Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Two Sentence Tuesdays - Grimm Offerings


I'm pleased to report that another Tuesday has rolled around and I'm still here to read, write, and enjoy it.

Our current bedtime story is Grimm's Fairy Tales. These are personal favourites and we've got a few versions of the tales kicking around.
My husband does most of the reading. He does the voices and occasional accent to, so I can tell you listening to Hansel and Gretel was quite a treat.
If you'll let me count what was read to me as reading, then here's a tasty bit:

" 'I have them, and they shall not escape me!'
Early in the morning, before the children were awake, she got up to look at them, and as they lay sleeping so peacefully with round rosy cheeks, she said to herself,
'What a fine feast I shall have! ' "
-Grimm's Fairy Tales, Junior Deluxe Editions, Nelson Doubleday, Inc.


I finished the once-over of my vampire western the other day. I made a few changes here and there and corrected as many of the typos, spellos, and WTFs as I could see on screen. The hard copy is printed out and awaiting my attention.
Soon.
Very soon.
For now here's a little extra from Biting the Dust:

"The sweet salt streamed down his throat as he drew in every bit that he could before letting the spent body fall to the dust.
Kid wanted to shout. Joy spilled out of his body and overwhelmed him. It made him reel. He knew that gravity would be no match for him if he could only remember how to fly. "

Thanks for reading me.
For more or to get in on the action please see the Women of Mystery.



12 comments:

Hilary said...

How sweet that Mike reads to you .. AND does the voices. I remember attending a parent meeting at the school once when my kids were little. The speaker was from the city library and she read to us. Here we were, all these adults in the room and it was story time. It was wonderful. Many of us felt like little kids focused on her every word. It was magical. Good for you for reading fairy tales out loud. Another fine post.

the Bag Lady said...

Great lines, cousin - both the classic fairy tale AND yours! I look forward to reading all these stories you have been penning!

Leah J. Utas said...

Hilary, story time is magical and it is for everyone at every age.
I've heard many of these tales over and over. I can't imagine ever tiring of them.

df Bag Lady, thanks. You'll get your chance.

David Cranmer said...

There just happens to be a copy of Grimm's Fairy Tales at the hotel where I'm staying. I think I will borrow it.

Leah J. Utas said...

I think you'll enjoy them, David.

Thomma Lyn said...

Oh my, I love the bits from Biting the Dust. (you couldn't have a more perfect title for a vampire western!) And this sentence is sublime: "He knew that gravity would be no match for him if he could only remember how to fly."

messymimi said...

Sometimes those fairy tales were just plain scary, looking back at them. Still, worth reading.

As is your novel -- I want you in my library!

Leah J. Utas said...

Thomma Lyn, thanks so much. I never thought of anything I'd written as sublime. I'll be walking on air for days.

Messymimi, I agree. Most fairy tales were terrifying. And thanks so much for wanting to read me.

Clare2e said...

I agree with Thomma Lynn. That line stuck with me. I feel like I've forgotten how to fly sometimes, too, but look out when I remember!

Leah J. Utas said...

Clare, thanks. And I've no doubt you'll be remembering soon.

Barbara Martin said...

Grimm's Fairy Tales are one of my favourites from childhood: all excellent horror stories with parables for little ears. Those lines from Hansel and Gretel are quite gruesome and delicious at the same time.

Your own lines are tantalizing, and I would like to know more.

Leah J. Utas said...

Barbara, the Grimm tales are grim.
Thanks for the compliment.