Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 166
April 1, 2015
Wednesday's writing related ramblings - April 1st 2015
April is NaPoWriMo (National Poetry Writing Month).
Many poets around the world are taking up the challenge this month to write a poem every day. Are you one of them?
I'm not sure I'll write a poem every day - in fact, I'm certain I won't - but I would like to devote a bit of writing time to poetry this month, since I've not been writing much poetry lately, and have challenged myself to write at least one poem each week of April.
We'll see what ends up happening though; I'll let you know.
***
The first "Zeena Dragon Fae" book is coming along nicely.
The title, if you're interested, is "Zeena And The Dryad" and - as I think I've said before - the series will have four books in it.
I'll tell you more about the series soon.
In the meantime, go check out ProdigyDuck (Jacob Blackmon) on DeviantArt. Jacob is one of my cover artists, and if you go check out his work, you'll get a sneak peek at the covers for the "Zeena Dragon Fae" books, since I told him he could go ahead and put them up.
***
I've seen a lot of people talking about the importance of routines lately; in fact, some people swear by routines. They don't work for me though. I've tried routines, and they work for all of a few days. I think part of it is my irregular sleeping pattern, which I've mentioned loads of times, and can't really do much to fix. I'm not sure that's the whole problem, but whenever I try to have an actual routine, it doesn't work. It's the same for a few other writers. So, my opinion is... If routines are what works for you, then great. But if not, then what really matters is that you make sure you get some writing in at least once a week; more would be better - like, every day - but once a week is better than not at all, and may be all you can manage if you have a day job and family. Now, good time management, on the other hand, is important; routine or no. So here are 6 time management tips to help you out.
Also, here are 18 quotes to inspire writers, bloggers - everyone.
***
I spotted this article on a simple way to create suspense recently; another author posted the link. It's an interesting article, if you want to check it out. Also, here are Mark's 10 (11) tips for story writing - as posted on Chris The Story Reading Ape's blog recently.
Thinking of publishing your own book? Here are 10 reasons to self-publish.
What is a writer - or an author, if you prefer - anyway? This is who we are, and why we do what we do - if you're interested.
A final word to any other authors who read this... Fake it till you make it!
Many poets around the world are taking up the challenge this month to write a poem every day. Are you one of them?
I'm not sure I'll write a poem every day - in fact, I'm certain I won't - but I would like to devote a bit of writing time to poetry this month, since I've not been writing much poetry lately, and have challenged myself to write at least one poem each week of April.
We'll see what ends up happening though; I'll let you know.
***
The first "Zeena Dragon Fae" book is coming along nicely.
The title, if you're interested, is "Zeena And The Dryad" and - as I think I've said before - the series will have four books in it.
I'll tell you more about the series soon.
In the meantime, go check out ProdigyDuck (Jacob Blackmon) on DeviantArt. Jacob is one of my cover artists, and if you go check out his work, you'll get a sneak peek at the covers for the "Zeena Dragon Fae" books, since I told him he could go ahead and put them up.
***
I've seen a lot of people talking about the importance of routines lately; in fact, some people swear by routines. They don't work for me though. I've tried routines, and they work for all of a few days. I think part of it is my irregular sleeping pattern, which I've mentioned loads of times, and can't really do much to fix. I'm not sure that's the whole problem, but whenever I try to have an actual routine, it doesn't work. It's the same for a few other writers. So, my opinion is... If routines are what works for you, then great. But if not, then what really matters is that you make sure you get some writing in at least once a week; more would be better - like, every day - but once a week is better than not at all, and may be all you can manage if you have a day job and family. Now, good time management, on the other hand, is important; routine or no. So here are 6 time management tips to help you out.
Also, here are 18 quotes to inspire writers, bloggers - everyone.
***
I spotted this article on a simple way to create suspense recently; another author posted the link. It's an interesting article, if you want to check it out. Also, here are Mark's 10 (11) tips for story writing - as posted on Chris The Story Reading Ape's blog recently.
Thinking of publishing your own book? Here are 10 reasons to self-publish.
What is a writer - or an author, if you prefer - anyway? This is who we are, and why we do what we do - if you're interested.
A final word to any other authors who read this... Fake it till you make it!
March 31, 2015
Financial Times: Obituary for Sir Terry Pratchett
"Of gods and men
WHEN he was knighted in 2009, Terry Pratchett made a sword. It was the natural accoutrement for a man who, without one, resembled an amiable wizard kitted out by a Houston department store.
With a little help from friends, he dug 80 kilos of iron ore from a convenient field and built a kiln in the back garden. Together the team forged a sword that might have bisected a snowflake, had one drifted past.
It also had a hidden ingredient. Mixed in with the smelt were bits of meteorite, the stuff of thunderbolts. By this Sir Terry put himself on a par with Blind Io, chief of his Discworld gods. Io held the monopoly of throwing bolts about, and thus effortlessly lorded it over Annoia, goddess of Things That Stick in Drawers; Bibulous, god of Wine and Things on Sticks; Errata, goddess of Misunderstandings; and Reg, god of Club Musicians.
The disc-shaped world in which these gods were worshipped—or, more often, blamed—had been created by Sir Terry in 1983, though it had possibly existed from all eternity, borne steadily through space on the backs of four giant elephants standing on an immense dim-sighted turtle. It had swum into his mind as he wrote press handouts for the Central Electricity Generating Board, and by 1987 had proved so phenomenally popular that he left the board to fend for itself. His 40 Discworld novels made him Britain’s bestselling author in the 1990s, and by this year he had sold 85m books in 37 languages: though not, to his disappointment, in Klatch or heathen Trob*.
The literati sniffed at his fantasies, but he gave as good as he got. He had no intention of writing literature, or adding to the piles already mouldering about. Instead he ornamented Discworld with Unseen University, which was never precisely Here or There, where faculty such as the Professor of Indefinite Studies had only to show up for meals, and where the Librarian was an orang-utan who, swinging through the shelves with his prehensile limbs, had reduced all existential inquiry to a craving for bananas.
Sir Terry had not been to university himself, Seen or Unseen. He had just about scraped through High Wycombe Technical High School. Astronomy was his passion, but his star-gazing was not backed up by being any good at maths. He learned instead—mostly from P.G. Wodehouse and H.G. Wells—that universes could be explored in other ways, and could be funny and dark and slyly topical, all at once.
So it was that he built the sprawling, unsewered metropolis of Ankh-Morpork and peopled its mazy alleyways with thieves, beggars, trolls, vampires, vegetarian werewolves and bemused tourists, as well as overworked wizards. People wondered how he was not overworked himself, producing two books a year. He simply loved doing it. Feature-film-makers and their bags of gold were regularly rebuffed; he was the only controller of this universe. (Just to prove it, he gave it eight colours of the spectrum, the eighth being fluorescent greenish-yellow-purple octarine, and let some characters move so fast that light stood red-faced in embarrassment.) His enormous cast of characters, once set in motion, would generally do what he wanted, give or take the odd axe malfunction.
Brandy with Tallis
Among those characters was Death. He had appeared in Sir Terry’s childhood playing chess in “The Seventh Seal” on TV, and had not changed much since. When noticed, as humans tried not to, he had sparkling blue eyes, a glowing scythe and a white horse called Binky. His gathering of souls was untidy—the good fingered, the bad spared—and his life oddly endearing, with cups of tea and curries, and a rubber duck in his bath. He spoke IN CAPITALS, like a coffin lid slamming. In 1991 a New Death appeared with no nice features, but he soon tangled with that scythe.
Knowing Death as he did, Sir Terry was taken aback when in 2007 Binky came nuzzling at his door. He was diagnosed then with a form of early-onset Alzheimer’s. As an optimist by nature, he determined to beat it; when, within a year, it had removed his power to write and type, he realised that might be too tall an order. But his anger was undiminished; and since he had always told Death what to do and where to go, he began to campaign loudly and publicly for the right to die when and how he liked. This was preferably not in a clinic in Switzerland, but in his garden, with his cat on his lap, an excellent brandy in his hand, and Thomas Tallis in the background. In the event he managed, unassisted, some of that; and also put the right-to-die debate in a useful forward gear.
Soon after his diagnosis it was rumoured, mostly in the Daily Mail, that he had found God. He thought this unlikely, since he could not even find his keys, for the existence of which he had empirical evidence. All the same, he admitted to hearing a voice that told him all was well; and to a feeling one February day, when the sunset reddened a ploughed field, that there was “an order greater than heaven”. He knew then, he thought, “where the gods come from”. But why not, like the gods and the universe he had created, from his own black-fedoraed head, and his own thunder-wielding hand?"
Taken from a post on Terry Pratchett's blog on Goodreads, which can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/8099177-financial-times-obituary?utm_medium=email&utm_source=author_blog_post_digest
WHEN he was knighted in 2009, Terry Pratchett made a sword. It was the natural accoutrement for a man who, without one, resembled an amiable wizard kitted out by a Houston department store.
With a little help from friends, he dug 80 kilos of iron ore from a convenient field and built a kiln in the back garden. Together the team forged a sword that might have bisected a snowflake, had one drifted past.
It also had a hidden ingredient. Mixed in with the smelt were bits of meteorite, the stuff of thunderbolts. By this Sir Terry put himself on a par with Blind Io, chief of his Discworld gods. Io held the monopoly of throwing bolts about, and thus effortlessly lorded it over Annoia, goddess of Things That Stick in Drawers; Bibulous, god of Wine and Things on Sticks; Errata, goddess of Misunderstandings; and Reg, god of Club Musicians.
The disc-shaped world in which these gods were worshipped—or, more often, blamed—had been created by Sir Terry in 1983, though it had possibly existed from all eternity, borne steadily through space on the backs of four giant elephants standing on an immense dim-sighted turtle. It had swum into his mind as he wrote press handouts for the Central Electricity Generating Board, and by 1987 had proved so phenomenally popular that he left the board to fend for itself. His 40 Discworld novels made him Britain’s bestselling author in the 1990s, and by this year he had sold 85m books in 37 languages: though not, to his disappointment, in Klatch or heathen Trob*.
The literati sniffed at his fantasies, but he gave as good as he got. He had no intention of writing literature, or adding to the piles already mouldering about. Instead he ornamented Discworld with Unseen University, which was never precisely Here or There, where faculty such as the Professor of Indefinite Studies had only to show up for meals, and where the Librarian was an orang-utan who, swinging through the shelves with his prehensile limbs, had reduced all existential inquiry to a craving for bananas.
Sir Terry had not been to university himself, Seen or Unseen. He had just about scraped through High Wycombe Technical High School. Astronomy was his passion, but his star-gazing was not backed up by being any good at maths. He learned instead—mostly from P.G. Wodehouse and H.G. Wells—that universes could be explored in other ways, and could be funny and dark and slyly topical, all at once.
So it was that he built the sprawling, unsewered metropolis of Ankh-Morpork and peopled its mazy alleyways with thieves, beggars, trolls, vampires, vegetarian werewolves and bemused tourists, as well as overworked wizards. People wondered how he was not overworked himself, producing two books a year. He simply loved doing it. Feature-film-makers and their bags of gold were regularly rebuffed; he was the only controller of this universe. (Just to prove it, he gave it eight colours of the spectrum, the eighth being fluorescent greenish-yellow-purple octarine, and let some characters move so fast that light stood red-faced in embarrassment.) His enormous cast of characters, once set in motion, would generally do what he wanted, give or take the odd axe malfunction.
Brandy with Tallis
Among those characters was Death. He had appeared in Sir Terry’s childhood playing chess in “The Seventh Seal” on TV, and had not changed much since. When noticed, as humans tried not to, he had sparkling blue eyes, a glowing scythe and a white horse called Binky. His gathering of souls was untidy—the good fingered, the bad spared—and his life oddly endearing, with cups of tea and curries, and a rubber duck in his bath. He spoke IN CAPITALS, like a coffin lid slamming. In 1991 a New Death appeared with no nice features, but he soon tangled with that scythe.
Knowing Death as he did, Sir Terry was taken aback when in 2007 Binky came nuzzling at his door. He was diagnosed then with a form of early-onset Alzheimer’s. As an optimist by nature, he determined to beat it; when, within a year, it had removed his power to write and type, he realised that might be too tall an order. But his anger was undiminished; and since he had always told Death what to do and where to go, he began to campaign loudly and publicly for the right to die when and how he liked. This was preferably not in a clinic in Switzerland, but in his garden, with his cat on his lap, an excellent brandy in his hand, and Thomas Tallis in the background. In the event he managed, unassisted, some of that; and also put the right-to-die debate in a useful forward gear.
Soon after his diagnosis it was rumoured, mostly in the Daily Mail, that he had found God. He thought this unlikely, since he could not even find his keys, for the existence of which he had empirical evidence. All the same, he admitted to hearing a voice that told him all was well; and to a feeling one February day, when the sunset reddened a ploughed field, that there was “an order greater than heaven”. He knew then, he thought, “where the gods come from”. But why not, like the gods and the universe he had created, from his own black-fedoraed head, and his own thunder-wielding hand?"
Taken from a post on Terry Pratchett's blog on Goodreads, which can be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/8099177-financial-times-obituary?utm_medium=email&utm_source=author_blog_post_digest
March 30, 2015
Monday's random mutterings - March 30th 2015
#gnuterrypratchett
Terry Pratchett will live on in the clax, thanks to fans' programming code.
***
Which Roald Dahl book are you? Matilda
Your smart sensitive, and unapretiated. But your actually really cool.
Facebook quizzes
&
Blog quizzes
by 
Works for me... And it's right up at the top of my list of favourite Roald Dahl books too! OK, so the rest are right behind it, fighting each other for the top spot. I mean, I have a lot of favourite books, and nearly all of Roald Dahl's are among them. But, if I absolutely had to pick one favourite Roald Dahl book, it would be "Matilda" for sure. Though "Matilda" would miss out on the top spot if I was forced to pick an all time favourite from any author, because "A Little Princess" by Frances Hodgson Burnett has that honour.
Anyway, both Matilda Wormwood and Sarah Crew made it on to the 25 of childhood literature's most beloved female characters - ranked by coolness list. As did Hermione Granger, and a few others who are in books I would list among my favourites.
***
The reading challenge for the first quarter of this year on one of the groups I'm on over on Goodreads was to read 6 to 12 books that have been on your to-read shelf for at least three months when you read them.
They don't usually put a maximum number on these, but they did this time. I can't help but wonder if it was because of my constantly reading so many more than required to complete the challenge? Funny thing is, this time I only just managed the 12, because I was reading so many books I heard about more recently. LOL!
Anyway, here are the books I read for this challenge:
1. A Horse Called September by Anne Digby ~ marked as to read on January 14th 2014; read on January 2nd 2015.
2. Mrs. Frisby And The Rats Of NIMH (Rats Of NIMH, #1) by Robert C. O'Brien ~ marked as to read on January 14th 2014; read on January 10th 2015.
3. Little Women (Little Women, #1) by Louisa May Alcott ~ marked as to read on December 29th 2012; read on January 16th 2015.
4. Little Men (Little Women, #2) by Louisa May Alcott ~ marked as to read on December 29th 2012; read on January 18th 2015.
5. Jo's Boys (Little Women, #3) by Louisa May Alcott ~ marked as to read on December 29th 2012; read on January 20th 2015.
6. The Great Ghost Rescue by Eva Ibbotson ~ marked as to read on January 4th 2013; read on January 24th 2015.
7. Bleak House by Charles Dickens ~ marked as to read on January 7th 2013; read on January 28th 2015.
8. Pathfinder #6—Rise of the Runelords Chapter 6: "Spires of Xin-Shalast" by Greg A. Vaughan & James L. Sutter ~ marked as to read on April 17th 2014; read on January 30th 2015.
9. Villainous Vic (Bogamus And Friends, #2) by Nathan A. Jones ~ marked as to read on March 14th 2014; read on February 18th 2015.
10. Victorian Short Stories: Stories Of Courtship by W.S. Gilbert, Anthony Trollope, Hubert Crackanthorpe, George Egerton & Israel Zangwill ~ marked as to read on January 12th 2013; read on February 19th 2015.
11. Darkness Devouring (The Cry Of Havoc, #2) by John Hennessy ~ marked as to read on January 11th 2013; read on March 13th 2015.
12. Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe ~ marked as to read on January 12th 2013; read on March 20th 2015.
***
Saturday was Rita's birthday. So, a very happy belated birthday wish to you, Rita!
I did say happy birthday to Rita last week, so got it in early... I just forgot to mention it on my blog with all the excitement over the attempt at seeing the eclipse, and concerns about being a robot.
***
Here are a couple of photos taken by Kelly on March 13th of the mist rolling in over the ocean, as seen from our living room:
***
While listening to the ocean the other night before going to sleep, I wondered why the waves crashed against the shore.
Now, I know the tides are to do with the moon's gravitational pull, but what I wanted to know was why the waves exist like they do. Why doesn't the ocean just move one way or the other, depending on where the moon is? Also, since the orbits of the moon and the Earth stay basically the same, why do waves vary in size and shape? Because this doesn't just depend on the weather or moon phase; the waves can be different along different parts of the beach, and water is rougher or smoother in different parts of the ocean sometimes too. I knew it had something to do with science, but I wanted the details.
When I asked him, Kelly said he didn't know. Well, actually, he told me to "look it up later, now shut up and go to sleep." But I'm taking that as an "I don't know," because I'm pretty sure he'd have told me the answer if he knew it just to get me to stop wondering about it and go to sleep (translation: he'd have told me so I'd shut up and let him go to sleep).
So, I looked it up.
Basically, waves are created by the energies in the water reacting to one another, and to the energies around them. This means that there's a combination of factors at play, including the pull of the tide, the steepness of the particular spot along the shoreline (or the ocean floor, if far out to sea), the amount of space available for the water to distribute itself, and the energies of the elements.
I can't find the links I was looking at now; I didn't keep them, and don't feel like going looking for them at the moment. But if you want it in more detail, just type "why do waves crash against the shore?" in to your favourite search engine. You'll probably get a bunch of ocean sound clips among the results, which you can either skip while you keep looking for the articles, or take some time to listen to; it's entirely up to you.
***
Always remember... As someone said on Twitter recently...
"Never trust an atom; they make up everything."
Terry Pratchett will live on in the clax, thanks to fans' programming code.
***
Which Roald Dahl book are you? Matilda
Your smart sensitive, and unapretiated. But your actually really cool.
Facebook quizzes
&
Blog quizzes
by Works for me... And it's right up at the top of my list of favourite Roald Dahl books too! OK, so the rest are right behind it, fighting each other for the top spot. I mean, I have a lot of favourite books, and nearly all of Roald Dahl's are among them. But, if I absolutely had to pick one favourite Roald Dahl book, it would be "Matilda" for sure. Though "Matilda" would miss out on the top spot if I was forced to pick an all time favourite from any author, because "A Little Princess" by Frances Hodgson Burnett has that honour.
Anyway, both Matilda Wormwood and Sarah Crew made it on to the 25 of childhood literature's most beloved female characters - ranked by coolness list. As did Hermione Granger, and a few others who are in books I would list among my favourites.
***
The reading challenge for the first quarter of this year on one of the groups I'm on over on Goodreads was to read 6 to 12 books that have been on your to-read shelf for at least three months when you read them.
They don't usually put a maximum number on these, but they did this time. I can't help but wonder if it was because of my constantly reading so many more than required to complete the challenge? Funny thing is, this time I only just managed the 12, because I was reading so many books I heard about more recently. LOL!
Anyway, here are the books I read for this challenge:
1. A Horse Called September by Anne Digby ~ marked as to read on January 14th 2014; read on January 2nd 2015.
2. Mrs. Frisby And The Rats Of NIMH (Rats Of NIMH, #1) by Robert C. O'Brien ~ marked as to read on January 14th 2014; read on January 10th 2015.
3. Little Women (Little Women, #1) by Louisa May Alcott ~ marked as to read on December 29th 2012; read on January 16th 2015.
4. Little Men (Little Women, #2) by Louisa May Alcott ~ marked as to read on December 29th 2012; read on January 18th 2015.
5. Jo's Boys (Little Women, #3) by Louisa May Alcott ~ marked as to read on December 29th 2012; read on January 20th 2015.
6. The Great Ghost Rescue by Eva Ibbotson ~ marked as to read on January 4th 2013; read on January 24th 2015.
7. Bleak House by Charles Dickens ~ marked as to read on January 7th 2013; read on January 28th 2015.
8. Pathfinder #6—Rise of the Runelords Chapter 6: "Spires of Xin-Shalast" by Greg A. Vaughan & James L. Sutter ~ marked as to read on April 17th 2014; read on January 30th 2015.
9. Villainous Vic (Bogamus And Friends, #2) by Nathan A. Jones ~ marked as to read on March 14th 2014; read on February 18th 2015.
10. Victorian Short Stories: Stories Of Courtship by W.S. Gilbert, Anthony Trollope, Hubert Crackanthorpe, George Egerton & Israel Zangwill ~ marked as to read on January 12th 2013; read on February 19th 2015.
11. Darkness Devouring (The Cry Of Havoc, #2) by John Hennessy ~ marked as to read on January 11th 2013; read on March 13th 2015.
12. Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe ~ marked as to read on January 12th 2013; read on March 20th 2015.
***
Saturday was Rita's birthday. So, a very happy belated birthday wish to you, Rita!
I did say happy birthday to Rita last week, so got it in early... I just forgot to mention it on my blog with all the excitement over the attempt at seeing the eclipse, and concerns about being a robot.
***
Here are a couple of photos taken by Kelly on March 13th of the mist rolling in over the ocean, as seen from our living room:
***
While listening to the ocean the other night before going to sleep, I wondered why the waves crashed against the shore.
Now, I know the tides are to do with the moon's gravitational pull, but what I wanted to know was why the waves exist like they do. Why doesn't the ocean just move one way or the other, depending on where the moon is? Also, since the orbits of the moon and the Earth stay basically the same, why do waves vary in size and shape? Because this doesn't just depend on the weather or moon phase; the waves can be different along different parts of the beach, and water is rougher or smoother in different parts of the ocean sometimes too. I knew it had something to do with science, but I wanted the details.
When I asked him, Kelly said he didn't know. Well, actually, he told me to "look it up later, now shut up and go to sleep." But I'm taking that as an "I don't know," because I'm pretty sure he'd have told me the answer if he knew it just to get me to stop wondering about it and go to sleep (translation: he'd have told me so I'd shut up and let him go to sleep).
So, I looked it up.
Basically, waves are created by the energies in the water reacting to one another, and to the energies around them. This means that there's a combination of factors at play, including the pull of the tide, the steepness of the particular spot along the shoreline (or the ocean floor, if far out to sea), the amount of space available for the water to distribute itself, and the energies of the elements.
I can't find the links I was looking at now; I didn't keep them, and don't feel like going looking for them at the moment. But if you want it in more detail, just type "why do waves crash against the shore?" in to your favourite search engine. You'll probably get a bunch of ocean sound clips among the results, which you can either skip while you keep looking for the articles, or take some time to listen to; it's entirely up to you.
***
Always remember... As someone said on Twitter recently...
"Never trust an atom; they make up everything."
March 27, 2015
Furkid Friday - March 27th 2015
Hi humans, rodents, and readers of any other species.
This is Jacob the degu, and I know I'm late today, but there's been lots of what the humans call "repair work" going on in the building over the last couple of days, and today it was quite noisy here.
The Mummy human says "repair work" means that the repair humans who work for the humans who really own this place came to fix a few things they didn't have time to fix before we moved here, or hadn't noticed needed fixing until our humans pointed them out. Mostly small jobs, like fixing the latch on the cupboard where our food and stuff is kept. But also a couple of bigger jobs, like re-painting the ceiling of the bedroom now that the plaster is dry (I'm told they had to put new plaster on the ceiling after they repaired a leak in the roof before we moved here, but didn't get a chance to do the painting, because the plaster was wet). There were a few other jobs too, but I lost interest and stopped listening at this point, so I'm not sure what they were.
Anyway, for some of the things that got done, the humans opened the windows. It's been kind of cold here, but the Mummy human says it was best to take the chance with the cold than the fumes from what the repair humans were using (like the paint).
In case you were wondering - since the Mummy human tells me some of you probably are - none of the work with smelly things was being done in the room we live in, but the humans opened our windows anyway, because they thought it was safest. Like I said, it hasn't been very warm, but the Mummy human said she'd rather risk us getting cold than choking on toxic fumes. At least it wasn't raining when we needed to have the windows open though. Not that it's rained much in the past week or so - except yesterday, when it rained lots, but it was OK because we didn't need to have our windows open.
I'm told the repair humans have done most of the jobs now, which is good. One of the humans who actually own the place - one of the ones our humans call "the landlords" - came to check to make sure things were getting done and everything, which seemed to please my humans. I don't understand why this is, but humans are pleased by all sorts of things that make no sense to me, so I'm not going to try.
Anyway, we tried to carry on playing as normal, but after a while the combination of the smells, the noises, and the cold - none of which appealed to us even slightly - made us give up and go for naps. We're all OK though, and happy to be out of our beds and playing when the repair humans aren't doing their noisy and smelly jobs.
Squeak soon,
Jacob
This is Jacob the degu, and I know I'm late today, but there's been lots of what the humans call "repair work" going on in the building over the last couple of days, and today it was quite noisy here.
The Mummy human says "repair work" means that the repair humans who work for the humans who really own this place came to fix a few things they didn't have time to fix before we moved here, or hadn't noticed needed fixing until our humans pointed them out. Mostly small jobs, like fixing the latch on the cupboard where our food and stuff is kept. But also a couple of bigger jobs, like re-painting the ceiling of the bedroom now that the plaster is dry (I'm told they had to put new plaster on the ceiling after they repaired a leak in the roof before we moved here, but didn't get a chance to do the painting, because the plaster was wet). There were a few other jobs too, but I lost interest and stopped listening at this point, so I'm not sure what they were.
Anyway, for some of the things that got done, the humans opened the windows. It's been kind of cold here, but the Mummy human says it was best to take the chance with the cold than the fumes from what the repair humans were using (like the paint).
In case you were wondering - since the Mummy human tells me some of you probably are - none of the work with smelly things was being done in the room we live in, but the humans opened our windows anyway, because they thought it was safest. Like I said, it hasn't been very warm, but the Mummy human said she'd rather risk us getting cold than choking on toxic fumes. At least it wasn't raining when we needed to have the windows open though. Not that it's rained much in the past week or so - except yesterday, when it rained lots, but it was OK because we didn't need to have our windows open.
I'm told the repair humans have done most of the jobs now, which is good. One of the humans who actually own the place - one of the ones our humans call "the landlords" - came to check to make sure things were getting done and everything, which seemed to please my humans. I don't understand why this is, but humans are pleased by all sorts of things that make no sense to me, so I'm not going to try.
Anyway, we tried to carry on playing as normal, but after a while the combination of the smells, the noises, and the cold - none of which appealed to us even slightly - made us give up and go for naps. We're all OK though, and happy to be out of our beds and playing when the repair humans aren't doing their noisy and smelly jobs.
Squeak soon,
Jacob
March 25, 2015
Wednesday's writing related ramblings - March 25th 2015
In case you missed yesterday's post where I announced it...
My latest book "Isabelle's Runaway Racehorse" was officially released yesterday!
It's one for horse lovers; officially aimed at children, though - I hope - adults will enjoy it too. See yesterday's post, or the book's page on Goodreads - or your favourite ebook retailer - for the synopsis.
You can buy it from Smashwords in all formats they offer, as well as from Barnes & Noble, the Apple iBook Store, Kobo, and a few other ebook retailers who carry my books.
To all who take - or, have taken - the time to buy a copy... Thank you! I hope you enjoy it!
I always appreciate any and all reviews people take the time to leave, so, thank you also if you've reviewed a book of mine after reading it; self-published authors like me need your reviews and recommendations to help spread the word about our books!
I obviously prefer good reviews, but any reviews are better than none, and I know it would be impossible for everyone who read my books to enjoy them; as much as I'd like everyone to do so.
Have you had some bad reviews on your own book(s)? If so, here's an article on wonderfully bad book reviews to make you feel better about them.
As another example for you of good reviews disguised as bad ones...
Last night I was looking at my reviews on Barnes & Noble, and happened to notice that there were a couple of low reviews on "Frank The Friendly Ogre" - which, by the way, is usually a popular book of mine; especially with it being free. So, I looked closer.
I had a 1 star review where the reviewer's comment was "This book is for 1 year olds."
Now, since "Frank The Friendly Ogre" is a book aimed at young children of picture book age, which would mean it's a book I hope parents who read ebooks to their infants and toddlers - as many do - will consider reading at bed time, I'm actually rather pleased that this person considers my book to be suitable for the audience I had in mind. So, thank you kind reviewer! *Wink*
Remember, it's not just the little kids who enjoy being read to. A recent survey from Scholastic found that older children like to be read to as well. Hey, why not? I mean, this big kid still loves to be read to!
My latest book "Isabelle's Runaway Racehorse" was officially released yesterday!
It's one for horse lovers; officially aimed at children, though - I hope - adults will enjoy it too. See yesterday's post, or the book's page on Goodreads - or your favourite ebook retailer - for the synopsis.
You can buy it from Smashwords in all formats they offer, as well as from Barnes & Noble, the Apple iBook Store, Kobo, and a few other ebook retailers who carry my books.
To all who take - or, have taken - the time to buy a copy... Thank you! I hope you enjoy it!
I always appreciate any and all reviews people take the time to leave, so, thank you also if you've reviewed a book of mine after reading it; self-published authors like me need your reviews and recommendations to help spread the word about our books!
I obviously prefer good reviews, but any reviews are better than none, and I know it would be impossible for everyone who read my books to enjoy them; as much as I'd like everyone to do so.
Have you had some bad reviews on your own book(s)? If so, here's an article on wonderfully bad book reviews to make you feel better about them.
As another example for you of good reviews disguised as bad ones...
Last night I was looking at my reviews on Barnes & Noble, and happened to notice that there were a couple of low reviews on "Frank The Friendly Ogre" - which, by the way, is usually a popular book of mine; especially with it being free. So, I looked closer.
I had a 1 star review where the reviewer's comment was "This book is for 1 year olds."
Now, since "Frank The Friendly Ogre" is a book aimed at young children of picture book age, which would mean it's a book I hope parents who read ebooks to their infants and toddlers - as many do - will consider reading at bed time, I'm actually rather pleased that this person considers my book to be suitable for the audience I had in mind. So, thank you kind reviewer! *Wink*
Remember, it's not just the little kids who enjoy being read to. A recent survey from Scholastic found that older children like to be read to as well. Hey, why not? I mean, this big kid still loves to be read to!
March 24, 2015
Isabelle's Runaway Racehorse - officially released today!
"Used to being the only horse, Jet finds it difficult to accept the addition of the newest member of the family. Jealous and hurt by how the new mare is stealing the affections of his beloved owner, Isabelle, and her sister, Charlotte, he decides to run away; determined to find a place where he can be the only horse and regain the love and attention he’s always had. But Jet soon begins to miss the comfortable life he’s always known, and to wonder if running away was a good idea after all."
That's the synopsis for "Isabelle's Runaway Racehorse" - my latest book, which is officially released today.
This book was originally a story of roughly 750 words, which I wrote at the age of 10. However, after several changes to the characters and the story itself, the addition of details that - I hope - make the story come alive a bit more, and hours and hours of editing work, the final result is a story of over 4500 words! Don't worry... The original story is still in there; I just expanded on it, hopefully giving those who take the time to read it a more enjoyable reading experience. Not that my writing as a 10 year old was all that bad, but... Well, I'm sure you get the point.
Anyway...
You can already buy it from Smashwords, as well as from many other ebook retailers.
That's the synopsis for "Isabelle's Runaway Racehorse" - my latest book, which is officially released today.
This book was originally a story of roughly 750 words, which I wrote at the age of 10. However, after several changes to the characters and the story itself, the addition of details that - I hope - make the story come alive a bit more, and hours and hours of editing work, the final result is a story of over 4500 words! Don't worry... The original story is still in there; I just expanded on it, hopefully giving those who take the time to read it a more enjoyable reading experience. Not that my writing as a 10 year old was all that bad, but... Well, I'm sure you get the point.
Anyway...
You can already buy it from Smashwords, as well as from many other ebook retailers.
Isabelle's Runaway Racehorse
Isabelle's Runaway Racehorse
Genres: children's books - animals - Pets - Horses And Ponies & Children's books - Sports And Recreation/Equestrian
Description: "Used to being the only horse, Jet finds it difficult to accept the addition of the newest member of the family. Jealous and hurt by how the new mare is stealing the affections of his beloved owner, Isabelle, and her sister, Charlotte, he decides to run away; determined to find a place where he can be the only horse and regain the love and attention he’s always had. But Jet soon begins to miss the comfortable life he’s always known, and to wonder if running away was a good idea after all."
Published: March 24th 2015.
ISBN: 9781310653261
Buy it from Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...
Available elsewhere soon!
March 23, 2015
Monday's random mutterings - March 23rd 2015 (FD)
Did you know that Friday (March 20th 2015) was the Spring Equinox?
Well, you do now!
At least, it was here in the Northern hemisphere... It would have been the Autumn Equinox in the Southern hemisphere though.
If you don't know, the Equinox is the time of year when the day and night are equal in length, which happens twice a year.
***
Did you know that there was also a solar eclipse on the 20th of March?
Could you see it from where you were Did you try?
We should have been able to see at least a partial eclipse, so we took a flask of hot peppermint tea and the camera with us to sit out by the ocean Friday morning, hoping to grab photos.
But there was too much mist and cloud cover, so we couldn't see the sun...
Some neighbours had the same idea as we did...
(They had dogs with them, but the dogs were all over the place, so we didn't get their photo).
But the only evidence of the eclipse we could see was a slight darkening of the sky, and the sea birds going crazy...
The neighbours gave up first, then we did; or, rather, I did... I think Kelly would have given up sooner if I wasn't so stubbourn... Despite being cold...
I know Kelly had been looking longingly towards home for a while...
But when we went home; after one more attempt at a photo...
This orange cone head alien was still patiently standing out in the cold... Waiting - and hoping - for a glimpse of the eclipse...
He had the right idea, if you ask me, since he was stood a short distance from the door of a nice little tea shop, where he had easy access to a selection of very tasty cakes and pastries, and all the tea or coffee he could want!
Since the tea shop the orange cone head alien was outside of was just around the corner from our door, I asked him to give us a shout if the clouds cleared away. They did... Once it was too late to see anything... *Sigh*
Well, it was a nice outing... If a bit chilly... Despite the failed eclipse watching attempt.
For those who may be interested... The rodent gang didn't even care that there was an eclipse. In fact, as far as we can tell, they slept through it. At least, they were sleeping peacefully when we got home.
Oh... I almost forgot to mention... The camera's time is an hour ahead of the time it actually was. We never changed it last October, and since I wasn't usually bothered about the time when photos were taken, it wasn't noticed before. I didn't give it a thought until Kelly mentioned the time stamp on the first photos we took on Friday, which I know were taken an hour earlier than it says on the camera. We could probably figure out how to change the time on the camera if we looked, but since the clocks change this coming weekend, there's not much point.
***
In a recent Thursday thoughts blog post, Mindy McGinnis mentioned her worries about the possibility of being a robot, due to the internet constantly challenging her to prove she isn't one.
This made me worry about the possibility of being one and not knowing it. I mean, the internet does keep asking...
Even more worrying is the fact I know it's possible to bypass the annoying "please prove you're not a robot" word verification thingy sometimes, and have done so on several ocasions. Does this increase the chances of me being a robot?
I'm pretty sure I'm not one. But what if I'm programmed to think that way?
***
My hospital appointment to sort out my tooth was this past Thursday, and they didn't seem to find any evidence that I'm actually a robot, which is comforting, and probably decreases the chances of me being one. Unless they're supposed to make it seem that way? Hmmm...
Anyway...
The appointment was a waste of time, if you ask me!
Despite my having already seen my own dentist first, I had to have a consultation with the hospital's dentist, plus have new mouth x-ray's done (because, apparently, the ones the dentist do aren't clear enough). They also did a blood test, because of the reason for me being referred to the hospital in the first place.
Then they told me it would be "7 or 8 more weeks" before I could go back for it to be sorted.
I wasn't impressed about that, and pointed out to them that I've been in pain since before Christmas, and this is ridiculous.
They replied that it was "procedure" - of course.
With some whining and complaining, I managed to get them to bring it forward by a few weeks. So, I have an appointment to get the painful tooth, plus the wisdom tooth on the same side as it pulled out on April 15th, and will then have to go back a couple of weeks later to have the other wisdom tooth out.
In the meantime, I guess I'll just have to continue to be grateful that clove oil is fantastic for toothache. *Sigh*
Well, you do now!
At least, it was here in the Northern hemisphere... It would have been the Autumn Equinox in the Southern hemisphere though.
If you don't know, the Equinox is the time of year when the day and night are equal in length, which happens twice a year.
***
Did you know that there was also a solar eclipse on the 20th of March?
Could you see it from where you were Did you try?
We should have been able to see at least a partial eclipse, so we took a flask of hot peppermint tea and the camera with us to sit out by the ocean Friday morning, hoping to grab photos.
But there was too much mist and cloud cover, so we couldn't see the sun...
Some neighbours had the same idea as we did...
(They had dogs with them, but the dogs were all over the place, so we didn't get their photo).
But the only evidence of the eclipse we could see was a slight darkening of the sky, and the sea birds going crazy...
The neighbours gave up first, then we did; or, rather, I did... I think Kelly would have given up sooner if I wasn't so stubbourn... Despite being cold...
I know Kelly had been looking longingly towards home for a while...
But when we went home; after one more attempt at a photo...
This orange cone head alien was still patiently standing out in the cold... Waiting - and hoping - for a glimpse of the eclipse...
He had the right idea, if you ask me, since he was stood a short distance from the door of a nice little tea shop, where he had easy access to a selection of very tasty cakes and pastries, and all the tea or coffee he could want!
Since the tea shop the orange cone head alien was outside of was just around the corner from our door, I asked him to give us a shout if the clouds cleared away. They did... Once it was too late to see anything... *Sigh*
Well, it was a nice outing... If a bit chilly... Despite the failed eclipse watching attempt.
For those who may be interested... The rodent gang didn't even care that there was an eclipse. In fact, as far as we can tell, they slept through it. At least, they were sleeping peacefully when we got home.
Oh... I almost forgot to mention... The camera's time is an hour ahead of the time it actually was. We never changed it last October, and since I wasn't usually bothered about the time when photos were taken, it wasn't noticed before. I didn't give it a thought until Kelly mentioned the time stamp on the first photos we took on Friday, which I know were taken an hour earlier than it says on the camera. We could probably figure out how to change the time on the camera if we looked, but since the clocks change this coming weekend, there's not much point.
***
In a recent Thursday thoughts blog post, Mindy McGinnis mentioned her worries about the possibility of being a robot, due to the internet constantly challenging her to prove she isn't one.
This made me worry about the possibility of being one and not knowing it. I mean, the internet does keep asking...
Even more worrying is the fact I know it's possible to bypass the annoying "please prove you're not a robot" word verification thingy sometimes, and have done so on several ocasions. Does this increase the chances of me being a robot?
I'm pretty sure I'm not one. But what if I'm programmed to think that way?
***
My hospital appointment to sort out my tooth was this past Thursday, and they didn't seem to find any evidence that I'm actually a robot, which is comforting, and probably decreases the chances of me being one. Unless they're supposed to make it seem that way? Hmmm...
Anyway...
The appointment was a waste of time, if you ask me!
Despite my having already seen my own dentist first, I had to have a consultation with the hospital's dentist, plus have new mouth x-ray's done (because, apparently, the ones the dentist do aren't clear enough). They also did a blood test, because of the reason for me being referred to the hospital in the first place.
Then they told me it would be "7 or 8 more weeks" before I could go back for it to be sorted.
I wasn't impressed about that, and pointed out to them that I've been in pain since before Christmas, and this is ridiculous.
They replied that it was "procedure" - of course.
With some whining and complaining, I managed to get them to bring it forward by a few weeks. So, I have an appointment to get the painful tooth, plus the wisdom tooth on the same side as it pulled out on April 15th, and will then have to go back a couple of weeks later to have the other wisdom tooth out.
In the meantime, I guess I'll just have to continue to be grateful that clove oil is fantastic for toothache. *Sigh*
March 20, 2015
Furkid Friday - March 20th 2015 (FD)
Hi there everybody. This is Joshua.
I'd have thought my brother, Jasper, would have mentioned our birthday in his bloggy post thingy last week. But I guess he had other things on his mind, which made even something associated with food - which Jasper loves - slip his mind. So, I suppose I'll tell you instead.
We turned two years old on March 9th, and celebrated our birthday with pasta, peanuts, Cheerios, and cashew nuts; all of which were delicious! The Cheerios and pasta we get quite often, but the nuts were a treat because it was our birthday.
The humans also got us a wooden block thing that atatches to the side of our cage, and acts as a gnawing block and a small ledge we can sit on at the same time. It's both fun to climb on, and great to chew, so we love it!
Here it is:
And here are two of my brothers checking it out:
I think it was Jacob and Jenks in the above photo. The photo's not quite clear enough to see their nose markings though, and our nose markings are the only way to tell us apart.
Anyway, I'm not sure who came up with the idea of this birthday thing, but we think they deserve a medal... Birthdays are great! When can we have another one?
Squeak soon,
Joshua
I'd have thought my brother, Jasper, would have mentioned our birthday in his bloggy post thingy last week. But I guess he had other things on his mind, which made even something associated with food - which Jasper loves - slip his mind. So, I suppose I'll tell you instead.
We turned two years old on March 9th, and celebrated our birthday with pasta, peanuts, Cheerios, and cashew nuts; all of which were delicious! The Cheerios and pasta we get quite often, but the nuts were a treat because it was our birthday.
The humans also got us a wooden block thing that atatches to the side of our cage, and acts as a gnawing block and a small ledge we can sit on at the same time. It's both fun to climb on, and great to chew, so we love it!
Here it is:
And here are two of my brothers checking it out:
I think it was Jacob and Jenks in the above photo. The photo's not quite clear enough to see their nose markings though, and our nose markings are the only way to tell us apart.
Anyway, I'm not sure who came up with the idea of this birthday thing, but we think they deserve a medal... Birthdays are great! When can we have another one?
Squeak soon,
Joshua
March 18, 2015
Wednesday's writing related ramblings - March 18th 2015
At the end of last week, I pre-released "Home Squeak Home" - the official release date is April 28th 2015!
I've mentioned the book before, but - in case you've forgotten - it's a book that tells the story of our gerbils adjusting after we brought them home; but from their point of view. Their names are different though, because our gerbils are called Bilbo And Baggins, and I'm not sure where I'd stand on using names so obviously from JRR Tolkien's books. I don't want to be in trouble for using them, so I decided it was better safe than sorry, and changed their names in the book to Sooty and Scamp respectively.
Anyway, if you're wondering why you have to wait so long for it... It's because "Isabelle's Runaway Racehorse" is already pre-released for the end of this month. It's due out this coming Tuesday, actually.
Are you writing your own book?
If so, bear in mind that it might be a good idea to research your book title before publishing.
Also, here are 11 tips for promoting your book - hope they help!
I've mentioned the book before, but - in case you've forgotten - it's a book that tells the story of our gerbils adjusting after we brought them home; but from their point of view. Their names are different though, because our gerbils are called Bilbo And Baggins, and I'm not sure where I'd stand on using names so obviously from JRR Tolkien's books. I don't want to be in trouble for using them, so I decided it was better safe than sorry, and changed their names in the book to Sooty and Scamp respectively.
Anyway, if you're wondering why you have to wait so long for it... It's because "Isabelle's Runaway Racehorse" is already pre-released for the end of this month. It's due out this coming Tuesday, actually.
Are you writing your own book?
If so, bear in mind that it might be a good idea to research your book title before publishing.
Also, here are 11 tips for promoting your book - hope they help!
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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