Why I Love Nancy Drew

I've always been a bit of a Nancy Drew fan.

And this week I came across a couple dozen old Nancy Drew books lining my bookshelves...or rather my sister's. Both of us went through a crazed Nancy Drew Phase. I read everything the library had. She bought all the books she could afford.

For the most part, I'm not a mystery person. And let's face it, Nancy is written in a pretty cliche style. But every now and then...I don't know if its nostalgia or if there's really something in these stories...I just get a hankering to reread them.

So I thought it'd be fun to make a list of the reasons why Nancy Drew continues to be so popular after all these years.

So the reasons I've always loved Nancy:

1. Awesome book covers. As an artist and an indie author who does her own covers, I must point out that the artwork on those hardbound yellow books is pretty dang awesome!


2. She gets to travel all over the place. I mean, come on!


3. cool bits of history, facts, and info learned while reading a story.


4. Despite not being the best "quality" writing, their easy to read. The plot is intriquing enough that you don't mind too much. ;)


5. Don't forget Ned Nickerson: I mean she had an (apparently) good-looking boyfriend, but he was not the clingy type...he didn't hesitate to protect Nancy, but he obviously admired her greatly and never "held her back" in any way. Though to be honest I alway found him a bit dull. ;) And the few times they "smile romantically" at each other and someone teases them and Nancy "blushes." Yeah. I admit it. I laugh.


6. Then there's George and Bess! Let's be honest. Those two are the epitome of awesome best friends. And considering how hard it can be for a threesome to keep everyone feeling included, I think these three do a great job at being supportive caring friends.


7. Mystery. Duh.


8. The settings themselves.


9. How smart and clever Nancy is. Okay, so most of the plots are simplistic in retrospective and it looks like a three-year old could figure them out...and half the time the wonder isn't that Nancy figured it out...its that no one else noticed either. But so what if Nancy lives in a world of simpletons. When we read these books at the age of 12 or 13 they made us feel like WE were Nancy and we were the smart, clever, beautiful, capable sleuth...


10. And who doesn't want to grow up to be brilliant sleuth, huh? Answer me that.


11. And the fact that Nancy is beautiful and capable...when your 12 years old and you read about the heroine roaming all over the seven continents solving mysteries...how can you not be impressed?


12. She has the awesome dad ever. That's for sure.


13. Oh, and the housekeeper. Mrs. Gruen is pretty lovable too. In fact all the adults seemed pretty laid-back and perfectly okay with their young daughters running around looking for adventure and jumping headfirst into danger....


14. She's eighteen (sixteen in the original stories!) but apparently has no school or college connections tying her down. She has all the freedom anyone could wish for!


15. And the best reason? She was never a damsel in distress. If some villain tied her up and locked her in the closet, she didn't just sit there and wait for Ned to come rescue her. Oh no. She always figured out a way to free herself. Now that's what I call a role model for young girls! ;)

So what do you think?

Comment below on your favorite Nancy Drew read (or Hardy Boys if you read those instead!), and why you like it!

Divine Storytelling

So, a couple weeks ago, I noticed something really cool, while reading the Bible.

And yes, I've read this passage many times. And I've probably even noticed and pondered the whole idea before. But it never really jumped out at me like this. It was very inspiring.

I was sitting in church, reading along to the sermon text, on my phone. Only the pastor was reading from the KJV and I was looking at the Message Bible. This is how it translates, Matthew 13:11-14.

He replied, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom. You know how it works. Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn’t been given to them. Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears. That’s why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward receptive insight. In their present state they can stare till doomsday and not see it, listen till they’re blue in the face and not get it."

Did you see it? Did you see it?!

Somehow, replacing the word "parable" with the word "story" just got me all kinds of excited...

Because of course, I'm a storyteller too. Just like Jesus!

Come on, you know that's an awesome thing.

But the thing that I really loved about this?

Jesus, explaining why He tells people stories. Not just to entertain, obviously (though he appears to thoroughly enjoy a well told yarn, just as much as the rest of us). But he points out to them the power of Storytelling.

To paraphrase, he's basically saying, "I can preach at people till I'm blue in the face, and it goes in one ear and out the other. But tell, a story and seeds of truth will be planted that, if not now, someday will bloom and they shall understand."

That's what it sounds like to me, anyway.

This whole thing about Jesus being a Storyteller reminds me of J.R.R Tolkien. Tolkien talked constantly of something he called "sub-creation." Which is, that humans have the inborn desire to make and create things, because they were made in the image of God. And he is the Greatest of Creators. He loves to make things (Universes out of nothing, saints out of sinners, and cool stuff like that). And so of course, we feel the same desire to create.

So if you are a creator of any sort, if you are a storyteller of any kind....

Don't try to hide it. Don't be ashamed. Don't feel like, "There's got to be something more important I should be doing."

I think its pretty obvious that what we are doing for this world is pretty important. Or else, the Greatest Creator and Storyteller of all wouldn't have given us the desire to create too.

And on that note, I'm think I'll go create something today!

A Glimpse of Elfland

Excerpt from "Falling Into Fairyland"

(Upcoming mini ebook)

DISCLAIMER: This is rough draft material. It will be buggy and contain typos. There is no guarantee it will even be in the book so there's no need to point out mistakes in grammar or spelling. This is provided for enjoyment only! All rights belong to the author. Please do not copy or share in anyway...except to share this post via email or social media with friends of course! Thanks. :)

So, enjoy!

INTRODUCTION

I'm not a fairy believer or anything. But there was a time that I nearly saw an Elf.

I have always been deeply into fantasy literature. And I love Elves. Ever since I read Lord of the Rings at the age of 12 or 13. Or even before. I remember watching Rigoletto and being fascinated by the hints of an Elfland in the movie.

And I'm a writer. I'm always writing or drawing something, especially something fantastical.

That hot August afternoon I sat on my front porch with pen and paper in hand. I don't remember if I was writing or drawing. But I was stuck. I remember that. And I fell to looking around the yard and staring, trance-like, at the vegetation across the road.

A cloud rolled across the sun. A gloomy sort of shadow lay across the world for a moment.

And I was staring deep into the canopy of green vines and leaves that draped over the creek-bank. It was a very Elfish place. I love those little glimpses. It gives me a shivery feeling of wonder. This is what I mean when I speak of 'magic" being in something. An overwhelming glimpse of beauty and majesty that overwhelms you. It usually involves the woods. Or God.  It's full of hope.

And Elves.

I fell into imagination somewhere along in there. What if, from deep within the shadows of the canopy...

What if an Elf--tall, blond, dressed in brown and green, with a longbow, shimmering with light--were to step from beneath it at just this moment? I was so deeply lost in imagination, that I could see him clearly. For a second I felt like I really had seen him.

Suddenly the green canopy gave a great twitch!

I jumped in my seat, heart going like a trip hammer.

And my little, brown dog leaped out of the green canopy, chasing a rabbit.

I let out a ragged breath of disappointment. Doggone it! (No pun intended).

For a second I'd really hoped I was going to see something!

That is the story of my life. Always so close to Elfland and never quite there.

I can't help it. A part of me keeps hoping to someday discover its real. :)

25 Crazy Excuses To Get Out Of Work

Something ridiculous and unexplainable has occurred this morning. There's no way way you'll make it into work--but your boss will never believe the truth.

Still, you have to try. So you pick up the phone and you say,

"Good morning boss. I'm afraid I can't come in today because..."

1. I didn't escape the dragon.


2. I've been whisked out of time and space by a mad man in a blue box.


3. I'm buried in a mountain of popcorn.


4. The kidnappers are fixing to push me off without a parachute.


5. I'm caught in a fairy ring and they won't let me go.


6. In 30 seconds the Dark Lord destroys the world and only I can stop him.


7. I was eloping and fell off the ladder.


8. The werewolf moon strikes tonight and its having a stronger effect than I anticipated.


9. My secret experiment exploded all over my apartment.


10. Aliens crash landed in my backyard and are holding me hostage for our worlds secrets.


11. My toe is caught in the faucet.


12. I got sucked into the computer and now I'm trapped in a virtual game world.


13. I'm holding off the vampires with garlic, crosses and holy water.


14. An angry earth goddess is threatening to turn me into a tree if I don't comply in the next ten minutes.


15. Giant spiders have surrounded my home and all I have to fight them off with is a frying pan.


16. My Muse and I traded places this week and now she's refusing to do boring things.


17. A jealous witch put a sleeping curse on me.


18. I ran into the door-frame and broke an elbow. Don't ask.


19. My bedroom is swamped by tiny blue people and they refuse to leave unless I give them cornflakes. Unfortunately I ran out of those yesterday.


20. An Elf riding a flying unicorn took me away to Fairyland. They're in need of some Unlikely Heroines.


21. I let Mr. Darcy out of the book and I have to get him back in before Lizzie marries Wickham.


22. I found a genie lamp and I'll be sending in my resignation.


23. I'm trapped inside the Mona Lisa. Da Vinci it seems was something of a magician.


24. A fortune teller says this is the day to find Prince Charming. And no offense but I'm not looking for him at the office.


25. I'm calling from the Underworld.

In need of more silly work excuses? Here's the story behind this fun game.

Comment below on your favorite excuse. And share three of your own silly work excuses! Or you could write your own blog post and put a link in the comments. :D

Fandom Evangelism and Being a Jesus Fangirl

On Sharing Your Geekiness With Random Outsiders.

You know the feeling. When you've made a smashing joke, and then realized you are surrounded by dull ordinary people who don't read the right books or watch the right movies.

This happens to me all the time. For example:

I'm not what you call a hardcore Dekkie. My friend, Jami, once loaned me The Circle series and I absolutely loved them--for the fantasy world elements. I must admit, anything that happened in the real world, the actual "thriller" parts, I just tolerated for the story sake (and its woven together perfectly, don't get me wrong). I'm just not a thriller or a horror fan, so I don't really get into most Ted Dekker books. But I did enjoy the Circle series (except for the end of Green. I really didn't like the whole circle ending. I wanted absolute closure!).

But at least I loved it enough to get some of the in jokes and references when I hear them. "Dive deeper" struck me as a great spiritual catchphrase, just like "Further up and further in!" And I loved that "Elyon" is the name for God in that world. And that His Waters are green (Have I mentioned my obsessive love of the color green?).

So when my friend Jami refers to Mountain Dew as Elyon's Water, of course I find it hilarious. Or I did the first time I heard it. That's probably a cliche to Dekkie's by now, but still, its amusing.

Then one day I made the mistake of referring to Mountain Dew as Elyon's Water in public--to be specific, at work. And then I spent ten minutes explaining to the guy across from me at the break table, what I meant.

For my troubles, all I got in return was, "A Christian thriller? Well, that's a new one!"

You're welcome Dull Ordinary Mortal. So much for trying to brighten your day with awesome fictional worlds!

And at least ten times a day I have the same dilemma when it comes to Doctor Who references, Lord of the Rings quotes, and Narnia analogies.

It's a lot like the feeling I get when I want to share my Christian beliefs with someone.

Oh wait. That's a different kettle of fish entirely (I can't stop to think of a better analogy. I'm on a roll here folks!).

When it comes to my Random Fandom Geekiness I have a hard time shutting up (Just ask my family).

But if the opportunity comes for telling people about my Christian values and beliefs its like my lips have been sealed together with concrete (is that a good metaphor? Oh who cares...).

Okay. So I'm an introvert. I tend to be the Loud Fandom Geek around my friends and family. With others I'm considerably quieter. And I often develop a case of Concrete Mouth (which sounds awkward, but we're going with it) about anything I especially love...fandom related, Christian related...anything Me Related. I'm not sure why. Is it just fear? Am I afraid of being laughed at? And I don't want things I hold special to be laughed at...Am I afraid of being criticized or told I'm not politically or socially correct? (Despite the fact that everyone knows that half the things that are politically correct are sterile and horrid, and many politically incorrect things are true and good and awesome...in fact, its a stupid label that no one should give a hang about. But that's a post for another day.)

ANYWAY. The point is that sometimes I still absentmindedly slip up and make Awesome Fandom References in public that no one else gets. But I rarely do that about my Christian values.

I'm not here to tell anyone not to make Nerdy Remarks in public. I'm not here to encourage anyone to be as Awesomely Nerdy in public as they wish. I don't think it matters. Sometimes its nice to keep it to yourself--secret and special, sacred to the Chosen Few who get what you love about it. Sometimes its just fun to be Yourself and Love Out Loud the things you love, and not care what others think. Just don't be annoying on purpose.

No. All I wanted to say was...perhaps if I chose to view my Christian beliefs the same way I do my various book and movie fandoms, I might actually be a nicer, funner, more interesting Christian to be around.

After all, being a Christian is a passionate thing. Its about a Divine Love Story. The ultimate Romance.

To be honest, I can't think of anything Awesomer than being a Jesus Fangirl.

And that's all I have to say.

Yes I Disappeared...

Confessions From An Invisible Writer.

Okay, so I didn't literally disappear. No magic rings or invisibility capes for me. Sorry about the fakey attempt to intrique my readers...which I'm 99.999% certain didn't work anyway.

But I have certainly been absent from this blog for months.

Sorry about that too.

But lets be honest. It wasn't much of a loss. This blog has devolved into a dull "Hey look I published a short story you should buy it and by the way this is what I did yesterday" accounting of things. Who wants to read that?

Well. Alright, so I'm always interested when writers that I love do that on their blogs. So I won't bash myself.

But still we need something more interesting here.

And this summer has been one with some amount of soul searching for me. At least as far as writing and art and creativety and What Shall I Do With My Talents And Life In General goes.

I've been doing a course from Kevin Kaiser that is helping me "revise" my online presence...for lack of a better description of what I'm trying to do. It's a course for online creative entrepreneurs anyway ("Did you here that?" My Muse just said wonderingly. "Creative Entrepreneurs. That's what we are!").  Its very simple and straightforward and starts with the basics. So I've just been focusing on that (especially as I've been rather sickly this month and didn't feel like doing much else with my brain...). And I finally think I know where I want to go with this blog and everything.

SOOOO.

A Few Promises From Me:

• I, Leslie Marie Dawson, hereby promise to write something funny and interesting here at least once a week (I've been reading essays and short stories by A.A. Milne lately. That could account for my desire to write dry-witted nonfiction pieces...)


• I also promise to send out a weekly email full of links to interesting things I've collected from the internet that week.


• And I promise to write at least fifteen minutes a day on stories I would like to share with you. The idea is to get used to the fifteen minutes and increase it as I go along...


• I also promise to create and share more art here on the blog (any art actually. As I haven't shared any so far...). I know, to follow through on this I should make a deadline of some kind. But I'm trying to focus on writing for now. So we shall say one piece of art a month...and see if I manage to stick to it.

And that's about it for now.

So, now to brainstorm what that first witty blog post shall be about. Hmm...

See you next week!

May Goals and Updates

It seems I have neglected the blog for a month but I haven't been idle. I've set some writing goals. And I realize I need to make some changes--to this website, to the stories I'm publishing etc. Try new things and all that.

My main goal this month is rewriting the Snarktales. Yes, even the two I've published. Everything gets a new look. I'm excited about this and hopefully I'll finish by the end of the month.

I've also been participating in Story a Day May. The name is self explanatory. You don't technically have to write a new story each day, but can set whatever goal you choose. I decided to try a new story every day though. What I've discovered is that, unless I plan microfiction--a Twitter fiction series, a drabble, or anything under a page or two--I generally can't finish the story. But at least I'm writing super short fiction, finding new plots, and having fun. And I haven't missed writing something daily all month!

I have one other project going. I asked three friends to proofread the Cinderella Snarktale back in February. As a thank you, I'm creating a piece of artwork for each of them--characters from their own fiction. This is a ton of fun. Have been scouring Deviant Art for free stock and reference photos, and creating inspirational Pinterest boards (which said friends can pin too, of course). Right now, I've just got some quick pencil sketches down.

And that's about it! The changes to the published stories and this blog will, hopefully, take place next month. :)