto the highest knoll. Turning to the west, she held up her hands, raised her head to the sky, and silently nodded, slowly, one time. The hills began to tremble. The worried tones of the gathered villagers were slowly drowned out by a low rumbling in the earth beneath their feet. And then someone gasped, a small frozen sound, like the quick intake of breath before an unexpected dunking. The faint call was surrounded by stillness radiating out among the fretful assembly. On the horizon, just over the ridge, came a thunderous clap of color. Crimson and violet, emerald and azure, and then yellow, bright as a wish, all led by the most beautiful young girl any of them had ever seen. Having never seen colors, it was almost too much for any of the villagers to take in. Except for two, who stood on the hill, surrounded by great swaths of flawless vibrancy, which they loved, but not nearly as much as they loved the girl who painted their world.
I'm excitedly thinking of ways to depict as much of the story as possible in one painting.
Well, it's that time again...the end of one year and the start of another. I posted a list of New Year's resolutions and, wow, did I fall short. But it's better to aim high and miss the mark than to aim low and get the bullseye (I know, sounds like justifying, huh?). What DID I actually achieve in 2011? Let's see...
My 2011 resolutions.
1-3). The first three resolutions were about travel. Did I make it to the places on my list? Nope. Did I travel at all? A little bit, yes. And I did have opportunities to travel more, but in the end, I decided I needed to focus all of my time and effort into achieving resolution #4. I did have a great ten day vacation in New York City and Boston. Got to see a lot of friends, explore both cities and I finally met my brother-in-law.
4). Get Lucy Clayfoot published. Hmm...that didn't happen either. BUT, good things did happen career-wise in 2011. In February I signed with a great agent, Lauren MacLeod of the Strothman Agency. I'm currently one of seven clients that Lauren represents (and the only male!). Lauren works very hard for her people. This year she got my second book, JOASVSK, in front of a lot of wonderful publishers, and the feedback was mostly positive, but unfortunately we didn't realize that several publishers had already acquired books similar in topic to mine, so it looks like JOASVSK is in limbo for now. I'm okay with that. Lauren also decided that, while there's a lot of great stuff in Lucy Clayfoot, I need to restructure the story a bit and change a few elements to make it stronger before she sends it to publishers to look at. Before I do that, I need to finish writing the manuscript for my third book, which is tentatively titled Frenzy. It's a suspense/thriller for middle grade readers and I'm having a lot of fun writing it. When it's complete I can return to Lucy Clayfoot and get her ready for submission as well. Frenzy will be finished in January.
5). This one was about getting into really great physical shape. At the beginning of the year a friend of mine lent me the P90X workout DVDs, which, as the name implies, is an intense 90-day workout programs designed to get people into the best shape of their lives. It does work. The first go-round I stuck with the program for maybe 36 days or so and the changes were noticable everywhere. I think I lost too much weight though, and that was because I wasn't really following the diet as closely as I should of. The workout burns a lot of calories, so you can't really skimp on calories and protein intake.
In the fall I got distracted by life issues and I didn't work out much at all. But about 45 days ago I started P90X again and I've been fairly faithful to the workout. The routines are a lot easier now and during Plyometrics yesterday (the jump training DVD) I felt like I could launch through the ceiling. I have a lot more strength in my legs now, and everywhere really. The workout trains every single muscle, including the ones people tend to neglect when they go to a gym. After the 90 day cycle I'm sure I'll do it all over again. It's a great workout that doesn't require a lot of space, money, equipment or time (an hour a day). So the bottom line is I didn't achieve the results I was hoping to this year, but I think I'm probably stronger and more fit overall than I've been in years. This is a resolution that will continue on into 2012, for sure.
6). Make a living through creative endeavors. Hmmm... I definitely did some freelance art work, but not enough to make a living. I had to keep the day job. But there are things happening right now that will make #6 one of the first "roll-over" resolutions that I achieve in 2012. I'll mention that last week I did earn an excellent art gig that I'm having a lot of fun with.
7). Read more. I DID read more this year. And I just finished book one of The Hunger Games. I'm a few chapters into book two already. Good stuff.
8). Hold a Giant Chinese Salamander. They are surprisingly hard to find. I checked everywhere, except China.
9). Blog more. Not really, but I did post more this month than I have all year.
To sum up...there are two ways to look at this list and both would be right. First, it was an epic FAIL. Second, it was an admirable list of goals that was supplanted by other admirable goals. For example, even though I didn't go to Italy, I did make it to NYC where I had lunch with my new agent and came to the conclusion that I'd made the right choice. Another example: Lucy Clayfoot isn't published yet, but this has been a very exciting year careerwise--I signed with a great agency, I had a book on submission this summer, I am close to completing my third book, and I made some good friends in the industry. Most importantly I am more inspired than ever to become a career writer. I love the work, and I have no doubt that 2012 will be an amazing year as I'll have two more books on submission (Frenzy first and then finally Lucy). I'm happy with all I achieved in 2011, and I think the value of having resolutions is really just to remind us to work all year round for the things that are important to us. So, what are my 2012 resolutions?
1). Sign with a great publisher.
2). Continue honing my skills as a writer/arist.
3). Continue on with P90X. Health and fitness is a huge deal to me. I know how miserable I feel when I let it slide. Sometimes it take a few trips to Hardees to remind me of that. I'm glad to be with the program again.
4). Travel! I won't list destinations like I did last year. But I'd still love to go to all of the places I mentioned. And more.
5). Start the side business I mentioned in my last blog entry.
6). Move to a new city.
7). Focus more on my social life. 2011 was The Year of the Hermit.
That's about it. It's a streamlined version of last year's list. More realistic, but the basics are still there. I'd be interested in hearing what goals you have for 2012.
I hope you all have a productive, happy, healthy year and I wish you and your families the best.
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