Watch your step

When visiting a foreign country with a foreign language, it is generally recommended to learn a few local phrases as a common courtesy. I like to learn the regulars - please, thank you, washroom, where is this helicopter going?, what hospital are you taking me to?, yadda, yadda and a couple extra useless phrases since you never know when a useless phrase will come in handy.

So here is a useless / useful? phrase you can use when in China (spelled the way it sounds in my head):

Sho shing jia shiao (say it in a real soft, whispery voice).*

Translation: watch your step.

I learned that one early on in the Beijing and Qingdao airports. Elevators, escalators, moving sidewalks. All are concerned about the placement of your feet.

So. If you tuck away foreign phrases in your memory banks, feel free to add this one. You never know. You might get a chance to use it.

*I'm not sure about the Cantonese / Mandarin thing. We were in a Mandarin-speaking part of China, but a Cantonese-speaking friend of mine told me what it meant and how to say it.

You can leave your hat on

I would like to start to recount my journeys in China, but to begin, I must start a few days before the trip.

My mother, sister and I went to a local production of The Full Monty - a musical version based on the British movie of the same name. Both the play and the movie tell the story of a group of men - underdogs - who are out of work, down on their luck and having a rough go at life.

They realize the answer to all their problems - to become male strippers. They may not have the same qualities as your average, run-of-the-mill male stripper but they do have something else to offer - they are willing to go The Full Monty.

It was totally awesome! ps- The title is suitable, but it was definitely theatre (insert snobby boarding school accent here), not some seedy club show. The show was tasteful. We try not to dwell on any moments that were... tastefully theatrical.

Anyway, that isn't the real story, just the intro. A couple of days after seeing the show, my sister and I are in the mall. We get separated. When we bump into one another again, she is blushing.

"I saw one of the actors from the show, and I talked to him," she says.

She had taken the playbill from her purse the night before, but I still have mine. We look for him to get his signature, but he is gone. Or hiding. Clearly, it isn't meant to be.

Fast forward a couple of days to me in the middle of the airport, searching for my passport so I can get on the plane (suitcases open, underwear on display). The people in line (in front of me, behind me, inching past my open suitcase to get past me) look familiar. I realize I am surrounded by the cast of The Full Monty. Everyone is there but the main character.

Of course, I took the playbill out of my purse the night before.

I feel like I should be brave like my sister and tell someone I liked the show. But who do you tell? The closest person? That might be weird since I am rummaging around in my suitcase. Should I tell all of them or just a few people and let them spread the message? I wouldn't want to hurt someone's feelings by not including one of them. Perhaps I could just run around high-fiving them all.

Meanwhile, through these ruminations, I find my passport and we board the plane. I decide to forgo complimenting the actors as I have since realized it is early in the morning and they are also busy finding passports, hugging loved ones, buying coffee. An awkward high five from me is probably not necessary at the moment.

We board the plane.

Yes, the cast and I are also to share an airplane.

One of them is sitting directly across the aisle from me (small plane, 2 seats on either side of the teeny, tiny aisle). As far as I can stereotypically tell, he is dressed like an actor not hiding from his public (silk vest and scarf, nice shoes as opposed to paper bag over head or sunglasses). Okay, I wonder, now should I talk to this guy?

We are instructed to put on our seat-belts. The plane takes off. The drink cart goes by. Snacks. Should I talk to this guy? He dozes off to sleep. His foot is sticking out in the aisle. The flight attendant walks by and trips over it. They apologize to one another.

Okay, he's awake now. Should I try to talk to this guy? He gets up. Goes to the washroom. Okay, I'll wait five minutes, then say good job. It's not polite to say good job to someone as they walk out of the bathroom.

Apparently, he has placed his carry-on on the over-head bin on my side of the plane. He stands close to rummage around in it.

I stare at my book.

Blushing.

This guy is much too close (it's a small plane. He's not a creep).

I can't talk to him now. What am I supposed to say? "I didn't recognize you until now, but great show the other night."

Clearly, I would not say that, but my blush would.

Finally, I decide there are people in LA who can walk past Drew Barrymore without batting an eye. I am going to mind my own business and let these people get on with their day. I clapped the other night - Good Enough.

We get off the plane. Just us passengers here. My stress refocuses on completing the next twenty+ steps required before my journey is completed.

***

Fast forward again, this time three weeks. I have written this post, but have not actually posted it yet. I am walking around campus at lunch. I see this guy. He looks familiar. Of course he does. It's the main character from The Full Monty sitting on the grass. Eating a sandwich. Should I go say hi?

Quote of the Day:

"Good Grief"

- Charlie Brown (Charles M. Schultz)

I'm Baaaaack (well, 87% back)

Well, my dear friends. My colleagues and I have returned from China, bringing with us our newly acquired slew of parasites and ailments.

Actually, I have been back for over a week, but it has been a weak week. Until now, the only possible blog post for me would have looked something along the lines of:

I R Sick (followed by accounts of my doctor-visiting adventures).

or

Water. Water. Bring Water.

Anyway, I'd say I'm back up to 87%. I have regained my appetite and shake like a Chihuahua every time I eat (I lost a million lbs, totally messing with my Shape-Ups experiment - Don't worry, I plan to gain them back asap in the form of milkshakes. MMmmmmmmm milkshakes).

So On With The Show

This is not China-related, but it was the moment where I realized I was well enough to rejoin the ranks of humans (or whatever ranks I used to be in):

My friend had a party (I told her I wouldn't blog about it (I only blog about parties where I fail to socialize) - I'm blogging anyway).

So. My friend had a party. She lives with her fiance and a new(er) roomate.

We were outside eating watermelon (ok. I was eating all the watermelon. Chihuahua-style) and I noticed a cute little garden in the yard. My friend's fiance is european and an awesome cook, thus I assumed it was his garden.

He's also a little straight laced.

I caught the eye of the new(er) roommate, brought my finger to my lips, whispered, "Shhhhhh," and tossed my watermelon rind in the garden.

She returned the, "Shhhhh," and smiled.

Later that night, I found out it was, in fact, her garden I was tossing watermelon rinds in (yes, rinds. I'm a jerk).

I left early (recuperating people need their rest), but not before ensuring the fire pit and the roof of the neighbor's shed were equally graced with watermelon rinds.

That's right, my friends. It is time to return to writing. The creativity is beginning to flow in a not-so-savory direction.

Do you find yourselves becoming inadvertently (or destructively) creative if you spend too much time away from your creative outlet of choice?

Mermaids make the day shinier

I came across a mermaid.

Mermaid sightings are largely attributed to those of sea cows, manatees and dugongs by lonely / malnourished / drunken sailors.

These photos are of the beluga whales in the Vancouver Aquarium in Vancouver, Canada.

Double agent

Today I'm blogging over at Prairie Chicks Write Romance.

So excited!

Cut and paste

I hope you have a nice day today.

For the writers in the crowd:

Are you the type of writer who knows what they are doing from the start and can write in a straight line from point A to point B or are you the type of writer who puts down bits and pieces and rearranges them until they fit the way you want them to? Do you have a different method from the two I have listed?

Make a wish

If you the type of person who makes wishes on airplanes, now is your chance.

I have it on good authority that there is one in the sky.

A little birdie has told me Google and its affiliates (including blogger) are inaccessible in China as of May 24th (they used to route through Hong Kong, apparently), so I apologize in advance for allowing my blog to wilt. There are a few prearranged posts coming up but there probably won't be any of the spur-of-the-moment traveling posts I had hoped to make.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

You may have wondered if I had been bit by a zombie, hence my failure to post anything of late.

Your guess would have been close. I'm preparing for a trip to China and any time I try to work on anything resembling a creative outlet, 14 pairs of socks... 14 pairs of socks... takes over my thought waves.

Even as I type this, I'm thinking about the uncharged batteries in my camera.

There are a two things I want to see while I am there:

• A cherry blossom (preferably more that one, but one will do).

• The great wall.

As it is The Year of the Tiger, one of my airplane books will be Marjorie Liu's Tiger Eye. The book is set in China and Marjorie blogs about her trips to China, so it feels appropriate. Feel free to read along with me.

I have to go. I'm on the verge of hyperventilating as my suitcase is totally full and I know I want to bring back a zillion (give or take a few) souvenirs.

Book chatter and shiny, shiny pictures to follow. Any tips from people who have visited China?

Find umbrella... Find umbrella...

'Blogs For You' aka 'Janet made my day'

Janet, from Janet's Journal has been kind enough to award me with the One Lovely Blog Award. If you haven't seen it already, I'd recommend stopping by to visit her blog. She has some interesting posts and every Friday, she posts some of her current work in progress.

With great power comes great responsibility. Recipients of the One Lovely Blog Award are required to:

1. Post the award on your blog with the name of the person who has granted it to you and his or her blog link.

2. Pass the award to other deserving bloggers.

3. Email the bloggers to let them know you've given them the award.

4. Just kidding. There are only 3 rules.

So here are a few blogs I really enjoy:

The Chocolate Chip Waffle

Terresa Wellborn is the author of this blog and I know I'll be visiting some place beautiful every time I type in the url. Poetry, art, famous quotes, chocolate chip waffles. You really have to see it to believe it. Her writing is also protected by an invisible ninja force field. True story. I read it on her blog.

Dark Angel's Blog

I've been following Sherry's blog for some time and enjoy her writing advice, author interviews and the snippets from her work. It has a deliciously paranormal atmosphere.

The Regency World of Author Lesley-Anne McLeod

This blog is filled with research from the regency period, writerly advice and fun literary information I would have never come across otherwise. Something about it draws a person in (especially a person interested in historical research and / or writing). Some of her recent posts have also been striking a personal chord with me. Ex. My father is doing a lot of genealogical research for our family. The day he told me my great-great grandfather and grandmother were hat-makers who lived on one side of London and worked on the other, Lesley-Anne had a post about how she had to find a milliner in a somewhat unfashionable area of Regency London.

The mermaid in the cathedral

This is the Nidaros Cathedral (Nidarosdomen) in Trondheim, Norway. It is a beautiful cathedral with lots of gothic architecture, secret rooms, winding stairways and a great place to look out at the North Sea. This is the view as you enter the room:

It is hard to see, but there is a slightly raised marble platform with six pictures on it (left to right, far to near): a centaur, a dragon, a pig (boar?), a lion, a mermaid holding a mirror and a scorpion.

I was drawn to it, thinking, "What is this doing in a church?" The nave looks very impressive from this photo, but as you walk in the room, the first thing you see is this large altar right in front of you. Once you can stop staring, you live your chin up to look at the ceiling and don't put it down before your neck gets sore.

There is a very old Norse document, called Speculum Regulae, or The King's Mirror that dates back to the 1200's. Part of it gives precise details regarding the physical appearance of mermen and mermaids (merman = hafstramb, mermaid = margygr). It suggests the sighting of such a creature forebodes poor weather in the near future.

I came up with all of these theories about why there would be a mermaid on the altar front. I finally decided it would need to have something to do with Saint Olav (an ancient Norse king from days gone by - there are murals and statues dedicated to him in the cathedral and all over town).

Perhaps Saint Olav was once in love with a mermaid or rescued by one when he fell out of a Viking ship. Maybe there was a whole contingent of mermaids and mermen that were a part of the Viking conquests.

I needed to find out what it meant.

I probably looked too hard, because the altar front is not nearly as old as I thought it would be. The Altar of the Holy Cross was built between 1986-1985 by Wenche Gulbrandsen - I think the marble platform was made by the same artist. There is no explanation I have come across yet. Nor are there any other pictures (photography is not allowed inside the cathedral. This is a scan of a postcard I got in the gift store. Egil Rein took the picture for the postcard.).

So I figure, what the heck? My explanation is as good as anyone else's (except for the real one, I suppose). King Olav loved a viking mermaid who saved his life. Who knew?

Your explanation is also as good as anyone else's. Five mermaid points to anyone who can tell me an explanation for / story of the centaur / dragon / pig / lion / mermaid / scorpion. Ten mermaid points to anyone who can come up with a theory involving all six. It doesn't have to take place in a church or in Norway, for that matter. Let your imagination do what it wants - it will anyway.

I have no idea what the points will add up to. We will worry about that later ;)

The Dark Highlander Book Review

Based on my past posts regarding reading material, you may have inferred I have a thing for vampires / anything paranormal. You would have inferred correctly. I'm about to let you in on my darkest of secrets: my love of vampire / anything paranormal books is nothing when compared with my love of highlander books.

What trumps a highlander book? A paranormal highlander book.

With that out of the way, I would like to suggest you give Karen Marie Moning's Highlander series a read, especially one of my favorites: The Dark Highlander. It isn't the first book in the series (its the fifth), but it is the first Karen Marie Moning book I read, thus I am qualified to say it was a great introduction to the series and it made me want to read more of the related books in both directions.

A series-related warning from your friendly neighborhood book nerd:

If you want to read in chronological order, feel free to start with Beyond the Highland Mist, or maybe Kiss of the Highlander. If you have the urge, try not to read The Immortal Highlander until you have at least read one or two of the earlier books (ex. this one) so you really have a feel for the world - it's worth the wait.

Anyway, why should you want to read this book:

As you may have inferred from the title, Daegus MacKelter is a dark and brooding highlander who has used his Druid powers and a set of standing stones to travel through time to protect his brother who had been spelled into a sleep spanning over five thousand years.

The use of the standing stones may have protected his brother, but it caused Daegus to become possessed by the spirits of thirteen evil druids imprisoned in the circle. Through the search for (and theft of) ancient texts that may possibly free him from the evil spirits and the inevitable madness as a by-product of their possession, Daegus meets Chloe Zanders, an antiquities dealer.

How do they meet? Daegus finds Chloe under his bed, snooping out the antique texts he stole. What is his solution? Kidnap her, of course. Or rather, not allow her to leave until he can find the answers he needs (without her reporting him to the authorities). The upside: Chloe offers a second set of educated eyes as well as a few extra tricks she has up her sleeves to help him find how to break the curse before the madness overtakes him and he becomes The Dark Highlander.

This book has it all: Laughter. Adventure. Mystery. Steamy moments. Shirtless Highlanders. In fact, I would consider this a keeper / reread book. Let's all take a moment to enjoy the cover art.

Are there any Karen Marie Moning fans in the crowd?

Sweet gesture? Villain in sheep's clothing?

Lately, I have been hearing lots of man-to-man tips and tricks on how to get a girl to like you - mostly radio advice. They are comprised of ways to a) impress a girl or b) emulate an alpha male.

Tips like:

• Insult her

• Wait five minutes after meeting her before paying any attention to her

• Touch her (arm taps etc) somewhere in the area of 10 times within an evening

• My favorite: at lunch, some guy went to a restaurant, left his credit card number and instructions that when he asked for the bill after his date that night, they were to say, "Oh no, ___. You eat here free!"

They might be sweet if a guy wants to impress someone he cares about (although it seems a bit manipulative to me). I guess if you get a girl's emotions up, even if its anger, she will be thinking about you. As for the 'insult her' advice, I have never wanted to date someone because they insulted me - although I may have wanted to bat them up-side the head with one of those cardboard tubes wrapping paper comes rolled around.

I thought these tips might be something to keep in mind if I ever had a guy (imaginary) trying to get a girl (also imaginary) to like him. Then, today I was getting my hair cut and a supplier was in, trying to get one of the hairdressers to buy a electric trimmer. She didn't like it. He started shaving the hair on his arm.

Here's how it went (I couldn't help but listen. My toner was setting):

Her: It isn't even working.

Him (with an insulting tone of voice): What? Have you been drinking today?

Her: Pardon me?

Him: Have you been drinking today?

Her: No

Then he showed her a different electric trimmer. They chatted about it (warranties, etc) and she ordered it and a bunch of other stuff. The guy wandered around the store, making sure to say by to all the hairdressers ("Bye, ladies.") and left.

Aside from his one jerk-face moment, he seemed like a nice enough guy. So why had he been so rude to her? They didn't seem to have a chummy enough relationship to talk to one another like that. Why had she ordered anything from him after his bad behavior? Had he applied one of the dating tips to make a sale? Had she let him because he was the official shop supplier?

Where does the sweet guy trying to impress a girl become a villain? For me, I think it is the comment, "Have you been drinking today?" It may have worked for the two of them, but as an outsider, the situation felt absolutely contrived.

I suppose there is room in a story for this type of character, but the hero-type I had in mind isn't it. The old adage Be Yourself should slide over to Let Your Character Be Himself as well. If he uses some out-of-character trick, perhaps she should be attuned enough to know (maybe too polite to let on, but she should know - perhaps this was the hairdresser. After all, she didn't buy the sub-standard trimmer), or maybe there should be some catastrophic disaster (no electric trimmer sale).

Anyway, got to go. I have all sorts of villain ideas swirling around in my mind.

All I see is, "I give up"

A thought-provoking blog post of Rachelle Gardner's asks her readers what they give up to be writers.

Although a lot of the responses are inspiring, some are absolutely, jaw-dropping-to-the-floor-ingly heart-breaking.

Clean houses. Healthy meals. Exercise. Time with family. Sleep. The possibility of finding their soul-mates. Having children. And so on... Some of the responses have lists of five or six points similar to the ones I've paraphrased here.

All I can say is been there, done that. Eventually it is going to catch up with you.

For instance: There is a Thanksgiving I will never get back because I spent it writing a school paper (a paper that sucked because my heart wasn't in it). I've seen fellow students put aside their personal lives and health for the sake of a project. I got so stressed my hair started falling out. Instead of slowing down, I got a haircut. This happened twice before I decided maybe I did have some time in my day to go to a yoga class.

Writing is a thing I do because I enjoy it. Not because I want to make myself a martyr with a book being the finished product of my misery. Its my way of staying out of the pit of despair (drama, drama, drama), not an excuse to jump into one.

Think about it. There are moments where it makes sense to drop all else and write until it feels like your hands are going to fall off. There are times where I do, but do you really want to reach a point in your life where you sit down to write the list of what you gave up to have 80 000 words (How long is a piece of string? Popular opinion says 80 000 - 100 000 words, on average) in your jaded little hands?

Do you want to risk having that moment where you look at those 80 000 - 100 000 words and think, "You are beautiful, but I resent you." Or worse, "You are the ugliest little duckling I have ever seen in my life and I hate you. Where has my life gone." I'm not ready to face that.

I can't even joke I don't clean my house. I thought I could, but recently went through a spring cleaning phase where I had to ask my mom to help me clean my kitchen and it took the 2 of us 6 hours to do it (Thanks, mom! Love you!). Granted, we cleaned the stove and washed the cupboards and caulked the countertops, but it took 6 hours. Six hours!

Eventually it is going to catch up with you. The question is, how hard will the wave hit when it does?

Of all the comments I read on Rachelle's blog, none of them mentioned avoiding brushing their teeth. This tells me there is still hope. I think what we need is a little rewording. A bit of forward-planning at times and some living in the moment at others.

Instead of thinking I give up x for y. Perhaps we can think of it as I multitask where I can, prioritize where I can't.

• Don't give up reading: read in the tub. Personal hygiene, check. Reading, check. (I once told my sister I hadn't read Anna Karenina because it was too heavy. She got me one of those book holders for the bath.)

• Arthur Slade and kc dyer write while on the treadmill.

• Turn on the radio and dance while making supper or doing the dishes.

• Books on tape. Books on tape. Books on tape.

• Instead of saying, "I don't sleep in," say, "I wake up early."

• Time-saver to Avoid: personal telephone conversations in a public washroom. The person on the other end is no fool. Neither are the people in the stall beside you.

I don't mean to belittle anyone who feels they have given up something they care about to write / for their chosen profession. I just hope you might find a way to rearrange. To find that bottleneck and find a way to squeeze a bit more joy in your life. (I wish I had that Thanksgiving in my list of memories)

If you are going to give something up, don't give up the things that make you Who you are, What you are. Give up the time sucks and creativity killers you don't need in your life. Spend less time talking to tele-marketers on the phone. Take a list when you go grocery shopping. Arrange to pay your bills on the internet. Avoid wasting mental and physical energy on unnecessary toxic situations. You might find you have time to knit and to write - or even more time to knit / write.

Things might change. Ten years from now I might be on here, grousing about all the things I'd given up while being too stubborn to admit I'd been doing it. Or worse, I might come across a comment left on this post by Anonymous. Two words: You Failed.

Although I am nowhere near doing all the things on this list (or completing everything I have on my to-do list by the end of each day), I refuse to toss my hands up in the air and say, "I give up." I hope you do too. We deserve to be happy while doing what we love. We deserve not having to resent 'thing a' because we would rather be doing 'thing b'. We deserve not to feel guilty or selfish, when we are doing the best we can.

I just wish I knew how. Its a work in progress, I suppose.

Tell me, what is something you refuse to give up?

Weebles wobble but they don't fall down

I've gone and done it. I went and bought a pair of Sketchers Shape-ups. I am officially tromping around like a woman with two rocking horses strapped to her feet. Incredibly comfortable rocking horses.

Research (interwebs and other)

From what I had come across, these shoes are designed to strengthen core, legs, improve posture and balance, reduce gingivitis, paint your house, wash your car and give you the poise and stamina to run a 10K marathon in heels. Well, not exactly but they are getting a lot of hype in the circles I run in (ran in: now I walk. No running in the Shape-ups).

I really wasn't sure what they would be like. There are very few testimonials online about them aside from promotional material and statements such as, "They are supposed to (yadda yadda yadda)," and, "I hear they (yadda yadda yadda)."

The best testimonial I got was from the woman (and her husband, who was also trying on a pair) in the shoe store who whispered to me, "My girlfriend wore them for two months and the cellulite on her butt..." She then slashed at her throat like the cellulite had been decapitated. Message sent. These shoes mean business.

Why bother?

Now, this is a blog (thank you Captain Obvious), thus I am more or less invisible, so I am going to level with you. I don't really care about what my butt looks like (its not like I can see it). I'm not that interested in what my weight is, or the number value assigned to my waistline. What I can't stand is my muffin-top. Esther.

My line of thought: better posture = Esther might have to work a little harder. A fabulous looking butt is just a bonus.

So anyway, this may fall under the category of one of those blog post no-nos. No TMI blog posts! Regardless, I plan on filing it under product testing and quality control, rather than TMI.

My gift to you:

If you see Sketchers Shape-ups in an upcoming blog post heading and don't want to read about it, you can consider yourself warned.

If you want to know if the darn things work (I know I do) ... Stay tuned.

A Horse Stepped on my Hand

A horse stepped on my hand*. True story. Thus my need to hunt and peck with one hand while clutching an ice pack in the other.

I figure today is a good day to show you the trailer Tessa Dare made. It gets funnier every time I watch it.

See if you can spot the mermaid ;)

*Not one of my own boys. Someone else's Magnificent Beast. And yes, I do realize anyone who leaves their hand lying around for a horse to step on probably has it coming.

City of Bones For You

When I was at Free Comic Book Day yesterday, I picked up a spare copy of The City of Bones in case someone wanted to borrow mine (some books you share, some books you don't - its safer to give a different copy away and not worry about getting yours back).

Now I figure, what the heck. Have a contest. Its only a small preview of the graphic novel (no false advertising here - its definitely not the whole story) for Cassandra Clare's The City of Bones coming out (soon?), but the drawings are beautiful and it will definitely get you excited for the longer novel. I know I can hardly contain myself.

So if you are interested and a follower living anywhere on planet Earth, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post. I will randomly draw a name next Friday and send you the comic.

Free Comic Book Day: Game On

Its officially here: Free Comic Book Day 2010.

My first taste of it is this morning at 8:10 am. I drive past the comic book store to pick up some scones at the Farmer's Market (ps- These scones will make you believe in miracles). There are three people waiting outside the store. In the rain - a father-son team and a lone wolf.

8:30 Drive-by: 5 people. Two father-son teams and a lone wolf. Go to grocery store for milk.

I want to go by a third time, but figure I am pretty much asking for a car accident by driving around aimlessly, counting people in front of the comic book store.

8:50: Home, eating delicious, delicious scone. (Fun fact: the first time I typed this, I spelled delicious right the first time, misspelled it the second - in this sentence, I misspelled it twice. My hands resist overuse of the word, even if I don't).

9:50: The line is too long to count. Men, women, children. Everyone is excited. People are looking in the big glass window making all sorts of excited noises.

10:01: A loud, "OOoooohh," from the crowd and the line moves forward.

A guy dressed like Wolverine greets us at the door. An artist from Marvel Comics is in the store. Pandemonium abounds. What to choose? What to choose? Options: 1 free comic book or donate $10 to a local charity and take 10. What to choose? What to choose? Aha!

On the way out, the sweet-faced, blue-eyed Wolverine rasps, "Have a nice day," in a voice so scary, I practically jump out the door. I can't wait for next year.

Did anyone else out there attend Free Comic Book Day?

Please, sir. I want some more blogs.

I'm doing the blog hop again. Jennifer at Crazy for Books came up with this great idea for like-minded book readers to come across one another's blogs. Good times* to follow.

*dancing is optional ;)

Free Comic Book Day!

Quote of the day:

"Nobody who has not spent a whole sunny afternoon under his bed rereading a pile of comics left over from the previous holidays has any real idea of the meaning of intellectual freedom."

- Peter M. Dickinson

Tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day, where participating comic book stores all over North America and around the world hand out free comic books (or sell them for a low, low price - this often involves proceeds going to charity).

Take your kids. Take your selves.

Click here to find a Comic Book Store near you. If you do attend, I'd love to hear back from you about what the lines were like. There is one I have my eye on. Hint: Cassandra Clare (The Stuff of Legend).

Rules of Attraction Book Review

I blame Simone. Its 100% her fault. What can I say? She writes a great book. That's right, folks. I went out and bought Rules of Attraction. In hard cover. And read it in 1.5 evenings. Just look at the cover. Doesn't it make you want to cry? Beautiful.

Rules of Attraction is book #2 (of 2 but another is coming next year) in Simone Elkeles' Perfect Chemistry book series. Carlos Fuentes is sent by his mother to live with his brother Alex. Kiara Whitford is a friend of Alex's and volunteers to be Carlos' peer guide to help him adjust to his first week in a new school. Kiara and Carlos find they have clashing personalities, but not so bad that they keep their distance. Rather, they spend time together and when they aren't, they are playing tricks on one another (funny locker pranks, etc).

Trouble at school = Carlos facing two options: serious punishment or moving in with the the school principal (Kiara's father) and his family and attending an after-school program. Guess what happens? (Hint: smooching). As the story moves on, we find the trouble at school was more than another prank. Carlos must decide what is truly important to him and what he is willing to go through to have it.

Rules of Attraction has the same chapter-to-chapter switching of viewpoint between Kiara and Carlos that is seen in Perfect Chemistry. It also has the same raw dialogue that makes you feel like you are eavesdropping on someone else's life and characters you want to hug / shake some sense into. I also love Kiara. She is such a cool character with her interest in cars and hiking and is a totally awesome friend to anyone who can get past her stuttering.

After some digging on the internet (well, actually the first hit on a google search), it turns out Ms Elkeles has written four other YA novels unrelated to the series. However, I plan to distance myself from them for a while, otherwise there will be a reenactment of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Fiasco, where I gobbled all the books at once then wrote all over my jeans and wandered the house aimlessly when I realized there was nothing left to read. Besides, I have a garden to plant. Laundry to fold - One of these days, the book store is not going to allow me and my mismatched clothing in.

I can't explain how much I liked this book without the hand gestures, flailing arms and shrill voice a personal encounter will allow. Instead, I leave you with the book trailer.

Perfect Chemistry Book Review

If you are a reader of YA, I would like to recommend you read Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles.

Brittany Ellis, captain of the pom squad and all-around perfect person is paired with gang member Alex Fuentes in chemistry class. As they get to know one another, Alex finds Brittany's life is far from perfect and Brittany discovers Alex dreams of more than being in a gang.

Alex and Brittany begin to care for one another. They have chemistry. Dare I say - Perfect Chemistry? Even with their strong feelings, they barely fit in their own worlds. How can they find a way to fit in one another's?

One of the best parts of this book is it trades point of view from chapter to chapter (Ch 1 = Brittany, Ch 2 = Alex and so on). Both characters are so different from one another, yet believable.

The story also resulted in my husband and me driving all over town trying to find a copy of The Outsiders on DVD - not that it's a modern (as in post-Y2K) retelling. I'm just saying if S.E. Hinton and Simone Elkeles were to pass one another in the grocery store, they would high five. Twice - that high five where the arms swing around and immediately move into a low five.

Go on, give it a read. You know you want to ;)

Meet my robot friend

Blogging rule: Don't write blog posts of epic length. Hopefully today's post balances out yesterday's.

There is nothing worse than spending an exorbitant amount of time working on a project only to realize it isn't as amazing as it was supposed to be. Well, there are far worse things, but I like being dramatic.

Let's all stop to consider all the ugly bird houses in the world. It must be a rite of passage for everyone to build at least one ugly bird house in their life.

AutoCrit Writing Center is helping me to turn my ugly bird houses into what I consider mildly attractive bird houses. At least it is keeping my bird houses from being full of holes with sharp nails jabbing out at all angles.

It offers a Manuscript Editing Wizard with varying levels of analysis. I don't care what you are writing: newspaper articles, fairy tales, scientific manuscripts. It can show you any unnecessary words, patterns or crazy grammar you may have inadvertently used. And its not a person, so if you are shy, "Hello great, unbiased, non-human beta reader."

Obviously, they want you to purchase the service, but there are free components that are helpful.

I'm trying to make this post a shortie and we're on the brink of average length, so I'd better dash. Give AutoCrit a peek. It can't hurt.

It Builds Character

Have you ever had to do something you don't want to only to have another person suggest you do it anyway, saying if anything, it will "help build character"?

Well, I built character. I had to go to a murder mystery to do it.

I was expecting human checkers, only the Clue version with costumes. It was a Hollywood theme murder mystery and I was to be the social-climbing younger sister of a movie star who was murdered later that evening. More importantly, it was a fund-raising event to help find a cure for cancer.

Anyway, my character was somewhat disliked by the others. Three times I was asked to leave while people were talking. The other movie stars looked at me and whispered. I was accused of being a murderer. It felt like high school all over (except the last bit).

ps - If you are currently in high school, hang in there. Things get better. Sooo much better.

The worst part is, I left my purse in the car. I didn't have a book with me, not even a pen. I was officially stuck in the here and now.

With all due respect to everyone who had been there (friends who are much better actors than myself) and the good intentions of the evening, I just didn't like it. I think it was the gossip, but I got ridiculously upset. To my credit, I pretended I was having fun. aka You can control the number of times you smile in a day - Perhaps I resembled a territorial primate ;) (if this paragraph sounds crazy, see last post).

You know what? It was good for me. By the second half of the evening, I convinced myself to have a bit more fun (although I ran for the car when it was time to go). I even figured out the murderer - The Guy with the Fake Mullet.

Here is The Best Part: In my imaginary world, there is this close-knit group of selkies that have refused to talk to me. Perhaps they saw me looking pathetic and decided to throw me a bone, because they have started chattering like crazy. One even let me know why they stayed quiet for so long.

Finally! I get to the point:

Even though a character my not be the most important person in your story, they should be the most important person in their own.

Why couldn't I get the selkies to talk to me?

I wasn't taking them seriously. I wanted to make them that character you could pass in the street and say something like, "Well, hello there. I see you're a selkie."

"Why yes, you're right."

Life's not like that. Consider the selkie rules: In stories, the selkie is most predominant as the selkie bride. In the water, the selkie is a seal. However, they can come on land, remove their skins and walk around as a human.

If a human male finds her skin and hides it, she is immediately his (generally, his wife). So long as the skin is hidden, she will be a good wife and mother. If she ever finds it though, she's gone. No matter what connections she has formed, she will return to the sea. Sometimes she will approach the shore to visit her children, but she doesn't stay.

So what does it mean to be a selkie?

• Never trusting anyone. Even a woman can't be trusted. What if she is only your friend so she can find your skin for a male friend or family member?

• If you become a selkie wife, it is probably difficult to make friends with the other women in town (I only had to put up with it for an evening. Imagine a lifetime).

• Once you have children or even if you just care about your human husband, there would be fear of angering him or of him falling in love with another woman. If he wants you out of the house, all he has to do is leave your seal skin out in plain sight.

• Are there even any rules about the number of selkies one might collect? Could a person steal a bunch of skins and have more than one selkie wife? Keep them as servants? Sell them on the black market?

• If I were a selkie longing for the sea, I know I would be afraid of a house fire. I also wouldn't want any company in the house in case someone terrible would steal my seal skin.

• What of the selkie lover left behind (if there is one) or children? Does anyone ever come to help you escape? Not even friends and family? Do they wait for you to return? Do they go on with their lives? Does the human husband kill them to prevent any unwanted rescues or to make the search for your skin futile since there would be no one to return to?

These are only a few ponderings that struck me in the moment. I'm sure many more pass through the minds of selkie brides than those above. Even though they are only briefly visited in my story, I think I had a chance to get to know a few selkie women better and for who they are, rather than for what they could do for me.

I don't care if it sound silly. Wishing I had a book or something (Anything!) to take me to a different situation gave me a small taste of what it would be like to be a selkie, longing for her skin.

Oh, and are there more murder mysteries in my future? Probably. I might even surprise myself and have some fun.

Character built?

Check and Check.

Epiphanies

This week's epiphanies:

• Life is too short for bad sushi.

• Tiny Buddha says we can control the number of times we can smile in a day. This may mean people should smile more, however I believe it means you don't have to smile if you don't feel like smiling. You run the risk of impersonating a territorial primate (True Story).

• When you go into a situation where another person is trying to make you feel uncomfortable, remember this: You are good at something. Excellent, in fact, even if you're the only one who knows what that something is.

• When the belt loops rip off your favorite pants, it means two things 1) They have been well-loved 2) They will/should be missed (not worn) - this is a warning sign. If you continue wearing them, they will only break your heart.

• Even if it only blooms a short while, a hibiscus flower is worth the anticipation.

• This lady is: (initial thought) awesome! (second thought) someone who must have been very lonely beforehand.

• The way I use the word 'epiphany' is the definition listed third in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

Nothing ground-shaking, but it still gets my wheels turning. How about you? Any epiphanies this week?

There goes the neighborhood

Me: Husband, husband! You need to come look at this!

Him: What is it?

Me: You need to come here!

Him: I'm eating lunch.

Me: You need to see this!

Him: What is it?

Me: The neighbors have set up up some sort of hoop!

Him: What?

Me: I don't know what it is. Some sort of hoop for sports. They're going to be tossing balls in the yard all summer.

Husband gets up and walks to window.

Him: It's a trampoline frame tilted on it's side. They're probably doing yard work.

Signature scent

I think I have a signature scent. Well, scents. One, I use when I want to smell good, one when I want to smell fabulous. We went to a party this weekend and I wore Scent #3 - a perfume that was just laying around and I figured what the heck.

What the heck is right. All night, I had the urge to go wash my wrists. I smelled fine, I just didn't smell like me. I smelled like some lady hugged me and her scent stuck.

Smell (I'd put aroma, but sometimes it's just plain-old-smell) can play a major role in memory (Have a big exam?: wear the same perfume while studying and while writing the exam). We know what our childhood home smelled like. We know what our best friend's childhood home smelled like. We can recognize the scent of rain on the air. We know the smell of a hockey bag.

I think it triggers something in stories, too:

• Reading a Karen Marie Moning book? Sandalwood = the smell of a sexy, sexy man. What's that on the air? Sandalwood? Don't be surprised if Adam Black is around the next corner.

• Jamie Fraser HATES the smell of lavender. Is that lavender soap? No, thank you. You can just go ahead and toss that in the latrine. My husband would rather remove the dirt from his body with a potato peeler.

• Bella smells so delicious, vampires have trouble controlling themselves from turning her into a snack on a windy day. It's windy! Quick Bella! Jump in that human-sized Rubbermaid container!

Anyway, I got a bit carried away there. Something about scent helps the memory stick. So long as the smell is recognizable by the reader, it can connect the dots. It helps share a bit more about them than eye and hair color.

It shares their hobbies ex. horse sweat and fresh-mown grass vs diesel fuel and engine grease.

It shares their personality ex. Davidoff's Cool Water vs Vivian Westwood's Boudoir.

Tell me people of blogland: Do you have a signature scent? Do one of your characters? Do you have a favorite book where you could recognize a character by scent alone?

The Summer Hideaway Book Review

The Summer Hideaway is my first Susan Wiggs book and I can see myself reading more in the future. She uses some beautiful metaphors and switches seamlessly between scenes in the present and stories from the past.

George Bellamy is terminally ill and wants to reconcile with his brother before he dies. He hires a private nurse, Claire Turner. The two of them travel to Camp Kioga, the place of George's boyhood and his brother's retirement.

George's grandson, Ross returns from duty in Afghanistan. At first he mistrusts Claire and her motives for being with his grandfather. As time moves on, he not only learns to trust but to care for her. The only thing is, Claire does have a big secret she isn't sharing. A secret that can harm not only her, but the people she cares for (it has in the past).

The Summer Hideaway is a story of first chances, second chances and learning whether pride is worth having to waiting for that second chance. Hang on to you heartstrings, because Ms Wiggs definitely knows how to pull them.

Where I would recommend reading this book:

In a nice patch of sun.

Are there any Susan Wiggs fans in the crowd that could recommend more of her books?

Halfway to the Grave Book Review

People who love to read paranormal: if you have not read it already, I would like to introduce you to Jeaniene Frost's Halfway to the Grave.

Take a tough, no-nonsense heroine with a taste for vengeance. Add a dark and moody hero with a (sexy, sexy, sexy) British accent. Sprinkle with high-action fight scenes and terrifying bad guys. Add a dash of interfering human law enforcement. Mix thoroughly.

Cat Crawfield is half-human, half-vampire (roll with it). Think of her as a regular person with the strength and abilities to take down a vampire - and the desire to take down every vampire until she finds her father (aka the man who raped her mother).

One night, Cat meets her match. A vampire bounty hunter named Bones. She tries to kill him, he takes her prisoner * insert battle royale here * she loses and as a result is commissioned to train with and work for him. The world he introduces her to is far different from her past life of indiscriminately taking down (weaker) vampires.

The story is fast-paced with a great plot, interesting characters and enough sexual tension to make a bad (or good) girl blush.

My final assessment:

ROWR

Somewhere else - the smell of peat

Sometimes the imagination is enough, but every now and then, a person wonders how close what they make up is to the real deal. I'm working on a story set in Scotland where the smell of peat smoke is described - but haven't actually smelled it. I came across the website for the Ardbeg Distillery in the Isle of Islay, Scotland. They sell incense cones. Peat incense cones.

What was my reaction?:

Sign me up.

It turns out, that's what I had to do. I figured I was just signing up for a random email list I would end up unsubscribing my email address from after.

Two weeks ago, a package arrived in the mail. Apparently, I've joined a committee. Yay! I even have a member number. Islay is an island with a population of less than 3500 people and 140 committees. It is officially on the list of places I want to live one day.

Anyway, part of being on the committee involves being sent a Rules and Regulations Handbook (and a sticker). It contains a combination of helpful tips on how best to enjoy Scotch (Ardbeg Scotch, of course. I need to support my committee), songs, old Scottish sayings, history and famous quotes.

My two favorite rules (both resulting in the office of the member being vacated):

• If a member becomes unsound of mind, as shown by the development of a preference for a spirit other than Ardbeg.

• If a member is directly or indirectly involved in diluting Ardbeg with anything other than water.

As someone who loves reading random awesomeness, this was a book nerd's dream come true. In the end, I learned more about Scotland from this little packet than I ever could had I found peat incense back home. Oh, the treasures we come across when we least expect it.

Slainte

Soulless Book Review

Hang onto your bustles: Alexia Tarabotti's in town.

In Gail Carriger's Soulless, Alexia Tarabotti is a preturnatural. What's that, you say? A being whose touch can cancel out a vampire or werewolf, making them human so long as she maintains contact.

This book takes us back to an earlier time where all living beings, supernatural or otherwise, are held to the social mores of London society. A simpler time. Or so it would seem...

Despite appearances, not all are pleased with the status quo. What those eager for change are willing to do places Alexia right in the middle of trouble. Lucky for her (and us), Alexia is not the kind of woman to sit idle while others try to snack on her, etc. I don't know if she has a motto or not, but I have a suggestion:

When in doubt, bring a parasol.

How should this book be classified?

Well, you could put this book in a box, but it would have to be octopus-shaped. Is it a fantasy? Is it a romance? Is it a mystery? Is it a paranormal? Is it a historical? Is it steampunk? Is there tea? Is it hilarious?

Yes.

(ps-What's steampunk? Think Wild Wild West)

This story came to a satisfying end, but left enough dangling threads for me to need to read the next book in the series, Changeless (I should say want. I need to read it, but even if I didn't, I would still want to).

(ps#2-Looking for a good kissing scene? This book should come with a warning.)

Have you read the book already? If so, tell me what you thought about it.

Feeling up for some fun? Check out this online dress-up doll (click here). I don't envy her the layers at all.

In the mood for some book cover déjà vu? Check out this online store (click here). They even have a special parasol made in Alexia's honour (click here).

Coffee girl

Today's best conversation was at a drive-through window:

Her: Welcome to (name of coffee store). How are you today?

Me: Fine, thanks. How are you?

Her: Great! Thanks for asking. What can I get for you today?

Me: Can I have Grande Dark Cherry Mocha?

Her: Thats a Grande Orange Blossom Mocha?

Me: Um, a Dark Cherry Mocha.

Her: Sorry about that. We sell Orange Blossom tea.

Me: Thats all right.

Her: All right, a Grande Dark Cherry Blossom.

Me: Cherry Mocha.

Her: Yep. We'll see you at the window.

I have no idea what it was, but it was delicious.

I want what I have

I picked up a magazine that believes I will be able to Walk Off Belly Flab in 4 Weeks. Time will tell. When I was walking into the house I dropped it and it fell open to a page. A little article suggests a mantra for the month, "I want what I have."

I want what I have.

I like the sound of it. The world is full of stuff. What is necessary? What is wanted due to power of suggestion (Do I want Rianna's mascara or Drew Barrymore's)? Maybe I should just want what I have. Next time I have my credit card in my hand, I will say this to myself. I will.

Here is where the wheels start turning:

Opposite the I Want What I Have is an ad for Advanced Anti-aging Serum. Huh. Want what you have, but if you change your mind, want fewer wrinkles.

I have trouble buying into it. Is this mantra truly to apply to spending habits, to make us appreciate the things (and People) in our lives? (ps-People in my life - I appreciate you.) What about wanting to know more, see more, live more, learn more? Isn't that what readers and storytellers are all about? Exploring something new? Something we don't have?

One of Virginia Woolf's (many) famous quotes is, "You cannot find peace by avoiding life."

What if all she said was, "I want what I have... and some anti-aging serum"?

Tiger Hunt

Searching for one tiger has led me to another.

(ps- No, not Tiger)

I've been searching for Marjorie Liu's Tiger Eye for a while now, but no matter where I look, its not in stock. I was in a local book store, sleuthing. It wasn't there, but I figured I would go check out a different book about a tiger instead. Yann Martel's The Life of Pi, the illustrated version (the pictures are beautiful).

I found The Life of Pi on a display shelf along with Yann's What is Stephen Harper Reading? and the newly released Beatrice and Virgil. Above them all, a sign was taped announcing an upcoming signing and that tickets for the event were being sold at the front desk. I asked at the front and they were only $8, so I think it was more for crowd control than to cash in on fans (the reading is in a little coffee shop section of the store).

Here is my dilemma: Should I buy a ticket?

I went one of his signings once in the same coffee shop a few years ago (my first, actually). This is what I learned: for everyone else there, it was a social outing. Making it a ticket-only event ups the anti. It might be a full-on party.

Question #2: Should I kidnap a book-loving friend to come with me?

I'm pretty good at doing loner-type things, but last time, when I tried to talk to him, it came out something along the lines of: "Babble, blunder, babble, blueberry. I mean, blueberry. Blueberry! kthxbai."

All right. That's it. I've made up my mind. I'm probably going to try to get a ticket. Probably ;)

I just need to practice saying, "I love your books," ahead of time.

Oh, and Eye of the Tiger: Amazon, baby. Clickety-click. Come to mama...

UPDATE: It appears I have a wedding to attend the same night. Maybe I'll pull off that scene in 27 dresses where Katherine Heigl's character rips around town to attend 3 weddings in one night. Simple.

Succubus Blues Book Review

In Richelle Mead's Succubus Blues, Georgina Kincaid is a disillusioned Seattleite succubus. By night, she works for a demon, feeding off the life energy of mortal men. By day, she works in a book store and is an absolute fan of author Seth Mortensen.

The same day her favorite author is scheduled to visit the book store for a signing, Georgina engages in a (retrospectively) embarrassing conversation with a customer. It is not until much later that she realizes this shy and introverted man is Seth. They begin a tentative relationship but a number of things get in their way:

Thing 1

The addition of Roman, a dark and sexy man who is full of mystery and genuinely interested in Georgina - and has no difficulties showing it.

Thing 2

Even a kiss from Georgina will drain the life energy of either man.

Thing 3

Local paranormal beings are being killed - from the "good" (ex. angels) and the "bad" (ex. vampires) sides.

Thing 4

The killer is leaving notes for Georgina. Clues about who will be targeted next.

Thing 5

Did I mention both men are really, really sexy?

With an exciting plot, a good pace and well-rounded characters, this book was a delight to read. Somebody High Five Me!!!

The Gargoyle Book Review

There is a quote I adore:

"This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force."

- Dorothy Parker

Based on the reviews I have read, some people have applied Dorothy Parker's quote to Andrew Davidson's The Gargoyle (not all people - most can't put it down). To anyone who has read this book half-way and stopped, I implore you: take a break from it for a while if you need, but come back to it and carry on to the end.

The Gargoyle is the story of a man who survives a car accident but does not emerge the same person - physically or mentally. Left in a hospital with no family, friends (or funds), he is taciturn and miserable to everyone around him. One day, Marianne Engel, a psych patient in the same hospital pays him a visit, claiming to have known him in past lives.

Marianne Engel tells him stories of the past - all love story variants - including the story of when the two of them had known one another. I found myself looking forward to them as well, for Davidson's writing is quite strong and if a character feels pain, the reader will feel it. My favorite - the story of the glass blower.

While reading this novel, I know I commented a few times that I wasn't even sure what was going on all the time and wondered why Marianne Engel's stories were better than the man's. Why didn't Andrew Davidson just write a book for each of the stories and leave out the man's? I warn you - the man's misery is quite upsetting (there are a lot of references AND parallels to Dante's inferno). Why do they always refer to Marianne Engel by her first and last names when the narrator has no name? You will probably have similar questions.

But Keep Reading.

Everything slowly begins to weave together, culminating into what was simultaneously the most beautiful final chapter and final paragraph I have ever read. This won't happen if you skip to the final chapter, though. You will have to suffer along with the narrator first. It is the sort of ending that needs to be earned.

It will take a fair amount of strength to re-read this novel, but I know one day I will. Even now, every time I walk past it on a book shelf, I have to resist the urge to pat it. Its that good.

Be Passive-Aggressive

No, I don't mean leave the dirty dishes on your room-mate's bed every time they bake and don't clean up after themselves.

I mean be passive-aggressive, as in get rid of the passive tone in your writing. Aggressively.

How?

Turf "was" every chance you get.

Its hard to do since you can't erase "was" and still have a coherent sentence. There is rarely a single word substitution, but a little elbow grease never hurt anyone.

Until this morning, this is all I knew: Don't overuse "was." This blog post by Celia Yeary made it clear WHY. I recommend you check it out.

You want to use 'eh, 'eh?

Eh, or as I prefer to think, hey (the h is usually silent, but not always) is widely used by (and misused in the teasing of) Canadians. It is also I have to make a solid effort at NOT using in day-to-day conversation.

I am of the opinion that if you are going to use 'eh, you should use it right (Pepsi's 'Eh O Canada Go cheer is a prime example of a derailed 'eh train).

'Eh is not an audible representation of a question mark. 'Eh is a way of making a question from a statement where agreement is the desired result.

Here are a few simple examples of the right way to use 'eh:

Example: Its cold out, 'eh?

Translation: Do you agree with me that it is cold outside?

Example: This is good, 'eh?

Translation: Are you enjoying your meal?

Even Canadians can mess up 'eh (Ex. Tim Horton's):

Example: I mean, who does that stuff, 'eh?

- This is actually the translation (like on Jeopardy, where they give the answer and want the question) with an 'eh tacked on the end.

Proper use of the dialect: No one does that stuff, 'eh?

You can go ahead and use this for your next commercial or novel about slang-slinging Canadians ;)

Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches Guide to Romance Novels Book Review

Close your eyes and - Wait! - for my friends who think you are funny, read this paragraph, THEN close your eyes and imagine you are trying to sleep.

It is late. You are tired but can't sleep because someone else is in bed with you and they have the lamp on. Not only do they have the lamp on but they are howling with laughter. When they aren't howling with laughter, they are snickering to themselves or nodding their head and saying things like, "That's totally true," and, "I can't believe I didn't notice the connection." To add insult to injury, they try to wake you to read passages out loud from the book they have grasped in their hands.

Did you do it?

Did you picture it?

Did you feel the exhaustion?

You now know how it felt to be my husband when I was reading Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches Guide to Romance Novels by Sarah Wendell and Candy Tan.

From page 1, I found the book informative. I especially enjoyed how the authors brought to my attention swear words I had no idea existed. Words like bugf_ck and a$shat. (There is nothing like a little unexpected profanity to start the day off right.) - I'm such a prude. I want to be a bad girl and write the swear words but there are too many Lucy Maud Montgomery books in my past. Maybe I'll build up my courage one day and come back to edit in the actual letters .

They were close to teaching me about mom pants, and would have if I hadn't come across Uncle Walter weeks earlier (by googling the name 'Uncle Walter' - oh, the places google takes us).

This book has everything: an in-depth look at romance novel covers (they can predict what a book will be like by what is on the cover), good retorts for when someone wants to insult your reading habits, a choose-your-own adventure.

I felt it lagged a bit at the end, but this may have been due to general lack of sleep by this point. *Note* When I say it lagged a bit at the end, it lagged in relation to this book, not in relation to other books on writing or other books in general. Compared to some other books I have read, the end powered on like a steam engine.

I enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who:

• Reads romance novels.

• Writes romance novels.

• Reads any other type of novel.

• Writes any other type of novel.

• Has a sense of humor.

• Has a sense of wonder.

• Has a sense of smell.

• Does not mind the odd burst of profanity.

Let's go to the Hop - the Blog Hop that is

How to get rid of a messed up RSS feed

I've figured out how to fix messed up RSS feeds on Google Reader! - Deleting a blogger post does not delete it from Google Reader - This guy gives instructions on how to locate the ID of a post and update it with new information. All you have to do is follow the instructions. Your old post will pop up and you can replace it with something new and shiny, like I did here.

If you want, you can delete the old post, but it won't totally disappear - there will be an empty box.

Good luck to you.

Update: it seems if the post has already been deleted from blogger, the only way a post will change is if you actually posted the new blogger page to your site. It refuses to disappear into the ether. I guess there will be more posts in my future ;)

Do / say / write / the hard thing (Part II)

Quote of the Day:

"One day, you will conquer the world, but for now, you don't know how to send a letter."

- My Friend

This is the point I tried to make in last week's post: Its easy to do the easy thing. Its not always easy to do the right thing. For the entire week, I've wanted to retract that statement, but didn't bother since this is also the week I learned you can't erase your RSS feeds on Google Reader. C'est la vie.

I wanted to switch to: Its easy to do the easy thing. Its impossible to do the right thing.

Highlights:

While driving, I saw a girl (my age) run to catch a bus, trip and fall flat on her face. The contents of her purse spilled all over the sidewalk and she missed her bus. I thought, "Here is where you should do something nice," and slowed down. I waited for her to walk up and realized she was walking slow, waiting for me to leave. Okay, city people don't give strangers rides, got it.

I got a letter in the mail - my handwriting. I had sent someone a thank-you letter, only I had put my address in the Send To section of the envelope, not the Return Address section. I appear thankless. Resend.

Today started with me reading Victoria Lynn Schmidt's 45 Master Characters and finding my character archetype (although not a bang-on match) is The Maiden (but I don't Want to be a Maiden. I WANT to be an Amazon!), and ended with me blasting myself in the throat with a spray hose in a barn (think gentler than a pressure washer, but it would beat a garden hose in a fight).

It was coming to where I thought I would just add a, "That's What She Said," in a comment on the title and say I wanted to be naughty. There. Didn't worry about what others thought while paying homage to The Office.

Then it happened:

Mild scolding in a meeting led to me stand up for myself.

Was it exhilarating?

No.

Do I feel shorter?

Yes.

But I stood up for myself. Boy was it hard, but not impossible.

Bad Moon Rising Book Review

Sherrilyn Kenyon's Bad Moon Rising is the 26th book in the Dark-Hunter Series and if you ask me, it has been a long time coming. In the preceding novels, there are hints at their romantic relationship, but they are always furtive glances of Fang and Aimee. After putting us through the anticipation, Sherrilyn finally shares the story. It follows Aimee and Fang, how they came to be together and how they eventually find happiness with one another (I don't think this constitutes a Spoiler Alert - it is available in the Romance section of the book store).

For the most part, the Dark-Hunter books can be read as stand-alones. I do recommend keeping the reading order close to the written order, since each book takes you farther into their world and they all tie into one another. This, however, is one of the books I would suggest be kept to the written order. It connects scenes from various preceding books, showing a different viewpoint. If you read this first, you're going to find out about a whole lot of what goes down before you want to.

The want of a beer leads Fang to Sanctuary (a bar / sanctuary for paranormal beings) and general chivalrous manliness leads him to risk his life to save Aimee's (the waitress / daughter of the owner). Life goes from bad to disastrous for Fang when angry enemies (if you are an alpha male and save a girl's life, expect angry enemies) attack. People are killed, things are said, brothers are punished, Fang almost dies (and is rendered nearly dead. Mostly dead?). Aimee and Fang take turns saving one another (and being sexy) and there is a surprising scene near the end that had me crying inappropriately on a road trip. Plus there's a man hug.

I'm not going to say much more than that. Too much of a book report and you won't need to read it. What I will say is this:

I don't know what it is with Sherrilyn. Maybe its the mad skillz combination of Greek mythology, paranormal adventures and sexy men but there is always a scene or two in her Dark-Hunter books where I just want to shout, "SOMEBODY HIGH FIVE ME!!!!!" (if you've seen Shrek, use Donkey's inflection when reading this). This book is no exception.

It is not one of my favorite Dark-Hunter books, but I've always liked Fang and Aimee thus my Need To Read. Had it been my first, I probably would not have the same Kenyon Krush I have now. If you haven't read any of her books, read Fantasy Lover first (just reading the title makes me blush), then the Dark-Hunter novels, working your way up to this one. Its a quick read but it tied up some loose ends and made this reader happy.

I Just Can't Seem to Get it Right Today

Posting fiascos galore. Sorry about the crazy if you check out the RSS feeds on Google Reader. I am uploading a bunch of book cover pictures for book reviews (to clean off the desktop) and can't get the dates right thus a bunch of pictures of book covers posted and nothing else. Arg.

This Just In!

Fangirl moment:

For anyone who likes Melissa Marr's books, Wicked Lovely will be available as a free ebook on Harper (I think for the next 2 weeks). If you haven't read any of her books but like YA and / or paranormal, I suggest you give her first book in the Wicked Lovely series a peek.

Parts 1 and 2 up her upcoming book, Stopping Time are also available for free download (limited time offer) - I just did. Gossip to follow.

*It takes a bit of work to download a reader program at first (instructions are on the right hand side of the page), but once you get set up, you're golden - just click the Download for Free button and type in the coupon code.

Her website lists other places where downloading is possible such as Amazon and B&N, but I'm a Canadian and they didn't work for me (downloads for US only). Amazon is also supposed to be listing Wicked Lovely for free but when I click on the link, it is listed as $2.99. If someone from the US checks it out, could you please let me know if it is working on your end of the world?