A. B. England's Blog - A. B. England

Blast from the Past: Why Fandom?

3/31/2020

As I continue merging Contented Comfort's website with this one, it just seems fitting this month's Blast from the Past post revisits a post originally published on Contented Comfort's blog back in November 2016.

Why Fandom?

When I first started Contented Comfort, the idea behind it was just what you'd expect given the name. I knew I wanted to sell the soaps I was making. I got started in an effort to make keeping clean a more comfortable experience for my family, and then when I began hearing similar stories from others. It made sense.

Then the idea grew. I had begun learning to knit and crochet several months before I started soaping. Even after I finished making items for my family, I wanted to keep up with the hobby.

The warnings are true. Fiber arts can quickly become almost an addiction. There's something very therapeutic about watching a project grow stitch by stitch and knowing you are the one making it do so.

Then there are the books I wanted, no needed, to write. Half the point of writing is to share those stories, so trying to sell them is a natural extension of it. I wanted to find a way to combine all of these ideas and desires under the umbrella of one business. Contentment and comfort are two words that sprung to mind when I thought about being clean, snuggled up under a cozy blanket, and reading, so that's how the business got its name.

So why did I decide to focus on fandom inspired fragrances and items in 2013?

Flash Fiction Friday: The Stars are Lying

3/27/2020

Today's story is set in the A.I. Universe around about the same time as "Interoffice Politics." This is the beginning of a new story line within the same universe that touches on some of the others but isn't directly connected to them. Therefore, it can be understood perfectly well without having read any of the other stories first.

Writing Prompt by Deep Water Prompts: Papa always said the stars were lying to us. It was years after he died before I figured out what he meant.

Back to Basics: Simile and Metaphor

3/24/2020

Two of the most basic forms of figurative language are similes and metaphors. Both are embraced by poets around the globe and throughout time. Many of the examples in today's lesson are pulled from poetry, but you can find similes and metaphors used quite often in prose as well.

I am writing about them together because they are both means of comparing one thing to another in order to better illustrate an idea. However, one major difference sets them apart.

Simile

A simile is a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two things using "like" or "as."

"Oh, my love is like a red, red rose that's newly sprung in June," is a rather famous example of a simile by Robert Burns.

See how Burns uses a newly blossomed rose to describe his love? The fact similes use an indicator word, "like" in this case, to make the comparison makes them one of the easiest forms of figurative language to recognize.

Flash Fiction Friday: Roommates and Strangers

3/20/2020

Today's story is set in the Myth and Science universe the morning after "Change in Perspective." Having read the rest of the series is helpful but not necessary to understand the story as it is.

And I know I changed the first line just a bit, but the triple negative was melting my brain. A double is bad enough.

Failure is Life's Teacher

3/17/2020

I returned to handling the science and English classes for my daughters back in January, and much has changed since the last time I taught them. However, one thing has remained constant. In teaching them, I learn, and relearn, lessons as well.

C.L. and I, with feedback we received from the girls, decided to go a bit more old school with their lessons a couple years ago. Neither girl felt they were absorbing the digital lessons, and we agreed. So aside from math, for which Khan Academy has been amazing for us all, we stick to textbooks and paper these days. This means C.L. and I have to spend considerably more time preparing for each class. However, it also means the girls have us to explain the material in however many ways they need us to explain it for their understanding.

Flash Fiction Friday: Strategies in Education

3/13/2020

We're back in the Icarus Universe with today's story. It is set roughly eight years before the start of The Icarus Project. You don't have to have read any of the other stories in order to understand this one. It's set years after or years before all the other events in the series and really just provides a bit of characterization for the main cast.

Back to Basics: Figurative Language

3/10/2020

Upon returning to homeschooling Nichole and Brooke in English and science, I've decided to broaden my scope for this series. Instead of simply sticking to grammatical rules, I will include simple primers on literary devices as well.

The elementary versions of these lessons will stick to explaining what the devices are and how to recognize and interpret them. The high school level classes published here on the blog will cover this as well while also speaking about utilizing them in your writing.

Flash Fiction Friday: Symbolic Name Fail

3/6/2020

Today's flash fiction is set in the Supers universe during the events of "Not in the Job Description." If you are new to these stories, I would suggest reading "Not in the Job Description" first, but it is not strictly necessary to understand today's installment.

Changes Incoming

3/3/2020

You might have noticed a few changes happening here on the website over the past month or so. The home page is no longer static. The buttons at the top of the page have changed. There are now paged dedicated to the A.I. universe, Myth and Science universe, and Supers universe.

Those have been occurring slowly over the weeks. I'm here today to give you a heads up about more changes coming over the next few months.

Flash Fiction Friday: Not from Around Here

2/28/2020

Today's story is another from the Myth and Science universe featuring Jenn and our resident adolescent refugee from space, Lily. It is set a few months after the events discussed in, "I have the Weirdest Friends," but you don't need to know anything aside from what has been mentioned in this paragraph to understand the story.

Author A. B. England, science fiction author, fantasy author, novelist

A. B. England is a small business owner, mom of two, novelist, all around geek, and avid crafter. She loves mythology, fantasy, and all flavors of science fiction.

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