Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 140
June 11, 2016
The #Hastings #SkyParade And A #Beach #Photo
Excuse the slight crookedness to the above photo... I wasn't holding my iPhone as straight as I thought I was. But, since Kelly says the slight crookedness is the only real problem with the photo, I figured I'd go ahead and post this picture of the beach anyhow. It's probably not an awesome photo, but I'm sure those of you who love the beach will appreciate the gesture.
Anyway...
Yesterday (Friday) morning, a parade marched along the street that seporates the building I live in from the beach.
I hadn't been paying much attention to what was going to be going on around here, so I wasn't entirely sure what it was for. Plus, since we weren't expecting any parades or anything, Kelly wasn't around with his camera to take photos, and there wasn't time to get him by the time I realized it was a parade. So, I did my best using my iPhone and TapTapSee.
I managed to get these two photos:
The second photo is just the tail end of the parade. Like I said, I wasn't ready for it. Plus, it wasn't a very long parade. Still, though the photos aren't fantastic, only one of the photos I took was no good at all... It was a very crooked shot of the various people - many my neighbours, I expect - who were lined up in the street watching the parade go by. But, hey, since I was trying to be quick, and doing the photos by myself, I think two out of three attempts being reasonably successful is an excellent thing!
Oh, and... In case you're wondering... It was the "Hastings Sky Parade" and those people were marching to the recently re-opened peer (which was finally repaired and renovated after having burned down something like six years ago).
For more details on what it was all about - and better pictures - check out this page from the Hastings Observer (the local newspaper).
June 10, 2016
#Furkid Friday: Mollie The #Chinchilla's Battle With #Depression (FD)
Hi humans, rodents, and anyone else reading this.
This is Mollie the chinchilla.
When I first left my fur family, I thought I'd get a forever home right away. I mean, I'm cute, and everyone loves to cuddle up with soft furry creatures, right? But nobody wanted me, and as time went on, I became more and more lonely and extremely depressed. I lost interest in playing, stopped caring about the people walking past my cage, slept most of the time, and only ate and drank what I needed to in order to keep myself alive.
Then Maizie came.
That's obviously us in the above photos... I'm the lighter one (it's always easier to tell which of us is which when you have the other one to compare us with, if you know what I mean).
Anyway, Maizie is three months younger than me, and still full of the enthusiasm and curiosity I was filled with when I first left my fur family. She encouraged me to get up and show an interest in the world around me again, which made me more interested in the people around us, as well as in eating and drinking more than was absolutely essential. I also learned to play again (though I'm not nearly as in to this playing thing as Maizie is; a lot of the time I prefer to just watch her).
Even better, soon after Maizie became my adopted sister, we found ourselves in a real home, with human caretakers of our very own. Well, we have to share them with some other rodents, but they make sure to give us some attention a few times each day, and we've noticed they never give attention or nibbles to one of us without giving to the others. Plus, the nibbles they hand out are really great... Cheerios, Shreddies, and this white stuff called oatmeal, especially!
There are plenty of fun things to chew on in this place too.
I still struggle to find the same enthusiasm and curiosity Maizie has for everything around us. But I kinda like these human caretakers. They're patient with me on days when I don't feel very sociable, and don't yell at me if I'm feeling cross so grumble at them; they even still let me have whatever nibble is on offer afterwards. I do try to be friendly with them though... I've even climbed in to the arms of the female one they call "Mummy human" a couple of times for a cuddle, which she seems to love, and which always earns me another nibble as well as the cuddle time.
Since we got to this new place, the time that was toughest for me was when the human caretakers had to change things around in our cage after they brought us a different wheel (the old one was giving Maizie some problems; she'll explain next week). I REALLY hated having our stuff moved about, and was upset afterwards. Maizie didn't like it at first either, but she got over it quickly, and was soon playing quite happily again. Not me though. It took me a couple of days.
Mostly I'm doing OK though. I just need time and patience, and I'll come around. Depression just isn't something you get over quickly, you know? It's also something that comes back, so it's possible I may never be as outgoing and enthusiastic about life as my adopted sister. But at least now I feel like I have a reason to do something other than sleep.
Squeak soon,
Mollie
This is Mollie the chinchilla.
When I first left my fur family, I thought I'd get a forever home right away. I mean, I'm cute, and everyone loves to cuddle up with soft furry creatures, right? But nobody wanted me, and as time went on, I became more and more lonely and extremely depressed. I lost interest in playing, stopped caring about the people walking past my cage, slept most of the time, and only ate and drank what I needed to in order to keep myself alive.
Then Maizie came.
That's obviously us in the above photos... I'm the lighter one (it's always easier to tell which of us is which when you have the other one to compare us with, if you know what I mean).
Anyway, Maizie is three months younger than me, and still full of the enthusiasm and curiosity I was filled with when I first left my fur family. She encouraged me to get up and show an interest in the world around me again, which made me more interested in the people around us, as well as in eating and drinking more than was absolutely essential. I also learned to play again (though I'm not nearly as in to this playing thing as Maizie is; a lot of the time I prefer to just watch her).
Even better, soon after Maizie became my adopted sister, we found ourselves in a real home, with human caretakers of our very own. Well, we have to share them with some other rodents, but they make sure to give us some attention a few times each day, and we've noticed they never give attention or nibbles to one of us without giving to the others. Plus, the nibbles they hand out are really great... Cheerios, Shreddies, and this white stuff called oatmeal, especially!
There are plenty of fun things to chew on in this place too.
I still struggle to find the same enthusiasm and curiosity Maizie has for everything around us. But I kinda like these human caretakers. They're patient with me on days when I don't feel very sociable, and don't yell at me if I'm feeling cross so grumble at them; they even still let me have whatever nibble is on offer afterwards. I do try to be friendly with them though... I've even climbed in to the arms of the female one they call "Mummy human" a couple of times for a cuddle, which she seems to love, and which always earns me another nibble as well as the cuddle time.
Since we got to this new place, the time that was toughest for me was when the human caretakers had to change things around in our cage after they brought us a different wheel (the old one was giving Maizie some problems; she'll explain next week). I REALLY hated having our stuff moved about, and was upset afterwards. Maizie didn't like it at first either, but she got over it quickly, and was soon playing quite happily again. Not me though. It took me a couple of days.
Mostly I'm doing OK though. I just need time and patience, and I'll come around. Depression just isn't something you get over quickly, you know? It's also something that comes back, so it's possible I may never be as outgoing and enthusiastic about life as my adopted sister. But at least now I feel like I have a reason to do something other than sleep.
Squeak soon,
Mollie
June 8, 2016
#Writing Wednesday - June 8th 2016
The poetry collection I've been promising you since the start of this year is finally coming!
It's called "The Ocean's Lullaby And Other Poems" and is scheduled for official release on July 9th 2016.
The collection is longer than originally planned, since I wrote about a dozen more poems while attempting to get a good enough photo for the front cover (which I ended up not doing anyway, but luckily Iggy was able to help me out). I'm sure nobody will complain about having more poems in the collection though. At least, I would hope not... I know I wouldn't if I was the reader.
Anyway... It's pre-released now, and you should be able to pre-order it from sites like Barnes & Noble and Apple iBooks soon. That is, if you can't already do so, which you may be able to, since it was accepted for distribution on Monday.
I'll soon have a couple of stories ready too. But I'll tell you about those next week.
***
So, you want to be a writer too? Then write!
"It's not that simple," I hear you say.
Well, guess what? It actually is.
The thing is, if you want to write that badly, you'll find the time. Even ten minutes or so during your lunch break each day, or getting up half an hour earlier to fit in thirty minutes of writing time before you have to get ready for work or whatever, eventually adds up to a whole lot of writing time. So, stop making excuses why you can't do it, choose your writing tools, and write already. Because, if it's important enough to you, you'll find a way to make the time.
So, get out of your own way.
Also, if you find yourself having one of those days when you just don't want to get out of bed to write, here are 18 things you can do to get yourself out of bed, and motivated to write.
***
Sometimes, you might want to do more than just give a passing mention to music in your story. Maybe your character is a big music lover? Or, perhaps, a song just happens to come on the radio, and the way your character reacts to it is important to the story for some reason? Whatever the case, your best option is to write the lyrics yourself. Why? Well, read this post on how and why to write song lyrics for your book, and all will become clear. Here's an extra tip for you though: the rules for writing song lyrics are very similar to those for writing poetry.
On a similar theme, you may find it benificial to re-invent the way you write, using sound. You may not, but it's certainly something worth considering trying. I especially think act one is a good idea to help you bring your stories to life.
***
Don't forget about my "Zeena Dragon Fae" sale! The sale ends on June 12th 2016, and you can find all the details you'll need about it by reading my post about it (if you haven't already done so).
It's called "The Ocean's Lullaby And Other Poems" and is scheduled for official release on July 9th 2016.
The collection is longer than originally planned, since I wrote about a dozen more poems while attempting to get a good enough photo for the front cover (which I ended up not doing anyway, but luckily Iggy was able to help me out). I'm sure nobody will complain about having more poems in the collection though. At least, I would hope not... I know I wouldn't if I was the reader.
Anyway... It's pre-released now, and you should be able to pre-order it from sites like Barnes & Noble and Apple iBooks soon. That is, if you can't already do so, which you may be able to, since it was accepted for distribution on Monday.
I'll soon have a couple of stories ready too. But I'll tell you about those next week.
***
So, you want to be a writer too? Then write!
"It's not that simple," I hear you say.
Well, guess what? It actually is.
The thing is, if you want to write that badly, you'll find the time. Even ten minutes or so during your lunch break each day, or getting up half an hour earlier to fit in thirty minutes of writing time before you have to get ready for work or whatever, eventually adds up to a whole lot of writing time. So, stop making excuses why you can't do it, choose your writing tools, and write already. Because, if it's important enough to you, you'll find a way to make the time.
So, get out of your own way.
Also, if you find yourself having one of those days when you just don't want to get out of bed to write, here are 18 things you can do to get yourself out of bed, and motivated to write.
***
Sometimes, you might want to do more than just give a passing mention to music in your story. Maybe your character is a big music lover? Or, perhaps, a song just happens to come on the radio, and the way your character reacts to it is important to the story for some reason? Whatever the case, your best option is to write the lyrics yourself. Why? Well, read this post on how and why to write song lyrics for your book, and all will become clear. Here's an extra tip for you though: the rules for writing song lyrics are very similar to those for writing poetry.
On a similar theme, you may find it benificial to re-invent the way you write, using sound. You may not, but it's certainly something worth considering trying. I especially think act one is a good idea to help you bring your stories to life.
***
Don't forget about my "Zeena Dragon Fae" sale! The sale ends on June 12th 2016, and you can find all the details you'll need about it by reading my post about it (if you haven't already done so).
June 6, 2016
#Author: Jackie Small
Jackie Small is an author of fiction across multiple genres, including inspiration, drama, short stories and children’s books.
She has lived in Scotland since moving up from England in 1999.
Jackie loves animals, puzzle games and music and enjoys walking in her spare time.
Children's Stories & Activity Book
Keep your children occupied with this fun packed 6 in 1 book. This wonderful paperback includes exciting children's stories and a range of engaging activities that relate to each story. A fantastic all-round entertainment package ideal for travelling and a great boredom buster for any time of the year!
• Stories
• Crosswords
• Word Searches
• Colouring
• Drawing
Grab your copy:
Amazon paperback
Barnes & Noble paperback
CreateSpace paperback
Short Stories: Inspiration, Crime, Drama
What lengths would you go to discover the contents of a mysterious box? How do you tell your best friend her bad choices are hurting more than just herself? When does the end of oppressive bullying for many justify the murder of one?
In this series of short stories, Jackie Small deftly explores our moments of shared humanity, through uplifting tales of triumph over tragedy and misfortune with the support of family and friends, to the darker side of human nature when individual desires overcome the sanctity of life.
Grab your copy:
Amazon eBook or paperback
Apple eBook
Barnes & Noble eBook
CreateSpace paperback
Kobo eBook
Lulu eBook
Smashwords eBook
Enjoy these... And many more titles... By grabbing copies of Jackie's books directly from the retailers, or by purchasing them via her website at www.jackieauthor.com today!
You can also find Jackie on Goodreads, or follow her on Twitter: @jackieian98.
June 5, 2016
The 2016 A-Z #Reading Challenge
As usual, one of the groups I'm a member of over on Goodreads had an A-Z reading challenge, where you have to read a book for each of the letters of the alphabet.
With letters like "Q" and "X" the letter just needs to be in the title somewhere. Also, if the title starts with the words "a" or "the" you can ignore them if you like (for example, "A Magical Storm" can count for either the letter "A" or the letter "M" and "The Pineapple Loving Dragon" can count for either the letter "P" or the letter "T").
Anyway, you're allowed to start doing the challenge at any point during the year. Plus, if you didn't start it until a little way in to the year, you're allowed to use books you read before starting it... As long as they were read in 2016, of course.
Naturally, me being me, and reading as much as I do, I've finnished the challenge already... Even though we're not yet half way through the year. So, here's what I read for it this year:
A ~ Angels Club by Courtney Vail & Sandra J. Howell
B ~ The Bungalow Mystery (Nancy Drew, #3) by Carolyn Keene
C ~ Creep from the Deep (Goosebumps HorrorLand, #2) by R.L. Stine
D ~ Doomsday Diary (The Cloud Brother's Short Stories) by James Field
E ~ Enslaved (The Last Orphans #3) by N.W. Harris
F ~ The Forever Queen (Pendragon, #2) by Nicola S. Dorrington
G ~ Globular Van der Graff's Goblin Tales for Adults by Jack Eason
H ~ Home by Brenda Kearns
I ~ Illusion (The Grimoire Saga #4) by S.M. Boyce
J ~ Jason and Lily (E, prequel) by Kate Wrath
K ~ King's Folly (Legends of Fyrsta #2) by Sabrina Flynn
L ~ Lost in the labyrinth of my mind by K. Morris
M ~ The Magic City by E. Nesbit
N ~ Nicky and the Lost Star (Adventures Of Nicky, #2) by Alessandra Nadudvari
O ~ Outside the Walls by A.L. Butcher & Diana L. Wicker
P ~ Pathfinder Legends - Mummy's Mask, Chapter 3: Shifting Sands by Caban Scott
Q ~ Queen Elizabeth Tudor: Journey to Gloriana (Legendary Women of World History, #4) by Laurel A. Rockefeller
R ~ Revenge of the Living Dummy (Goosebumps HorrorLand, #1) by R.L. Stine
S ~ The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, #1) by Rick Riordan
T ~ The Adventures of Silly Willy Winston as Explorer Snout in a Tale of Two Deserts by Donna Maguire
U ~ The Undead Pool (The Hollows, #12) by Kim Harrison
V ~ Volcano Watch (The Forensic Geology Series, #3) by Toni Dwiggins
W ~ Winter (The Lunar Chronicles, #4) by Marissa Meyer
X ~ Ixeos (Ixeos Trilogy, #1) by Jennings Wright
Y ~ The Young Demon Keeper by Bob Simms
Z ~ Zombie Messiah by Eric Mead
With letters like "Q" and "X" the letter just needs to be in the title somewhere. Also, if the title starts with the words "a" or "the" you can ignore them if you like (for example, "A Magical Storm" can count for either the letter "A" or the letter "M" and "The Pineapple Loving Dragon" can count for either the letter "P" or the letter "T").
Anyway, you're allowed to start doing the challenge at any point during the year. Plus, if you didn't start it until a little way in to the year, you're allowed to use books you read before starting it... As long as they were read in 2016, of course.
Naturally, me being me, and reading as much as I do, I've finnished the challenge already... Even though we're not yet half way through the year. So, here's what I read for it this year:
A ~ Angels Club by Courtney Vail & Sandra J. Howell
B ~ The Bungalow Mystery (Nancy Drew, #3) by Carolyn Keene
C ~ Creep from the Deep (Goosebumps HorrorLand, #2) by R.L. Stine
D ~ Doomsday Diary (The Cloud Brother's Short Stories) by James Field
E ~ Enslaved (The Last Orphans #3) by N.W. Harris
F ~ The Forever Queen (Pendragon, #2) by Nicola S. Dorrington
G ~ Globular Van der Graff's Goblin Tales for Adults by Jack Eason
H ~ Home by Brenda Kearns
I ~ Illusion (The Grimoire Saga #4) by S.M. Boyce
J ~ Jason and Lily (E, prequel) by Kate Wrath
K ~ King's Folly (Legends of Fyrsta #2) by Sabrina Flynn
L ~ Lost in the labyrinth of my mind by K. Morris
M ~ The Magic City by E. Nesbit
N ~ Nicky and the Lost Star (Adventures Of Nicky, #2) by Alessandra Nadudvari
O ~ Outside the Walls by A.L. Butcher & Diana L. Wicker
P ~ Pathfinder Legends - Mummy's Mask, Chapter 3: Shifting Sands by Caban Scott
Q ~ Queen Elizabeth Tudor: Journey to Gloriana (Legendary Women of World History, #4) by Laurel A. Rockefeller
R ~ Revenge of the Living Dummy (Goosebumps HorrorLand, #1) by R.L. Stine
S ~ The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, #1) by Rick Riordan
T ~ The Adventures of Silly Willy Winston as Explorer Snout in a Tale of Two Deserts by Donna Maguire
U ~ The Undead Pool (The Hollows, #12) by Kim Harrison
V ~ Volcano Watch (The Forensic Geology Series, #3) by Toni Dwiggins
W ~ Winter (The Lunar Chronicles, #4) by Marissa Meyer
X ~ Ixeos (Ixeos Trilogy, #1) by Jennings Wright
Y ~ The Young Demon Keeper by Bob Simms
Z ~ Zombie Messiah by Eric Mead
June 3, 2016
#Furkid Friday: #Rats and #Chinchillas In The House
Um... Hi everyone. This is Skye the rat.
You probably heard, but... My ratty sister, Star, and I are no longer the only females in the rodent gang, since two other female rodents joined the family a little over a month ago. Hard to believe it's been that long already, but it has. Anyway...
Back near the start of April, the human caretakers set up this new cage beside ours, which we thought was strange... Especially since it stayed empty for what seemed like ages and ages (especially to us).
Then, finally, the human caretakers brought a pair of rodents home that looked like nothing we'd ever seen before. They sort of look like a cross between a cat and a rabbit, and are called "chinchillas" apparently.
Here they are... In case you missed when the human caretakers introduced them before...
This is the one called Mollie:
And this is the one called Maizie:
Our gerbil brother, Baggins, and our four degu brothers, aren't very interested in our new chinchilla sisters... Possibly because their cages are further away. But Star and I spend a lot of time watching them, trying to figure them out.
One of them... The one called Maizie... Is interested enough to come say "hi" to us sometimes, but the other one... The one called Mollie... Tends to hang back and watch us from a distance. That's if they do bother to take notice. Mostly they're too busy seeing what else is going on in the world, or playing, to be all that interested in us though. We kind of wish they'd come talk to us more often, but we also enjoy watching them play. You should see them bounce around in their cage... They're nuts!
Squeak soon,
Skye
You probably heard, but... My ratty sister, Star, and I are no longer the only females in the rodent gang, since two other female rodents joined the family a little over a month ago. Hard to believe it's been that long already, but it has. Anyway...
Back near the start of April, the human caretakers set up this new cage beside ours, which we thought was strange... Especially since it stayed empty for what seemed like ages and ages (especially to us).
Then, finally, the human caretakers brought a pair of rodents home that looked like nothing we'd ever seen before. They sort of look like a cross between a cat and a rabbit, and are called "chinchillas" apparently.
Here they are... In case you missed when the human caretakers introduced them before...
This is the one called Mollie:
And this is the one called Maizie:
Our gerbil brother, Baggins, and our four degu brothers, aren't very interested in our new chinchilla sisters... Possibly because their cages are further away. But Star and I spend a lot of time watching them, trying to figure them out.
One of them... The one called Maizie... Is interested enough to come say "hi" to us sometimes, but the other one... The one called Mollie... Tends to hang back and watch us from a distance. That's if they do bother to take notice. Mostly they're too busy seeing what else is going on in the world, or playing, to be all that interested in us though. We kind of wish they'd come talk to us more often, but we also enjoy watching them play. You should see them bounce around in their cage... They're nuts!
Squeak soon,
Skye
June 1, 2016
#Writing Wednesday - June 1st 2016
Just in case you missed my post about it on Saturday...
The eBook version of the fourth, and final, "Zeena Dragon Fae" book is now officially released! You can now buy "Zeena And The Phoenix" from Smashwords in all formats they offer, as well as from some other eBook retailers (including Barnes & Noble, Apple, and Kobo). So, regardless of your prefered method of reading eBooks - be it with a particular eReader or tablet, or on your computer - there's a format that will work for you.
Yes, it will become available as a paperback. I can't give you a date when that will happen at this moment in time though... Paperbacks always take longer to organize. However, the paperback version is in production, and "should" become available soon. Basically, I'm waiting for the proof, so when that gets here - assuming it all looks fine - I can make the paperback available.
In the meantime...
The eBook versions of the other three books are on sale until June 12th 2016. For more details, check out my post from Sunday (if you haven't already done so).
Anyway, I hope those who grab copies enjoy it; whether you grab a copy of the eBook now, or wait for the paperback.
I'll let this do for this week's post. I'm off to do more work on my other stories (which I'll tell you more about soon). I just have one more thing to say today: write on!
The eBook version of the fourth, and final, "Zeena Dragon Fae" book is now officially released! You can now buy "Zeena And The Phoenix" from Smashwords in all formats they offer, as well as from some other eBook retailers (including Barnes & Noble, Apple, and Kobo). So, regardless of your prefered method of reading eBooks - be it with a particular eReader or tablet, or on your computer - there's a format that will work for you.
Yes, it will become available as a paperback. I can't give you a date when that will happen at this moment in time though... Paperbacks always take longer to organize. However, the paperback version is in production, and "should" become available soon. Basically, I'm waiting for the proof, so when that gets here - assuming it all looks fine - I can make the paperback available.
In the meantime...
The eBook versions of the other three books are on sale until June 12th 2016. For more details, check out my post from Sunday (if you haven't already done so).
Anyway, I hope those who grab copies enjoy it; whether you grab a copy of the eBook now, or wait for the paperback.
I'll let this do for this week's post. I'm off to do more work on my other stories (which I'll tell you more about soon). I just have one more thing to say today: write on!
May 30, 2016
#TV Talk And #Movie Mutterings - May 2016
My Mam got us a new DVD player for our wedding anniversary. To be honest, it was about time we had a new one, since the one we had was the one I'd had since before we were married, and it was getting rather tempremental. I was still using it though, because when I did get a new one about seven or so years ago, it wasn't as multi-region as it was meant to be, and I actually ended up giving it to my Dad to use as the CD part of his hi-fi system when his CD player broke. The thing is, since a large chunk of our DVD collection is region 1, which isn't the standard region for the UK, we needed a multi-region DVD player. Anyway, this new one appears to be happy to play most formats of disk (it's played everything we've tried on it, anyway). I don't know if it does blue-ray, since I don't have any blue-ray disks to try. But I don't mind about that. As long as it plays things we already own, and isn't as tempremental as the old one had become, I'm happy. Anyway, we got it early... We've had it since the start of the month... But it was still an anniversary present. So, thanks, Mam!
Like when we got the new TV at the start of this year, the first thing I noticed about it was the huge size difference between the old and new ones. The new DVD player is maybe... At most... About a quarter of the size of the old one, and it's remote control is half the size of the one I'd always thought was small that the old DVD player had. I sat there for like ten minutes... Perhaps longer... When I got it out of the box just commenting on how cute and tiny it was. In fact, it actually took less time to plug in and set up the DVD player than it did for me to stop saying, "Awwww! It's so cute and tiny!"
OK... On that note... I think it's time for this month's post of new to me movies and TV shows.
Well, actually, just movies, since the only TV shows I watched were wildlife documentaries I've seen before (I was watching them again because they're fascinating) and TV shows I've mentioned liking already, so the only new thing about them was the newer episodes I saw of some of them.
But, anyway...
As with the similar posts from the recent past, I've not written very detailed reviews, but instead just given my opinion of the movie in question, so I've included links to where you can find out more about the movie, if you want to... Just click on the title of it, and you'll go right there.
So...
Mars Needs Moms (movie):
This was a great movie; interesting and entertaining from start to finnish, with a really sweet ending.
Barnyard (movie):
I wasn't sure how I felt about this one for the first half of the movie; it was funny in places, but that was about all it had going for it. It picked up in the second half though, and became a pretty decent movie. Not one of the better ones I've seen recently, but reasonably entertaining, and with a great lesson to teach about the importance of taking your responsibilities seriously.
Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (movie):
I'd been dying to see this one, so the moment it was out on DVD, I grabbed a copy. It was one of the disks I tried the new DVD player out on. So, what did I think? To be honest, I'm not sure. On the one hand it was Star Wars, so... YAY! On the other hand, it was about 20 minutes in to the movie - or, at least close to that - before we had a name for any character other than the droid, and could be sure of what was going on. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad movie, and I liked it. In fact, the second half of the movie was actually really great. But the confusion in the first part spoiled the first half of the movie for me, and this movie certainly won't be getting the top spot of my favourite of the Star Wars movies... Despite Harrison Ford being in it.
Home (movie):
I really enjoyed this one. It was entertaining and amusing, with a great ending.
Like when we got the new TV at the start of this year, the first thing I noticed about it was the huge size difference between the old and new ones. The new DVD player is maybe... At most... About a quarter of the size of the old one, and it's remote control is half the size of the one I'd always thought was small that the old DVD player had. I sat there for like ten minutes... Perhaps longer... When I got it out of the box just commenting on how cute and tiny it was. In fact, it actually took less time to plug in and set up the DVD player than it did for me to stop saying, "Awwww! It's so cute and tiny!"
OK... On that note... I think it's time for this month's post of new to me movies and TV shows.
Well, actually, just movies, since the only TV shows I watched were wildlife documentaries I've seen before (I was watching them again because they're fascinating) and TV shows I've mentioned liking already, so the only new thing about them was the newer episodes I saw of some of them.
But, anyway...
As with the similar posts from the recent past, I've not written very detailed reviews, but instead just given my opinion of the movie in question, so I've included links to where you can find out more about the movie, if you want to... Just click on the title of it, and you'll go right there.
So...
Mars Needs Moms (movie):
This was a great movie; interesting and entertaining from start to finnish, with a really sweet ending.
Barnyard (movie):
I wasn't sure how I felt about this one for the first half of the movie; it was funny in places, but that was about all it had going for it. It picked up in the second half though, and became a pretty decent movie. Not one of the better ones I've seen recently, but reasonably entertaining, and with a great lesson to teach about the importance of taking your responsibilities seriously.
Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (movie):
I'd been dying to see this one, so the moment it was out on DVD, I grabbed a copy. It was one of the disks I tried the new DVD player out on. So, what did I think? To be honest, I'm not sure. On the one hand it was Star Wars, so... YAY! On the other hand, it was about 20 minutes in to the movie - or, at least close to that - before we had a name for any character other than the droid, and could be sure of what was going on. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad movie, and I liked it. In fact, the second half of the movie was actually really great. But the confusion in the first part spoiled the first half of the movie for me, and this movie certainly won't be getting the top spot of my favourite of the Star Wars movies... Despite Harrison Ford being in it.
Home (movie):
I really enjoyed this one. It was entertaining and amusing, with a great ending.
May 29, 2016
Zeena Dragon Fae #eBook #SALE!
It's taken me what feels like a very long time to get here, but all four of my "Zeena Dragon Fae" books are written, and released. So...
To celebrate the release of the fourth, and final, book in my "Zeena Dragon Fae" series yesterday (May 28th 2016) - which you hopefully saw the announcement for - I've put the eBook versions of the other three books in the series on sale.
Here are the details... Click on the book's title to go to the page where you can buy the book in question.
Book 1: Zeena And The Dryad
Regular price: $4.99
Promotional price: $2.74
Coupon Code: BJ77W
Book 2: Zeena And The Gryphon
Regular price: $4.99
Promotional price: $3.49
Coupon Code: YL57D
Book 3: Zeena And The Mermaid
Regular price: $4.99
Promotional price: $4.24
Coupon Code: XG57N
All coupons are valid until June 12th 2016.
The coupons are only valid for use on Smashwords, but since Smashwords offers multiple formats, finding one that works for you won't be a problem. In fact, if you can read this post, you can read the books, since the formats not only cover options spacifically for use on certain popular eReaders and tablets, but also formats that work on your computer.
The new one, , is still at its regular price of $4.99.
However, that's still a total cost of $15.46 instead of $19.96 for all four, saving you a total of $4.50 if you buy all four books at once. In other words, this is a perfect oppertunity for those of you who usually prefer to buy boxsets so as to save on the overall cost of buying the books. Remember though, this offer is only available until June 12th 2016.
Please share this post with anyone you know who might be interested in taking advantage of this offer.
And, a huge thank you from me to you, for anyone who buys copies of these books, or any of my others.
To celebrate the release of the fourth, and final, book in my "Zeena Dragon Fae" series yesterday (May 28th 2016) - which you hopefully saw the announcement for - I've put the eBook versions of the other three books in the series on sale.
Here are the details... Click on the book's title to go to the page where you can buy the book in question.
Book 1: Zeena And The Dryad
Regular price: $4.99
Promotional price: $2.74
Coupon Code: BJ77W
Book 2: Zeena And The Gryphon
Regular price: $4.99
Promotional price: $3.49
Coupon Code: YL57D
Book 3: Zeena And The Mermaid
Regular price: $4.99
Promotional price: $4.24
Coupon Code: XG57N
All coupons are valid until June 12th 2016.
The coupons are only valid for use on Smashwords, but since Smashwords offers multiple formats, finding one that works for you won't be a problem. In fact, if you can read this post, you can read the books, since the formats not only cover options spacifically for use on certain popular eReaders and tablets, but also formats that work on your computer.
The new one, , is still at its regular price of $4.99.
However, that's still a total cost of $15.46 instead of $19.96 for all four, saving you a total of $4.50 if you buy all four books at once. In other words, this is a perfect oppertunity for those of you who usually prefer to buy boxsets so as to save on the overall cost of buying the books. Remember though, this offer is only available until June 12th 2016.
Please share this post with anyone you know who might be interested in taking advantage of this offer.
And, a huge thank you from me to you, for anyone who buys copies of these books, or any of my others.
May 28, 2016
Zeena And The Phoenix - officially released today!
"After all their recent adventures, Zeena and Saarik aren’t surprised when a plea for help comes again; this time from a phoenix named Uri. But the two friends have more than the freeing of the fire fairy, Tandie, and the safety of the fire creatures who live in the volcano to worry about. An elven village lies near the base of the now very unstable volcano, and the fate of the elves is in Zeena and Saarik’s hands."
That's the synopsis for "Zeena And The Phoenix" - the fourth, and final, book in my "Zeena Dragon Fae" series - which is officially released today!
You can already buy it as an eBook via Smashwords in all formats they offer, as well as from some of the other eBook retailers Smashwords distributes to, such as Barnes & Noble, Apple iBooks, and Kobo. It should become available on the other retailers Smashwords distributes to in the near future. So, regardless of your prefered method of reading eBooks - be it with a particular eReader or tablet, or on your computer - there's a format that will work for you.
The paperback will become available as soon as it can be arranged.
That's the synopsis for "Zeena And The Phoenix" - the fourth, and final, book in my "Zeena Dragon Fae" series - which is officially released today!
You can already buy it as an eBook via Smashwords in all formats they offer, as well as from some of the other eBook retailers Smashwords distributes to, such as Barnes & Noble, Apple iBooks, and Kobo. It should become available on the other retailers Smashwords distributes to in the near future. So, regardless of your prefered method of reading eBooks - be it with a particular eReader or tablet, or on your computer - there's a format that will work for you.
The paperback will become available as soon as it can be arranged.
Zigler News
Author and book news for children's author and poet, Victoria Zigler, as well as general news from the life of the Zigler family; furry and otherwise!
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