S.L. Viehl's Blog, page 29

Color Me Surprised

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago I won a copy of Barcelona Adult Coloring Book by Alexandru Ciobanu from Library Thing's Early Reviewers Program. I have since been working on three pages from it to try it out, see if all they say about the trend is valid, and show you some results.

I admit, I was a little skeptical from the start. I have not colored anything since probably the late seventies (I did color one Doodle Art poster for my bedroom when I was a teen.) I'm not inclined to revisit my childhood or adolescence, either, so I doubt I would ever have given this trend a test-drive without a firm push. When I want to do something calming and meditative I tend to sew or quilt, as making something practical and useful through art appeals more to me than just art for art's sake. I wanted to give this a fair shake, however, so I tried to go into it with an open mind.

I received the review copy in .pdf format, and selected three pages from the twenty-four in the book to color, which I printed out on basic white cardstock. From the first page I worked on I found myself almost immediately calmed and startlingly clear-headed. I stopped thinking about anything but the colors to chose and the sections to work on. It's the strangest thing, too, because I never stop thinking like that, even when I'm sewing. Once I realized what the effect was, I tried to think of something while I was coloring. Within a few minutes my thoughts drifted off and I once more became immersed in the simplicity of the coloring.

I might have been a little embarrassed that a childish activity would have such a significant impact on me, but it's not really childish. All of the pages presented artistic challenges that I enjoyed, from blending colors to get the desired shade to filling in tiny spots without erasing them altogether. Most kids would find this very tough to do. The images the author used for the book were also very interesting, and not at all what I expected from a travel-themed work.

For each page in the book you also get a coloring guide page to show you what colors to use in a quasi paint-by-numbers approach (which really, really helps.) My pages in these pictures are on the right, and for comparison the coloring guide page is on the left:



This page I colored with watercolor pencils, which was easier on my hands and, since I love watercolors, made it a bit more fun for me. I liked the bold colors and enjoyed trying to faithfully reproduce all the shading from the guide page.



I employed standard color pencils to tackle this very detailed window scene, but because I can't apply a lot of pressure with my fingers without pain the colors came out lighter than I wanted.



I think my best results came while using fine line Sharpie permanent markers to color this mosaic page.

By signing up for the author's newsletter I also received a .pdf copy of Garden of Paradise, a second, 54 page adult coloring book with a variety of intricate, interesting floral designs:



I think the only drawback to the book is that the coloring pages are likely computer-generated sketches based on the author's photos, which produced a bit of static dots versus the expected lines-only pages. I didn't mind that at all, but people who want simpler/easier pages to color might. Bottom line, I highly recommend Barcelona Adult Coloring Book for anyone who needs some relaxing calm in their life. It really delivers.

Just Write

Today I'm off to write something new and post it online before midnight. Everyone inclined to do the same is invited to join me.

My link: More on Twenty-One (click on the title to go to the .pdf), with new material beginning on page 63.

For more details on Just Write, click here to go to the original post.

Image credit: My kid. :)

Mystery Discoveries

I like to clean out closets in the spring (okay, I like to clean anything, period) and this month I decided to tackle the kitchen cabinets and a big entertainment/storage unit we have in the living room. Both are sorely in need of organization, and one of the cabinets had a rickety top shelf that needed repair. While my guy was handling the latter, he found this in the very back of the top shelf:



We don't drink, so it definitely wasn't ours. I did a little research and found out it's a pressed glass liquor bottle from a manufacturer in Puerto Rico, and was once possibly filled with rum. I doubt it's valuable -- I seem to remember my parents having bottles like these back in the seventies -- but it is interesting to see that it was hidden in the very back of a cabinet. Perhaps a previous occupant was indulging on the sly? If that's the case someone would have had to use a ladder or climb onto the counter to reach it. But what if it was hidden for another reason?

Beneath a pile of clutter in the storage unit I also found this:



It's a beautiful stationery set in pristine condition, but it isn't mine. Since the storage unit came here completely empty (I know, I unpacked it before we moved) it's either a gift someone gave me that I forgot about, or it was left by a visitor. I've asked everyone but so far no one has claimed it. Since I'm a letter writer and architecture junkie, I'm happy to put it to use, but it does raise some questions. Why would someone go to the trouble of bringing a set of stationery on a visit, hide it in my storage unit, and then leave it behind?

Mystery discoveries are great story starters. Imagine your character finding a beautiful old liquor bottle filled with something other than liquor: a message, jewels, rare coins, or perhaps something more gruesome, like teeth, or wedding rings. A stationery set becomes even more interesting when your character finds a half-finished frantic letter in the very bottom, or a list of names being crossed out, or old hundred dollar bills tucked in every envelope. Using a mystery discovery as a story starter is like undertaking a reverse treasure quest -- your character begins by finding the treasure, which compels them to backtrack to find out how it got there and what meaning it has.

Have you ever made any mystery discoveries in your home that would make good story starters? Let us know in comments.

The Sea Above

Here's a lovely time lapse video by Chris Pritchard to remind us all to look up a little more often (with background music):

Skylight from Chris Pritchard on Vimeo.

Sub Op

Here's a bit of info on an open call from Third Flatiron for a SF antho I spotted over on AbsoluteWrite.com:

"The theme for Hyperpowers features space opera and military science fiction stories. Space operas are dramatic, large-scale science fiction adventures focusing on character and plot action. We’ll be looking for page-turners, adventure stories that keep us on the edge of our seats. Mindless mayhem just doesn’t cut it. We want compelling science fiction tales that wake our emotions and stimulate our imagination. Submissions are open and are due March 15."

For more information, check out Third Flatiron's submission guidelines page here.

Save Your Shelfari from Goodreads

As you Shelfari users know, sometime in the next couple weeks (I've seen several dates mentioned, but March 16th seems to be the most popular) Amazon.com will shut down your site and merge you and your library with that den of iniquity known as Goodreads. Fortunately Library Thing is coming to the rescue, at least in offering a new home for your online library:

"Now you can import your Shelfari library, and receive an automatic upgrade to a free lifetime LibraryThing account! Here’s how to do it:

Export Your Shelfari Data

You’ve got a couple options when it comes to exporting your Shelfari library, and can either directly download a file, or have one emailed to you. See Shelfari’s instructions here.

Sign Up for LibraryThing

It’s quick and free! Head over to LibraryThing.com and click “Join Now.” Enter your desired username and password (we also recommend including your email address, for password resetting purposes), and you’re good to go!

If you’ve already got a LibraryThing account, you can import your Shelfari library to your existing account.

Import Your Shelfari File to LibraryThing

Once you have your Shelfari export file, go to our Shelfari Import page and upload it there."

I have been a member of Library Thing since 2005, and I think they are marvelous. That said, if you'd rather keep your online library on a site that posts reviews for books I've never written, I understand completely. In fact I encourage you to stay away from Library Thing. We're not your sort, really.

For more information and all applicable linkage on how to save your Shelfari from Goodreads, go to Library Thing's blog post here.

Reedsy, Take Two

Okay, thanks to comments by B.E. and Sheri, I might have more info on Reedsy, which is apparently an online service to collaboratively write, edit, typset and export books for self-publication. If their free writing/typset tool exports publication-ready files properly formatted for every type of digital platform, then it's definitely a godsend for indy authors (and me!) I'm not sure that it does yet, however, so I'm hanging onto my reservations.

The money for them evidently comes from hiring one of their freelance editors -- I'm thinking ala Upwork, where Reedsy takes a cut from every transaction. I can't confirm this. I had to watch a video simply to find out the editor thing. There aren't any rates for these editors listed on the website; you have to request a quote. They also limit the number of editors you can contact to five at a time (or possibly five period) for a quote. This is still beyond annoying to me. I also could be wrong about what I just typed, too.

You know what frustrates me most? That it takes me three days and about a thousand clicks to find out information that I'm still not sure is correct. A simple About page with the information printed in text would assure me that I'm not dealing with a bunch of college kids running something out of their dorm room. Bottom line, be careful. Read the fine print, that is, if you can find any.

TBR Challenge

I have been sewing so much this month I haven't been reading much at all, and now I need to balance out my two favorite pastimes. Also, I have a pretty nice stack of books waiting to be read, including The Naturalist, my latest ARC from LT's Early Reviewers Program which arrived this week:



To get myself motivated, I'm going to try to read all these books before or by February 29th so I can start March without any leftovers in the TBR. Anyone want to join me and try to read through most or all of your TBR by the end of the month? Toss your name in comments if you do. No prize involved, I'm afraid, but it could be fun to see who can successful slay their TBR in a week.

Just Write

Today I'm off to write something new and post it online before midnight. Everyone inclined to do the same is invited to join me.

My link: More on Twenty-One (click on the title to go to the .pdf), with new material beginning on page 59.

For more details on Just Write, click here to go to the original post.

Image credit: My kid. :)

Beyond Annoying

While trawling for freeware I came across a mention of Reedsy (?) who are currently offering a free writing/typeset tool. I found that much, hence the link, but the (?) is because I can't figure out what the heck this thing is. Editor marketplace? Digital platform? What? Everything else on the web site is so glutted with gleeful meaningless advertising and testimonials by earnest new authors that I can't find any actual service info.

Case in point: look at their About page. Evidently they have big plans for the publishing industry, and they were founded by four dudes in the UK. That's it. When you click the "learn more" button it doesn't actually take you anywhere (or maybe I'm supposed to watch these informative videos. I hate watching videos. Where is the text?) Or maybe I have to sign up on Facebook to get the gist. Sorry, no Facebook here.

I'm utterly perplexed. Is this the hot new way to tell everyone about your new business? By not telling them anything? How innovative.

Look, I know I'm an old writer chick, and grumpy most of the time, but please. Before you try to take over the publishing industry from your hip new web site, how about providing potential clients (one might have been this grumpy old writer chick) some actual information? That's not too much to ask, is it?