Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 130
November 2, 2016
#Writing Wednesday - November 2nd 2016
For those waiting for it: "Eadweard - A Story Of 1066" is now available in paperback via CreateSpace and Amazon, and will become available via other places CreateSpace books are distributed to (such as Barnes & Noble) some time in the very near future. You can click on the book's title in this paragraph for the CreateSpace buy link.
So... Are you an author too? If so, beware of inconsistancies in your name when publishing your books. It causes confusion, and could potentially cost you sales. Just saying.
November started yesterday, and with it NaNoWriMo. Are you participating? If so, here are some tools to get you started. If you haven't started yet, there's still time to do so... It's only November 2nd, after all. If you are participating, good luck!
Anyway...
Do you love music as well as writing? Well, whether you do or not, music can often help to breathe life in to a scene, or grow the relationships between characters. So, here are some ways to write about music, which you may find useful while writing your own stories.
Struggling with writers' block? Check out these writing prompts based on dialogue, and see if any of them will help get your creative juices flowing. Always remember that, you don't need an original idea, you just need to put your own unique spin on it, and write it the way only you can.
You should always use your thesaurus with caution After all, there's no point sounding smart if all it will do is confuse your readers, and spoil their enjoyment of your story... Just something for you to bear in mind.
You should also bear in mind that establishing a writing routine doesn't have to mean you write 2000 words or more every day. Every writer is different, and your personal writing routine should reflect that, whether it just has you writing down ideas, has you writing the entire first draft of a short story, or has you writing 2000 words towards whatever larger writing project you're working on.
Regardless of whether you're an author, musician, or some other kind of artist, take a look at these three ways to win an argument with your inner critic.
Last, but certainly not least, you may like to check out this post on how to become a better writer... By not writing. Again, this is something that can apply to artists, musicians, etc, as well as writers. Sometimes you just need to breathe, or explore other ways to be creative.
So... Are you an author too? If so, beware of inconsistancies in your name when publishing your books. It causes confusion, and could potentially cost you sales. Just saying.
November started yesterday, and with it NaNoWriMo. Are you participating? If so, here are some tools to get you started. If you haven't started yet, there's still time to do so... It's only November 2nd, after all. If you are participating, good luck!
Anyway...
Do you love music as well as writing? Well, whether you do or not, music can often help to breathe life in to a scene, or grow the relationships between characters. So, here are some ways to write about music, which you may find useful while writing your own stories.
Struggling with writers' block? Check out these writing prompts based on dialogue, and see if any of them will help get your creative juices flowing. Always remember that, you don't need an original idea, you just need to put your own unique spin on it, and write it the way only you can.
You should always use your thesaurus with caution After all, there's no point sounding smart if all it will do is confuse your readers, and spoil their enjoyment of your story... Just something for you to bear in mind.
You should also bear in mind that establishing a writing routine doesn't have to mean you write 2000 words or more every day. Every writer is different, and your personal writing routine should reflect that, whether it just has you writing down ideas, has you writing the entire first draft of a short story, or has you writing 2000 words towards whatever larger writing project you're working on.
Regardless of whether you're an author, musician, or some other kind of artist, take a look at these three ways to win an argument with your inner critic.
Last, but certainly not least, you may like to check out this post on how to become a better writer... By not writing. Again, this is something that can apply to artists, musicians, etc, as well as writers. Sometimes you just need to breathe, or explore other ways to be creative.
October 31, 2016
#TV Talk and #Movie Mutterings - #Halloween 2016 (LBE And FD)
If you're here looking for my Halloween party post... Click here to go to it.
OK... So... It's Halloween... Do you have any plans? If so, I'd love to hear what they are.
Living several floors up in an area that doesn't get many trick-or-treaters anyway, I'm not expecting any neighbours' children to be knocking on my door - or, more accurately, ringing my buzzer - tonight. Around here, most of the people who celebrate Halloween go to parties or other events that they or their children's schools arrange, and it's rare to get more than a dozen or so trick-or-treaters come calling, even when you live at street level. I think the most we ever got was a little over two dozen one time a couple of years ago, but - as I said - that's pretty rare. It's sad really, but so many people won't even answer the door that most people don't feel it's worth it to take the kids out trick-or-treating, and even fewer bother with blocks of flats. Not that everyone even bothers with Halloween at all these days, which I happen to think is a real shame. But I also happen to think people are entitled to celebrate, or not celebrate, whatever they like, so I'm not going to judge them for it. It would be nice to have trick-or-treaters come calling though...
Well, regardless of what the neighbours are doing, I for one plan to celebrate it, so, my Halloween plans involve eating something with pumpkin in it for dinner, followed by some treats we have on hand (just because you need treats when celebrating Halloween) and watching movies. I might do some reading too, knowing me. Not big plans, perhaps, but it's something to do to celebrate the holiday, and it sounds fun to me.
Oh, and... If you're wondering... Yes. If any trick-or-treaters do actually come calling, I will share my treats with them. As much as I'd love to have the kids come calling, I'm willing to eat them all if no trick-or-treaters come calling though. *wink*
So, anyway... Kelly and I both picked a movie we've seen, and a movie we haven't, though I'm not sure if we'll get to all four today... Probably not. Anyway, my movies of choice are Hocus Pocus for the movie we've seen, and Goosebumps for the one we haven't seen. Kelly's picks are The Witches for the movie we've seen, and The Last Witch Hunter for the one we haven't seen. We obviously like the ones we picked that we've already seen, so I won't be mentioning them in next month's movie reviews post. But I'll tell you next month what we thought of the two new to us movies.
For now though, let's take a look at the new to me movies I've already watched, including those movies I would have posted about in September, but didn't due to not ending up doing one of these posts last month (if you're wondering, I didn't do the post last month because I'd planned to have it go up the morning we lost Jenks, and put it back as a draft post to make the post for that day about him instead, later rescheduling and adding to the planned September movies post to create this one). Not that there are very many new to me movies to review, even with it being two months worth... This post is only a kind of long one because I talk a lot. Haha! Seriously though, as I've mentioned a few times in the past, I spend more time reading than watching movies or TV shows.
Anyway, I'm sure you want me to get on with it, so...
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...
Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015 movie):
I loved the first Hotel Transylvania movie, so was excited about watching the second. Luckily, I was not disappointed. The movie was fantastic! There were a few sweet scenes, but mostly the characters and their antics had me laughing out loud. I think this is one the entire family could enjoy - young and old alike. I have no hesitation at all in giving this movie the full five out of five stars.
A Warrior's Tail (2015 movie):
For the most part, this was a pretty good movie, with some really entertaining scenes. But I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I thought I was going to. Confused? Let me explain. Part of why I didn't enjoy the movie as much as I'd expected to was because it was often difficult to tell who was doing what, since there was no audio description, and it wasn't clear from the dialogue or sound effects. It wasn't just that though. The tone of the movie had me thinking for most of it that the people in the movie were a tribe from one of the old religeons where animals, nature, and magic users take the place of dieties for the most part, and any mention to any kind of actual diety refers to Mother Earth in some shape or form. At least, that's what I'd have said if you asked me about their beliefs. However, at one point... About two thirds of the way through, give or take... Two of the characters suddenly had this short conversation about whether God was eternal. I have no memory of God ever being mentioned before that, and know for a fact he wasn't mentioned after it. Now, don't get me wrong, people can believe whatever they want, be it in real life, in a book, or in a movie. But there needs to be consistancy in the beliefs, especially in the books and movies. With all the myths and legends, talking animals communicating easily with humans, magic users, curses, etc, mentioned in the rest of the movie, the conversation about God felt really out of place. Maybe I missed something earlier in the movie? I don't think so though, and Kelly had gotten the same feeling as me from the tone of the movie too, and was equally as confused by the sudden reference to God (though, I admit, he didn't watch the whole movie with me). But, anyway, since I mostly enjoyed what I could follow of the movie, and it wasn't entirely their fault I had no audio description, I'm giving this one four out of five stars.
The Martian (2015 movie):
I've read the book for this one, and really enjoyed it, so I was eager to see how well they did with the movie. Most of it was a pretty good representation of the book. I mean, they left a few bits out, and things weren't 100% as described in the book, but time limitations was probably the reason for the first of those things, and the inability to properly recreate the situations was probably the reason for the second. In all fairness, they couldn't really have someone go to Mars and completely recreate the experience; to my knowledge, no country currently has the ability to do something like that (and it probably wouldn't be a good idea to do it, even if they could). Anyway, back to the movie... The ending was the only issue I had with it. The ending of the book was dramatic enough, but they changed the ending in the movie to add a bit more action and excitement. Don't get me wrong, it was a really good alternative ending, and the same result was achieved in the longrun. But it was still an alternative ending, however you want to look at it. Still, I give this movie four out of five stars.
Victor Frankenstein (2015 movie):
I'm not familiar enough with the story of Frankenstein and his monster to know how well this works as a companion to the rest of what you may know about the man and his creation. I've read the book, but this is the first movie I've seen on it. From what I remember of the book, nothing was contradicted, so this seems a reasonable possible origin story from what I can tell, and is a pretty good movie. Not amazing, but worth a watch if you like that sort of thing, I think. I give this one four out of five stars.
Minions (2015 movie):
I haven't seen the movies where these little guys first made an appearance, but that doesn't matter, since this is a prequel anyway. So, what did I think of the movie? It was pretty cute, and quite funny. Kelly watched this one with me, and we were both laughing out loud for most of the movie. This is another movie the whole family can enjoy together, and I give it a well deserved five out of five stars.
Alice Through The Looking Glass (2016 movie):
I've seen both the animated and live action versions of "Alice In Wonderland" (in fact, I watched them again right before I watched this movie) and I've read the two books they're based on. When I learned there would be an "Alice Through The Looking Glass" movie, I wondered how they'd do it with how they ended the first live action movie, especially since the live action "Alice In Wonderland" felt a little like a blending of the two books. I was pleasantly surprised, however. They connected the movies to one another well, and then did an excellent job of combining some of the elements they hadn't yet used from the second book with some new material. I have no hesitation in giving this movie the full five out of five stars.
***
I'm trying to decide if I should be pleased or concerned that the rodent gang - the degus and chinchillas in particular - seem to absolutely love crime dramas like NCIS, CSI, Cold Case, etc. If they're being all grumpy and whiny, putting one of those shows on will make them calm down. We've even witnessed them staring intently at the TV during their crime shows.
What do you think? Should I be pleased, since those are pretty good shows, or should I be concerned?
***
I found out by doing this quiz thing on Pottermore that my Patronus is a Bassett Hound. Yeah... I can live with that. If you do the quiz thing, I'd love to know what yours would be. Oh, and, if you're wondering... I did the sorting too, and I'm in Ravenclaw, which is just fine with me. I have no objections to being a Ravenclaw with a puppy patronus.
Speaking of Harry Potter...
One of the Sky movie channels often plays the Harry Potter movies one after another, and then starts again when they're done. I've seen the movies dozens of times, but I still sometimes watch them again. Anyway, one day last week, I decided to lay on the sofa and watch some Harry Potter, since I'd turned the TV on just right to start from the first movie. Only a few minutes in to the movie, however, I fell asleep. I woke just as the second movie was starting. Kelly was already asleep before I fell asleep, and woke not long after I did. When he learned I'd been asleep, he asked me how long I slept for. My reply? "All of the first Harry Potter movie." You can tell how obsessed we are with Harry Potter by the fact he considered that a valid response, and knew roughly how long that meant. Haha!
Anyway... Happy Halloween!
OK... So... It's Halloween... Do you have any plans? If so, I'd love to hear what they are.
Living several floors up in an area that doesn't get many trick-or-treaters anyway, I'm not expecting any neighbours' children to be knocking on my door - or, more accurately, ringing my buzzer - tonight. Around here, most of the people who celebrate Halloween go to parties or other events that they or their children's schools arrange, and it's rare to get more than a dozen or so trick-or-treaters come calling, even when you live at street level. I think the most we ever got was a little over two dozen one time a couple of years ago, but - as I said - that's pretty rare. It's sad really, but so many people won't even answer the door that most people don't feel it's worth it to take the kids out trick-or-treating, and even fewer bother with blocks of flats. Not that everyone even bothers with Halloween at all these days, which I happen to think is a real shame. But I also happen to think people are entitled to celebrate, or not celebrate, whatever they like, so I'm not going to judge them for it. It would be nice to have trick-or-treaters come calling though...
Well, regardless of what the neighbours are doing, I for one plan to celebrate it, so, my Halloween plans involve eating something with pumpkin in it for dinner, followed by some treats we have on hand (just because you need treats when celebrating Halloween) and watching movies. I might do some reading too, knowing me. Not big plans, perhaps, but it's something to do to celebrate the holiday, and it sounds fun to me.
Oh, and... If you're wondering... Yes. If any trick-or-treaters do actually come calling, I will share my treats with them. As much as I'd love to have the kids come calling, I'm willing to eat them all if no trick-or-treaters come calling though. *wink*
So, anyway... Kelly and I both picked a movie we've seen, and a movie we haven't, though I'm not sure if we'll get to all four today... Probably not. Anyway, my movies of choice are Hocus Pocus for the movie we've seen, and Goosebumps for the one we haven't seen. Kelly's picks are The Witches for the movie we've seen, and The Last Witch Hunter for the one we haven't seen. We obviously like the ones we picked that we've already seen, so I won't be mentioning them in next month's movie reviews post. But I'll tell you next month what we thought of the two new to us movies.
For now though, let's take a look at the new to me movies I've already watched, including those movies I would have posted about in September, but didn't due to not ending up doing one of these posts last month (if you're wondering, I didn't do the post last month because I'd planned to have it go up the morning we lost Jenks, and put it back as a draft post to make the post for that day about him instead, later rescheduling and adding to the planned September movies post to create this one). Not that there are very many new to me movies to review, even with it being two months worth... This post is only a kind of long one because I talk a lot. Haha! Seriously though, as I've mentioned a few times in the past, I spend more time reading than watching movies or TV shows.
Anyway, I'm sure you want me to get on with it, so...
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...
Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015 movie):
I loved the first Hotel Transylvania movie, so was excited about watching the second. Luckily, I was not disappointed. The movie was fantastic! There were a few sweet scenes, but mostly the characters and their antics had me laughing out loud. I think this is one the entire family could enjoy - young and old alike. I have no hesitation at all in giving this movie the full five out of five stars.
A Warrior's Tail (2015 movie):
For the most part, this was a pretty good movie, with some really entertaining scenes. But I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I thought I was going to. Confused? Let me explain. Part of why I didn't enjoy the movie as much as I'd expected to was because it was often difficult to tell who was doing what, since there was no audio description, and it wasn't clear from the dialogue or sound effects. It wasn't just that though. The tone of the movie had me thinking for most of it that the people in the movie were a tribe from one of the old religeons where animals, nature, and magic users take the place of dieties for the most part, and any mention to any kind of actual diety refers to Mother Earth in some shape or form. At least, that's what I'd have said if you asked me about their beliefs. However, at one point... About two thirds of the way through, give or take... Two of the characters suddenly had this short conversation about whether God was eternal. I have no memory of God ever being mentioned before that, and know for a fact he wasn't mentioned after it. Now, don't get me wrong, people can believe whatever they want, be it in real life, in a book, or in a movie. But there needs to be consistancy in the beliefs, especially in the books and movies. With all the myths and legends, talking animals communicating easily with humans, magic users, curses, etc, mentioned in the rest of the movie, the conversation about God felt really out of place. Maybe I missed something earlier in the movie? I don't think so though, and Kelly had gotten the same feeling as me from the tone of the movie too, and was equally as confused by the sudden reference to God (though, I admit, he didn't watch the whole movie with me). But, anyway, since I mostly enjoyed what I could follow of the movie, and it wasn't entirely their fault I had no audio description, I'm giving this one four out of five stars.
The Martian (2015 movie):
I've read the book for this one, and really enjoyed it, so I was eager to see how well they did with the movie. Most of it was a pretty good representation of the book. I mean, they left a few bits out, and things weren't 100% as described in the book, but time limitations was probably the reason for the first of those things, and the inability to properly recreate the situations was probably the reason for the second. In all fairness, they couldn't really have someone go to Mars and completely recreate the experience; to my knowledge, no country currently has the ability to do something like that (and it probably wouldn't be a good idea to do it, even if they could). Anyway, back to the movie... The ending was the only issue I had with it. The ending of the book was dramatic enough, but they changed the ending in the movie to add a bit more action and excitement. Don't get me wrong, it was a really good alternative ending, and the same result was achieved in the longrun. But it was still an alternative ending, however you want to look at it. Still, I give this movie four out of five stars.
Victor Frankenstein (2015 movie):
I'm not familiar enough with the story of Frankenstein and his monster to know how well this works as a companion to the rest of what you may know about the man and his creation. I've read the book, but this is the first movie I've seen on it. From what I remember of the book, nothing was contradicted, so this seems a reasonable possible origin story from what I can tell, and is a pretty good movie. Not amazing, but worth a watch if you like that sort of thing, I think. I give this one four out of five stars.
Minions (2015 movie):
I haven't seen the movies where these little guys first made an appearance, but that doesn't matter, since this is a prequel anyway. So, what did I think of the movie? It was pretty cute, and quite funny. Kelly watched this one with me, and we were both laughing out loud for most of the movie. This is another movie the whole family can enjoy together, and I give it a well deserved five out of five stars.
Alice Through The Looking Glass (2016 movie):
I've seen both the animated and live action versions of "Alice In Wonderland" (in fact, I watched them again right before I watched this movie) and I've read the two books they're based on. When I learned there would be an "Alice Through The Looking Glass" movie, I wondered how they'd do it with how they ended the first live action movie, especially since the live action "Alice In Wonderland" felt a little like a blending of the two books. I was pleasantly surprised, however. They connected the movies to one another well, and then did an excellent job of combining some of the elements they hadn't yet used from the second book with some new material. I have no hesitation in giving this movie the full five out of five stars.
***
I'm trying to decide if I should be pleased or concerned that the rodent gang - the degus and chinchillas in particular - seem to absolutely love crime dramas like NCIS, CSI, Cold Case, etc. If they're being all grumpy and whiny, putting one of those shows on will make them calm down. We've even witnessed them staring intently at the TV during their crime shows.
What do you think? Should I be pleased, since those are pretty good shows, or should I be concerned?
***
I found out by doing this quiz thing on Pottermore that my Patronus is a Bassett Hound. Yeah... I can live with that. If you do the quiz thing, I'd love to know what yours would be. Oh, and, if you're wondering... I did the sorting too, and I'm in Ravenclaw, which is just fine with me. I have no objections to being a Ravenclaw with a puppy patronus.
Speaking of Harry Potter...
One of the Sky movie channels often plays the Harry Potter movies one after another, and then starts again when they're done. I've seen the movies dozens of times, but I still sometimes watch them again. Anyway, one day last week, I decided to lay on the sofa and watch some Harry Potter, since I'd turned the TV on just right to start from the first movie. Only a few minutes in to the movie, however, I fell asleep. I woke just as the second movie was starting. Kelly was already asleep before I fell asleep, and woke not long after I did. When he learned I'd been asleep, he asked me how long I slept for. My reply? "All of the first Harry Potter movie." You can tell how obsessed we are with Harry Potter by the fact he considered that a valid response, and knew roughly how long that meant. Haha!
Anyway... Happy Halloween!
October 29, 2016
#TDWHalloweenParty 2016: The Dance Of Lady Autumn - A #Poem (FD)
If you're new here... Welcome! If you're a regular visitor... Welcome back!
Say hello to this year's Mr. Pumpkin-Head and his friends...
Don't mind the skeleton and his warning... He can be quite dramatic at times. He's harmless, really.
Anyway, we're glad you could come. It's cold outside, and the roaring of the obviously rough ocean waves makes me think a storm is close, so please come in and make yourself comfortable while you get warmed up. You'll still be able to hear the waves roaring as they crash against the shore, but you'll be warmer inside, and dryer if the rain arrives.
The kettle is already on, so what will it be? Perhaps a nice apple and pear tea?
If that's not for you, don't worry, we have other teas as well; I stock a variety of herbal and fruity teas, plus regular tea. Or, perhaps you'd prefer a coffee? Or a nice mug of hot chocolate? Or, if you'd prefer, you could have a cold drink... I have a couple of available options for that too. Take your pick!
And, since no party is complete without cake... Help yourself to a slice of this jam and cream sponge...
Yeah, I know it's not a very Halloween themed cake, but I always think you can't go wrong with a nice strawberry jam and whipped cream sponge. Although, I suppose if you're a vegan or diabetic, or have an alergy to strawberries or something, you might feel differently. If that does apply to you though, I'm sure I can find you an alternative. I generally have things like crackers, oat cakes, fruit (dried, canned, and fresh) and that kind of thing available, so we can figure something out for you. It would be no trouble at all to do so, so please don't hesitate to speak up.
Or, for those more adventurous guests, how about we take the time to learn about Hallowmas (Halloween in Medieval times) and how to make soul cakes? Bet you can't get those at your local bakery...
OK? Everyone got their snack and drink of choice? Great!
So, while you enjoy your drink and snack, let me treat you to one of my recent poems, which was written around the time of this year's Autumn Equinox, which - for those who don't know - was on September 22nd. In fact, for the benifit of those who want to be accurate, I can tell you that the exact time and date of this year's equinox - as in the astronomical event itself - was on Thursday September 22nd 2016 at 2:21pm UTC (that's UK time, in case you don't know).
Anyway, this poem has never been shared before. It will appear in my next poetry collection - whenever I have enough poems to make it worthwhile putting another together - but, in the meantime, here it is:
This Halloween party post was published a couple of days before Halloween intentionally so I could have plenty of time to link up with the Halloween party over on The Domestic Witch's site. Speaking of which, once you're done here, you might like to click on the banner below to join in the fun, and check out the posts everyone else has done.
Happy Halloween, and thanks for visiting!
Say hello to this year's Mr. Pumpkin-Head and his friends...
Don't mind the skeleton and his warning... He can be quite dramatic at times. He's harmless, really.
Anyway, we're glad you could come. It's cold outside, and the roaring of the obviously rough ocean waves makes me think a storm is close, so please come in and make yourself comfortable while you get warmed up. You'll still be able to hear the waves roaring as they crash against the shore, but you'll be warmer inside, and dryer if the rain arrives.
The kettle is already on, so what will it be? Perhaps a nice apple and pear tea?
If that's not for you, don't worry, we have other teas as well; I stock a variety of herbal and fruity teas, plus regular tea. Or, perhaps you'd prefer a coffee? Or a nice mug of hot chocolate? Or, if you'd prefer, you could have a cold drink... I have a couple of available options for that too. Take your pick!
And, since no party is complete without cake... Help yourself to a slice of this jam and cream sponge...
Yeah, I know it's not a very Halloween themed cake, but I always think you can't go wrong with a nice strawberry jam and whipped cream sponge. Although, I suppose if you're a vegan or diabetic, or have an alergy to strawberries or something, you might feel differently. If that does apply to you though, I'm sure I can find you an alternative. I generally have things like crackers, oat cakes, fruit (dried, canned, and fresh) and that kind of thing available, so we can figure something out for you. It would be no trouble at all to do so, so please don't hesitate to speak up.
Or, for those more adventurous guests, how about we take the time to learn about Hallowmas (Halloween in Medieval times) and how to make soul cakes? Bet you can't get those at your local bakery...
OK? Everyone got their snack and drink of choice? Great!
So, while you enjoy your drink and snack, let me treat you to one of my recent poems, which was written around the time of this year's Autumn Equinox, which - for those who don't know - was on September 22nd. In fact, for the benifit of those who want to be accurate, I can tell you that the exact time and date of this year's equinox - as in the astronomical event itself - was on Thursday September 22nd 2016 at 2:21pm UTC (that's UK time, in case you don't know).
Anyway, this poem has never been shared before. It will appear in my next poetry collection - whenever I have enough poems to make it worthwhile putting another together - but, in the meantime, here it is:
The Dance Of Lady Autumn
Here comes Lady Autumn,
In gown of crimson and gold.
With amber eyes and russet hair,
She’s a beauty to behold.
See her dance among the trees;
Twirling around and around.
Each leaf she touches changes,
Before it tumbles to the ground.
Watch as the wind snatches them up;
It almost looks like chance.
But if you’re watching carefully,
You’ll see they’ve joined the Lady’s dance.
See how the leaves match her gown,
As well as her russet curls.
Watch how they move with her,
As she spins and twirls.
If you linger long enough,
Perhaps she’ll dance with you?
But when the dance comes to an end,
(As everything must do)
You best hurry home to your fire,
For Autumn will be through.
© 2016 ~ Victoria "Tori" Zigler
This Halloween party post was published a couple of days before Halloween intentionally so I could have plenty of time to link up with the Halloween party over on The Domestic Witch's site. Speaking of which, once you're done here, you might like to click on the banner below to join in the fun, and check out the posts everyone else has done.
Happy Halloween, and thanks for visiting!
October 28, 2016
#Furkid Friday: The #Gerbil And The Frosted Shreddy (FD)
Hellooo everyone! This is Baggins the gerbil.
I was feeling really low the other day, so the human caretakers gave me a bit of sugary cereal to make me feel better... It was a frosted Shreddy.
They usually give us the kinds of things with little to no sugar, because it's better for us, and also because then we can all have the same cereal (my degu brothers and chinchilla sisters have to be very careful with sugar - especially my degu brothers). But, anyway, the human caretakers let me have a sugary bit of cereal to make me feel better.
Except it didn't work out quite as they planned, because I liked that one so much more that when they tried giving me the plain version afterwards, I threw it back at them. I mean, why would I want a plain Shreddy when there are frosted ones in the world? Would you want plain ones when you can have ones coated in sugar? Uh-huh... That's what I thought!
The human caretakers don't let me get away with it every time... They insist I have to stick to mostly the non-sugary cereals for nibble time. I don't mind this on Cheerio days, but I make a point of showing my displeasure when they give me non-sugary Shreddies. I'm hoping they'll eventually get the hint and stick to giving me the frosted variety.
A gerbil can hope, right?
Squeak soon,
Baggins
I was feeling really low the other day, so the human caretakers gave me a bit of sugary cereal to make me feel better... It was a frosted Shreddy.
They usually give us the kinds of things with little to no sugar, because it's better for us, and also because then we can all have the same cereal (my degu brothers and chinchilla sisters have to be very careful with sugar - especially my degu brothers). But, anyway, the human caretakers let me have a sugary bit of cereal to make me feel better.
Except it didn't work out quite as they planned, because I liked that one so much more that when they tried giving me the plain version afterwards, I threw it back at them. I mean, why would I want a plain Shreddy when there are frosted ones in the world? Would you want plain ones when you can have ones coated in sugar? Uh-huh... That's what I thought!
The human caretakers don't let me get away with it every time... They insist I have to stick to mostly the non-sugary cereals for nibble time. I don't mind this on Cheerio days, but I make a point of showing my displeasure when they give me non-sugary Shreddies. I'm hoping they'll eventually get the hint and stick to giving me the frosted variety.
A gerbil can hope, right?
Squeak soon,
Baggins
October 26, 2016
#Writing Wednesday - October 26th 2016 (FD)
The Christmas story I'm writing - which I'll tell you more about soon - is coming along nicely. It's now in the stage where I'm starting to put it through the various editing processes. While I work on arranging that, Jacob Blackmon is working on the cover for me. I had hoped to have all the editing done by now, but the past couple of months have been busy, so I'm a bit behind my original schedule. There's still plenty of time for me to have it ready for an official release right before Christmas though, so it's all good. Yes, there's time, even though there's only eight and a half weeks to go until Christmas.
Uh-huh, I went there. Sorry folks, but it's true... Christmas is only eight and a half weeks away. If you haven't already done so, you may want to start thinking about it... Especially if you're an author planning a Christmasy release or promotion . Although, you might want to do so regardless... Just saying.
That's right, it's almost November already. So, whether you're ready for Christmas or not, are you ready for NaNoWriMo? I'm not participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) this year, officially or otherwise, but I know several people who are. As the post I just linked to said, remember to worry about only the writing part for now... You can worry about rewrites and edits later, like when NaNoEdMo (National Novel Editing Month) rolls around in March. For now, just make sure you're ready to put pen to paper, or fingers to keys, when November rolls around in just under a week. Here are five lessons one author learned from NaNoWriMo, and some tips from another author for keeping your word count up, in case you're interested.
Anyway...
This may not be what you want to hear, but here are some truths about what you should think about if you've decided to start writing a book. If you really love to write, don't let anything stop you. If you're doing it for fame and/or fortune, you should probably do something else. Just saying.
If you've decided writing is for you, no matter what, and are starting the rewrites and edits for your own work, check out this post on mastering the art of the scene, and this one on how to make your writing better by changing one word. Then, when you're ready to do the formatting, remember to give your eBook as much love as your paperback. Of course, this doesn't have to mean fancy formatting, since you can just keep things simple like I do. The point is, do all you can to try and make sure your eBook will look good too, and bear in mind that some things don't work well on some eReaders, especially the older models.
Planning to self-publish? Check out the basics every indie author needs before publishing a book. Trust me, having those things in place - or, when it comes to the social media part, as many as you think you can realistically handle - before you publish, will help when it comes to marketing your book once it's released. Also, here are some "Do this, not that," promotional tips, based on things one author has learned from personal experience, in the hopes they will help you avoid the same mistakes. Oh, and remember to think outside the bookstore when it comes to release or promotional events.
Next, here's a great - and fun - way to flesh out your character(s) for your story: get to know your character over coffee. Character interviews of any kind are interesting ways to flesh out character profiles, and it's surprising what you can learn about someone in the time it takes to share a cup of coffee (or tea, if you're like me and can't stand coffee) and maybe a cake... Just to keep your energy levels up... *Wink* If you're lucky, taking the time to have coffee with your character will mean you can avoid the need to tame a wild character. No promises though. This list of ways you can explore your characters' traits could also prove useful to you in getting to know your characters, and may even help with your efforts in taming the wild ones. Oh, and here's a pretty good post for if you're struggling with naming your darlings.
Or, perhaps you write poetry? If so, check out this post on writing haiku, which contains a short list of tricks any poet needs in their writing toolbox.
Last, but by no means least, and regardless of the kinds of things you write... Always remember that illustrating a children's book is a real job, and so is being an artist of any kind. So bear that in mind when working with your cover artist, illustrator, or whatever, and don't take advantage of their talents.
Uh-huh, I went there. Sorry folks, but it's true... Christmas is only eight and a half weeks away. If you haven't already done so, you may want to start thinking about it... Especially if you're an author planning a Christmasy release or promotion . Although, you might want to do so regardless... Just saying.
That's right, it's almost November already. So, whether you're ready for Christmas or not, are you ready for NaNoWriMo? I'm not participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) this year, officially or otherwise, but I know several people who are. As the post I just linked to said, remember to worry about only the writing part for now... You can worry about rewrites and edits later, like when NaNoEdMo (National Novel Editing Month) rolls around in March. For now, just make sure you're ready to put pen to paper, or fingers to keys, when November rolls around in just under a week. Here are five lessons one author learned from NaNoWriMo, and some tips from another author for keeping your word count up, in case you're interested.
Anyway...
This may not be what you want to hear, but here are some truths about what you should think about if you've decided to start writing a book. If you really love to write, don't let anything stop you. If you're doing it for fame and/or fortune, you should probably do something else. Just saying.
If you've decided writing is for you, no matter what, and are starting the rewrites and edits for your own work, check out this post on mastering the art of the scene, and this one on how to make your writing better by changing one word. Then, when you're ready to do the formatting, remember to give your eBook as much love as your paperback. Of course, this doesn't have to mean fancy formatting, since you can just keep things simple like I do. The point is, do all you can to try and make sure your eBook will look good too, and bear in mind that some things don't work well on some eReaders, especially the older models.
Planning to self-publish? Check out the basics every indie author needs before publishing a book. Trust me, having those things in place - or, when it comes to the social media part, as many as you think you can realistically handle - before you publish, will help when it comes to marketing your book once it's released. Also, here are some "Do this, not that," promotional tips, based on things one author has learned from personal experience, in the hopes they will help you avoid the same mistakes. Oh, and remember to think outside the bookstore when it comes to release or promotional events.
Next, here's a great - and fun - way to flesh out your character(s) for your story: get to know your character over coffee. Character interviews of any kind are interesting ways to flesh out character profiles, and it's surprising what you can learn about someone in the time it takes to share a cup of coffee (or tea, if you're like me and can't stand coffee) and maybe a cake... Just to keep your energy levels up... *Wink* If you're lucky, taking the time to have coffee with your character will mean you can avoid the need to tame a wild character. No promises though. This list of ways you can explore your characters' traits could also prove useful to you in getting to know your characters, and may even help with your efforts in taming the wild ones. Oh, and here's a pretty good post for if you're struggling with naming your darlings.
Or, perhaps you write poetry? If so, check out this post on writing haiku, which contains a short list of tricks any poet needs in their writing toolbox.
Last, but by no means least, and regardless of the kinds of things you write... Always remember that illustrating a children's book is a real job, and so is being an artist of any kind. So bear that in mind when working with your cover artist, illustrator, or whatever, and don't take advantage of their talents.
October 24, 2016
October 2016 Jibber-Jabber (FD)
Rosie from Everything's Coming Up Rosie does these "if we were having coffee/tea" posts from time to time, where she updates her readers on random things happening in her life. This post is going to be a bit like that. So...
***
After moving things around in the living room to make room for it properly, we set up the run mentioned in Mollie's post from Friday last month, and filled it with toys of all sorts, most notably: a play tunnel, a log arch, a selection of wooden toys, and a cardboard box. What's the most popular toy of the lot? I bet those who've had a lot of experience with pets and/or small children can guess. That's right... The cardboard box. Haha!
***
We had planned to go to some of the events happening to celebrate the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings during Hastings week. My brother, Carl, and his girlfriend, Tory, were even going to come for a visit to go to some of it with us. But they didn't end up coming for their visit after all, and then we ended up not going. A part of me was disappointed, but I actually wasn't as disappointed as I thought I might have been. Sure, it would have been nice to be there, especially on a big anniversary like the 950th, but... *Shrugs* Maybe another time? We'd have made sure to go if Carl and Tory had been here, but since they didn't come down, and I wasn't feeling well, we didn't bother . We did hear the fireworks though. Well, Kelly heard them all, and I heard some of them as I drifted in and out of sleep, since the combination of tiredness and cough medicine made staying awake properly impossible for me. But I enjoyed what I heard between dozes. Oh, and, no, we don't have photos... Sorry.
***
We were discussing potential plans for the upcoming holidays recently on Deanna's blog, and I made myself feel old. I mean, I swear I sounded just like my Nan. There's all these people making big holiday plans, and I'm basically saying, "Just a nice cup of tea and a little treat for tea. That will make the day nice and special." There's also a good chance I could fall asleep in my chair while watching holiday movies afterwards. Unfortunately, these days that kind of thing is my reality... See above paragraph... And chances are I won't be feeling up to doing much more than that. You know what though? Despite my initial shocked reaction on realizing this, I actually don't mind, and having a nice treat then falling asleep in my chair watching holiday movies actually sounds pretty good to me.
***
We went for afternoon tea with Lorna and Andy again, and they remembered how pleased I'd been about egg and cress sandwiches being available before, so made sure they had some of those for me. Don't you just love when hosts/friends take notice like that? Anyway, they made egg and cress sandwiches, as I said, as well as some with cheese and a vegetarian ham substitute in them. We also had toasted teacakes. The tea was lovely. Look at me, sounding like an old lady again... Do people even say things like, "It was really quite lovely," any more? Regardless, it really was! The loaf of homemade seed bread they sent home with us - which was baking when we arrived, so that we walked in to that wonderful freshly baked bread smell - was too.
***
I saw this Autumn tag on Rosie's blog. I'm not doing it properly, but I will share with you that the thing that tells me Autumn is here is that crisp scent to the air that promises frosty mornings to come. You knowthe scent I mean, right? That's my favourite Autumn scent too. Oh, and my favourite Autumn activity is pumpkin carving... I look forward to that every year; it's great fun! Hmmm... Maybe I'm not quite old yet after all... Haha!
***
I know some people either had birthdays recently, or are about to have them, so... If I missed your birthday, or you have one coming up... Happy birthday! I especially want to say a belated happy birthday to my friend, AliceKay, for October 6th, as well as to my brother, Carl, for October 16th. Also, belated happy birthday to my friend, Pia, for October 19th, as well as to her little boy, Max, for October 17th. Plus, happy birthday to another friend, Louise, who celebrates her birthday today (October 24th) as well as to our niece, Tamara, who will be celebrating her birthday on Friday (October 28th). Finally, happy birthday to my good friend, Iggy, who will be celebrating his birthday on November 4th. Yeah, I know that last one is a couple of weeks away, but I figured I'd go ahead and mention it now, while I'm doing birthdays.
***
Last, but not least... Just a friendly reminder to never stop learning.
***
After moving things around in the living room to make room for it properly, we set up the run mentioned in Mollie's post from Friday last month, and filled it with toys of all sorts, most notably: a play tunnel, a log arch, a selection of wooden toys, and a cardboard box. What's the most popular toy of the lot? I bet those who've had a lot of experience with pets and/or small children can guess. That's right... The cardboard box. Haha!
***
We had planned to go to some of the events happening to celebrate the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings during Hastings week. My brother, Carl, and his girlfriend, Tory, were even going to come for a visit to go to some of it with us. But they didn't end up coming for their visit after all, and then we ended up not going. A part of me was disappointed, but I actually wasn't as disappointed as I thought I might have been. Sure, it would have been nice to be there, especially on a big anniversary like the 950th, but... *Shrugs* Maybe another time? We'd have made sure to go if Carl and Tory had been here, but since they didn't come down, and I wasn't feeling well, we didn't bother . We did hear the fireworks though. Well, Kelly heard them all, and I heard some of them as I drifted in and out of sleep, since the combination of tiredness and cough medicine made staying awake properly impossible for me. But I enjoyed what I heard between dozes. Oh, and, no, we don't have photos... Sorry.
***
We were discussing potential plans for the upcoming holidays recently on Deanna's blog, and I made myself feel old. I mean, I swear I sounded just like my Nan. There's all these people making big holiday plans, and I'm basically saying, "Just a nice cup of tea and a little treat for tea. That will make the day nice and special." There's also a good chance I could fall asleep in my chair while watching holiday movies afterwards. Unfortunately, these days that kind of thing is my reality... See above paragraph... And chances are I won't be feeling up to doing much more than that. You know what though? Despite my initial shocked reaction on realizing this, I actually don't mind, and having a nice treat then falling asleep in my chair watching holiday movies actually sounds pretty good to me.
***
We went for afternoon tea with Lorna and Andy again, and they remembered how pleased I'd been about egg and cress sandwiches being available before, so made sure they had some of those for me. Don't you just love when hosts/friends take notice like that? Anyway, they made egg and cress sandwiches, as I said, as well as some with cheese and a vegetarian ham substitute in them. We also had toasted teacakes. The tea was lovely. Look at me, sounding like an old lady again... Do people even say things like, "It was really quite lovely," any more? Regardless, it really was! The loaf of homemade seed bread they sent home with us - which was baking when we arrived, so that we walked in to that wonderful freshly baked bread smell - was too.
***
I saw this Autumn tag on Rosie's blog. I'm not doing it properly, but I will share with you that the thing that tells me Autumn is here is that crisp scent to the air that promises frosty mornings to come. You knowthe scent I mean, right? That's my favourite Autumn scent too. Oh, and my favourite Autumn activity is pumpkin carving... I look forward to that every year; it's great fun! Hmmm... Maybe I'm not quite old yet after all... Haha!
***
I know some people either had birthdays recently, or are about to have them, so... If I missed your birthday, or you have one coming up... Happy birthday! I especially want to say a belated happy birthday to my friend, AliceKay, for October 6th, as well as to my brother, Carl, for October 16th. Also, belated happy birthday to my friend, Pia, for October 19th, as well as to her little boy, Max, for October 17th. Plus, happy birthday to another friend, Louise, who celebrates her birthday today (October 24th) as well as to our niece, Tamara, who will be celebrating her birthday on Friday (October 28th). Finally, happy birthday to my good friend, Iggy, who will be celebrating his birthday on November 4th. Yeah, I know that last one is a couple of weeks away, but I figured I'd go ahead and mention it now, while I'm doing birthdays.
***
Last, but not least... Just a friendly reminder to never stop learning.
October 23, 2016
#Reading Ramblings: Canute: Using #Braille To Make ‘Kindles’ For #Blind People
Extract of an interesting article that was brought to my attention a couple of weeks ago:
Read the full article here.
"National Braille Week" is obviously long since over, but I didn't want to interrupt all the "Battlefield 1066" stuff with this post. Plus, it was either over or almost so by the time I knew of this article anyway, so... *Shrugs*
Anyway, I expect some of you at least will be interested in my thoughts?
I think I heard something about this a little while ago, so it's nice to see evidence that there's progress on it, and that it's now being tested in schools and things. It really would be a shame if the number of braille users declined even more, and it's great to see efforts are being made to stop that happening. Modern technology is often a wonderful thing, but I think it's sad that most people aren't being taught how to do things without technology these days, and those still in school right now would be lost without their computers and things.
So, my thoughts on the device itself...
On the one hand, I think this is great, and look forward to when they make one a bit smaller, so it actually is portable, and I can maybe get one. Yes, I can read braille, as those who have been following my blog for some time know already. It would be great to be able to read a book without it announcing to the world what I'm reading, or the need for headphones. Also, see my comments above about not wanting the number of braille readers to decline further.
On the other hand, I hate that they consider the £600 price tag to be cheap and affordable, because that is not cheap, and is not easily affordable by most people. I mean, sure, it's cheap when compared to a lot of the devices, which come in at £1000 and above, but that's still a lot of money. I hope, when they bring out the more portable one, they also manage to do something to lower the cost a bit, otherwise it's going to be out of the price range of many. I get it being more expensive than your average Kindle, but since most Kindles are a third of that price, often cheaper again, you'd think they could knock the price tag down a bit. Especially if their aim is to encourage people to buy this option rather than relying on text to speach software (which, by the way, isn't always cheap... Just saying). Yeah, I know, I get it, it costs a lot of money to make things like this. Blah, blah, blah. I've heard that argument before, and I'll give you the same response I give whenever I hear it: they'd make their money back far easier selling several at lower prices that most people can actually afford, rather than struggling to sell more than a hanfful because most people can't afford to buy them. I mean, there's several pieces of technology I'd just love to own, but just can't afford, which is a problem plenty of others have too, and I wish they'd consider that before insisting £600 price tags are cheap.
Beyond that, the main thing I'm wondering is... Will this work for any books? Or will it be like text to speach is on my actual Kindle, where it doesn't work with some books? I think it's meant to be the former, which would be great, but if it's the latter, will something be done to make sure "text to braille" becomes more readily available on books in the future?
Canute is tackling the decline in Braille literacy - and everyone should care.
Being able to read is one of the most precious of skills: Books free the imagination and inspire creativity – they allow people to learn independently, and relax after a hard day.
But not everyone has that luxury.
This week is National Braille Week: a week dedicated to the raised dots that allow blind people to read letters, numbers, punctuation and words.
But Braille is on the decline.
In the ’60s up to 50% of blind school children in the US were able to read Braille, but this figure is now closer to 10%.
Today one company hopes to turn this around, with a device that’s fit for the digital age.
Get ready to meet Canute.
Read the full article here.
"National Braille Week" is obviously long since over, but I didn't want to interrupt all the "Battlefield 1066" stuff with this post. Plus, it was either over or almost so by the time I knew of this article anyway, so... *Shrugs*
Anyway, I expect some of you at least will be interested in my thoughts?
I think I heard something about this a little while ago, so it's nice to see evidence that there's progress on it, and that it's now being tested in schools and things. It really would be a shame if the number of braille users declined even more, and it's great to see efforts are being made to stop that happening. Modern technology is often a wonderful thing, but I think it's sad that most people aren't being taught how to do things without technology these days, and those still in school right now would be lost without their computers and things.
So, my thoughts on the device itself...
On the one hand, I think this is great, and look forward to when they make one a bit smaller, so it actually is portable, and I can maybe get one. Yes, I can read braille, as those who have been following my blog for some time know already. It would be great to be able to read a book without it announcing to the world what I'm reading, or the need for headphones. Also, see my comments above about not wanting the number of braille readers to decline further.
On the other hand, I hate that they consider the £600 price tag to be cheap and affordable, because that is not cheap, and is not easily affordable by most people. I mean, sure, it's cheap when compared to a lot of the devices, which come in at £1000 and above, but that's still a lot of money. I hope, when they bring out the more portable one, they also manage to do something to lower the cost a bit, otherwise it's going to be out of the price range of many. I get it being more expensive than your average Kindle, but since most Kindles are a third of that price, often cheaper again, you'd think they could knock the price tag down a bit. Especially if their aim is to encourage people to buy this option rather than relying on text to speach software (which, by the way, isn't always cheap... Just saying). Yeah, I know, I get it, it costs a lot of money to make things like this. Blah, blah, blah. I've heard that argument before, and I'll give you the same response I give whenever I hear it: they'd make their money back far easier selling several at lower prices that most people can actually afford, rather than struggling to sell more than a hanfful because most people can't afford to buy them. I mean, there's several pieces of technology I'd just love to own, but just can't afford, which is a problem plenty of others have too, and I wish they'd consider that before insisting £600 price tags are cheap.
Beyond that, the main thing I'm wondering is... Will this work for any books? Or will it be like text to speach is on my actual Kindle, where it doesn't work with some books? I think it's meant to be the former, which would be great, but if it's the latter, will something be done to make sure "text to braille" becomes more readily available on books in the future?
October 21, 2016
#Furkid Friday: Of #Chinchilla Birthdays, iPhones, And "Pen Time" (FD)
Um... Hi everyone. This is Mollie the chinchilla.
See... This is me:
I was moving closer to check out one of the flashy things our human caretakers have when the above photo was taken. The Mummy human was using a version of the flashy thing she calls "iPhone" and it kept talking, so I came to check it out. I tried nibbling it at first, but it tasted awful, so I decided to see if I could figure out how the Mummy human was making it talk. I saw she was pawing at it, so decided to try too. It worked! Every time I put my paw on it, it talked. I thought it was great, so spent some time pawing at it to make it talk to me. The Mummy human said she was trying to do something, and I wasn't helping, but I don't understand what she said she was doing, and frankly don't care, since I was having a fantastic time. The Mummy human says she's going to blame me for any unusual calls on her iPhone. I don't even know what that means, but she was laughing when she said it, so I'm not worried.
Anyway, as you may already know, I had one of those birthday things a little over a week ago. This meant an extra special treat for me... YAY! My other rodent siblings got a little something too, because the human caretakers don't like to give nibbles to one of us and not give anything to the others. For that reason, my chinchilla sister, Maizie, got to share in my extra special treat. I don't mind though, because not only am I really fond of her - she's my bestest friend in the whole world - but the human caretakers said it will be the same when Maizie gets her first ever birthday in a couple of months time. They say it's only right, since we're sharing a cage, that we both get the same. We're not going to argue, since these human caretakers give out great nibbles. Our favourites are cereal and chinchilla cookies.
If it wasn't exciting enough that I had a birthday thing and we got an extra treat because of it, we also had something fun happen a couple of weeks before my birthday, which has been happening regularly ever since. The human caretakers call it "pen time" (for reasons that will become clear when you read on).
The human caretakers got this pen thing they said was called a "rabbit run" for some reason. We didn't understand why at first, since there are no rabbits in our family. But we watched with interest as they set it up and put some fun looking toys in it. Here it is, all set up:
Then, to our delight, we were told it was just for us chinchillas. Apparently it's been set up as a playpen for us, which means it's a safe area where we can get some decent out of cage exercise while being kept away from things like wires, which would be dangerous to us. It's not nearly as tall as our cage, but it has space for us to actually run around in it, where as our cage doesn't have much running space (but makes up for it with climbing and jumping room). Plus, the playpen has toys in it that we only get to play with when we're in it, some of which are different from what we have in our cage.
Maizie was extremely eager to try it out, and happy to allow the human caretakers to pick her up and put her in there right away. Here she is inside the playpen:
I wasn't so eager, and was reluctant to leave the safety of our cage. I take longer to adjust to new things, and felt safer watching from inside our cage while Maizie checked out the new playpen; Maizie's the more inquisitive of the two of us, and she's braver too. I got up the courage to join her after she'd been in there a couple of times though:
I learned quickly that Maizie was right about pen time being fun, so here I am enjoying myself in the playpen:
So, now we have a safe - and fun - place where we can run around and play outside of our cage, which we think is great. I mean, pets and cuddles from the human caretakers are nice, and Maizie and I also enjoy sitting on the Mummy human's shoulder. But having the freedom to run around and burn off some energy like that is even better, and we love our pen time!
Squeak soon,
Mollie
See... This is me:
I was moving closer to check out one of the flashy things our human caretakers have when the above photo was taken. The Mummy human was using a version of the flashy thing she calls "iPhone" and it kept talking, so I came to check it out. I tried nibbling it at first, but it tasted awful, so I decided to see if I could figure out how the Mummy human was making it talk. I saw she was pawing at it, so decided to try too. It worked! Every time I put my paw on it, it talked. I thought it was great, so spent some time pawing at it to make it talk to me. The Mummy human said she was trying to do something, and I wasn't helping, but I don't understand what she said she was doing, and frankly don't care, since I was having a fantastic time. The Mummy human says she's going to blame me for any unusual calls on her iPhone. I don't even know what that means, but she was laughing when she said it, so I'm not worried.
Anyway, as you may already know, I had one of those birthday things a little over a week ago. This meant an extra special treat for me... YAY! My other rodent siblings got a little something too, because the human caretakers don't like to give nibbles to one of us and not give anything to the others. For that reason, my chinchilla sister, Maizie, got to share in my extra special treat. I don't mind though, because not only am I really fond of her - she's my bestest friend in the whole world - but the human caretakers said it will be the same when Maizie gets her first ever birthday in a couple of months time. They say it's only right, since we're sharing a cage, that we both get the same. We're not going to argue, since these human caretakers give out great nibbles. Our favourites are cereal and chinchilla cookies.
If it wasn't exciting enough that I had a birthday thing and we got an extra treat because of it, we also had something fun happen a couple of weeks before my birthday, which has been happening regularly ever since. The human caretakers call it "pen time" (for reasons that will become clear when you read on).
The human caretakers got this pen thing they said was called a "rabbit run" for some reason. We didn't understand why at first, since there are no rabbits in our family. But we watched with interest as they set it up and put some fun looking toys in it. Here it is, all set up:
Then, to our delight, we were told it was just for us chinchillas. Apparently it's been set up as a playpen for us, which means it's a safe area where we can get some decent out of cage exercise while being kept away from things like wires, which would be dangerous to us. It's not nearly as tall as our cage, but it has space for us to actually run around in it, where as our cage doesn't have much running space (but makes up for it with climbing and jumping room). Plus, the playpen has toys in it that we only get to play with when we're in it, some of which are different from what we have in our cage.
Maizie was extremely eager to try it out, and happy to allow the human caretakers to pick her up and put her in there right away. Here she is inside the playpen:
I wasn't so eager, and was reluctant to leave the safety of our cage. I take longer to adjust to new things, and felt safer watching from inside our cage while Maizie checked out the new playpen; Maizie's the more inquisitive of the two of us, and she's braver too. I got up the courage to join her after she'd been in there a couple of times though:
I learned quickly that Maizie was right about pen time being fun, so here I am enjoying myself in the playpen:
So, now we have a safe - and fun - place where we can run around and play outside of our cage, which we think is great. I mean, pets and cuddles from the human caretakers are nice, and Maizie and I also enjoy sitting on the Mummy human's shoulder. But having the freedom to run around and burn off some energy like that is even better, and we love our pen time!
Squeak soon,
Mollie
October 19, 2016
#Writing Wednesday: The #SWAuthors Battlefield #1066 Round-Up
To make sure you didn't miss anything, here's a round-up of the posts that went up on my blog over this past week to celebrate the release of stories written by myself and other Smashwords authors based around the Battle Of Hastings, and published on the battle's 950th anniversary.
October 13th: Battle Of Hastings Timeline
October 14th: My Battle Of Hastings Children's HistoricalFiction Book Release: Eadweard - A Story Of 1066
October 15th: "Norman Blood" - A HistoricalFantasy Book by Author Barbara G. Tarn
October 16th: "They Marvel at the Star" A HistoricalFiction Book by Author L J Hick
October 17th: "The Battles Of Hastings" - A SciFi Book by Author STEPH BENNION
October 18th: My Battle Of Hastings Author And Character Interviews
You may also want to check out the following:
A spotlight post by Les
A spotlight post by author Ross Harrison
A Wyrd Worlds: Battlefield 1066 post by Steph
The author questions thread on the Goodreads Smashwords Authors group
Barb's "Hastings 1066" posts
A spotlight post by author Kevin Morris
Chris The Story Reading Ape's repost of Kevin's spotlight post
Alex Butcher's "Battlefield 1066" posts
If you helped with promotion, either by putting something up on your own blog, by sharing our posts, or whatever, thank you! If you took the time to ask us questions, or do so in the time remaining before the month is out, thank you for that too! Also, if you brought copies of any of our books, or do so in the near future, thank you for that as well!
October 13th: Battle Of Hastings Timeline
October 14th: My Battle Of Hastings Children's HistoricalFiction Book Release: Eadweard - A Story Of 1066
October 15th: "Norman Blood" - A HistoricalFantasy Book by Author Barbara G. Tarn
October 16th: "They Marvel at the Star" A HistoricalFiction Book by Author L J Hick
October 17th: "The Battles Of Hastings" - A SciFi Book by Author STEPH BENNION
October 18th: My Battle Of Hastings Author And Character Interviews
You may also want to check out the following:
A spotlight post by Les
A spotlight post by author Ross Harrison
A Wyrd Worlds: Battlefield 1066 post by Steph
The author questions thread on the Goodreads Smashwords Authors group
Barb's "Hastings 1066" posts
A spotlight post by author Kevin Morris
Chris The Story Reading Ape's repost of Kevin's spotlight post
Alex Butcher's "Battlefield 1066" posts
If you helped with promotion, either by putting something up on your own blog, by sharing our posts, or whatever, thank you! If you took the time to ask us questions, or do so in the time remaining before the month is out, thank you for that too! Also, if you brought copies of any of our books, or do so in the near future, thank you for that as well!
October 18, 2016
My Battle Of #Hastings #Author And #Character #Interviews
As part of our multi-author promotion for the Battle of Hastings stories written by some of us Wyrd Worlds authors, I did an author interview with Barb, which went live on Friday (October 14th 2016). You can read it at https://creativebarbwire.wordpress.com/2016/10/14/hastings-1066-fortnight-2/
I also did both a character interview and an author interview with Alex. Well, the character interview is technically Eadweard's interview. But, anyway, the interviews went live on Sunday (October 16th 2016) and you can read the post they're in by going to https://libraryoferana.wordpress.com/2016/10/16/battlefield-1066-spotlights-victoria-zigler/
Plus, don't forget, you can ask me, along with the other authors involved in "Wyrd Worlds: Battlefield 1066" questions all month. The thread for it is at https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/18291520-october-2016-hastings-1066-authors
I also did both a character interview and an author interview with Alex. Well, the character interview is technically Eadweard's interview. But, anyway, the interviews went live on Sunday (October 16th 2016) and you can read the post they're in by going to https://libraryoferana.wordpress.com/2016/10/16/battlefield-1066-spotlights-victoria-zigler/
Plus, don't forget, you can ask me, along with the other authors involved in "Wyrd Worlds: Battlefield 1066" questions all month. The thread for it is at https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/18291520-october-2016-hastings-1066-authors
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