Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 111

Of Continued Repair Work, Buckets, And The Weather

The repair saga in the downstairs hallway of our building continues. I think they may have found and stopped the leak issue now, but I'm not entirely certain - and am not holding my breath, given past experiences with them supposedly having fixed the issue - but they've started redecorating the hallways again, so they obviously think they've sorted it. I wonder if they really have fixed it, or if it's just because we've had so much nice weather? Only time will tell. I hope it's fixed, because then the scaffolding can go away.

Still nothing on them sorting the issues with the windows though. I hope the landlords are able to get those sorted before Winter comes, especially the one in the computer room that doesn't close properly any more. If not, we're in for a chilly Winter (especially if Winter is as stormy or cold as it has been the past couple of years). I'd planned to give the landlords a nudge to remind them about the windows when they came to pick up last month's rent, but they beat me to the punch, asked if we'd had any progress with people showing up to do that yet, and - when we said we hadn't - said they'd give the people who are meant to be sorting that a nudge. So, at least they are trying to get the window issue sorted, and they obviously haven't forgotten about it.

I brought a new bucket for my mop. Again. The one I had before had only been brought at the end of last year, but given the state it was in from being down in the hallway to help with the leak, we decided to just buy another one. Our old one is still down in the hallway. The only good thing is, I got a red bucket out of it. That doesn't stop me being a little annoyed that we had to go buy a new bucket in the first place, but it does help a little, since the only thing better than a red bucket would have been a purple one. Purple household items are often tough to find though. I remember finding the odd purple item when I was setting up my first place. Ended up with a rainbow coloured kitchen, because I couldn't get a whole set of anything in purple, didn't want to not have anything purple when there were some purple options, and it bothered my Mam. She wanted everything to match, and said it looked wrong for some stuff to be one colour and the rest another. We met in the middle, so to speak, and I made sure everything was a different colour. She wasn't entirely happy, but she did agree that the fact nothing matched made it work in a strange sort of way. I think it still bothers her that I show little concern for whether things match properly, but never mind.

Our weather's mostly been nice, though we've had a few days that have been too hot for my liking, and a few small storms or drizzly days. Our storms aren't really worth mentioning compared to the ones some places are getting though. I have friends who have been dealing with the hurricanes in the past couple of weeks, or friends with family or friends of their own in those areas. Even if I didn't though, I'd still be sad at the devestation the storms are causing. I like storms, but I don't like the damage they cause. It makes me sad to think of the lives torn apart by the devestation the weather has caused in some places.

#KidLit #Author - Melody Bremen

Room 42

Only four months left, then Dave Martinez is a free man.

Dave is an eighth-grader at Lakeville Boarding School, the school for boys with unexplored potential (aka losers). If he can control his impulse to steal, he can return home and attend regular public school. If he doesn’t, he will be sent to Birmingham High, the worst high school on the planet, and his life will be doomed forever. For just a few more months, he needs to stay out of trouble and keep a low profile. And he’s pretty good at that.

Then Dave gets a new roommate, Tom Grant. Tom is allergic to boring and doesn’t know how to listen to rules. His wild plans involve all of his roommates, especially Dave. They’re dragged along with Tom as he hunts animals (and teachers in pajamas), goes sledding on cafeteria trays, and drives bulldozers through the night. Dave’s chances of keeping a low profile are going down the drain.

Buy your copy today on Amazon UK or Amazon US.

***~~~***

The Boy Who Painted the World

Indigo is a boy with a dream.He spends his mornings in a refrigerator box, his afternoons shoveling snow, and his nights in the basement of a homeless shelter. But during every free moment, he draws and dreams of becoming a famous artist.

His best friend Jade looks after him, but she is arrested for shoplifting and he’s left all alone. With his box of pencils under his arm, he sets out on a quest to search for Jade and discovers a whole new world… full of the art he loves.

His journey brings him friendship, family, and the courage to hold onto his dreams.

Buy your copy today on Amazon UK or Amazon US

***~~~***

About the author
Melody J. Bremen writes books for middle grade and young adult readers. She lives on a distant planet where all they do is write and read books. (Sometimes they eat jelly beans.) She has a faithful computer named Oswald.

Website: http://www.melodyjbremen.com
Goodreads profile: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8649697.Melody_J_Bremen
Pinterest profile: https://www.pinterest.com/melody_bremen/

#Furkid Friday: New #Chinchilla #Photos (FD)

Hi everyone. This is Maizie the chinchilla.

I have a couple of new photos of me and my chinchilla sister, Mollie, to show you.

These first two are both photos of us in our cage. Well, actually, all the photos in today's post are of us in our cage, but these first two are of us just sort of sitting around in our cage. One of us is in our log house, the other is on top of it. The human caretakers were trying to get a photo of us with our hay ball again, but we moved away from it the moment we saw them coming with the flashy thing, and these photos are all we'd let them take that day.


However, a couple of weeks later, I took pitty on the human caretakers and let them get this next photo:


It's of me near the hay ball. I wouldn't let them get a photo of me actually grabbing some hay to nibble on, but they were trying so hard I figured they deserved something for their efforts. Besides, the Mummy human had just refilled the hay ball, and I was so eager to go to it that I was slow to notice the flashy thing was pointing at me. Yes, I'd had my dinner nibbles not long before, but I do love my hay, and thing this ball thing they now put it in is great!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the photos.

Squeak soon,
Maizie

#Writing Wednesday - September 6th 2017

I wonder if many people will realize that today is both Fight Procrastination Day and Read A Book Day? Seems funny to me to have both days on the same day. I suppose, if the thing you've been putting off is catching up on your reading, it works well. Otherwise you'll have to just celebrate one or the other, I suppose.

Anyway...

Some people say it's essential for a writer to write every day. I'm not sure that's really true. It's a good thing - and something I generally try to do, even if I don't always manage it or my writing focusses on the writing of promotional posts and blog content - but not essential. I think it's one of those rules where it's different for everyone, and that's just fine. Having said that, here's one argument for writing every day.

Regardless of how often you were writing during the process, are you done writing your first draft? If so, are you ready to start revisions? Then check out this post that discusses how to edit a first draft. You may also like to read this post about the six most common writing mistakes that are missed when editing.

Next, here are some tips you might find useful while writing the middle (muddle) of your novel.

No matter what stage your writing is at though, you might like to take a look at these tips on what to avoid and where to focus when it comes to your characters. Also, here are some figures of speech to colour your characters.

Need to have someone else handle something in place of your heroes? This post will give you some advice on handling the "meanwhile" volume if you're writing a series. The advice could apply in a stand alone story as well.

Next, here are ten great ten minute fixes to ten common plot problems.

Oh, and here are some ways to practice descriptive writing and ways to get inspiration, for those days when the words don't flow so well. Also, this post contains a simple solution for when your story hits the wall (strong language is used at least once during that last post).

On the other hand, as mentioned in this post on writers' block and depression, sometimes you do actually need to just go with it and take some time out to relax and recharge. In other words: Use caution when pushing past writers' block, and remember to consider both your physical and mental health.

Finally, take a look at these seven reasons to smile when your book is not a bestseller.

Alexis-Hope, Lilie, and Jayde Bramblerose

My Mam got a new puppy. That's her in the above photo, tucked up with her teddy and a blanket. She's a white Labrador x Retriever (her Mother is a Chocolate Labrador, her Father is a Golden Retriever). The puppy's name is Alexis-Hope, but she mostly gets called "Alexis" or "Lexi" (depending on who it is speaking to or about her). She was six weeks old in the photo; the photo was taken before Mam brought her home. Lexi's now a little over nine weeks old, so Mam hasn't had her long. I don't have any photos of her that are more recent than that. Actually, that's the only photo I have of her. I know Mam has others, but she loves this photo, hence the above photo being the one Mam sent me when I asked for a photo of Lexi to put in this post. Anyway, I haven't met Lexi yet, but am meant to be getting a visit from Mam and Lexi in a couple of months time (they're meant to be coming for a visit at the start of November).

Lilie is scheduled to be spayed this month. She's booked in for September 20th 2017. She won't quite be six months old when that date rolls around, but she'll be close enough that the vet is happy to spay her. I want to get her spayed as soon as she's old enough so as to avoid any potential accidents, if you know what I mean. Plus, this way she'll have time to heal thoroughly from the surgery before Mam and Lexi come for their visit.

While we're on the subject of dogs: Yesterday (September 3rd) was the 12th birthday of my Grandma's Yorkshire Terrier, Jayde Bramblerose. Jayde spent some time at the vet recently having teeth pulled, and was very unwell afterwards, so we're all rather relieved she made it to her 12th birthday. She seems to be doing better now though, so that's good. Anyway, belated happy birthday to you, Jayde!

Tori's August 2017 #Book #Reviews (LBE)

It's time to take a look at what I read in August.

As with the previous posts like this one, if you want to know more about the book, or the author, click on whichever it is you want to learn more about, and it will take you to the appropriate page on Goodreads. Clicking on my rating should take you to my actual Goodreads review for the book in question.

Don't forget: the format I've reviewed may not be the format I read. Also, please remember that I read across multiple genres and age ranges, so you should always check if a book is suitable for the intended reader, especially when children are involved. Sometimes reading the book's description on its Goodreads page will be enough for this, but other times you may need to check elsewhere to figure out the genre and/or recommended reading level.

OK... On to the reviews!

Deathmarked by David Estes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I usually hate when books have cliffhanger endings, but this book is such an awesome read I find I can forgive the author for leaving me hanging like this. The worldbuilding is amazing, the plot is an action-packed rollercoaster, and a fantastic cast of characters rounds off the whole thing perfectly.

The Boy Who Painted the World by Melody J. Bremen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a beautifully written and touching story, which I highly recommend. Indigo is a wonderful character, and his story will capture your attention - not to mention, your heart - from the start.
*NOTE: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for a review. This fact has in no way influenced either my opinion of the book or the contents of this review.

The Runaway Schoolhouse by Maria Matthews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
An imaginative and entertaining story.

Tales of Erana: Just One Mistake by A.L. Butcher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is an enjoyable addition to the series. It contains an interesting cast of characters, as well as some very detailed World building and descriptions.

Ichabod Brooks & the City of Beasts by Charles E. Yallowitz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Ichabod is an excellent character, and his story is entertaining and told well.

The Life & Times of Ichabod Brooks by Charles E. Yallowitz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a well-written collection of stories, which I found to be both creative and entertaining. I love the character of Ichabod, and found joining him on more of his adventures to be an enjoyable experience.

Prodigy of Rainbow Tower by Charles E. Yallowitz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a well-written book, which has an interesting and exciting plot, as well as a fantastic cast of fun and well-rounded characters. It grabs your attention from the start, and holds it until the very last word, entertaining you while taking you on an amazing adventure.

Allure of the Gypsies by Charles E. Yallowitz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
An excellent addition to the series, with a plot that will keep you guessing while sending you on an emotional rollercoaster ride.

Family of the Tri-Rune by Charles E. Yallowitz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Another excellent addition to the series; I'm enjoying the adventure, and love how well the characters and their relationships with one another evolve as the series progresses.

The Compass Key by Charles E. Yallowitz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Another excellent addition to the series, with a wonderful and well-rounded cast of characters, and a fantastic action-packed plot.

Curse of the Dark Wind by Charles E. Yallowitz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a well-written story, with an action-packed plot that's full of surprises, and an excellent cast of characters. It's a great addition to the series, as well as being an enjoyable read in its own right.

Sleeper of the Wildwood Fugue by Charles E. Yallowitz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is another well-written and action-packed addition to the series. I love the exciting plot with its surprises and emotional rollercoaster rides, think the descriptions and worldbuilding are excellent, and enjoy getting to know the interesting characters and seeing their relationships grow and evolve. I especially enjoyed the creativity of the way the secret door was revealed, and the encounter with the dragon. I won't say more than that, because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone who hasn't read this book yet.

The Merchant of Nevra Coil by Charles E. Yallowitz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved this book! The plot is creative and fun, and grabs and holds your attention from the first page to the last. An excellent addition to the series.

#Furkid Friday: "Joshua Started It; The Human Caretakers Finished It!" (FD)

Hi everyone. This is Mollie the chinchilla.

So... The little white Lilie dog started paying a bit more attention to us.

This is probably because of my degu brother, Joshua. He decided it would be fun to throw things - poop mainly, but also bits of hay and nibbles sometimes too - through his cage bars at the Lilie dog. Why he'd want to waste hay and other nibbles in this way is a mystery to me, but whatever! At least he has the sense not to waste cereal like this.

Anyway, at first the Lilie dog just ignored Joshua, and then she decided he was trying to play with her, so she started barking at him. It doesn't bother him though. He just gives her his best, "I'm up here, you're down there... What are you going to do about it?" look. Then, when he gets bored, just turns his back on her and pretends she doesn't exist. He's really good at it too. Pretending she doesn't exist, I mean.

Of course, because Joshua was doing that, the Lilie dog came to ask Maizie and me to play with her too. She doesn't seem to understand that we chinchillas are not interested. We don't want to play with a dog - not even a really small one like she is - and don't really like it when she barks at us.

Luckily for us, the human caretakers seem to understand that we don't like it. They use angry words to her when she comes and barks at us, and - if she doesn't stop when they use the angry words - they give something called "time out" to her. To tell you the truth, I'm not too sure what a "time out" is, but it seems to involve them taking her out of the room we're in for a while, and closing the gate - which is kept closed when the human caretakers aren't able to watch her anyhow, so she can't be in with us by herself. By the time she comes back in the room after this time out thing, she's completely forgotten she was trying to play with us, so goes to play with her toys or something, leaving us in peace.

I have to admit, we kind of like when that happens, especially since the Mummy human always comes to see us while the Lilie dog is having the time out thing. We get petted, the chance for some cuddle time - if we want it - and sometimes even an extra nibble. Like I said, we like when that happens. But it's her having the time out thing we like, not the bit that comes before it. That part is way too noisy!

Despite the fact we get extra attention because of it, we do wish she'd stop yelling at us to come play with her, and are glad the human caretakers appear to understand that we feel that way, and seem to be trying to make her stop it. She is getting better at listening when the human caretakers use the angry words to her to make her stop - especially if it's the Daddy human using those words, since she seems to listen to him best - so I guess that's a good sign. It would be even better if she didn't do it to start with though.

The other thing the human caretakers did was to move things around so she can't reach us. You see, our pen was between our cage and the Mummy human's favourite chair, and the Lilie dog figured out that she could climb on the chair, run across the top of the pen, and be at the same level as us that way. So she'd do that and then bark at us. We really hated it. So the human caretakers moved things around so the Lilie dog doesn't have any way to get on top of our pen any more, and now she can't reach us. She still tries to get away with barking at us from time to time, but we feel a bit safer how things are now, so it's easier to ignore her.

Still... I love my degu brother, Joshua. But I really wish he hadn't started her doing this. Boys!

Squeak soon,
Mollie

#Writing Wednesday - August 30th 2017

My pirate themed adventure story is glaring at me with such intensity that I can see the accusation in the stare even without sight. Mind you, just the fact something without physical substance, let alone eyes, is able to glare is impressive in itself. Regardless, I see the accusation in the stare, and hear the claims of neglect. I’m trying to offer it reassurances that it’s not being neglected, and it will get the attention it deserves soon. I don’t think I’m doing a very good job of convincing it though, since I’ve done very little with it over the past couple of months.

What I have done though is to get the various guest posts, character interviews, and other promotional posts - including those for my own blog - for the blog tours I'm doing for promotion of each of my five series, as close to being ready to go live as I can without the purchase links for the audio editions of the books. I also need some stuff from the narrators to go in most of them, but my part of writing them is done. All I need to work on now is a couple of character interviews that are being done slightly differently so require me to wait for someone else, and gathering the audiobook purchase links as they become available so I can add them to the posts. Oh, and there's getting the stuff from the rest of the narrators and adding those to the posts too.

I've also been working on the production notes ready for doing the audio editions of the rest of my backlist of books, including my poetry books, and gathering all the eBook and paperback purchase links together for them all (since I plan to include those in the posts, along with the audiobook links, as I'm doing with the posts for the series books). All of the audiobook production notes are ready now; I finished sorting those out over the weekend. So I'll be able to start setting them up for production when I'm ready to. I'm obviously not about to set them all up at once, but I wanted the notes and lists of links ready now so there's a little less work to do when I'm setting them up. While I wait to set those projects up, I can think about how I'm going to approach promotion for those titles without making people sick of hearing my name. I'm considering just doing basic announcements on my own blog for those, so as to not take advantage of those people helping with promotion so much that everyone gets sick of me. Maybe I'll just post for each on my blog, and then do some kind of post to say all my stuff is now in audio afterwards? Mind you, maybe people will get the hint that I'm making my backlist available in audio with the five sets of posts already going up? Anyone out there have any thoughts on the matter? Input would be very much appreciated.

Either way, now those tasks are all done, it frees up a bit more time for me to give that story the attention it's demanding. I can work on it while waiting for audio samples to listen to, audiobook links becoming available, etc. I think my plan of having it completely ready to be published before the end of the year isn't going to happen though. I mean, I could get it done, but I feel like it's a long way from being finished, and I don't want to rush it. Maybe that's a good thing though, since it gives me time to catch up on audiobook production before having a brand new book to announce. Actually, I might hold off on publishing it until next year even if it is ready before then, just so I can focus on promoting the old titles as they become available as audiobooks. Besides, it would probably get lost among the announcements of audio versions of older titles otherwise.

Anyway, if you're a writer too - and regardless of what stage your own writing is at - here's a great article on how to survive and thrive in the writer's discomfort zone.

Finally, check out this excellent post on how to write a book.

August 2017 #TV Talk And #Movie Mutterings

It's time to take a look at what I've been watching over the past couple of months. Not that there's much to say, but still...

As with the previous posts like this one, just click on the titles to go to a page where you can find out more details about the movie or TV show in question; the title links will usually take you to a page on IMDB.

Don't forget: I watch things across multiple genres, as well as for different age ranges, so you should always check before viewing to make certain something is suitable for the intended audience, especially when children are involved. IMDB will usually provide this information for you, but you'll have to look elsewhere if you can't find it on the page I link to.

OK... On to the reviews!

Beauty and the Beast (2017 movie):
I absolutely loved this movie! I know some people didn't feel Emma Watson was a suitable Belle, since she doesn't have the figure for how they think the character should look (not naming names on that one, but that's what someone said to me). Personally, however, I thought she made a great Belle. Also, I had no idea she could sing like that... WOW! The rest of the cast worked for me too, and I enjoyed the little plot changes they did to make it different from the animated version I remember watching dozens of times growing up. I also happen to know that my Mam - who has always loved the Beauty and the Beast story - absolutely loved this movie too. I'm quite certain she agrees with me when I say it was AMAZING! I give this movie a well deserved five out of five stars.

Teen Titans: The Judas Contract ( 2017 movie):
I wasn't as impressed with this movie as I expected to be. Kelly picked it up because we'd enjoyed the 2003 Teen Titans TV series, so he thought it would be a good one for us to watch together. We were both a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it had its moments where it was fun and entertaining and all that, but it also had moments where it dragged so that we wondered why they didn't just make it in to an episode for the new version of the TV series (which I haven't seen yet). Quite frankly, the latter was more common, and we spent a lot of the movie wondering how long was left. Sorry, but I only give this movie three out of five stars.

Band On The Seafront - July 2017

On the evening of July 25th 2017, we heard the marching band that usually signals an approaching parade drawing near. There didn't really seem to be any kind of parade with them, and they just stayed outside on the street not far from our building playing for a while. I didn't know why then, and I still don't know why now. But we got photos of them while they were there, so I figured I'd go ahead and post them. So, here they are... Enjoy!