And the Most Mischievous Imp Silmaril Goes To...

An audience mills about in a field. They talk in low murmurs, as only confused and slightly annoyed people do. Everyone wears black tie attire and some hold glasses of champagne. Fifteen minutes ago, the audience sat inside a luxurious ballroom, watching the award for Least Competent Henchmen be presented, but they had been herded outside because of the fire alarm. Since there was no smoke or flames, they assumed some mischievous imp had pulled the alarm, though why anyone would do something so rude during an awards ceremony was beyond even the smartest attendee.

Suddenly, a bang! and everyone turns their heads. A firework explodes above the audience. Several more fireworks fly into the sky; miraculously, they spelled out several words: NOMINEES FOR THE MOST MISCHIEVOUS IMP SILMARIL.
Five more fireworks spell out the names of the nominees:
TIGGER from WINNIE THE POOH
TOAD from THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS
CRISPIN BEASLEY from BEAUMONT AND BEASLEY
PETER PAN AND THE LOST BOYS from PETER PAN
TINK/KALMAR from THE WINGFEATHER SAGA

As the smoke clears, the audience claps and whistles. This was well worth standing outside for fifteen minutes. The applause slows and a small figure appears out of the smoke.
"Now that is how to make an entrance!" he says, waggling his curly head. "Don't you think, Merry?"
"Well done, Pip." A second short man appears at the first's side.
"The envelope please, Merry," says Pippin Took.
Merry hands his cousin the envelope with the winner's name in it. Pippin opens it, glances at the name, gives Merry a side glance and a wink, and turns to the audience.

"And the winner is... Peter Pan and his Lost Boys!!"
The audience explodes like a firework.
"The Silmaril please, Merry." Pippin takes it from Merry. Peter Pan flies up into the air from his seat and does a twirl. He walks on the air, preening and smiling, and Tootles, Nibs, Slightly, Curly, and the Twins walk in a line underneath their fearless leader until all of them stand in a line before Pippin. Peter holds out his hand to accept his Silmaril, but it is no longer in Pippin's hand!
"I just had it..." Pippin says. He pats his pockets and searches the ground.
"Fool of a Took..." mumbles a gray wizard in the audience. He draws his bushy eyebrows together as he turns around and storms back toward the theater.
"What do you mean by this? We are supposed to get an award," says Peter indignantly. He crosses his arms over his chest and his Lost Boys copy him.
"Let me see... let me see..." says Pippin. "Ah, there it is! What's it doing behind your ear?" Pippin pulls the Silmaril from behind Peter's ear. The Silmaril hangs on a piece of fabric, so Pippin drapes it around Peter's neck.

"Thank you very much," Peter says. "Thank you. I'd like to thank my Lost Boys. They are the most loyal friends I could ever ask for. We shall have lots of adventures and continue being imps the rest of our lives! But I'll be sure to take better care of this Silmaril than Pippin here." Everyone laughs.
The crowd parts to let Peter Pan and Pippin follow the gray wizard back to the theater. Everyone else files back into the building after them. Just as the last guest enters the theater, it begins to rain, and the last of the smoke clears.

The Silmaril Awards 2018: Voting

Thanks for all of your voting and seconding last week! There were 33 nominations! Five imps, however, were more mischievous than the rest... Here they are, the top five nominees for the Most Mischievous Imp Silmaril:

1. Peter Pan and his Lost Boys from Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie (15 nominations).
Peter Pan is happy-go-lucky and it often seems as though he cares for no one but himself, but it is only because he has no mother to set him right. He refuses to grow up and, instead, leads his Lost Boys from adventure to adventure. From losing his shadow, to flying around Neveland, to facing crocodiles and pirates, Peter and his gang get themselves into no end of trouble. Tootles, though clumsy, is caring; Nibs is the bravest; Slightly is no good at make believe, but he's wonderful at exaggeration; Curly frequently gets himself into pickles; and the Twins are simply the Twins.

2. Crispin Beasley from Beaumont and Beasley by our very own Silmaril Award host Kyle Robert Shulz (12 nominations).
Many have questioned why Crispin—early twenties, boyish good looks, cheerful demeanor—of all people, was gifted with exceptionally strong magical powers. Those who know him best would describe him as flighty, easily distracted, and far too quick to laugh during moments of danger. He’s not really someone you’d want casting spells anywhere near you. However, in the darkest times, Crispin has been known to show surprising maturity and resourcefulness. Prophecies, paradoxes, and peril loom over him, but he remains steadfast, a dependable ally and friend even when all seems lost.

3. Tink/Kalmar from The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson (9 nominations).
Tink Igiby (whose given name is Kalmar) is an adventurous lad with a nose for danger and trouble. Not the best of qualities, but he’s never one to back down from a challenge, a mystery, or even a ghost. Such a tendency has gotten him into hard spots and has helped him escape them, too. That, and his ability to run like the wind. An excellent artist, Tink’s foremost interest in life is filling his never-satisfied stomach (though if you ask his older brother Janner, it's to cause trouble and ignore level-minded directions).

4. Toad from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (9 nominations).
While a decent animal at heart, this posh toad is far too fond of leaping into wild adventures and regaling people about them afterward--with a healthy dose of embellishment, of course. His greatest passion is for driving motorcars, even in cases when he is not the vehicle’s rightful owner. He tries to be gentlemanly and dignified, but he is a little too ridiculous and clumsy for that. Though he consistently ignores the advice of his patient and concerned friends, he is loyal to them, and does his best to overcome his selfishness for their sakes. 

5. and Tigger from Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne (9 nominations).
To find out more about Tigger, watch this short video:

Vote for your favorite here (or, if you've already voted on someone else's blog, comment below and tell me who you want to win!):

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Voting ends on Friday, but come back soon to find out the winner of the Most Mischievous Imp Silmaril!

The Silmaril Awards 2018

**NOMINATIONS NOW CLOSED**

Welcome back to the Silmaril Awards!!! 

As you can see, we have a name change this year, but we are the same in our third year as we were in our first year. And just what is the Silmaril Awards? It is a celebration of J.R.R. Tolkien and fantasy. It's sort of like the Oscars except held online, and the awards are to be won by a fantasy character and not by an actor!

I'm hosting Most Mischievous Imp, so look out for shenanigans!

Here are the rules:

• All nominees must be from a fantasy book (movie characters, dystopia, sci-fi, and steampunk do not count. If you are not sure about a character, ask in the comments, and I'll get back to you!).
• You may nominate as many characters as you like.
• If someone has already nominated a character that you have thought of, you may "second" their nomination.
• You may second as many nominations as you like.
• Only nominate Mischievous Imps on this post. Heroes, villains, etc. can be nominated on their own respective posts (a list to the other blogs is available at the end of this post).
• When you are nominating a character, remember to say which book he or she comes from! 
• Characters from Lord of the Rings cannot be nominated because they will present the Silmaril to the winner.
• These are lifetime Silmarils, so last year's winners (the Fred and George Weasley from Harry Potter), cannot be nominated either.
• Authors may not nominate their own characters.

Nominations are open from now until the 7th. Voting on the top five nominated Imps begins on the 10th and ends on the 14th, and the award ceremony takes place from the 17th-28th.

Make sure to nominate characters for the other nine Silmarils!

Deborah O'Carroll is hosting Wisest Councillor

Jenelle Schmidt is hosting Least Competent Henchman

DJ Edwardson is hosting Silver Tongue

E.E. Rawls is hosting Most Epic Hero

Zac Totah is hosting Strangest Character

Madeline J. Rose is hosting Most Epic Heroine

Tracey Dyck is hosting Most Magnificent Dragon

Savannah Grace is hosting Most Loyal Friend

and Kyle Robert Schulz is hosting Most Nefarious Villain! 

Here is an info-graphic to keep everything straight:

And make sure to check out our snazzy new website, created by the very talented DJ Edwardson.

Let the nominations begin!

*NOMINATIONS NOW CLOSED**

Watching // Listening to // Reading // Writing

WATCHING //
After watching for more than a year, I finally finished Friends. 

I started it last summer, I believe, but when school started, I stopped watching (we were on a break, okay??). It's not my favorite sitcom ever (that will forever and always be Frasier), but it was oh so much fun to see all the silly situations that Ross got himself in to.

On the subject of sitcoms, my roommate and I are nearing the end of The Office. It's been a fun Netflix Trip.

Some friends and I went to see Incredibles 2, which I thought was incredible (haha). Did you know the movies are set in the 1960s? I didn't notice the time period in the first movie, but it was evident in this one. It adds one more element to an already fantastic film.

This poster belongs to Disney Pixar

My friend and I just finished Netflix's Lost in Space. I have so many thoughts about this show that it will be its own separate post.

Last but not least, I watched the first episode of Babylon 5 last night. My dad and I are watching it "together." Even though we are 1,500 miles apart, we will watch an episode or three a week and then talk about it. My thoughts so far: it reminds me a lot of Deep Space Nine, but Star Trek has much better graphics (and better acting and writing, too, methinks, but I don't want to make a final judgement yet since I have only seen the first episode). I'm excited to keep watching!

LISTENING TO // 
I've been on a classical music kick over the past few weeks. I've been listening to a lot of Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky (Pictures at an Exhibition <3), Debussy, Tchaikovsky, and Saint-Saens. Check out The Carnival of the Animals—it is so much fun! My favorite pieces are "Aquarium," "Pianists," and "Fossils."

I've also been listening to a lot of Twenty One Pilots. I'd never heard of them before coming to school, but they are now one of my favorite bands. They are coming out with a new album in October and have released three songs with music videos. I love Twenty One Pilots because they have created a whole world and story line within their music, and it is SO. COOL. because it is an extended metaphor for the singer's mental health. I can't embed their new music into my blog for some reason, so here is a link to their music video "Jumpsuit" (which I think is slightly more understandable than "Nico and the Niners," which is my favorite of their three new songs).

READING //
This summer, I have been making my way through the Minstrel's Song series by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt. I've been reading them on the Kindle app on my phone, usually in my fifteen minute morning breaks at work. I'm at my grandparent's house until school starts next week, however, so I am reading, reading, reading. I finished Yorien's Hand yesterday. Whooooaaaa. So epic! I am afraid for Oraeyn, Kamarie, Yole, Brant, and the gang, and my intrigue about Kiernan Kane continues to grow! I started Minstrel's Call this morning.

From Instagram

I am also reading a book of short stories by Willa Cather, which I am enjoying. The stories are about the disillusionment that creators sometimes feel. I am re-reading "The Garden Lodge" right now, which is about a practical woman who has a famous tenor to stay at her house. When he leaves, she has a breakdown as she remembers how her childhood was destroyed by over-sentimentality and how she refused to indulge in anything imaginative as a result. I didn't quite catch the meaning of the story the first time I read it; I understand it more the second time. The stories make me sad because the characters are misunderstood and purposeless artists, but it is a good kind of sadness because it reminds me that I do have a greater purpose when I am creative: I reflect God the creator.

From Instagram

WRITING //

I haven't been writing anything, but I do have several ideas floating around in my head... I am going to keep them in my head right now, especially since school is starting next week, and I definitely won't have time for personal projects then. I will tell you that one idea is sci-fi and one is fantasy and one is memoir(ish).
Also, there are exciting things happening on the blogging horizon...

COMING SOON TO TEN BLOGS NEAR YOU

So, what have you guys been watching/listening to/reading/writing? Are you excited for the Silmaril Awards? What do you think of the slightly modified name?

Fantasy Books I've Been Inspired to Read

The Silmarillion Awards 2017 have come to an end, and my to-be-read pile has grown exponentially. I must admit, I haven't read as many fantasy books as I thought I had, so, in celebration of the genre (and in celebration of Lord of the Ring's publication on this day 63 years ago), here are some fantasy books that this year's Silmarillion Awards have inspired me to read (the links lead to each book's respective Goodreads page):

The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson. Both last year and this year, characters from The Wingfeather Saga rose to the top of the nominations, and now to the top of my TBR (all right, maybe not the tippy top, but pretty close).

The Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan. I have heard good things about this series for many years. I want to know why the names Will and Halt incur such rabid joy. I even went as far as to get this book out of the library. Unfortunately, I also took out ten or so other books and never got to The Ranger's Apprentice before it had to be returned.

Paper Crowns by Mirriam Neal. Again, I have heard so many good things about this book! I follow Mirriam Neal's blog and am always impressed with her posts. I can only assume that her stories are just as good. Plus, this book has a cat in it, and I'm a big fan of fictional cats.

The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. A few years ago, I read Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson and really enjoyed it. I know several people who have read The Stormlight Archive and highly recommend it. From what I know of it, it sounds like a great book! If only it weren't such a daunting size...

Ilyon Chronicles by Jaye L. Knight. This series has garnered a lot of interest and praise across the blogging community. Everyone I know that has read these Chronicles has enjoyed them. Initially, I wasn't too interested in the summary, but the more I hear about these books, the more I want to check them out! Plus, the covers are gorgeous.

Halayda by Sarah Delena White. Jenelle's review first sparked my interest in this book. Then, when several of the characters showed up in the Silmarillion Awards, I decided to definitely add this one to my TBR!

Sentinel by Jamie Foley. While Jet, one of the characters from this book, did not have a lot of votes in the Silmarillion Awards, all of the votes that he did receive were so enthusiastically given that it interested me in the book to which he belongs. Sentinel doesn't look like a book that I would normally pick up, but any book with a character as well-loved as Jet must be good, right?

Percy Jackson by Rick Riodan. Some day I will read these books. That is all I have to say.

The Tales of Goldstone Wood by Anne Elizabeth Stengl. I read the first book in this series last year, and I wasn't too impressed. This is such a well-loved series within the blogging community that I want to give it another try, though. I've been told that the series gets better and better as it goes along, so maybe I will have to pick up a later book.

The Beast of Talesend by Kyle Robert Shultz (our very own Silmarillion Award presenter!). Someone nominated a character from this book for the Silm Awards which first caught my attention. Then, someone on Twitter described The Beast of Talesend as Doctor Who meets P.G. Wodehouse (um, YES, PLEASE). Until about five seconds ago, I knew nothing more than this, and then I looked up the synopsis. It's a detective story, people! Was this book made for me?? Maybe. Either way, it is now on my TBR.

Have you read any of the books on my list? Did you like them?
Did the Silmarillion Awards inspire you to read any fantasy books? Let me know which ones in the comments below!

Silmarillion Awards 2017: Award Presentation

Thousands of people stand in the middle of the road. Gates repel them back from a red carpet where men, women, dragons, wizards, cats, hobbits, marsh-wiggles, bird-like creatures, lions, tigers, bears (oh my!), and more walk lackadaisically toward a stadium. They walk lackadaisically because, at the beginning of the red carpet, both man and beast must stop for press pictures in front of a white canvas that says SILMARILLION AWARDS 2017 in big, green letters. Further along the red carpet, they must stop for interviews with television stations, Youtube channels, and famous bloggers. 

One blogger, gorgeous in a black gown which hides the heels she wore specifically to turn herself from a 5'2" hobgoblin into a 5'4" princess, stops a man so tall that her heels are pointless. 

"Hello, Aragorn!" says the blogger, with a smile that says she has worked in customer service.

"Hello," replies the tall man.

"Are you enjoying the red carpet tonight? Now, be honest."

"As a king, I have had to attend many events," says Aragorn. "I enjoy meeting with old friends and making new ones, but, I must admit, I prefer walking in the woods with my wife to walking down the red carpet."

"And where is Queen Arwen tonight?

"Eldarion—our son—has a cold, so she stayed home with him tonight."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sure all of us here on the red carpet wish your son the speediest recovery! Now, Aragorn, there is a rumor running rampant that you will be presenting the Silmaril for Most Epic Hero for the second year in a row. Can you confirm this rumor?"

Aragorn smiles mischievously. "You will just have to wait and see."

The audience applauds uproariously for each award presented: the Silmaril for the Wisest Counselor! for the Least Competent Henchmen! for the character with the Silver-est Tongue! 

Now, the time has come to award the Silmaril for Most Epic Hero. A tall man walks onto the stage. He carries himself regally, which only makes him look taller. He wears a sword at his side and a crown on his head. The audience cheers when they see him.

"Hello," he says. "My name is Aragorn. I am honored to be here at the Silmarillion Awards for the second year in a row to award the Silmaril for Most Epic Hero. 

"There are many types of heroes. Some, like my good friend Frodo Baggins, choose to do the heroic thing—even though the task is usually a difficult one, such as going on a long and dangerous journey to destroy a powerful object. Others, like dearly departed Boromir, are born into heroic roles as princes, princesses, or people of power. 

"Many worthy heroes who fit both of these descriptions were nominated for this Silmaril. Five prevailed as the most heroic.

"In fifth place, we have Janner Igiby from The Wingfeather Saga."

The audience applauds for Janner. In the front row, he smiles graciously.

"In fourth place," continues Aragorn, "is Artham Wingfeather from The Wingfeather Saga."

Artham turns to Janner and shrugs, a smile on his face.

"Carswell Thorne from The Lunar Chronicles has come in third," says Aragorn.

Carswell looks down, disappointed. Then, he decides to make the best of the situation. He turns to the small woman next to him and kisses her. The audience interrupts their own clapping to say, "awwww!"

"In second place is Westley from The Princess Bride," announces Aragorn.

Westley stands up, bows, and sits down again.

"And the winner of this year's Silmaril for Most Epic Hero..." Aragorn pauses for dramatic effect. "Peter Pevensie!" 

The audience cheers, whistles, whoops, and screams. A young man stands up from the front row and races onstage. 

"Congratulations," says Aragorn. Smiling, he hands the young man his Silmaril.

"Thank you!" says Peter. "I did not expect to win such a great award! I would like to thank my parents for teaching me the difference between right and wrong, and I would like to thank Aslan for teaching me how to put the principle of right into action. Also, hullo to Susan, Edmund, and Lucy!" Peter waves to his siblings in the audience. A little girl in the second row stands up and waves back enthusiastically. Peter shakes Aragorn's hand and they leave the stage together. 

The presenter for the Strangest Character Silmaril enters...

"Wow! I can't believe he won!" the blogger with the heels says to a man standing next to her. "I thought for sure Westley would have won! He got second last year, too, y'know."

"Yes, I remember," replies the man as he fingers his beard. He is one of the few men in the stadium wearing a hat. And a very funny hat, too. It has a red feather stuck in it, and it's completely green. Actually, the man is dressed completely green, and he carries a bow and arrow. They are not for show.

"Anyway, I'm glad that Peter won. He deserved to win. And Robin Hood deserved to win last year. Both Peter and Robin Hood are very heroic, don't you think?"

The green-clad man smirks. "Oh, yes, very heroic," he agrees.

If this were a movie, the green-clad man would look directly into the camera and wink, but it is not a movie, and the oblivious blogger begins to walk away. She nearly trips on the hem of her dress as she goes, and the man in all green grins after her. He turns his attention back to the Award ceremony. 

Thank you for joining us for this year's Silmarillion Awards! And join the Silmarillion Awards crew on July 29th when everyone is invited to post on their own blog about fantasy and J.R.R. Tolkien! 

The Silmarillion Awards 2017: Voting

The time has come for you to find out the top five nominations for the Most Epic Hero Silmaril. There were seventy-five nominations! Now, as I hope you've gathered, Silmarils are pretty spectacular things. They were, after all, crafted by a Child of Iluvatar. 

I won't keep you waiting on the edge of your chair any longer; here are the top five most-seconded heroes:

Westley from The Princess Bride- He's handsome (what with his eyes the color of the sea before a storm). He's strong (what with beating a giant in a wrestling match). He's a hard worker (what with being a farm hand for so long). He's an excellent swordsman (what with besting the most talented swordsman in the world). He's a smooth-talker (what with talking his way out of a death sentence). He's loyal (what with coming back from the dead—twice—to rescue the woman he loves). He is deserving of the Silmaril for Most Epic Hero.

Carswell Thorne from The Lunar Chronicles- Although Captain Carswell Thorne could be considered a criminal, he is also sweet and protective. He, too, is handsome, with bright blue eyes. He is loyal, protective, and funny. His quick wit lightens many a dark mood. He is deserving of the Silmaril for Most Epic Hero.

Janner Igiby from The Wingfeather Saga- Janner Igiby is a loyal twelve-year-old, who's had the task of helping look after his small family after his father died. Brave, but not above getting into many scrapes with his younger brother, Tink, Janner may be underestimated for his age. But it's the heart of the hero, and not the size, that really counts. He is deserving of the Silmaril for Most Epic Hero.

Artham Wingfeather from The Wingfeather Saga- Artham is half man, half hawk, and extremely devoted to his task of protecting the High King of Anneria and his siblings. Nothing is going to stop him from always being by their side - and anything that tries to get in his way had better look out. He is deserving of the Silmaril for Most Epic Hero. 

Peter from The Chronicles of Narnia- There is no one more deserving of a Silmaril than a High King, and Peter Pevensie happens to be one. Peter, as the oldest Pevensie sibling, is a nice balance of whimsical and grown up. He takes care of his younger siblings, but he is also willing to have tea with talking beavers and play a game of hide 'n seek. He is defensive of Lucy's imagination when Edmund teases her for believing in Narnia, but he is also willing to forgive Edmund after Edmund betrays Aslan to the White Witch. He is deserving of the Silmaril for Most Epic Hero. 

(Much thanks to Savannah for the descriptions of Janner and Artham.)

You will be able to vote for your favorite characters in the voting form at the end of this post, but before you scurry off to do that, I have two exciting announcements.
First of all, Faith T has won the giveaway of Where Carpets Fly and a King's Warrior bookmark! Congratulations! Jenelle either has or will shortly email you the details about what you've won.
Second of all, if you are bummed out about not winning the giveaway, do not fret, for there is a second giveaway! Yesirry, YOU could be the proud owner of this fabulous Grand Prize:

Contains...
-One map of Middle-Earth.
-One copy of Aratar, Peredhil, and Halflings. Oh My! The Ultimate Tolkien Quiz by Benita J. Prins.
-One ring to rule them all (WARNING: Ring not meant for taking over the world. Ring also not meant for journeying to the nearest volcano so you can throw it to its doom.)

How can you win this grand prize? Well, somewhere in this blog post is hidden one line of a ten-line poem. Each of the other nine bloggers hosting the Silmarillion Awards also has one line of the poem included in their voting post. Each line of the poem is a link to the blog post with the next line of the poem. There is a place on the voting form to enter in all ten lines of the poem, which will enter you in the drawing for the Grand Prize!

And now, the voting form (which is the same on every blog, so if you've voted on another blog, then you should be good!):

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Return on July 20 when a special guest will presenting the winner with the Silmaril for Most Epic Hero! 

The Silmarillion Awards 2017

**NOMINATIONS NOW CLOSED**

Welcome to the second Silmarillion Awards!!!

The Silmarillion Awards is a celebration of J.R.R. Tolkien and fantasy! They are sort of like the Oscars, except they are held online, and the awards are to be won by a fantasy character and not by an actor.

There are ten different Silmarils to be won:

Tracy from Adventure Awaits is hosting the Wisest Councillor Silmaril.
Kyle Robert Shultz is hosting the Least Competent Henchman Silmaril.
Madeline from Short and Snappy is hosting the Silver Tongue Silmaril.
Savannah from Scattered Scribblings is hosting the Strangest Character Silmaril.

Deborah from Road of a Writer is hosting the Most Epic Heroine Silmaril.

Elise E. Rawls is hosting the Most Mischievous Imp Silmaril.

DJ Edwardson is hosting the Most Magnificent Dragon Silmaril.

Zachary Totah is hosting the Most Loyal Friend Silmaril.

Jenelle Schmidt is hosting the Most Nefarious Villain Silmaril.

And here on Regarding Reading and Writing, I am hosting the Most Epic Hero Silmaril!

YOU, my friends, will be nominating fantasy characters for each of these Silmarils in the comment section of their respective posts (for example, you would not nominate Eragon for Most Epic Hero in Jenelle's comment section for Most Nefarious Villain). Here are some rules to keep in mind:

-All nominees must be from a fantasy story (dystopia, sci-fi, and steampunk do not count. If you are not sure about a character, ask in the comments, and I'll get back to you!).

-You may nominate as many characters as you like.

-If someone has already nominated a character that you have thought of, you may "second" their nomination.

-You may second as many nominations as you like.

-When you are nominating a character, remember to say which book he or she comes from! 

-Characters from Lord of the Rings cannot be nominated because they will present the Silmaril to the winner.

-These are lifetime Silmarils, so last year's winner, the glorious Robin Hood, cannot be nominated either.

Nominations are open from July 3-7, so nominate your favorite fantasy heroes below, and spread the word on social media using #SilmAwards2017. On July 9, I'll post the top five nominees, and on July 10, the voting form will be open for you to vote for your favorite fantasy hero!

A hero can be described as tranquil as a forest but on fire within. Swift as a coursing river. Forceful as a great typhoon. Strong as a raging fire. They are usually mysterious as the dark side of the moon. It helps if they are able to get down to business to defeat the Huns, too.

Some lovely people have donated prizes for this year's Silmarillion Awards, so enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win a copy of Where Carpets Fly by Elise Edmonds and a King's Warrior (by Jenelle Schmidt) bookmark!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I'll announce the winner on July 9!

And don't forget you can buy some swaggy Silmarillion Awards merch. There are t-shirts and mugs! If you use the code TOLKIEN2017, you can get 10% off of your purchase until August 15.

Now let's get nominating!

**NOMINATIONS NOW CLOSED**

Coming soon...

COMING SOON TO TEN BLOGS NEAR YOU.

Last year, ten blogs (including this one) hosted the first ever Silmarillion Awards! The Silmarillion Awards is a ceremony that celebrates fantasy and J.R.R. Tolkien. YOU get to nominate and vote for your favorite fantasy characters, and whichever character receives the most votes gets his or her very own Silmaril!
But, Abbey, you wonder, weren't the Silmarils lost?
Ye-es... but we were able to find the ashes of Feanor and resurrect him so that he could craft us ten new Silmarils!
But, Abbey, what about Morgoth?
Haha *nervous laughter* W-what about him...? *cough cough* Moving on!

Last year, I hosted The Most Nefarious Villain Award, which the White Witch from The Chronicles of Narnia won. This year, Regarding Reading and Writing will host The Most Epic Hero Silmaril!

This year, there will be several new features to the Awards...
-Each blog is hosting a giveaway!
-There will be a scavenger hunt culminating in an Ultimate Tolkien Grand Prize!
-You can buy Silmarillion Awards swag! There's a mug and a t-shirt and they make me FAR too excited. All the money from sales will go to funding Silmarillion Awards in years to come. From now until August 15, use the code TOLKIEN2017 to get 10% off of your purchase!

Here is this year's Silmarillion Awards schedule presented in a handy dandy graphic (created by the multi-talented Deborah).

And here are links to the participating blogs:

Wisest Councillor Silmaril - Tracey @ Adventure Awaits

Least Competent Henchman Silmaril - Kyle @ KyleRobertShultz

Silver Tongue Silmaril - Madeline @ Short and Snappy

Most Epic Hero Silmaril - Abbey @Regarding Reading and Writing

Strangest Character Silmaril - Savannah @Scattered Scribblings

Most Epic Heroine Silmaril - Deborah @Road of a Writer

Most Mischievous Imp Silmaril - Elise @Author E.E. Rawls

Most Magnificent Dragon Silmaril - DJ @DJ Edwardson

Most Loyal Friend Silmaril - Zac @Zachary Totah

Most Nefarious Villain Silmaril - Jenelle @Jenelle Schmidt

Go follow these amazing people! And start thinking of fantasy characters to nominate for the awards (excluding any Lord of the Rings characters, because they will be hosting the Awards, and excluding last year's winners, because these are lifetime awards and they already have a Silmaril!).

And don't forget to spread the word using #SilmAwards2017 on social media!

I can't wait to see you next week when nominations open for THE SILMARILLION AWARDS 2017.

And the Most Nefarious Villain Award Goes To...

The stage is dark. Two figures stumble up the steps. As they struggle on stage, a single spot light turns on and illuminates the two figures. One is small and spider-like with thin, spindly appendages. The other is tall and also thin, though he is stooped over with the weight of something he carries. Both blink in the bright light as they approach the podium awaiting them in the center of the stage. The tall man lugs his load onto a stand that would normally hold a globe, and then straightens in front of the podium. He wears all white. His long hair and beard are white as well. His companion, on the other hand, wears dark clothing and has no hair. He is also too short to reach the podium.
The white gentleman speaks. His voice is deep and smooth. He has the kind of voice that one could listen to for hours, regardless of what he says.
"May we have a stool for Gollum?" he asks.
"Yessss... a sstool, precious. We wants to see, we do," hisses the spidery creature.
A stage hand runs out from the wings of the stage with a stool for Gollum.
"We shall begin," says the man in white. "I am the wizard Saruman and this is my companion—"
"Gollum, precious. Gollum, Gollum."
"Yes, my companion Gollum. Today, we, along with Sauron—who will be Skyping in via Palantir shortly—have the privilege of presenting the Most Nefarious Villain Silmaril to the worthiest harbinger of evil in all of fantasy literature! ...besides ourselves."
The man in white falls silent, waiting for something. When the silence becomes awkward, he clears his throat and taps the round, black ball which sits in the globe holder. He taps it again and waits. Several more seconds pass. Suddenly, the ball is replaced by an orb of fire so bright that Saruman and Gollum look away.
"Thank you for joining us at last, Sauron," Saruman says in an annoyed tone as he blinks the light from his eyes.
The fiery orb's intensity lessens and reveals a piercing eye within. The eye is surrounded by a ring of fire which blazes brighter in response to Saruman.
"Shall we begin?" Saruman asks. He does not wait for his companions to answer, but instead opens a manila folder. "The nominees for the Most Nefarious Villain Silmaril are... The Dragon from the Tales of Goldstone Woods by Anne Elisabeth Stengl."
The audience claps.
"Lady Life-in-Death from the sssame... gollum, gollum," hisses Gollum.
Once again, the audience applauds.
"Princess Davira from the Ilyon Chronicles by Jaye L. Knight," Saruman says.
This time, the applause is accompanied by shouts of someone who is a little bit too enthusiastic about this nomination. Gollum hisses at the Ilyon Chronicles enthusiast before naming the next nominee.
"Doloresssss Umbridge from Harry Potter, precious."
No one applauds for this villain. Instead, she is booed. Someone even shouts, "Give her the award! She's worse than He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." Saruman glances sharply at the shouter and she settles in her seat with a sneer and a, "Well, she IS."
"Our final nominee is the White Witch from the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis," finishes Saruman. "And the winner is..."
Saruman opens a second manila envelope. Gollum hops from one foot to the other in anticipation. The Great Eye of Sauron burns brighter.
"The White Witch from the Chronicles of Narnia."
The audiences erupts with clapping and shouting. The White Witch rises from her seat and ascends the steps to the stage. She is dressed in a silver gown with a dropped waist and a long train. The dress is covered in crystals so that the Witch looks like newly fallen snow in the dead of night.
Saruman waits for her to arrange her train before pulling the Silmaril from the folds of his cloak.

"Your Silmaril," he says, looking lustfully at the jewel.
"Thank you," says the White Witch.
Her lips curve upwards very slightly as she scrutinizes the Silmaril. As she reaches out to take it, however, Gollum pops up between Saruman and the Witch. He grabs the Silmaril and leaps off the stage with it.
"My precious! We wants it, we do! Preciousss!" he yells.
"Security!" Saruman shouts.
Sauron's eye grows wide, flaming white hot in anger.
"My Silmaril! No!" the Witch screeches. She wields her staff and aims it at the audience. "Bring that back you wretch, or I shall turn you to stone!"
"My preciousss!" "No, no, gollum... Mustn't steal, we mustn't. Bring back the precious." "Sssss! We keeps it, we will." "No, no! Brings it back, we will! Sméagol will bring back the precious!" "Sssss!"
Gollum races back up the steps and presents the Silmaril to the White Witch. She looks down her nose at Gollum and snatches the jewel from him.  
"I will not recite a speech, for I have been greatly insulted," she says, turning up her nose at the creature groveling at her feet.
"Sorry, we are," says Gollum.
The White Witch does not acknowledge him but, instead, turns on her heel and walks off stage. As she reaches the bottom step, she fires her staff backwards at Gollum and he turns to stone.
"That concludes our ceremony for today," says Saruman. "Thank you for joining us in the first ever Silmarillion Awards. Refreshments will follow in the antechamber."
He follows the White Witch off stage and offers her his arm. She takes it and they lead the audience out of the auditorium.
The spotlight goes out, casting the stage into darkness once more. The only light comes from the Palantir, where the blaze of the Eye of Sauron dwindles to a blue flicker. Someone opens a stage door and a breeze blows through the wings and onto the stage. Whoosh; the Eye of Sauron is snuffed out.

Later, the janitor comes to mop the floor and trips over a stone statue in the middle of the stage.
"Who puts a statue in the middle of the floor, eh?" he grumbles to himself. "Now I'll hafta move it myself." He picks up the statue with a grunt and hauls it to the dumpster outside. He throws it in, but, as soon as he leaves, a Lord of the Rings enthusiast dumpster dives to save the lifelike statue of Gollum. It will definitely add value to his collection. What a find!

Thus ends the first award ceremony for the Most Nefarious Villain Silmaril.

The Silmarillion Awards: Voting

Welcome to the second stage of the Silmarillion Awards!

Nominations for the Most Nefarious Villain Silmaril are now closed, and the top five "seconded" characters have moved on to the voting round. Can you believe there were fifty-six nominations?
Here were the Top Five:

The White Witch from The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the White Witch has declared herself Queen of Narnia and has cast a spell over the land which makes it always winter, but never Christmas. With her wand, she is able to turn any naysayers into stone.

The Dragon from The Tales of Goldstone Wood by Anne Elisabeth Stengl. The Dragon marks those who have lost their hearts through tragedy or false love with a kiss on the brow. Those who have been kissed turn into dragons, burning from the inside until their human bodies become horribly twisted.

Lady Life-in-Death from The Tales of Goldstone Wood by Anne Elisabeth Stengl. In return for service, Lady Life-in-Death grants you your heart's desire. However, this deal may not seem so sweet when you find out the price of your heart's desire in enslavement.

Princess Davira from the Ilyon Chronicles by Jaye L. Knight. Davira is the daughter of an emperor, but does not act like it. She is ice-cold, ruthless, and used to having her own way.

Dolores Umbridge from the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling. The Ministry of Magic is anxious to quell rumors about the return of Voldemort, so they send Dolores Umbridge to teach their lies. They eventually give Umbridge so much power that she is an unstoppable, tyrannical bully.

The voting form contains the top five nominations from all ten categories, so if you have already gone through the form on someone else's blog, there is no need to go through it again. If you haven't gone through the voting form yet, do so here:

https://silmarillion.typeform.com/to/E8xUZJ

Voting will remain open until July 14 and, after that, your favorite Lord of the Rings characters will be presenting the Silmaril Awards to the winners!

Blogging plans gone awry

Remember this post from a few weeks ago when I told you about some changes I was making in my life? One of those changes was to blog twice a week with an update post on Sundays and a regular post on Thursdays. I've been doing that, but I'm not happy with that setup. I'm happy with posting on Thursdays, but an update post every week? Nope. That's not working. It's not working because: 1) I didn't want this blog to be about me; I wanted it to be about reading and writing. 2) I don't lead a very exciting life so there's not much to update you on.
So, I'm here to say that my blogging schedule will change once again. I would still like to blog twice a week on Sunday/Monday and Thursday, but I may experiment for awhile until I find the right blogging balance.

Today, I've been re-organizing my bookshelves. I've vlogged it and maybe next Thursday's post will feature the finished video. For now, here is a sneak peak...

Don't forget: the Silmarillion Awards nominations will only be open for another two days (today and tomorrow)! So, if you would like to nominate or second (or sixteenth) your favorite fantasy villain for the Most Nefarious Villain Silmaril, do so now! Voting starts on July 4.

The Silmarillion Awards

*NOMINATIONS NOW CLOSED*

Welcome to the first ever Silmarillion Awards!

DJ Edwardson and Jenelle Schmidt created the Silmarillion Awards as a way to honor J.R.R. Tolkien's influence on modern fantasy and also to honor fantasy as a genre! The Awards are like the Oscars, except that the grand prize (a Silmaril forged with the light from the Two Trees of Valinor!) is to be won by a character from a fantasy story, rather than an actor.

You have a large role in the Silmarillion Awards, for you will be nominating—and voting for—the fantasy characters that you want to win the Silmaril! Ten bloggers are hosting ten different Silmarils on their blogs:

DJ Edwardson Hosting the Best Friend Silmaril

Jenelle Schmidt Hosting the Most Heart Wrenching Death Scene Silmaril

Deborah O’Carroll Hosting the Strangest Character Silmaril

JL Mbewe Hosting the Best Redemption Story Silmaril

Tracey Hosting the Riddling and Poetry Silmaril

Jack Lewis Baillot Hosting the Best Fantasy Mount Silmaril

Madeline J. Rose Hosting the Most Epic Hero Silmaril

Zachary Totah Hosting the Wisest Counsellor Silmaril

Rawls E. Fantasy Hosting the Best Fantasy Weapon Silmaril

Abbey (that's me) Hosting the Most Nefarious Villain Silmaril.

Nominations for these Silmarils start today and are open until July 1. You may either nominate a fantasy character for a specific Silmaril in the comments of the host blog (for example, you would nominate Umbridge from Harry Potter for Most Nefarious Villain in my comment section, not in Madeline's comment section for Most Epic Hero); second, third, fourth, etc, someone else's nomination; or, you may nominate a character AND second someone else's nomination.

On July 4, the top five nominees move onto the next round where YOU get to vote on who you think should win the Silmaril! Voting ends on July 14, and from July 16-28, the Silmarils will be awarded by some of your favorite Tolkien characters. Because J.R.R. Tolkien's characters are the epitome of the awards that they are presenting, you cannot nominate any characters from Middle Earth. Also, since the Silmarils won are lifetime awards, this year's winners cannot be nominated again next year.
If you are an author, please do not nominate characters from your own stories; rather, let your fan base show their love by nominating your characters for you.

"The last hurrah," as my grandmother would say, is on July 29th. Join us on that day in posting Tolkien-specific blog posts to celebrate the 62nd anniversary of The Lord of the Rings' publication.
Until then, spread the word about the Silmarillion Awards on social media by using #SilmAwards2016! Share this blog post, or one of the other posts, with all of your fantasy-loving friends and family!

Here is a poster that Deborah made with all of the dates and other information:

And make sure to come back here on July 19, for three of Middle Earth's most heinous hooligans will come together to present the Silmaril for Most Nefarious Villain to the nastiest naysayer, the corrupt-est culprit, the sneakiest snake, the most malicious monster, the most dastardly and diabolical destroyer of dreams in all of fantasy!
It's not every day that a Silmaril can be won without a perilous journey to Angband and a fight with Morgoth's minions (or even Morgoth himself!), so make sure to nominate your favorite fantasy villain (excepting those from J.R.R. Tolkien's works) in my comment section so that they have a chance to win this most prestigious award!

*NOMINATIONS NOW CLOSED*