Beyond the Mask

Well, I have some VERY exciting news!!!!! :D Last night, at 1 o'clock, Burns Family Studios announced their next film project; Beyond the Mask.

Me, being the fanatic fan of their last film–Pendragon: Sword of His Father–that I am, stayed up until the wee hours of the morning for their announcement, and then looking and re-looking over all of the information that they had released. But let me tell you. . . it was worth it. . . completely! I have been looking forward to what their next film would be ever since I watched Pendragon for the first time, and I was not disappointed. Indeed, my expectations were probably surpassed ten times over! For the first full minute after I watched the production trailer, all I could do was sit there, my mouth gaping and eyes bulging while I made garbled little sounds of pleasure that may have been me trying to muffle the scream of pure joy and thrill that was bubbling up inside of me. I've since watched that same production trailer about 5 times. And you can watch it too by clicking right here. . . .

However, to make this film they need lots of people to sponsor. If you follow the same link above, it will lead you to their Kickstarter site where you can donate money to help them fund the film. The deadline for sponsoring is August 31st, and they must have at least $20,000 by then, or else the film won't get funded. Besides their production trailer, there is another short video that shows more of their progress and plans for the film as well as explaining how Kickstarter works.

Even if you aren't able to support them financially, they are looking for volunteers as extras and/or helpers to create sets, props, and costumes. You can sign up for this on their website. I'm planning on helping out in whatever way I possibly can, and I hope that you will do the same. :)

Assr vísa ykkarr or∂.

~ElizabethMarieKauffman~

When Life Speeds Up Without Warning. . . .

You know that feeling?? When all of a sudden it feels like you're running at break neck speed just to keep up with yourself. . . . Well, I'm just getting into the downward slope of that feeling right now. I'm thinking that it must have been toward the end of last month that life started speeding up for me. I successfully went through my first ever production week for a short film that I wrote, produced, directed, and am now editing. My hope is that it will get into this up coming San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival (some of you may remember last year when I was an extra in a short film that was a semi-finalist in that same film festival, if you don't, you can find that post here). Making a short film like that was SUCH an amazing experience!!! Even with the stresses that it caused, and even. . . even as we sat there all stuck on the beach that we were filming on, huddled under towels and the few beach umbrellas that we dared have open, trying to keep both ourselves and especially the equipment dry while a big storm was raging over us. . . even then, I could very happily tell myself, that this was where I belonged, this was what God had created me to do, at least at this point in time.

Since that experience of a lifetime, my mind has been overrun with exhilarating thoughts and plans for future films (short AND feature length!), but of course I've had to make myself leave those as mere ideas running around in my head and occasionally over notes to pick up later, so that I could work on completing the editing for this short film. Knowing me, if I started writing a screenplay for one of those others, I would probably never get back to finishing this one. . . . So, they shall just have to wait patiently on the sidelines for the time being. :)

I've been able to work farther on "The Wolves of Langoor" as well, during this time, and the plan is to get myself back into a schedule of writing every single night. If I did that, I think that I should easily be able to make my goal of completing the first draft for TWOL by the end of November 30th (that will take me through NaNoWriMo).

And so, for the most part you are caught up on my life. . . . I'm continuing to work on character development for my role in the short film that the sister of my friend is making (see here for a bit more details on that), so that is always fun. :) The second read through for that is this Saturday, and then Burns Family Studios announces their next film project this Friday!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D So I am very eagerly awaiting the weekend! :D

Amorette 99 (who was just barking rather obnoxiously in a brave "I will defend everyone!" sort of way–as much as a 4 pound puppy can–at a prop still sitting in my bedroom from filming week) greets you all. :)

Assr vísa ykkarr or∂.

~ElizabethMarieKauffman~

Amazon, Here We Come!

After that long process which I talked about in my last post, it has finally happened! I've hit the approval button to start the 6-8 week process of getting TSOT onto Amazon and BarnesandNobels.com!!! :D I have also learned that not only will my book go to Amazon and B and N.com (which was enough to sell me. . .), through this distribution package it will also be open for other bookstores to pick up if they request it. This is a very pleasing thought, but one that I realize probably won't be of much use unless I get busy selling my book to the different stores. . . . For me (a very much introvert who completely froze up when trying to get my friendly dentist's office to purchase an advertisement to be put in the program of a play I was in), this is a rather daunting idea. . . daunting may not be the right word; how about catastrophic? But I'm sure, if this is God's will, everything will turn out. :)

In the mean time, some other pretty exciting things have been going on. . . . I got the lead role in a film (:D!!!!!!!!!!!!), and today I'm going with my dad and some people from our church to meet 2 of the people behind an independent Christian film that has been an inspiration of mine since I first saw it almost 2 and a half years ago. (The movie is "Pendragon; Sword of his Father." If you have never seen it, I would encourage you to do so! :) )

Assr vísa ykkarr or∂.

~ElizabethMarieKauffman~

Sales Rank Hop!

I've found it quite exciting to chart TSOT's sales rank on Lulu.com. Especially when it makes rather big jumps. . . . ;) When it started out, it was somewhere around the late 60,000s or 70,000s (somewhere around then anyway–that was before I discovered that watching numbers was fun) but now, The Sword of Teneraz has hit number 57,863 on the Lulu.com sales rank, as well as being given a 5 star review!!! :D I am VERY thrilled to see what God is doing and going to do with this book! Thank you to everyone who has already bought a copy! :) My total sold now is about 21 I believe (that's counting the 6 plus a download that my family bought *sticks hands in pockets and begins whistling a tune*).

I am also continuing to go through the process of getting TSOT available on Amazon and BarnesandNobles.com, however, it's turned out to be a bit tougher and longer of a process than I had expected at first. . . . So. . . it's going to be longer than I had planned until that happens, but I guarantee, unless some catastrophe happens (like a paint truck running into a telephone pole and sending it smashing into an electricity station which then turns out all of the power in the entire state, and then at the same time a meteorite falls from the sky and lands smack-dab in the middle of the Lulu.com outpost. . . . Or I get a no and a change of directions from God.) it will still happen.

Assr vísa ykkarr or∂. (God guide your words.)

~ElizabethMarieKauffman~

THE BOOKS HAVE ARRIVED!!!

(The title's pretty explanatory. . . . :) )

Assr vísa ykkarr or∂. (God guide your words.)

~ElizabethMarieKauffman~

I'M PUBLISHED!!!!!!! :D

(Click on image to view a larger version)

When an evil act is done, leaving the kingdom in the hands of a betrayer. . .

When the rightful heir to the throne has gone missing. . .

All those who are still faithful have gathered together to form a rebel group known as the King's Men or the Konungr Ly∂r.

All of their hopes rest on a prophecy: on a sword and its wielder, and a girl and her dragon. All of their hopes rest on finding the rightful heir to the throne. But when they find him, will he accept the challenge of fighting to get back the throne? Or will he himself fall prey to the darkness?

After almost two and a half years it's actually happened. . . . My book is published. My name is in print! I don't think that I can quite grasp the reality of it yet. . . . But that's beside the point. The matter of the fact is that it has really, truly happened! I'm not going to wake up in a moment to find out that this has all been some kind of wacky dream. . . it's real. My book–The Sword of Teneraz–is published and available for purchase at lulu.com. I hope to later have it available on Amazon.com and BarnesandNobles.com, but I have to first figure out all of the details of getting that going. :)

Here's the TSOT book trailer as I promised several posts back. . . .

And of course the confetti that goes with it {throws a handful of bright-colored stringy stuff in the air}. . . and don't forget the popcorn!!! :D {licks lips and reaches for a bag of heavenlyness}

Assr vísa ykkarr or∂.

~ElizabethMarieKauffman~

(an author)

Christmas, CHRISTMAS, CHrIsTmas, Christmas

Well, NaNoWriMo is over. . . . I'm still working on typing up The Wolves of Langoor so that I can give you a final word count, so be looking for that to come very soon!

I just finished a pretty busy weekend, filled with acting the part of Mary in a Christmas pageant tableau (meaning that you act a segment of the scene while the narrators are talking, and then freeze in a position and hold it for a VERY long time), which performed two nights, with shows twice each night. I had the privilege of playing this same part last year, and last year as well as this I found it a very good way to get into the spirit of Christmas, and the mind set of what Christmas is truly about. Especially this year, when the added a segment at the end of the tableau; while me, Joseph, baby Jesus, and the shepherds and wise men and angels were all posed in the typical manger scene, a man who was supposed to be Jesus when he was older came across the lawn (it was outside), all beaten and bruised, with blood all over him, and more than half of his face made up to be all purple and blue. He was carrying a cross, and slowly made his way to the pavilion where we were, dragging his feet as he came. When he got there, he stopped and just stared at the baby Jesus for a while, before turning and going around and back to where he had come from. In the moments that he neared, and he just stood there, swaying slightly and breathing hard, as he stared at the baby in the manger, were really powerful! And what with me into the part of Marry so much that I began to feel what Marry might have felt, I was almost in tears with the thought that to her this was her baby. . . her son.

So that was a really amazing experience! And then as soon as that was done (as in the next day, and we were rehearsing while it was still happening), I played the part of the Narrator in a Christmas pageant for the children at our church. So I went from acting out the Christmas story, to telling it. :) But it was very fun.

But anyways. . . maybe I should get back to typing out that book instead of chatting away on a post. :)

Assr vísa ykkarr or∂.

~ElizabethMarieKauffman~

The Sword of Teneraz: The TRAILER!

I'm am very excited to announce that the The Sword of Teneraz book trailer is now complete!!! :D However. . . I am not going to show it to you, yet. You may thank my dad for the wonderful advice of waiting until closer to the books publication date to place it out in public. And I think that I'll keep the reasoning to myself and he: it may ruin it's affects on you otherwise. ;)

So keep your eyes open for the trailer to be released soon, with a great amount of hullabaloo and confetti.

And with that announcement, I think I should let you know how progress on my books are coming.

The Sword of Teneraz– is still in the editorial process. My mom is on her second run through, at the completion of which my dad will go over her notes and see if he has anything to add or such. My cousin has had–as he put it–an evil {crook eyebrows evilly} semester in college these past months, but his plan is to get TSOT edited over his Christmas break.

The Wolves of Langoor– is about 1/3rd written if my estimations are correct–which they seem to be known to not be, so we shall see just how far I truly am. The fantasy of completing NaNoWriMo's required 50,000 words in one month hasn't turned out to be a reality this year. :( All though I HAVE been able to make a great dent in the mass of writing to be done in order for this book to be called complete. So that has been exciting in itself. And I feel, that if I can keep up even just the amount of consistency that I've gotten in writing this month, I MAY (just possibly) be able to get the first draft done in a few months. (Don't hold me to that though, what with Christmas coming up and all. . . . It can be a great time to get lots of writing done, because of getting a break from other things; such as school. But on the other side of things, it's very possible to not get any writing done over the Christmas holiday, because you're so busy spending time with family.)

I hope that you feel U.T.D on all the latest happenings with my books now. Oh! And that reminds me. . . once NaNoWriMo is finished, I WILL be typing all that I have so far of TWOL into the computer so that I can put some numbers into the word count for it on my side bar; which, to my chagrin, still very clearly says "COMING SOON".

Thanks for following! And happy (late) Thanksgiving!!!! :)

Assr vísa ykkarr or∂.

~ElizabethMarieKauffman~

It's That Time of Year Again. . . .

NaNoWriMo is here. . . . Well, technically it came several days ago (I was a little late in starting). But anyways, my goal is to write 50,000 words in The Wolves of Langoor before midnight November 30th. Wheeew! That is a lot! But I've calculated that if I write approximately 5-8 pages a day, I should have it. . . . Yesterday I got a little over 5 written, and today I'm hoping to beat that, so I'd say I'm off to a decent start. . . .

I'll keep you posted with updates as the month progresses. But first, I want to hear back from the rest of you NaNoWriMo participants out there. How are you faring? What are you working on??

Before I go. . . I have 1 more announcement/question. So I've come up with 2 simi-title names for the series that includes The Sword of Teneraz, and The Wolves of Langoor. What do you think of:

1. The Chronicles of the Sword of the Kings

or
2. The Sword of the Kings Chronicles. . . .

I threw out the idea of calling it a trilogy, as I have a feeling that it might become 4 books instead of the originally planned 3.

Please let me know your thoughts. :)

Assr vísa ykkar or∂.

~ElizabethMarieKauffman~

Brought To You By: A-99!

Wow! It sure has been a LONG time since I last even got onto blogger. . . not counting that one time that I just opened up my blog page to listen to the music on it while putting dishes in the dishwasher. :)

A lot has transpired since my last post. . . . "Anne of Green Gables; the Musical" is done (I never did tell you what part I got in it. . . I ended up being Tillie Boulter–which meant that the summer before I almost drowned in the lake, AND I got to dress up as an igloo. ;) It was a super fun role.), I'm also in "Meet Me In St. Louis" now, as a ball room dancer (which means I get to learn to waltz. Which is super fun! :D ).

On the writing side of things, everything is going pretty well. :) I really need to get back into some kind of schedule here. . . really, just any kind of schedule would work. But you'll be glad to hear that that hasn't kept me from writing! I'm somewhere around chapter 7 or 8, I think, on "The Wolves of Langoor", and my mom is nearing completion of her editorial run through of "The Sword of Teneraz", my cousin is working on his copy right now, and my dad is going to start as soon as my mom is finished. Over all, things are moving closer and closer to getting that first copy. {fans face, and reaches for a paper bag to breathe into}

And now. . . (drumroll please). . . I have what I believe to be a very (and when I say "very", I mean extremely) important introduction to make. So now. . . before further ado, I would like you to meet Amorette 99; also known as Amorette, also known as 99, also known as A-99:. . .

in other words; my little chihuahua puppy. :) My friend breeds chihuahuas, and her dog had puppies, so after discussing with my parents, I decided to get one of her puppies and start breeding her myself to make some college money (since I kinda dug into it to buy her in the first place. :} ). But I am very proud of my little baby. . .

I just need to work on her not chewing on erasers when she writes. . . . tsk tsk. ;) Of course she's a little too big now to sprawl across my desk like that, though she still likes to dig at my writing papers when she wants to get on my lap and it's in her way. lol.

But I guess I'll say so long for now! Hopefully I'll be able to post more often now, but we'll have to see.

God bless.

Assr vísa ykkar or∂.

~ElizabethMarieKauffman~

Oh What Happiness! Oh What Thrill!

Just maybe 10-20 minutes ago I finished the 4th draft of "The Sword of Teneraz"!!! :D I am very excited. . . . . Now it is time to relax and celebrate as others edit it (and of course do a bunch more writing in "The Wolves of Langoor") until I get it back from them and take the final editorial step of putting them all together into my last draft. *deep sigh* :)

Assr vísa ykkarr or∂.

~ElizabethMarieKauffman~

Play switch!!

I got into the "Fiddler on the Roof" play that I mentioned previously in a former post. :) It wasn't a big part at all, but what with it being my first musical EVER, it was pretty good I think. But. . . we hadn't gotten full permission to do the show yet. . . and as it turns out there's a professional traveling troupe doing that very same musical in this area, so they didn't end up getting the permission.

So as of yesterday a big switch was made from me being in "Fiddler on the Roof" to all of a sudden being in "Anne of Green Gables" the Musical. . . . No one has been cast yet, but everyone who was in the other cast and still wants to be in it will be. It's all just a matter of what part you get.

Assr vísa ykkarr or∂.

~ElizabethMarieKauffman~

Beautiful. . .

This past Tuesday I went to the first meeting of a small group that I'm involved with this summer. And it went wonderfully. :) I think that it will be great! But anyways. . . we were talking about beauty, and what God sees as beautiful. We're working through a book called "Want More? Life" by Natalie Lloyd, and the title of the chapter was "You're not pretty; you're beautiful". . . or something to that extent. It talked about David when God chose him to be king, and that section there that talks about God not looking at outward appearances, but instead seeing the heart. And then it asked, if God looked at you, would He see someone beautiful?? Naturally. . . that was kind of an awkward question. I didn't think I could say yes, because I knew that I was by far not a perfect person, and the definition of beauty with God is someone perfect right??? So, I answered that I could only hope.

A few days later. . . I was busy reading a REALLY good book called "Bones of Makaidos", fourth book in the Oracles of Fire series by Bryan Davis, (if you haven't read these books–as well as the first series Dragons in Our Midst–you should go read them. . . . :) They're GOOD!) when I came across a section of the book where a character was asked almost the exact same question as I had had such trouble answering. "Are you truly beautiful in God's eyes?" But her answer wasn't "I can only hope", or some other indefinite answer. She was confident. . . Jesus had cleaned her, so she was wholly pure, and no one could make her believe that she was still buried in her sins.

It clicked.

And I realized how wrong I had been. We should never doubt the cleansing power of Jesus' blood, nor, how beautiful we are in God's sight when we truly rely on His saving grace. No one's perfect; so before I had been led to think that no one could truly be beautiful in God's sight. But sure. . . no one is perfect by their own power, but when we allow Jesus to wash our hearts with His love, we become pure, scrubbed clean of our past sins. That doesn't mean that we can never sin again. . . and we do make mistakes, we fall at times. But that is no reason not to run back to Jesus when we realize that we are wrong, and allow Him to pull us into His arms, and gently wipe away the dirt from our palms and set us back on the right path. And then. . . when God looks at us, we can have no doubt that He will smile and call us His beautiful daughters or handsome sons. :)

So yes. . . I am beautiful.

Assr vísa ykkarr or∂.

~ElizabethMarieKauffman~

P.S. BOOK NEWS! I just finished the 3rd draft of TSOT today!!! WOOT! :D One more, then a few others edit, and on to publishing!!! . . . This is actually happening. . . . . .

Standby Q1. . . .

So for the past monthish I've been extremely excited about this play that I'm in (Tom Sawyer). I auditioned for it. . . let's see. . . sometime in the later part of May. I didn't get the part that I had hoped for, but although I was planning on backing out, because I didn't feel that the part I had gotten would allow for the kind of learning that I wanted, God sat me down and told me that He wanted me in this show after all. :) And sure am I glad that He did!! Because not long after I told the director that I would be being in the play after all, he asked me to be the stage manager for the production!

So that has been simply amazing!!! And I, and my parents, feel that I'm getting far more of a learning experience from this than I would even if I had the part of a main character. :) So once again, God proves Himself faithful. :)

The only thing is. . . I've already had the "stage managers" nightmare. (Not anything that has actually happened, just the asleep dreaming kind.) . . . Let's just say it was CRA-AZY!!! And my director was kind enough to assure me that I would have many more to come. . . .

Well. . . now you are updated on my life of recent. :)

Assr vísa ykkarr or∂.

~ElizabethMarieKauffman~

Yurt: ?

Last weekend (Memorial weekend) my family and I went up to our little piece of land that we have up north, with a yurt on it. . . .

What's a yurt?

(yurt |yoŏrt; yərt|

nouna circular tent of felt or skins on a collapsible framework, used by nomads in Mongolia, Siberia, and Turkey)

The time was very relaxing, and one of the best times I've been able to have up there in years! On account of either being, or getting sick whenever we go up there. . . . But God was good, and this time I only had a minor cold/allergies that were easy to deal with. :) So I went canoeing every day (sometimes more than once a day), and went hiking in the hundreds of acres of national forest right next to our property (my ankles and up into my calves were still sore for several days after getting home). And besides having an all around great time in that way, I got a jump start back into my writing. I was able to rewrite the first chapter and a half about over the weekend. And when I got home I was raring to dive into editing, and get more writing done. So I arranged a schedule, and now I'm writing in the evenings on Mon, Wed, and Fri, and editing on Tue, Thur, Sat. With that schedule I've already been able to get a bunch done, and I'm lovin' it!! (To quote Max, from "Get Smart": I've been watching those lately. :>)

Assr vísa ykkarr or∂.

~ElizabethMarieKauffman~

"Houston We Have Ducklings"

I can't believe that it's already been about a week since these little ducklings were just eggs!!! :) (These pictures were taken only a day or two after they hatched, so they're quite a bit bigger now!)

My brother has some ducks (three to be exact), and about a month or so ago, the oldest of the females started gathering her eggs into a nest and sitting on them. Then about a week ago, the first little duckling appeared, then another, and another, making a total of three adorable little fluffs of feathers. :) They were a lot smaller than I had expected them to be from what I'd seen at Tractor Supply! (If you're not familiar with it, they have a time in the spring called "chick days" when they have a whole bunch of baby chicks and ducks for people to buy, and you can go look at them and hold them, it's really fun.) And we named them Houie, Douie, and Louie–according to the order that they had hatched. So let me introduce them to you. :) (You can click on the pictures to make them bigger if you need.)

Below is Mrs. Mama Duck (her real name is just "Duck", but we've taken to calling her Mama Duck) and two of her babies (Houie–the yellow one in front–and Louie–the dark one behind).

Here's all three; Houie, Douie, and Louie. I love this picture 'cause it makes them look like tiny conspirators!

And here's Houie again (who I'm for some reason always and forever wanting to call Howie! And I'm not exactly sure why. . . . Maybe it's the way I've been spelling Houie. . .).

Houie, however has been having some troubles, and we're not exactly sure what all was wrong with him. So a few days after hatching (like the day after I took these pictures I think), we had to bring him in to try and nurse him back to health, 'cause he was just getting more and more weak, and we were afraid that he wouldn't last another day out with the other ducks (the Mr. in particular. . .). So we brought him in, and for about two days we were carrying him around snuggled up next to our chests with our hands wrapped around him, trying to keep him warm and comfortable. After a bit his eyes started to get crusted up and stuck together, and he was virtually blind, but after an accidental dump in the water, we realized that that could be washed off. So after washing the crust off of his eyes, he started to eat more and began to get more energy. Now he's continually gaining more strength and interest in everything around him, and he's growing at the same rate as the Douie and Louie outside. Our hope is that after a little longer he'll be strong enough to go back out and join them (if they'll accept him back in). :)

. . . Bet I had you expecting me to sadly tell you that he had died, huh? ;) lol. For the first few days we were absolutely certain that he wouldn't last another day, or even through the night. But God is good, and now he's doing really well! :) But I'm actually kind of glad that we went through that. Because now we have one of the ducklings that we can pet and hold, and that will snuggle up in our hands and even come on occasion when we call it! (Yup. That's right.) If he was still outside, he would be running away with the other two, acting like the boogy man was alive and coming after them. lol. . . . That gives a funny picture.

Assr vísa ykkarr or∂.

~ElizabethMarieKauffman~

Update On Books

The editing of the 2nd draft for The Sword of Teneraz is underway. :) So far I'm pretty happy with how it is coming along, though I really need to put more focus into it so that it can come along faster.

But The Wolves of Langoor however are having some troubles. . . . :\ So I'm currently taking a break (gives me more time to focus on editing), and when I pick it back up, I'm planning on doing basically rewriting what I've written so far. I was only on about the 30th page so far, so it won't be that much to rewrite. . . . [sigh] all that hard work.

But anyways. . . my reasons for doing stated dreaded thing: It just didn't feel right, and I was at the point that the ideas simply weren't coming out unless I poked, and prodded, and–to put it plainly–tortured them to. I finally realized what I think my problem was:

1-I needed a break. Time to clear my mind and bring back to focus where I want this story to go.

2-I was relying on my own strength; my own will power and imagination. At the beginning it wasn't coming all that smoothly, because this story has a more complicated story line than any others that I've written, and to be frank, I hadn't spent as much time just sitting and daydreaming about this story, to the point that I'd figured out the structure of every sentence in a certain scene, like I have for the others I've written. So, I had heard that it was good to make a layout of your story, and I decided to give it a try. But that was my error. Don't get me wrong, for others, I'm sure it helps a TON! But for me. . . planning everything out like that left out any room for last minute spurts of inspiration, which push the story in a different direction; any room for God to give His ideas. I'd left MY author out of the planning. He's the one who had always given me those spurts of imagination that kept my pen going–He's the one who gave me that imagination in the first place! I remember when writing TSOT, a time when He stepped in and completely changed where I thought the story was going, and because of that, it turned out FAR better than it would have if I had kept going the way I'd thought it should go. I know that other authors use the layout, and it works great for them. But for me, that's obviously not the way God wants me to go. I believe, that He wants me to trust in Him; trust that He will guide the story where it needs to go; trust that, when I sit there with a blank paper, and an open mind, asking Him what He wants me to put down, that He will tell me, and I won't be at a total loss like I fear I might be.

So. . . [takes a deep breathe] the layout goes in the trash. And I feel like I'm stepping off a cliff. . . . But, like that one character that I pushed off a cliff; since the author's still breathing, I know that somehow I will survive–and in the process, have the adventure of a lifetime. :)

Assr vísa ykkarr or∂.

~ElizabethMarieKauffman~

Waiting For A Perfect Cue

It's been a week and a day since my amazing experience of being a movie extra. . . and I'm wondering what is next on God's "to do list" for me. I'm going to audition for a Tom Sawyer play next month, so I'm counting down the days until that. . . but I'm not exactly sure if that's what God wants me to do. Both of my parent's and I felt that I should audition for it, and ask God that if I was supposed to be in it that He would give me a decent sized part, one that I could learn in, and that would stretch my acting skills to a new level. And I'm also involved in a drama at our church. . . . But I wonder about that other opportunity that God started opening the door for me several months ago now. The one that I made Assr er Go∂r day because of. . . . I still haven't heard anything back since then, but the last I heard was that I would be contacted when they began preparations for another film. So who knows when that could be! But I'm praying, and trusting, that God will open the door completely, right at the perfect time; HIS perfect time. I just wonder when that is!!

Well. . . during this waiting time, I've been keeping busy with preparations for a short film that a friend and I are making. It's a film based around the song "He's a Pirate" from Pirates of the Caribbean, as well as a few other tunes from that movie. But that is all I will say. ;)

Assr vísa ykkarr or∂.

~ElizabethMarieKauffman~

Quiet on Set! . . . Places!!

So, yesterday has got to have been one of the best days in my life!!! :D A friend of mine is making a film for the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival, so I was asked to be an extra in it.

I had never, ever done ANYTHING like being in a film unless home videos count, although I've dreamed of it since I was really little. And have recently started making plans to make several short films with my friend.

But, like I said, this has been a dream that I have had for a VERY long time! And you probably already know that I absolutely LOVE acting! So I was super excited for this opportunity that God had opened up.

And, well, to say it briefly, I wasn't disappointed. :) And now I fear that I am hooked on acting in, and/or making films for life. . . .

But anyways, I can't tell you any details of the shoot (I am under strict orders from the Director), but I can tell you that I have now gotten a whole new outlook on how do filming (like angles, etc.), and I have now had an "insider" look on how they do it. So my mind is just reeling with ideas and the thrill to get out on the field and practice what I've learned.

Basically, when I got home (and in the car on the way home), I was practically jumping off of the ceiling with excitement (plus the 3 and a half cups of coffee probably didn't help matters much. . . .). And even now I feel like despite the discomforts of a springy outfit on a cold wintry day and being in an unheated building for filming, I would be FAR MORE than willing to go back and do it all over again!!! :D

Assr vísa ykkarr or∂.

~ElizabethMarieKauffman~

Yipppeeeeee!!!! :D

I have like 5 or 6 more chapters in TSOT to edit, then I'll have finished my first round of editing!!! :D I'm very excited!! Of course, I still have 2 more times of doing that, each coming from a different angle. This time was just a basic over all, make sure it flows well, work on grammar problems. . . etc. Next time will be focusing on the characters; are they consistent? Do I describe their personality, appearances, or things that make them special, singular people well enough or correctly? Then on the third time I will work on Alleria's history and the landscapes-also description. You know, all of the things that makes it more than just a story in a book, but gives it the feeling of it being someplace real. 3D instead of 2D if you will. . . .

After that, I'll pass the manuscript out to my parents and a few choice people for them to edit. And once that is done: publishing! :)

And The Wolves of Langoor is going pretty well I think. I'm probably about 3-4 chapters in, so it's not going incredibly fast, but that is because I am focusing more on editing TSOT, and getting that done. I won't tell you the story of TWOL. . . not yet! Further down the road I'll post the summary as I did for TSOT, but not just yet, you'll have to wait for that. :) Though I WILL say that TWOL is going to be a lot more epic of a story than even TSOT was. It's more of a constant battle raging on one side, while on the other is suspense and mystery. Ok, that's all I am going to say. ;) Hehe!

Assr vísa ykkarr or∂.

~ElizabethMarieKauffman~