In which I tell you about what's new... and also what's not-so-new. 

- So, today I got my black belt. (In taekwondo, if you haven't read my "About Me".) I've been doing taekwondo for about three years, and I did it. I finally got my black belt. It still hasn't sunk in. Of course, I won't get the belt for another few weeks, because they have to send away for it to Korea. Maybe it'll sink in then.

The test was today, and there were about a hundred poom belts in this medium-sized room with hardwood floors, a stage, and chandeliers. It looked like a ballroom, but we didn't dance. We did forms, board breaking and sparring. And then we clapped for about a thousand hours while every single person was called one-by-one to go up on stage and receive their certificate. I could go on, but this is a headline post.

- Tomorrow's Easter, as you all know. Every year the Younger Brother and I get Easter baskets filled with candy and various knick-knacks, and it just makes Easter morning a happy morning. You can't nurse a dismal mood when you're sorting through a basket of surprise delights.

- I'm looking for a job. I don't want one, but I need one. Probably more on this later.

- I have a piano recital next weekend. I'm doing two pieces: "The Theme from Clair de Lune" and "Hungarian Dance". "The Theme from Clair de Lune" means "the first three pages of Clair de Lune that I made up an ending for, because I couldn't learn the rest fast enough to play at the recital". Sounds a lot better the first way, though. 

Anyway, this last week I didn't tinkle the ivories at all. Not one bit. And then I went to my piano lesson yesterday and played my two pieces as good, if not better, than I had ever played them before. So, I have this theory. I'll practice insanely hard the first part of this week, and then let the piano lie dormant until the day of the recital. Then I'll practice a few times before we actually go to the recital, and then I'll perform. Sort of conserving the music until I really need it, if you will. Sure, it sounds kind of dangerous and risky and might backfire, but hey! What's life without a little risk?

- I've been working hard on The Chaos I Am. (See earlier post New Story if you have no idea what I'm talking about.) I'm trying to get to know Seyf better, but it's slow work.

Incidentally, I made a new cover for TCIA:

Whaddaya think? Would you read a story with this cover?

   

New Story.

So... I have this problem.

It's called 'not being able to finish a novel, ever', and I believe it's quite chronic. By the time I got near the end of my first novel (I never finished it), the writing at the beginning was childish and simplistic while the writing at the end was more sophisticated, because I had grown years older. The characters didn't even behave the same at the end as they did at the beginning. It was illogical, inconsistent, stupid, stupid and... stupid. *wince* I wince when I think about it. *wince*

I have approximately 42 novels in the works at this point, and I've just started another one! Yay for me!

Seyf is fighting a war against his older sister. The populous Mekra'ash party wants to make him king, but the powerful Ishraq'ash support his sister; neighboring nations are beginning to choose sides too, and when a prominent criminal organization gets involved, things spiral even further out of control. Seyf's Mekra'ash followers think he can win, but how can he win a war he doesn't even want to fight?  

It's called The Chaos I Am. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep that title yet, but anyway, I made covers, and I'm going to show them to you. Yay for you!

Which cover do you like best? Do you think I should post some of the novel? (Some is already up on my Figment, but I might give you guys a sneak peek*, if you want.)

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*EDIT: First I accidentally wrote "sneak peak". Those mountain summits can be sneaky sometimes.

/facepalm