Happy News!

I am proud to announce that I have been exempt from my final exam for my Women's Literature class due to the fact that I received an A for the class. I am very thrilled about this because I had a very difficult time with this class and I am proud of myself for being the only one in the class to get an A. Also, not having to take the final, I have more time to spend on my novel Lost Prince of Waydale that is scheduled to be released in the fall (probably around October or November depending on the editor). Another side note, my laptop died on my yesterday so I had to go out and buy a new one last night since my work sort of relies on my computer. I was not happy about spending the money but I really didn't have a choice.

I was thinking about posing a new book review soon and another one of my poems since so many people liked my first one. I will keep everyone updated on the progress of my novel as well as my book reviews.

Poetry time!

Since I never usually post any poetry that I have written I thought I might start doing that instead of the journalist idea.This is only because I am a terrible journalist when it comes to writing anything but crime. So to start with, I will post a poem I did for a poetry contest a few weeks ago called "Heart Breaks Up."

The Melody in my heart,

leaves tiny watermarks imprinting on my soul.

Moonlight bounces off my disappointed stare,

While your tender touch makes me wince with unease.

I fake a smile and grip the prickly grass beneath us.

After taking a deep breath I study you,

Sadness dances across your expression.

I try to remain calm as I slowly get up

And walk away from the me that I have always known,

The me that was you.

My heart breaks upward towards the stars,

Floating away.

Best Loved Fairy Tales-Book Review #14

Now this review is not about just one book but about many stories. Best-Loved Fairy Tales is of course about all the different fairy tales we know and love but it also has ones that aren't as known. I love reading them because they give me inspiration to keep writing my own fantasy story Lost Prince of Waydale that should be released in the fall.

The stories include, "Thumbelina", "The Snow Queen," The Ugly Duckling" and The Princess and the Pea." Some of these stories are pretty well known but others like "The Snail and the Rose-Tree" are less known. I would recommend this book for adults to either read on their own or to their children. Although, some stories might not be as suitable for children as others. Unlike Grim's Fairy Tales, these stories can be quite pleasant. If you are someone who enjoys a quick cute story without getting in invested in a novel, I would definitely recommend this.

Sorry this review is short and not really a review but I was reading some of these stories and thought they were good since I don't have time to read a full length book anymore since school is starting in a few weeks.

How to do proper in-text citations

First off, what exactly is an "in-text citation?" Well basically in a college level course you are required to write research papers in which you have to create what is called a "Work Cited" page. In an MLA style paper it is called Work Cited but in APA style it's called a reference page. For English papers MLA style is used but for scientific, biology or psychology papers APA (American Psychological Association) style is used. In your research paper it is required that you use different sources of information and you have to make sure you put all your sources in your woks cited page at the end of your paper that generally looks like this....

Works cited

Dove, Rita. The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women: The Traditions in English. By Sandra M. Gilbert and Susan Gubar. 3rd ed. Vol. 2. New York: W. W Norton, 2007. 1385. Print.

Cole, Joshua, and Judith G. Coffin. "The New Science of the Seventeenth Century." Western Civilizations: Their History & Their Culture. 3rd ed. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. 383-401. Print.

Henry, John. "Scientific Revolution." Europe, 1450 to 1789: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World. Ed. Jonathan Dewald. Vol. 5. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2004. 343-352. World History in Context. Web. 19 Mar. 2015.

Always make sure that your sources are listed in alphabetical order, whether its APA or MLA style.

Now an "in-text citation" is something that you put within your essay after you use a quote or information you received from a specific source. For example, I wrote an essay on why video games could have an impact on the behavior of children and I used specific sources to give examples on WHY they could influence behavior. At the end of a quote or the direct information you used, you are supposed to write (in parenthesis) the author's last name (if quoting a person from a book) as well as the page number the information was found. If you are using sources from a website you add the website or articles name. APA style is not done this way so do not follow this for writing a scientific paper. In text citations will look like this....

The scientific revolution marks a decisive break between the Middle Ages and the modern world, but it was rooted in earlier developments. Intellectuals had been observing the natural world since at least the twelfth century so the link between observation and experimentation was not new to the sixteen and seventeen centuries (Cole, Coffin 384.) One event that sparked the scientific revolution was The Renaissance. It encouraged partnership between those interested in the arts and the intellectuals. 

As you can see I added the authors name and page number to the citation. Here is another example of an in-text citation: 

The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women claimed that, “Throughout her life, Stowe continued to support her family with writings that contributed to the formation of  national American Literature” (Gilbert and Gubar 601). 

So I hope everyone learned a little something and if you have any further questions, this site is fantastic at providing really good information on everything you need to know for a research paper!

My next book review

Since I have been working tirelessly on my new book Lost Prince of Waydale, I have not had much time for reading. However, I bought several books on Sunday from the secondhand store and will chose one of them to read and review. I have my eye on one in particular called Tunnels by Roderick Gordon. This book pretty interesting and I got it because it targets a similar age range to the book I am writing so I thought it could give me some ideas.
         My summer class will be over in about a month and a week so that means I will either be able to write a lot, or not at all. As you know I am starting school in August to obtain my BA in English. My school is Cedar Crest College and it is a private school. So I hope that goes well. I will be joining several clubs including the Commuters Awareness Board, the newspaper and the literary magazine. I am also excited to meet new friends!
         Overall I will be working on my new book, my papers, and my book review. I will try to have the review out by the end of the week but Tunnels is fairly long. I hope everyone had a happy and safe Fourth of July.