Hullo : )

[Alien and Sojourner in a Foreign Land]

COFFEE! COFFEE! COFFEE! And that’s the subject of this evening’s talking points memo.

Wow, lots of people play the piano on here. I mean, I do too, technically, but my piano is quite far away from me at the moment, rendering me unable to play [however inconvenient that is]. Which stinks. (@kathleenramm Moonlight Sonata is one of my favourite pieces to play, as well. I’m surprised you haven’t mentioned it yet. You know. With your peculiar taste of egg-plant pies, and all that. [Though, I rather enjoy some whipped cream with those.]) I’ve always wanted to play the violin, but my sister won’t let me borrow hers (which I don’t blame her for, AT all), so I was stuck with the guitar. That didn’t last long, though.

@gracie-j Alright, Gracie. (@libby Oh, yeah, she loves Gone With the Wind.)

@nova21 Inception? Hans Zimmer? Sherlock Holmes? I played a song from Hans Zimmer’s track of Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows. Pretty fun piece to play, that one.

@libby Hello! Welcome to Kingdom Pen; salutations. Greetings. Hello. Shake hands.

I do believe we met on Story Embers once or twice. Though I was named differently, then; you might remember me as William Norfleet or some other name (of which, I had a few).

I’m glad to see you’ve got Charles Dickens on your favourite authors list. And Jane Austen, too; amid Tolkien and Lewis, also, of course. Nice.

AND: One of your favourite songs is “Into the West”? Wow. Don’t hear that often; it’s one of mine, too, but sadly I can’t play it on my computer for some reason.

Now. (You did ask.) I’ll introduce myself properly. Without mentioning the peculiar peculiarity that keeps happening with people introducing themselves at the end of their posts. Yeah, I won’t mention that, don’t you worry.

You can call me Leon Fleming, of course, but you don’t absolutely have to. That is, it’s not required. I don’t require it. It’s not in my list of requirements. I’m an author/poet, and am currently working on projects which have hitherto been unmentioned to your particular self. According to pecuniary difficulties (as Mr Micawber would so frequently put it), I have not yet come into my inheritance of twenty thousand pens, but that’s an entirely different story so I won’t bother you with it right now.

I’m a fan of (in fiction) Tolkien, Lewis, Roland, Austen, Dickens, Agatha Christie, N.D. Wilson, dictionaries, Lemony Snicket (as I’ve recently realized is a favourite of someone else; at least a series), Clive Cussler, Roald Dahl, William Wordsworth, Robert Frost, Robert Lewis Stevenson, etc.

Favourite novels: David Copperfield, The Lord of the Rings, The Mighty Shall Rise, The Hobbit, My Side of the Mountain (all three), Great Expectations, The Secret of Chimneys, Carry On, Mr Bowditch, the 100 Cupboards series, the Ashtown Burials series, Lando, Three-Act Tragedy, The Chronicles of Narnia, Cards On the Table, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Moccasin Trail, The Phantom Tollbooth (yes, I know, but I don’t care), and that’s only a few of them, really.

I’ve been writing for something like five years, am currently in the middle of large projects in both mystery, fantasy, and epic fantasy lay sorts. Inquire more if you’d like. My main efforts at the moment are Epitaph (mystery; along with a few others), I can’t tell you the fantasy title [but let’s just say it’s BIG], and The Lay of the West. To clarify the last project named, it is a poem of approximately 300 pages; narrative verse. Though I prefer to call the first section historical narrative. I’ve only written the first draft for the first part (which is called The Lâhrï), and have yet to finish the first draft for the second and larger part. I’m going to begin a first draft for a second epic lay sometime near November as I’ve got too many things going right now. Next year, I’m planning on writing the first draft of Epitaph (the plot, of which, I’m working on right now). I’ll just say that I’m gonna let the fantasy project take as long as it needs.

I’m interested largely in languages, poetry, writing, reading, notebooks, pens, pencils, science, biology, other things, some more things, and a lot of more things like those along with some things like that.

The last and best/most important: I’m a Christian, which means that Christ saved me out my dead state in darkness through his shed blood on the cross. My purpose in writing is for a purpose, to be sure. Not merely to write, but for other reasons.

So, that’s the short bit of it all. Any questions?

[Anonymous]

@leon-fleming WHAT? So, you can drone on and on about why you don’t want to read Gone with the Wind, but you don’t bother mentioning that you play the piano? *huffs, hoisting her nose into the air as she pivots about on her rather high heel* How incorrigible of you.

And, yes, @libby, I do like Gone with the Wind. And how did that become part of the conversation again? I didn’t even mention it!

[Alien and Sojourner in a Foreign Land]

@gracie-j Well, I mean *scratches chin* I thought I had mentioned it somewheres on here, but maybe not. But yeah. I do play the piano. I mean, I do. That is, I do play the piano. Why do you are so much, anyways? Do you play the piano?

XD Hey, it’s a catching topic!

[Anonymous]

@leon-fleming Regretfully, no–I play no musical instruments. I was just surprised that you did, was all. I’m also very dramatic. I bet that you’d never guess that I’ve been the star of several off-Broadway productions, would you? Probably because I’ve never once mentioned it. I wonder if there’s something to that.

[Kathleen]

@libby

The Hunger Games Trilogy isn’t like any books I’ve ever read and it definitely stands out from your typical YA fiction. (I’m actually in the middle of reading it again right now) Some of the things I like about it is that the characters are complex, the theme is deep, and the writing style is so easy to read without being overly simplistic. Also, as time passes and as you get older, the books seem to evolve. You see the stories through different lenses that you haven’t seen before. They’re books that change every time you read them. And yes, this is one of the many instances where the book is better than the movie. Except for the last book. In that rare instance, the movie is actually better.XD It’s not everybody’s cup of tea,  But I do think it’s worth reading if you are into books.

 All the Wrong Questions is a middle-grade four-book mystery series that gets better with each book. It’s an amazing mystery and has great characters and humor. It’s by Lemony Snicket, the same guy who wrote The Series of Unfortunate Events. And although I do like The Series of Unfortunate Events, I much prefer All the Wrong Questions series, since it has more mystery and is not nearly as sad. Now talking about it, I think it’s about time I read it again. XD

Yes, The Lighting Theif is part of the Percy Jackson series. It was the book that made me fall in love with reading when I was 9, it will always be one of my favorites. I really love all the main characters and I also really like the Greek mythology aspect. The humor and character voice is also fantastic. If you want to read something good but not too deep or sad, I definitely recommend it.

I started learning Korean because my sister, who is fluent in the language, really inspired me, and most of the shows and movies I watch are in Korean. I’d love to understand them without subtitles, and fully grasp the full meaning. My sister also has few books that she really likes and recommends that are in Korean, but I can’t read them because they aren’t any versions translated into English. XD

It’s cool that you are learning Japanese! Are you fully Japanese or only partly? (If you don’t mind me asking).

I have six siblings, but three of them have moved out awhile ago. The three siblings that are left we write stories together. Yeah, we have a pretty special relationship. Since birth, we’ve done EVERYTHING together. We know each other so well that the rest of our family is like strangers in comparison. We work on the biggest writing projects together, but we each have our own solo projects that we work on separately as well. How many siblings do you have?

@gracie-j

You dislike Jane Eyre? It’s not one of my favorite books, but I would like to hear your opinion about it. What made you dislike it?

@leon-fleming

“COFFEE! COFFEE! COFFEE!” ~ Leon Fleming 2020

Has there ever been a more beautiful sentence ever created in the history of the universe? I think not.

Oh… eggplant pies? Ah, yes… I love them. So… delicious. The one you made last New Year’s eve was delightful. I definitely ate the whole thing and most certainly didn’t throw it out.

 

[Alien and Sojourner in a Foreign Land]

@kathleenramm XD Coffee!

Yeah, uh, eggplant pies; those weird little custard-filled pies layered with egg-plant toppings. So delicious. Hey! Well I’m glad you liked it! I’ll make you another one!

I’ve only heard good reports about Jane Eyre so far; this’s a change for sure.

[Linyang Zhang]

(All these posts are so long I can’t read that much…)

@libby Hi! Welcome to our lovely Kingdom! I love playing piano too!

I give information about myself upon receiving specific questions, haha, because my brain is dead most of the time.

So what kind of music do you like to play? Classical or contemporary? And what sort of books do you read? What genres do you write?

(Sorry if you already answered these…my eyes are a bit too tired to read everything right now.)

Lately, it's been on my brain
Would you mind letting me know
If hours don't turn into days

[Anonymous]

@kathleenramm @leon-fleming Okay… *takes in a huge deep breath* So, it’s been a couple *chuckles nervously* years since I’ve read Jane Eyre, and I, uh, it may have been abridged (note: may), so… But I’m sorry, y’all–I could NOT get over the insane wife in the attic! I mean, how is that appealing? Literarily? or, I dunno, romantically? or, like, at all? I really don’t find the idea of the potential love interest (1) lying to the heroine and (2) keeping his crazy, insane wife locked up in the attic. Like, put her in an insane asylum. Divorce her (which I pretty much never say to a character, so…). Just don’t lock her up in your attic and then lie about her. Like, that’s just sick. The whole thing was just…sick. Makes Rhett Butler look like a saint. (And, yes, I see the stink eye you’re givin’ me, Sir Leon.)

So, maybe the full novel was actually pretty good, and maybe I’ve forgotten something important over the last seven–er, couple–years, but I just…I just can’t.

[Alien and Sojourner in a Foreign Land]

Wow. I’m not sure what to say. You’d better not mention this to my mom or sister. How long have you been this way? (What happened to your profile picture, anyways?)

[Alien and Sojourner in a Foreign Land]

I mean, I haven’t read it myself, but…(XD)

[Anonymous]

@leon-fleming Been what way? Sweet and kindhearted? Oh, I’ve always been that way. *chuckles* Nah, I just have an assertive personality. It’s genetic.

And I just changed my profile pic recently after a professional–er, mother-daughter photoshoot. You like? I honestly don’t look good in pictures period, so…

[Libby]

@gracie-j I’ll have to check Lifehouse out sometime for sure then ^.^

Ah, I see.  Somehow I thought you’d already read Wuthering Heights.  That makes sense.

Haha, well, I wish I had more to tell you about my novel (entitled Grey for now).  I should probably write a blurb, but I don’t have one yet.  I tried to work on it during NaNoWriMo, but I last minute started on a different piece.  I care so much about Grey that I really want to outline it and do my best, and I feel like during this school year, I don’t have the time and energy to pour into it.  So my hope is to get working during the summer.  But, back to the story itself!  It’s about a young man named Max temporarily until I find a name that actually fits.  The story is set a two hundred or so years into the future, in a starkly color-obsessed world.  Max’s father, a rich scientist, is training Max become successful in his field, and as a result takes his son on the first test run back in time of the time machine he just completed.  But what Max finds in the old world is throws his career off balance, as well as his relationship with his dad, and he finds himself caught between the past and the present in a battle of values and truth.

There.  It’s not very polished, but that’s a peek into my hopes and dreams for Grey.

I see your point there about publishing young.  I think I’d agree with you to a certain extent, but also I think it depends on a person’s goals and desires (feel free to push back on this idea since I haven’t thought too much about it).  I have a story that I want to tell in Grey that’s far deeper than any other I’ve thought out before.  And I want the world to read it, to experience it, and to be touched by it as I have been.  I don’t know if I want to traditional publish or indie publish (you did bring up some really good points here that got me thinking), but I think I want to wait until it’s refined and polished so that readers aren’t so much thinking about the writing as they are the message (and if I were to try publishing some of my fiction now… well, my writing is not that good).  All the same, I do see your point about the experience of publishing young.  It’s a perspective that I haven’t really heard much before, and from someone experienced in that area, and I think I’m finding myself agreeing with it more than I thought I would.

That was a great big ramble, haha.  I don’t know if I got anything accomplished in that paragraph, but I’m not going to delete it since it took time to write ; )

Yes, please watch the 1995 version sometime ; ) It’s so worth it.

My tagline “Elen síla lúmenn’ omentielvo” is taken from The Lord of the Rings.  It’s Quenya (used by the elves) for “A star shines on the hour of our meeting.”

Elen síla lúmenn' omentielvo

[Libby]

Also, Gracie, I love your profile pic.  I know it’s not new since you changed it quite a while ago, but you look gorgeous and sophisticated ^.^

Elen síla lúmenn' omentielvo

[Libby]

@william-starkey I do remember you from Story Embers on some of the poetry threads.  It’s good to see you here.  And congrats on being a poetry intern – that’s wonderful!

Yes, I love Into the West, it’s so poignant and deep.  Glad to hear that you like it, too : )

Are you still going by Leon or are you now William?

Your list of favorite authors makes me very happy.  William Wordsworth, Robert Frost, and Robert Louis Stevenson are all some of my favorite poets.  Do you have any poems in particular that you like by them?  Or by anyone?

I’ve heard so much about David Copperfield, one of my brother’s favorites by Dickens.  What makes it one of your favorite books, if I may ask?  I’ve never read it, so this is just out of curiosity.  And you like Carry On, Mr. Bowditch?  I don’t know many people who’ve read it, it’s a favorite of mine as well.

I’d love to hear more about your current projects, all of them if you’re up to it.  I love hearing about what other people are passionate about, especially when it comes to writing and music, so fire away.

The Lay of the West sounds intriguing and so amazing.  The way you described it reminded me of the epics of old.  And 300 pages is pretty impressive.  When you finish, I’d love to read it sometime.

So… questions.  What got you interested in writing?  How did you come to Kingdom Pen?  What makes you love poetry so much?  What kind of pieces do you like to play on the piano?  Any favorite composers?

Elen síla lúmenn' omentielvo

[Anonymous]

@libby First of all, thank you for your sweet comments! (If only I looked so sophisticated on a day-to-day basis! LOL)

Definitely check out Lifehouse. And, yeah, thanks for reminding me to read Wuthering Heights…sometime after I make it through the other forty books I’ve got to read. 😉

#1 I love the sound of Grey!

#2 Fantastic ramble, and I’m gonna send you an email, because my ramble will probably be five times as long!

#3 Next time I find the 1995 version, I will watch it, no matter what my siblings say! (You better get your act together, Netflix!)

[Author]

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