My Articles on the Web

I frequently write articles and little short stories or things dealing with my life experiences and publish on the web.   Here is the referral link if you would like to read any or follow:  http://www.triond.com/rw/291162.  Of course, you can just go to www.triond.com and search for my name L.S. Farnsworth and I believe you can find me that way as well. 

Perseverence

They sat on the edge of the cliff, not talking, not moving, just listening.  The rush of the water below moved to the beat of a jungle theme or so it seemed.  The night was full of stars, no clouds, crisp and crystal clear.  There was just enough of a chill in the air, that sleeves were needed, but no jacket or coat.  It felt good to breathe in the air. 

This was their place, no one else could claim it.  Just theirs.  It had been sheer luck that they had come across it.  Just far enough out of the way to give them peace, quiet, and privacy.  Close enough for a decent paying job, and there were no city restrictions on dogs, animals, or building requirements.  Their dreams were finally coming true, being fulfilled and life was changing. 

They were able to watch the beautiful sunsets, with no skyscrapers in the way, no noise of traffic coming from a nearby highway.  No sirens going off or motorcycles burning up and down the street.  Peace at last!  What a comfort it was to know that God had answered their prayers.  Their hard work had paid off and they were enjoying the fruits of the labor. 

He gently reached and took her hand, kissing the back of it, touching her wedding band with his lips.  She smiled.  Goose bumps traveled up her arm.  They were soul mates and God had brought them together.  There was no doubting that and there were no doubts in their marriage if they had made the right decisions. 

Peace of mind, peace in their hearts, now they could finish living their lives. 

My Novels

After much thought, I have to decide to pull my novels out and start re-writing them, cleaning them up and then I am going to try whole-heartily to get them published.  Even if I never write another one, I want these three and a few short stories I'm writing to be published. 

I'm sure there will be comments and complaints about some of the content, but it is nothing that I am ashamed of having written.  It was a place in my life, that reflected the world, and I don't think there is anything really wrong.  The contemporary romances do reflect a life that doesn't really always happen.  Most of my characters are rich or in a few of them, but for the most part, it is just life.

I hope you won't judge me to be wrong in this matter.  I will be looking for comments, and support, and you will occasionally get to read a small excerpt from one of them. 

Thanks for being my followers.  I'll have some movie reviews soon. 

What is Your Opinion

I have a dilemna and just want to get some opinions.  I have written three romance novels and I have not done anything with them since I wrote them, except one, which I tried several times to get published.  These were written some years ago, but I'm not ashamed of them, and they aren't pornographic.  They are however a reflection of a lost world, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I wrote them for the most part, when I wasn't in or attending church.  I no longer read romance novels, I read the occassional short story, or article in a magazine.  I would like the opinion of my readers, especially those that are Christians.  Do you think it is wrong to read or write/publish a romance novel? 

My novel does depict intimacy between a husband and wife, but not graphic and not really detailed.  So I really need some help here.  Do I just throw them away and forget them?  I spent a lot of time on them and although I know they need some work, I really don't want to see them ditched.  Any solutions?  Opinions? Help?

Love, L

Repo Men

We recently watched the movie Repo man with Jude Law, Forest Whitaker, Liev Schrieber and a multitude of other people.  It is based in the future and it is about a company called The Union who manufacturers hearts, livers, kidneys, etc.  You sign papers, they finance the transplant, and if you forget to make payments, they repossess them.  Now, it is a very weird movie, but it is good.  I'm still trying to figure out the ending, as the DVD skipped at one place and threw us forward.  Any way, I do recommend this for the watching if you haven't seen it.  Rating it at three and half stars, because the jury is still out.  Have a great day!

The T.V. Series, "Lie To Me"

I don't know his name other than the character he plays and that is Cal Lightman.  I love this series!  It is all based around scientific research, but is still fictional.  The Lightman Company is called in to help see if people are telling the truth about crimes, or other things.  The people help the interviewee to recall an event in order to prove their innocence or guilt.  If you haven't seen this series, I believe there have only been two seasons.  We are watching it through netflix and once we finish this season up, I have to wait until the next is available on DVD. 

The premise behind the science involves hands, eyes, body language and the way people react to different questions and situations.  It is really interesting!!!  Jennifer Beals plays his ex-wife and the D.A.  I don't know any of the other actors, but a few have been in other series or shows.  Take a look at it!  It is worth a watch!!

I know this is a lousy review!  Sorry!

Love, L

In Honor of the Oscars - Netflix suggestions

Okay so we don't have cable and I get everything we watch either from Netflix or if Blockbuster Kiosk is working and they have a weekend deal, then we will do that, but this morning I organized our list on Netflix. 
We get two movies, and then we get two DVDs of our favorite series from television.  I love the previews and the inside page on the DVDs we get from Netflix.  Most of the time, it is something that is due out on the inside page and if it looks good we will add it to our queue.  I currently have 87 things in our queue.  We are almost done with the series Lie to Me for the season three, Terminator:  The Sarah Connor Chronicles will be over soon, and there isn't another season on that one.  We still have plenty NCIS and Criminal minds, and we have a few new series we are checking out, like Damages, Second Sight, The Remake series of the Nightstalker, and a couple of older series like Warehouse 13, and Witchblade the entire series on 8 discs I believe.  So now I have to find some new movies to add to our list so that I can complete the organization. 

So here is what we like and we are looking for suggestions.  Sci-Fi, Thrillers, Movies based on History, Westerns ( don't laugh), Some Horror but nothing like Jason, or Friday the 13th, Halloween, Scream or any of those.  I like psychological movie thrillers too!  Norman likes things like the Red Baron, Defiance, etc.  I'm not into watching Nazi movies so please don't suggest Valkyrie or Inglorious Bastards.  I don't like Brad Pitt, but love Matt Damon and Mark Walhberg.  Don't really like Tom Cruise, but George Clooney is okay.  Excellent specimen actors such as Liam Neeson, Christian Bale, and Gerard Butler are okay as well as Colin Farrel. 

Please post a comment with a suggestion.  Have a great day! 

PS if you have any suggestions for TV Series that we might like, please post a comment! 

Review of "Damages"

My husband and I do not have cable or any kind of regular television that we can get, so we watch series from television through Netflix.  One of our regular shows, season three is not out, so we looked for something new based on our preferences.  What turned up?  A show called Damages.  It stars Glen Close, Ted Danson, and some others that their faces look familiar, but I don't know their names.  Any way we watched the pilot that launched the show last night. 

Glen Close is a big time attorney, and will do just about anything to win her cases.  She is ruthless, cutthroat and hard nosed.  I'm still trying to decide if I like the show or not.  It definitely caught my interest.  Would love to hear back from anyone who has watched the show.  I think it came out on like Starz, or HBO, or Showtime.  I don't remember seeing it on regular television or cable.

Have a great day!

Movie Review: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Okay first I don't go to the movie theater to watch movies.  So all my movie reviews will be after the fact, but might help if you haven't seen the movie.

We just recently watched Wall Street Sequel.  It stars of course Michael Douglas, Shia LeBeouf, Carrie Mulligan, Frank Langella, Josh Brolin, and Susan Sarandon.  There are some other actors that appear, but these are the ones with the most of the roles in the movie.  Now I never saw Wall Street, but I'm sure it was very good.  So was this one.  Does it keep you guessing?  No.  Revenge is the main theme in this movie.  It is pay back and lets see who we can make pay for how I was wronged. 

I do recommend the movie and it is a great rental.  I probably would not pay 7.00 to go see it at the theaters, but then frankly, I'm not sure any movie is worth paying 7.00 to go see.  I give it 4 stars and think you will be surprised if you haven't seen it. 

Walt Disney's "Up" Movie

I watched this Monday afternoon with my daughter, and again Tuesday night with my husband, which in itself is a feat because he doesn't normally like to watch animated movies. 

Any way, both times that I have watched this, I've had mixed feelings.  This is suppose to be a kids movie right?  Or am i wrong?  If there is anyone that hasn't seen it, here is the basic story line. 

Carl is an adventurer and follows the adventures of Howard Muntz, adventurer extraordinaire.  He meets Ellie, another adventurer at heart when they are kids, the fall in love and get married.  There adventure of a lifetime is that they go to Paradise Falls in South America, (you know it's like America but South), a land lost in time, just like their hero, Howard Muntz.  In the first hour of the show, Ellie finds out she can't have kids, and then it shows them saving money to take their adventure only to have their dreams dashed to bits when Ellie dies of old age.  Okay, that is not something I expect to find in a kids movie. 

Anyway, if you took your kids to see this, did you have to explain about the scene in the doctor's office when Ellie is crying, or when she is laying in the hospital bed and gives Carl her "My Adventure Book"? 

After that the movie is pretty good.  I love the dogs, "Squirrel".  And the fact that they have collars where you can understand them is fantastic!  So all in all it is a good movie, "Squirrel", but I'm not sure all in all it is a kids movie.

Just my take, I know it has been out a while, but just watched it.  Anyway, later!

Love, L

A Correction to a Movie Review: Winning Season

Okay when I originally shared my movie review about the movie Winning Season, I typed that the main actor was Dean Stockwell.  That is not the case.  It is actually Sam Rockwell.  However, in my defense you can see the similarities in the names.  Anyone would be confused right???

Any way it is an extremely good movie.  I still suggest that you watch it.

Later,

We have only been watching old movies this week.  Iron Man last night.  However we did watch Up the Walt Disney movie.  I do have some interest facts to share on that one.  Stay Tuned.

Two Movie Recommendations

Both of these movies are older movies, but things we did not get to see when they came to the theater.

The first one is Defiance.  Daniel Craig and Liev Schriber play as the leads in this movie.  It is about a band of Jews who hide from the Germans during World War II in the forest.  It is based on a true story.  The brothers in the story are called "The Beliski Brothers".  I probably did not spell that correctly, but you can probably look it up on the the Internet.  They hid from the Germans for over two years and survived.  We are not talking about six or seven people.  It was probably closer to a hundred, maybe even more. 

I love history, but do not usually enjoy movies about the Jews being hunted by the Germans, but this movie is so different and has a good ending, not the usual one where Hitler is involved.  Hitler is not even ever seen in this movie.  It is long, so it is not something you want to start to watch at eight or nine at night.  Enjoy!  It is a extremely good movie, based on a true story. 

The other movie we recently watched was Broken Arrow.  It stars John Travolta and Christian Slater and a few other actors that usually always play bit roles.  It came out probably ten to 14 years ago.  John Travolta makes an excellent bad guy and I would much prefer to see him in these kinds of movies, than Grease.  (I know I'm probably the only person in the world who does not like that movie)  It is worth watching, especially if there is nothing else on the television. 

Later, more movie reviews to come as I work on a new chapter in my book.  Have a great day!

Another Movie Review or Two

Leap Year

Okay so another one of the movies we watched this weekend was Leap Year.  It was a lot better than I had thought it was going to be.  I know it is an older movie, but I'm not usually into romantic comedies, but this one was excellent.  Amy Adams and Mathew Goode play the main characters and I loved the music from the show.  I want it now!  Even my husband liked the sound track. 

I give this one a five star rating!!!

Inception

Okay it is a long movie, complicated but definitely worth the watch.  You really have to pay close attention to the story line and what is happening.  It is espionage at it's finest, by stealing secrets from a person's mind or planting an idea.  It is a dream, within a dream, within a dream, within a dream.  I give it 5 star rating.  It is rate R.  There was some language but more so a lot of violence in the fight scenes and when they are trying to come back out of the dream.  It has Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Michael Caine and several other starts that I can't remember their names.  Please check it out!!!

A couple of more

Okay we also watched a couple of duds in the last few weeks and here they are:

The Last Exorcism - total thumbs down

The Remake of "Nightmare on Elm Street" - I only going to give it two stars...  I liked it, but it is way off from the original.  Although come to think of it, I don't know that I made it all the way through the original.  But I do know this, Robert Englund is a much better Freddy Kruger than Jackie Earle Haley.  (Not sure that is correct on his name).

Movie Review: Winning Season

Okay so we just wanted to spend some quiet time at home this weekend and not have to go anywhere that we didn't really want to go.  As such, we rented movies from blockbuster express because they were running a special this weekend.  We watched several movies.  Here is the review on the first one.

Dean Stockwell, plays a divorced father, who is a drunk and a busboy at a local restaurant, but gets the chance to turn his life around.  He starts to coach the girls basketball team at this high school.  There is a total of six girls on the team and one is on crutches. 

It is one of those feel good movies.  It does have some language but no sex, or violence.  Well there is one scene where one girls punches another in the mouth.  Anyway, the coach and the girls learn from each other and overcome a lot.  I give it 5 stars.  Check it out!!!

Movie Review: The Devil Wears Prada

Okay so I know it is an older movie, not even really sure when it came out, but I thought it would be a funny movie based on the trailer I remembered seeing.  However, it wasn't as funny as I thought.  I love Anne Hathaway and Simon Baker( The mentalist and it is a small role), and I'm okay with Meryl Streep, but not her greatest fan.  Anyway, what I thought was a comedy is actually not and it was sad they way her friends actually treated her. 

If you haven't seen it, Meryl Streep plays an eccentric, egotistical, editor for a magazine called Runway.  Yes the fashion industry.  Anne Hathaway is a struggling journalist in bad need of a job, and is rather plain, and her name is Andrea and she goes by Andy.  She takes the job as the second assistant to Ms. Streep whose name in the movie is Miranda something because I can't remember.  The first assistant is Emily, played by Emily Blount. 

The transformation that takes place in Andy is remarkable, because she get advise from Nigel, played by Stanley Tucci that if she wants to succeed, she has to really want the job and become the job, and that is exactly what Andy does, and eventually becomes the 1st assistant.  She did what the job called for so that in a years time she could get a job working for any magazine writing.  Her friends called her names, laughed at her, and made her feel like a villain.  Granted she did change, but she did what the job called for in order to succeed. 

It is a good movie and we both enjoyed it, but it was not a comedy.  If you haven't seen it, check it out, it is worth a rental if you have nothing else to do.

Love, L

Arlena: The Battle Continues

Arlena paid for her coffee and bacon.  She climbed into the Tahoe.  The girls were laying down and she could hear them sigh as they started down the road.  Her cell phone rang.  "Hello?"  "Momma?"  It was her daughter.  "Hi Baby.  How are you?" 

"I'm good.  Where are you?"  Arlena tried to remember the last mileage sign she saw.  "I think I'm in Colorado."  Liz laughed.  "You can't remember the last sign can you?"

Arlena laughed, "No.  You know I don't pay a lot of attention when I'm listening to music."  She passed a mile marker that said "85".  "Ah mile marker 85."  Another joke.  Liz laughed.  They got silent for a moment.  "Momma you know you can come here and live.  The offer still stands."  Arlena swallowed the lump in her throat.  "I'll be there before you have my grand babies, but I need some time alone." 

Liz grinned, "You're never alone Mom.  You have the three musketeers with you."  Arlena chuckled.  "I know.  Is Adam at the rig?"

Liz shifted in the chair trying to get comfortable.  Her belly huge with the twins she was carrying.  "Yep.  He will be home in another week."  Arlena pulled into a gas station.  "Okay.  I'll call you when we stop tonight.  The girls need a break from being in the car.  How's the weather up there?"

"Nice.  No snow yet.  Shouldn't be here for another four weeks or so." 
"Okay baby.  I love you.  See you soon."
"Bye Momma."  Arlena hung up.  Her daughter and son in law had moved to a remote area of Wyoming a year ago so they could spend more time together.  Adam's rig was still a couple of hours away, but it was better than a plane ride.

Arlena filled the Tahoe and went inside.  There was an old man behind the counter.  "Hello ma'am."  Arlena smiled, "Hi.  Is there a cafe or a diner around here?"

The old man nodded.  "Just up the road a bit on the right.  Irene has the best cornbread around."  Arlena giggled.  "Sounds good.  Thanks."

The old man said, "It being Wednesday night, they'll be having dinner at the church for anyone interested."  Her smile faded some, but she muttered, "Thank you."  She climbed in to the truck and "Church" came from her lips.  Her thoughts went back to the town she left.  She'd had a church home, many friends, lots of good happened there.  They had stood by her through a lot.  She had gone through recovery with them, survived financial hardships and then God delivered a blow she couldn't get up from.  He had taken Jackson.  The one true love of her life.  A tear slipped from her eyes and she cranked the truck and headed off. 

True to the man's word, the diner was just about five miles down the road.  She parked as close to grassy area as she could.  She put Dixie and George on a double leash and started walking them around.  They rolled in the cool grass.  Arlena kept glancing at the truck.  Sioux was sitting patiently waiting her turn.  It took all of Arlena's strength and both hands on the harness to walk Sioux.  Part of the Mastiff family, she wasn't a 200 pound dog, but she did weigh as much as Arlena.  The girls came back and sat at Arlena's feet waiting to be petted and for a drink.  She walked back to the Tahoe and took a bowl down and poured them some water.  Sioux whined.  "Just a minute girl.  Your sisters are almost done." 

Dixie and George got back in and just as she was getting Sioux her cell phone rang.  No caller id.  She pushed the talk button, "Hello?" 

"I'm looking for Jackson Montgomery."  Arlena swallowed.  "Who is this?"
The man coughed.  "My name is Ezekiel James.  I met him a few years ago.  This number was listed with information."  Arlena wiped a way a tear.  "I'm sorry Mr. James.  Jackson died about seven months ago.  You're too late." 

"Are you his wife?"
"Yes I was, am.. whatever."
"Then I guess I need to talk to you."
"Look I don't know what business you had with my husband but I'm sort of busy right now.  This is my cell phone.  I'm on my way to Wyoming, and I need..."
"Wyoming, really?  That's where I live."

Arlena stopped.  Sioux whined.  "Look I really am busy.  I need to walk my dog.  Call me some time tomorrow."  She disconnected the call.  Arlena took Sioux out and fastened the safety chain to her belt and took Sioux's harness.  As they walked Arlena's thoughts ran to the conversation she had with the gentleman.  When had Jackson been to Wyoming?  They had never been apart more than two days and he would have said something to her.  Obviously the man had the wrong Jackson Montgomery.

Arlena focused as much as she could.  The sky seemed to be blurred.  Where was she?  It seemed familiar but the air seemed so thick.  A voice called her name.  "Arlena."  She turned towards the voice.  There was a man standing beside a tree.  "Who are you?"

The man moved towards her.  "Why are you doubting your faith?"  Anger filled her very being. The air began to swirl and grow dark.  "Why should I have faith in someone that took my world away?"  The darkness grew.  Suddenly another man stood beside her.  "Arlena your anger feeds my soul.  Your hatred for God pleases me." 

The first man shook his head.  "Arlena God loves you and wants you to be happy."  Tears filled her eyes.  "He took Jackson from me."  Suddenly the light grew and the man spread his wings.  "Arlena fight against the darkness.  One day you will be with Jackson again."  She screamed.  "Why did he have to die?"  Heat flew through the air and the dark man laughed.  The laugh, so sinister that Arlena gasped from the fear that hit her.  The dark man reached for Arlena and his hand had claws not fingers.  His eyes glowed red and he hissed as he laughed.  She screamed and sat upright.  Dixie laid beside her.  She rubbed her eyes.  Her heart was beating so hard in her chest.  A hymn ran through her head, but she couldn't remember the words, just the tune.  She closed her eyes and then took a drink to quench the dryness in her throat.  She slipped back under the covers and stared at the ceiling.

Arlena/Lillian Magnus- Stay Tuned

Tomorrow I will be posting more of the story of Arlena, and I will also be introducing you to Lillian Magnus.

Keep Watching!!

Same Bat Channel!

Fancy

That song Fancy that was originally recorded by Bobbie Gentry, and then re-recorded by Reba McIntire came to mind as she watch the roach crawl across the cabinet.  Her new hobby was torturing them every time she saw one.  Sad, but true... she hated where they had wound up and she wanted nothing more than to have her high stress, mediocre paying job that was two hours drive time one way, back...  Well maybe not, but she didn't want this.. That was for sure..

What did she want?  To enjoy life more than anything and right now all she did was worry.  Worry about things she couldn't really control, not where they were currently living.  She stood looking out the window and sipping the steaming cup of hot coffee.  What did she like to do these days?  Nothing it seemed, because it all came back to how could she earn money.  Nothing was fun anymore.  She used to love to write, but now all she did was ghostwrite for pennies.  Her stuff never had her name on it.  She loved dogs, but all she had now were her pets.  Her beagles were gone.  Her best friend was gone. 

Her friends lived at least an hour a way or farther.  She didn't really have any close friends where she lived.  Her daughter, one sister, a niece and a nephew on her side lived close, but that was it.  She traded emails with a few friends, but no one called.  That was probably her fault.  She had lost all joy and happiness from her life.  The joy was back, she had turned back to God, and it was almost as if she had been saved all over again.  She walked on clouds for months, and then something happened.  She lost the happiness or maybe she was just a little sad. 

Her destiny was hers by choice.  She didn't regret most of the choices she had made, but she might have waiting on one if she had known how hard things were going to be without the income.  However, the stress was taking its toll and she probably would have had a stroke or a heart attack if she had stayed.  So what was in their future? 

She dreamed of a house with no roaches, floors that were solid and didn't give when you walked.  She dreamed of a nice big yard fenced so her big dog could run without fear.  She dreamed of room to have any kind of animal or as many dogs as she could afford to feed.  She dreamed of getting her teaching degree and teaching kids.  She had experienced that for a couple of months and it had renewed a dream from her past of being a teacher, now she wanted that again.  She wanted to hold a newborn pup in her hand and smell the puppy breath.  She wanted to run and play with the dogs, and she wanted to be noticed for her writing, not for someone else to take the credit. 

So today as she stood, looking out the window, she made her mind up, no matter what, or what it took, this year was going to be different.  No more struggling to make ends meet, to pay bills or avoid answering the phone.  Today started a new direction, and that was one of making her dreams come true.  It was writing, sharing her stories, and telling about God, and what He had done in her life.  It was using her talents to help others.  It was living life with no more regrets. 

She refilled her coffee cup, smiled, smacked the roach... and headed towards the computer room. 

Gift From God

We are all given specific talents or gifts by God.  Writing is the one He bestowed upon me. 

My dream is to write a book with a Christian basic plot, and have it published.  I want to find a Christian website to write for and share my views. 

I believe that this is the path that God has in store for me and when the time is right (write) He will open that door. 

I am working on two short stories and I am thinking about taking my book Scattered Thoughts and adding to it to make it a devotional or a non-fiction book with Christian scriptures on where to go for specific topics or what scriptures to read for help in certain areas. 

We build our faith by learning the Word of God.  If I can write a book to help someone find the scriptures or learn to lean on the Word for help, that is what I want to do. 

I know I haven't been on this site for awhile, but life is kind of unpredictable right now.  Keep tuning in and eventually I will have something new posted. 

God Bless!

L

Scattered Thoughts: A Glimpse inside my soul

The title to this blog is actually the title to a little book I wrote last October.  I really believed in what I wrote and felt very strongly about it.  A lot has happened in my life since last year, and I recently pulled the book out and started reading it again.  It is very dark in places and very cold in others.  It does represent what my soul was like that year, and not just in October but for the whole year of 2009.  So much has changed inside me this year, that I've decided to re-write the book.  I'm probably going to leave the individual articles I wrote, but I'm going to include some things that were happening then and are still very much around, but I'm learning to deal with them, and life, and my soul is much happier and a lot lighter. 

You never realize how things affect your life until you go back and look at things.  If you read any of my other blogs, you will know that I'm going to a group called, "Celebrate Recovery."  Now I know what you are thinking, but this is to help people recover from all kinds of things in life.  For example, if you have lost a loved one, or you have been sexually assaulted, molested, or have an addiction, yes that is covered too.  But its not just those things.... It's life in general.  The economy, the mentality, the spirituality, and the emotional status of this world can make people feel useless, unworthy, not to be too trusting, and afraid.  Afraid of losing everything they own and have in their lives.... and this group is there to help.  You're accepted no matter what the circumstances. 

So here's the deal, I'm going to re-write the book and add to it and then it will be available on my website, www.madamescrawlersink.net, along with other things for purchase. 

I will let everyone know when it is there and I invite you to take a look.....  Thanks for being fans, and I'm working on several books, including Lillian Magnus... so please stay tuned.....

God Bless you all!