Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 125
January 25, 2017
#Writing Wednesday - January 25th 2017
If you're an author, or even if you aren't, but are promoting the books of one, when you post any links to Amazon on your blog or social media sites, please try to make sure you're cleaning up your Amazon links.
Speaking of promotion - in particular authors promoting authors - fantasy author, Alex Butcher, has some new promotional opportunities available, which you may want to check out. Some are free, some cost, all are excellent opportunities for marketing/promotion.
Oh, and, by the way, if you're an author who spends time on social media, you should probably read these five mistakes authors make on social media, and avoid making them yourself. I'm pretty sure I don't do those things... Well, some of them I know for sure I don't do, and others I try not to do, and hope I succeed in avoiding doing them...
But... Anyway...
Why does your protagonist matter? Find out by reading the post I just linked to. Don't forget though... Antagonists are people too! Also, regardless of whether we're talking about your protagonist, your antagonist, or one of the supporting characters, if you need to get to know your characters more, you should check out the ultimate character questionaire, and have them reveal all to you as the questions are answered, so you can improve the reading experience of your fans by adding in some extra details to make your characters feel like real people. Oh, and don't forget your minor characters.
Speaking of all those extra details... Are you an underwriter who needs to flesh out your story? If so, here are the perils of being an underwriter, with some tips on how to expand on your story.
No matter what kind of writer you are though, here's a great post from one of the STORYSTORM gang on titlestorming... Just in case you could use some help coming up with a title for your work in progress.
Hey, are you bookclub ready? If so, great! If not, the post I just linked to contains some ideas for if you want to change that. Also, if you aren't, don't feel bad... I don't have bookclub questions/study guides for any of my books yet either. I may consider changing that at some point, but we'll see. In the meantime, any bookclubs out there can feel free to use this list of generic questions as prompts to discuss any of my books.
By the way, if you made some writing goals at the start of the year, and are already struggling to keep them, you may want to take a look at these tips to help you keep your writing resolutions, and these tips for tackling a new year of challenges
. Also, though I don't want to discourage you, please bear in mind the sweat and tears in writing... It takes work to turn a story idea in to a book fit to be read by others, so be prepared for that if you plan on writing a book.
Finally, if you want to write great fiction, stop using the "logical" side of your brain.
Speaking of promotion - in particular authors promoting authors - fantasy author, Alex Butcher, has some new promotional opportunities available, which you may want to check out. Some are free, some cost, all are excellent opportunities for marketing/promotion.
Oh, and, by the way, if you're an author who spends time on social media, you should probably read these five mistakes authors make on social media, and avoid making them yourself. I'm pretty sure I don't do those things... Well, some of them I know for sure I don't do, and others I try not to do, and hope I succeed in avoiding doing them...
But... Anyway...
Why does your protagonist matter? Find out by reading the post I just linked to. Don't forget though... Antagonists are people too! Also, regardless of whether we're talking about your protagonist, your antagonist, or one of the supporting characters, if you need to get to know your characters more, you should check out the ultimate character questionaire, and have them reveal all to you as the questions are answered, so you can improve the reading experience of your fans by adding in some extra details to make your characters feel like real people. Oh, and don't forget your minor characters.
Speaking of all those extra details... Are you an underwriter who needs to flesh out your story? If so, here are the perils of being an underwriter, with some tips on how to expand on your story.
No matter what kind of writer you are though, here's a great post from one of the STORYSTORM gang on titlestorming... Just in case you could use some help coming up with a title for your work in progress.
Hey, are you bookclub ready? If so, great! If not, the post I just linked to contains some ideas for if you want to change that. Also, if you aren't, don't feel bad... I don't have bookclub questions/study guides for any of my books yet either. I may consider changing that at some point, but we'll see. In the meantime, any bookclubs out there can feel free to use this list of generic questions as prompts to discuss any of my books.
By the way, if you made some writing goals at the start of the year, and are already struggling to keep them, you may want to take a look at these tips to help you keep your writing resolutions, and these tips for tackling a new year of challenges
. Also, though I don't want to discourage you, please bear in mind the sweat and tears in writing... It takes work to turn a story idea in to a book fit to be read by others, so be prepared for that if you plan on writing a book.
Finally, if you want to write great fiction, stop using the "logical" side of your brain.
January 23, 2017
Of January 2017 #Snow And #Birthday Wishes
We got snow!
(Above photo taken from our living room window on the evening of January 12th 2017, when we realized the weather reports were actually right - for a change - and it was trying to snow ).
OK, it wasn't much, but it was snow, and that's what counts.
There was enough so I could go down and catch some snowflakes, which Kelly managed to figure out my phone's camera enough - with a little help from me talking him through it - to snap a photo of...
So, anyway, I was really happy, because catching snowflakes is fun!
There was a bit more snow than you see in the above photos that evening. But we forgot how to work the flash on our regular camera (again) so it only showed darkness when we tried taking photos with it, we haven't got a new camera yet, and the couple of shots above were enough to kill what power was in my iPhone, since TapTapSee and Voiceover combined being on really eats up the battery power quickly (and the battery isn't great any more in general). So you don't get to see the evidence of that, I'm afraid. We really need to get that new camera... *Sigh*
But.. Anyway... YAY for snow!
It snowed a little more the following day. Not much, but enough to say it really was doing so. I didn't get photos though, because I was too busy catching snowflakes, and Kelly was sleeping.
OK, to most of you what we had would be considered a light dusting. I mean, there was only like an inch or so on the 12th, and there wasn't much more added to it on the 13th... Maybe half an inch? Plus, the days before had been all over the place weatherwise, so conditions weren't right for it to stick properly, and it was gone pretty quickly, especially in my immediate area (where the rough ocean and strong wind were combining to scatter salty sea spray over the area, melting the snow before it could come to much). But it snowed!
***
A couple of my online friends celebrated their birthdays around the new year. Those friends are Chris and Sarah, who celebrated their birthdays on December 31st and January 1st respectively.
Also, my Auntie Lizzie celebrated her birthday on January 6th, an online friend named Kevin celebrated his birthday on the same day, my Nan (Dad's Mother) celebrated her birthday on January 8th, and another online friend, Kati, celebrated her birthday yesterday (January 22nd).
So, belated happy birthday wishes go out to Chris, Sarah, Auntie Lizzie, Kevin, Nan, and Kati!
I know there are others, so...
If you celebrated your birthday recently too, or are about to do so, then I'd also like to wish you a very happy birthday. I hope it is - or was - a wonderful one, filled with all your favourite people, and all the good things you deserve.
(Above photo taken from our living room window on the evening of January 12th 2017, when we realized the weather reports were actually right - for a change - and it was trying to snow ).
OK, it wasn't much, but it was snow, and that's what counts.
There was enough so I could go down and catch some snowflakes, which Kelly managed to figure out my phone's camera enough - with a little help from me talking him through it - to snap a photo of...
Catching Snowflakes
Hand held out to catch the snow,
While a bitter wind doth blow,
Making falling snowflakes swirl;
See them dance, and spin, and twirl!
There, for just a moment, in your hand,
The most delicate thing in all the land.
© 2017 ~ Victoria Zigler
So, anyway, I was really happy, because catching snowflakes is fun!
There was a bit more snow than you see in the above photos that evening. But we forgot how to work the flash on our regular camera (again) so it only showed darkness when we tried taking photos with it, we haven't got a new camera yet, and the couple of shots above were enough to kill what power was in my iPhone, since TapTapSee and Voiceover combined being on really eats up the battery power quickly (and the battery isn't great any more in general). So you don't get to see the evidence of that, I'm afraid. We really need to get that new camera... *Sigh*
But.. Anyway... YAY for snow!
It snowed a little more the following day. Not much, but enough to say it really was doing so. I didn't get photos though, because I was too busy catching snowflakes, and Kelly was sleeping.
OK, to most of you what we had would be considered a light dusting. I mean, there was only like an inch or so on the 12th, and there wasn't much more added to it on the 13th... Maybe half an inch? Plus, the days before had been all over the place weatherwise, so conditions weren't right for it to stick properly, and it was gone pretty quickly, especially in my immediate area (where the rough ocean and strong wind were combining to scatter salty sea spray over the area, melting the snow before it could come to much). But it snowed!
***
A couple of my online friends celebrated their birthdays around the new year. Those friends are Chris and Sarah, who celebrated their birthdays on December 31st and January 1st respectively.
Also, my Auntie Lizzie celebrated her birthday on January 6th, an online friend named Kevin celebrated his birthday on the same day, my Nan (Dad's Mother) celebrated her birthday on January 8th, and another online friend, Kati, celebrated her birthday yesterday (January 22nd).
So, belated happy birthday wishes go out to Chris, Sarah, Auntie Lizzie, Kevin, Nan, and Kati!
I know there are others, so...
If you celebrated your birthday recently too, or are about to do so, then I'd also like to wish you a very happy birthday. I hope it is - or was - a wonderful one, filled with all your favourite people, and all the good things you deserve.
January 22, 2017
January 2017 #Vegetarian Friendly #Food Themed Thoughts (FD)
When I made the pumpkin pasties I mentioned in last November's post, I made more filling than I needed. Of course, then I had to decide what to do with it. Unsure at the time, I simply baked it in a pie dish, and then stuck it in the freezer. To cut a long story short, I ended up using it to make what I'm calling pumpkin filled yorkies, which are yorkshire puddings stuffed with baked pumpkin and cheese. They looked sort of like mini quiches, except with batter instead of pastry. I had them with roast potatoes and mixed cabbage as an unofficial Thanksgiving dinner (unofficial, because we don't actually celebrate it over here, but I had it on the day that was Thanksgiving in America). They were very tasty, if I do say so myself.
I also tried a slightly adapted version of the butternut squash risotto recipe that Deanna posted ages ago. She'd posted an instant pot version of the recipe more recently, and it sounded tasty, but I don't have an instant pot, so I checked out the stovetop version. I left out the wine, because we never have alcahol in the house. Also, the stovetop version doesn't mention garlic, but the instant pot version does, so I added some. Plus, I only used cheddar cheese, and stuck the whole thing in the oven for the cheese to brown a bit before serving. If you haven't tried it, you should do so, whether you use one of Deanna's exact recipes, or my tweaked non-alcaholic version, because it's very tasty. I bet it would work well with other members of the squash family too, including pumpkin.
As I mentioned last week, one of my goals for 2017 is to get out more, and as part of that I'm making a point of going out for breakfast or lunch at least once a week. There are several cafes and things within easy walking distance of where we live. I mean, we live right above one of them. All of them do something that's suitable for vegetarians, though some have more choice than others. Some even have some vegan options available. Anyway, since I'm doing that, I'm also making a point of trying different things they have on their menus - especially when it comes to those places that try very hard to cater for vegetarians (and sometimes also vegans) - instead of having the same thing all the time. The place we live above is especially good for this, since they have a large choice for vegetarians and vegans (as well as several options for people like my hubby, who actually eat meat) and are good about telling you what's in something so you can be certain of what you're eating. Not to mention, their drink selection is excellent too, so I can even mix things up a bit when it comes to that. I won't bother mentioning everything I try, but if I come across something worth mentioning... Like the fresh mint tea from the place downstairs, which is fantastic... Or it's a new place I try, I'll give it a mention.
***
Don't forget, you can find more recipes - vegetarian and otherwise - on my website's recipe section. There are even a few vegan ones on there too. If you're wondering, the reason there are some that aren't vegetarian friendly on there when I'm a vegetarian, is because my hubby isn't one, and says he never will be. It would be great if we were both vegetarians, but I'm not going to force him to become one... It's something that should be the choice of the individual.
I also tried a slightly adapted version of the butternut squash risotto recipe that Deanna posted ages ago. She'd posted an instant pot version of the recipe more recently, and it sounded tasty, but I don't have an instant pot, so I checked out the stovetop version. I left out the wine, because we never have alcahol in the house. Also, the stovetop version doesn't mention garlic, but the instant pot version does, so I added some. Plus, I only used cheddar cheese, and stuck the whole thing in the oven for the cheese to brown a bit before serving. If you haven't tried it, you should do so, whether you use one of Deanna's exact recipes, or my tweaked non-alcaholic version, because it's very tasty. I bet it would work well with other members of the squash family too, including pumpkin.
As I mentioned last week, one of my goals for 2017 is to get out more, and as part of that I'm making a point of going out for breakfast or lunch at least once a week. There are several cafes and things within easy walking distance of where we live. I mean, we live right above one of them. All of them do something that's suitable for vegetarians, though some have more choice than others. Some even have some vegan options available. Anyway, since I'm doing that, I'm also making a point of trying different things they have on their menus - especially when it comes to those places that try very hard to cater for vegetarians (and sometimes also vegans) - instead of having the same thing all the time. The place we live above is especially good for this, since they have a large choice for vegetarians and vegans (as well as several options for people like my hubby, who actually eat meat) and are good about telling you what's in something so you can be certain of what you're eating. Not to mention, their drink selection is excellent too, so I can even mix things up a bit when it comes to that. I won't bother mentioning everything I try, but if I come across something worth mentioning... Like the fresh mint tea from the place downstairs, which is fantastic... Or it's a new place I try, I'll give it a mention.
***
Don't forget, you can find more recipes - vegetarian and otherwise - on my website's recipe section. There are even a few vegan ones on there too. If you're wondering, the reason there are some that aren't vegetarian friendly on there when I'm a vegetarian, is because my hubby isn't one, and says he never will be. It would be great if we were both vegetarians, but I'm not going to force him to become one... It's something that should be the choice of the individual.
January 20, 2017
#Furkid Friday: Skye The #Rat On Being #Thankful For Human Caretakers Who Help Aging #Rodents (FD)
Um... Hi everyone! This is Skye the rat.
Me and my ratty sister, Star, are coming up for two and a half years old. Two and a half isn't extremely old for rats, exactly. Rats will often live to be four years old. But two and a half isn't young for a rat either, and we're starting to feel our age creeping up on us.
Of course, we try to hide it. But the human caretakers have noticed that neither of us can get about as well as we used to, and we're sleeping more than we did when we were younger rats.
Star started to show signs of it first, but it seems to be a slower progression for her than it is for me. For example, Star can still climb, though she's not as fast as she used to be, but I can't any more, and only hurt myself when I try. Mostly this isn't a problem, but where our food bowl was required a bit of climbing from us to get to. We were great at climbing until recently, so the human caretakers didn't worry about it. But then they realized I was hurting myself whenever I tried to climb up to the food bowl. So, do you know what they did? They moved it for me. Now it's down in the bottom of the cage where we don't have to climb at all to reach it. In fact, we can now access both food and water without going far from our wooden ratty house (which we didn't used to sleep in much, since we always liked our hammock more, but we do use now, since I can't climb to the hammock any more, and Star rarely considers it worth the effort it takes her to do it).
Also, I'm really slow with getting about in general, so Star - who can move a little faster than me, even though she's slowed down to what she was too - can get to the human caretakers for special nibbles, where as I struggle to do so. Luckily for me, the human caretakers have realized I'm having a hard time, so they come to me, and make sure to distract Star for long enough so I can get some special nibbles too.
I don't like that I'm feeling my age enough for the human caretakers to take notice. But I am glad they've tried to help by making it easier for me to get nibbles from the bowl. I'm also glad they don't make me miss out on special nibbles just because I'm struggling to come get them... I'd hate to miss out on tasty things like cheese, cheerios, and raisins, just because I'm getting older and less mobile, so I'm glad we have such understanding human caretakers.
Squeak Soon,
Skye
Me and my ratty sister, Star, are coming up for two and a half years old. Two and a half isn't extremely old for rats, exactly. Rats will often live to be four years old. But two and a half isn't young for a rat either, and we're starting to feel our age creeping up on us.
Of course, we try to hide it. But the human caretakers have noticed that neither of us can get about as well as we used to, and we're sleeping more than we did when we were younger rats.
Star started to show signs of it first, but it seems to be a slower progression for her than it is for me. For example, Star can still climb, though she's not as fast as she used to be, but I can't any more, and only hurt myself when I try. Mostly this isn't a problem, but where our food bowl was required a bit of climbing from us to get to. We were great at climbing until recently, so the human caretakers didn't worry about it. But then they realized I was hurting myself whenever I tried to climb up to the food bowl. So, do you know what they did? They moved it for me. Now it's down in the bottom of the cage where we don't have to climb at all to reach it. In fact, we can now access both food and water without going far from our wooden ratty house (which we didn't used to sleep in much, since we always liked our hammock more, but we do use now, since I can't climb to the hammock any more, and Star rarely considers it worth the effort it takes her to do it).
Also, I'm really slow with getting about in general, so Star - who can move a little faster than me, even though she's slowed down to what she was too - can get to the human caretakers for special nibbles, where as I struggle to do so. Luckily for me, the human caretakers have realized I'm having a hard time, so they come to me, and make sure to distract Star for long enough so I can get some special nibbles too.
I don't like that I'm feeling my age enough for the human caretakers to take notice. But I am glad they've tried to help by making it easier for me to get nibbles from the bowl. I'm also glad they don't make me miss out on special nibbles just because I'm struggling to come get them... I'd hate to miss out on tasty things like cheese, cheerios, and raisins, just because I'm getting older and less mobile, so I'm glad we have such understanding human caretakers.
Squeak Soon,
Skye
January 18, 2017
#Writing Wednesday - January 18th 2017
Hey, guess what? "Ulrike's Christmas" is now available in paperback!
I hadn't expected to be announcing this until at least next week, since the combination of several non-business days because of Christmas, the New Year, and the handful of bank holidays they insist on having around those dates, combined with the postal strikes around Christmas, made me think there would be more of a delay in the proof arriving than there was. But I'm not complaining.
Anyway, you can buy it from CreateSpace and Amazon already, and will soon be able to buy it from the other places that carry my paperback books too, such as Barnes & Noble, etc. If you click on the book's title in the first paragraph of this post, it will take you to where you can buy it directly from CreateSpace. Alternatively, you can search for it on your prefered Amazon site, or wait for it to become available on Barnes & Noble, or request that your favourite bookstore or library order a copy (if they're one of those who will order books published through CreateSpace).
***
Are you an author too? Are you on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook? If you answered yes to both of those questions, you may want to take a look at these tips on how to get real on social media, and these on connecting with readers. These are tips I'm trying to follow myself. I'm good about the retweeting/sharing parts, and I'm getting in the habit of using hashtags, but need to work on the part where I just post random stuff from my day so people can connect with me as a person. It's not that I don't want to do it, it's that I either get busy and forget, or I feel like I have nothing to say that will seem interesting to people. Most often it's the latter, to be honest. I mean, are comments about the weather and what I had for breakfast really interesting to my followers?
Anyway...
Whether you're on social media or not, if you're a writer who finds you're struggling to finish the first draft of your current writing project, you might want to take a look at these tips for finishing off that first draft.
Alternatively, if your trouble is finding ideas, and your excuse for struggling to find them is being busy with work or other commitments, check out this post about how to STORYSTORM while you work.
Regardless of your progress in your current writing project, however, you may find this post about how to create unforgettable characters worth reading. Plus, this post containing tips for forging a hero group is a useful one to read if your story contains a group of characters who need to work together. Oh, and speaking of when you have a group of characters, here's a great post that will help you out with making sure there's a job for everyone in the party.
That's all for today... Until next time... Stay safe and warm!
January 16, 2017
January 2017 #Roleplaying Ramblings
Technically this post should have been done last month, and been for December 2016 instead. But I had so many other things I wanted to post about first, that I'm only now able to find a free spot to put this post up, despite actually having written it last month. It's been sitting in my blog's dashboard waiting patiently for a chance to get published since about mid December.
Anyway...
I killed a dragon!
I am Clover, dragon slayer... Fear me!
Yeah... Something tells me I'm more likely to get a chuckle if I have my character walk in to an inn and announce that during a game, rather than the looks of fear and awe I'd like. Why? Well, the name Clover doesn't exactly inspire fear, and she's a halfling (roleplaying's answer to a hobbit; three feet tall and weighing 31lbs). Still, it almost sounded impressive.
Plus, I really did kill a dragon!
OK, OK. I admit it, Kelly's elven druid did some damage to the dragon with a flaming scroll of some sort, and Carl's gnome sorcerer did some damage when he threw fireballs at it. But my halfling ranger did the most damage (even if you don't include the damage the dragon took when it met the ground as it died). Plus, most importantly, her arrows were what brought it down, and she dealt the killing blow, so to speak (technically killing shot, since it was an arrow, but you get the point). So I did have a little help, but I officially killed the dragon.
That ended the adventure, since it was called "The Dragon's Demand" and it's difficult to worry about the dragon's demands when there's no dragon to be making any, as I'm sure even the non-roleplayers among you can appreciate. So we're all heroes, because we saved the nearby town from kobolds and a dragon. We even did it without any of our party dying, which is an added bonus.
Go us... We're awesome!
Anyway, at the moment, we're not continuing to game. I think the others would kind of like to continue, but they won't do it without me, and I don't want to right now. I'm not saying I won't in the future. I mean, the characters are pretty cool seventh level characters with some magical items now, after all. Plus, roleplaying is fun. I'm just kind of feeling like I need a break from it right now. So we shared out the treasure from the end of the adventure, and will maybe take these characters on another adventure at some point in the future. But not right now. Right now there's no roleplaying. Not for me, anyway. Of course, if that changes, I'll let you know.
Anyway...
I killed a dragon!
I am Clover, dragon slayer... Fear me!
Yeah... Something tells me I'm more likely to get a chuckle if I have my character walk in to an inn and announce that during a game, rather than the looks of fear and awe I'd like. Why? Well, the name Clover doesn't exactly inspire fear, and she's a halfling (roleplaying's answer to a hobbit; three feet tall and weighing 31lbs). Still, it almost sounded impressive.
Plus, I really did kill a dragon!
OK, OK. I admit it, Kelly's elven druid did some damage to the dragon with a flaming scroll of some sort, and Carl's gnome sorcerer did some damage when he threw fireballs at it. But my halfling ranger did the most damage (even if you don't include the damage the dragon took when it met the ground as it died). Plus, most importantly, her arrows were what brought it down, and she dealt the killing blow, so to speak (technically killing shot, since it was an arrow, but you get the point). So I did have a little help, but I officially killed the dragon.
That ended the adventure, since it was called "The Dragon's Demand" and it's difficult to worry about the dragon's demands when there's no dragon to be making any, as I'm sure even the non-roleplayers among you can appreciate. So we're all heroes, because we saved the nearby town from kobolds and a dragon. We even did it without any of our party dying, which is an added bonus.
Go us... We're awesome!
Anyway, at the moment, we're not continuing to game. I think the others would kind of like to continue, but they won't do it without me, and I don't want to right now. I'm not saying I won't in the future. I mean, the characters are pretty cool seventh level characters with some magical items now, after all. Plus, roleplaying is fun. I'm just kind of feeling like I need a break from it right now. So we shared out the treasure from the end of the adventure, and will maybe take these characters on another adventure at some point in the future. But not right now. Right now there's no roleplaying. Not for me, anyway. Of course, if that changes, I'll let you know.
January 15, 2017
The Spell Out Your Country #Reading Challenge From The Last Quarter Of 2016
I'm a little late posting this, because I wanted to post my 2017 goals first. But, anyway...
During the last quarter of 2016, one of the groups I'm a member of over on Goodreads had a reading challenge to read books for the letters that make up the country you live in. Since I live in England, in the United Kingdom, that meant I had to read books for the letters that made up the letters in either "England" or "United Kingdom" or both. I decided on both, because I thought it would make it more of a challenge for me.
They were quite flexible about the rules for it, and said you could use either the title, author name, or both. But I decided to only use titles, since I read a lot - as anyone who knows me will agree - so figured I'd finish the challenge quickly anyway. As it turned out, I only just managed to complete it before the end of December 2016. But I did it, and that's what counts.
So, anyhow, here's what I read to spell out the name of the country I live in...
England:
E ~ Enchanted Castle by Chrissy Peebles
N ~ Night of the Giant Everything by R.L. Stine
G ~ Gods in the Machine by Marilyn Peake
L ~ Learned Counsel and the Three Bears by Max G. Bernard
A ~ An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving by Louisa May Alcott
N ~ Not Just a Witch by Eva Ibbotson
D ~ Don't Scream! by R.L. Stine
United Kingdom:
U ~ Unpredictable by Lady Jenniviere
N ~ Never Ever by Gita V. Reddy
I ~ It Came from Beneath the Sink! by R.L. Stine
T ~ Thin Air by Michelle Paver
E ~ Esmerelda by Frances Hodgson Burnett
D ~ Dr. Maniac Will See You Now by R.L. Stine
K ~ Kaylyn the Sister-in-Darkness by Barbara G. Tarn
I ~ I Believe in Unicorns by Michael Morpurgo
N ~ nightfall in the kingdom of winter by Andy Young
G ~ Geek with the Cat Tattoo by Theresa Weir
D ~ Defenestration by Matthew W. McFarland
O ~ One Dog and His Boy by Eva Ibbotson
M ~ Marginaliens by Philip Gross
During the last quarter of 2016, one of the groups I'm a member of over on Goodreads had a reading challenge to read books for the letters that make up the country you live in. Since I live in England, in the United Kingdom, that meant I had to read books for the letters that made up the letters in either "England" or "United Kingdom" or both. I decided on both, because I thought it would make it more of a challenge for me.
They were quite flexible about the rules for it, and said you could use either the title, author name, or both. But I decided to only use titles, since I read a lot - as anyone who knows me will agree - so figured I'd finish the challenge quickly anyway. As it turned out, I only just managed to complete it before the end of December 2016. But I did it, and that's what counts.
So, anyhow, here's what I read to spell out the name of the country I live in...
England:
E ~ Enchanted Castle by Chrissy Peebles
N ~ Night of the Giant Everything by R.L. Stine
G ~ Gods in the Machine by Marilyn Peake
L ~ Learned Counsel and the Three Bears by Max G. Bernard
A ~ An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving by Louisa May Alcott
N ~ Not Just a Witch by Eva Ibbotson
D ~ Don't Scream! by R.L. Stine
United Kingdom:
U ~ Unpredictable by Lady Jenniviere
N ~ Never Ever by Gita V. Reddy
I ~ It Came from Beneath the Sink! by R.L. Stine
T ~ Thin Air by Michelle Paver
E ~ Esmerelda by Frances Hodgson Burnett
D ~ Dr. Maniac Will See You Now by R.L. Stine
K ~ Kaylyn the Sister-in-Darkness by Barbara G. Tarn
I ~ I Believe in Unicorns by Michael Morpurgo
N ~ nightfall in the kingdom of winter by Andy Young
G ~ Geek with the Cat Tattoo by Theresa Weir
D ~ Defenestration by Matthew W. McFarland
O ~ One Dog and His Boy by Eva Ibbotson
M ~ Marginaliens by Philip Gross
January 13, 2017
#Furkid Friday: Maizie The #Chinchilla Turns 1 (FD)
Hi everyone! This is Maizie the chinchilla.
Guess what? It's finally my turn to have one of those birthday things! You know what that means, right? Special nibbles!
Of course, the human caretakers gave special nibbles to my chinchilla sister, Mollie, too. They said it's only fair since they gave me some when she had her birthday back in October, and it's best to do it that way because we share a cage. Well, to be honest, our other rodent siblings get special nibbles when birthday things happen too, because the human caretakers say it isn't right to give to one of us rodent gang if the others aren't having anything. But whoever is the one actually having a birthday gets an extra special treat, if you know what I mean. That's what I'm saying Mollie was included in. I don't mind though. I mean, Mollie might not be my littermate, but I love her as if she was.
Anyway, the human caretakers are usually really careful about how much nibbles we're allowed each day. But when a birthday thing happens, we always get a little more than usual, and it's either something we don't get often, or an extra helping of something the human caretakers know we absolutely love. Cereals are popular with all of us. We chinchillas especially enjoy the raw oats you humans use to make yourself oatmeal. I guess the human caretakers realized that, because they made today an oatmeal day for me! They also threw in a few raisins, which is something they don't do often.
That was my breakfast time nibbles... I wonder what special treat they've planned for my dinner time nibbles?
Squeak soon,
Maizie
Guess what? It's finally my turn to have one of those birthday things! You know what that means, right? Special nibbles!
Of course, the human caretakers gave special nibbles to my chinchilla sister, Mollie, too. They said it's only fair since they gave me some when she had her birthday back in October, and it's best to do it that way because we share a cage. Well, to be honest, our other rodent siblings get special nibbles when birthday things happen too, because the human caretakers say it isn't right to give to one of us rodent gang if the others aren't having anything. But whoever is the one actually having a birthday gets an extra special treat, if you know what I mean. That's what I'm saying Mollie was included in. I don't mind though. I mean, Mollie might not be my littermate, but I love her as if she was.
Anyway, the human caretakers are usually really careful about how much nibbles we're allowed each day. But when a birthday thing happens, we always get a little more than usual, and it's either something we don't get often, or an extra helping of something the human caretakers know we absolutely love. Cereals are popular with all of us. We chinchillas especially enjoy the raw oats you humans use to make yourself oatmeal. I guess the human caretakers realized that, because they made today an oatmeal day for me! They also threw in a few raisins, which is something they don't do often.
That was my breakfast time nibbles... I wonder what special treat they've planned for my dinner time nibbles?
Squeak soon,
Maizie
January 11, 2017
#Writing Wednesday - January 11th 2017
Alright, now that Christmas - or whatever else you might have been celebrating - is totally over, we've welcomed the new year, we're done with the posts reviewing 2016, the holiday decorations have been taken down, and we've finished discussing my goals for 2017, it's time to return to our regular Wednesday posts, complete with a selection of links and articles I've gathered over the past couple of weeks, which I hope you will find interesting, and maybe even useful. So... Enjoy!
STORYSTORM started on January 1st 2017, and there have been some great posts as part of it. Like this one about how to mind and not mind when it comes to your writing, and story ideas. Or this one on how autocorrect and typos can inspire you, or this one on how a change of perspective can spark a story idea. Even if you didn't sign up for STORYSTORM, the posts are worth reading (don't worry if you didn't sign up... I didn't either, but I'm still reading the posts).
Anyway...
Are there any immortal beings in your current work in progress? If so, these seven tips to writing immortal characters may be just what you need to make them believable.
Immortal beings or not, here are some tips for creating tone through dialogue.
There are all sorts of rules when it comes to things like spelling and grammar, as you no doubt know. Now, most of them are sensible ones you should pay attention to, or at least have a really good reason for breaking. Sometimes, however, there are rules that are, quite frankly, kinda dumb, and you can feel free to ignore those. Here's an example of three such rules.
Every writer has their weakness. You know? That one thing you know you need to do differently next time, or not do at all, but still do it anyway. Regardless of what yours is, here's a post with some tips on how to sort out the weaknesses in your writing.
If one of your goals for this year is to get serious about marketing in 2017, you may want to read this article. Of course, there are other things you need to be doing when it comes to marketing too, but that's a great place to start. Another post you may want to take a look at is this one on internet marketing. Plus, this list of marketing ideas, and this list of 20 ways to get yourself out there as a writer, may give you some suggestions on things to try.
Remember, fellow authors, don't burn yourself out! Just bear that in mind, regardless of your writing goals for 2017.
Oh, and... Speaking of writing goals - or resolutions - for the year... Here are six tested tips for keeping your writing resolutions. I agree with the tips, though I disagree with something that was said in the post about publishing. The post says you can't choose whether you get published, so that's not a valid resolution, since you can't be in control of it. But that's not entirely true. If you're going down the traditional publishing route, sure, the choice as to whether or not you get published is out of your hands. However, if you self-publish, you can control when your book is published, and publishing your novel by x date is actually a valid resolution. Just saying.
Anyway... Last, but not least, for those of you wondering how you can show support for an author friend or family member, here are some ways you can support the author in your life.
STORYSTORM started on January 1st 2017, and there have been some great posts as part of it. Like this one about how to mind and not mind when it comes to your writing, and story ideas. Or this one on how autocorrect and typos can inspire you, or this one on how a change of perspective can spark a story idea. Even if you didn't sign up for STORYSTORM, the posts are worth reading (don't worry if you didn't sign up... I didn't either, but I'm still reading the posts).
Anyway...
Are there any immortal beings in your current work in progress? If so, these seven tips to writing immortal characters may be just what you need to make them believable.
Immortal beings or not, here are some tips for creating tone through dialogue.
There are all sorts of rules when it comes to things like spelling and grammar, as you no doubt know. Now, most of them are sensible ones you should pay attention to, or at least have a really good reason for breaking. Sometimes, however, there are rules that are, quite frankly, kinda dumb, and you can feel free to ignore those. Here's an example of three such rules.
Every writer has their weakness. You know? That one thing you know you need to do differently next time, or not do at all, but still do it anyway. Regardless of what yours is, here's a post with some tips on how to sort out the weaknesses in your writing.
If one of your goals for this year is to get serious about marketing in 2017, you may want to read this article. Of course, there are other things you need to be doing when it comes to marketing too, but that's a great place to start. Another post you may want to take a look at is this one on internet marketing. Plus, this list of marketing ideas, and this list of 20 ways to get yourself out there as a writer, may give you some suggestions on things to try.
Remember, fellow authors, don't burn yourself out! Just bear that in mind, regardless of your writing goals for 2017.
Oh, and... Speaking of writing goals - or resolutions - for the year... Here are six tested tips for keeping your writing resolutions. I agree with the tips, though I disagree with something that was said in the post about publishing. The post says you can't choose whether you get published, so that's not a valid resolution, since you can't be in control of it. But that's not entirely true. If you're going down the traditional publishing route, sure, the choice as to whether or not you get published is out of your hands. However, if you self-publish, you can control when your book is published, and publishing your novel by x date is actually a valid resolution. Just saying.
Anyway... Last, but not least, for those of you wondering how you can show support for an author friend or family member, here are some ways you can support the author in your life.
January 9, 2017
The Other 2017 Goals
I had only one goal for 2016 that wasn't related to either my reading or writing in some way. Funnily enough, that goal is the only one I didn't do as well with as I'd hoped I would.
The goal was to sort out the shelves so we could unpack the boxes we've had packed since we moved in to this place in February 2015. Well, technically they've been packed longer than that, since we got the stuff packed up while waiting to move, so they'd been packed since the January at least. But I think you get the point.
Like I said, this is the one goal I didn't do well with in 2016. We did make a start with it, though I admit that wasn't until near the end of the year. But we only got maybe half way through the task before 2016 came to an end. As I'm sure you can imagine, finishing the job is top of my list of goals for 2017, especially since the boxes had to be moved for the shelves we've got to go up, which means the boxes are currently in the way. Not so much in the way that we're falling over them, but enough so that them being where they are is annoying me. This is good though, in a way, because them annoying me will give me plenty of motivation to finish the task so they can stop doing so.
Also, at the start of this year some time, we're having some work done on our heating system. Maybe even a complete boiler replacement. Our heating system isn't too bad, but there's room for improvement, and it hasn't been replaced for a while. On the one hand this is great. On the other hand, it means a day... Or possibly a couple of days... Of workmen to deal with. Still, as I said, there's room for improvement, which means it will be a good thing in the long run, so I'm not complaining.
There are also a few other things that need doing in this place, but most of those are tasks that are the responsibility of our landlords. Those tasks would have been done by now, but our landlords got some new repair guys who turned out to not be doing their jobs, and now their new new guys (yes, I did mean to write "new" twice there) are trying to catch up with the long list of jobs the landlords thought were getting done, which weren't getting done after all. While they do that, we'll work on trying to get the ones that are our responsibility done. Like sorting the curtain rail for what is now our bedroom, so we can finally put the curtains up in there.
I know there are areas of my daily life I should set goals for too. But I'm finding that part difficult. It's not that I don't know what goals I should set. I do. It's that when I write them down they seem vague and formless, and I immediately wonder how I expect to know I've achieved them when I'm not able to make it clear what will be required to do so. So then I just delete them. Does that even make sense? Anyway, I'll come back to those when I can get them clearer in my mind. The general gist though is that I want to break some bad habits I've aquired, return to some habits I used to have that I've let slip (like daily meditation) and introduce some new good habits I wish I had. Hopefully, even if you don't get a detailed daily life goals list, you'll see signs of some changes in my life as the year progresses. Changes that will, I hope, be positive ones.
So... To summarize...
Household goals:
*Finish unpacking and organizing the things that have been in boxes for way too long.
*Get the jobs done that are our responsibility to take care of. (I can't control what happens with the jobs the landlords need to do, so I'm not officially including that on my goals list).
Personal goals:
*Start meditating daily again.
*Attempt to break some bad habits I've gotten in to, and try to replace them with some good ones I wish I had, or used to have and want to have again. This especially applies to exercise, and the fact I should start making some effort to go out more.
The goal was to sort out the shelves so we could unpack the boxes we've had packed since we moved in to this place in February 2015. Well, technically they've been packed longer than that, since we got the stuff packed up while waiting to move, so they'd been packed since the January at least. But I think you get the point.
Like I said, this is the one goal I didn't do well with in 2016. We did make a start with it, though I admit that wasn't until near the end of the year. But we only got maybe half way through the task before 2016 came to an end. As I'm sure you can imagine, finishing the job is top of my list of goals for 2017, especially since the boxes had to be moved for the shelves we've got to go up, which means the boxes are currently in the way. Not so much in the way that we're falling over them, but enough so that them being where they are is annoying me. This is good though, in a way, because them annoying me will give me plenty of motivation to finish the task so they can stop doing so.
Also, at the start of this year some time, we're having some work done on our heating system. Maybe even a complete boiler replacement. Our heating system isn't too bad, but there's room for improvement, and it hasn't been replaced for a while. On the one hand this is great. On the other hand, it means a day... Or possibly a couple of days... Of workmen to deal with. Still, as I said, there's room for improvement, which means it will be a good thing in the long run, so I'm not complaining.
There are also a few other things that need doing in this place, but most of those are tasks that are the responsibility of our landlords. Those tasks would have been done by now, but our landlords got some new repair guys who turned out to not be doing their jobs, and now their new new guys (yes, I did mean to write "new" twice there) are trying to catch up with the long list of jobs the landlords thought were getting done, which weren't getting done after all. While they do that, we'll work on trying to get the ones that are our responsibility done. Like sorting the curtain rail for what is now our bedroom, so we can finally put the curtains up in there.
I know there are areas of my daily life I should set goals for too. But I'm finding that part difficult. It's not that I don't know what goals I should set. I do. It's that when I write them down they seem vague and formless, and I immediately wonder how I expect to know I've achieved them when I'm not able to make it clear what will be required to do so. So then I just delete them. Does that even make sense? Anyway, I'll come back to those when I can get them clearer in my mind. The general gist though is that I want to break some bad habits I've aquired, return to some habits I used to have that I've let slip (like daily meditation) and introduce some new good habits I wish I had. Hopefully, even if you don't get a detailed daily life goals list, you'll see signs of some changes in my life as the year progresses. Changes that will, I hope, be positive ones.
So... To summarize...
Household goals:
*Finish unpacking and organizing the things that have been in boxes for way too long.
*Get the jobs done that are our responsibility to take care of. (I can't control what happens with the jobs the landlords need to do, so I'm not officially including that on my goals list).
Personal goals:
*Start meditating daily again.
*Attempt to break some bad habits I've gotten in to, and try to replace them with some good ones I wish I had, or used to have and want to have again. This especially applies to exercise, and the fact I should start making some effort to go out more.
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Author and book news for children's author and poet, Victoria Zigler, as well as general news from the life of the Zigler family; furry and otherwise!
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