Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 128

#Writing Wednesday - December 7th 2016

We're a week in to December, Christmas is only a few weeks away, and "Ulrike's Christmas" has been through all the editing phases my books all get put through. I just want to give it one final proof reading session before I do the formatting for the files that will actually get uploaded. All being well, I'll be able to give you an official release date next week.

Basically, I'll be giving you the official release date next week, unless something huge happens to stop me doing so, which is unlikely. But I'm saying, "all being well," just in case, because you never know, do you? After all, I'd originally planned to have the book pre-released by now, but then stuff happened... You know how it is, I'm sure!

Anyway...

If you're working on editing your own book, or doing so for someone else, you may want to take a look at this list of 35 questions to ask when critiquing a novel.

Are you struggling to stay focused when writing? Then take a look at these basic tips to help you stay focused when writing a book. After all, sometimes it's the little things that make the most difference when it comes to avoiding the issues that stop you writing that book you want to write. These tips may help you avoid writers' block too.

Finally, take a look at this great post on learning as you write.

Ancient #Egypt: The #Mythology

Are you interested in Ancient Egypt and its mythology?

If the answer is yes, you may want to check out this website: Ancient Egypt: the Mythology.

Enjoy!

#Reading Ramblings: November 2016 #Book #Reviews (LBE)

It's time for this month's book reviews post. Well, it's technically last month's book reviews post, since the books reviewed in it are ones I read during November. But, either way, it's time for me to post some reviews.

As with the previous posts like this one, the format reviewed may not be the format I read the book in. Also, please remember to bear in mind the fact that I read across multiple genres and age ranges, and you should always check suitability of content before reading, especially when children are involved. Finally, if you want to know more about the book, or the author it's by, simply click on the book title, or author name, to go to the appropriate Goodreads page.

OK...

Not Just a Witch by Eva Ibbotson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a fun and entertaining read.

Wake the Hollow by Gaby Triana
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
For the most part, this was a great story, which did a good job of combining the legend of Sleepy Hollow with "real" life. However, I think it would have been better if the romance element was removed, so that the main character hadn't spent so much time focussing on how good looking people she was supposed to be afraid of were. Also, I thought it was stupid how she was more open with people she didn't know and had reason to be suspicious of than she was with people she was supposed to have been close to in the past.

Creature Teacher: The Final Exam by R.L. Stine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a great book, which makes a wonderful addition to any Goosebumps collection. It's another that big animal lovers may find a couple of scenes a bit disturbing in though... Just to warn you. Oh, and a little tip: don't eat while reading this one, especially if you have a weak stomach.

Kaylyn the Sister-in-Darkness by Barbara G. Tarn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a great book, which makes an excellent addition to the series. The plot itself is interesting, there's a wonderful mixture of characters, and the historical facts dotted throughout the story are fascinating.

Unpredictable by Lady Jenniviere
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
If you're looking for something strange and unusual, this story will deliver. There are a few places where I think it could use a little work, but for the most part it's a pretty good read, with a very appropriate title.

A Tapestry of Tears by Gita V. Reddy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Some of the stories in this collection are better than others. Some give you a lot to think about. Some are potentially upsetting, especially to more sensative readers. But all are beautifully written, and combine to make a collection that's worth reading.

Never Ever by Gita V. Reddy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
When I first read this story, I had some serious issues with it, because some of the characters' behaviour didn't sit right with me. But then I read it again with the fact the family is from a different culture to my own in mind; a culture the author would be more familiar with than I am. It then occurred to me that most of my issues were based on differences that can be explained by cultural differences. Being open to this idea improved the story for me. Bearing the difference in culture in mind still didn't make it one of my favourites by this author, but it certainly increased my enjoyment of the story.

Marginaliens by Philip Gross
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was an imaginative and fun read, which I really enjoyed.

An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving by Louisa May Alcott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a beautiful little story.

Gods in the Machine by Marilyn Peake
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
The idea behind this story is a great one, and it has the elements it needs to have the potential to be a great read. However, it was poorly done. The author spent too much time fussing over minor details that weren't important, which would later be repeated in full detail every single time there was even the smallest link between those details and the story's events, and not enough time moving the plot forward. Not to mention, there were so many characters we got the full backstory for, that I'm still not entirely sure who was meant to be the main character. Also, some of the characters' reactions felt over done, as though the author thought it more important to be as dramatic as possible, rather than being believable, so that when something potentially important to the plot did actually happen, it was lost in the confusion of false drama. On top of that, the ending was way too sudden. Is this part of a series? I'm not sure... I've not seen a series listed for it. Even if it is though, that was one really sudden ending, especially after how slowly the plot had been moving from the start.

Redemption by Elora Mitchell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
OK... WOW! This book was amazing! The plot grabs your attention from the start and holds it until the end, the worldbuilding is great, the emotions are powerful, the characters are well-rounded with complex personalities, the descriptions are excellent, the plot moves at a nice pace, the way you see the relationships between characters grow and evolve is wonderful, and that ending was incredible!
*NOTE: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. That fact has in no way influenced either my opinion of this book, or the contents of this review.

Misery, Rancor, and Angst: Or, The Three Graces by Kirsten B. Feldman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The plot is interesting and moves at a nice pace, the characters are well-rounded and have different personalities, and the writing style is easy and enjoyable to read. All in all, this book is a great read. The only reason I don't give it the full five stars is because I felt that we were missing a few details of the backstory, as well as a couple of details of how the ending came about; it was an excellent ending, apart from the few details I felt we were missing to fully understand how it happened the way it did.
*NOTE: I was given a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This fact has in no way influenced either my opinion of this book, or the contents of this review.

Void by David M. Staniforth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book begins with a note about how the author recommends that you take a moment to listen to the songs mentioned in it as you read. I ignored the suggestion and read it without listening to them, despite not being very familiar with them. Even so, I thought this was a beautifully written and powerful read. I can only imagine how much more amazing the reading experience would be if you were to take the author's advice.

Pilgrim: The Collected Series 1-4: The BBC Radio 4 Fantasy Drama Series by Sebastien Baczkiewicz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Each episode has an interesting cast of characters, as well as an entertaining storyline, and all the episodes work together well.

Pilgrim Series 5-7: BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramas by Sebastian Baczkiewicz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The episodes in this volume were an enjoyable addition to the series, with a plot that continues to be entertaining, and an interesting cast of characters.

It Came from Beneath the Sink! by R.L. Stine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
There were a few things the characters did that either didn't make sense to me, or felt like they were done only to move the plot in the direction the author wanted it to go in. But other than that, this was another great addition to the Goosebumbps series.

#Furkid Friday: A #Rodent Photo Shoot

Um... Hi everyone! This is Mollie the chinchilla.

The human caretakers did one of those photo shoot things recently. If you don't know, it has nothing to do with shooting. Yeah, I thought it did first time I heard them talk about it too, so don't feel bad. But it turns out it just means they sit or stand somewhere nearby and point the flashy thing at us several times, then keep any pictures that aren't just our tails as we run too far to the left or right, or whatever. I don't know why they do it, but since they did, and we're super cute, I figured I'd share the pictures they got in this latest photo shooting.

First, a couple of photos of us chinchillas. This is me playing in the pen with my sister, Maizie:


This one is Maizie:


This one is me (Mollie):


Yeah, I know it's tough to tell us apart. The only difference in our appearance is that my fur is a bit lighter than Maizie's fur. Don't worry if you can't really see it. Our personalities are more different though, since I'm a lot more shy and reserved than Maizie, and I also get upset a lot more easily.

Anyway... Back to the pictures...

This is our gerbil brother, Baggins:


Here's our ratty sister, Star, coming to see what the fuss is all about:


Here's our other ratty sister, Skye, who didn't see what all the fuss was about, so was very reluctant to do more than stick her head out of the rat house briefly to see what was happening:


Last, but not least, here's our remaining degu brother, Joshua, trying to keep an eye on what the human caretakers were up to, without giving them the chance to get close enough to grab him:


That's all of us. I hope you enjoyed the photos.

Squeak soon,
Mollie

#Writing Wednesday - November 30th 2016

It's the last day of November. If you were doing NaNoWriMo, how did you do? Did you make it? Well, whether you did or not, what's next for you? Does your plan only go as far as wanting to write the book? Or do you have more of a plan than that? If you haven't thought beyond the writing stage, you may want to plan what's next after you write your book. Unless, of course, you were someone who just wanted to write the book and then forget about it, which would be a shame after all the work you put in to it. But, hey, it's your call, so do whichever you want to.

Also, if you didn't make it. Don't worry about it. The fact you tried is a good thing to start with, and you deserve a pat on the back just for that. Sometimes, no matter how well you do at carving out your writing time, the words just won't come. If that's what happened to you, here's what to do when the words won't come. It's too late to help you for this year's NaNoWriMo, but it's something worth considering for any time you're trying to get some writing done, regardless of when that is, so the post is still worth checking out.

Anyway...

Can social media really sell your books? Short answer: only if you use it right, and then not all by itself. Social media itself doesn't sell your books, but it can be a useful tool to help with marketing.

As you probably already know, people watching is another thing that can be useful for writers, because it helps you when it comes to creating characters. So, with that in mind, here are some useful people watching tips for writers. Plus, you may find these tips for writing real characters useful too.

Always remember that, while it's important to make sure your book gets some decent editing before you publish it, editing too much during the writing phase can hold you back. So save the editing for later... At least get the first draft written first. I hope that's something those of you who were doing NaNoWriMo were bearing in mind?

By the way, are you a children's author? If so, check out these tips on learning to write for kids by learning to read to them. Also, have you ever considered writing a thriller for children? If so, take a look at this post on writing thrillers for kids.

Whether you write for children, or write for adults, you've got to love the artistic freedom we now have! Same goes for any kind of artist, really: the kinds of artists who draw or paint, musicians, writers, whatever. With how things have changed we have more artistic freedom, and it makes me happy. Also, artistic freedom is one reason I self-publish... I want to be able to write what I want to write, not what someone else says I should be writing, and I want to be able to do it when I decide to. Obviously I hope my readers enjoy what I write, but I don't write something because it's what's popular right now, or because I think doing so will make me rich. Hey, I may be a dreamer, but I'm in touch with reality enough to know the chances of me getting rich are pretty low... Especially since I don't even play the lotto these days. *Wink*

#TV Talk And #Movie Mutterings - November 2016

It's time for this month's new to me movies.

If you're wondering... We got through three of the four planned movies on Halloween, so watched the fourth the following day.

Anyway...

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

OK...

Goosebumps (2015 movie):
I've seen some of the old Goosebumps TV episodes, and read many of the Goosebumps books - both recently and in my teens - so was eager to see the new movie. I was not disappointed. I mean, it wasn't absolutely amazing, but it was a really good movie, and I'm glad I watched it. If you're wondering: prior knowledge of the Goosebumps characters isn't essential, but it helps, and I actually think knowing something about some of the characters from R. L. Stine's books improves the enjoyment factor of this movie; you won't be quite so scared if you don't know anything about any of the monsters from the books, in my opinion... I know I was more concerned about those monsters I knew something about than those I hadn't read the books for. So, as an addition to a Goosebumps collection, it's fantastic. As a stand-alone movie, it's only pretty good. For that reason, I'm giving this movie four out of five stars.

The Last Witch Hunter (2015 movie):
I didn't expect to enjoy this one. Honestly, I was only watching it because it was Kelly's pick for one of the movies to watch for Halloween, and he got it especially for us to watch together. As it turned out though, this movie was better than I expected it to be. Kelly really enjoyed it too. It had a great plot, and enough action to keep Kelly happy, while not having so much happening that I couldn't follow what was going on. This is another movie I give four out of five stars.

Get Santa (2014 movie):
This was meant to be a comedy, but I didn't find it all that funny. Plus, they were meant to be trying to save Christmas - and kept mentioning the fact repeatedly - but I didn't feel the sense of urgency. It felt like they were saying, "Hey, we should probably save Christmas, but we have plenty of time, so no worries." I mean, they weren't saying anything of the sort... Like I said, they were constantly mentioning how important it was that they had to save Christmas... But the plot seemed to move so slowly it lost the sense of urgency movies like this usually have. I give this movie three out of five stars.

Crampus (2015 movie):
I love things with a fantasy element. I enjoy holiday movies where someone is having a bad Christmas, but then something happens to make them realize how wonderful their life actually is. I enjoy the odd comedy; holiday themed or otherwise. I enjoy some horror movies too. Unfortunately, this movie tried to be all four things at once, and failed spectacularly. Luckily, I'd heard of several other people who were disappointed with this one, so went in to it with low expecations. Even so, it didn't meet them. The movie sucked, plain and simple! I give this movie one out of five stars.

That's it, since most of my TV time this month has been spent watching old episodes of NCIS, which you already know I enjoy.

Happy Birthday To Me And You - 2016 Edition (FD)

It was my birthday two weeks ago, as many of you already knew. So, first of all, I'd like to thank those of you who sent me gifts or cards, as well as those of you who sent me birthday messages via eMail or on Facebook to wish me a happy birthday. Your birthday wishes are very much appreciated, as are the cards and gifts I got from those who sent things, of course. Yeah, I know it's taken me a couple of weeks to get to this post... I had other things I wanted to post about first. Anyway, as I said, thanks to everyone who sent me birthday wishes in some shape or form.

Speaking of which, here are a couple of photos of my birthday cards:


Excuse them being on top of the freezer... It was the place with the best light on that day, apparently.

Mostly I got money for my birthday, which I spent on books and movies. But I also got some NCIS DVDs (seasons one to nine of the original NCIS) and a nifty chopping board that bends to form a sort of funnel shape so you can transfer things from it to bowls or pots more easily. The scarf I'm wearing in this photo was a birthday present too...



If I have any strange expressions on my face in the above photo, it's because it was taken while I was in the process of explaining to Kelly how taking a photo with my phone works, since it apparently takes clearer pictures than our camera, but he's not familiar with how to use iPhones. He says he caught me at a good moment, so I hope that's the case.

Apparently I'm so awesome that someone arranged for fireworks for my birthday too!

OK, not really. I mean, there were fireworks... Not many, and we didn't get photos, but there were. They didn't actually have anything to do with me though. Still, I enjoyed them, and I can pretend, right?

Anyway... I didn't do much for my birthday. Lorna came around for a cup of tea and a chat the day before, Kelly made me a "special birthday dinner" the day after, and I had cake on my actual birthday... It was a lemon cake. But that's about it. Still, it was a pretty good birthday, as birthdays go. Or, I think so.

But I'm not the only one with a birthday in November!

Some of our family friends and online friends have birthdays during November, along with a few family members and honorary family members. I already mentioned during the second half of last month that Iggy's birthday was at the start of the month, but there were others too. I'm not going to list everyone, but among those celebrating their birthdays this month are Kelly's sister, Sherry, who celebrated her birthday this past Tuesday (November 22nd) and my Mam's Goddaughter, Shireen, who will be celebrating her 18th birthday on November 30th.

That last one makes me feel even older than having my own birthday did, since I remember caring for Shireen as a tiny baby I could hold in just one arm. Now she's about to turn 18, and is actually taller than me. How did that happen? Where did the years go? How can that little baby I remember rocking to sleep be all grown up? It seems like only yesterday her sweet little gummy smiles were making me smile, and her little hands were reaching out to try and grab at the toys atatched to the bar of her bouncer chair. Yet here she is, about to turn 18. I know that logically the years didn't zoom past in the time it took to blink. But, at times like this, it sure feels like that's what happened.

Anyway...

If you're a November baby too... Happy birthday to you!

#Furkid Friday: #Storms

Um... Hi everyone! This is Skye the rat.

There was a nasty storm this past weekend. The icy wind was howling like a pack of hungry wolves, the rain was falling in sheets that were more like waterfalls, there was thunder and lightning, and the ocean was so rough you could hear the waves crashing against the shore even over the sound of the storm itself. Even the sea birds decided it was too rough to be out.

We hated it!

Well, the Mummy human didn't, because she's weird and likes things like storms. She says it's sad that they cause damage and people sometimes get hurt, but she can't help enjoying listening to them. Like I said, she's weird.

But we're much smarter, so we're really scared of storms. Our brothers are especially scared of storms. Our degu brother, Joshua, huddled in his hay in a frightened ball, and our gerbil brother, Baggins, was so scared he was literally trembling from nose to tail. Even we rats huddled in our nest until the storm was over, while our chinchilla sisters decided being nocturnal was no excuse to be out of bed on such a night.

Actually, there have been a few really bad storms lately, but the one on the weekend was the worst. Or, we thought it was... It was the scariest to us, anyway.

The human caretakers say the storms can't get us in here. They say the building will keep it from coming in and hurting us. But we're not taking any chances. Especially when one of the humans who claims that's the case is also weird enough to think listening to storms is fun.

If you've got bad storms too, I hope you're managing to stay safe.

Squeak soon,
Skye

#Writing Wednesday - November 23rd 2016

OK... Back in October I said I'd tell you about the story I plan to publish around Christmas. But then stuff happened, so I never got around to talking more about it. Since there's only a little over a month until Christmas, and I'm planning to publish the story in the next few weeks, I should probably start telling you about it. So...

It's called "Ulrike's Christmas" and this is the rough blurb (which may change slightly some time between now and publication):

Ulrike knows all about the Winter Solstice celebrations of the giants, being one himself. But what he doesn't know is why the humans cut down whole trees, only to take them home to decorate. Other giants tell him to forget about it, but Ulrike is curious; he needs to know why they do it.

Finally, when he's puzzled over it so much his head is sore from all the thinking, he decides that this is the year he'll figure it out, and risks a return trip to the home of the last family he watched to look for clues, despite almost being spotted last time he was there.

That's how he meets Billy, a friendly little boy who loves stories, and is happy to tell Ulrike all about Santa Claus, as well as some holiday traditions, along with a couple of stories he knows about them. Stories which Ulrike loves, and which inspire him to add some of what Billy says are Christmas celebrations to his own this Winter, in the hopes that Santa Claus will visit him too.

Like I said, the blurb might change a little by the time the story is published in a couple of weeks time, but it won't be much different to the one in this post. Tips posted in the comments section on improvements to it are welcome, by the way.

Anyway, I'm cutting it closer than I'd planned to, but I'll have it ready in time to publish next month, since it just needs the final edits and proof reading, which should be sorted by the end of this month. That gives me time to have it published in time for anyone interested in doing so to read it this holiday season... Even if it's only just in time. Well, the eBook version will be available then, anyway, since I won't have time to have the paperback available in time for Christmas.

(There were a lot of times in the above paragraph, weren't there? Sorry about that!)

Anyway...

Speaking of the holiday season: are you a published author looking to sell more books? Then check out these tips on how to use the holidays to sell more books. There's no guarantees they'll get you amazing results, of course, but they may help, so it's worth a try, right?

November 2016 #Vegetarian Friendly #Food Themed Thoughts (FD)

For the past several years, when Halloween rolls around, I've cooked something involving pumpkin. Halloween to me just screams pumpkin recipes, which is kind of funny considering I was almost 19 years old the first time I ever tried pumpkin pie, and in my 20s the first time I tried cooking anything with pumpkin. Yes, seriously! I'd heard of pumpkin pie, but things like that are only available over here if you make them yourself, or know someone who can, so it was when I spent some time living in Canada that I first tasted pumpkin pie. Needless to say, the next time I tried it I had to make it myself, and since pumpkins are only readily available around Halloween, and it's only in the last couple of years we've had the option to order canned pumpkin, my pumpkin pie making, and cooking of any other pumpkin themed recipes, generally has to be done around Halloween, which sort of helps to solidify the association in my mind with pumpkin recipes and halloween.

Yeah, I know Halloween was a couple of weeks ago. Just bear with me here, OK? I couldn't do this post until after I'd done my Halloween baking for this year, and this is the first chance I'm getting to sort it. Besides, I'm pretty sure it's in time for those of you celebrating Thanksgiving this month, some of whom may want to do some pumpkin themed baking for that holiday.

Anyway, a favourite pumpkin themed recipe of mine is pasta with pumpkin sage sauce and cheese, which I've cooked at least once every year since I discovered the recipe - not always on Halloween, but always around this time of year - and which has proven to be popular with everyone I've tried it on. But I've also tried a couple of other pumpkin themed recipes (some savoury, some sweet). Plus, I've tweaked the sauce recipe a bit a couple of times. I've cooked it with and without the onion, I've substituted the nutmeg for pumpkin spice, and I've made it using completely different herbs and spices. I've also used the pumpkin sage sauce in a vegetable bake (in its original form, and with different herbs and spices in it) which worked out well too.

If you're interested, you can find most of the pumpkin themed recipes I've used on my website's recipe section, including the recipe for the above mentioned pumpkin sage sauce, and one for pumpkin pie. You won't find the variations for the sauce though, so you'll have to ask me about that if you want to know what I did.

My recipe section also has a pumpkin pasty recipe on it, but the pumpkin pasty recipe you'll find on my website is for sweet pumpkin pasties. Those are pretty good, but I decided last year that I wanted to make savoury versions. So I made pumpkin and vegetable pasties, which turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself. Unfortunately, nobody can vouch for me on this one, since Kelly was the only one around when I made them, and wasn't interested in trying them; he's often reluctant to try new recipes, especially vegetarian ones. Anyway, they consisted of potatoes, carrots, onions, peas, and pumpkin puree, cooked up and then mixed together before being wrapped up in pastry and baked until the pastry was golden brown.

This year, however, I decided to take a different approach to making a savoury pumpkin pasty; I wanted the focus to be on the pumpkin, rather than all the other veggies in it. So I decided to make some of the pumpkin sage sauce I love so much, though without the onions, and with pumpkin spice in place of the nutmeg. Then I cooked up some potatoes to mix with it, and used that mixture to make my pasties. Apparently this version sounded much more appealing to my generally strictly meat and potatoes eating hubby, because Kelly actually agreed to try these ones. Anyway, they turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself, and Kelly seemed to agree.

By the way, the pumpkin sauce - regardless of the version you're making - and both versions of the savoury pasties, can be frozen after cooking, to be defrosted and reheated. I've intentionally made extra so as to try it out, and just thought I'd mention it, in case you were wondering.