Can't get these organized on the dumb ipad so this is a random kersmash (see above title)
Emi, here's the tentative list of Ronnie and Josh's rifle squad: The Squad
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| Not characters in the book, but good pic |
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| Needs some work |
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| Needs some work |
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| Not characters in the book but good pic |
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| Actually turned out |
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| Needs work |
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| Needs work but not bad if you don't zoom in😆 |
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| Turned out! |
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| FLOP!!! Don't ask me what this is, I am not responsible 🤣 |
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| Looks good! |
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| Love this one! |
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FLOP! What's on his head? Extra pair of glasses?
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| FLOP!! Don't know how I ended up with this... |
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| Not characters in the book but good pic |
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| Not characters in the book but good pic |
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| FLOP!! He's supposed to be in bed. Not her!! He looks so confused... Caption, please!! 😆 |
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| Not character in the book but good pic |
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| Not character in the book but good pic |
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| Not characters in the book but good pic |
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| Possibly Emma caring for unidentified soldier. I'm serious, he's not a character. |
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| Cover idea |
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| Odd baby |
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| Accidentally turned Ronnie into a baby 😆 |
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| FLOP!!! Don't know what happened here 🤔 |
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| "Nan" |
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| Not character in the book but good pic |
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| FLOP! Attempt at Rob |
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| FLOP!! Attempt at Mac |
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| Major FLOP!!!!! Attempt at Mac, no kidding!! 🤣 |
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| FLOP!! Attempt at Rob |
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| Love this picture 🥰 But not necessarily right characters |
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| Love this picture too 🥰 But not necessarily right characters |
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| FLOP!!! Accidentally turned Ronnie into a crazy old man 🤣 |
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| Cover ideas |
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| Cover ideas |
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| Cover ideas |
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Cover ideas
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| Looks good! |
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| Another good picture! But not sure who these characters are. |
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| Ronnie at fourteen, beginning of the book |
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| Josh at thirteen, beginning of the book |
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| Katie at ten, beginning of the book |
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| Emma at twelve, beginning of the book |
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| Mickey at twelve, later in the book |
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| Mickey at four, beginning of the book |
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| Jerry at eleven |
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| Lissie at twelve |
Emi, Seon, if you're reading this, I just got cover ideas back from the cover designer. There's three different ideas...
1. In the first version, we can show the helmet that lies on the ground and next to it are ammunitions from weapons, and we can also partially show a medical bag. Also, we can show the sky, military planes, and the title in the upper part of the cover. Convey an older atmosphere; we will create the design in muted, not bright, colors with serif fonts.
2. The second option we can show all 5 characters in silhouette. Behind them will be the field, explosions. And there are planes and a title in the sky.
To make it visible that the women were doctors, we will put white bandages with a red cross on their hands.
(The five characters mentioned here would be Josh, Ronnie, Mac, Emma, and "Nan")
3. Alternatively, we can show a silhouette of a soldier in uniform. He will not be at full height but more closely. Behind him is the American flag. We will make a double-exposure composition and will show a war scene in the middle of the character. Below is the title.
So, you guys, what do you think? Honestly, I would love your opinions!!
The Many Faces of Malcom Isaac Scott
We'll make this easy. They're numbered. Let me know which one, if any, is right. I tried and tried sooo hard, but I couldn't get the scar to show up... 🤷♀️
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| 1 |
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| 2 |
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| 3 |
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| 4 |
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| 5 |
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| 6 (Just saying, this is my favorite... 😁) |
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| 7 |
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| 8 |
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| 9 (I'll fix this pic later... it didn't screenshot right.) |
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| 10 |
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| 11 |
Introducing a new character:
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Lieutenant Nathan Craig, U.S. Army
Cowhand from Nebraska
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He hasn't appeared much yet, but he'll figure in pretty important eventually. Beginning in the North African Campaign. That's about as much as I can say now 😉
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One opinion coming right up!
ReplyDeleteSo. I really like the first idea! After picturing it, I’ve come to the conclusion that I could easily see it becoming one of those covers that just draws you into the book when you pick it up…. A moment-in-time snapshot, almost!
And then again, the third option caught my eye right off! Anyways, the picture my imagination painted from it sure did😄 Somehow it reminds me of that WAC poster that says “are you a girl with a star-spangled heart?” and the girl on it made me think of Emma🙃 But anyways. Heap much potential, again!
I’d say design-wise 1 and 3 were the most easily imagined for me, but that’s probably because I don’t know precisely what the artist was envisioning with it 2….
And now I’m wondering what you thought of them yourself🤔
Yeah, it's a toss-up between the first and third ideas! I saw the images they chose for the second and was not a fan. It'd be a bit too weird and busy, I'm afraid... Anyway, I have a lot more characters than just Ronnie, Josh, Mac, Emma, and "Nan", so it wouldn't be fair to all my others. It doesn't make much sense to single out those above others really...
DeleteI'm leaning towards the third currently, because I thought the first might look kinda like a historical nonfiction, but I'm not sure. I need to think about it... 🤔🤨
And furthermore, on the subject of these pictures….
ReplyDeleteMy mind is positively spinning with things I want to say here😂 Like for instance: Ronnie makes such a sweet baby (; And I ADORE Nan🤗She’s absolutely gorgeous…. And…. Is that Emma in that pup tent scene you mentioned, or am I imagining things??
And of all the beginning-of-the-book characters…. I don’t know what to say except WOWWW, you’re getting good at this!! I can’t believe how real they look….
But. More at a later date😄 because now I must go find a spot to leave Mac….
Ooh boy, this was so much fun 😁
DeleteRonnie wasn't supposed to become a baby, idk how that happened. 🤔 But he is cute! As for him becoming a crazy old man with his eyes crossed, well that wasn't supposed to happen either... but I laughed hysterically for perhaps five minutes 🤣🤣
I actually hesitated about putting Nan on here 😁 But then I thought, how on earth could a picture be a spoiler?? And yes, I love her pic!! Does she match well with your mental image of Mac?? She's pretty small... maybe around 5'4".
Oh, I love those!! Isn't Josh just adorable??
And oh boy, those flops. They're hysterical, some of them 🤣 And I do not take the blame for any! It was all the ai's fault. What really drives me nuts is the way it warps some images. I had a few really great pictures, but someone would have like six fingers or their faces (if it was a pic with two people) would be melted together. I have like a dozen pictures in which someone's eyes are crossed or melting off their face... 😳 They were too disturbing to post 😆
Ohhh yes!!! Honestly, that particular Ronnie reminds me of an elderly-but-still-totally-wound-up-about-some-computer alternative Eugene😂😂 Who might’ve just stuck his finger in a light socket….
DeleteWell, I’m happy you decided to😄 I was actually pretty surprised to find her picture! She reminds me of a wood-fairy, perhaps an Anne-ish birch-maiden….
And yes, she is! Methinks they’re going to be a picture-perfect pair🥰 As far as appearances go, anyways, since that’s how much I have to go on now😄 He’s going to positively tower over her, isn’t he?
He is🥰 And he looks so innocent!! And Little Mickey….
And Katie is just such a little doll🥰
Artificial Not-So-Intelligent Art sometimes, eh? 🤣Some of those do sound pretty creepy!! The wrestlers though, those really cracked me up but good😂 So ridiculous they’re almost cartoon-funny!
Y’know something, I think I actually spied several promising pictures in here!! (Love the new lieutenant, btw!)
ReplyDeleteAnd Thankyou for trying, I appreciate it! Yeah, the camera just isn’t quite catching it…. But I can actually see where it might be, so maybe it’s just very faint😄
Lining them up in order;
#1 just screams “Mac” to me, did from first glance, and held up under closer examination! Seriously, that’s almost unbelievably close to the way I imagined him…. Only thing is, it’s kinda like him around 27 to early 30’s-ish! Or just 27 and war-aged🧐🤔So sort of a Future-Him…?
#5 looks to me like awfully close to what he could’ve looked like in his mid-teens! Side-note: While I was trying to figure out how to describe him, I came across some old Bobby Driscoll pictures, and it seemed to me then like some element of him also belonged in Mac…. but I couldn’t figure out what to call it! And I still don’t know what it was, but it’s in 5, at any rate😄 So he’s not in the running, but he’s sort of Mac-of-the-past🙃
And #6, well, I have to agree with you on him!
I think he may just be THE ONE. Scratch that, I’m pretty sure he is! Honestly, that grin of his just gets me, it’s really kinda irresistible😜
(Maybe don’t tell Nan I said that ;)
And so…. Coming in for a landing…. while I was considering all their virtues, one over the other, I had a thought. A crazy one. And when I say crazy, I’m not kidding!! Because…. What if 1 and 6 were both him?? Is that a bit far-fetched, or could that logically be the different angles and expressions in either pic, and the years between ’em? Or maybe I just don’t want to let go of either one, and I’m imagining more similarities than there really are🤔😜 What do you think?
Ooh yeah, and isn't Nathan Craig a really cool name?? 😁
DeleteRemember in Rilla of Ingleside when Jem came home with greying hair? I'm afraid war can really, really age people. 😕 So maybe that pic is pretty accurate to how he would look towards the end of it, idk.
Aw, number 5 is pretty adorable 😁 And number 6, well, I was swooning over that one 😆 I love how it looks, putting that pic up against Nan's!!
Yes, definitely. I was going back and forth, over and over, and it totally could be the same person. I like that concept! But which pic, 1 or 6 do you want going in the characters page in the book? 😁 I don't think I can publish ai images, but there's nothing that says I can't use them on the blog!!
After all this, I got hit with inspiration and have been writing Mac and Nan all day. I should mention that he's nicknamed her "Lintie", which is a Scottish word for a little songbird. Here's a few snips 😊
Snip #1:
“I had to beat the tar out of Torpedo many times, the radge. All the collieshangies that we couldn’t blame on the Krauts, we pinned on Torpedo.”
“Do you even really speak English?” "Nan" laughed. “I barely understood what you said, just now. It’s all Scottish, isn’t it?”
“Aye, an’ would ye look at th’ lassie noo?” Mac cried, putting on his most extreme accent. “Doesna even believe I speak English. Saoil dè a bheireadh am beachd sin dhut!"
“In my defense, that wasn’t English in the remotest sense. What was it?”
“Gaelic,” Mac grinned. “My mother was fluent. She taught me.”
Snip #2:
“You keep recovering at this rate and you'll be out and home again soon,” "Nan" remarked cheerfully. “But you still need to work on those therapy exercises.”
“Aw, I’m sick of them,” Mac sighed. “That therapist is an ole’ dunderheid.”
“A what?” "Nan's" jaw dropped and she raised her eyebrows.
“Aw, nothin’. But how I’m supposed to move around with this old clunker?” he grinned up at her. “I’m a terrible patient, aren’t I? Ain’t got any patience.”
Snip #3:
Delete“Lintie! It’s good to see you,” he met her halfway, catching her hands in his. His eyes were sparkling and his smile bright and somehow, that made her heart ten times lighter.
“You too,” she replied eagerly. “How’s the leg?”
“Well, which one exactly? The real leg or the not-so-leg?”
“The not-so-leg, I suppose,” she laughed. “Keeping up on those exercises?”
“I’ve been busy. But I try.”
“Well. I’ll have to test you on that…” "Nan" turned to survey the open space around them. There were people everywhere… no helping that… but it didn’t matter. She was hit with a sudden inspiration… and she grinned up at Mac.
“Race you.”
And she was off, running as fast as she could, not caring that her braid was already falling free of its pins. As for her hat, it was long-gone. She had dropped it somewhere in the grass. Mac was running after her, slowly at first, but gaining speed and confidence. She turned, running backwards a few steps to alternately call out encouragement and to laugh at him. She realized then that she shouldn’t have stalled, because he had already caught up. She put on a burst of speed, but he snatched her up, lifting her off her feet as she struggled in protest.
“C’mon, give it up, Lintie. You’ve got to admit that I beat you.”
“It was a case of the tortoise and the hare,” she retorted, shaking her hair out of her eyes. “Now you’ve got to go back and find all my hairpins. That’ll be good for you too, getting down and up again, over and over.”
“In all this grass?” Mac made a face. “I’ll walk you to the hospital store and buy you a new pack of hairpins.”
“I’ll take you up on that,” she grinned, slipping her arm through his. “If you promise to buy me a chocolate bar too. A girl needs extra energy after all that exercise.”
“You’ll have to buy me one back,” he laughed. “After all, ‘twas you who forced me to do the runnin’, not the other way around.”
“Fair enough. You buy me a dime chocolate bar, I’ll buy you a nickel chocolate bar. Or perhaps I could find a few spare D-rations lying around.”
“Say no more, woman, or I’ll puke everywhere.”
“Do that and I’ll put you straight back into the hospital.”
Let me know if I'm still writing Mac right! Can't lose sight of him, or I'll mess up everything 😆
It is!!! I can hardly wait to see what part he plays in the grand scheme of things….
DeleteTrue enough! I’d nearly forgotten about that….
All things considered and taken into account, I say let’s go with 6! 😍They really are adorable together, aren’t they??
Annnd I have a slightly strange question.
Would it be alright for me to print a photo each of 1 n 6, as a keepsake of sorts? I can’t seem to find anything about it online one way or another, so I figured if nothing else, I’d ask you! And of course, if you’d rather I didn’t, I’ll simply continue to enjoy ‘em on here (:
Lintie, I love that! Permission to assume that she sings like one, then? Or is it a case of calling the tall man Shorty? Or maybe I should stop asking all these questions, and just wait n see?😄 Thanks a million for sharing these, it positively made my week to get to “meet” her!! in personality if not official title😄 Can’t get enough of the way they interact!!
You are indeed! He’s not precisely the way he was at the beginning, or then again, maybe he’s just different with Nan than he is with the guys, but Mac he sure and unmistakably is (; And this girl is SO good for him!! We hear about the luck of the Irish all the time, but what’re the odds of this Scot falling out of a clear blue sky and landing in the one haystack that has his perfect needle in it?!
I LOVE this Scotch streak he has going, btw!
(Good for his Mum (; although I don’t think she’d appreciate his ain’t-ing😂)
Now where would she get an idea like that?🤔😂
(Yes, I looked up the translation. How could I not??) This actually brings me to a new and somewhat irrelevant query, because well, what else have I got to think about stuck in bed😆So. I was reading the first bit there, and I got to wondering what it would sound like out loud….Also what a “Radge” is, besides Josh😜 And that started me off on a YouTube ramble of Scottish accents. And words. Which made me realize JUST how different it can be from place to place…. Which in turn made me curious about just where exactly his mother came from! Because horrors, what if I go through the whole book “hearing” him entirely wrong?? This would be a tragedy!! Yes, I am in a spaghetti-thought-pattern mood, however did you guess? No, I haven’t found the end of the strand yet…. Not sure I could find my way back along it, either😆😅
Also got into the MN accent, and was thrilled to discover how home-y it sounds😄long goodbyes and Pop n proper bags and everything! Must be because it’s right up against Manitoba….
It shall be very interesting indeed 😁
DeleteBtw, I got some feedback from the beta reader and, well... I don't think I shall be continuing with him, to put it simply. Basically, he said the writing was good but there was too much plot and I didn't know what I was doing. Well maybe I don't know what I'm doing. But oh well. I love the story and I'm not giving up on it. 🙃
Yeeesss!!! They rank among my favorite literary couples now!! Man, I have quite a few couples featured in this book... Some successful and some... Otherwise. 🤔
Well, yeah, of course! After all, 🦎 Mac belongs to you and Nan belongs to Mac (somewhat) so print all the pics you want!! Also, these aren't copyrighted. And also, the little green lizard is entirely irrelevant. It got in there by accident and I left it because it is amusing. I think... 😁 It now reads "Lizard Mac"
Permission to assume nothing 😆 You already know too much 😁 Ok, jk, we're partners in this thing. But wait and see, I guess. I really thought of it initially because she's so little and dainty... Like a songbird.
Just curious... In what way is he different? It all blurs together so much that at times I have trouble seeing things like that. But good to know that he's definitely still Mac!! And of course I suppose he'd treat her different, since she isn't Torpedo and if he was Cat around her, he'd terrify her 😆
I'm so glad you like her!!! I've had so much fun developing her character 😁 My favorite part of the above is when she gets him to run. The idea, in case you didn't guess it, is that he stays in England after his discharge from the army to keep up with the war effort and with a certain Red Cross nurse... 😏
Isn't collieshangies a delightful word?? 😁 So very Josh-like to get into collieshangies... And so very Mac-like to get into them with him... And consequently Ronnie-like to either pull them out of it or roll his eyes and laugh, depending on the severity of the situation...
The definition of Radge is Josh, I'm afraid 😆 Although, cat-like, Mac can be Radge too. Just wait till you see how he reacts to being woken up in the middle of the night after falling asleep in the desert after a looong march 😁 On a side note, I loved Ronnie's reaction to the same. They came up with it all themselves, honest!!
Accents, accents... Hmmm 🤔 I had definitely not gotten that deep into it yet!! I haven't even written Marjorie at all yet... But I'd assume she's at least a Highland Scot, being able to speak Gaelic and all that. Being now properly intrigued, I shall get back to you on that subject! But I'd say it's safe to assume Mac speaks American with only a touch of the accent. It's just a mishmash of American Scots. Hence the ain'ts 😁 But poor Nan is gonna have a heck of a time figuring him out!! And he of course shall think it's terribly funny and get increasingly more Scottish... Until she gets him back by picking up on his lingo and using it on him 😁
Note: I somewhat enlarged my vocab during this book, so warning, sad to say, there are occasional uses off heck, darn, dammit and such like... 🐢 Sorry. I meant to use a proper emoji but die to unforseen circumstances, you get a turtle. You're welcome. Good night 😁
Side note... I didn't mean to say that you must die to unforseen circumstances, for that is unnecessarily frightening and threatening. It should say due. And that is a cute turtle, btw. Have some more. 🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢
DeleteOh hey, I was just going to ask you about him!
DeleteAhh phooey, in the hands of the wrong reader, the best of books simply doesn’t stand a chance. Here’s hoping for someone to come along who believes in it the way it deserves to be, and properly appreciates the intricacies of the plot….
Well I’m certainly very glad to hear that!
Thank ye kindly😄 Just making sure (;
The both of them have now happily taken up residence with another article that belongs to Mac, and I’m even thinking of adding a few hairpins to the collection🙃😜Just because and for fun and to further the cause of make-believe (; And how d’you do, Mr. MacLizard!
Oui, Mon Capitan! I mean, Yes Ma’am😄
I do rather, don’t I😜 I’m afraid reforming me now might be slightly difficult, so we might just have to call me the Priscilla Grant to your Anne Shirley🤔
I’m thinking it’s just ‘cause it’s the first time I’ve seen him in a new-to-me character angle🤔
I did wonder how things would work after he got out the hospital, in regards of Red Cross Nurses🙃 and this is a most satisfying conclusion😄 Although I can’t say I actually guessed it, much to my dismay…. I do so love to rightly guess things😜
Ohhhh boy. It’s very fortunate for me that I don’t happen to be a cat, or my 9 lives would be diminishing at an alarming rate😂 Determined cause of demise: chronic curiosity!
Aided and abetted by unidentified Collieshangies and the incorrigible Radges committing them🤣 Also “Otherwise”!
And that NAC kerfuffle🤣
Knowing really isn’t essential😜 It was just one of those tumbleweed imagination-catchers that rolls through town every once in a while, playing Pied Piper😆 (You should’ve seen my preoccupation with nurse’s caps the other day😜)
Of course, that makes sense!
Besting him at his own game,eh! Bravo!! I knew I liked this girl😂 Seriously, it’s going to feel like diving into a treasure chest to actually read this book😄
Gotcha. Quite understandable, particularly in light of the genre!
You’ll never guess what just came in the mail !! And aimed a few strange looks n questions my way since I wasn’t the one who picked it up, and the package was, um, infiltrated😆 Siblings!! Anyways. Mac’s dog-tags, in all their authentically WW2 glory, FINALLY got here….. and I’m quite unreasonably thrilled😂 This being the aforementioned article-that-belongs-to-Mac.
Well that’s comforting to know😂 Thankyou, I sha’nt (;
Aww, all the darling little turtles….. I do hereby dub them (yup, collectively!) Morton Q. Plodalong, and merrily plot plans of including them in a dozen or so smashing pranks. Just as soon as I can think ‘em up🤔 I might have to enlist Davy Keith, not having much experience in the business myself😂
Okay, now I really gotta go. Else this is going to spring a leak and sink before it reaches you, which would be rather counter-productive…. So Goodnight🙃
Well, not saying I'm a great writer and have the right to shoot down critics, but he really was unfair about it. After all, I had only sent him the prologue and first chapter. He really didn't have the right to say I hadn't pulled the story together because I was just trying to introduce the characters and set the setting. I shot back at him with a ton of excuses and he never replied and I don't know whether to feel bad or not 🤔😆
DeleteOoh, neat!!! Keep growing on that collection and it'll be like the coolest thing ever!! Yeah, definitely. Hairpins. 😁
Turns out, there's quite a few things you can do for the war effort without actively fighting 🤔
Did you mean to say MAC kerfuffle, or am I missing something?? 😁
Haha, that's awesome 😂 Everything I have gets infiltrated so… um… confidentially… I now own a P.O. Box 😏 I just don't want to deal with the questions of "why on earth are you getting WWII dog tags in the mail with random names on them??" But I haven't ordered yet. College payments, y'know. Man, I HATE college!! That's thrilling though, wish I could see 'em!! Actually, wish we were neighbors irl 😁
I'm crying tears of laughter over Morton Q. Plodalong now and have suddenly been struck with another idea. Because, y'know, turtles could possibly be mistaken for helmets in the dark 😉
Aw no! Stay and talk for a dozen more comments!! 😆
But…. He never even gave it a fighting chance?!! Of all the nerve! And now that I’ve read that prologue myself, I’m positively indignant. No, no, no. Do not feel bad!
DeleteJust go “Sorry, Not Sorry”. Take it from a Canadian, it works beautifully!
I figure unbeknownst to her (or anybody else, tho the squirrels were admittedly curious!) he went back later n found a couple of ‘em for sentimental reasons😄 at least, that’s my story of how they turned up with his tags (; you just never know what all might end up in there!
Well I thought I was abridging North African Campaign, but a Mac Kerfuffle would make an awful lot of sense😂
😯Hey, that’s BRILLIANT! Man, wish I’d thought of that😅 Exactly, right! Sometimes just a liiittle bit of privacy makes all the difference…. Or it would if it was to be had, anyways!
Yesss!!! You and me both😄What say we just crop out 5 or 6 of the extra provinces n states between hither and thither, donate them to some some postage-stamp size country as an act of goodwill, and live within ramble-reach??
I like the way your mind works😉 Hardest hard-hats around! Maybe slightly hard on the head too?