Greetings

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Delaware, United States
Deborah Hawkins, penned Debra Renée Byrd, began writing after a blank book project in elementary school and never stopped, fashioning stories based on her favorite TV shows and movies before creating more original works. She studied at the University of the Arts and Florida State University before settling down and graduating from Temple University. She now resides in her hometown of Dover, DE, where she spends most of her time at work or at church. She loves fantasies, superheroes, is a trekkie and a brown coat. She loves television and lives for Final Fantasy video games, having collected most of them. She has read a myriad of authors, and her favorite authors change whenever she finds a new book that changes her life... "When you can't run, you crawl. When you can't crawl...well, you know the rest." -Tracey, Firefly, "The Message"

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Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Express Yourself: Favorite EYM


Welcome back to Express Yourself! This bloghop was created by Dani @ Entertaining Interests and Jackie @ Bouquet of Books. This is the last one of the year, so a big thank you to these ladies for coming up with so many questions for us!

This week, they ask what our favorite question was from the series this year.

(Side note: I've FAILED all my goals from the new year except for seeing The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey! Now I'm mad at myself.)

Let's see, my posts about Firefly or Final Fantasy...Decisions, decisions...Just kidding. lol I will have to say the 3rd week of August question: what we would bring back with us if we could go back in time.

Time travel is such an interesting concept, and it's one I actually use in my fantasy story. There's also the question of would things change, or would things still turn out the way they did. I always love those "What-If" episodes of tv shows. According to Friends & Grey's Anatomy, some things are meant to be. According to Futurama, you could turn out to be your own grandpa. hahaha

Have a Happy New Year!

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Wednesday Words: BUSINESS!? MANKIND WAS MY BUSINESS!

Happy Christmas Eve!

Instead of showing you all another line from The Marvelous Land of Oz, I thought I'd share my favorite part of one of my favorite plays/books/movies: Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. I've already started watching The Muppets' version on Netflix, and I hope to watch at least one more version this weekend. Here's the one I remember best:


Have a very Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Express Yourself Weekly: Ideas


Welcome back to Express Yourself! This bloghop was created by Dani @ Entertaining Interests and Jackie @ Bouquet of Books. Join us all to answer questions to get to know each other better!

This week, the ladies ask us what EYM questions we would like to see next year.

Sheesh, what haven't we already done? lol Um....who would narrate our lives in a movie, maybe? I think we did who we would want to play us, but I don't remember having a narrator, so...let's go with that. :-D

Merry Christmas! If you're on Day 7 of Chanukah, Happy Happy Chanukah!

Friday, December 19, 2014

Friday Freeday: Nothing to say ramblings

It was many and many a year ago
In a kingdom by the sea
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
by the name of Annabel Lee
Something something long ago
In the kingdom by the sea

I was a child and she...No, just kidding, I won't recite the whole poem.

Happy Friday!

I just read (and by read, I mean looked at a picture slideshow) that 1/3 of the Wrestlemania VI roster are dead. WHEN DID BIG BOSS MAN DIE?! Well, 2004 apparently, but that was my reaction when I saw that. Earthquake's gone, too! It makes me so sad when they die. They work over 300 days of the year, most have suffered some degree of injury, they get addicted to drugs and steroids, and then down the line, they're gone. It's crazy. SO glad I watched RAW after the Ultimate Warrior was inducted into the Hall of Fame. That was the last time anyone technically saw him.

Okay, darkness leaving. Christmas is in 6 days! I get paid on the 24th, which is great, because I still have to buy my mom and sisters' presents. They're all getting gift cards, but...ah well. lol (Mom just wants money this year, so I won't disappoint. She's hard to buy for anyway.)

It's only 9am right now. Ugh.

I'm halfway through revising the final section of my WIP. At this point, I just want to go for it. I envisioned myself finally getting a Pulitzer for this book and crying about how long it took and how many times I had explained in talk shows and stuff where this thing started and laughing at myself, and I REALLY WANT THAT TO HAPPEN.

I ate at least 2 pounds of sugar yesterday, so I plan on starving myself or drinking nothing but lemonade on one of these days. I'm terrible and slightly overweight, and I refuse to buy a size up. I need to get this weight off.

...Okay, I'm out of thoughts. Back to work, sort of.

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Wednesday Words: Do people really like the Oz books?

I'm asking for a friend.

Technically, I am, because Theresa Paolo said she's reading The Wonderful World of Oz because it was free on Amazon, and it's one of those books you feel like you should've read.

I'm reading The Marvelous Land of Oz after a long hiatus from reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz for the same reason.

These books are TERRIBLE. I wonder if I would've like them as a child. Obviously kids did love them, or Mr. Baum wouldn't have kept writing them. I'm in the Return to Oz (big ups to that movie; I love it) portion of the book, but Dorothy is talking like I guess adults think kids talk, and I'm like, "Is this supposed to be cute??" Because it isn't.

Wednesdays are the days I show you all a piece of what I'm reading using Random.org, so I'm going to do another non-traditional Random shuffle of the current chapter I'm about to start "The Heads of Langwidere." Man, I really want to watch the movie when I get home.

There are 22 pages in this chapter, so Random has chosen.........................................the first page.

Since I love the movie, I'm going to actually choose the lines this time, as this page highlights one of my favorite scenes from it:

As soon as the three Wheelers who were guarding the mound saw them, they began to shout their wild cries and rolled swiftly toward the little group, as if to capture them or bar their way. But when the foremost had approached near enough, Tiktok swung the tin dinner-pail and struck the Wheeler a sharp blow over its head with the queer weapon.

If you've seen the movie, Tiktok is so adorable, and I love that he was a one-man army. He actually isn't one in the book, but I'm glad this moment is still there.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Express Yourself: One Ring to Rule Them All


Good morning!

Welcome back to Express Yourself, created by Dani @ Entertaining Interests and Jackie @ Bouquet of Books. Each week they ask us a question, and we answer it to get to know each other better. :)

This week's question is to celebrate the release of The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies: Highlight ONE of our favorite characters from the Hobbit/LOTR series.

I had a crush on Faramir. Poor red-headed stepchild (though he wasn't, just the second born, so not the favorite). He was so sweet and just wanted his father's love. At least he got the girl in the end. I also wish someone had edited Return of the King, because that little part was left out, and it was important! I only learned it, though I speculated, by visiting a college neighbor who was watching the extended cut. A lot of things got left out of the final cut.

So there you have it. :D

Friday, December 12, 2014

Friday Freeday: I'm not here today!

Good morning!

Today, I'm actually over at SC Author's blog for his new blog series about writing inclusively and diversity in books. You can click the link here, or his symbol for the movement on the right side of my blog.

Have a good weekend!

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Wednesday Words: House of Ivy & Sorrow

Happy Wednesday!

This is the day that I share with you all what I'm reading using Random.org to pick a page and a few lines of my books.

This week I am reading Natalie Whipple's House of Ivy & Sorrow, and interesting tale about a young witch who has been hiding from a Curse that killed her mother. It's a fast read--I'm almost halfway through already. It's also marked Horror, with a creepy Frankenstein on the binder, and Teen with a big underline. The library did at least one of those. lol Witches aren't exactly my thing, but I do like the book so far.

Okay, there are 362 pages in House of Ivy & Sorrow, and Random has chosen page.........230.

It had better not spoil anything for me. There are about 20 lines on page 230, so Random, have at thee...................line 7.

He smiles, and with one more kiss he's gone.

That's probably my first complete line that's just a sentence. It's very poetic standing alone, though. Now I need to know where he's going! Grrr, I'll wait.

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Espresso Yourself Weekly

*giggle*


Welcome back to Express Yourself, created by Dani @ Entertaining Interests and Jackie @ Bouquet of Books to get to know their followers a little better.

This week, they ask: Coffee, tea, soda... what's your favorite beverage?

I was raised on coffee. My mom worked nights when I was little, so I've been an avid coffee drinker since I was about 5 years old. Every now and then, I try not to have any, but I'm not a morning person, so coffee helps. Lattes are my favorite type of coffee, and my favorite type of that is Velvet Noir Espresso with milk, to which I was introduced during my time working for Gevalia/Tassimo. Makes a wonderful latte. But I mainly drink caramel macchiatos/lattes, such as McDonald's Caramel Mocha, which I'm sipping on right now. hehe

Friday, December 5, 2014

Friday Freeday: New Bloghop!

Here I was, still lamenting that "Pour Some Sugar on Me" is allowed to play on my Classic Rock radio station, when I remembered that it's Friday, and I need to post, and I really have nothing to say besides DEF LEPPARD IS NOT CLASSIC ROCK.

Then, I got on blogger, and, "Oh look, a new bloghop!"


The ladies I usually talk about on Tuesdays have a joint blog called Cover Girls! In 2015, they're beginning a relaxed weekly bloghop. By relaxed, I mean you don't have to post every time. You just have to comment on their Fast Friday post with the link to yours when you choose to do one.

This is the link: http://covergirlsdj.blogspot.com/p/fast-five-fridays.html. It's a quick list bloghop, and you just have to list the 5 things they ask for. Hence, Fast Five. It's good for me, because of course, I do Friday Freeday, and sometimes, I don't have anything to say. Here are the topics below. I will most likely be doing the ones I highlight.

FAST FIVE FRIDAY TOPICS
Jan. 2: Five Favorite Novels Read in 2014
Jan. 9: Five 2014 Adored Book Covers
Jan. 16: Five Most Anticipated 2015 Novels
Jan. 23: Five TV Character Crushes
Jan. 30: Five Favorite Authors

Feb. 6: Five Novels You Wish You Wrote
Feb. 13: Five Romantic Movies You Love
Feb. 20: Five Book Characters You’re Crushing On
Feb. 27: Five Top TV Shows

Mar. 6: Five Book Characters You Relate To
Mar. 13: Five Books You Recommend
Mar. 20: Five Best Writing Songs
Mar. 27: Five Movie Character Crushes


The ladies will post topics quarterly, so I will try to post them also. :)

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Insecure Writer's Support Group!


Happy December!

Now Charlie Brown's Christmastime is playing in my head. -_-

I'm on Revision 2000 on my WIP and did a MAJOR overhaul on a lot of things, but I think it's helping flesh out my story into something that will finally be queryable (I hereby patent the word queryable).

I also just cut another huge side-quest in my story. Why? Well, books don't need side-quests. lol When I develop the video game for my book that I haven't even published yet, then I can add the optional side-quests like FFIX did. Heck when the DVD/BluRay/LaserMindmeld comes out for the movie of the book I haven't even published yet, I can add the things I cut out of the book into the extras. I'll probably still remember them.

Enough about me. How did everyone do on NaNoWriMo? I hope you got close to 50k. If not, don't worry! You can always keep (or start) writing or try again next year! But mostly, keep writing. ;)

Fake Disclaimer But Real People: The Insecure Writer's Support Group was created by Alex J. Cavanaugh, the guru of all things writer's support. His co-hosts this month are Heather GardnerTonja Drecker from KidbitsEva E. Solar at Lilicasplace, and Patsy Collins.

See you all in 2015!

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Express Yourself Weekly: It's December!


This year has flown by. But the first Tuesday in December also means the first Express Yourself! This meme is hosted by Dani @ Entertaining Interests and Jackie @ Bouquet of Books. You can also join the list to answer their weekly questions!

This week, they ask what holiday movie/book/show we are looking forward to this season.

Ever since I was little, I watched "The Nutcracker" on PBS. I don't think they show it anymore, so I would like to actually leave my house to see it this year! Home Alone is also a favorite of mine around this time, so bring on the laughs, and keep the change, you filthy animal!

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Wednesday Words: "How Do You Think It Feels?"

Welcome back to Wednesday Words! Happy Hump Day. :)

This is the day I use Random.org to help me throw you all a few lines of what I'm currently reading. I'm still on these short stories, and I don't normally read on days off, but I should be done before the 2nd Wednesday of December (next week is IWSG).

I chose the next few chunk of chapters for Random to choose from: pages 159-231. Random chose...........page 198.

There are about 28 lines on this page, so Random has chosen...................line 24...a long sentence that goes into the next page.

I have never been a sculptor, but something took shape beneath my fingers that night: block hands and grinning head, stumpy wings and twisted legs: I made it of my lust and self-pity and hatred, then I baptized it with the last drops of Johnnie Walker Black Label and placed it over my heart, my own little gargoyle, to protect me from beautiful women with blue-green eyes and from ever feeling anything again.

Everyone have a wonderful Turkey Day! Eat lots of cranberry sauce. :)

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Express Yourself Weekly: Cranberries


Good morning!

Welcome back to Express Yourself Weekly, brought to us by Dani @ Entertaining Interests and Jackie @ Bouquet of Books.

This week, they ask us: What is your favorite family recipe/meal?

I LOVE cranberry sauce. I can eat a whole can by myself, and I love fresh cranberry sauce, too. Last year, I was disappointed and got none, because my cousin made it and put NUTMEG in it. You don't have to do anything to cranberry sauce but crush the cranberries and put in a bowl, so I don't understand why nutmeg was used. I couldn't eat it (I hate nutmeg).

So hopefully, this year I'm not disappointed. Or maybe I'll bring my own. lol

Friday, November 21, 2014

Friday Freeday: Revision update

Good morning!

So, I'm on revision 1,049.2 (lol), and this time around, I'm focusing on giving Ghuli a little more personality (she fell a little flat according to my last beta partner, and she was right) and making her a little more active in her own destiny before she actually needs to. Doing the latter actually helped the former because one of the issues that comes up later but that has always been there, according to supporting charry Cyan, is that Ghuli hardly listens to him. So, there are more moments of them bumping heads, and actually just more of them interacting altogether.

Even adding these moments, I've lost about 1,500 words, so I'd like to see if I can lose a few more. It's pretty nice. :)

That is where I am. I hope you all have a good weekend! I'll see you just before Turkey Day. ;)

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Wednesday Words: "Other People"

Happy Wednesday!

This has been a fairly long week. Hallelujah for Hump Day. On a good note, I've been revising up a storm!

On Wednesdays, I share with you all a piece of what I'm reading using Random.org to choose a page and line for you.

I'm still reading Neil Gaiman's Fragile Things (blame the Sherlock Holmesian/H.P. Lovecraftian piece that it started with. I hate Sherlock Holmes.), but I've read some really cool things so far. The story I've started is only two pages, which I imagine I'll be done with in the next hour, so let's move a little further down.

I'll be using the next few shorts, Page 65 - 164. Random.org has chosen........................Page 109.

That actually is the beginning of a short story called "Other People." Sounds interesting. There are about 20 lines on that page, so Random has chosen..........................Line 15.

"Now," said the demon, in a voice that carried with it no sorrow, no relish, only a dreadful flat resignation, "you will be tortured."

As my old classmate Aubrey used to say, "Damn." Can't wait to see where that story takes me. Might have to pray afterwards. ;)

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Express Yourself: The Five Amigos?

Happy Tuesday!

Welcome back to Express Yourself, created by Dani @ Entertaining Interests and Jackie @ Bouquet of Books. This week they ask us to name 5 fictional characters you would like to have in your life.

This is a hard one.

I'm going to count the fictional town of Stars Hollow (Gilmore Girls) as a character because I would love to live there. Everybody knows your name, but that's kind of okay. They'd know me as Deborah the Hermit. lol I'd hang out at Luke's every morning to wake up and probably every afternoon for lunch, and I guess I'd have to work at the Independence Inn and Doose's Market to compensate for that.


Kaywinnet Lee Frye (Firefly) would be my bestie! Kaylee's such a sweetheart, and I love her Western drawl. She's so optimistic, and I'd probably need that at times. If our spaceship also happened to crash, she could make everything shiny again.


Next, I'd like good ol' Gatsby (Redford or DiCaprio, I don't care) in my life. I read this (like everyone) in high school, and I was enamored by him. As it's been so long, I don't quite remember if it was an unrequited love story or not, but I would've chosen him if I were Daisy.


I would love to meet Desi from Robert Olen Butler's Mr. Spaceman. He seemed like such a sweet alien with the world's hardest mission: make it public that aliens exist in the biggest way imaginable. Sheesh! No pressure.

(This is Kif from Futurama, but I imagine Desi looked and sounded like him.)

And for #5, I'm not going to pretend like Tyrion (Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire) couldn't get it. Peter Dinklage masters this character and makes him that much more sexy. Tyrion is so misunderstood just for being a dwarf (rude), but he's so brilliant. Even Charles Dance (Tywin) said he thinks Tyrion will take the Iron Throne. lol I'd never betray you, Tyrion. T_T



Friday, November 14, 2014

Friday Freeday Express Yourself: MBTI

Happy Friday!

And welcome back to Express Yourself, created by Dani @ Entertaining Interests and Jackie @ Bouquet of Books. They ask us questions each week to get to know us, and this week they asked us to take the MBTI Personality Test to see where we are on the spectrum.

My results are:

ISFJ
Introvert(89%)  Sensing(25%)  Feeling(12%)  Judging(22%)
  • You have strong preference of Introversion over Extraversion (89%)
  • You have moderate preference of Sensing over Intuition (25%)
  • You have slight preference of Feeling over Thinking (12%)
  • You have slight preference of Judging over Perceiving (22%)

I tried to go with my gut answers, so I think that's pretty accurate. I'm reading the description now, and WHOA, extremely accurate, especially this little tidbit:

ISFJs are often unappreciated, at work, home, and play. Ironically, because they prove over and over that they can be relied on for their loyalty and unstinting, high-quality work, those around them often take them for granted--even take advantage of them. Admittedly, the problem is sometimes aggravated by the ISFJs themselves; for instance, they are notoriously bad at delegating ("If you want it done right, do it yourself"). And although they're hurt by being treated like doormats, they are often unwilling to toot their own horns about their accomplishments because they feel that although they deserve more credit than they're getting, it's somehow wrong to want any sort of reward for doing work (which is supposed to be a virtue in itself). (And as low-profile Is, their actions don't call attention to themselves as with charismatic Es.) Because of all of this, ISFJs are often overworked, and as a result may suffer from psychosomatic illnesses.

And also:

Like most Is, ISFJs have a few, close friends. They are extremely loyal to these, and are ready to provide emotional and practical support at a moment's notice. (However, like most Fs they hate confrontation; if you get into a fight, don't expect them to jump in after you. You can count on them, however, to run and get the nearest authority figure.) Unlike with EPs, the older the friendship is, the more an ISFJ will value it. One ISFJ trait that is easily misunderstood by those who haven't known them long is that they are often unable to either hide or articulate any distress they may be feeling. For instance, an ISFJ child may be reproved for "sulking," the actual cause of which is a combination of physical illness plus misguided "good manners." An adult ISFJ may drive a (later ashamed) friend or SO into a fit of temper over the ISFJ's unexplained moodiness, only afterwards to explain about a death in the family they "didn't want to burden anyone with." Those close to ISFJs should learn to watch for the warning signs in these situations and take the initiative themselves to uncover the problem.


That one, especially, gets to me, as a Cancerian. The Cancer Zodiacs I follow on Twitter always pinpoint us as being moody, but they never say there's a reason, and there's ALWAYS a reason.  Grr.

Anyway, thanks for asking us to do this quiz, ladies!

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Liebster Award Recipients

So I have chosen my people! I am going with newbies in the blogosphere or IWSG-o-sphere, so we can show them all some love and affection. :)

Angela Weight @ Sanity Waiting to Happen

Kara Trotter

Michelle Tran Writes

Tui Snider

The Across The Board Writers

...Technically that's 13 people right there...SO I might leave it at that. lol

Wednesday Words: Fragile Things

Good morning!

Welcome back to Wednesday Words, where I use Random.org to help me show you all what I am currently reading. Today (or tomorrow, because I left my book at home and usually read at work) I will begin Neil Gaiman's Fragile Things. It is a series of short stories, so this week, in case I'm still reading it next week, I will be choosing a line to read from the first story in the set, "A Study in Emerald." It sounds interesting.

There are 26 pages in "ASiE." Random.org has chosen.......(In my Monica Gellar voice) 7!

There are about 30 lines on Page 7 (I don't know why I always count the lines, because I'm almost sure there are always about 30 lines), and Random has given me........(I had a feeling it would do this) line 2, which starts in the middle of some type of article or something, so up one line I go.

BRINGING LIFE TO THE DEAD: FROM AN OLD FAMILY RECIPE AND THE BEST OF MODERN SCIENCE.

Hm....Can't wait to see what's happening there.

Friday, November 7, 2014

Friday Freeday: Liebster Award

Happy Friday!

I hardly look at my Twitter (oops), but when I did last week, I noticed I was given the Liebster Award by Sarah Foster at The Faux Fountain Pen!



Thank you, Sarah! Now, what do I do? lol

The Rules:
  • Post 11 random facts about yourself.
  • Answer the 11 questions provided by the person who nominated you.
  • Nominate 11 more bloggers who have less than 200 followers and let them know they’ve been nominated.
  • Provide 11 questions for those bloggers to answer.
All right, here goes nothing!

11 Facts:
1. I'm left-handed.
2. I have random red strands of hair in my head (does that up my chances of having red-headed children? I hope so).
3. I love Vanessa Carlton.
4. I'm a singer/songwriter.
5. I pretend to know how to play the piano.
6. I'm a certified Zumba instructor.
7. I love cats but am allergic to them.
8. My favorite color is pink (though you must know that).
9. I don't finish a lot of things I start.
10. I daydream a lot.
11. I almost never finish lists with set numbers (yay!).

Sarah's Questions:
1. If you could dress up as anyone/anything for Halloween, what would it be? I actually don't care for dressing up on Halloween anymore, but I did go to The Greene Turtle as Olivia Pope this year. lol

2. If you could only write one genre of books for the rest of your life, what would it be? I think for the rest of my life...fantasy was my instinctive answer. I love contemporary short stories, and that's what I spent my teen years doing, but fantasy is a better escape plan.

3. Where were you when you were struck with the idea for your current WIP? Did something trigger the idea or did you pull it out of thin air? It literally came to me in a dream. It's no longer my first scene, but I had the most vivid dream, and I wrote it down as the beginning of my story...way back in Draft 1, 10 years ago.

4. Who is your celebrity crush? I'm in love with WWE's Sheamus. I'm not joking.

5. What literary character would you want to be best friends with? BONUS: Which one of YOUR characters would you want to be best friends with? Describe him or her. Maybe Beatrix from Transparent. I'm a sucker for people who immediately adopt you into their families. Bonus answer: Andyrsn is probably the one who would be my best friend. He's witty, kind-hearted, and he loves to take care of his nieces.

6. You have to pull off a huge heist (such as robbing a casino like in Ocean's Eleven). Who do you want on your team? You can pick people you know, celebrities, or any fictional characters (but no magical powers!). Definitely my sister. She has a poker face and will probably be able to do all the lying haha. 

7. What is your least favorite household chore? I hate cleaning period. I try my best to maintain.

8. Has there ever been a book/movie/TV show that made you sob uncontrollably? Just one? The Notebook; Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...And Spring; The Best Man Holiday

9. Has one of your favorite books ever been made into a movie and you hated it? If not, did you love it? Why? Everyone raves about A Clockwork Orange, and the movie is HORRIBLE. They changed so much from the book!

10. How do you take your coffee? Do you like flavored coffee? (Or what is your favorite tea if you’re a tea person?) I take it with cream, preferably flavored cream. I love flavored coffee.

11. What would your demise be that gets you kicked out of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory? (You can pick one from the book/movies or come up with your own!) Screw that, I'm getting out like Charlie. lol I want to win!

Oh God, now I have to come up with questions.

1. If you met your favorite author and could only say the first thought that came to your mind, what would that be?
2. Throw up a number on your fingers. What is it?
3. What is your favorite book of all time and why?
4. Who is your favorite musical artist, and don't be ashamed.
5. What was your dream school growing up? Did you go, or did your dreams change?
6. If you couldn't be a writer, what would you do? (Die is an acceptable answer.)
7. What do you like doing better: writing or editing?
8. What's your favorite "guilty" pleasure?
9. Besides writing, because sometimes it IS the stressor, what activity helps you feel the most at peace and helps you relieve your stress?
10. Look to your LEFT! What's there? 
11. What or who is your spirit animal?

Finding 11 others who have less than 200 people will be a matter of finding them, so I'm going to look through my subscribers and the IWSG list to find some who've never been nominated and (if I forget to do it before this auto-posts) nominate them in a new post.

Thanks again SO much, Sarah! <3

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Express Yourself Weekly: WARNING


Ironically, I was home all day Tuesday. Definitely forgot to post.

Hi! Welcome back to Express Yourself, brought to us by Dani @ Entertaining Interests and Jackie @ Bouquet of Books. Each week, they ask us all questions, and we hop around the blogosphere to see what everyone has to say.

This week, they ask a fun one: If you came with a warning label, what would yours say about you?

Hm...I probably have a few, but this is the important one:


I probably have a disorder, but...ah well.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Insecure Writer's Support Group


Happy Wednesday, and Happy November! I hope you went out to vote yesterday. I did!

It is also the first of the month, so that means, INSECURE WRITERS, UNITE! This mammoth of a bloghop was created by the legend, the ninja, the guitar hero, Alex J. Cavanaugh. Visit both links for IWSG posts, hosts, and participants.

National Novel Writing Month has once again started! I was thinking about trying it again this year (I tried 2 years ago and failed miserably). I even had thoughts on what to write, but I'm helping my friend revise her first novel--an adult women's sci-fi--and am working on revising my own fantasy WIP, so I have to not bog my brain down with anything else.

For you all here, I want to post some inspirational quotes or memes. SOMETHING. lol (I just Googled "inspiration for writiers." Yes, Google, I did mean writers, thanks. lol SMH. It's too early.)

Buzzfeed has a great list but terrifying pictures of the people who said them, so I'm going to put the link here with some of my favorites from the list and let you stare at the people if you want. lol


"If something isn't working, if you have a story that you've built and it's blocked and you can't figure it out, take your favorite scene, or your very best idea or set-piece, and cut it. It's brutal, but sometimes inevitable."
--Joss (O Cap'n, My Cap'n) Whedon

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."
--Maya Angelou

"Each writer is born with a repertory company in his head. Shakespeare has perhaps 20 players...I have 10 or so, and that's a lot.  As you get older, you become more skillful at casting them."
--Gore Vidal

"No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader."
--Robert Frost

"If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."
--Toni Morrison

"I know I was writing stories when I was five. I don't know what I did before that. Just loafed, I suppose."
--(teehee) P.G. Wodehouse

"A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people."
--(Say that!) Thomas Mann

"There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are."
--(HA!) W. Somerset Maugham

And finally:

"I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn."
--Anne Frank


Good luck this month, NaNobites! hehe

Friday, October 31, 2014

Friday Freeday: Being Black in Writerville

I alluded to this in my Wednesday post and am actually writing this on Wednesday because I won't be at my office.

But first, Happy Friday, and HAPPY HALLOWEEEEEENNN, ooooooo!!!!

Teehee. Now...

So, I'm black. haha (DUH, right?!). I don't call myself African American. I've often called myself an American of African Descent. That's more accurate. Africa's not even a country, so...anyhow.

Writing is already a profession/hobby/passion for which people give you strange looks when you tell them you do it. When I temped at Del State, an HBCU with a predominantly black staff, I used to work on my WIP at my computer. One of the ladies asked me what kind of stuff I write, and when I said fantasy, she was extremely confused (she kept asking me, "Like Star Wars?" which, duh, is science fiction). Black writers who do more than poetry and erotica? What?

Like, seriously, I had to Google black writers just now because the only one I could think of that wasn't Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, or the other classic writers was Zane. I know there are more because my cousin suffers through the WORST Netflix movies, some of which were based on books she'd read. I could be jaded, but in my opinion, black people tend to only read books that show them the "black experience": the streets, non-suburban, racial struggles, sex, hip-hop. I know that's partially untrue because my mother loves Shakespeare and Jane Austen, so I know there are more black people who do.

*raises hand* I didn't have the typical black experience, and I can't fit comfortably or truthfully into that kind of box, so I won't try.

There are 318.9 million people in the U.S. About 13% of them are black. About 190 of THEM (even though, some are probably nearly dead, and they counted Oprah, and I can't stand Oprah) are writers in some capacity. ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY! How many of THEM are speculative fiction writers?

There are 6 essential ones, according to Troy L. Wiggins. So that's 3% of black writers...What's the math on 6 out of 318.9 million? I feel like there will be an e next to the number (THERE IS! 1.880924913477454e-8).

So, prologue aside, when it comes to writing what I love, fantasy, I feel like I have a double-edged sword to battle: how can I be accepted by black readers who may not even read speculative fiction (though I know they're out there because I'm one), and how can I be accepted by non-black speculative fiction readers of a world dominated by non-black writers, agents, and publishers?

Because:

That was in response to a review I read about Jemisin's The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, which I think has been taken down since I tweeted...I tried not to respond in a way that seemed attacking, but it was a serious question I had.

My WIP isn't set in a medieval European world, and when I had tried to do it even a little bit (Ghuli spoke straight out of King James's world), it sounded horribly forced. So there are elf-like people and giant-like people, but the world is an American Progressive Era world. The ones who lived in what would probably be considered medieval European were wiped out before the story began. You see mules and steam-powered vehicles more than horses and only one actual castle. The characters speak differently depending on their nationality, but there are no forthwith's or Your Grace's (though I do use howbeit and my lady). Will readers who love Euro-centric fantasy be okay with that? My main character is a young interracial (by our definition, but not by their world) woman whose main issue is borderline (or just completely) existential, but not because she is a person of color. Will black readers be able to understand her inner plight without needing her to be worried about her color?

Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory created a WONDERFUL non-medieval European world in their Enduring Flame Trilogy (it had dragons, but there were ZOMBIES, too!). I related so well to the characters and loved that trilogy so much that I penned myself after their legendary hero, Kellen the Poor Orphan Boy.

I want people to read my book and not be put off that they don't see what they're used to seeing. There are no knights and dragons and fair maidens that some relate to fantasy. The black and blackish people aren't oppressed or living in neighborhoods to which others relate. But I want PEOPLE, not just black and not just white, to be able to relate to the big picture. I want them, like we all do, to like my MC just for being her, and I want them to appreciate this new world I'm presenting to them without feeling isolated because of what I didn't do in the story.

I also want to be an inspiration to upcoming writers who, like me, want to be a voice that can break through the tropes and trends and do it successfully. SO, here's to hoping!

Thanks for staying so long, if you did. I hate long posts.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Wednesday Words: A Hundred Thousand of them!

Happy Wednesday!

By Blood We Live was CRAZY good! I'm so glad I stumbled onto Glen Duncan. Phenomenal writer!

On a whim a couple of weeks ago, and I tweeted the article I'd read, I decided to look up black fantasy writers to see what I'm working with, so to speak. (Being a black speculative fiction writer is a totally other topic, and I'll probably work on that for Friday, but...) The article gave me SIX fantasy AND sci-fi writers, only one of which I'd heard of already, my spirit animal/vampire mother, Octavia Butler. The writer of the article said there were more, but geez, can you write an article with a list, or something? (I'll Google them, but still, if he could only pick 6, then I imagine there aren't that many others.)

I went with whichever cover gripped me most for fantasy (One book was voodoo-y, and the cover of another was jungle-looking, sooo...) and chose N.K. Jemisin's The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, which is actually Jemisin's debut. The cover is AWESOME. Look at it. The story is set around the daughter of an outcast princess whose grandfather named her one of three heirs to his throne. So I'm guessing a fight to the death will ensue.

Now, because it is Wednesday Words, I will be using Random.org to pick a page and a line from the page to give everyone (and myself) a taste of what I'm reading.

There are 427 pages in The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, and Random has chosen page........358.

There are approximately 21 lines on that page, and they're all like half sentences (the print is wide-set), so I'm going to go with sentences today. Random has.........gone down the middle and chosen sentence 10.

I consoled myself with the fact that at least the poor soul in the oubliette was dead now.

Yikes.

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Spooktoberfest 2014 Genesis's "Home By The Sea"



Hello! Happy Saturday!

I decided to do the Cover Girls' Spooktoberfest this year! We have to create a 300-word flash fiction and use the five words below. If I did it right, you will also see the LinkyTool for the other participants, and for you to join if you want! There is still time! The winner will be revealed on Halloween (insert creepy ghost noise).
chill
cocoon
commotion
curse
virus


A lone tree hung over the beach house, one big cocoon of spider webs instead of leaves. I hesitated, but winter was unofficially here, and I could bear the chill no longer.

The front door had no knob and swung open when I knocked. I stepped inside and called out. No one answered. The rising sun ate away at the darkness like a heavenly virus, and I only realized I was nervous once my muscles relaxed. The house was coated and stale with dust. I walked further inside, entered a parlor with mildewed furniture: a sofa, two chairs, a coffee table. On one wall, a bar with six stools, a piano on the other. I imagined high society drinking here and chatting about the stocks, and at the thought, such a commotion arose that I whipped around.

Tens of people stood behind me and in the corridor, talking and drinking. The sun’s rays revealed decayed flesh and tattered garments I only saw when I wasn’t directly looking at them. That alone should have paralyzed me, but their shadows on the wall, clawing and crying for a way out while their oblivious bodies laughed and carried on did the trick best. They turned to look at me with pale, dead eyes, and I knew there was a curse on this place.

“Welcome to the home by the sea.”

I turned again. Three ladies on the sofa, men in the chairs and on the stools looked back at me. A woman at the piano played a tune I’d never heard but would hear again. It was the bartender who had spoken to me. In the mirror, his shadow screamed at me to run away.

They all said to me in one dreadful moan, “Sit down. Listen to our stories.”


Friday, October 24, 2014

Friday Freeday: Smooth McGroove & Final Fantasy

Happy Friday, all!

I don't have anything to say, so here is this guy I need to marry (and his cat hehe) singing a capella versions of Final Fantasy scores.

Final Fantasy VII's Battle Theme:


Final Fantasy VIII - The Man with the Machine Gun:


Final Fantasy X - To Zanarkand (my favorite):


The behemoth that is Final Fantasy VII's One Winged Angel:



And though there are more, I leave you with Final Fantasy VII's Victory Fanfare:

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Express Yourself: Halloween Costumes


Welcome back to Express Yourself, a bloghop created by Dani @ Entertaining Interests and Jackie @ Bouquet of Books to get to know their followers!

This week, they ask us to name a Halloween costume we wore as a child.

I'm guessing I asked for these costumes myself, and I wish I had pictures of these, but in the 1st Grade, I went as Myrtle Urkel, Steve Urkel's cousin. I wore one of my mom's curly wigs, a pair of her old glasses, and one of my Sunday dresses. Being a big year for Steve, one of my friends was actually Steve, so we walked together in the parade. lol I probably just looked like an old church lady, but eh.

The year after, I was Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman. I can't believe they had a tiny version of that thing. lol And of course, one of my friends was Batman, which was interesting, because that was Heather lol.

Friday, October 17, 2014

Friday Freeday: The Darling Massacre

That would make a great title for a book, no?

Last night, I cut a minor chase scene that had been a piece of a dream I had the night I dreamed up the inciting incident of my fantasy WIP The Crystal Bearer. I'm not okay.

Unfortunately, it just didn't fit anymore. I used it to showcase a portion of Ghuli's power, but she does it again later, so I'm half okay with not using it. I need to figure out if I need to show her doing it against her will, though, because she wasn't able to control her powers at this point.

This cut comes during a time where I had also just told a friend, who was adapting a story from an RP in which she and a friend participated, that they're going to think everything is important to the story because of how close they are to it. I introduced them to the inevitable and painful term, "kill your darlings." So of course, I have to take my own advice. But *blubbers in my head* I loved that scene.

On the bright side, I do have another story where it will fit nicely. In my dream, I ended up jumping out of a window to safety (and catching a ride on a white tiger, which was normal for my dreams lol), but in this other story, I needed a character to fall from somewhere somehow, so at least I'll see that scene again.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Wednesday Words: Back to the Werewolves

I finished American Gods last Wednesday! When it picked up, it really picked up.

So I was finally able to open By Blood We Live, the final book in Glen Duncan The Last Werewolf series. This one continues with Talulla and the oldest living vampire Remshi, who is trying to fulfill a prophecy that he wrote himself, but it seems to have some merit. I won't give anything away in case anyone has picked up the preceding two books...except the next few lines.

As I've started doing, I will be using Random.org to pick a page and lines from said page to share with you all.

There are 368 pages in By Blood We Live, and Random has given me.........page 102.

Ooh, a tense page. There are about 33 lines on this page, so Random, do your thing......line 13...for the sake of not just quoting the quote from another book, I'll start at line 12.

We settled under an enormous horse chestnut. I was thinking of a line I'd read (1984?): Under the spreading chestnut tree, I sold you and you sold me...Moonrise was fifteen minutes away.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Express Yourself: Halloween Time

There is a Final Fantasy station on Pandora. I'm in Heaven. Tifa's 7th Heaven to be exact. (giggle)



Welcome back to Express Yourself, created by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests to get to know their followers and we them. :)

This week they ask: Do you have any Halloween plans?

I do not. lol I want to give out candy this year, but our sister-church has a cafe that night, so I will be there! I still might put out little baggies for kids to pick up on our stoop. I like passing out candy.

Friday, October 10, 2014

Friday Freeday: New Blog Title and Shout-Outs

Happy Friday!

I'd been thinking of changing my blog name for a couple of months now. I was tired of "The Writer Ambitious," and I wanted somehow to incorporate my love for Final Fantasy into the title, kind of like S.C. Author's, Writing, Publishing, & Harry Potter or Elsie Amata's Mock Turtle Musings. Obviously, they love Harry Potter and turtles (I, too, love turtles).

So, "how, oh how," thought I, "could I do the same for Final Fantasy?" Then, yesterday morning as I was browsing an Instagram account dedicated to Final Fantasies (that's also the name), I thought: "GASP! THE WRITE MAGE!"

It's a great play on the term White Mage, obviously, and others, like Mindy McGinnis's Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire, have done the same play on terms.

You will also find some winky-wink blog titles that play on right/write (which I actually have begun having trouble using!) such as The Write ;) Time by Dean C. Rich and Words Done Write ;) by Celeste Holloway.

So, I now have a title that 1) I love, 2) shows my love for my favorite video games, and 3) still says I'm a writer! In fact, I'm a write mage. ;)

The pictures over there ---> also prove it. teehee

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Wednesday Words: Finally nearly done American Gods

Don't hate me.

I remembered yesterday that I'm reading the version that Neil Gaiman actually wanted to publish first, and I feel like that's what's messed up my pace. I had to trudge through the middle of this story. It was so...blah!

It's finally started to pick back up with the pace and intrigue that caught me from the first page, and I'm so glad for that. I plan to be finished it probably tomorrow.

But it's Wednesday, so that means, I need to bring you some lines!

I'm going to do something a little different and only use Random.org to generate the number of pages I have left! So from page 436 to page 541, I will be reading from......page 495.

Hm, that's in the Epilogue. I hope I don't give too much away for myself, but this is what I get! There are 32 lines on this page, so I will be reading......line 8.

He took a deep breath before he went under, closing his eyes, but the cold of the lake water hit him like a wall, knocking the breath from his body.

OOH, Shadow returned to Lakeside! I can't wait to see what's happening, but I have a hunch (especially, because I saw a few other lines while counting, of course).

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Express Yourself: Scary Stuff


Good day to you all!

Express Yourself is a meme created by Dani @ Entertaining Interests and Jackie @ Bouquet of Books with weekly questions participants can answer.

This week, they ask us: What is the scariest movie/book you have seen/read, or that you want to see/read?

I have been trying to prepare myself to see Insidious 2, but I don't think it's going to happen. lol This past year, my cousin decided she wanted to try to watch scary movies, and one of them was The Caller, a creepy movie about a woman calling from the past to the house where she had killed her husband. It started pretty slowly but ended up messing our minds completely up. lol

Friday, October 3, 2014

RIP Aunt Louise - A Breast Cancer Survivor!

Happy Friday!

My great-aunt Louise died last week. She actually didn't die of Breast Cancer--she was a survivor! She lived to be 95!

This is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so I wanted to post a ribbon for her and all of the survivors (I have other family members who've survived it!), those who lost the battle, and for those who need to, well, be aware of it! Get checked! Check yourself! It's pretty fast.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

IWSG: Write Because You're A Writer


Creator: Alex J. Cavanaugh (sensei)
Website: http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/


I know that sounds pretty obvious, right? But some of you would be surprised. People will ask some of us what we do for a living, and even if we have a day job, saying that we’re writers will sometimes get us strange looks. I had some perfect stranger (I hate when people at bus stations try to spark conversations) ask me, when I told him I majored in Creative Writing (at FSU), what would I write other than newspaper articles. As if books just…I don’t even know.

Heck, saying you want to be a published author when you grow up may not even be supported by your family. I follow a blogger who has that issue, and my older sister used to tell me how unrealistic it was to be a writer and spent too many years trying to get me jobs for which I was unqualified. And many people who ask what I graduated with (BA in English) think an English degree means I want to be a teacher. I still don’t understand why. I’ve known people who instead of going into Creative Writing or English go into weird things they’re not particularly interested in just to please their parents. No offense, but that’s some crap.

Some people have small minds. If you’re not being a teacher, doctor, lawyer, or whatever, you’re not doing anything of importance. WRONG.

You are a writer. NEVER put it on the backburner because people who don’t understand what it is to think these things up and to create other worlds and see other forms of mankind in their mind aren’t particularly worth pleasing. Life is not a drill. Go through it doing what you were meant to do. You’re not crazy, you’re not dreaming too hard. You write. That’s what you do. So, do it.

(Yes, IWSG peeps, you may use this for the E-Book. Happy Anniversary!!)


Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Express Yourself: Autumn


Happy Fall! So far, my fall is pretty grey. lol But the leaves are beautiful outside my work window. :D

Express Yourself is brought to us by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests.

This week, they'd like to know what our one favorite thing is about Autumn, even if you hate it (who the heck hates Autumn?!).

It's actually my favorite season, despite the onset of my allergies that last through Spring. It's almost always nice outside. I can walk home more often without sweating or freezing to death. I LOVE the smell of fireplaces in November. We have these trees whose leaves turn wine red. It's a beautiful season!

Friday, September 26, 2014

Friday Freeday: Writer Because of TV?

Happy Friday!

SO, as I was reading another lady's blog for Express Yourself (Melissa over at My Creatively Random Life), I realized something.

Most writers say, "I read this, and I knew then that I wanted to be a writer."

As some of you know, the first real story I started writing was about mutants living in a school. Why? Because I was watching X-Men. I'm almost sure this isn't normal, and nowadays, I think that I probably should've stayed in Writing for Film/TV, because even though books make me want to write, my first passion happened because of a tv show. Also, still to this day, I'll watch something and think to myself, "I can't wait to have my own movie!"

I love acting out scenes to myself (which if anyone walked in on me throwing myself on the floor and crying for no real reason, I'd be thrown on the altar), and I still really want to be published. I also want very much to have a small screen or big screen notch on my belt.

I really hope both happen.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Wednesday Words: Flight Volume 4

Welcome back to Wednesday Words, reading edition!

I put American Gods on hold so I could at least read the two other books I checked out with it. They're graphic novels, the 4th and 5th parts of a series called Flight.

Now, hopefully this works. Some of the stories don't have words. I could probably take a picture, but I'd rather give you all lines.

So, that said, there are 344 pages in Flight Volume Four. Random.org has chosen....Page 195...No words. I shall hit it again.....Page 254.....Almost....One more time....Page 323....

So, I'll just hit it until I get a page with words on it--AH, only had to do it one more time! Page 106 has a letter on it! Oh hey, I'm actually about to read this one, too. I give you a piece of "The Window Makers" by the series editor Kazu Kibuishi.

Hi Mr. Emery,

I made a window this morning that I
thought you'd enjoy. Get well soon and
see you back at the office.

--Will

There are scenes in each window, almost like a live painting. It's neat.

Does anyone else like a good graphic novel? The only others I've read are The Watchmen and the first volume of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Express Yourself: When I Grow Up

I wanna be famous! I wanna be a star! I wanna be in movies!


Sorry, I love the Pussycat Dolls. Hello! I'm a day behind on life. The temperature when I woke up yesterday was in the mid 40s, and I had my fan on all night, so I got to work with quite a set of backed-up sinuses and went home early to rest. Of course, I do my blogs while I'm at work, so I didn't get to do Express Yourself yesterday.

This week, Dani @ Entertaining Interests and Jackie @ Bouquet of Books asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up.

I wanted to be a firefighter. My mom used to love chasing firetrucks to see what big fire they were going to put out (sometimes, she still does it), and they really interested me. Of course, there's nothing glamorous about houses burning down, so I always wanted to be someone to help put them out. Of course, at 5'3 with low upper body strength, I probably wouldn't make the volunteer squad now, so...yeah.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Wednesday Words: We Are People

Hiya!

So, yes, I'm still reading American Gods, but I just read a blog that sparked a thought in me, so I have actual words on this Wednesday.

So, we writers who are privy (or were forced by the times) to social networking do these things called contests to try to nab an agent for our WIPs. They're very innovative and creative contests, and many of the hosts call on mentors or judges to help the writers along.

Key word in that sentence: HELP.

I've been a victim of this, and the writer of the blog post I'd read actually was crushed by this: there are times when one or two of the judges/mentors *gasp* criticize more than critique what they read.

Key words there: criticize, critique. People forget that there is a difference.

Now 95% of the judges/mentors will be really helpful and give you constructive feedback. Some of it might sting, but you learn from it and make your work better to either try another contest or query an agent/publisher. The other 5% can just be plain out mean. They don't take the time to say, "Hm, this might be just a BIT too harsh. Let me rephrase this."

"Well, if you want to be a writer, you need to grow a thick/tough/adamantium/whatever skin."

That's just lazy and selfish to fall back on. Yes, we have to let some of the critiques roll off our back, but we shouldn't have to bear the brunt of the criticism, especially when it was your job to help a writer who just wants to make it, not beat their self-esteem into a bloody pulp.

Writers aren't robots. We're not androids. Writers are PEOPLE with these things called EMOTIONS and FEELINGS.

Before you put out what you think is a witty or snarky "critique" or even comments you think the writer deserves because you didn't like what they submitted, and they need to know that point blank, remember what it was like when you first started putting your work out there and how crappy you felt when someone was a total douche because they felt they could be.

Okay? Cool.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Express Yourself: Collections


Happy Tuesday! Welcome back to Express Yourself, created by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests to learn more about their followers. You can join us on either of their Express Yourself pages!

This week, they ask: What do you like to collect?

I LOVED when they started making the state coins. I spent every year trying to get the new states, and I finally have them! I also have many dollars and coins from other countries, from New Zealand to Costa Rica! I noticed maybe last year that two mints were out of each state quarter (one made in Denver I think, and the other in Philly), and I would still like to have all 50 from each region, but I do have all of the states.

They're making the national monuments and parks now, but I need the quarters for the bus, so maybe I'll continue when I have a car. hehe

Friday, September 12, 2014

Friday Freeday: DO OVER!

So, I need another Friday, like right now.

So, I set my alarm for 7:15 so I'd get in time to catch the bus for my dentist appointment. 7:45 rolls around, and I wake up realizing I'm supposed to not still be in bed. I neither heard my alarm, nor my calendar go off to tell me about the appointment.

Thus, I had to walk to the appointment. Fortunately, it's only about mile northeast of my development, but I was in no mood to walk.

Then, of course, I hate getting my teeth cleaned. I feel like they use that hook to scrape away a tiny fraction of my gums. AND I have to go back to get another filling. *sobs in my head*

After that, I walked to the 7-Eleven catercorner from the office, buy breakfast and fruit for lunch, then proceed to wait for the bus...which stopped running about half an hour before! SO I then had to walk the next mile to work! And some idiot yelled "Hey, Baby!" at me, then "Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!" When I didn't answer the first, second, third, or fourth time. Like, get. a. clue.

And because I didn't really sleep well, I'm extremely sleepy.

Can't I just wiggle my nose, or call on Jeannie to start this day over? I don't want to live today. Maybe tomorrow. Not today.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Wednesday Words! Still reading Gaiman.

Hello!

I'm still reading American Gods. That reading spree I went on a few weeks ago must have burned out, but I can't miss another Wednesday, so you'll all just have to read Gaiman with me. ;)

So, I'm using Random.org to pick a page and a few lines for me to share with you all. As I said before, there are 541 pages in American Gods. Random has chosen.....Ah, a page I've read already. Page 42.

This is a good scene, too. There are about 31 lines on this page, so, Random, do your thing!
...............................Line 11.

The girl gave him his cash back, and put the purchase on the card, and then gave him the card receipt and took his cash, then returned the cash and took a different card.

I'm going to go ahead and throw in a line from a little later as a bonus, because I didn't catch what was happening up there (Honestly, I still don't get it lol).

"The way I saw it in there, you never paid for the gas...The way I saw it, she wound up paying you for the privilege of having you in her gas station. You think she's figured it out yet?"

If you don't see me next Wednesday, I'm still reading this book. I'll try to speed up, but it's the slacker season.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Express Yourself: Special Places


Welcome back!

Express Yourself is a weekly meme created by Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests. This week, they would like to know if we have any special places where we read and/or write.

I actually don't, and I should, because the way my attention span is set up...When I was in school, I'd read and write during class and still managed to get A's and B's. lol But I do enjoy reading in a park when it's a nice mix of sunny and breezy. It's very peaceful.

Friday, September 5, 2014

Friday Freeday

Happy Friday!

It's Payday, and almost half of my check is gone already. Yaaaay. lol

Anyway, I had gone back into my WIP yesterday and wondered if I'd gotten into the right rhythm before the page I was on (60-something), so I went back to the first page. My last Beta said I had an issue with stage direction, and yes, my story so far was riddled with it! It made it very robotic, so going back to the first page was the right thing.

Joan Rivers died yesterday, and it's crazy to think the comedians and actors you grew up watching are now passing away. I watched Robin Williams more and really was hurt by his death. I'd seen Joan a few times on Fashion Police, and she was very funny. E! put out a 3-minute video for her, and it made me like her even more, especially her love for Melissa. I hope both families will cope well.

I also hope they give Joan the funeral she wanted. Did you all read it?? <--- Read it, then come back. lol (Ironically, yesterday was also Beyonce's birthday! lol)

I've always said if I die before 80, sure, go ahead and cry. But if I made it to 80, THROW A PARTY! No one has time for tears if I saw 4 decades! That's an accomplishment! I could've been hit by a train at 7 or flipped many a car forgetting to look in my blind spot. Heck, I went to school in Philly. If I make it to 80, cry at home. At the funeral, though, play my favorite songs, and that Sean Paul song with that terrible singer whine-singing, "I'm still in love with you, boy...So yes, also at my funeral, you need to be doing Jamaican gyrations around the casket...so it can't be at church. lol

This post went left-field.

Y'all have a great weekend, and hug your loved ones!

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

IWSG: Third Anniversary!! & Express Yourself Weekly


Happy Third Anniversary, Insecure Writer's Support Group!!

I think I've been a member for about a year now (if it's longer, where did the time go?!), and it's been a great help. Thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh-Sensei for creating this group. And in one month, it will be the 1st anniversary of the website and Facebook Group, and the team has something in store for us, so go check it out. You can also sign up to join our monthly lamentations and/or encouragements, as well as see who is co-hosting this month. I think there's a Shah, a Sheena, a Baffled Brain, and an Irish Hawaiian. ;)

So I have the yo-yo'ing wonder in mind as to whether or not my stories will ever see the light of day. I write some that I know I never really mean to publish, but what about the ones I do? I've kind of staked my whole life on getting the title "author" somewhere close to my name, and there was SO much I didn't know about writing until after I graduated college that it's taking so much longer at working towards that goal. Pray for me. lol

In the meantime, I've also been working on doing more reading, and last month was very successful. With that said, Jackie @ Bouquet of Books and Dani @ Entertaining Interests put up this month's Express Yourself questions, and this week's goes in line with my reading goals. :)


This week, they asked what we plan on reading this month.

At the moment, I'm reading Neil Gaiman's American Gods, a very good read so far. If it doesn't take me two more weeks to read it, I'll be reading two graphic novels, Flight, books 4 & 5. And because whenever I check out more than one book at the library, the book I placed on hold decides it's time to be available (crap, I need to go pick it up!), I will hopefully be reading By Blood We Live by the end of the month.