A to Z of Avatar: The Last Airbender

C is for the Cabbage Merchant

Cabbage Merchant is a character that appears sporadically throughout Book One and Book Two. His character was as additional comic relief. Really who could beat Sokka at his favorite game?

The cabbage merchant was an Earth Kingdom salesman who specialized in you guessed it, selling cabbages. In every appearance his cabbages were destroyed or damaged. The only thing he ever uttered was his catchphrase "My cabbages!" 

In Book One, his ill-fated produce products have met their demise by a multitude of characters, first by the Earth kingdom city of Omashu's import control earthbenders, second by Aang and the Omashu mail delivery service (to which he shouts "Off with their heads, one for each head of cabbage!" during their trial), and again by Aang being chased by pirates (where he shouts "This place is worse than Omashu!"). 

In Book Two, his ill-fated produce products continued by a platypus-bear at the Ba Sing Se ferry boat center and lastly again by Aang within the walls of Ba Sing Se when the zoo animal mass release gets out of control and a rabiroo feasts on his supply (his final speaking part as the rabiroo has lunch is "MY CABB!... Oh forget it." as he throws a head of cabbage over his shoulder exiting the scene). Although he doesn't appear in Book Three, he was a material source for the Ember Island Players where they referred to him as "a surprisingly knowledgeable merchant of cabbage". 

In The Legend of Korra, another man named Lau Gan-Lan runs a company named Cabbage Corps which was founded by the Cabbage Merchant.

A to Z of Avatar: The Last Airbender

B is for Ba Sing Se

The Capital city for the Earth Kingdom renowned for its stout walls of protection. EArth kingdom refugees flocked toward its promise of an existence free from the Fire Nation. The city withstood the onslaught of the Dragon of the West, General Iroh of the Fire Nation for 100 years. It wasn't until Azula and her band of merry thugs foiled a Dy Li takeover did the earth kingdom capital city fall under Fire Nation rule.

Ba Sing Se was renowned for its stout walls, extensive university and its earth bending rail system that spanned the entire city. It became the city of refuge for Earth Kingdom refugees during the Fire Nation bid for world dominance.

Write Already!

Tommeh Bell, how do you write?

My writing space

The creative process is different for everyone. For non-creative people they think there is a formula that all of us artsy people use to pump out novels, paintings, musical scores or what have you. 

Pen+Time+caffeine+ sugar= best seller.

No don't get me wrong this maybe the formula that gets it done. I'm not saying it can't, but what I am saying is that its not that easy. Nor is it that easy to nail down. 

The process varies from one person to the next and what works for Jane Smith night not work for you and it certainly might isn't going to work for me. 

My mom is notorious for picking my writing time as the exact moment she wants to strike up a conversation with me. Not understanding that once I get into grove that the slightest jolt will shatter my concentration and the carefully constructed sentences that I have spent countless hours working on. Ok sometimes it isn't that dramatic but most of the time it is. 

Non-creatives think its easy to jump in and out of the head space we have to be in to be our most creative. I mean we should be ale to just sit down and pump out the next great American novel or masterpiece. Its hard to get them to understand how we work. 

Well I know its hard for me to explain to my family how and why I write. The why I write is something I will tackle at a later time. To them writing is a hobby. Something to do to pass the time. Sure they read books. I come from a family of nerds after all. We even all wear glasses just to keep up appearances. However for them being a writer is not a profession. Yeah they understand you can make money from selling your thesis or what have you, but they are constantly reminding me to have a "real" job to pay the bills. 

Hell I still can't get them to understand why I love NaNoWriMo. A competition with no "real" prizes at the end.

So the time to sit down and put down my novel is drawing nearer. Its only been two weeks since the end of Camp NaNo and I've finally gotten my brain to start functioning again. Job training in Chicago during the last week of NaNo not withstanding. Now I have time to actually think,

Sitting down to plot out my current Camp NaNoWriMo novel got me to thinking about how I write. Like the actual physical mechanics of how a story goes from my head to my fingers to the page.

I've read through a few FAQ pages of my favorite authors and "how do you write," is one of the reoccurring questions.  Not I am not comparing myself to Mercedes Lackey or JK Rowling ...yet, but still I know there will come a time when someone will ask me how I write. So here is my answer.

Writing Essentials 

Every writer has a bag of tricks that they use to help them write. They are called writing essentials.
I love my MAC who is aptly named Appa, because let's face it I love Avatar: The Last Airbender. I write on my computer. I've tried writing long hang. I suck at it. Seriously after like a page and a half my hand starts to cramp. Call my lazy if you want to, but that's why I bought my MAC. That is not to say that I plot and outline on my computer. I do that long hand in a series of composition books. I just wait for the back to school sale to by a bunch of them at a time. Staples usually have them for 50 cents in August.

Personally I seem to be at the peak of my creative apex at night. From dusk to the early morning light my creative juices flow like a river. Which is great because I'm a night owl. Its the one good thing I can thank my dad for. I remember sitting up with him during the night having Nightmare on Elm Street and Rocky marathons while my mom was in and out of hospitals. My mom was a sickly little thing when I was younger so we had a lot of time on our collective hands. It was fun times all around.

I guess I can thank my dad for my love of the silver screen and the boob tube as well. That is a different blog entirely. 

The above picture is a snapshot of my writing space. I don't have a dedicated office or writing space just yet. It something I am working towards. As you can tell that's a glass dining room table that is currently under a mountain of library books, plotting composition books and notebook with the odd Scooby movie popping up here and there. 

Unfortunately this table is Grand Central station, the luggage and mail catch-all, the algonquin roundtable and everything in between for our family. So the only time I can catch a moment alone to delve into the lives of my characters and my plot is at night when the rest of the house is slumbering.

Like many writers I have a noveling soundtrack. It used to contain all my favorite hip hop, pop, and R&B songs. Which worked great when I was in my urban fantasy vampire and werewolf phase. That lasted a few years. Now that I'm more into my fairy tale remakes I find myself listening to movie soundtracks. Inception, Lord of the Rings and Alice in Wonderland are my favorites. Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer are my favorite composers.

Writer Fuel

Now that we have a time, and a place, and the music lets move on to the fuel. Writing is just as physically demanding as it is mentally. We are sitting for hours on end typing away or writing long hand. It puts a strain on the back, the eyes, the wrists and hands. Just like any sport you have to prepare yourself.

I like to start with food. I will freely admit that I am a bit of a junk food addict. I like my peanut butter M&Ms, my Sea Salt Carmel gelato as much as the next girl. But I couldn't live like that. So I beef up on my bowl of Special K Fruit & yogurt with vanilla Silk, my special K bars and my Jersey Mikes turkey and bacon subs. Just with any physical activity you have to strike a balance between carbs for sustained activity and protein for fuel. Sugar is literally the icing on the cake.

Sidenote: Life isn't worth living without my Cherry Poptarts.

My Process

This is where we get down to business. The actual writing part. Some people will tell you they are pantsers. Meaning they write by flying by the seats of their respective pants. I thought I was that sort of writer. My first foray into NaNoWriMo showed me I wasn't that sort of writer. I wrote myself into a never-ending loop that nearly drove me insane. 

I am a writer on the other end of the spectrum. I'm a planner down to my French tips. I have to plan out everything. From the characters, to the setting, to the plot, even to the chapter outlines. Me I start with my plot. Not that my story is purely plot driven, but my starting point is the plot. After I've got the bare bones of my plot going I start adding in my characters. During the plotting process I nail down my main character. So now its all about the supporting characters. 

As a side note all of my main characters are African American females. As a black female myself I don't find a lot of us starring in fantasy, sci-fi. urban fantasy books. Hell we don't star in a lot of books to be sure, but I read mostly fantasy so that's what I base my assessment on. The majority of my main characters are POC (people of color). 

Depends on how I feel while I'm plotting on the amount of detail I go into with my characters. Some day I write out full bios down to their favorite color. Other days I just get the bare bone facts cemented. I like to start with their names. I like characters with rememberable names. I would never use Sally, Jane, or Sue as a name. I have a thing for female with male names like Ryan, Kyle, Dillon, Devon. If I can't get the name right I can't picture their face. If I can't picture their face the character never comes together for me. I like to start superficially and then delve deeper into my characters. I've tried to do it other ways and it just doesn't work for me. Which is alright because this is me we are talking about. 

Once I can picture them I can see them in my plot. That's when I can sit down to start outlining my chapters. I can't stress how important that is for a writer like me. If I don't take the time to plot out my chapters I'm liable to just write nonsense till the second coming. My mind had tendency to wander. I keep it reined in with my outline. I know where I'm supposed to go and I have an idea of how to get there. I am not saying that sometimes my fingers don't take a different approach from what I plotted out.  They do. My characters may start acting up and changing the plot around on me or the plot itself might want to go left when I want it to go right. It happens. I do a little bit of pantsing in that aspect. Its ok to let your story evolve organically.

You can't be so set in stone that you don't let your characters and the plot develop on its own. You can always go back and edit later if something just doesn't make sense or if you've written yourself into a corner. 

Some people will tell you to start writing at the beginning and write till you hit the end. Sometimes I follow this roadmap. Sometimes I don't. Especially if I run into writer's block. I find leaving the scene you are in to jump into another one is a cure-all for writer's block. This is where that plot outline comes in handy. Since you know where you need to go jumping in and out of scenes is easy.

That's ladies and gents is how I, Tommeh Bell write. I will address my editing process in another post. Happy writing my Belles!! 

Book Babblings

Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle (The League of Princes #2) by Christopher Healy

The Nitty Gritty: The League of Princes has been called back together again. Which is a good thing because Gustav knows nothing about farming, Liam and Ella have been kicked out of the castle, Duncan's family has stopped by for a visit and Frederic has a snappy new suit.

In this sequel tale of bumbling Prince Charmings, Sleeping Beauty is determined to get her happily ever after. Even if that means she has to chain Prince Charming to the alter.

All is not wedded bliss for the League uncovers a sinister plot to take over the world from one of their own. It falls to the princes to confront an old enemy as new ones lines up to fight their way into a Reynaldo rhyme.

Opening Line: "A true hero plays the flute."

The Good: I am loving all the female leads in this series. Not only are they all individual characters with strong voices they are all different characters entirely. We have the comic relief in Snow White. The mean girl with a chip on her shoulder in Briar Rose. We have the adventurer in Cinderella, and the gentle soul in Rapunzel. While these ladies fit into nice round molds at times they freely move from one character trope to the other seamlessly. It is a surprise on every page.

I wish more adult books had illustrations in them. I love the little pictures dotted through out this book. It gave me a tickle every time I turned the page and found one.

Healy manages to balance pure buffoonery with comedic wit with the ease of Larry David like pro. It was enough to just keep up with the rapid pace of the laughs and cringes. I love that Healy is writing a boo for children that treats children like emerging adults and not babies that need to be coddled from the ugly side of life. Not that I want bloody gore smeared across each and every page. That is not what I'm saying, but he is taking a mature approach to his writing. Not sure if children are appreciating this fact but I am.  I like children books that write to their audience with the understanding that their audience is going to mature over the course of their series. So they start off writing at that maturity level instead of scrambling at the end to catch up to their much older audience.  

The Bad: This romantic musical chairs is a little distracting. In a good way that makes it bad. This is a middle grades book so I'm not expecting snogs and boob grabs around every corner, but I hate all the stolen looks and blushing that is going on without any payoffs. We all know who needs to be with who I just want them to get there before I die of frustration. Though it is keeping me entertained.

My Final Thoughts: I will never think of Prince Charming the same way again. Which is a good thing. Can't wait for another Hero's Guide. I am thinking of bringing capes back into style.

Book Babblings

The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah

The Nitty Gritty: Winter Santiaga is the undisputed Princess of the Ghetto. The oldest daughter to drug kingpin Ricky Santiaga, Winter is used to having the best and being the best.

Things have never been better, until her mother is shot in the face and things quickly crumbled in Palace de Santiaga. Winter's mother is no longer the beautiful queen of the hood, her father is thrown into jail with no release in sight, her sisters are swept up into the system, and worse Winter is left without the money to maintain her Princess tiara.

Left without her king and her baubles, Winter only has her street savvy and her money maker to get herself back on top of things, and she will stop at nothing, spare no one to get her tiara back.

Opening Line: "I never liked Sister Soulja, straight up."

The Good: Love her or hate her Winter is one of the strongest female characters in literary history. Her voice is crystal clear and it rings with all the Brooklyn authority that Jay-Z would be proud to find. When faced with the annihilation of her entire family much like a cat Winter landed on all fours.


The Coldest Winter Ever is to urban fiction what gangster rap was to hip hop. It was a pioneering book that blazed a trail into Barnes and Nobel for other African American urban authors. it have even been the very book that helped to usher in the new book genre.

That is about all the credit I am willing to give Souljah with this book. And her book was groundbreaking just as gangster rap gave a musical voice to the disenfranchised black men of the inner city Winter gave voice to the black females of the inner city.


The Bad: Where do I start? Maybe the beginning would be best. I take issue with the fact that Soujah placed herself in the book. Not as a caricature of herself or as comic relief. She put herself into the story as Winter's foil. She was the sole voice of reason in this twisted tale.

I find that highly arrogant of Souljah. Here is a woman with no formal training and no dog in the fight save her desire to influence. For me that is not enough. I fail to see her love for the very people she is claiming she is trying to help. There is one scene in the book where Winter sits in on one of Souljah's "therapy" sessions. One of the women who happened to be a lady of the night, supporting her family as a stripper is reprimanded by Souljah. She acts the woman how much money she makes. I  believe the answer was about $500 a night. And Souljah asks, "does it take $500 a night to support your family?"

Here is a woman who is living rent free in a large town home owned by a doctor. Who pays all the bills, keeps the fridge stocked with food, and living in New York there isn't a need to own a car. So she is sitting up in her palace without a care in the world trying to verbal spank another woman because she tries to provide for her family the only way she knows how.

But perhaps by biggest bone of contention is the fact that Souljah looks down her nose at this people, points out their flaws and misdeeds without offering an avenue of change. I am certain that woman knew what she was doing was not only dangerous and harmful to herself, but also her family on top of being embarrassing. What she was looking for was a way out of her situation not a reminder of what situation she was in.

I find Souljah self righteous with no reason to be.

Moving on to her Midnight. Now I understand that someone women find this man sexy, charming, alluring and possibly the best man in the book. Sad to say that he is probably the best man in the book. Insofar as being compared someone like Bullet. However no one mentions the fact that Midnight is a coldblooded drug dealing killer. I don't care how pretty the package he is still a murderer and a drug pusher. Just because he can string together a semi-intelligent sentence we are suppose to forgive the sons he has killed. The fathers he laid to rest? The mothers he sold crack to? The orphans he made of families?

For all his posturing about how he loves and cherishes woman he left a sixteen year old girl to the mercies of the streets. Sure the said girl was Winter Santiaga, but she was still a minor female without direction. He had the means to take her away from her environment and if nothing else give her a chance at normalcy and change. Instead her abandoned her saying it was her ghettoish ways that pushed him out the door.

I call BS on that. Midnight is worse the the other men in this book. He is a wold in sheep clothing. The other man know who they are and they embrace it. They didn't try to hide it. Midnight hid his nature under a cute smile and the Quran.

My Final Say: I do think this is a book worth reading. However much I may dislike it. I did read her other books with caution and again with disappointment. Simply for its pioneering nature i give it

A to Z of Avatar: The Last Airbender

A is for Azula 

Azula is by far one of the best fictional characters in history. Azula is the princess of the Fire Nation and a fire bending prodigy. We don't get to meet Azule till book two but what a splash she made. Azula was sent out by her father the Fire Lord to capture Aang and her wayward brother and traitorous uncle. While on this journey Azula manages to capture Ba Sing Se a city the Fire Nation ha been trying to colonize for 100 years.

Azula can not only produce lightening she is the only firebender capable of controlling fire with only two fingers. She can produce jets of blue flame, blue daggers and blue fire. She is a ruthless perfectionist with demonstrated sadist tendencies.

Other than The Fire Lord Azula was the most dangerous enemy for Team Avatar. She put together an all girl hit squad that brought the Earth Kingdom to its knees. Azula is girl power after a IV full of Redbull. 

Book Babblings

Soulless by Gail Carriger 

The Nitty Gritty: As if being a spinster was not enough. Alexia Tarabotti is also soulless. A condition heaped upon her by her father. who was Italian of all the horrid things for an Englishwoman to be.

In this steampunk tale we get a glimpse into Victorian London as it becomes embroiled in a sundowner scandal for the ages. Queen Victoria, ever the progressive, is continuing the trend set by her husband. Allowing sundowners a chance at an accepted life. Vampires and werewolves alike have equal rights under the law. They can even serve in Her Majesty's army.

However accepted they are ;one wolves and rove vampires are going missing and one rove has tried to kill Ms. Tarabotti. At a ball of all places. With her trusty parasol and her habit of neutralizing supernatural abilities with a simple touch she is able to dispatch the scoundrel without mussing her ball gown.

Having killed the rove Alexia is pulled into the drama when she is caught in the act by the Director of BUR, the Woosley Pack Alpha Lord Maccon.

Opening Line: "Ms. Alexia Tarabotti was not enjoying her evening." 

The Good: I must say I really hate when I miss being on the ground floor of a new and exciting series like this. Alexia is a woman after my own heart. She doesn't care one whit what anyone has to say about her. Well because in the eyes of society she is a spinster and so she gets used to the teases and the taunts from her sister of all people.

I do love a woman that is all woman. She is bad ass to be sure, but she can do it in a full skirt and corset. Sometimes I think authors take female characters to hot and cold extremes. Alexia Tarabotti manges to run hot wile keeping her cool. She can stand her own when the time calls for it. However when times get tough she has enough sense to let the professionals handle it.

I adore her love affair with Lord Maccon. It so real life that I found myself putting my face onto Alexia's body. There is this dance between the two of them that all of us can see leading up to a relationship but nevertheless it puts us on the edge of our seat for the entire ride. I find that so many authors rush into the love affair with the title characters that I was to gag myself with a spoon. And I am happy as a pig in mud that there wasn't even a hint of a love triangle between Alexia and two totally unsuitable characters. Conall and Alexia engage in a relationship of verbal barbs that leave both of them breathless and panting for more.

I am in heaven that the leading man is actually a man that I would dane to date myself. He isn't a stalker. Though being an Alpha he is used his orders being followed without question, but Alexia has the backbone to stand up to him and put him in his place when the situation calls for it.

That is possible the best thing about this book. Alexia herself. She is strong, self assured, smart, witty, sarcastic and fully capable for whatever life brings. That is refreshing in this sea of Bella Swans and Clarrissa Freys.

The Bad: Her family is absolutely horrible to her. I mean even on my worst day of my sister tripping my very last nerve she wouldn't have said half of the things to me that Alexia's sisters and mother say to her. Its like they don't even love her. Which I suspect is the case all because her mother made the choice to marry an Italian and have a child. So really its not a bad part of the book they are just horrid people in my humble opinion.

Final Thoughts: I have jumped into this series with both hands and feet. Ms. Tarabotti might even make me rethink my ban on teatime....