Great Christmas Stories

The Magic of Christmas

   Christmas is a magical time of year lights dazzle the streets, stockings
hang by the fire, and warmth fills the air. There are many things about the
Christmas season that can be enjoyed too. The heat of hot chocolate
after a cold winter day, sitting by the fire letting the snow melt from your
clothes, and curling up in bed to read a great Christmas story. Christmas
stories can be just as magical as the Christmas season. Here are a few I
have enjoyed over the years. I hope you enjoy them too.

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
Synopsis: Take a ride aboard the polar express. There you will journey to
the North Pole.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
Synopsis: Meet the Grinch a person who hates Christmas and tries to steal
it from Whoville.

The Carpenter's Gift by David Rubel
Synopsis: Join Henry and his father during the depression as they try to sell
Christmas trees in Manhattan.

The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett
Synopsis: Teeka tries to train reindeers for Santa's upcoming flight but finds
there antlers tangled. Everything is going wrong. Can Teeka get the reindeer
ready in time?

The Spirit of Christmas by Nancy Tillman
Synopsis: The Spirit of Christmas comes like always that year. There were
lights outside, tinsel on trees, and ornaments hanging but something was
still missing. What could it be?

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
Synopsis: Peter wakes up one day to find snow outside. He quickly puts on
his  snowsuit and wanders out to enjoy everything about the new fallen snow.

Rocking Horse Christmas by Mary Pope Osborne
Synopsis: A rocking horse is discovered under the Christmas tree. A little
boy hops on and goes on magical adventures. Soon he forgets about the
horse and it gallantly waits for a new owner up in the attic.

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by  Susan Wojciechowski
Synopsis: Jonathan Toomey, a great woodcarver, is alone for the holidays.
He had lost his family along time ago. This Christmas a boy and his mother
have a special request for the carver. Can they help bring joy back to his life?

A Christmas Carol (picture book) by Charles Dickens
Synopsis: Four ghosts visit a grumpy old man in hopes that he can discover
the true meaning of Christmas.

Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner 
Synopsis: Have your ever wondered what snowmen do at night? So did one
young child and he might have been right.

P.S.
Just like these wonderful stories I hope you too have a magical Christmas!

Sincerly,
R.J. Ropsen

In My Diary(2)

Two Month Story

   It is hard to imagine I have only been doing this a little less then
two months now. When I was younger I wrote occasionally but
never as much as I have now. I started my first novel called, The 
Silenced, and finished writing it. Now all I have to do is wait for
it to be edited. Hopefully I will be able to publish it as an eBook
no later then  February. The prologue of, The Silenced, is on my
blog under the tab with the same name. It is in third person while
the rest of my story is in first person. You can check it out if you
are interested.

   Last week I started a new writing project. I had a different idea
for a story and have decided it will be a novella. That means I am
going to take a little break from writing the next two books after, 
The Silenced, which will be in the Egret trilogy. The novella is an
entirely different project for me. The story is not in the young adult
genre that I prefer. Instead it is an autobiography and I have
started writing it already. So far I am enjoying it.

   Two months ago I decided I wanted to be an author and have
written more then I ever have. I really enjoy everything about it so
far too! Hopefully others will enjoy my writing enough that I can
make more of a career out of it. For now I will work and write
and work and write because every new word means I  may be
closer to my goal. I know it won't be easy but I am in it for the
long haul.

Sincerely,
R.J. Ropsen

EBook Formatting

   I recently was helping a friend format an ebook. I have never done
this before, and used the internet as a major resource.While searching
the web I came across an amazing website! Step by step, the website
went through how to format an eBook for the kindle and nook. For
people who are visual learners like me, there were three videos that
showed the process. Better yet, all of the tools they suggested for
formatting the eBook were free!

   Using the website I was able to format the ebook in a little under
eight hours which I didn't think was that bad since I was learning how
to do it; I even added pictures and links to the book. Now with the help
of the website I am confident I could format an eBook in a couple of
hours.

   A few days ago, I put the eBook I formatted up on the kindle. Once
I put it on amazon, it published the eBook within 10 hours without any
 publishing issues.  Here is the book I formatted, Walk On. Check out
the formatting by "looking inside" to see if you like that type of formatting.
(Page breaks aren't shown in the preview)

   Why pay someone to format your eBook, or submit it to a site that
takes some of the profit when you can do it yourself! Look at this
website, and try formatting your eBook today!

 Sincerely,
 R.J. Ropsen

Inspirational Quotes for Writers

    Sometimes writers find it hard to write. Or other times they feel a little
defeated. Here are a few motivational quotes that I enjoyed. Maybe they
can help you pick up the pen and scratch away again.

         

"Easy reading is damn hard writing."
-Nathaniel Hawthorne

"Have something to say, and say it as clearly as you can. That is the 
only secret."
-Matthew Arnold

"Wake the happy words." 

-Theodore Roethke

"It took me fifteen years to discover that I had no talent for writing, 
but I couldn't give it up because by that time I was too famous." 

- Robert Charles Benchley

"Writing is rewriting... If you fall in love with the vision you want of 
your work and not your words, the rewriting will become easier." 

- Nora DeLoach 

"The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we 
are unable to say."  

-Anaïs Nin

"If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written 
yet, then you must write it."  

-Toni Morrison

"Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart." 

-William Wordsworth

"Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader—not the 
fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon."
-E.L. Doctorow

"Great ability develops and reveals itself increasingly with every new 
assignment."
-Baltasar Gracian

"Becoming the reader is the essence of becoming a writer."
-John O'Hara

"Writing became such a process of discovery that I couldn't wait to 
get to work in the morning:  I wanted to know what I was going to say. " 

-Sharon O'Brien

"Substitute "damn" every time you're inclined to write "very;" your 
editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be."  
-Mark Twain

 "Take chances. You will succeed if you are fearless of failure." 

-Natalie Goldberg  

"If you wish to be a writer, write."

- Epictetus

"Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow that talent to 
the dark place where it leads." 

- Erica Jong  

"I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter."  

-James Michener

“Until you're ready to look foolish, you'll never have the possibility of 
being great.”

- Cher

"This is for writers yet to be published who think the uphill climb will 
never end. Keep believing. This is also for published writers grown 
jaded by the process. Remember how lucky you are."

- Terry Brooks

"When asked, 'How do you write?'I invariably answer, 'one word 
at a time.'”

- Stephen King

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”

- Agatha Christie

Sincerely,
R.J. Ropsen

Challenged Books

   Throughout the years there have been many Young Adult books
that are challenged. If a person or group does not agree with the
viewpoints of a certain book they may challenge the book in question.
They may go to libraries or local schools advocating for the books
removal and access to the public .
   I believe that authors have the freedom to write about anything
while readers have the choice to read any book they want. ALA has
two lists of books that people most frequently challenge, one from
1990-1999 and one from 2000-2009. Some of these books I have
read and really enjoyed. Which ones have you read?

Challenged books I have read:
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Goosebumps (series) by R.L. Stine
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
The Pigman by Paul Zindel
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Harry Potter (series) by J.K. Rowling
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford
Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor
His Dark Materials (series) by Philip Pullman
Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss

My score:
1990-1999= 13/100
2000-2009= 15/100 28/200

Score Scale
1-10 Challenged Book scaredy cat.
11-40 Getting braver.
41-70 You eat them for breakfast.
71-90 Nerves of steal...
91-100 The ironman/ woman of Challenged Books!

Check out the lists to find out where you rank.
1990-1999 Challenged Book List
2000-2009 Challenged Book List

Sincerely,
R.J. Ropsen