Isobael Liu

Let's catch up on this...

2011-12-17T11:41:00.000-08:00

I know it's been a while. I've been busy with odds and ends, life in general.

Falconry - still going strong. SgianDubh caught starling #15 this morning. You can read about it on my falconry blog.

Writing - non existent. Depression and writer's block.

Speaking of writing, I love getting notices in my email box telling me someone posted about me. Went to the link. http://www.sharetermpapers.com/general-b35/looking-for-'isobael-liu-moonlight-magick'-!!/new/#new

You can read my reply.

*Sigh*

Oh, and it looks like I'll be joining the workforce, after 15 years of being a homemaker.

Yay...?

2011-08-11T19:29:00.000-07:00

Currently in an Irish and Scottish music kick. Obviously these weeks after the Highland Games has increased my craving for Celtic excitement. (Actually, it might not be that bad as I'm not having Spike use his Scottish brogue on me....YET.)

Writing has been incredibly slow to non-existent. Writer's block compounded with Depression and a bad case of extreme isolation. Spike's car's transmission is pretty much shot (short distances are best) so he's been taking my Beast to work, leaving me without transportation. Not that there's anyplace to go. The mall, maybe...

Corset is due next week. I cannot wait. I'm so excited!

I've picked out one of my previously written and nearly round-filed (deleted) novellas to edit and rewrite. I'm liking the ideas so far. We'll see how long it lasts.

2011 Scottish Highland Games, Enumclaw, WA

2011-08-05T10:07:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful weekend! I’ve always loved attending the Highland Games, in Enumclaw, WA. I remember my first Games. I was pregnant with my daughter at the time and watching the Massing of the Pipes and Drums was very emotional. Skye-Alexandra loved it, she kicked along while they filled the field with the tune of “Scotland the Brave”. To this day, it’s one of her, and my, favorite Scottish tunes to hear on bagpipes.

Nearly fourteen years later, the Games was just as great at the first time. I still get a wee bit teary-eyed at hearing the ten plus Pipe Bands (I think there were fourteen Pipe Bands in total!) fill the field, and air. If you’ve never experienced the Massing of Pipe and Drums, it is a must in my book.

Friday evening, the “unofficial” first day of the Games, there is Opening Ceremonies. It’s not usually well attended, despite it being free to get in, and the bulk of the attendees are those who have clan tents or booths at the event. Clan Gordon Pipe Band, Northwest Junior Pipe Band, and the Tacoma Scots Pipe Band played for us. This was followed by a rousing sing-a-long, led by the talented Colin Grant-Adams. We had a history lesson of Scotland and Scots in America, then the March of the Clan Reps that led into the Flaming Saltire, and when all the reps were on the field, in the Scottish flag formation (saltire), we did something a bit different than previous years. We sang to them as they held their lit torches up. I have some poorly done pictures (Dad’s camera doesn’t do night shots all that well), but you can get the gist of it.

After opening ceremonies, there is a Ceilidh (kay-lee), dancing and general partying, but we didn’t stay for this as we needed to be up bright and early to return.

I barely slept that night, crawling into bed at nearly 2 am, and stumbling out of it at 5 am, to get dressed and off to the Games to open the clan tent and lay out the tables. By the looks of it, it was promising to be quite a wonderful day, with the sun rising and the low lying mists in the open field.

Vice President Charles Morehead and his daughter, Christina, joined us early in the morning, and then by Glen and Patricia Morehead. Chief Raymond’s wife arrived with grandchildren (and my nephew and nieces), Adam Morehead’s children, and my daughter, Skye-Alexandra.

This year, I brought SgianDubh, my American Kestrel, and she turned out to be quite the star of the day. Not a lot of pictures of the first day as I had Sgian, and was in my Celtic dress. We took a couple of walk-abouts and were stopped often for photo ops and questions. During the Parade of Clans, the Muirheads were announced and the announcer, former Secretary of State, Ralph Munroe, asked me what kind of bird. When I told him, he announced her to the audience as well.

The day turned out to be not only beautiful, but scorching! After such a mild summer, we were hit with an 80 plus degree weather and by the end of the day, quite a few people were more than willing to beat feet home to take a COLD shower.

Sunday was the complete opposite. We woke to overcast and light mist, which turned into a steady, heavy mist for a bit, then a sprinkle. We had some clear spots, and then a return to the misting. Not a miserable day, but it did keep things a wee bit damp. Still, the temperature was mild and comfortable, and it didn’t deter many people from the fun.

I’d left SgianDubh home so I could enjoy the day without having to watch out for her. I was also childless as she stayed home to entertain her cousins and help her grandma out.

With the weather, there were less people in attendance than the day before, but still LOTS of people. I opted out of the Parade of Clans so I could play photographer.

The clan tent hosted Glen and Patricia Morehead (They are wonderful people and always fun to talk to!), VP Charles Morehead, his daughter, Christina, and Christina’s friend, Brendan, Clan Chief Raymond, as well as myself. Later on the day, my sister Jennifer Morehead-Bushnell, her husband Eric Bushnell, and children, Makayla and Emily, stopped by.

I picked up a new Celtic dress, this time with a chemise in a lighter weight, and in a green overdress (my other one is blue), so now I have two outfits to wear and both will match our clan tartan (both ancient and modern colors). I can’t wait to get my hands on some plaid to wear as an arasaid!

It was wonderful to see old friends and awesome to meet new ones.

After closing ceremonies, we had help breaking down the four tables and packing up the gear. We really appreciated the help in packing the gear out to the truck, rather than waiting for the madhouse to clear so we could bring the truck in. With everyone helping, we had everything loaded and done quicker than previous years!

And with that, another awesome and fun Highland Games was had. I can’t wait for next year!

Pictures are available here.

Updating...

2011-07-26T10:06:00.000-07:00

Hey, all. I know...it's been FOREVER!

How's things been going with the blogosphere?

Let's catch some things up with my corner of the multiverse, shall we?

I ordered a corset. LOL. I have ALWAYS wanted one and never could find one I could afford that would fit me. As I am a "big girl", I was looking at steel boned corsets well into the $300-$500 range. Until recently.

I found as site that had steel boned and spiral steel boned corsets in an affordable range. I was ecstatic. I had a little money saved up and I spent two, three weeks on this website, hemming and hawing over the choices. After much deliberation and with input from a wonderful friend (Thank you, Morseren!), I decided on an underbust corset for my first one.

It's a long line, underbust, waist training corset in a gorgeous green brocade. I went with a waist trainer because it comes with 24 spiral steel boning, which I thought would have more support for my weight. I'm not in it for the waist training aspect (I'm not going to become a waspie!), but I did want some oomph in my corset.

So, in about a month, I'll have my first corset. I'm thrilled beyond belief and I can't wait! Now, I just need to find a couple of outfits to wear under it. Any suggestions? =)

Secondly, had a health scare over the weekend. My husband had abdominal pains all weekend, which worsened, so on Monday, he took himself to the VA hospital for a check up. They ran x-rays and finally a CT scan, thinking perhaps it was appendicitis. Fortunately (or unfortunately, in his mind), it wasn't appendicitis, but diverticulitis. Basically, they are small bulging sacs or pouches of the inner lining of the intestines that become infected. So, he's on a three day clear liquid diet. Afterwards, he's increasing his fiber and going on a low fat diet. Less red meat, more fruits and veggies...which I've been going after him about for years anyway.

Nurses and doctors make the worse patients, let me tell you.

He wishes it was appendicitis though. They'd have gone in, taken it out, and he'd be fine. Poor man is starving on this clear liquid diet though. LOL. Hey, maybe I'll lose weight since I'm eating the same thing he is, with added fruit and yogurt as he can't have any yet.

Other than that, not much else to report. Life is plodding along. =)

Fascinators...

2011-06-30T20:40:00.000-07:00

I've always been fascinated with hats and head decor. Unfortunately, I'm just one of those women who can't do hats well. Something about my fat face, or the shape of it, or something, but I've never been able to find a hat I look good in (and can afford!).

The Victorian era had fascinators, which were not hats, but hair decor on a small base. Bonnets and veils were more common, but fascinators were worn during special occasions, such as soirees, going to the theatre, operas, and balls.

Fascinators were more common during the late Victorian and into the Edwardian period, and were more than just tail feathers. Sometimes wings, or even the stuffed bird would be used, as well as feathers, faux flowers, ribbons, and tulle/veiling.

Between 1914, to about 1920 (maybe a little earlier), the obnoxious styles of the earlier years took a back seat again, and stately elegance resumed control of the feathers and fascinator style.

Now, again, I need to be able to afford this stuff and I've seen prices for little bits of feathers on a felt base and was flabbergasted! How the heck can they justify charging that much for a bit of nothing?!?

So, I decided to do it myself.

Ok, first of all, I am NOT (and there is not enough ways to emphasize this!) a crafty sort of person. Hands on crafts and I don't do well. I'm the writer of the family, my sister is the crafty hands on type, and my brother is just smart as hell when it comes to computers.

I tell you this because it's my disclaimer for the following images. LOL.

I drag my daughter to the craft store because she's interested in making them as well. I think it's more along the lines of "Mom's doing it so I want to" rather than any real interest in the things.

I buy out the craft store. Well, not really, of course, but my monthly allowance was gone in a matter of an hour.

Click on the images for full size...

This would be MY haul...

Oh, no, not my daughter...

She's being picky and only has a couple of items in her basket. She then looks at my goodies and asks, "So, you're going to share the feathers, right?"

I said, "Maybe."

She frowned and then said, "I better get some feathers."

LOL. She got one bag.

And this would be her haul.

Ok, so we get home and I start making mine.

*Peers through the monitors to eye my readers* No laughing!

Again, click on images for full view...

This is the first one I made. Made for the left side of the head.

This was the second one. Made for the right side of the head.
That little stone in the center is a small piece of unpolished tiger's eye.

There ya go. My first two hand made fascinators. =)

But wait! I'm not done!

Today, I decided to make a couple more. Mainly because the local Highland Games is coming up and we have a clan tent there (I'm the Clan Muirhead secretary and personal assistant to the Clan Chief). I wanted something to wear with my Celtic clothes while there. Plus, I'm bringing my kestrel, SgianDubh, so I wanted to be a bit elegant as well (Ok, vanity, I know...but since I'm in the Parade of Clans, and having her on my glove, I needed to look a bit snazzy...).

Click on the images for full size...

For the right side of the head. Short tulle drape.

Then this one...

Click on the images for full size...

This is for the left side of the head and has four long tulle drapes.

I LOVE the iridescent feathers!

I think my next ones will have peacock feathers. =)

What do you think?

Summer Berry Tart

2011-06-27T13:21:00.000-07:00

Makes 8 to 10 mini tarts

Crust -

1/2 cup shredded coconut (Used the toasted coconut for a different taste)
1 cup medjool dates, pitted
1/2 lemon, zest and juice

Put ingredients in a food processor and pulse into a fine, sticky texture. Take 2 inch size ball of mixture and form into little tart shells, pinching evenly with thumb and index finger. Chill while preparing filling.

Filling -

1 cup berries of choice
5 to 6 medjool dates, pitted
1/2 orange, zest and juice

Place ingredients into a food processor and blend smooth. Place a dollop into each tart shell and top with your favorite contrasting berry. Chill in fridge for at least an hour to set.

Berry Fruit Trifle

2011-06-27T13:14:00.000-07:00

1 angel food cake or pound cake
1 cup fresh strawberries, washed, dried, hulled, and sliced thick.
1 cup raspberries, wash and dried.
1/4 cup + 2 TB sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
2/3 cup mascarpone cheese
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Dice the cake into small cubes and separate into servings.
Make the filling by combining the mascarpone, cream, vanilla, and 2 TB sugar.
Toss the fruit with 1/4 cup sugar and lemon juice. Set some aside for garnish.
Assemble by layering cake, fruit, cream, then repeat, and garnish with fruit.
Chill for at least 4 hours to let flavors set. Can be made 2 days ahead of time.

Sunny days ahead...

2011-06-10T18:14:00.000-07:00

Well, unless you live in WA state, then you just have to wait and see, otherwise expect rain.

Still, in the personal life front, things are looking up. Spike passed his LPN classes, took his NCLEX and passed, and is now a licensed LPN. He interviewed for and was just hired on at a facility he really wanted to work at, starts tomorrow (Saturday). The issue I have with it is it's swing shift, 2 to 10pm, and being a nurse, he can't leave at the end of his shift, he has to wait for the next shift to be on and updated on what's happened, what's happening, etc, so he might not even get out of work until 11 or even later. The money is decent for a just graduated LPN though. I'm just used to my husband being home at night.

Still in our current living situation, but hopefully we'll be able to get that taken care of.

In the writing area, it seems my Muse is tentatively visiting again. Depression took its toll this past year and I've not really been able to sit and write. No matter what I tried, I just couldn't. This past week, I've managed to write 11,000 words, so I'm slowly returning. I'll probably do more writing in the evenings this summer, when I don't need to be up so early to get Spike and our daughter off to their respective required locations, and can stay up late waiting for Spike to get home.

Currently untitled, I'm working on book 2 in the Moonlight series. This takes place about ten years later after Moonlight and Magick. We may have cameos of Lilian and Matthias, but for now, there'll be two new characters. Her name is Rayne, and she escaped during a raid on the Custodes Secreti compound in Skylar Ranch, Washington. His name is Dante Navarro, a shifter whose claimed BlackWater, Washington as his territory. There's a connection between the two in more ways than just matters of the heart. It'll be up to them to figure things out. Add in a few enemies, a couple of mysteries, and shake well.

I know it's been rather quiet in the blog front. I'm sorry for that.

So, there you have it.

~Isobael

Small town dream...

2011-05-28T16:48:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up, Bonney Lake was a small town. I could count on one hand how many minorities attended school when I went. I know I was teased and picked on for being "a chink" while growing up. it was definitely Hickville, USA.

Bonney Lake is now a small city. In the 1980's, when I was growing up, there was roughly 5,000 people. In 2010, we have roughly 17,000 people living here.

Despite my experiences, one of my dreams as an adult was to live in a small town. When I say small town, I'm talking no more than 2,000 people. Think Stars Hollow from "Gilmore Girls", Bon Temps in "True Blood, or Walnut Grove in "Little House on the Prairie" small.

I don't know if it's the romantic ideal of living in such a small town, or just the simplicity of the matter.

I used to dream about running away and hiding out in a small town. Every time I have problems in my life, in my personal relationships, I dream about running away to hide in a small town, with a new name.

It's become my haven.

Hawk's Point in "Moonlight and Magick" is a good example of what I mean. It's a small town, people pass through but rarely stay. Lillian could hide out there, start her life over. It was "safe" because everyone knew everyone else and if the Custodes Secreti agents came, word of it would be out. Outsiders were suspect, especially those asking too many questions.

In a world gone crazy, filled with violence, and in larger cities where you can't even trust your own neighbors, this small town ideal is very appealing.

I dislike large cities, other than occasional visits, catch the touristy stuff, then go home where it's quiet. Maybe I'm just a small town girl at heart.

So, tell me...are you big city or small town? Why?

=)

2011-05-23T15:01:00.000-07:00

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair...”

Charles Dickens

This month marked the one year anniversary of my romance novel, “Moonlight and Magick” being published. In the past year, I’ve experienced upheavals, stress, the highs of having a long time dream realized, the lows of self doubt and wondering if I can repeat it.

I have stories upon stories, upon stories in my head, all clamoring to get out…

Until I want them to.

I will admit to being highly distracted for the past year, which contributes to my inability to get another novel finished in my set time frame. Distractions, such as loss of job, landlords selling the home we were living in and our having to move, illnesses, the stress of worrying whether or not we’d find a place to live, of how to afford it in this economy, but I am plinking away at the keyboard, putting the words into digital format.

Just when it was looking up, more upheavals that plunged us back into the depths of despair and worry.

Through it all, I’ve always been able to look at my one shining achievement and I smile. I tell myself this is only a minor setback. I’ll get my groove back. I’ll finish these two novels and get them out.

The novel I’m working on now, I hope to have finished by the end of this year. I’d prefer sooner, but we’ll see. I’m envisioning a release some time around Chinese New Year (And yes, I know, I’m being a bit presumptuous as I need to get it shopped and accepted first!), because of the theme and characters of the novel being Chinese. All of this is tying in with my roots, my Chinese/Taiwanese heritage, and honoring my Mother, as well as a planned return trip to Taiwan to visit relatives I’ve not seen in 24 years, some I’ve not yet had the chance to meet!

This planned visit is definitely an incentive for me to get this novel finished! I’d definitely like to go back with something to show!

Plus, I had a dream they made this story into a film and I got to sit on the auditions where I was introduced to and watched Jet Li (*purr*Jet Li*) read for the part of the hero. How’s that for a kick in the butt?!?

This month also marked my 39 birthday. I would love to see my next novel released for the anniversary of my 40 year on this planet.

Ahh, goals. It’s good to have them.

So, what goals do you have and what drives you to have them?

~Isobael Liu

Animated Banner...

2011-05-03T15:23:00.000-07:00

Just testing out an animated banner I made. Need to work on resizing to fit...but not too shabby for using a program I just got and haven't really used before.

Respect...

2011-04-20T19:05:00.000-07:00

When someone complains about other people showing them disrespect, and whines about how they're treated, then turns around and does the same exact thing to another person, the same thing they complained about, then I have no sympathy for them, and they've just lost all respect from me.

Well, maybe not all. After all, we are all people, living, feeling beings, and in that, we all deserve some degree of respect. After all, no one truly knows the experiences and the suffering another person has been through, and because they live, suffer, they deserve some respect.

Still, after all the time they spent complaining about how they're treated, only to turn around and treat another person exactly what they decried, what am I suppose to think? Or feel...?

To respect someone means you acknowledge someone or something has value. We may not always agree with it, but we must respect what it is that they say. Many times, we unfairly judge others or their views. We're insensitive to others' thoughts and feelings. We don't give them the time or attention they deserve. We may rudely interrupt or talk over them. We may begin to argue with them, negate their thoughts or opinions because we don't believe it, or refuse to listen to another side.

To simplify, to respect someone means you take their feelings, thoughts, needs, ideas, and preferences into consideration before we open our mouths (or use our fingers) in response to what was said or done. It means you value their thoughts and feelings, even if you don't agree with them, because we are entitled to our own thoughts, and feelings. It means being truthful, and accepting their differences.

And when you disrespect me, I'm sorry you felt you had to. I'm sorry your mental state was such that you had to sink to such lows. I forgive you, even if you don't ask for forgiveness.

But forgiving you doesn't mean I condone your actions. I can forgive someone & yet have nothing to do with them again. It doesn't mean I'm holding a grudge, it means I've forgiven & I've let go.

Bad Blogger...

2011-04-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

I know, I know...it's been a while since I posted anything. I guess it's because I haven't really thought of anything worth posting.

Let's catch up.

Spike graduated from his LPN course. He took his NCLEX test and passed, so he's now a licensed nurse. Currently, he's working for the Enumclaw School District. They have him hired on full time to cover for another nurse, until the end of the school year. We're not entirely sure what we'll do at the end of the school year, if he'll find another job for the summer or not go back to the district. I especially do not like the fact that their payday is at the end of the month. It's very hard to live for the month when you get paid at the end of it.

Still ripping words from my soul onto the laptop. I've finally just trashed what I had and outlined for current project. I'm finding the words aren't coming like they used to and I'm never happy with what I've done. I'd hoped to have this story done by now, but there are so many distractions going on in my life, it's nearly impossible for me to just sit down and write. However, I am still working on it, a few words here and there, so we'll see.

Had a strange dream last night. I was following someone I knew (I knew her in the dream), and we went swimming in what was a pool at first. As we were swimming, it became an indoor pool in a small room. There was a guy in there and he tried to drown me. I woke up.

Been listening to meditation audios. Currently, it's been Jack Kornfield's Buddhist Meditation for Beginners. Anyone interested in Buddhism or meditation, I recommend Mr. Kornfield. His speaking manner is lighthearted, instructional, and yet punctuated with humor to keep you interested and awake. I really enjoy his method. I'm looking into getting his books as well.

Apparently, there is no such thing as a plus sized Chinese woman as I cannot find blouses that come in my size, nor can I find decent patterns. I may have to use one of my childhood shirts to draft a workable pattern and go from there, but I'm not that skilled as a seamstress yet.

I've decided to order from Upton Teas as soon as I have the spare cash to do so. They look like an excellent company with comparable prices to what SpecialTeas offered. The options are there as well.

Anyway, so there we are. An update. =)

OH, NO!!!

2011-03-24T17:37:00.000-07:00

I just found out my favorite tea supplier went away, bought out by/merged with Teavana. They'd been supplying teas to Teavana, from what I understand...Teavana just changes the name or whatever to their own name.

I was NOT going to go to Teavana. I dislike places that tout how nice they are, how friendly they are, how great of a place to work they are...and have their associates push for sales. They're given a sales goal for the month. Really? I mean, are you a large box store like...well, we won't name them because I refuse to shop there anymore after the crap they pulled with my mother.

But...I went there today. I wanted some Earl Grey de la Creme, oh, sorry...Teavana calls it Earl Grey Creme *rolls eyes*.

The sales lady, or maybe she was the manager, oh, sorry...TEAM LEADER...and I told her I'd heard about Teavana's acquisition or whatever of SpecialTeas. She was like, "Why is everyone saying that? I've had so many customers come in and tell me they used to buy from SpecialTeas and they heard we bought them out or took over the company or something. I've never heard that and I would have heard about it because they send us memos and emails and newsletters."

So I tried to tell her about what I found out and she was adamant that Teavana has had these teas forever and they've never bought them from SpecialTeas. Teavana makes their own teas and they have similar teas as other places, but these are their own names and blends.

Lifting a brow at her, I just shook my head. I wasn't about to get into an argument with her about it. However, I did end up buying a couple of ounces of three different teas, one being my Earl Grey de la Creme...oh, sorry...Earl Grey Creme...*rolls eyes*...but they charged $4.50 for 2 ounces whereas I remember paying just a tad bit more for 4 ounces at SpecialTeas.

Apparently, someone else in another state got the same song and dance from their local Teavana store in Maryland...so maybe Teavana told their employees to give customers the same song and dance number if asked? Who knows. all I know is I am not a happy camper about the whole mess.

Apparently, this acquisition/merger/buy out has been a hush hush thing...

Anyway, I will NOT be spending any more of my money at Teavana after this little trip. I'll find somewhere else to spend my money and feed my tea habit.

So, the search is on for an alternate tea source.

Do you drink tea and where do you get it? =)

Tarot Cards...

2011-02-26T21:03:00.000-08:00

In the beginning of my searching for a spiritual path, I came across some amazing art and it drew me like nothing else had.

I can remember the piece.

Isis and Osiris, by Susan Seddon Boulet

I bought a few prints of Susan Seddon Boulet's Goddess Art and cherished them. I need to frame and hang them, but for now, they remain safe in my hope chest.

When Spike found out about his impending NCLEX test, we ran to Half Price Books. As he searched through the Nursing books, I made my way through the metaphysical section and found they sold tarot cards. Scanning through them, I nearly fell from the step stool in excitement!

48 beautiful cards with her artwork! Even better, after I bought it and took it home, I found an extra card inside.

The Athena card. I gave it to my daughter as it seemed very fitting.

From a website:

The art of the divine feminine is explored in and enriched by the paintings of Susan Seddon Boulet in the Goddesses Knowledge Cards. This popular artist hails originally from Brazil. Some 48 of her visions of female deities from Greece, Rome, Egypt, Scandinavia, the Middle East, Native American traditions and more are available sturdy deck of Goddesses Knowledge Cards. Brief biographies of the featured goddesses compiled by Michael Babcock are featured on the flip side. As you read the text you become aware of the power of the feminine and begin to recognize it in yourself. You start to picture your place in the divine feminine collective unconscious. The insightful art of Boulet cements the vision of the goddess in your memory as you go through the Goddesses Knowledge Cards.

Boulet found her inspiration in the myths of the world, Jungian psychology, global spiritual traditions and poetry. She was particularly attracted to the goddesses of the different mythologies. Boulet combined her source materials with her love of nature and animals, creating visions that inspire, inform and delight the eye. San Francisco Bay Area writer Michael Babcock was Boulet’s friend and shared her passion for archetypes. His insightful text adds depth to Boulet’s artistic vision and her captivating portraits of goddesses from around the world in the Goddesses Knowledge Cards. This is a card deck that will satisfy you on multiple levels.

It's not a normal tarot deck, but it can be used for intuition or searching one's inner self.

I also found Egyptian Tarot (U.S. Games). Not as detailed or pretty as most other decks, but they felt comfortable when I picked up the deck. (http://www.learntarot.com/egdesc.htm) One thing I don't particularly like about it is they don't have the inverse meanings to the cards.

My "Bat Cave" - work in progress

2011-02-15T21:21:00.000-08:00

So, we have a 1972 Prowler trailer in my parents' driveway. We'd purchased it to stay in for a brief time while we waited for the rental house to get cleaned up. The rental house took longer to get ready and with the personal problems that happened, we ended up moving in with my parents to help them out, as well as help us out.

So this trailer has been sitting in their driveway, used as part storage and part...well...storage.

I recently decided to clean it up and use it as a personal getaway/office/writing cave.

As you can see from the above pictures - these are before.

After of the writing area. This is where I'll be setting up my laptop for writing.

The stove works, but the sink does not. The plank of wood over the sink is to extend the counter space. I can light the stove and heat hot water for tea. =)

The pull out bed area, pushed in with the futon mattress to make a cozy sitting area for chatting or reading.

I'm going to find some throws to toss onto the futon, put in a little rug in front of the door.

2011-02-14T17:18:00.001-08:00

(¯`•.¸¸.->♥ ♥Happy Valentine’s Day♥ ♥ <-.¸¸.•´¯)

Reticules!

2011-02-08T11:19:00.000-08:00

As posted before, I've been working on a new project with my Mom.

Mom crochets, those doilies and bedspreads (eventually I will get her to crochet a shawl!), but it had been a while since she picked up string and hook. When she saw I was sewing reticules, she asked about them. I showed her pictures of various kinds and she saw the crocheted ones. *Grin*

So, we went through some old doilies she had packed away from 20+ years ago to see what we could do with them and she started to crochet again.

I make the inner liner and we attach them. Here are some we just finished.

This one Mom just finished crocheting.

Experimental crochet

With liner pinned in.

Liner hand tacked inside.

Unfinished, but this is the outside.

Closed

Finished - open.

Finished - closed.

This was crocheted many years ago, made for the arms of the sofa or chair.

Burgundy taffeta pouch, each piece hand tacked onto the pouch.

Opened.

New website banner...

2011-01-31T20:19:00.000-08:00

Been thinking (could you smell the smoke?!?) and decided to just cut out the separate website. I do more posting on my blog anyway, and since we can add pages like a website, I decided to just point my domain address to the blog and make my blog into my website.

The only think it can't do it have downloads. I was going to have an archive of the newsletters available for download, but it's a no go on this.

So, I'll just create a little notice for it.

What do you think of the new look? Have you seen the new look for the newsletter? What do you think of that one?

Since my laptop shows it my colors, you'll have to tell me if there are colors too bright or too muted on your end.

=)

Just because...

2011-01-30T19:52:00.000-08:00

In other odd news...

Here's my writing play-list. Marvel at the eclectic mix of modern and masterpiece music.

Or not...

1. E.S. Posthumus - Antissa (5:11)
2. Marilyn Manson - Marilyn Manson - Marilyn Manson - Posthuman (4:02)
3. Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No.3 in E Flat Major, Op.55 "Eroica": Marcia funebre: Adagio assai (16:35)
4. Goo Goo Dolls - Stay With You (3:57)
5. Various - Beethoven Rondo A Capriccio in G Major, op129 "Rage Over a Lost Penny" (6:45)
6. Depeche Mode - Nothing To Fear (Live) (4:26)
7. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - The Marriage of Figaro, K 492 (Excerpts) -- "Voi, che sapete..." (Cherubino) (3:15)
8. Track 9 (6:49)
9. Depeche Mode - In Chains (6:53)
10. Autumnal Blood Moon - Within You (1:32)
11. Various - Rachmaninoff Preludes, op23 No5 in G minor - Alla marcia (4:12)
12. Various - Rachmaninoff Preludes, op23 - No2 in B flat major - Maestoso (3:52)
13. MIDIval PunditZ - Bhangra Fever (5:14)
14. Metallica - Until It Sleeps (4:28)
15. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Concerto for Flute, Harp and Orchestra in C Major, K 299 -- II. Andantino (8:38)
16. Drowning Pool - Soldiers (3:39)
17. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Don Giovanni (Excerpts), K 527 -- Overture (6:34)
18. Sting - Desert Rose (techno remix (9:19)
19. Various - Liszt Transcriptions from Schwanengesang D957 (6:14)
20. Depeche Mode - John the Revelator (3:42)
21. Deep Forest & Peter Gabriel - Whi (9:32)
22. India by Night - Gone (6:08)
23. E.S. Posthumus - Harappa (4:36)
24. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Concerto for Flute and Orchestra No. 2 in D Major, K 314 -- III. Allegro (5:09)
25. Beethoven - Sonata No.8 In C Minor, Op.13 (Pathetique)-Adagio Cantabile (5:37)
26. Gabriel Darknight - Vampire's Crush (4:50)
27. Depeche Mode - Nothing To Fear (4:16)
28. Janet Jackson - Black Cat (1990) (4:50)
29. Stabbing Westward - Sometimes it Hurts (3:40)
30. Orgy - Opticon (2:56)
31. Static-X - Start A War (2:45)
32. Oddstar - She's Too Cool for You (demo) (4:09)
33. Gabriel Darknight - Overture of the Vampire (4:47)
34. Track 8 (1:22)
35. David Arnold - From The Motion Picture 'Die Another Day': James Bond Theme (Oakenfold Mix) (2:44)
36. Depeche Mode - Jezebel (4:41)
37. Various - Rachmaninoff Preludes, op23 - No4 in D major - Andante cantabile (5:14)
38. Various - Beethoven Piano Sonata No 14 in C Sharp Minor, op27-2 II - Allegretto (2:42)
39. Depeche Mode - A Photograph Of You (3:04)
40. Downfall Funeral - Into The Garden Of Dark Deligh (7:40)
41. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Don Giovanni (Excerpts), K 527 -- Madammina... (Register Aria by Leporello) (5:33)
42. Depeche Mode - See You (4:34)
43. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Symphony No. 25 in G Minor, K 183 -- I. Allegro con brio (9:43)
44. Puscifer - Choked (4:50)
45. Nine Inch Nails - Somewhat Damaged (4:31)
46. Reign of Angels - Empty (3:57)
47. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Te Deum Laudamus, K 141 -- Allegro - Adagio - Allegro (6:33)
48. Various - Rachmaninoff Piano concerto No1 in F sharp minor, op1-Vivace (13:29)
49. Hungry Lucy - Bound in Blood (Waltz Lullaby) (3:25)
50. Rob Zombie - Feel So Numb (3:38)
51. Track 6 (6:47)
52. Metallica - Nothing Else Matters (6:27)
53. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Symphony No. 38 in D Major, K 504 ''Prager'' -- I. Adagio - Allegro (12:24)
54. Depeche Mode - Wrong (3:13)
55. Chopin Nocturne in B flat minor, op9 - Chopin Nocturne in B flat minor, op. 9/3 (6:46)
56. Various - Tchaikovsky- The Nutcracker, op 71 March (2:02)
57. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Adante for Flute and Orchestra in C Major, K 316 (7:29)
58. Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No.7 in A Major, Op.92: III. Presto (10:16)
59. E.S. Posthumus - Estremoz (5:06)
60. Cruciform - Eternal (3:43)
61. Paul Oakenfold - Southern Sun (Exclusive New Oakenfold 2008 Remix) (3:00)
62. Track 4 (5:57)
63. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Don Giovanni (Excerpts), K 527 -- "La ci darem la mano" (Duet Don Giovanni - Zerlina) (3:28)
64. Garden of Dreams - Killing Romeo and Juliet (Alt (2:59)
65. Orgy - Suckerface (3:28)
66. Scott Weiland - Time of The Season (3:25)
67. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra No. 10 in E Flat Major, K 365 -- III. Rondeau - Allegro (6:44)
68. Methods Of Mayhem - Metamorphisis (4:40)
69. Downfall Funeral - Fall From Grace (7:20)
70. The Smashing Pumpkins - Perfect (Perfecto Mix) (4:01)
71. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K 467 -- II. Andante (6:52)
72. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Coronation Mass in C Major, K 317 -- II. Gloria (4:35)
73. Depeche Mode - Monument (3:14)
74. Marilyn Manson - Angel With The Scabbed Wings (3:52)
75. Happy Mondays - Step On (Paul Oakenfold Remix) (2:39)
76. Stabbing Westward - Haunting Me (3:36)
77. Janet Jackson - Rythmn Nation (5:29)
78. Various - Grieg Elegies for Piano, op.34 I: Wounded Heart" (2:27)
79. Various - Liszt Etudes d'execution transcendante - "Harmonies du soir" (8:35)
80. Bhangra Knights - Fascinating Rhythm (3:05)
81. Bella Morte - Fall No More (5:06)
82. Radiohead - Everything In Its Right Place (6:29)
83. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K 550 -- I. Molto allegro (7:52)
84. Chopin Nocturne in B flat minor, op9 - Chopin Nocturne in B flat minor, op. 9/1 (5:29)
85. Depeche Mode - Shouldn't Have Done That (3:12)
86. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Concerto for Horn and Orchestra No. 4 in E Flat Major, K 495 -- II. Romanza - Andante (4:55)
87. Metallica - The Struggle Within (3:53)
88. Gabriel Darknight - Impaler (3:34)
89. Chopin Nocturne in F flat major, op15 - Chopin Nocturne in F major, op. 15/3 (10:45)
90. Christina Aguilera - Candyman (3:14)
91. Nancy Sinatra - How Does That Grab You, Darlin'? (2:46)
92. Various - Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No1 in B flat minor, op23 Allego con fuoco-Allegro vivo (7:03)
93. Beethoven - Sonata No.23 In F Minor, Op.57 (Appassionata)-Allegro Assai (9:34)
94. Rasputina - Transylvanian Concubine (2:56)
95. Beethoven - Andante Favori In F Major, Woo 57 (8:28)
96. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K 550 -- IV. Allegro assai (6:47)
97. Depeche Mode - Satellite (4:41)
98. Chemical Brothers - Setting Sun (5:22)
99. Depeche Mode - Now This Is Fun (3:24)
100. The Cure - Lost (4:11)
101. Chopin Nocturne in B flat minor, op9 - Chopin Nocturne in B flat minor, op. 9/2 (4:43)
102. Chopin Nocturne in F flat major, op15 - Chopin Nocturne in F major, op. 15/2 (5:00)
103. Nine Inch Nails - We're in This Together (7:16)
104. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Laudate Dominum, from ''Vesperae solennes de confessore,'' K 339 (5:12)
105. E.S. Posthumus - Nara (4:51)
106. My Socrates - Toy Matinee (3:36)
107. E.S. Posthumus - Cuzco (4:02)
108. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - "The Magic Flute," K 620 (Excerpts) -- "Der Holle Rache" (Konigin der Nacht) (3:23)
109. Sonata No.14 In C Sharp Minor, Op.27 - 2 (Moonlight Sonata)-Presto Agitato (7:46)
110. Hans Zimmer - Jack Theme Suite (Paul Oakenfold Mix) (3:42)
111. Various - Beethoven Piano Sonata No 14 in C Sharp Minor, op27-2 III - Presto Agitato (7:46)
112. Unto Ashes - Morte o Merce (4:51)
113. Depeche Mode - Comatose (3:24)
114. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Concerto for Horn and Orchestra No. 4 in E Flat Major, K 495 -- III. Rondo - Allegro Vivace (4:00)
115. Collide - Razor Sharp (4:52)
116. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K 550 -- III. Menuetto - Allegretto (4:31)
117. Depeche Mode - Corrupt (6:14)
118. Finger Eleven - Quicksand (4:06)
119. Paul Oakenfold - Dread Rock (2:50)
120. Escape Club - Wild Wild West (5:43)
121. Drowning Sorrow - Heart-Shaped Chalkline (4:43)
122. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Serenade No. 7 in D Major, K 250 "Haffner-Serenade" -- II. Andante (9:23)
123. Chemical Brothers - Hey Boy Hey G (4:49)
124. Linking Park - What I ve Done (3:27)
125. Various - Rachmaninoff Piano concerto No1 in F sharp minor, op1 (7:12)
126. Swahili - Zap Mama - Rafiki (4:04)
127. Depeche Mode - The Meaning Of Love (Live) (3:13)
128. Dirty Vegas - Days Go By (Paul Oakenfold Remix Y Vocal) (3:40)
129. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - The Marriage of Figaro, K 492 (Excerpts) -- "Cosi fan tutte," K 588 (4:40)
130. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - "The Magic Flute," K 620 (Excerpts) -- "Der Vogelfanger bin ich ja" (Papageno) (2:35)
131. E.S. Posthumus - Lepcis Magna (3:27)
132. Depeche Mode - See You (Live) (4:09)
133. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - The Marriage of Figaro, K 492 -- Overture (4:17)
134. The Cure - Maybe Someday (5:08)
135. Various - Tchaikovsky- The Nutcracker, op 71 Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (1:55)
136. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - "The Magic Flute," K 620 (Excerpts) -- Overture (7:23)
137. Depeche Mode - In Sympathy (4:54)
138. Underworld - Born Slippy Nuxx (Paul Oakenfold Mix) (3:12)
139. Various - Beethoven Piano Sonata No 14 in C Sharp Minor, op27-2 Moonlight 1st Mvmt Adagio sostenuto (6:20)
140. Track 1 (3:44)
141. Blooded - the 13th revelation (1st cut) (4:02)
142. Tapping The Vein - bleed (4:25)
143. Garden of Dreams - Drinking from my soul (7:55)
144. Nine Inch Nails - Closer (6:13)
145. Audra - There Are No Snakes In Heaven (3:16)
146. Various - Rachmaninoff Preludes, op3 - No2 in C sharp minor (3:54)
147. Republica - Baby I m Ready To Go (5:01)
148. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K 551 - ''Jupiter-Symphony" -- III. Menuetto - Allegro (5:06)
149. Chemical Brothers - It Began In Africa (6:17)
150. Cafe Noire - The Clock Strikes XII (4:55)
151. Immaculata - Fury (5:25)
152. Stabbing Westward - Lost (3:21)
153. Various - Tchaikovsky- The Nutcracker, op 71 Pas de deux: Intrada (5:13)
154. Beethoven - Sonata No.8 In C Minor, Op.13 (Pathetique)-Rondo Allegro (4:20)
155. Steve Roach (ambient) - Midnight Loom (6:59)
156. Beethoven - Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No.1 In C Major, Op.15-Allegro Con Brio (16:08)
157. Drowning Pool - Enemy (3:28)
158. Madonna - Sorry (Paul Oakenfold Remix) (5:05)
159. Sonata No.14 In C Sharp Minor, Op.27 - 2 (Moonlight Sonata)-Adagio (6:19)
160. Nine Inch Nails - Hurt (6:13)
161. E.S. Posthumus - Nineveh (3:42)
162. Lacuna Coil - Un Fantasma Tra Noi (A Ghost Between Us) (5:24)
163. Track 1 (13:39)
164. Depeche Mode - My Secret Garden (4:46)
165. Bizarre Love Triangle - Psycho (4:46)
166. Beethoven - Sonata No.23 In F Minor, Op.57 (Appassionata)-Andante Con Moto (6:23)
167. Justin Timberlake - My Love ft. T.I. (Paul Oakenfold Remix) (4:59)
168. Lost Memories - The Crimson Sleep (5:22)
169. Ayria - Rain (Epsilon Minus) (0:02)
170. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Serenade No. 13 in G Major, K 525 "A Little Nightmusic" -- I. Allegro (7:53)
171. Depeche Mode - World in My Eyes (4:26)
172. Beethoven - Kreutzer-Sonata In A Minor, Op.47 Fur Piano And Violin (Kreutzer-Sonata)-Adagio Sostenuto (11:53)
173. 07 The Meaning Of Love
174. eingos euphony
175. Various - Chopin Piano Sonata No 2 in B flat minor, op 35 "March funebre" (8:20)
176. Depeche Mode - Peace (4:28)
177. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - "The Magic Flute," K 620 (Excerpts) -- "Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schon" (Tamino) (3:50)
178. Hungry Lucy - Apparitions Mega-Mix (5:06)
179. Paul OakenfoldBrittany Murphy - Faster Kill Pussycat (4:17)
180. Depeche Mode - My Secret Garden (Live) (7:30)
181. Drowning Pool - Hate (3:41)
182. Nine Inch Nails - I Do Not Want This (5:41)
183. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Requiem, K 626 (Completed by Franz Xaver Sussmayr) -- Lacrimosa dies illae (3:00)
184. Depeche Mode - Oberkorn (It's A Small Town) (4:09)
185. Depeche Mode - Little Soul (3:31)
186. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - A Musical Joke (Village Musicians-Sextet), K 522 -- III. Adagio cantable (6:08)
187. E.S. Posthumus - Pompeii (3:40)
188. Beethoven - Concerto For Violin And Orchestra In D Major, Op.61-Rondo (10:55)
189. Nine Inch Nails - Where Is Everybody? (5:40)
190. Drowning Pool - Let The Bodies Hi (3:29)
191. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - The Marriage of Figaro, K 492 (Excerpts) -- "Porgi amor" (Grafin) (3:22)
192. Seether - Fade Away (3:52)
193. Depeche Mode - A Photograph Of You (Live) (3:30)
194. Faith and the Muse - Prodigal
195. Rage Against The Machine - Renaga
196. Various - Chopin Nocturne in F flat major, op15 (4:03)
197. The Cure - Hello I Love You (Rare
198. 09-Requiem, K 626 (Completed by Franz Xaver Sussmayr) -- Introitus - Requiem aeternam
199. Glitter Kisses
200. 04 Ain t No Other Man
201. Various - Liszt Reminescences de Don Juan (18:28)
202. Guilty
203. Drop Dead Gorgeous - Republica
204. 02 Tikal
205. Information Society - Running
206. 04 Ulaid
207. im dead
208. Metallica - Thorn Within
209. 11 Planet Rock
210. Rob Zombie - American Nightmare
211. Puscifer - Comfort Me
212. 02 Watching Me Fall
213. Beethoven - Sonata No.23 In F Minor, Op.57 (Appassionata)-Allegro Ma Non Troppo (8:13)
214. Depeche Mode - Spacewalker (1:53)
215. 04-Schumann Piano Concerto in A minor, op54 1st mvmt allegro affetuoso
216. VNV Nation - Beloved
217. Beethoven - Sonata No.8 In C Minor, Op.13 (Pathetique)-Grave: Allegro Di Molto E Con Brio (8:17)
218. Depeche Mode - Excerpt From: My Secret Garden (3:16)
219. Rage Against the Machine - Take t
220. PJ Harvey - No Girl So Sweet
221. The Cure - Burn (The Crow Soundtr
222. 11-1 (Quashi Una Fantasia)-Andante Allegro-Tempo I
223. 02-2 (Moonlight Sonata)-Allegretto
224. Oingo Boingo - Dead Man s Party
225. 10 Menouthis
226. Reincarnate
227. 02-Liszt Transcriptions from 12 Lieder - Erlkonig , op1
228. 12 I Am You
229. Corvus Corax- Hymnus-Cantica (Car
230. Ayria - It s Been Fun
231. Depeche Mode - Perfect (4:33)
232. Depeche Mode - Come Back (5:15)
233. Various - Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No1 in B flat minor, op23 Allego non troppo e molto maestoso (19:00)
234. tinker children childe
235. 05 The Dead of Night
236. Depeche Mode - The Sun And The Rainfall (5:05)
237. Track 3 (10:53)
238. Isabella
239. 11-Rachmaninoff Preludes, op23 - No6 in E flat major - Andante
240. 12 You're Not Alone
241. Various - Beethoven Piano Concert No 5 in E flat major op73 III - Rondo Allegro (10:47)
242. 05-Track 5
243. 03-Liszt Transcriptions from 12 Lieder - Ave Maria , op52 No4
244. Various - Beethoven Piano Concert No 5 in E flat major op73 I - Allegro (20:57)
245. Depeche Mode - Hole To Feed (3:59)
246. God Smack - I Stand Alone
247. My Succubus
248. They Killed Three Litt
249. 18 Missing (Exclusive New Oakenfold 2008 Remix)
250. Seether - Fake It
251. Linkin Park - Numb
252. 10 - depeche mode - damaged peopl
253. 05-Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 23 in A Major, K 488 -- Allegro
254. PJ Harvey - Big Fish Little Fish
255. Portishead - Numb
256. Tainted Wings
257. 07-Rachmaninoff Piano concerto No1 in F sharp minor, op1-Allegro Vivace
258. 01-Symphony No.3 in E Flat Major, Op.55 Eroica Allegro con brio
259. 02 Into the Void
260. Chopin Nocturne in F flat major, op15 - Chopin Nocturne in F major, op. 15/1 (3:23)
261. Various - Schumann Fantasy pieces op 12 -Aufschwung (3:21)
262. Various - Schumann Fantasy pieces op 12 -Des Abends (4:00)
263. 3 Days Grace - Pain
264. 08-Rondo for Piano and Orchestra in A Major, K 386 -- Allegretto
265. Chemical Brothers - Electrobank
266. 07-Track 7
267. 03-Serenade No. 13 in G Major, K 525 A Little Nightmusic -- III. Minuet - Allegretto
268. 08-Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra in B Flat Major, K 191 -- II. Andante, ma Adagio
269. When I Am Queen
270. Beethoven - Concerto For Piano And Orchestra In G Major, Op.58-Rondo Vivace (10:35)
271. Godsmack - The Enemy
272. Baudelaire
273. Beethoven - Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No.5 In E Flat Major, Op.73-Rondo: Allegro (10:34)
274. 13 Satellite (Live)
275. Chemical Brothers - Bass Test
276. Various - Schumann Scenes from childhood, op15 "Traumerei" (3:06)
277. Drowning Pool - Tear away
278. 08-Schumann Fantasy pieces op 12 -Warum
279. 13 Isfahan
280. 02-Track 2
281. 01 Starry Eyed Surprise
282. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Ave vernum corpus - Motet - K 618 (2:57)
283. Club Mixes-Falco - Rock Me Amadeu
284. All My Lovers
285. Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No.9 in D Minor, Op.125: IV. Presto - Allegro assai "Ode to Joy" (10:08)
286. 04 Stop Me ft Daniel Merriweather (Exclusive New Oakenfold 2008 Remix)
287. Corvus Corax - Bretonischer Marsc
288. 02-Serenade No. 13 in G Major, K 525 A Little Nightmusic -- II. Romance - Andante
289. 07-Beethoven Piano Sonata No 23 in F Minor, op57 Appassionata 1st Mvmt
290. 04 Lay Your World on Me (Album Ve
291. 02-Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K 550 -- II. Andante
292. 09 - depeche mode - introspectre
293. Rob White Zombie - I m Your Boogi
294. 04-Symphony No.6 in F Major, Op.68, Pastoral Symphony I. Allegro ma non troppo
295. Various - Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No1 in B flat minor, op23 Andantino semplice (6:48)
296. Chemical Brothers - Galvanize
297. 06 The Fragile
298. 16 Winter Storm (Club Mix)
299. Technoir - Requiem
300. Beethoven - Concerto For Violin And Orchestra In D Major, Op.61-Larghetto (10:48)
301. Pucifer - Rev 22-20
302. Depeche Mode - Miles Away/The Truth Is (4:14)
303. Depeche Mode - Fragile Tension (4:09)
304. 05 Ebla
305. 04-Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra in A Major, K 622 -- II. Adagio
306. Stabbing Westward - Save Yourself
307. Rob Zombie - Living Dead Girl
308. Various - Grieg Elegies for Piano, op.34 II: Last Spring (5:20)
309. 05-Beethoven Piano Concert No 5 in E flat major op73 II - Adagio un poco mosso
310. Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Sinfonia Concertante in E Flat Major for Violin and Viola, K 364 -- II. Andante (11:38)
311. 04-Serenade No. 13 in G Major, K 525 A Little Nightmusic -- IV. Rondo - Allegro
312. 10-The Marriage of Figaro, K 492 (Excerpts) -- Non piu andrai... (Figaro)
313. 03-Symphony No.5 in C Minor, Op.67, Destiny I. Allegro con brio
314. Corvus Corax - Isabella
315. 08 Ready Steady Go
316. Depeche Mode - Leave In Silence (4:48)
317. 03 Unfinished Sympathy (Perfecto Mix)

February's Newsletter...

2011-01-30T19:28:00.000-08:00

February's newsletter was sent out to those signed up to receive it.

If you'd like to sign up, shoot me an email with your email addy and I'll add you to the list. =)

Isobael at gmail dot com.

Reticules and shawls...

2011-01-29T19:26:00.000-08:00

My mother has a few rather old magazines. She crochets doilies and bedspreads, table runners, even a large canopy for her four poster bed (which I STILL want...)

When she watched me sew some reticules, we talked about crocheted drawstring purses, sewing in contrasting liner. She's excited to get to crocheting again!

Speaking of reticules, here's the end result from my project with my daughter.

The pattern we decided to go with.

The lining material. It's a darker pink than the photo shows, but not by much.

Brat's fabric - scraps of what we had left over from making her skirt.

The material for my reticule (We ended up making four with this material!)

The first two are from the scrap fabric we had left after making her skirt. Now she has a matching reticule. Actually, she has two using the same fabric. Inside, the liner is pink to match the pink bows on the skulls.

This is my reticule. We ran out of the pink so Dad found some scrap material he had, so the lining is a dark purple color. I ended up making three in this shape, using this material, and an oblong square-ish shaped bag for Mom to store her makeup in.

Shawls - I am in search of the perfect shawl. I'll probably end up making them as well, but that's not a problem. Maybe I can get Mom to crochet me one. LOL. I have to post these measurements though, so I'll have them on hand. These are typical measurements for shawls between Regency and Victorian times.

Square shawls should be in the range of 55 inches to 70 inches square with 64 inches square being standard.

Long shawls are double squares, sometimes called plaids, which should be 55 inches wide by 110 inches long to 70 inches wide by 140 inches long with 64 inches wide by 128 inches long being the most common.

Three-quarter shawls are 3/4ths the width and 3/4ths length of a standard double square shawl. A three-quarter shawl would be 48 inches wide by 96 inches long.

I love this shawl...

OH! OHohohoh!!! Look at this! Isn't this to die for?!? I would LOVE to have a parasol like this...maybe a contrasting fabric underneath in silk or satin...

Anyway, as I said earlier...I may make mine. Probably a flannel material as it's light and easy to sew, fringes easily. If I can find a flannel material I like.

I've also read where someone took a velour throw and cut it down to a shawl size. That might be interesting. I'll check out WalMart's cheap blankets to see what it feels like. Maybe sometime this week I'll go and look.

“Rules of Being A Lady.”

2011-01-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

On the flip side, it seems women need some reminders as well.

I put together this list and printed it out for my 13 year old daughter as a primer for being a lady.

1. Never rely on your sexuality to get ahead in the world. It is not a weapon and it’s never, ever a form of currency. You have a mind and manners to gain respect.

2. Be gracious. Be grateful, not because it’s the right thing to be, but because you truly feel grateful. Show it and mean it. Be sincere.

3. Show criticisms in a tactful and constructive manner. Be mindful of the feelings you may hurt. You are not tearing down, you are building up.

4. Never spread gossip. Let it end with your ears and never with your lips.

5. Be educated, think for yourself. If you cannot attend further schooling, then teach yourself. Seek out knowledge so you can have educated opinions. Have an understanding of the arts, sciences, politics. If you don’t know or can’t participate in a discussion, don’t.

6. Be strong. Develop your own moral code and conscience. Practice self control. Do not be a slave to your passions. Have high standards. Show respect and be deserving of respect.

7. Be graceful, not only in your own movements, but in your desire to make those around you feel at ease. Show hospitality and welcome in your home and business place. By being comfortable with yourself and your surroundings, you unconsciously make others feel comfortable.

8. Dress not to please others, but out of respect for yourself.

9. Never be patronizing. You never allow others to feel inadequate, or of lesser quality or being than yourself, even if their standards are different than your own. You may not agree with others, but you never make them feel less than a person for it.

10. Accept the opening of doors as an act of kindness and respect. Offer to pay your half of the bill, but never argue if a man insists. Allow a man (gentleman) to behave with propriety toward you and expect no less.

11. Do not suffocate the people around you with overpowering body scents. A little goes a long way. On that note, keep yourself clean. Wash daily. Even a sponge bath is better than nothing at all.

Being a gentleman...

2011-01-23T21:38:00.000-08:00

I’m sorry I’m not blonde and petite. I’m fat, and I'm not beautiful. I don’t wear short skirts or tight pants and I don’t wear stiletto heels. I don’t chew my gum like a cow with a cud, or twist a lock of hair around a finger.

However, the last time I checked, I still have breasts, I’m still classified as a female, and when I’m walking toward a building with a manual door, I still like the door opened for me, or even held open for me.

Especially when the same door is being opened and a man is exiting the building.

What kind of idiocy prevails today when a man, seeing me as I approach the door, could not remain there for more than two seconds, to hold the door for me, so I could enter? He wasn’t rushing anywhere and he wasn’t wearing any form of uniform that could excuse him for being in any hurry.

What’s even worse, I’ve seen people blow off the elderly in passing. Maybe the grandmotherly, even great-grandmotherly aged woman was walking a bit slow and people rush past them to get to the door, but don’t hold the door, and this poor elderly woman either has to make a last moment dash and grab for the door, or wait until it’s closed to open it for themselves. At this point, I’ve tried to reach past them to beat them to grabbing the door with a polite, “Let me get the door for you,” and I open the door.

Because it’s polite, it’s the right thing to do.

While we’re at it, let’s run through a list of things a man should know and practice.

1. Show some pride in your appearance. Be clean. Keep your facial hair to a minimum, or at the very least, neatly trimmed. Please, please, PLEASE don’t drown yourself in scented deodorant, cologne, or body lotion. Wear clothes that fit you. I don’t need to see your underwear (There IS a reason why they’re called underwear). If your pants are THAT big, wear a belt. It’s why they exist – to keep your pants up. Your baseball cap is not worn sideways or backwards…and PLEASE remove your hats when you enter a building or sit down at a table, or when being introduced to a woman or older people.

2. Be polite. TO EVERYONE. Always be aware of how you can help people, like holding the door for someone, even if takes you two seconds longer to get to where you’re going. Open a door for someone. If you don’t know if that someone is going to be offended, then be prepared to ask, “Would you like some help?” or “May I get the door for you?” It makes you look all the better for the offer.

3. No one wants to hear you cursing in public, or cussing someone out, or throwing a fit because someone didn’t use their turn signals on the free way. Occasional swearing in private, or amongst your cronies are one thing, but it’s just better if you don’t. Especially when you’re in mixed company or when you could be overheard.

4. Unless the woman is an attention grabbing lady of the night, and even then you shouldn’t…don’t stare, ogle, or say anything that degrades them, to them or about them. This goes back to #2 where you’re being polite and respectful. Be the better person.

5. It was funny in grade school, or with your drinking buddies in college, but not anymore. Don’t belch or fart in public. No one wants to play “Sniff and guess what I had for lunch”. Keep your voice to a polite volume, don’t be demanding, and don’t get drunk in public. Keep control of yourself, mind and body.

6. Be a gentleman when it comes to women. Offer to open our doors, or offer to give up your seat on a crowded bus. No one said to throw your coat over a mud puddle so we can avoid getting our feet wet, but holding an umbrella over our heads while we get into a car would be nice.

7. The world does not revolve around you, so please don’t talk about yourself too much. Women like a bit of mystery. It gives us something to work for. Try to have some topics to discuss in conversation that isn’t all about you.

8. Until you know the people around you, avoid discussing politics and religion. Friendships and potential friendships have been ended because of those two topics and not everyone is comfortable with those topics.

9. Stand up tall and straight. Don’t slouch. You don’t carry the weight of the world on your shoulders and you aren’t being horsewhipped. It makes you look more confidant. However, there’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance. Don’t swagger. You aren’t better than anyone else, even when you are.

10. Teasing a woman you know is one thing, but outright rudeness and cruelty is another. Even if you think you’re joking, it’s offensive, insulting, and hurtful when a man refers to a woman with a vulgar word or tone.

11. It’s one thing if you’re challenged to stand up for yourself and your values, but it’s another to go off half cocked and start throwing punches at the slightest of provocations. It makes you no better than the person picking the fight. Walk away. If you do end up having to defend yourself, never use weapons other than your fists, and when your opponent is down, end the fight.

12. Be sincere. Say what you mean and mean what you say.

Care to add anything?

Thank you, You Gotta Read Reviews!

2011-01-20T13:36:00.000-08:00

I was reviewed!

You Gotta Read Reviews gave "Moonlight and Magick" a chance and awarded it "You Need To Read"...

As per their blog site:

You Gotta Read - Our highest rating - very few books will earn this award
You Need To Read - Excellent books that don't quite meet Gotta Read
You Want To Read - Good books to read, these are the average reads, still a good book
You Could Read - Books that you might want to think about before purchasing
Leave It On The Shelf - Books that just didn't measure up - hopefully you'll never see this one given

You can read the review here: http://yougottareadreviews.blogspot.com/2011/01/review-moonlight-and-magick-by-isobael.html

*Dances*

Ahhh, the joys of life...

2011-01-13T08:52:00.000-08:00

Falconry - we noticed a chip and a faint fracture line in SgianDubh's beak. Took her into the vet and he applied acrylic to the beak to reinforce it. Was not bad enough to need a removal and prosthetic, thank goodness. Of course, five days later, she managed to pop the acrylic off and i had to take her back in to have it reinforced. The vet likes the way it looks and it was growing out rather quickly, more quickly than he expected. Two more weeks of it on and then if it pops off, it won't be a problem. Until then, we're not hunting her. She's been getting fed tidbits so she's not putting stress on the beak by pulling and tearing at her food.

If that wasn't all, my daughter starts coughing. Dry, hacking cough. I thought it sounded more like the cough one gets from congestion and having post nasal dripping into the throat. Of course, she suffers allergies all year around as well, so having a cold is just acerbating the problem. Sure enough, she has a cold. Was given some allergy prescriptions to try.

As most of you know, I've been struggling through a long bout of writer's block. Nothing I've written sounded remotely worth keeping, so I've been pecking at the keyboard here and there.

Last night, as I lie in bed, waiting for sleep to claim me, I slipped into a lucid dream state...watching my characters enact what I'd written so far. Nearly 60,000 words...they would come to the end of the manuscript, where I'd stopped, then start over. Over and over, I was watching this "movie" on replay...until I noticed there were some near imperceptible changes taking place while it replayed.

Changes to what the characters are, certain plot points, motivations...

With that, I must say...cut and paste in Word has become my best friend. Rewriting and editing into a manuscript template...is much easier than rewriting the whole story.

Maybe, just maybe, I can get this finished!

To my friends for the new year...

2011-01-01T10:36:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all my friends and family. Thanks for making 2010 an awesome year, and here's to a new beginning for 2011!

Is it over yet?

2010-12-27T15:37:00.000-08:00

Are the holidays over yet? Can I come out of hiding now? Jeez...the past week, two weeks, has been madness, from holiday shopping and incredibly rude shoppers, to family insanity. Add in some drama with my falconry and some personal issues, and you have someone desperately needing a vacation, a time out, or a room at the insane asylum, complete with straight jacket.

Just sitting down to enjoy a cup of doodh patti chai, or spiced milk tea. (Not Chai Tea...which is redundant because chai = tea, I learned.)

Measurements? Who measures ingredients? Mostly, I play it by smell and look, but, ehhh...here I try.

Two cups milk in a sauce pan.
Teaspoon each of ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground ginger, ground cardamom (although this can be adjusted to taste)
6 to 8 sugar cubes (adjust to taste)

Bring to simmer.

Add in a cup of water and some black tea leaves. (Four tea bags - open the bags and dump the leaves in the liquid...or equivalent of four tea bags. Stronger if you want, again adjust to taste.)

Bring to boil. If it starts to foam up, remove from heat and let it go back down. Put back on heat. Repeat this three times.

Strain into mug. If it's too hot, or too strong, Stir a little milk to the mug.

Add a scone or little biscuit to go with, curl up with a book or e-reader, and enjoy!

Hope everyone's holidays went well. Back to writing as my Muse seems to be gaining her confidence back. It's slow, but it's better than nothing. =)

Love you all.

To you and yours...

2010-12-24T21:51:00.000-08:00

Wishing all of my friends and family a very happy holidays. Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Blessed Saturnalia, and/or whatever you choose to celebrate this month.

Good health, much love, and many happy blessings to you and yours.

~Isobael

Victorian Etiquette

2010-12-16T07:23:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I am in LOVE with old etiquette manuals that teach proper manners in private and social settings. Everything from how to hold your fork to how to be meet and greet someone.

I picked up a 70th some edition of Emily Posts's book on Etiquette, but I just checked out a book from the library that I am in love with. It's a reprint of a book originally published in 1885.

"Hill's Manual of Social and Business Form" by Thomas E. Hill

It's amusing, thought provoking, and a MUST HAVE for anyone interested in etiquette, American Victorian society, and/or writing with historical accuracy.

I'm going to order my own copy as soon as I get some funds.

Here's a little:

Etiquette of Introductions:

Ladies being introduced should never bow hastily, but with slow and measured dignity. (Old etiquette books always spoke of bows, making your bows, etc...but in the movies women curtsied. I'm going with "bow" was a catch all phrase for curtsy or bow, depending on the gender.)

The inferior is to be introduced to the superior; the younger to the elder; the gentleman to the lady.

It is the lady's privilege to recognize the gentleman after an introduction, and his duty to return the bow.

Introductions on the streets or in public places should be made quietly as not to attract public attention.

Perfect ease and self-possession are the essentials to the making and receiving of graceful and happy introductions.

Etiquette requires that a gentleman always raises his hat when introduced to either a lady or a gentleman on the street. (If passing on the street, the hat should be raised and salute given with the hand farthest from the person addressed. when on horseback, the gentleman should grip the reins and whip in his left hand and raise his hat with the right.)

Introduce to each other only those who may find acquaintance agreeable. If any doubts exists on the subject, inquire beforehand.

If upon any occasion you are introduced at a friend's house to even your bitterest enemy, courtesy requires that you salute him, or her, and give no sign of ill-feeling while you are the guest of your friend.

To shake hands when introduced, is optional; between gentleman, it is common, and oftentimes between an elderly and a young person. it is not common between an unmarried lady and a gentleman, a slight bow between them when introduced being all that etiquette requires. The married lady will use her discretion when introduced to a gentleman.

If you are a gentleman, do not let the lack of an introduction prevent you from rendering services to any unattended lady who may need them. Politely offer your protection, escort or assistance, and, when the service has been accomplished, politely bow and retire.

There's so much more in this book. It's awesome.

Edited to Add: Found it online. Click here and on the left is a menu to choose from.

Do something good for Christmas this year.

2010-12-08T10:21:00.000-08:00

I gave myself a Christmas present this year.

It took me a while to pick it out though. I hemmed and hawed, debated, tried to figure out if I could afford it, but then I sat down and decided to just do it.

Faced with poverty, starvation, high mortality rates, homelessness, and conditions worse than most third world countries, IN OUR OWN COUNTRY...can you help? My mother and I did.

There is a group of people who have the shortest life expectancy of any group in the Western Hemisphere, outside of Haiti?
Families, children and elders go without food on a regular basis?
Families are often without heat during sub-zero temperatures?
People are without employment opportunities or adequate medical facilities?

That is the plight of Lakota People living on reservations in South Dakota.

Life Expectancy is 48 years for men and 52 years for women.
Unemployment is estimated to be 87%
90% live below the Federal poverty level.
The teenage suicide rate is 3 1/2 times higher than the national average.
Infant mortality is five times higher than the national average
Diabetes, heart disease, cancer and malnutrition are epidemic.

Despite hardship and adversity, the Lakota maintain their cultural knowledge and traditions and preserve for their children and for the world, ancient wisdom that contributes to quality of life.

About 1/3 of the population still speak the Lakota language.
Almost all maintain their traditional spiritual and cultural beliefs.
They are leaders in knowledge of environmental preservation.
They are a sharing society - when one eats, they all eat - or they all do without.
Their exquisite beadwork, quillwork, quilting, sewing, painting is art at its best.
They wish to preserve their culture and find ways to be self-sufficient.

Please do what you can to help. You can donate one time or as many times as you want, or you can sponsor a child, a family, or an Elder.

You can read more at their website: http://www.nativeprogress.org/

Putting on my ranty hat...

2010-11-19T12:00:00.000-08:00

I don't care if you're a god/dess, the president of the US, or a monarch of a sovereign country. There is NO excuse for being rude to me.

Opened an email this morning in which I was berated and threatened if I didn't remove their address from a mailing group on Google.

I would like to know why I am recieving e-mails from this group. I did
not register or sign up to be a part of this group. If I am registered
with this group, I demand that I be removed from this group
immediately or i will take further action, including legal action if
it is necessary. Have a nice day.

Aghast, I immediately opened up Google groups and checked the members list. Hmm...their email was not listed. I checked the banned list, the spam list, pending members. No, no, and no.

All righty then. I then checked the settings in case there was something there I was not aware of. The group is closed and members have to be invited and/or added by me. No one can just join, or add someone's email to join.

Hmmm...

Having gone without my cup of morning coffee, and on the low end of my blood sugar level, I hit reply.

Dear Name Removed For Privacy,

Unless your name is Name, Name, Name, or Isobael, you are not a member of this group. Your address <name.removed.for.privacy@yahoo.com> is not listed anywhere on the member's list.

Since you have to be added by me, I have no idea how you're receiving messages.

Secondly, demanding anything is rude. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar. I do not respond to demands or threats. If you have a problem, maybe you should politely inquire about it rather than throwing a tantrum. I've seen two year olds behave better.

Take it up with Google since you're not on my members list.

Have a nice day.

What is with people these days? Just because it's email, or a digital forum, does not give people the right to be rude, demanding, threatening, or bullying. It seems like I come across this more and more.

I probably should have some coffee before someone sets me off and I end up writing them into my manuscript as a victim of a horrifyingly bloody murder.

/end ranting

Recipes...

2010-10-30T17:11:00.000-07:00

Pomegranate Champagne Cocktail

1 pomegranate
1/4 cup lavender sugar
1 bottle champagne or sparkling water

Remove seeds from pomegranate.
Put in blender and blend for one minute. Strain the juice into a saucepan and discard seed pulp. (Alternatively, use 1 cup of pure pomegranate juice)
Add 1/4 cup lavender sugar. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and cool. (Syrup may be stored in covered container for up to two weeks.) (By the way - pomegranate syrup is also known as grenadine syrup but be careful as most grenadine syrups today don't even have pomegranate juice in it anymore!)
To make the cocktail - place 2 TB of syrup in each champagne glass, then fill the glass with chilled champagne or sparkling water.

Lavender sugar - add 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 TB dried culinary lavender buds into a covered container about 3 days before you plan to use the sugar.

How about a hot drink?

Mulled Cranberry Nectar

4 cups Cranberry Nectar
5 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 orange, peeled and sliced
6 slices fresh peeled ginger, about 1/4 in thick

Large saucepan, combine everything and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
Strain.
Pour into heat resistant container and serve warm.

Updating...

2010-10-17T09:04:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Tanja, for your feedback. I've been slowly adding more and more to the website. =)

Let's update things here, shall we?

Falconry - going well. SgianDubh is doing very well. I hope to get her out hunting in the next week or two. She's flying a good 150 to 200 feet from glove to glove on the whistle, she just isn't getting the lure down as much as I'd like. Still, she is getting it. There was some drama in regards to my license, from the state, but it's been taken care of on my end. I'm good to go, although my sponsor is still fighting with them.

Writing - we're still plodding along. I've written myself into a corner and had to delete a bunch of stuff to redo it. Corners are not very good. LOL.

We're settled in Mom and Dad's place. The sharing of chores and living space is going well. We can't wait to get our own place again, having had our own place for so long, and we miss having our own place, but we're doing well.

New website...

2010-10-07T07:14:00.001-07:00

Still tweaking it, so don't mind the mess. I'm still not all that satisfied with it, but at least I have a home on the web! Check it out! http://www.isobael.com/index.htm

=)

October Newsletter...

2010-10-06T09:45:00.000-07:00

I have an October newsletter available. If you'd like to be added to the mailing list, you can email me at isobael@gmail.com and I'll add you to the subscribe list...

Other than that, I'll PROBABLY be doing Nano this year. Not sure how well I'll succeed at it, but I'm going to give it a try. Last year I made it, but not sure this year.

Still writing...=)

Anyway...

2010-09-21T06:07:00.000-07:00

Let's see...

Falconry = going. SgianDubh is doing well. She's not so keen on the lure but then I'm not going to lure fly her either. It's for retrieval purposes only this year.

News on the living situation...

Mom lost her job from Lowe's. Bogus BS and lawsuit material, so they're looking for a lawyer. The other house, which was suppose to be emptied by today isn't even close. As it is, we're going to talk to them about it. We're not going to move in there. Mom and Dad are emptying the office (which was the second master bedroom - converted from the garage) for Spike and I. Brat will be staying in my old room. We'll pay them $500 a month for rent and split the cost of the utilities. This will get us caught up on the previous bills and give us something to put into savings so we can get another place later. Maybe even buy a house with some money for a down payment.

Mom is rather ecstatic about us moving in. It helps her out as she's not so worried about not being able to pay the bills.

Writing-wise...yeah. Slow going, but it's there. Once we get us situated in the other room, I can buckle down and start writing again. It'll be nice to have my writing desk back and a room to write in.

Catching up...

2010-09-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

Ahhh. Still living with Mom and Dad, though it's working out rather well. When the rental house is ready, we'll be moving in there. Working with a new bird who's been both a sheer delight, the total opposite of my last bird, and keeping me on my toes. I have missed this! Writing? Hehehe. Don't ask.

I do a little here and there, but with the worries of the living situation, I don't get much done.

I've moved into my parents' house and am sharing a room with my daughter because the bed in the trailer is too uncomfortable and I can't sleep well. I wake up with my back all tweaked and I hurt for days after. The bed leaves bruises just from sleeping on it!! So Spike sleeps out there. I am SO using the trailer in one of my next novels. LOL.

I've resurrected my falconry blog for the new bird. You can find it here: http://falconry-isobael.blogspot.com/

Her name is SgianDubh. She's a passage (juvenile) American Kestrel.

Interview...

2010-09-11T07:42:00.001-07:00

A journalist friend in Canada interviewed me. He has it posted on his website - http://www.damienwood.net/?p=345

=)

Update...

2010-09-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

So, here it is...

Our landlords had told us they were putting the house we were living in up for sale. The problem is, Spike is in school...not working thanks to the recession, and I'm a stay at home mom.

Anyway, they so "kindly" let us know we could stay as long as the house was on the market.

My parents' neighbor recently passed away and her daughter owns the house. They live a far distance away and we put a bug in some people's ears about us possibly renting it so the house didn't sit empty. The house needs work (Aunt May needed the doors widened for the wheelchair and the bathtub removed so she could wheel the chair into the shower), and the personal items and boxes of stuff need to be removed. We were given a tentative date of Sept 7th.

So, we got ourselves a couple of storage units and moved stuff over, downsizing, while we looked for a small trailer to park in my parents' driveway until the house was ready.

We found an 18 foot 1972 Prowler, in reasonable condition. We picked it up and brought it to my parents', set it up in the driveway and proceeded to finish the packing and moving. Our daughter is set up in my parents' spare room (which is my old bedroom).

So, Spike will do some work on it in exchange for rent.

Keeping our fingers crossed so we can get in there soon. Brat starts school on the 7th, Spike starts in the 9th.

Catching up with Isobael...

2010-08-21T23:10:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. It's been a while since I last posted, but we've run into some recent...issues...personal wise.

Our landlords are putting the house up for sale so we're in a scramble to find a place to live.

So you can see where I have a good excuse for not posting. Heck, for not even writing. My writing has been almost non existent as of late. Frustrating and depressing, but my brain has not been in the writing mode.

I have the first four chapters outlined and I actually like what I see...but...

Yeah, you get it.

So, there you go. Forgive me? =)

Vacation...

2010-08-08T10:45:00.000-07:00

This past week, my family hosted my BFF for vacation. It was a little hairy even before she left home, but it was a blast and I was very sorry to see her leave last night.

Let's see...

Her flight was cancelled due to weather. Of course, United didn't tell anyone WHY the flight was cancelled, only that it was. So she called me to let me know. The only other flight out of Roanoke wasn't until later in the evening, but it was booked full. They were going to put her on another flight which would leave on Friday morning. Hell, no. We got her listed on standby for the second flight while Spike was on the phone with United and Expedia (both of which did nothing) while I was hitting travel sites online to see what else there was. I found a flight leaving Roanoke to Atlanta, and from Atlanta to Seattle, which had three seats left open. I told her to go to the United desk and see if they can get you on that flight. United didn't even know about that flight! Needless to say, they booked her on the Roanoke to Atlanta to Seattle flight and she was only three hours later than her original arrival time. At 11:40 pm, I got to see my BFF after three years.

Friday morning, we relaxed some. Later that evening, we went to the Highland Games Opening Ceremony, in which we did a little sight seeing, meeting a few people, and sang Scottish songs before the Saltire.

Saturday, we went back to the Games for the day. It was a day of yummy men in kilts and sightseeing the shops. BFF tried haggis. She didn't like it much. LOL. Spike was able to wear my Dad's spare kilt (in our Ancient colors), and he bought me an outfit. We plan to purchase him a kilt and an arisaidh for me in the Ancient colors.

Sunday wasn't much. Relaxed a bit.

Monday, we went to Shipwreck Beads (OOoo! shiny!), shooting, and then Ocean Shores. BFF really wanted to see a sunset over the water, but it was overcast so no sunset. We had a nice stroll on the beach and collected pretty little rocks.

Tuesday, we did some relaxing. Had some errands, and then headed to my parents ti visit.

Wednesday, Seattle. Picked up my Mom and we hit The Great Wall Mall in Kent first, to get some snacks. BFF can't get her favorite little treat in Roanoke, so she had to fly all the way out here to get it. LOL. She also got to try Boba Tea! Then, $17 in parking later, we spent FOUR hours in Pike Place. I don't think I've ever spent that long in Pike Place before (usually because I'm with someone who has no time or patience to spend that long to look at the shops...).

Thursday, we hit Mt. Rainier National Park. It was HOT...but oh so beautiful. I hadn't been there since I was a kid. BFF tried to get me to walk up the mountain, LOL...but I'm too out of shape, so we didn't get very far up. We did take a path to Myrtle Falls though, at 5600 feet (I think...either 5600 or 5700 feet).

Friday, it was just BFF and I. We ditched Spike and Brat. We had intended to go to Shipwreck Beads but traffic was the crap so we headed to Half Price Books by the Tacoma Mall. We then hit Cost Plus World Market (one of my FAVE stores!) and then headed back to Puyallup, and hit Michael's. Afterwards, we sat at Starbucks and chatted while enjoying our much deserved coffees.

Saturday, BFF and I tried Shipwreck Beads once more. This time, we made it down there. Three hours later, we walked out with our shopping gains and came home. she made Pixie-Brat an opal chip necklace and made me a jade and lapis necklace. I made her a wire tree.

All good things must come to an end, though. We took her to the airport to catch her flight home. I cried, of course...I didn't want to see my BFF leave!

Anyway...here is a slide show of the pics from her vacation here.

Now, it's back to work. I have a novel to write and one in the works.

July 28th...

2010-07-27T21:16:00.003-07:00

I'm a guest blogger at Paranormal Romantics!

http://paranormalromantics.blogspot.com/?zx=cb7e25f401d2eca1

State of Isobael...

2010-07-27T08:03:00.000-07:00

Two days before my BFF arrives! I'm so stoked. It's been three years, maybe four, since I last saw her.

We have plans! Mt. Rainier, Ocean Shores, Seattle... =)

Of course, it means writing will be nil, but I think I can accept that when it comes to a cherished friend.

We won't even discuss the lack of writing and frustration I've been having on this end.

Actually, we will.

Lately, it just seems that writing is more of a struggle than anything. I don't know if it's because of the worries I have going on outside of my writing life, or what, but nothing looks good. I'm trying to write Moonlight and Melodies, but it's gotten to the point where I hate the characters, I hate the setup, and the plot doesn't work.

In the mean time, I picked up a kit called "A Book in a Month" by Victoria Lynn Schmidt, Ph.D. I've skimmed it a couple of times but after plinking out 700 some words all day (granted, I also did do four loads of laundry, two loads of dishes, and made potato salad as well), and in a state of sobbing from frustration, I decided to apply myself to the steps in the book.

While I might not get a book written in a month, there are some good tips in it, some plotting strategies, although some of it I don't "get". My brain is wired a bit differently, I think. Some of the plotting ideas she has makes no sense to me.

Anyway, so there you have it.

Pronouncing the names in "Moonlight and Magick"...

2010-07-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

I think my biggest fan has got to be my mother.

It's funny how much she tells people about my book. She carries her e-reader around to show people my book, a copy of my cover art, and she's gotten people to buy my book, while at work, even.

This morning, she had to call me to tell me her favorite waitress at the restaurant where they eat breakfast finally read my book. The waitress gushed about how much she loved the novel, how she could not stop reading until the very end. Even was still at the computer when her husband got home and his first words in the door were, "STILL reading?"

She wanted to let me know that the only thing she had trouble with in the story was pronouncing the names of some of the characters.

I hemmed and hawed about using the names I did. I knew that using unfamiliar or too exotic sounding names might jar some readers from the story. However, there was no way I could name a Sidhe "Fred" or "John".

I did have some reservations in using the names I did, but in the end, I went with the integrity of the story. They're Sidhe, I had to use names that were "ethnically correct" for the people involved.

The biggest culprits were:

Ulwe - Ul-way

Amras - Am-ross

Calawe - Cal-uh-way

Talis - Tal-iss

If there are any others you had a question on, let me know! I'd be more than happy to break it down for you.

State of Isobael...

2010-07-09T07:37:00.000-07:00

We're hot.

And I definitely do not mean the oh so sexy way of hot. I mean the "we're melting, send a glacier" sort of way.

When Mother Nature says it's gonna be winter for a few more weeks, she really meant it, and when she says, "Skip Spring, we're hitting the summer button now", DAMN, does she mean it!

We jumped from temps in the 60's, and rain, to the 90's. Yesterday, we hit 97 here in South Hill, Puyallup. We broke a record set back in 1985 for the hottest temp for the day, by at least 10 degrees!

Of course, I like the warmer weather. My house has to be at LEAST 75 in Winter and that's on the cool end for me. 79 to 82 degrees is my range of comfort level.

Writing-wise, I'm working on book #2. We're continuing with Maressë and Tiberius. I'm about 13,000 words into it now. I have a feeling I'm going to need a glossary for this one, and maybe include a map. LOL.

I have it set up so that there'll be one more book to this "series". Then, it's off to do something in another genre. It'll either be a Victorian historical paranormal romance or a sci-fi/fantasy romance, set on another world.

Ok, must get a cup of tea and get back to writing. =)

Stay cool!

Welcome Lux Zakari!

2010-07-02T04:00:00.000-07:00

Please welcome Lux Zakari to my blog!

Her first novel is coming out soon and she's here to tell us a bit about herself...

Tell us about your most recent release.

With pleasure! Coercion is an erotic novel set in Missouri during the mid ’70s, when introverted and insecure Valerie Mercer was promised that she would finally attract attention from boys. But she never dreamed that would include Michael Vartanian.

Good looking, troubled and every parent’s nightmare, Michael is adamant on introducing Valerie to a world of both pleasure and, inadvertently, heartbreak. His interest in Valerie is dependent upon the mood and fidelity of his on-and-off-again girlfriend, Breeze.

Nevertheless, Valerie lets her hope and desire override common sense and soon finds she can’t deny Michael anything…no matter what’s at stake.

Here’s an excerpt:

Valerie refused to entertain thoughts Michael might ever be interested in her, especially since she didn’t know what she’d do if she had him. She knew of Kim Breza—better known as Breeze—and couldn’t think of two people more different than her and the popular, talkative blonde, whose sexual appetite was no secret. She had heard Breeze broadcast her erotic escapades in the women’s bathroom, the hallway and just about everywhere else. Thus, Valerie knew Michael and his girlfriend had done practically everything under the sun during their on-again, off-again yet somehow enduring relationship.

That knowledge both excited and terrified her. Virginity, which was something her peers had outgrown long ago, was not something she wanted to give to just anyone. Therefore, she could never keep up with Michael.

But a little part of her wanted to try. A little part of her wanted to have the courage to find out how those lips of his tasted. A little part of her wanted to slide her hands down his broad back and into the back pockets of his jeans.

A little part of her wanted to do a whole lot to Michael Vartanian.

Have you ever created a villain or killed a character off who is based on someone you know?

I actually have not killed anyone off yet, but this may not be surprising; when writing erotica, dead/dying/soon-to-be-dead characters are not generally found to be turn-ons. Truthfully, while some of my characters are loosely based on people I know, I’ve never offed a “character” or turned anyone from my reality into the bad guy under fictional circumstances. No matter how therapeutic writing may be, when a character does die, it’ll be because the story calls for it, not because I’m exorcising any demons!

What do you like least about the writing process? What do you like best?

What I like least is feeling like there aren’t enough hours in the day to write as much as I’d like, and I feel this way often! However, I love the problem solving that’s involved with writing, like when I’m stuck on a scene for whatever reason, and then the answer to busting out of that rut just unexpectedly dawns on me.

A perfect example of how this works is in the show Stella during the episode where Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black and David Wain try their hand at writing a novel. After a montage demonstrating the writing process (which is hilarious), they experience writer’s block, complete with crying, screaming and drinking themselves into a stupor. Then one of them declares, “Wait, I’ve got it! He’s not a chef!” to which the others chorus, “He’s a sous chef!” and eagerly get back to writing. I love that, and it’s funny because it’s true.

What genre do you prefer to write? Is there a genre you’d like to write in that you haven’t tried yet?

The past two years, I’ve been writing primarily erotica, but I have so many stories I want to eventually tell that I definitely intend on dabbling in other genres at some point in time. A sci-fi premise is rolling around in my head, but it’ll be awhile before I attempt that.

What do you like to read?

Now that it’s summer, I like reading erotica anthologies by the pool, but I truly love reading everything, primarily contemporary fiction that’s witty, vivid and makes me think, “Eep! This could be my life!” A friend alerted me to Nick Hornby’s Juliet, Naked, and I can’t wait to read it.

Where do you see your writing career taking you?

To good places, I hope! I try not to have expectations but it’s hard not to hope. I’d like Coercion to go into print, and ideally I’d like writing to eventually become my full-time gig.

Do you ever use people you know as characters in your book?

Actually, my characters are all Frankenstein’s monsters, created out of people I know, people I knew, people I’ve never known and wish I did, people I’ve never known and am glad for that, and sometimes even just me. I like to think of those characters’ actions/attributes/etc. as Easter eggs for anyone I know who may read my work and think, “Hey! Why does this seem familiar?” It’s sort of my “thank you” to them for inspiring me.

What’s your favorite leisure activity? Why?

I have a wide variety of interests that range from the mellow to the extreme, from the bizarre to the “normal.” I’m into traveling, doing artsy projects, seeking out divinely weird/funny/unique experiences and just doing things that make me feel like I’m living a well-rounded life.

What are you working on now?

I’m currently working on a high-society erotic novel that follows the journey laid out by the Major Arcana. It’s definitely challenging me in many ways—as I recently told a friend, my writing is in new territory with this story: pregnancy, explosions and guy-on-guy action (which totally needs to be the tagline) In all seriousness, though, I feel like it’s the story I’ve been waiting to tell all along. Maybe this is why I feel like it’s taking me forever and a day to write.

Do you have an evil day job, and if you do, how do you find time to write?

I have several! But they’re not so evil; some days are better than others. As for writing, I just sneak it in wherever I can!

What does your family and friends think about you being a published author?

They’re excited for me because they know that getting published is what I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Of course, some people don’t know what exactly I’m writing about… It’s hard to say whether that may make a difference to them! So I try to test the waters before I divulge even part of the truth.

Do you identify with the characters you write about?

I do. Whatever my characters are going through, regardless whether I agree with it, I make sure I at least understand where they’re coming from. In Coercion, nearly every character does something I would never do myself (but I won’t say which ones!), so it was important for me to understand why they do the things they do.

Where do you go when you need to recharge?

To bed—if I can get any sleep!

When and why did you begin writing?

I’ve been writing since I was a little kid—telling myself stories out loud while coloring, then having my grandmother write down all the words—but it didn’t truly dawn on me to make a career out of it until I hit college and actually finished writing my first novel. Writing has always been just something I did, something that was so inherent in me, that I never really noticed it until then.

Does reader’s feedback help you with your writing? Is feedback something that is very important to you?

Feedback is important to me, but to an extent. I love hearing from people—it’s good to know someone’s out there, reading my work. I also have a few beta-readers whose opinions really matter to me. But for all feedback, good and bad, it’s crucial to not let it affect you in any drastic way. You can’t let the good criticism give you an ego and you can’t let the bad criticism break your heart. People have their reasons for loving some stuff and hating others, so always consider the source, and if a beta-reader questions the work’s quality, it’s painful to hear but consider it a favor to you.

If you could go on a date with any one of your heroes, which one would it be and why?

Ethan, the photographer in my short story Semiprofessional. I love that his feelings for Rei bloom out of a decade-long friendship, and their banter and relationship was so much fun to write. And let’s face it—we all know artsy boys are foxy fine. (You can read more about Semiprofessional here: http://www.mainstreamerotica.com/Stories.php?choice=126&col=62 )

Thanks, Lux!

Coersion comes out August 2, 2010 and can be found here: http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_12&products_id=315

Lux can be found on the web here: www.luxzakari.com and I've added a link banner to her website, which can be found on the right hand side of the screen under "Websites to Visit"...

WOOT!

2010-06-28T15:25:00.000-07:00

Wow!

I just caught another review for "Moonlight and Magick" and am floating on clouds!

Check it out. =)

Got Romance gave it four diamonds!

Too bad mothers' book reviews don't work for industry...

2010-06-22T07:07:00.000-07:00

Let's see...

Apparently, showing my Mom my e-reader sparked a family whooptidoo among my parents. Dad was at his VA appointment when she called and told him she wanted one so she could read my book and he called here to get more info and pricing. We took him to Best Buy to look at what they have.

My mom is now a proud owner of Sony Touch eReader. Just so she can read my book. =) She can't access the pics on her phone and she doesn't text, but she owns an e-reader now. And she LOVES it. She took it to work with her and showed off my book.

So, Mom finished my book last night. Called to tell me a few things.

1. She liked it better than Avatar.

2. If they make a movie out of it, it has to be done through CGI because my imagination won't allow for a "real" movie (some of the abilities of my characters won't do well in a live action movie - CGI would be better equipped to handle those).

3. She'd like the High King and Maresse to have stories, and she'd like to know if I can write them both by next year.

ROFL!

I love my Mom. =)

Characters Gone Wild...

2010-06-16T07:57:00.000-07:00

If you've been keeping up to date with me on Facebook, you'll know that chapter ten has been kicking my arse to no end. It's one of those chapters that marks the turning point of the story, it's the halfway mark, it's that point where you serious debate the career of a writer/author, it's where you would happily beat your own head into a wall, and gouge out your own eyes with a plastic spork, rather than sit and write this chapter...

Yeah, that point.

It's taken me nearly two weeks for this one chapter. My characters were fighting me, my Muse left me for some sunny island in the South Pacific, and then the bombshell.

Here I am, writing away, when I realize what my fingers were typing. Everything came to a screeching, crashing, explosive halt.

One of my antagonists didn't want to be antagonist anymore.

Sure enough, one of them has decided he didn't want to be the bad guy. He's gone on strike. He's gone rogue.

WHAT?!?

How the hell am I suppose to go back and edit in some clues to foreshadow this event? How am I suppose to go back in and rework some of the scenes where he had made an appearance and change it to the other bad guy so that he can look better in the eyes of the main characters?

You know, I think I would have had more understanding if all of my characters had decided to go on vacation with my Muse. No, not MY characters. They have to be difficult.

And you KNOW my Muse is sitting on a beach, sipping Mai Tai's and Pina Coladas, and laughing her arse off.

P.S. I did manage to finish chapter ten once the defibrillator got my heart going again. I'm in the middle of chapter eleven.

Oh, wow...ohwowohwowohwowohwow...

2010-06-15T14:06:00.000-07:00

Thank you, SO MUCH, Sandra, for pointing this out to me!

Fictionwise has "Moonlight and Magick" listed in two categories -

Click photo to enlarge...

As per their website...

The method used to calculate the lists on this page are as follows:

Best Selling eBooks: Recent
Lists the eBooks with the highest number of unit sales over the past two weeks. (Unit sales are simply the number of copies of each title sold, only eBooks that are not free are counted.)

Highest Rated Recent eBooks
Lists eBooks that have been published by Fictionwise within the last 30 days that have the highest average rating as given by Fictionwise customers. Only eBooks with at least 5 ratings are eligible. The average rating is based on: Great=4, Good=3, OK=2, Poor=1.

*Dancing*

Thank you, everyone, for taking a chance on "Moonlight and Magick"!!

Grin

2010-06-09T06:56:00.001-07:00

WOOT! In the local paper!

Here is the link to the online version. I just need to find the paper version.

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/pierce/bch/news/95903659.html

State of Isobael...

2010-06-06T22:08:00.000-07:00

This year has had its crazy ups and downs, but for the most part, it's been mostly on the up side.

My debut novel was released. I made #10 the first week it was released on BoB's list. A month later, it made #8 on the same list.

My best friend, who lives a million miles away in Virginia, is coming out in August to visit. The last time I saw her, was...three years ago?...when I went to VA. My first vacation anywhere without family since my marriage and having a kid. My first real long distance plane ride, alone (and I refuse to fly to or through Dallas/Fort Worth Airport because of that trip). It's her turn to come out and we figured it'd be nice for not only for me to see her again, but it'd be wonderful to have her come out, away from there, for a vacation. =) I'm so excited! Ever since I first met her, in her role playing channel, I've considered her a friend. I've tried to be there for her to talk to when she needed someone to talk to, and she's been there for me. She's also the best friend I mention in the dedication in "Moonlight and Magick".

We're trying really hard to think of things to take her to see when she visits. Men in kilts at the Highland Games for one, the beach, Mt. Rainier, Point Defiance Zoo, Pike Place Market and the Seattle Aquarium.

I already know I'm going to need a box of tissue when I have to let her go home. I bawled when I had to leave VA, which set her and her daughter off to sniffling at the airport. Hell, I'm tearing up now, just thinking about it!

The next best piece of news, I received this morning.

"Moonlight and Magick" was reviewed by Night Owl Reviews and was chosen as a Top Pick with 4.5 out of 5 stars! You can read the review here, but I also included a link to it as well as the graphic for it, in the sidebar to the right.

I'm such a ninny. I keep reading the review and get a grin on my face. I also printed it out to put in my binder.

I'm into chapter ten for "Dead of Night" at at 48,000 words. Roughly, a little over halfway. I gave myself August 1st as the deadline to finish, which I think I can do if I buckle down and stop letting myself be distracted. It's a bit more difficult this time around for writing a novel because Spike's in school, and Pixie-Brat is coming up to summer vacation. She's going to be entering the 7th grade next year and she's hit the pre-teen stage where she alternates between being my sweet, baby doll, or this genetic mutation, hormonal, monster with an attitude that makes me want to pull my hair out....or change my stance on military school.

Was I ever like that?!?

I am determined to get this done and submitted by Fall. It also helps to have an incredibly wonderful Crit Partner by the name of JC, who has been AMAZING in pointing out spots I need to clean up, expand, or shore up. Heck, in one chapter alone, I gained 805 words! She's graciously given me permission to send revised chapters back so she can re-crit, which I have not taken her up on....YET. LOL.

Anyway...off to do a little more writing before I go pass out in bed. =)

Books on Board...

2010-06-01T13:31:00.000-07:00

Once again, Books on Board has "Moonlight and Magick" listed for a bestselling e-book...

I'm listed as #8. Thanks, everyone who purchased the book.

*HUGS*

June Newsletter

2010-06-01T07:06:00.000-07:00

The June edition of Magick and Moonlight is available for download.

http://groups.google.com/group/magick-and-moonlight

If you'd rather have it sent directly to your email, let me know and I'll add you to the mailing list.

New Toy...

2010-05-29T17:25:00.000-07:00

One thing I've wanted a long time, but couldn't justify the spending of, was an e-reader. Netbooks and laptops have come down in price and one could pick up a decent laptop for the price of an e-reader, and have more capabilities than just read e-books.

Spike had been promising to get me one when we could afford one, but I've been shying away from choosing one because of price. I didn't want an expensive one, I didn't want one I needed to pay for access, and I didn't want one that did everything under the sun. I just wanted an e-reader.

I spent a couple of months debating, comparing capabilities, pricing, etc. Borders sent me an ad for their new Kobo e-reader. It's not available yet, but I could pre-order. It's got 8,000 page turns before needing a recharge, it holds 1,000 books, but more if you use the memory card slot.

Well, I'd have to pre-order through Borders and they've already sold out their first shipment, and the second wouldn't be until July.

We were running some errands and we stopped into Best Buy, up in South Hill, Puyallup. We were looking for a DVD, but I wanted to see what they offered in e-readers. One of the salespeople, by the name of Shannon, was awesome. We must have talked for about 20 minutes. As it turned out, she's an aspiring author. She has a couple of shorts written and one ready for submission. I gave her a few of my cover art cards and we talked writing for a good while. We commiserated together about writers' getting into that "zone" and neglecting everything else, the need for privacy by using pen names, the fear of submission, rejection, and the joy of writing. She's writing paranormal romances as well! LOL.

Anyway, she has a Sony Touch. She didn't just try to sell the Touch, but she gave the pros and cons of the different e-readers. She pointed out that Nooks and Kobos are plastic and flex more easily than the Sony, which are made of metal. This made sense to me. Spike tested a Nook there and agreed later that the flex on the Nook was obvious, the risk to the screen shattering was greater.

So, the temptation was there. I'd been saying i just wanted an e-reader. I didn't need one to play music, I didn't even need a touch screen, but they had the Sony Touch there, marked down from $299 to $249. I hemmed and hawed. It was still a bit pricey to me, but Spike said to go ahead. So I chose a black Sony Touch and picked up a wall charger for it. Took it up to the register and used my business account to pay for it.Who knows, maybe a tax write off? As it turned out, it rang up for $199.

Heck, yeah! Hehehe.

Still, a bit much, but I'm now a proud, new owner of a Sony Touch. As soon as it finished charging, I loaded "Moonlight and Magick",as well as some music on it. Just skimming the pages of my novel on an e-reader is a heady experience.

Now, I'll begin to shop for a few e-books. I have a list I want to look into. *Grin*

Sonya Clark Interview

2010-05-28T04:00:00.000-07:00

Sonya, thanks for taking the time to visit! Let’s launch into the ~~grilling~~, errr…interview, shall we? =)

First question, what do you like least about the writing process? What do you like best?

The hardest part of writing for me is when I’m just getting started with a new work in progress. It’s always frustrating to have a few pieces of a story, like pieces of a puzzle, but I haven’t figured out how to put the pieces together yet. Once I’ve figured that out, though, it seems like the rest of the story will come together fairly quickly. Getting to a point where I really know my main character, really understand them, is great because that does so much for the story as a whole. Sometimes I have to write quite a bit for that to happen, but it’s always worth the wait.

Tell us about your most recent release.

Bring on the Night is an urban fantasy novella about a vampire tasked with stopping a gang of monsters who’ve gone on a killing spree. They’re killing innocent people, something she abhors, and they’re attracting too much attention from mortals, something that could be dangerous for the world of vampires and other creatures. I’ve always loved those anti-heroes from noir, the tough guys on the fringe who believe in protecting society even though they are separate from it for whatever reason. I also love anything paranormal, so having a vampire as the main character just kind of happened naturally. I made my vampire a female because I get tired of gender stereotypes.

What genre do you prefer to write? Is there a genre you’d like to write in that you haven’t tried yet?

I really love urban fantasy because you can do so much with it. There’s all sorts of things that go bump in the night that you can craft stories around, and you can make those things either the good guys, or the bad guys, or both. At this point my vampires have been mostly good guys, but I’d like to write something eventually where they are full-on absolute monsters. As far as another genre, I’d like to try romance. It might be tricky for me to write a romance because I find a lot of the alpha male tropes a bit stale. How about a romance with a bookish, handsome nerd instead? And it’s the woman who is daring and worldly and seductive? I don’t know if anyone would want to read something like that, other than me. And yes, I have a thing about gender stereotypes. I like to flip them on their heads.

What do you like to read?

I love a lot of urban fantasy and some paranormal romance. Mystery novels, horror. I’ve got about a hundred books on music – history, criticism, biographies. If you want me to talk your ear off, ask me about music. I will tell you way more than you ever wanted to know, especially about Southern music - jazz, blues, country, rock and roll. As much as I love fiction, I’d have to say some of my favorite books are non-fiction about music.

Where do you see your writing career taking you?

To be honest, I don’t really have a career plan. I know that I should, but my priorities have changed. I guess most people who grow up dreaming of being a writer think about being on the New York Times bestseller list, getting a movie deal, making enough money to go live out your expatriate dreams in Ireland or maybe Spain. (That was a big dream of mine.) Now I care more about being good than being financially successful. I care more about being able to point to something I wrote and say, this is damn good, and I know it. I don’t know if I’ll ever get there but I’m going to keep working.

Do you ever use people you know as characters in your book?

I might borrow a characteristic or some little something but I’ve never based a character on someone I knew. I don’t think it’s a good idea to do that because what if they read it? The idea of people I know reading my work is strange enough without adding that into the mix.

What’s your favorite leisure activity? Why?

Does my obsession with music count as a leisure activity? It’s certainly something I enjoy. I live halfway between Memphis and Nashville and I’ve visited a lot of music-related places, both in Tennessee and Mississippi. I love discovering music that is new to me. I’m not sure why I love music so much, it’s just always been a part of who I am.

What are you working on now?

At the moment I’m having commitment issues. ;-) I’ve had a second novel contracted by Lyrical Press called Mojo Queen and I have ideas for a sequel for it. I’ve also got ideas about a romance with a sexy nerd and a female paranormal creature of some sort (haven’t picked a creature yet.) Neither of these ideas have gelled enough that I know what’s really going on in the story, if that makes sense.

Do you have an evil day job, and if you do, how do you find time to write?

No day job right now so I’m able to devote a good amount of time to writing.

What does your family and friends think about you being a published author?

My husband is very supportive of my writing. He enjoys reading what I write and he’s very proud of me for getting published.

Do you identify with the characters you write about?

I’m not sure how to answer that. I mean, I guess I must to some extent or I wouldn’t be writing them. It seems like I’ve always got at least one character that’s a music lover like me, which gives me a chance to work that in. And they’re usually outsiders to some degree, so I guess that comes from a lifetime of never quite fitting in. I’ve noticed that my outsider characters seem accepting of that status now – make of that what you will. ;-)

Where do you go when you need to recharge?

To the stereo. ;-) What kind of music helps depends on what kind of mood I’m in, though usually Miles Davis is always a winner.

When and why did you begin writing?

I think the oldest stories I have are from the second grade, and at thirteen I knew that I wanted to be an author. As for why I write, it’s like with the music – it’s just always been who I am. It’s not something I’ve ever tried to decipher. I’ve tried to figure out why I like urban fantasy and paranormal so much, and I think it has to do with metaphor. Monsters serve as a good metaphor for things I might not otherwise want to write about, at least not with my name attached.

Does reader’s feedback help you with your writing? Is feedback something that is very important to you?

I’ve never been part of a writer’s group or had a critique partner, so I’ve never had a whole lot of feedback. It never really bothered me until the last few years when I started to get serious about writing. I would love to have feedback and as scared as I am about getting my first reviews, I’m also looking forward to it. I want to know what I need to do better. Anyone that reads Bring on the Night is more than welcome to email me at clarksonyab@gmail.com

How about a look at your cover art and a blurb?

Only a vampire can own the night.

If there’s one thing Jessie hates, it’s going after her own kind. She may be used to taking a bite out of human killers, but she leaves her fellow immortals alone.

It’s only after a series of gruesome murders have her suspecting vampires and werewolves are going after innocents does she set out to put a stop to it.

It’s not long that Jessie finds herself racing against the waxing moon to stop an ambitious gang of monsters with a sinister agenda.

(You can find Sonya's novella here at Lyrical Press, Inc.)

Learn more about Sonya Clark at her blog, http://sonyaclark.blogspot.com/

Awesome, Sonya! Thanks for answering my questions.

Mid-life crisis and makeup...

2010-05-26T15:20:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, I've hit mid-life crisis. Why else would I blog and snap a million pictures, of my makeup case and write about ordering and receiving said makeup? LOL

When I was younger, I wore cover up and eyeliner. That was pretty much it. Mostly because I couldn't put makeup on like the other girls, no one taught me. There were no classes in school that teaches one to apply makeup. My sister, two years younger, hadn't perfected her technique, nor taken cosmetology classes yet, so I did as I always had as I hit my 20's.

After having my daughter, who had time for makeup? LOL. I was lucky if I could put myself in a tshirt and jeans. No place to go, anyway. I was a parent. No more night clubbing, no more dinners out, no more social life. If I went out for a rare special occasion, my sister did my hair and makeup because I'd fly into a panic at the thought of going out, of having to make myself pretty.

And then...

Someone flipped a switch and OMG! Makeup!

You know, my sister will read this and laugh her ass off.

So, for my birthday, I ordered from Eyes Lips Face (because OMG! Makeup! is MUCH better when it's OMG! Makeup for a $1.00!) as a treat for myself. Plus, I really needed new stuff. Well, let's show you why...

(Some of this stuff was OLD...!)

And so, this is what I got in the mail today!

All of that (well, the brushes were free if I spent $20 or more!) for about $29.00 including shipping.

I so love Eyes Lips Face.

Clash of the Covers...

2010-05-24T12:33:00.001-07:00

Uhhh...wow! My novel's cover is up for Clash of the Covers. http://embracetheshadows.wordpress.com/2010/05/24/clash-of-the-covers-5-24-10/

Hey, show some love and vote!

Wow...I'm actually stunned.

This and that...

2010-05-23T23:19:00.000-07:00

Nothing says you're a real author than when you find your first novel up for free download on a pirate site. It was a forum and one of the posts had a link to a download site. I joined up just enough to post, letting them know while I appreciated the free advertisement, I would rather they didn't pirate my book because I'd like to get paid for my work.

The next day, the thread had been removed from the forum. LOL.

I also followed the link to a download hub for P2P downloads, and left them a Cease and Desist notice, although they have a disclaimer about copyrighted items since they don't host the downloads, but they'd investigate it. We'll see.

How sad is it that I'm excited that I picked up a glucose meter? LOL Wal*Mart had one for $9.00 and I've been wanting one for years. My parents are borderline diabetic, controlling it with diet, and as I am a "fluffy" girl, I need to be on the extra careful watch of this. I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant, but they caught it so late in the pregnancy, it didn't matter all that much in regards to medications or diet. So, Mr. Nursing Student Husband has been practicing on me. Heh, we're going to run out of lancets and test strips just on me. I keep telling him to "poke me", and not in the way he wants. LOL.

I've been waffling back and forth between reviews. I've not received any reviews for my book and this worries me. It's that bad? Then, I worry that someone will post a bad review and then everyone will know it sucks, so I'm afraid to submit it to any review sites. Yes, I'm a big chicken. Of course, then I hear authors don't pay attention to reviews because they're just opinions and everyone has one. One person may like it, the next will hate it, and do reviews really matter?

In to chapter nine of "Dead of Night". I'm halfway through writing the book!

Be sure to check out my interview at Sonya's blog... http://sonyaclark.blogspot.com/2010/05/guest-post-and-giveaway-from-author.html (Pssst! There's a giveaway!)

Odds and Ends...

2010-05-18T19:40:00.000-07:00

Today, I guest blogged at Savvy Readers blog. It was a bit late notice, I know, but Terry called me and asked if I could put something together and so I did. Go check it out.

Tomorrow, I'm being posted at Midnight Seductions.

My mom's birthday is tomorrow! I'd say wish her a happy birthday, but she'd kill me if I gave out her email. LOL.

I had a few people ask me about the makeup I did on my birthday. A former friend gave me a link to an online makeup site that I LOVE. It's called Eyes, Lips, Face, or E.L.F.

Dude! They have makeup for a $1.00!!!

I just placed a second order with them this morning. My first order was a year ago, and I picked up a few items to try. I received an email saying I'd get a free brush set if I ordered $20 or more. I needed a new brush set! LOL.

Anyway, I ordered a BUNCH of new eyeshadows and eyeliners. I'll post pics and a review of the makeup when I get the package. I just wanted the brush set! LOL. I needed a new set and hopefully this one will be labeled as to what each brush is. If not, I'll be labeling them myself. =) I'm still new to the makeup brushes thing. I normally use those little sponge pad applicators that come in the eyeshadow packs from Wal*Mart or my fingers, so the whole brush thing is interesting. =)

What else?

Working on "Dead of Night". One of the characters just bit it and trying to write the aftermath has been emotional. Can't really type when you're sobbing, you know. LOL.

My Chinese novel is set aside for now. I have to do some rewriting of parts because it's too similar to M&M in some aspects. Bleh. Hehehehe.

That's it for now.

Birthday Recap...

2010-05-12T19:28:00.000-07:00

Today has been great! =)

I appreciate all my friends wishing me a happy birthday on Facebook. I can't remember any year in which so many people took the time to wish me a happy birthday. Everyone has been so supportive and friendly, even if we've never met in person. Warm fuzzies abound!

My sister couldn't make it over this morning. She was going to help me learn how to do the "smokey look" for my eyes. First, I have NEVER been able to do makeup other than the usual eyeliner and foundation. Sometimes, a light eyeshadow, but usually, if I'm wearing makeup and it looks WOW, my sister came over to do it. LOL. She's a licensed cosmetologist, so she's always done my hair and makeup for those special days.

Well, I got a free sample of Covergirl's "Smoky Shadow Blast" to try out. It's a double tipped, two colored eyeshadow applicator. The rounded tip goes on first, then you flip it over and use the tapered tip to do the crease of your eyes, then blend to create the smokey look.

Umm...I'm half Chinese and I have the Chinese hooded eyes. I have no crease to use for the contour color! LOL. After trying to apply this stuff without a crease, it got tossed to the counter and my face was washed, amidst some cussing.

Grabbing my makeup case, I pulled out some of my eyeshadows to use. U looked up some tutorials on YouTube and with my laptop in the bathroom with me and much use of the pause button, I tried this tutorial out - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLxMfBL6QqE&feature=related

(I love the way this woman looks. She's gorgeous!)

Anyway, I did try. Unfortunately, it looked like I caked the eyeshadow on. UGH. I washed my face again to start over, with much more cussing.

This time, I went with this tutorial - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWIk5c7jRuw

I don't know if it's because the guy talked through the steps, or what, but even with the extra steps in his tutorial, I actually managed to do the makeup! So...here is the result... (as always, click to enlarge)

(By the way - that's not a blonde streak. LOL - I have grey hair growing in a streak!)

Oh, the necklace! Hehehe. I bought the necklace from a local jewel crafter who I had befriended on LiveJournal. This woman is AMAZING. She not only creates necklaces, and other jewelry, she also cards her own wool, knits, dyes her wool, and spins (spinning wheel). Her name is Ann and you MUST visit her Etsy store - http://www.etsy.com/shop/Ebonraven

Here's a closeup of the necklace.

Click to enlarge, of course, but the center piece is obsidian (hand wire wrapped with silver wire), as well as the bell shaped beads on either side. Beneath those are garnet beads, and in the center of the serpent pieces near by neck are more garnet pieces. I fell in love with this necklace when I saw it on her website and I all but begged and pleaded with Spike for permission to buy it. =)

Why dress up? Because Spike and Pixie-Brat took me out to "Linner" (Pixie-Brat's word for a meal too late for lunch, but too early for dinner) at Sumay, an Indian Restaurant, here in Puyallup.

Lamb mango curry, naan (center, background), saffron rice (center foreground), and chicken curry. We had leftovers! Hehehe. Pixie-Brat and I both had mango lassi as our beverages. YUM!

To end the night, we finished with a birthday cake. Not just any old birthday cake though. Oh, no! I've been hinting for YEARS I've wanted an ice cream cake for my birthday, and years went by without one.

Not this year! I actually got my ice cream cake!

This birthday has been the best! My first book released, a birthday filled with greatness, awesome makeup. I feel really great!

Check it out!

2010-05-11T06:27:00.000-07:00

I'm at Lyrical Press, Inc's Blog.

http://lyricalpress.blogspot.com

One lucky commenter will win a copy of "Moonlight and Magick"!

Berry Salad

2010-05-10T16:03:00.000-07:00

5 cups mixed greens (or use whatever you want - I like baby spinach)
1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries
1 1/4 cups raspberries
2 TB toasted almonds, cashews, or hazelnuts, chopped
1 TB blue cheese (omit if you'd rather - I do!)
1/3 cup raspberry vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp ground pepper

Rinse mixed greens and drain well. Lay in bowl or on individual plates. Top with fruit and chopped nuts, (and blue cheese, if you're using).

Whisk or shake olive oil, vinegar, and pepper until combined. Drizzle over salad.

Happy Monday! (There is such a thing!)

2010-05-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

Hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day (whether you're a mom or not!). I did. I was LAZY all day. Didn't do anything other than give our cat a bath. Stayed in my pajamas all day. It was wonderful.

Spike cooked breakfast and then did the yard work. For dinner, he BBQed some elk steaks and baked some oysters wrapped in spinach with some "secret seasonings". It was all very YUMMY.

Of course, I'm paying for my laziness today as I scramble to catch up on my chores. Laundry, dishes, straining the beef broth I made on Saturday to throw into the freezer.

This morning, as I was waiting for Pixie-Brat's bus, there was a patch of clover at my feet. When I looked down, something caught my eye. When I knelt down, I saw it was a four leaf clover! I'll be 38 on Wednesday. This is the FIRST four leaf clover I've ever found!

Today marks one week for the release of "Moonlight and Magick". I'm hoping you're liking/liked the story! Tomorrow, I'm blogging at Lyrical Press, Inc. (http://lyricalpress.blogspot.com/) so don't forget to check it out. I'll be giving away a copy of my e-book to one lucky person who leaves a comment. =)

I've been considering deleting my Twitter account. I'm rarely on there. The only reason I got an account is no longer applicable (long story, we'll just say there was a parting of friends). I'm finding Facebook is so much easier to keep in contact with people (friends, family, readers) and I have more options, better control, and more characters to use that Twitter's 140 limit.

I know Twitter is suppose to be great for networking and promoting, but really?

Anyway!

Been thinking of instigating a guest blogger/interview once or twice a month. As you recall, I interviewed Sandra Sookoo. I have someone lined up for later this month. (She's still working on the interview questions. Apparently, I make them a bit in-depth. LOL) If you're a poet/writer/author, or have a cool or interesting hobby...OR deal with Depression and/or Social Anxiety and want to share on my blog, email me. (isobael at gmail dot com)

Happy Monday, friends!

Happy Mom's Day!

2010-05-09T13:08:00.000-07:00

Wishing a Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there. Hope you're enjoying your day!

Hehehehe...I'm not even out of my pajamas. I'm being incredibly lazy. The only "work" I did today, so far, was give the cat a bath...because no one in the house is brave enough to risk the wrath of Isis. LOL.

Taking a break from writing today as well. Will return to work tomorrow, but for today, I'm doing what I want. Which is listening to Spike do yard work. *Grin*

Here's to hoping you're having a wonderful, lazy day!

Lilian was interviewed! =)

2010-05-08T08:44:00.000-07:00

Hey! Check out an interview with Lilian Quinn, my heroine in "Moonlight and Magick"! She's being interviewed over at Naughty Little Vamp's Blog... http://naughtylittlevamp.blogspot.com/?zx=572e51e24fd5593e

My first blog guest! Let's welcome Sandra Sookoo!

2010-05-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

I’d like to introduce Sandra Sookoo to my blog as my first guest blogger and interviewee.

Welcome, Sandra. I’m honored to have you as a guest on my humble blog. Would you please tell us a little about yourself?

Thanks for having me as part of my Fangs, Fur and Boys with Fast Toys summer blog tour! Hmm, a little about me…Well, I’ve been writing since I was 10 but didn’t “get serious” about it until a few years ago. I live in Indiana with my hubby of seven years.

What inspires you to write? Where do you get your ideas?

Everything around me inspires me. One of my favorite things to do is people watch at malls. Great character studies and I love to imagine what their lives are like. My ideas can come from pretty much anything—a movie, a conversation with someone, going to the zoo. As long as my imagination’s functioning, I’m good.

Do you identify with the characters you write about?

Most of the time, yes, with the heroines. Okay, let me rephrase that. If the heroines are of the paranormal variety then maybe not, but they all have to overcome and/or accept something they don’t like about themselves, so the answer is still yes.

Who’s your favorite of all your characters and why?

Wow, that’s a tough question! Favorite heroine? It might be Anne from my just released novella Demons and Stilettos Are A Girl’s Best Friend (you’ll have to read to the end of the interview to get the blurb and excerpt). She’s funny, feisty and owns an awful lot of fashion forward shoes that she’s too scared to wear in public. I have to say, I have a couple of pairs of heels I’ve never worn. We’ll leave it at that lol Favorite hero? Probably Nicholas from a historical/paranormal book called Unraveled Souls. He was dishy.

What project are you currently working on?

I’m just finishing a 90K paranormal book centering around dragons. It’s the third in a trilogy presented by Eirelander Publishing. The first book in the trilogy is out in print format now. Check it out at http://www.eirelander-publishing.com

Any future projects you can tell us about?

Well, after the dragon book, I’d like to do another comedic short piece to “clear my mind” so to speak. After that, I’ll be doing research then writing a full length time travel romance.

What do you like least about the writing process? What do you like best?

Wow. What do I like the least? Rejections with no explanations, loving a book but finding it doesn’t resonate with readers. I could go on. This business is not for the faint of heart. What do I like best? Writing, creating, crafting a story that I fully believe in, being so excited to pour out the words onto the screen, sharing it with my critique partner and beta readers to see if they like it too, and getting cover art of the ones accepted. Of course, getting emails from readers as excited about the book as I was is pretty darned cool too.

What do you like to do outside of writing?

When I’m not writing, the hubs and I like to travel. We frequent downtown Indianapolis a lot and play tourist, go to the zoo, try new restaurants and try to get to Disney World every year. For me, I love to cook and bake and will often turn to the kitchen if I’m stuck on a part of a book. After that, I’ll read for pleasure.

Any tips for us baby writers?

Best thing you can do? Keep writing. No matter what anyone says about your stories, no matter how many rejections you get. Work on the craft and get better but above all, never give up.

What was the best advice YOU received when you first started the author path?

LOL Exactly what I just told you.

Where do you go when you need to recharge?

Somewhere with people. Writing is such a solitary endeavor at times. When the house gets too quiet, I go out to the store and walk around, get outside and kind of expand the boundaries. A vacation helps too.

What kind of books do you read and what are your favorites?

I’ll pretty much read any genre. It really depends on my mood and how much free time I have to devote to pleasure reading. I can tell you I’ve pretty much devoted my book buying to e-published authors. I try to support them as much as I can above the print ones because I believe they deserve more support.

Anything else you’d like to add?

You can find out information on current releases and upcoming projects by visiting my website at http://www.sandrasookoo.com On the front page you’ll find recent releases, the blogs I’m a member of, recipes of the month. You can also find book excerpts there as well.

As a special incentive, one lucky commenter will receive a goodie bag filled with book related merch and a couple of stiletto related gifts. And trust me, it’s pretty spiffy. Makes me want to comment on my own interview! LOL

Now for the promo you’ve been waiting for!

Blurb: Anne Jenkins never believed there was a heaven or hell so when she’s rescued from a runaway horse by a guy who claims he’s a demon, her freak detector goes off. She demands proof and the leather-clad biker sets some local wildlife on fire. She starts to trust in a hurry.

Gregg Carter, bound to the Devil for all eternity because of an audit gone wrong, seizes the opportunity to take possession of Anne’s soul as a way to please his boss. What he didn’t count on was the fact that his libido would take the one-way bus to crazy town as he gets to know her better.

Trouble is, Anne and Gregg spend so much time trying to hide their true selves from each other, they can’t escape the attraction that builds between them. But everyone knows demons and humans don’t mix, and neither can two people who have no futures.

Excerpt: Anne glanced around, looking for hidden cameras just in case her friends were attempting to punk her. Seeing nothing but red and gold leaves that shook in the slight breeze, she turned back to the biker. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“You bet. Now, I need you to sign here testifying that I did indeed save your life and prevented the early termination of such. Because I did, the payment for my deed is one human soul, to be rendered due and payable within thirty days of the receipt of said services.” He held the pen out to her. “I do have other clients today.”

“I can’t just give you my soul. I don’t even know exactly where in my body it’s located or how a person goes about parting with it.” She took another drink. “Besides, don’t I need my soul in order to function? I’m pretty sure it’s not like an appendix or something.” Flutters filled her stomach when the smile he’d flashed earlier morphed into something smoldering and sexy.

“A human soul is only valuable if you know how to use it. To sweeten the pot, I’m prepared to give you three wishes.”

Anne snorted while she took another drink. Water shot through her nose, and tears stung her eyes. Not exactly the sort of thing that would impress a bike-riding minion from hell—not that she wanted to impress him. Damn, I must be desperate if I’m trying to catch the interest of an alleged demon.

Wiping the drops from her face with the back of her hand, she stifled another round of laughter. “Three wishes, huh? Like a magic genie?”

“No, it’s an added bonus, an incentive. Think of it as a supplement to the contract in order to cushion the blow of my taking your soul. You have thirty days to accept the offer, but be aware there are some conditions.”

“Is saving me from impending death one of the wishes?” The whole conversation felt so weird and beyond normal that Anne suddenly knew how Alice felt in the Lewis Carroll story.

“No, but at least you’re paying attention.” A smile curved his lips. “You can use the wishes on yourself or others, but they must be used in the time allowed. You can’t save them. Also, until you exhaust the wishes or they expire at the end of the specified term, I will be your constant companion—”

“I thought you had other clients?”

He huffed his disapproval. “I have a very loose schedule. Anyway, if you do not use the wishes by the end of the thirty day period, you forfeit them, and I still take your soul.”

“That doesn’t sound very fair.” Anne frowned. Fear made her insides clench. “What if I don’t agree to any of it? I mean,” she snorted from the absurdity of the notion, “it really is pretty unbelievable.”

A shadow of annoyance crossed Gregg’s face, and his expression grew dark with anger. “It doesn’t matter. I saved your life. Therefore, you owe me. I can reset recent events and leave you to die, or I can take your soul, and you’ll still die, but at least you will have lived it up for thirty days. What’s not to get?”

* * * * *

Thanks, Sandra!

Sandra's book "Demons and Stilettos Are A Girl's Best Friend" can be found at http://www.thewildrosepress.com

Don't forget!

One lucky commenter can win a goodie bag from Sandra so leave a comment!

WOW!!!

2010-05-06T10:48:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

I want to thank EVERYONE who purchased "Moonlight and Magick". I just received an email that read, in part:

"Hope you’re doing well!

Congratulations are in order! We are writing to you because you’ve just made it to the BooksOnBoard Top 10 eBook list! You’re ranked 10th in bestselling eBooks and author category.

Click here to view the Bestselling eBooks from BooksOnBoard"

In case this post goes into archive and the link no longer works, this is what it looks like...

So, again, thank you!

Love, love, love you guys!!

Interview at Believing is Seeing...

2010-05-06T05:51:00.000-07:00

Hey! Don't miss my interview with Sandra Sookoo at http://sandrasookoo.wordpress.com/2010/05/05/moonlight-and-magick-by-isobael-liu/

Pics of Contest#1 prize...

2010-05-05T07:40:00.000-07:00

Wanted to post a picture of the prize Piedmont Writer won from my first contest. As always, click on the picture to enlarge.

The trinket box is hand painted with a hand sprayed finish. I did the flower arrangement as well. Tea, incense, and stationary set rounded out the prize, as well.

Dragon Boat Festival

2010-05-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, and forms one of the three major Chinese holidays. Since the summer is a time when diseases most easily spread, Dragon Boat Festival began as an occasion for driving off evil spirits and pestilence and for finding peace in one's life. The festival was later enriched by the legend of the patriot, Chu Yuan.

Chu Yuan was a patriotic statesman who lived in the state of Chu over 2,200 years ago during the Warring States period. He remonstrated with the King of Chu on many occasions, complaining about the state of the nation and trying to make a change. The King of Chu believed accounts of lesser officials, ignoring Chu. He felt he could no longer save the nation from the violence and political problems into which it had fallen. Chu Yuan killed himself by jumping into the Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. His patriotism is remembered every year on this day. Since Chu Yuan was also a famous poet, the day is also known as Poet's Day.

Dragon boat races are where competing teams drive their boats forward rowing to the rhythm of pounding drums. This lively and colorful tradition has continued unbroken for centuries to the present day.

The most popular dish during Dragon Boat Festival is tzong tsu, originally eaten in memory of the patriot Chu Yuan, but gradually evolving into a snack eaten during normal occasions as well. Making these are fun but shaping them are a pain! LOL

RELEASE DAY!!!

2010-05-03T06:09:00.000-07:00

Guess what today is? *Dances*

It's the release of "Moonlight and Magick"! I'm so excited!

You can find it on the Lyrical Press website...

Blessed Bealltainn...

2010-05-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

It's May 1st! The newsletter is available on my webpage, isobael.webs.com or at http://groups.google.com/group/magick-and-moonlight OR you can have it emailed to you. Just email me at isobael at gmail dot com.

Blessed Bealltainn to all of my Pagan friends. Happy May Day to my non Pagan friends.

Don't forget! Monday is the release of "Moonlight and Magick". =)

Spike upgraded my phone as a congratulations present. =) We handed my NV2 to our daughter who is stoked to get a new phone. We put her on our family plan so now we're not forking out money for a prepay when she doesn't use all of her minutes up in the allotted time. She uses it mostly for texting anyway and on this plan, we have unlimited texting. I don't approve of kids having phones, BUT we do not have a home phone, so this is the safest and easiest route for all of us. My new phone is an LG Chocolate. We had the internet blocked on all of our phones, so no $10 charges every time there's an accidental press of the internet button. Still, it's a gorgeous little phone and I'm getting used to the touch screen. We laid down the rules with her in regards to the phone...so now we have leverage. Isn't it fun being a parent, sometimes? We can be evil... "What, you didn't do your homework? No phone for a week." "What? You got in trouble at school? No phone or computer time for a week." MUAHAHAHA.

I finally broke down and got a business license. I guess, in the state of WA, we need a business license to be an author. We're providing a service or product for sale and we get paid for it. I have to get in touch with the city I live in because they may also require other licensing. *Boggle* So, I'm in business for myself now, with the business name "Isobael Liu". LOL. Why, yes, I'm that imaginative. =)

Anyway, back to work. Have a good one, everyone! =)

In which I drool over HanFu's...

2010-04-28T07:01:00.000-07:00

Good morning! We're in the last stretch, heading toward Release Day. Five days! I don't know whether to curl up into a ball under the covers, burst into tears, or snap at my family if they remind me one more time. Nervous wreck over here, people!

The new WIP has been a wonderful distraction. While I'm only on chapter six, it does keep my mind off things. Of course, then I get distracted with research. The beautiful Chinese clothes! Yes, it's set in modern time USA, but there are parts in the story in which I need to research the past to make this more realistic. Historical, traditional clothing, sword fighting, and social etiquette...furniture...

All eye candy. I'm already planning on buying a Hanfu when I have the money. I've always wanted one, ever since I saw the paintings my Ai-ee (Aunt) did. I believe they were painted before I was born, or roughly around the time I was born. Click to enlarge.

I used to covet their clothes! I've always loved the long, flowing sleeves, even on my shirts today.

So when I found a couple of websites that actually made Hanfu's, you better believe i bookmarked those suckers. I think I spent six hours yesterday just scouring the net for Hanfu's and prices, even patterns (which there is a definite lack of!)

I found one I absolutely LOVE.

Aren't they GORGEOUS?!?

I've also been looking at Chinese headdresses. There are some out there that are just plain to die for. I kind of wish I kept my long hair!

Then I remember how thick and heavy my hair is and am glad it's short. Maybe I'll grow it out some, just long enough to do something with, but not too long. =)

Recipe: Cantalope Shaved Ice

2010-04-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

I love ice cream. Summer or winter, I loved to be able to have a scoop. Unfortunately, I've only recently found out I'm lactose intolerant. *Head Desk*

So, I have to either cheat and pay the consequences, fork out the exorbitant amount for little containers of dairy free ice cream, OR make due with something else and convince myself it's close enough. =)

Good thing I LOVE fruit and fruit juices. I'll give Mom credit for this since we spent all that time in Taiwan when I was younger, and I learned to love different types of fruits.

So here's a recipe to share. This is more labor intensive than if you had an ice cream maker. I used to have one.

This serves about 4, depending. =)

4 cups cubed cantaloupe
1 can frozen lemonade concentrate
1 to 2 tsp powdered sugar (to taste and optional)
sweetened coconut flakes
fresh mint leaves

1.Combine fruit and lemonade concentrate in a food processor and process until smooth. Sweeten to taste, if needed.

2. Pour into 11x7 glass baking dish. Freeze 30 minutes. Remove from freezer and scrape mixture with a fork to form shaved ice. Return to freezer. Repeat this until ice is slushy but not completely frozen, about 3 to 4 hours.

3. Spoon shaved ice into bowls or chilled glasses. Top with coconut and mint, if desired and serve immediately.

Answers - and Contest Winner!

2010-04-24T06:30:00.000-07:00

First, the answers to all those awesome questions! In order as they were posted...

1. Sonya asked - if you were to have your werewolf character Matthias over for tea, what tea would you serve him?

Nothing foo foo or flowery. Something along the lines of Irish Breakfast or Five O'Clock, something hearty and substantial. Scones with orange marmalade, but no little finger sandwiches. *grin*

2. Morseren asked - Would Matthias wear a cravat?

LOL! I can't see Matthias wearing one. Definitely too...foo foo for him. Of course, a man in a short tunic and a toga might seem foo foo to some, but he couldn't stand the "monkey suit" he had to wear for the wedding ceremony. although, if Lillian batted her lashes and pouted at him, he MIGHT do it for her. Ahh, what love does to people. =)

3. Della asked - Where have you ever gotten your craziest idea?

*Blinks* Most of my ideas come from either dreams or asking "What if"...sometimes I take ideas from real life, but the craziest idea has to be, hands down, the one where I decided I would write a novel and submit it, despite everyone telling me no one gets their first novel published and if they did, it took years to shop it. The craziest story idea has to be the one I'm writing right now. The characters are non white, there's a definite ethnic flavor and mythology being used, and I'm determined to write it, clean it up, and send it out.

4. BreiaB asked - What did you do to celebrate the acceptance of your manuscript ?

LOL. I didn't. The morning I got the email, I was literally on my way out the door to go trapping for my second year's falconry bird. I don't think I've actually sat down and did any celebrating. From that moment on, I've been trying to learn what I can about promoting it, went through edits, got post cards and business cards made up, managed to land a few guest blog spots and interviews...put together contest prizes, and more promoting - without going overboard and killing any interest in the novel before it's even released yet.

5. RobinK asked - What types of books do you enjoy reading? Any new authors we should try?

I enjoy paranormal romance and historical romances. Any other books would be my current, "obsession of the month" books, which tend to be research. Right now, it's Chinese mythology and culture books, but last month was Victorian etiquette. As for recommendations...LOL...I've been so busy with my writing and getting ready for release, I haven't had time to sink myself into any new books or try new authors. Usually, I rely on my fallback authors - Christine Feehan's Dark series, and anything by Amanda Quick (Jayne Ann Krentz's historical romances).

6. Kareena asked - How much did you put aside in your "business account" to start your business(writing)? Did the bank hassle you at all about starting a 2nd account?

My "business" account is a misnomer. It's actually a personal account in my legal, maiden name. I set it up so that it's separate from the family account and only I can touch it. This is (I hope) to make taxes easier because as a writer, those royalty checks do not have taxes taken out. You have to do that yourself. I opened it with a hundred dollars, but I have less in there now as I've been using it to buy things for writing related business - contest prizes, post cards, business cards, etc.

I'm still trying to find out if WA state has an "author" category for business license. They have a decided lack of return time for emails at their office. I'd love to be able to deduct some expenses from the business, if I ever get it set up.

7. Erica asked - Would you rather be the object of affection for a vamp, or a were?

OOOOoooo. Evil, Erica. Evil. One of each, please. I'm not greedy. LOL. If I HAVE to choose just one...vamp. Vampires were my first introduction to the paranormal, starting with the 1979 version of Dracula with Frank Langella. Gawds, he was yummy...those eyes of his. *Swoon*

8. Piedmont Writer asked - Who is your favorite character from literature?

Just one? Hmm...this one is difficult. Dantes (Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas), Fanny Price (Mansfield Park - Jane Austen), and Dracula (Dracula - Bram Stoker). Sorry, couldn't pick just one! LOL.

9. I Am Me asked - at what age did you know you wanted to be a writer?

In my early teens, probably just going into junior high. Well, no, probably earlier. I was already a writer when I hit junior high, writing scribbles and poetry. It was probably junior high when I wanted to become an author and have a book published.

10. Deb asked - When you wrote Moonlight and Magick, did you know how it was going to end when you began writing or did that evolve (and change?) as you wrote?

Yep! LOL. It's probably the first story I ever wrote in which I knew how the ending would be. While the plot bits changed somewhat, moving from chapter to chapter, I knew how the beginning was and how the story would end. With my novellas, i just write and see where it goes. My current WIP is proving to be a bit more flexible. I mean, I have an idea of how I want it to end, but I'm staying open to possibilities, which may be the reason why it's taking so long to write this one compared to M&M...

11. KarenL asked - How did you gather your research for you book?

Research? *Grin* Other than looking up dream meanings, and a couple of Celtic myths, Roman clothing and the legend of Romulus and Remus, no research. Pretty much pulled out of my head. When I reached that part of the book where I needed to either verify something or get details to use in the book, I opened my browser and looked it up on the internet. I was rather surprised to find that my Sidhe references were nearly identical in meaning to the Celtic myths. When I was writing it and what it meant in regards to my book, I had no idea how close I was to actual Celtic beliefs.

And now, for the winner...

#8 was drawn, which is Piedmont Writer. If you could shoot me an email (isobael at gmail dot com) with your name and address, I'll get it in the mail on Monday or Tuesday when I can hit the post office.

Congrats!

Contest - Last Day!

2010-04-23T06:01:00.000-07:00

Don't forget - you have until midnight PST to get your question in for the contest.

*Dances*

Lots of good questions! I can't wait to sit down and answer them!

New experiment...

2010-04-20T11:55:00.000-07:00

My parents, after us kids moved out, built an extension of their dining area. You know, the 80's ranch houses that are kitchen and dining area pretty much in one space? Well, Dad built a deck onto the back and part of the deck was built on for an extension to the dining area. This was given huge bay windows and one wall is the sliding glass doors.

Anyway, Mom, being Mom, expanded her houseplant collection to include tropical plants (banana tree, pineapple tree, palms, and other plants. One plant she is in love with is the orchid.

It got to the point where we just called it Mom's jungle. =)

So, a couple of weeks ago, she asked me if I wouldn't want one of her orchids. She had too many and was thinking to give some away. Hehehe...I already have Great Grandmother's African Violet, and she recently gave me an avocado tree she started, oh and a Christmas Cactus that won't stop blooming!

I've never tried an orchid before and I was kind of worried I would kill it. She said not to worry about it, they were really easy. So I took one home with me on Saturday when we were up there.

It's actually a hybrid orchid, called Mtdm Ruffles - "Scent of a Woman". (It actually smells more like chocolate!)

From what I've been reading, the plant needs more water than my Mom was giving it, a couple of the leaves have the accordian folds in it that shows drought...

Still, here it is. My new baby... (As always, click on the pic to enlarge...)

And this is the rest of my jungle...

My Christmas Cactus - the one my Mom gave me and it won't stop blooming. Every time I think it's stopped, I find new buds on it!

My African Violets. The one in the foreground actually belonged to my Great Grandmother. She died in 1996. The other violet is one I picked up at a gardening store when I lived in Renton. It's been cultivated a couple of times and various friends have those babies. The plant in the background is a baby Christmas Cactus I saved from my former belly dance instructor. She had a bunch of plants that were not doing well and was going to toss them out. This started out as two sickly little "branches", probably no more than four inches in length. I almost lost it a couple of times, but it's managed to hold on. Last year was the first time I had any blooms from it.

My avocado tree-ling.

What the heck...CONTEST!!!

2010-04-19T13:12:00.000-07:00

You know what? Screw 50 Followers. Let's have a contest.

Because I am horrible about waiting and I really need to be distracted. =)

Here's the contest.

1. Follow my blog. I'm not a prolific blogger so it's not like you're going to get bombarded with stuff to read.
2. Comment on this post and ask me a question. Ask me anything.
3. The contest will run from Monday (today) 4/19/2010 to Friday 4/23/2010, midnight Pacific Time.
4. Saturday, I'll post the answers and announce the winner.

Winner will receive a nice little gift bag with some stuff in it, but I'm not telling you what it is until Saturday, when the winner is announced. =)

Winner will be chosen from all entries. Each entry, in order as received, will be assigned a number. Winner will be selected via random draw by the official number drawing person (my 12 year old daughter).

The only rule is - You MUST be a U.S. citizen OR the prize must be mailed to a U.S. address. Sorry.

Sounds pretty easy, huh? Good, because it is.

Ready...

...Steady...

..........GO!

The State of Isobael...

2010-04-19T07:55:00.000-07:00

Good morning! =)

I just finished prepping for dinner and I ought to eat something, but am enjoying my cup of Darjeeling too much right now. The kid's about ready to go to the bus stop. She actually got up on her own this morning, took a shower, ate breakfast, and all without me having to remind her, yell at her, threaten her...our usual morning routine. *Dances*

I finished Chapter Three last night and will embark on Chapter Four as soon as things settle.

I've also reached the stage in which I do NOT want to hear about my book or the release date from the family. I don't know whether it's from nerves or fear of it bombing horribly, but I shush them when they start to talk about it. I did, however, spend 33.00 from my "business" account to buy Quicken Starter Edition in order to keep track of finances for my writing. I need to find out if I should get a business license and if WA state has "Author" listed as a business.

How's everyone? Did you have a good weekend? =)

Just a little something...

2010-04-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite soundtracks to listen to is from the movie, "House of Flying Daggers". It's my go to music right now as I write my current WIP (for obvious reasons!)

There are two songs that I absolutely LOVE. One is called, "Lovers", and the other is called "The Beauty Song", which is originally a poem written around 80 BCE.

Here are the lyrics to "Lovers":

There was a field in my old town

Where we always played hand in hand

The wind was gently touching the grass

We were so young so fearless

Then I dreamt over and over

Of you holding me tight under the stars

I made a promise to my dear Lord

I will love you forever

Time has passed

So much has changed

But the field remains in my heart

Oh, where are you?

I need to tell you I still love you

So I reach out for you

You fly around me like a butterfly

Your voice still echoes in my heart

You are my true love

There was a field in my old town

Where in Spring all flowers blossomed wide

We were chasing butterflies

Hand in hand till close of day

Your voice still echoes in my heart.

And the lyrics to "The Beauty Song":

bei fang you jia ren

jue shi er du li

yi gu qing ren cheng

zai gu qing ren guo

ning bu zhi

qing cheng yu qing guo

jia ren nan zai de

HAHAHA...had to.

Anyway, here they are in English...

In the North there's a lady,

stunning and singular.

One look confounds a city;

a touch dooms an empire.

Rather not wishing to know, the ruination that may follow.

Rare beauty is here and now.

or...(as close as you can get to a translation that does any justice to the original poem...)

In the north there is a beauty

Surpassing the world, she stands alone.

A glance from her will overthrow a city;

A second glance will overthrow the State.

Don't I know she can overthrow the city and the State?

But such a beauty cannot be found again!

Moonlight and Magick excerpt

2010-04-13T13:16:00.000-07:00

I just received notification that an excerpt is up on the Lyrical Press, Inc. website for M&M. *Dances* You can see it here: http://www.lyricalpress.com/moonlight_and_magick_excerpt

Here's the excerpt I'll be using for my website and blog (which is NOT the same as the one posted on Lyrical).

Lilian had had enough. She stomped on one of his feet and with a shift of her body, kicked a foot out, catching his legs. She swept them from under him. Matthias lost his balance and went down to the pavement. Unfortunately, he didn’t release her so when he went down, she did too, and landed on top of him with a soft oomph. The others burst into laughter as Matthias lifted a brow at her. She thumped him hard on the chest.

“You were supposed to let me go!”

He gave her a crooked smile. “I rather like how we ended up.”

Lilian blinked and scrambled to her feet as the blood rushed to her face, heating it. The guys continued to laugh with relish.

“I’m so glad you found it hilarious.” She glared at them.

“Can’t remember the last time the Alph–oomph!” one said, interrupted when another elbowed him.

She looked between the two of them.

Matthias stood and she turned to him. “What’s going on?”

He sighed and gave her a shrug. “I suppose I should tell you.”

Lilian started to back away. “So, you are hiding something. I knew it. I should have known better.”

“Wait, let me explain.”

The guys sobered and watched the two of them carefully.

She lifted her branded hand, as if to ward him off.

“No, stay back, Matthias. I mean it. I don’t want to hurt you.”

He held out his hands, palms upward. “Lilian.”

One of his friends moved in a quick motion and she took her eyes off Matthias to look at him. It gave Matthias the chance to dart in and grab her. She reacted as she was trained, to strike at a vulnerable spot on his body, and in this case, a punch at his throat.

Matthias snarled and grabbed her wrist before the blow could connect. He turned his body and carrying on with the momentum, spun her around. With a jerk, she found herself back against his firm, muscular chest with her wrist in one of his hands and his free arm around her throat in a sleeper hold.

Lilian hissed in anger and gave a struggle, but he merely tightened his arm in warning. “Enough.”

Since he had her arm already extended, he forced her to turn her hand over, palm up, to show the brand.
“Look at this,” he told his friends. “I want this mark traced.”

One of the men came forward and studied her palm. She tried to jerk her hand away, and turn her palm down, but Matthias wasn’t having it. Tears welled up in her eyes.

“It looks familiar,” the man said.

“I thought so too,” Matthias replied. “What do you know of it?”

The man shook his head and she could see he was trying to remember, but nothing came to mind, it seemed.

“All right. Tiberius, you look into it. Lukas and Augustus, I want you two to look into Custodes Secreti. Check the archives. Also, check for offshoots of the Knights Templar. I want everything we can find on them.”

The three men gave a nod, a salute of some form by the formality of the movement, and hurried off.

Lilian was still tense in his hold, but she didn’t fight him. “Are you going to let me go now?”

“Are you going to remain calm and not attack me?”

“I warned you, but you pushed it!”

He leaned down and nuzzled her neck. “I want you to read my thoughts.”

Oh, hell, no!

“I don’t think so.” Lilian shook her head. “No way.”

“Scared?” he asked as he nibbled along the line of her neck.

She tried not to tilt her head for him, but it proved difficult.

“Hell, yes.” She shivered. “Matthias, stop it.”

“Read my mind,” he urged.

“No.” She tried to struggle out of his hold, but failed and fell still again.

“What do you know about shape shifters?” he asked.

Lilian frowned. “Like werewolves?”

“There are others besides werewolves, but yes.”

She remained silent for a few long moments. Should she? He did invite her to. If she kept it light, only surface thoughts, it shouldn’t cause any ripples.

“Let me see your face.”

Matthias hesitated before he loosened his hold so she could turn and look up at him. He stared at her with a serious expression. She reached up with her free hand as he hadn’t let go of her right wrist, and placed it against his cheek. She narrowed her eyes on him, and with a light touch, brushed his mind with hers.

On principle, Lilian was careful not to use her telepathy. She didn’t want to know what others were thinking. Most of the time, though, it was just a pain to read minds. Most people didn’t think in an organized manner. Their thoughts were jumbled and went in all different directions, at different speeds. If she wasn’t careful, she’d suffer migraines. Not only from pushing her abilities, but also having to deal with the confusion.

However, as she touched Matthias’s mind, she gasped in astonishment. His mind was nothing like a normal human’s. He didn’t even have the typical thought patterns for a human. He thought in pictures and emotions, and oh, God, those pictures and emotions were a bit…explicit, with a capital E.

Lilian’s nerves tingled and her heart stuttered, she but pushed on. Beneath those rather hormonally driven emotions were images, memories in pictures. Sometimes scenes, but usually flashes of remembered things like a wolf pack, moonlit nights, the forest, and hunting prey.

She jerked her hand from his face, wide eyed as she stared at him. Was she feeling confusion or awe?

~excerpt from "Moonlight and Magick" by Isobael Liu, published by Lyrical Press, Inc. Available May 3rd, 2010.

Living Vicariously Through Our Characters...

2010-04-09T09:41:00.000-07:00

In my personal Facebook profile, I wrote:

I think I would really like to be as flirtatious and charming, as fun and charismatic, as my characters are.

As authors, we are always asked, "Where do you get the inspiration for your characters?" the variation of it, "Is your character based on you or aspects of you?" or even, "Which part of (character's name) is based on you?"

My characters come from me. As a friend said, "You gave birth to them."

I have a role playing character who is, for all intents and purposes, a spoiled brat. She's the daughter of a Russian diplomat, is covered by the diplomatic immunity, is rich, and beautiful. She's both fiercely independent and outspoken for what she believes in, and yet she hides her insecurities of being used for her connections, her money, or used against her father. She wants to be loved for herself, she wants to be a good person, use her connections and money to help people in need, without the usual gratitude or publicity that tends to come with it. She doesn't trust very easily, will run background checks on people she meets, and if there are any holes in someone's identity, background, or any mysteries whatsoever, she does her damned best to discover what it is and why. She's my most social character. She goes to clubs, she flirts, she chats up people. People want to be around her. I find her to be very easy to role play and yet I'm the exact opposite of her.

I have another character who is an up and coming songstress. She's known as the city's angel due to her beautiful voice. When she sings, she can make grown men weep, melt the most hardened of hearts, and yet she's so shy and inhibited of people. She watches from the outside, wanting to be a part of something more but has no idea how. She's so loving and accepting, soft and gentle, but hides herself away from the world. She's the most like me in the wanting more but not knowing how. She's also very easy to role play for me.

Another character is not human. She's a shifter, recently come into her abilities and has a hell of a time trying to be both human and shifter. She's trying to deal with the problems that come with being both. She was a wolf who shifted to human, so learning the intricacies of being human is difficult for her and she's constantly making mistakes. She's seen as a child because she's new to the human world (although she's an adult in her wolf life) and with the mistakes she's makes. She wants to be taken seriously, wants more of life, is frustrated. Again, like me.

Playing them/writing them and BEING them is two separate things in my mind. I think that's why I can't LARP either (barring the fact there's no group nearby). I just can't BE my characters like that. I'm too...inhibited, lacking in self confidence.

And yet, I get many people who write to me and tell me after reading my stuff, they're amazed by how 'real" my characters are. They can sympathize with them, with how the characters feel, because I write them so realistically. Their pains, their joys, their fears are the readers' pains, joys, and fears.

However, giving birth to them, creating them, writing their lives, doesn't make me that character. I will never be thin, lithe, graceful, beautiful, or have innate paranormal abilities. I will never be flirtations, charming, charismatic, or outgoing.

Dreaming of my story...

2010-04-07T17:06:00.000-07:00

You know you're on the right track with a story when you start dreaming about it, already written, being read, recognized, liked.

LOL

Last night, I dreamt that Ang Lee wanted to make a movie out my story (The one I'm writing now), and we were trying to pick out who the actors and actresses would be.

Jet Li was auditioning for Chen Jian...and I must say...DROOL!

Sorry, no "casting couch" scene in my dream with Jet Li.

I guess that means I really need to get it written and out there, huh? =)

Research...drool

2010-04-06T08:32:00.000-07:00

So, the WIP has Chinese characters and elements...

I've been doing research for the story, keeping notes in OneNote (the BEST program EVER for writing!), such as Traditional Chinese houses, layouts, decorations, and I found Chinese Bridal Beds.

I've seen them before and I've ALWAYS wanted one. I'm showing my daughter the pictures as I'm saving a few of the ones I like best to put in my story's misc page in OneNote.

These are my favorite ones. Click to enlarge, of course.

But this one...THIS ONE...has to be the most beautiful of all! I'm telling you, my jaw dropped when I came across this one. Chen Jian is SOOOOO having this bed on QiTian!

This bed is made entirely from carved jade. Isn't this GORGEOUS?!?

The Ching Ming Festival

2010-04-03T17:18:00.000-07:00

Ching Ming, or Tomb Sweeping Day, is a Chinese festival, celebrated on the 104th day after the winter solstice (or the 15th day from the Spring Equinox), usually occurring around April 5 of the western calendar.

Ching Ming has been regularly observed in Taiwan and in the Chinese jurisdictions of Hong Kong and Macau and its observance was reinstated as a public holiday in China in 2008, after having been previously suppressed by the communists.

In Taiwan, the holiday is observed on April 5 in commemoration of the death of President Chiang Kai Shek, on April 5th. The holiday is still observed in the traditional manner.

It is an opportunity for celebrants to remember and honor their ancestors at their grave sites. Grave sites are cleaned, tombs swept, and offerings of food, tea, wine, paper money to the ancestors buried there.

The day before Ching Ming is called Han Shi., or the Cold Food Day.

Originally a memorial day for Jie Zitui (or Jie Zhitui). Jie Zitui died in 636 BC. He was one of many followers of Duke Wen, before he became a Duke. One time, during Wen's 19 years of exile, they didn't have any food and Jie prepared some meat soup for Wen. Wen enjoyed it a lot and wondered where Jie got the soup. It turned out Jie had cut a piece of meat from his own thigh to make the soup. Wen was so moved he promised to reward him one day. However, Jie was not the type of person who sought rewards. Instead, he just wanted to help Wen to return to Jin to become Duke. Once Wen became Duke, Jie resigned and stayed away from the Duke. Duke Wen rewarded the people who helped him in the decades, but for some reason he forgot to reward Jie, who by then had moved into the forest with his mother. Duke Wen went to the forest, but couldn't find Jie. Heeding suggestions from his officials, Duke Wen ordered men to set the forest on fire to force out Jie, however, Jie died in the fire. Feeling remorseful, Duke Wen ordered three days without fire to honour Jie's memory. The county where Jie died is still called JieXiu (Where Jie rests forever).

Modern day has seen the dropping of Han Shi and just celebrating Ching Ming.

My mother's parents are deceased. My Ah-Ma (grandmother) passed away about 20 years ago. My grandfather died in the mid 80's, I believe.

In 1986, my family went to Taiwan to visit family and we were taken to my grandfather's gravesite.

I don't think I have any pictures of it but I do have a picture of my grandmother's gravesite. My mother went back to Taiwan a couple of years ago and they went to her gravesite to honor her.

My grandfather's grave was very much like this.

Newsletter Available...

2010-03-31T10:38:00.000-07:00

The April newsletter is up and ready to go...

You can access it on my website at http://isobael.webs.com/ - just click on Newsletter and download it from there.

OR...

You can go to http://groups.google.com/group/magick-and-moonlight and access it there.

Both versions are in PDF form so you will need Adobe Reader...

Found it!

2010-03-30T12:43:00.001-07:00

MUAHAHAHA!

I found it!

I'll have to ask Mom to make sure, but I remember it like this.

However, it's translated as Li, and not "Dee", so I'll need to make sure it's right.

So, my name would be:

Mango Salsa - easy

2010-03-30T08:34:00.000-07:00

2 medium mangos, ripe and juicy - peeled and cubed
1 medium ripe tomato, chopped
1 TB ginger, ground into small pieces
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
2 tsp jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 tsp honey or agave syrup
juice of one lime, to taste
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
sea salt, to taste

Mix everything together and refreigerate for at least an hour before serving.

3x5 cards or 8 1/2x11 paper for plotting?

2010-03-29T21:59:00.001-07:00

8.5x11 for plotting...well, to get ideas down on paper. Actual plotting now is done in OneNote that came with my Office Suite. I used to write in a notebook, transfer it to Word, then from there, in Word, do an outline. As I'm writing the book, I use a copy of the outline because I inevitably switch things around, move plot points to different chapters. This helps me for when I go back and write a synopsis.

Ask me anything

Random Babbling...

2010-03-29T09:45:00.000-07:00

When I was in Taiwan, I bought a book. It was the only book that wasn't a kid's book, in English. It was called "Dream of the Red Chamber". I read that book a few times while I was in Taiwan, but I was 14, so I didn't understand the story beneath the story, nor the mythology beneath and behind the story. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_of_the_Red_Chamber

I'm not sure where that book went, but I'm looking to replace it. I think amazon had a copy and I could order it from Borders. I heard there was a miniseries made from it, but I think I'll stick with the book. TV and movie adaptations usually suck. LOL

My new story idea is coming along. There just isn't a whole lot of info on Chinese faeries. So, I'm making it up as I go. Gotta love being a writer. =)

I really dislike the name translator things online. I know what my name looks like in Chinese, but when I do it online, the results are way off. I'm trying to find my name correctly written. I've found the first two symbols, but the last two I've not been able to find.

Apparently, most sites say this is my name:

Nope. It's not. Actually, the first set of symbols in my name are:

I can't find the last set of symbols.

Actually, here's what it sort of looks like, hand written. Don't mind my handwriting. I suck.

I do know the first two symbols mean heavenly, or faerie, or immortal...

My name stamp, using Old Chinese writing looks like:

Yeah, I couldn't remember if Kwan Yin had to face toward me or away from me, when I stamped, so the stamp is the same, just seen both right side and upside down.

This is my name stamp:

Check this out...

2010-03-29T07:41:00.001-07:00

I'm a guest blogger over at Sonya Clark's blog! Check it out: http://sonyabclark.wordpress.com/2010/03/29/isobael-liu-and-falconry/

Thanks, Sonya! =)

Checking in...

2010-03-28T10:10:00.000-07:00

Good morning, friends.

This week, I have my brother and sister-in-law's children, my nephew and two nieces, while they're taking a vacation in Jamaica. sis-in-law is suppose to drink a couple of tropical foo-foo drinks for me! Our first night went very well. The youngest, 3, fell asleep on the couch last night. The two older kids 9ages 6 and 9), plus my daughter (12), stayed up until 10pm, then I sent them all to their beds. They were up at 6am! LOL.

It's a lazy day today, for them. I told them they didn't have to change out of their PJs. They're running around like little heathens and laughing.

Friday, Mom and Dad came over for dinner and I had a little chat with Mom about the story I'm planning/researching. She gave me some great input on the Chinese myths and beliefs, so I'll be incorporating those into the story. Basically, I'm starting this story from the very beginning (again), and writing it fresh. It's going to be (loosely) based on an old Chinese faerie tale, but with a more modern twist, as well as a bit more westernized.

New Look...

2010-03-25T21:02:00.000-07:00

It's Spring, time for some Spring Cleaning.

With that, we did a little changing of the look to the blog. =)

With the new banner, I also have a little button people can use for links. Just link back to this blog.

Anyway, still reworking the plot for my new story. Major revisions there. However, I think it's a better story. =)

Oh, well, bed time for me. Five a.m. comes early for me when I need to get the hubby off to school by six.

Thank you, new followers. =) Feel free to chime in and comment on anything you read. Tell your friends to join! LOL.

Thank you...

2010-03-25T07:46:00.000-07:00

First and foremost...

Thank you, Sonya Clark, Piedmont Writer, and BreiaB for your comments. I intend to write this story as I originally intended to, with Chinese characters.

Although, I did cave and started a second version in which the Hero is non-Chinese in his human form.

I was struggling with this story because of the very issue of ethnic main characters. I didn't want it to be too Chinese and either be offensive, or give fodder to any fires.

Last night, I had a dream about the story. It was like watching a movie, in which my characters made themselves known to me, and I saw how the story was going to go. The Hero was non-Chinese in my dream, but the heroine was.

I'm going through the plot outline and rewriting parts this morning. I'll go in and rewrite parts of the story as well.

Sometimes, dreams can be rather helpful things. =)

What do you think?

2010-03-24T08:40:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the new followers! I'm up to 34! Sixteen more and we'll have our first contest...

Wrote this on one of the mailing lists I belong to. Thought I'd post it here and get your input...

I'm writing my second novel in which the characters are Chinese, although the novel is set in a fictional city in Washington state, current day. It's a paranormal romance.

As I am half Chinese, this is sort of a nod to my maternal heritage.

However, I'm a bit worried about writing it TOO ethnic. Obviously, current day and in the US, it won't have a "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" feel, nor will it be some Jackie Chan/Jet Li feel either. Some western paranormal myths don't translate well to Chinese, nor do Chinese myths translate well to western.

I'm wondering if my making the main characters Chinese will be a problem in trying to shop it. There are some Chinese names, customs, and words being used, sprinkled here and there. The heroine is half Chinese...with paranormal abilities.

How much is considered TOO ethnic? Is having non white characters (in any form) a detriment in/to the paranormal romance/romance genre? Will I need to shop it differently because of the non white main characters?

What do you think?

Weekend in recap...

2010-03-22T07:14:00.000-07:00

Didn't get much writing done this weekend. Had the eldest niece over to spend time with my daughter. Went to my parents' on Saturday so Spike could help my Dad with some yard work. while he was doing that, I took the girls down to Mom's work and did some shopping for container gardens. Bought seeds: lavender, chamomile, basil, cilantro, spearmint, carrots, and radishes. Bought a couple large bags of potting soil, a couple of buckets, a few hanging pots. Oh, and I bought a package of my favorite flowers. I love Calla Lilies. They were out of the white ones so I bought "Burst" which is a hint of burgundy/red to the callas.

Sunday, all the seeds were started, except for the carrots and radishes, and the callas went into a large pot I got from my parents garden shed. I also finished the little project I gave myself on Friday. I'm telling you, I can NOT wait until I hit 50 followers here so I can have my first contest.

It only took me a couple of hours to make two. apparently, I zoned out when arranging the little flowers. The first one was an experiment to see how I could do it and my daughter got it as a little gift. The second box is much more put together and prettier, so this one is going into the prize vault. Even Spike said he was amazed by how well I put them together, that I had my Dad's creativeness in putting something together out of nothing.

I want to make a few more! =)

My next ones, though, will definitely be experiments. Different finishes and paint techniques.

ANYWAY..

How was everyone's weekend? Do anything fun and exciting? =)

Oops... =)

2010-03-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

So, tonight I've been alone. Spike took our daughter down to Olympia to some friends' place and I stayed home to do some writing.

Come dinner time, I was going to go and get something to eat. A treat for myself. Well, I got a wild hair to go to Michael's (if you don't have one, you are missing out! It's an awesome craft store!) and I ended up spending my food money on stuff to use for my contests. Oops!

All I have to say is that my first contest is gonna have some kick ass goodies. =) We just have to wait until I reach 50 followers before I can hold my contest.

The new story is coming along. I finished chapter one last night. It's a little on the short side for word count, less than I'd like, but I've gone through it a couple of times and can't really find a spot I can add to without junking it up. I might make a couple more passes through it just to see what I can tweak. the end of chapter one is awesome. Has a dream sequence with a sword fight. *Grin*

I SOOOOO can't wait for this new story to get written and submitted. If it goes for publishing, I have LOADS of ideas for creating a contest prize for it. LOL...

Yes, getting ahead of myself there. =)

Book cover promo postcards...

2010-03-18T19:04:00.001-07:00

If you haven't already gotten your "Moonlight and Magick" promo postcard, message me at isobael dot liu at gmail dot com with your name and address and I'll get them into the mail for you!