Kassandra Lamb's Blog, page 45

Early Bird/Night Owl–which are you?

by Kassandra Lamb

My husband has been sleep deprived lately. He teaches part-time and this semester he ended up with an 8:30 class. This is problematic because he is a night person.

photo by Dominic Schulz, CC-BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

I’m even more of a night owl. His normal bedtime is 12:30 a.m. Mine is 1 to 2 a.m.

“Well, why doesn’t he just go to bed earlier?” the morning people are asking themselves about now.

It’s not that easy. What people often don’t get is that being an early bird...

There Is a Season For All Things

With spring finally here, after a particularly brutal winter in a good part of the United States, we decided to reflect a bit about the seasons. So we asked our authors this question:

What is your favorite season and why?

Several of them waxed quite poetic with their answers.

Shannon:

The seasons pull my soul along as surely as the moon affects the tides. Right now we’re heading into spring. Spring births restlessness. The kind that makes me want to plant herbs and fairy gardens, clear out cl...

The Best Way to Resolve Conflict

by Kassandra Lamb

A couple weeks ago, I posted about how to handle bullies, those who promote conflict for its own sake to make themselves feel better about themselves.

But what about more everyday conflicts? What’s the best way to handle all those times when we find ourselves locking horns with someone who has no more desire to fight than we do?

I saw this approach to handling conflict in a video in graduate school many (many, many) years ago. It’s stuck with me ever since. I, in turn, taugh...

It’s in the Aether

by Kirsten Weiss

In the wacky world of Victorian science fiction, aka steampunk, machines are typically powered by steam. But the fictional Victorians discovered an alternate power source: aether.

Because seriously, powering a ray gun with steam is just ridiculous.

But what exactly is aether? It depends on who you ask.

~ Ask an ancient philosopher, and he’ll tell you the matter of the universe is divided into four elements (much like this post): earth, wind, air and fire. Everything in creat...

8 Ways For an Introvert to Enjoy a Convention

by Vinnie Hansen

As authors, we often attend conventions. Probably you have done so as well in the course of your career.

After several Left Coast Crime Conventions and one Killer Nashville Convention, as a painful introvert, I finally have the hang of how to enjoy these events. This is the wisdom I’ve gleaned:

The Willamette River in Portland, Oregon

1. See the venue. On my trip to Nashville, exhausted as I was, I caught a hotel shuttle to the downtown strip at night and walked place to plac...

BULLIES

by Kassandra Lamb

Bullies have been on my mind lately for two reasons. One, they play a role in both of the stories I’ve been working on lately, one of which is releasing today (more on that in a moment).

Two, a friend of mine has been dealing with one lately–a forty-something adolescent who thinks it’s okay to disturb the peace in the neighborhood and harass those neighbors who object to his behavior.

Wikibully (public domain, Wikimedia Commons)

What motivates bullies?

I’ve wondered about th...

4 Signs that it’s St. Pat’s Day and not the Zombie Apocalypse

by K.B. Owen

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone! In honor of the holiday, here are:

4 Signs that it’s St. Patrick’s Day and NOT the Zombie Apocalypse:

1. Things are green that shouldn’t be.

Green beer, green bagels…even green water in the White House fountain:

Image taken 17 March 2011, via whitehouse.gov (CC).I’m thinking the zombie apocalypse will bered…

2. Kilts. Ever seen a zombie wearing one, in anymovie or t.v. show? Me neither.

But…David Tennant knows how to rock a kilt:

David Tennant...

Know No Evil, Write No Evil?

by Kassandra Lamb

Caesar! Beware the Ides of March! (photo by Mharrsch CC-BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons)

The Ides of March approaches and this seemed a good time to write this post. It’s been percolating for a while, ever since another misterio press author asked this question: Do we have to know evil personally in order to write about evil?

You see, we’re all very nice ladies here at mister- io. Many of us are mothers; I’m a grandmother. And yet we all write about some pretty nasty people–bullie...

5 Tips for Surviving this Looong Winter

by Kassandra Lamb

If you live in the continental U.S. you are probably as sick of winter as I am by now. As we count the days until spring, I thought I’d share some of my favorite ways to keep my body warm and my spirits high when it’s cold and dreary outside.

My alluring evening ensemble: black fleece sweat pants, silk long johns, hot pink fuzzy socks, LL Bean slippers.

Silk long underwear:

I love my silk long johns! They keep my legs toasty under slacks without being bulky. Really important if...

Forgiving My Body — #BOAW2015

by Kassandra Lamb

This post is part of The Beauty of a Woman Blog Fest, sponsored by the marvelous August McLaughlin. After you read this, hop on over to her site for some other great BOAW2015 posts–some that are funny, some that are serious, some that are some of both. And there are prizes! Woot!!

logo by Renée A. Schuls-Jacobson

Why is it that we so often fail to appreciate what we have until we lose it?

Unlike way too many women in our society, I have always had a fairly decent body image. I k...