Maia Sepp's Blog, page 2

Because, Science!

Who doesn't love science that involves clocks powered by potatoes? Nobody, that's who! An episode of the Big Bang Theory even had an episode featuring Professor Proton (the always fabulous Bob Newhart) and a potato clock.




While writing my latest book, a prequel to An Etiquette Guide to the End Times, my main character (spoiler!) finds herself with an abundance of rutabagas. I was noodling about what to have her do with them, when it occurred to me: Rutabaga clock! My better half was skeptical if it would work or not, so the only thing to do, obvs, was to buy a potato clock kit and test it out. The rest is nerdy history, folks:


My latest, featuring a potential collapse of the Greenland ice sheet, an overbearing home automation system, and rutabagas, will be out in March.

ETA: Rudy the rutabaga clock is still going strong - and has now sprouted hair:

Kobo Has An Awesome 35% off Sale Right Now

Check it out at: http://www.kobo.com/get35. My latest, An Etiquette Guide to the End Times is included in this sale, so if you don't have a copy yet, now is a great time to pick one up. In related news, the Etiquette Guide is currently hanging out in the Kobo Top 50. Woo!

Hunting For Poison by M. Elaine Shirley

Looking for a great mystery read? One of my all-time favourites is "Hunting For Poison," by M. Elaine Shirley. It's free to download from Kobo (and without DRM, so you can read it on any device). It's an awesome read, so please pick up a copy! You won't be sorry.



When private investigator Lainey Hunter finds casino entrepreneur Thomas King dead in her office, his pants around his ankles,all signs point to Lainey as the murderer. With a vindictive detective and a bounty hunter looking for revenge, can Lainey save herself by finding the killer, or will her drinking undo her?




Elaine Shirley (1964-2009) was a Canadian writer with a sharp mind and sharper wit. She was exactly the type of friend who you could call at 4 a.m. to help you move a body - in fact, she would have been thrilled to do it. Today would have been her 50th birthday. She is missed.

The Sock Wars Hits #15 on Barnes & Noble

Woo!

Last Weekend of the Summer

My better half and I spend most weekends on our little sailboat in the summer. Normally we can't stay there after Labour Day - it's just too cold. But we snuck in a final night on the boat this weekend because of the freakishly warm weather we're having (fancy a book with a world torn apart(ish) by global warming, anyone?)

John snapped an awesome pic of the last sunset of the summer on his new iPhone6. Purty!

This is Where I Leave You

If you haven't read this book, DO IIIIIIIIIIIT! This is Where I Leave You is a hilarious look at a quirky family who comes together to sit shiva for their grouchy-but-still-lovable patriarch. The book is smart, with razor-sharp wit, and a good dose of dysfunction. It is an absolute must read, and the movie is out soon too.

I had a pretty good weekend and Kobo, and I was tickled to see I'm sitting in the top 10 on the humour bestseller list...not so far from This is Where I Leave You. #YAY.

Oh, Martha

Martha Stewart caused a bit of a flap earlier this month with her tweet about drones taking pictures of her property:


The tweet immediately sparked a whole ton of re-tweeting and favoriting (not a word) and so on, and apparently, comments about the drone crashed her server. (Ha! I used to be a sysadmin, so I can say that.)

She then followed up with:
 
And by God, folks, that's the first time anyone ever has referred to a drone as fabulous. I'm surprised she didn't wrap it in doilies and name it Binky. Which would be awesome.

I talk a bit about drones in my last book, An Etiquette Guide to the End Times, and my latest novel, the second in the series, opens with a semi-terrifying-but-slightly-humorous drone delivery in my main character's front yard. For those of you who haven't seen Amazon's latest attempt to take over the world fictionalized example of how drone delivery would work, they have posted a copy to Youtube and it's fascinating. Enjoy!

Goodreads Giveaway - An Etiquette Guide to the End Times

Hi Everyone! I'm currently running a giveaway for my latest book - An Etiquette Guide to the End Times - so mosey on over to Goodreads and take a look, or enter here:


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Giveaway ends July 25, 2014.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Migraine & Headache Awareness Month #2 - X-Men (Or in my case, X-man)

It's been a not awesome month for me this June; unfortunately I have really been feeling unwell, and I'm incredibly behind on everything. But June is actually Migraine & Headache Awareness Month, and tons of spunky and interesting Migraine peeps have been blogging, tweeting, and otherwise giving cyberspace a heads up about different aspects of the migraine experience this June. You can swing by www.fightingheadachedisorders.com to see the roundup of all this hard work.

So - better late than never - the prompt I'm doing is #2: X-Men. Migraine & Headache Disorders Super Heroes: Who in your life goes above the call of duty and how?

My migraine superhero is, without a doubt, my better half, John. (People sometimes ask me why I refer to him as my better half instead of my husband, and the answer is simple: we never got around to making that long trek down the aisle together.) We are hitched via common law, however, and this past May 5th, we passed twelve years of being together, and ten years of being common-law-married/living-in-sin.

So, why is he my migraine superhero? So many reasons: John has brought me so many icepacks we should take out stock in a polymer gel company, has explored foreign countries by himself because I was in bed, and gone on ski trips where I couldn't actually ski, and done a ton of the heavy lifting in our relationship, all without complaining. John has gone so far above and beyond the "sickness and health" part of marriage that he should get some sort of trophy. (Preferably something bright and sparkly. Like disco ball. One that rains glitter and makes a lot of noise.) It's not everyone who'd be willing to adopt "we get there eventually" as a family motto, but John has done exactly this, without a word of complaint. Like, ever. On top of that, John has the best possible sense of humour, is generous, resourceful, and happy to spend most of our life sitting in the dark - literally, since most lights bother my eyes, and is loving, kind, and has the best heart I've ever seen.

He is my migraine super hero, and I could not possibly be luckier.

(I photograph like a walrus so there are almost no pics of me that I like, but even though they're *super* old I just happen to love these ones of us together. And no, I can't explain how my hair ended up on top of his head. I think it's fair to assume there was some drinking involved.)


Ma armastan sind, babe.




My second novel, The Migraine Mafia, is the story of a nerdy thirty-something's quest to come to terms with a chronic illness - and was inspired by how John and I have navigated life together (although all the bad parts are made up :)). It is available online everywhere.

Kindle Fire Giveaway, y'all!

Enter to win 1 of 2 great prizes. Winner’s choice of a Kindle Fire HDX or $229 Amazon Gift Card or $229 Paypal Cash! The first prize is available via the rafflecopter below. The 2nd is available only to bloggers who post about this giveaway. You can find info on how to enter the 2nd giveaway in the rafflecopter.

   
Win a Kindle Fire HDX, Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash ($229 value)
All New Kindle Fire HDX 7" GiveawayThe winner will have the option of receiving a 7" Kindle Fire HDX (US Only - $229 Value)
  Or $229 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)
  Or $229 in Paypal Cash (International)
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Giveaway Details 1 winner will receive their choice of an all new Kindle Fire 7" HDX (US Only - $229 value), $229 Amazon Gift Card or $229 in Paypal Cash (International). There is a second separate giveaway for bloggers who post this giveaway on their blog. See details in the rafflecopter on how to enter to win the 2nd Kindle Fire HDX 7", $229 Amazon Gift Card or $229 in Paypal Cash. Ends 7/15/14 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the participating authors & bloggers. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway