Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 62

#MondayMotivation, #Inspiration, And #Wisdom - #Quotes For July 29th 2019

It is our choices ... that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.
~J.K. Rowling

A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men.
~Roald Dahl

Peace comes from within.
~Buddha

Often what may appear as a detour in life is actually the most direct and empowering path to your destination.
~James Arthur Ray

Success is a journey not a destination.
~Arthur Ashe

You only live once. You don't want your tombstone to read: "Played it safe."
~Rosario Dawson

The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.
~Pablo Picasso

Friends Of #FurkidFriday: Toby And Austin

Hi everyone. This is Lilie the Westie.

I have two new friends for you to meet today. Their names are Toby and Austin.

It's really nice to meet you, Toby and Austin, and to have you come over for a visit to the blog. For the benifit of those who don't know you, what species and breed are you?

We are dogs, and our breed is the Cardigan Welsh Corgi.

Nice! Describe your appearance. I know you’ve sent a photo – which I’ll share in a moment - but please describe yourself too, for the benefit of those who can't see the photo.

We're a long, low dog with upright ears and a fox brush tail. The old American Kennel Club standard called our breed an "Alsatian on short legs". Our tail is long (unlike the Pembroke Welsh Corgi, whose tail may be long or naturally bobbed.

We are double coated and come in a variety of colours including any shade of red, sable, or brindle, as well as black, with or without tan, brindle or blue merle, with or without tan or brindle points. We have white fur on the neck, chest, legs, muzzle, underneath, the tip of our tails and as a blaze on the head. An average Cardigan Corgi is around 10 to 13 inches (250 to 330 mm) tall at the withers and weighs from 30 to 38 pounds (14 to 17 kg) for the male and 25 to 34 pounds (11 to 15 kg) for the female.

You’re not much bigger than I am, and sound like great looking dogs. In fact, here’s that photo of you, for the benefit of those who can and want to see it:



Anyway, what sort of place do you live in? Who do you share it with?

We live in a house on Swansea Bay, in south-west Wales, in the United Kingdom. We share the house with our two owners, Hugh and John.

Mummy says she comes from near there, and my new little brother, Logan, comes from Wales too, though Mummy says where he’s from is a few hours away from where you live. Anyway, I hope you like living there with Hugh and John.

Speaking of things you like, what's your favourite thing to do?

We love going for walks along the beach, which is only a five-minute walk away. While on the beach we like to chase a ball, roll around in the sand, and Austin also likes to paddle in the sea. Ever since falling through thin ice, Toby does not like going into water. When we are at home, we like to sleep a lot or doze in front of the television when our owners are watching it.

I love walkies on the beach! Ours isn’t the sandy kind though, and I’ve never played in sand. The little stones on it are fun to play with though, and I'll gladly join Austin for some paddling time. Hey, speaking of playing, do you have a favourite toy? If yes, what is it?

That's a tough question because we often dig out toys from the bottom of our toy basket which we may not have played with for many months. However, more often than not, a tennis ball will always be played with. We get through quite a lot of them because they get lost, or Austin enjoys removing the jacket off the ball.

Removing jackets off tennis balls is fun! I do that too. By the way, since we’re talking about favourite things, what's your favourite food?

Just about anything! We enjoy our food, but especially chicken, beef, lamb or fish. We also enjoy our dog biscuits and get treated to the odd bit of toast in the mornings. If there is any sign of cheese, we’ll be there in a flash regardless of what we’re doing.

Good choices! Still on the subject of favourite things, what's the one thing your humans do that you love most?

They look after us so well, but we especially love the fact that they take us out for walks three times a day regardless of what the weather is doing. Our coats are waterproof, but the boys always end up getting soaking wet.

That’s really good of them. Humans often hate getting wet in rain, so it’s good they do that for you. Thinking about them probably not enjoying getting wet makes me think of the less fun things in life, which leads me to my next question: what's the one thing your humans do that you hate most?

For Toby, it's having his coat brushed. Where is the fun in that? For Austin, it's watching John and Hugh put all the toys back in our toy basket, because that means playtime is over.

I hate when play time is over too.

Mummy says at least one of your humans is a writer. Has he written anything about you? If yes, can you tell us about it? If no, do you think he will in the future?

We've both featured on Hugh's blog, although not so much lately because we much rather play than write. Toby has written a few blog posts about some of his walks (before Austin came along), and we've both featured in various photography challenges which Hugh sometimes participates in.

Hugh also included us in one of his recent short stories in his new book, More Glimpses, where he placed us in the middle of a murder mystery. For us, solving some murders which have taken place in a real-life, sleepy, English village was great fun, even if just a tad scary.

WOW! Sounds exciting!

Hey, speaking of Hugh’s writing: what do you do while he writes?

Sleep. We love to sleep, and often get woken by Hugh when we're dreaming. He always asks what we were dreaming about, but we’re not telling him! If we did that, our dreams would likely end up in one of his stories.

Depending on the dream, that could be either a good thing or a bad thing. Either way, Hugh should be using his own dreams for story ideas, and let you keep yours private.

OK, it’s about time to end this. Before I do though, is there anything else you'd like people to know about you?

If anyone reading this is thinking about getting a dog, please consider our breed. Until a few years ago, our breed was on the vulnerable breeds list in the UK. We're family loving dogs who are loyal to their owners and bring lots of love into any families who chose us as their family pet. We promise to look after and protect you.

Got it. You hear that people? If you’re looking for a new pet, consider the Cardigan Welsh Corgi. If Toby and Austin are anything to go by, they’re fantastic dogs!

***~~~***

Author bio, links, etc:

Hugh W. Roberts lives in Swansea, South Wales, in the United Kingdom.

Hugh gets his inspiration for writing from various avenues including writing prompts, photos, eavesdropping and while out walking his dogs, Toby and Austin. Although he was born in Wales, he has lived around various parts of the United Kingdom, including London where he lived and worked for 27 years.

Hugh suffers from a mild form of dyslexia but, after discovering blogging, decided not to allow the condition to stop his passion for writing. Since creating his blog 'Hugh's Views & News' in February 2014, he has built up a strong following and now writes every day. Always keen to promote other bloggers, authors and writers, Hugh enjoys the interaction blogging brings and has built up a group of online friends he considers as an 'everyday essential'.

His short stories have become well known for the unexpected twists they contain in taking the reader up a completely different path to one they think they are on. One of the best compliments a reader can give Hugh is "I never saw that ending coming."

Having published his first book of short stories, Glimpses, in December 2016, his second collection of short stories, More Glimpses, was released in March 2019. Hugh is already working on the next volume.

A keen photographer, he also enjoys cycling, walking, reading, watching television, and enjoys relaxing most evenings with a glass of red wine.

Hugh shares his life with John, his civil-partner, and Toby and Austin, their Cardigan Welsh Corgis.

Blog: Hugh’s Views and News
Twitter: @HughRoberts05
Flipboard: @HughWRoberts
Mix.com
Amazon
Goodreads

More Glimpses

Do you believe in fairies at the bottom of the garden? Or know the real truth about what lurks inside every mobile phone? Would you steal items from a blind person, or send your neighbours on a time travelling adventure fraught with danger and menace in order to save the human race from a bug? How about staying in a sleepy village where many murders have taken place, or coming to the aid of royalty while out shopping? These are just some of the subjects covered in the second collection of short stories and flash fiction from author and writer, Hugh W. Roberts.

'More Glimpses' allows the reader to take a peek into the lives of normal, everyday people whose lives are all on a path full of twists, turns and unexpected endings. However, it's not only about the humans; nothing escapes the extraordinary journeys Hugh has planned for you.

If you are a lover of shows such as 'Black Mirror' or 'The Twilight Zone' then you're in for another exciting trip in this second collection from Hugh. Come and meet the characters who had no idea their lives were about to be turned upside-down.

Enjoy the ride!

Universal Link for buying Glimpses
Universal Link for buying More Glimpses

***~~~***

I hope you enjoyed meeting Toby and Austin, and learning about them and their humans, Hugh and John.

If you're a bird, cat, chinchilla, degu, dog, fish, gerbil, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit, rat, or other animal, and you live with a writer - yes, blogs count - and you'd like to be featured as a friend of Furkid Friday, just follow the instructions on the "Friends Of Furkid Friday" page. You might also want to check out the friends we've featured in the past, which you'll find listed at the bottom of the page I just mentioned.

Lots of licks,
Lilie

#AmReading + #AmWatching - July 25th 2019 #Reviews

There is no frigate like a book to take us lands away…
~Emily Dickinson

It's time to take a look at what I've been reading and watching during this past week.

If you want to know more about the book, or the author, click on whichever it is you want to learn more about, and it will take you to the appropriate page on Goodreads. Clicking on my rating should take you to my actual Goodreads review for the book in question. Please bear in mind that the format I've reviewed on Goodreads may not be the format I actually read.

Alternatively, if it's a movie or TV show you want to know more about, just click on the title to go to a page where you can find out more details about the movie or TV show in question; the title links will usually take you to a page on IMDB.

Don't forget: I read and watch things across multiple genres, as well as for different age ranges, so you should always check before reading or viewing, to make certain something is suitable for the intended audience, especially when children are involved.

OK...

Here's what I read this week:

Deliverance by Nicholas Sansbury Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was an excellent and action-packed read. There are some great characters in this series, and it's great to see their relationships evolving. The bond between X and his dog, Miles, is one of my favourite parts about this book... I love that his dog means so much to him that he puts the dog's survival above even his own.

Wolves by Nicholas Sansbury Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is an excellent continuation of the series, which had me up past my bed time to finish it. It's probably a good thing I didn't have the next book ready to go, or I might have ended up staying up even later than I already had to start reading it. Like the rest of the series, it's action-packed, and will hold your attention from start to finish. Plus, the worldbuilding and character development is wonderful.

As for what I've been watching:

There was a show about the moon landing on one of the Discovery channels over the weekend. I couldn't watch it when it was actually on, because it was on Saturday evening, around the time we take Lilie and Logan for their evening walk, and then I take them in to the bedroom so Joshua and Mollie can get some peace. But we made use of the record feature we rarely bother to use on the Sky box, and I watched it on Sunday instead. I don't remember exactly what it was called, but it was one of the many things done to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. Anyway, it was interesting. Although, not as good as one I saw a few years ago, since this one only seemed to be the highlights of the various Apollo missions, where as the one I saw before was more detailed, and gave a better look at the scientific aspect of things, rather than just focussing on the, "Hey, look what we did... We went to the moon," aspect, if you know what I mean. I'm the kind of person who likes the science stuff, and I'd have liked to see more of it. Still, there was only so much they could show when trying to mention everything leading up to the moon landing in one episode of something, so I can't say I was surprised it seemed more like just a recap of the highlights.

#WriterWednesday: #Quotes About Creativity And #Writing

Sometimes the ideas just come to me. Other times I have to sweat and almost bleed to make ideas come. It’s a mysterious process, but I hope I never find out exactly how it works. I like a mystery, as you may have noticed.
~J.K. Rowling

Focus more on your desire than on your doubt, and the dream will take care of itself.
~Mark Twain

Imagination is more important than knowledge.
~Einstein

Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside awakens.
~Carl Jung

And suddenly you know: It's time to start something new and trust in the magic of beginnings.
~Meister Eckhart

Being a writer is a very peculiar sort of job: It’s always you versus a blank sheet of paper (or a blank screen) and quite often the blank piece of paper wins.
~Neil Gaiman

It’s none of their business that you have to learn to write. Let them think you were born that way.
~Ernest Hemingway

2019 A-Z Author Reading Challenge - #AmReading

I signed up for the 2019 A-Z author reading challenge on one of the groups I'm a member of over on Goodreads.

For those not familiar with this type of challenge, here are the rules:

For this challenge, you will be using the Author's name of the book for your alphabet! You can use either their first or last name. Their name must start with that letter.

Examples:
P Patrick Ness
N Patrick Ness

The exceptions are Q,X, and V. There just aren't that many writers' names that start with those letters, so those letters can be anywhere in an authors name (including initials, middle name, etc.)

If the author writes under a pseudonym, you can use either that or their real name.

You can sign up anytime, and you can backdate books if you know when you finished it, as long as it was done in the year 2019.

ANY BOOK IS ACCEPTABLE, including graphic novels, novellas, etc.

I've finished it, so here are the authors I read books by for this version of the A-Z challenge:

The title of the book I read by the author is in brackets after their name.

A ~ Angela Pepper (Wardens of Wisteria)
B ~ C.S. Boyack (Voyage of the Lanternfish)
C ~ Robbie Cheadle (Silly Willy goes to Cape Town)
D ~ Diane Setterfield (Once Upon a River)
E ~ Edward Lear (A Book of Nonsense)
F ~ Amanda Flower (Assaulted Caramel)
G ~ Philippa Gregory (Wideacre)
H ~ Hugh W. Roberts (More Glimpses)
I ~ Isla Wynter (Once Upon a Unicorn)
J ~ Jim Butcher (White Night)
K ~ Katrina Cope (Divided Paths)
L ~ Lynsay Sands (Vampires Like It Hot)
M ~ Mercedes Lackey (The Fairy Godmother)
N ~ Lyle Nicholson (Polar Bear Dawn)
O ~ Oliver J Tooley (Women of the Wise Oak)
P ~ Rachel Poli (Sunday Morning)
Q ~ Hank Quense (Falstaff's Big Gamble)
R ~ Robert Silverberg (Majipoor Chronicles)
S ~ Steven Allan Pease (Secret of the Cannon Room)
T ~ Teri Polen (The Gemini Connection)
U ~ Ursula K. Le Guin (A Wizard of Earthsea)
V ~ Jules Verne (Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea)
W ~ Willow Rose (A Gypsy Song)
X ~ Amber Fox (The Calling)
Y ~ Charles E. Yallowitz (Loyalty)
Z ~ Cory Zwick (The Human Experiment)

#MondayMotivation, #Inspiration, And #Wisdom - #Quotes For July 22nd 2019

It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.
~Albus Dumbledore

Nothing happens until the pain of remaining the same outweighs the pain of CHANGE.
~Arthur Burt

One single gift acknowledged in gratefulness has the power to dissolve the ties of our alienation.
~David Steindl-Rast

Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.
~W.B Yeats

We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.
~Dalai Lama

Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.
~Harvey Fierstein

You can, you should, and if you're brave enough to start, you will.
~Stephen King

#FurkidFriday: Logan The #Cavapoo Goes Walkies

Hi everyone. This is Logan the Cavapoo.

Well, I finally learned what walkies is, and - to be totally honest - I'm not sure how I feel about it.

Mummy carried me a bit at first, until we were down all the steps, and then away from what Daddy called, "the big road," which was nice. But when she put me down on the ground I was so scared and confused I just sat down and cried.


So she carried me for a while again, until I stopped being so scared.

By the time I was brave enough that I didn't cry the moment she tried to put me down, we were by some place they say is called "Oscars" where I didn't meet anyone who might have been called Oscar, but I don't mind because it turns out there was food there. I was still not sure how I felt about being down on the ground in such a wide open space, even when Mummy was sitting beside me...


But I didn't mind being up in her arms outside...


It was when I was on my paws on the ground I got upset.

Lilie, on the other hand, was perfectly happy being outside, watching - and sometimes trying to play with - the other people out there besides our humans. See how she's just sat beside Daddy's feet while he's sat at the table?


So brave!

Lilie enjoying it so much eventually helped me see there was nothing to be scared of. Plus, lots of people came to say, "Hi," to us, and petted us while calling us cute, which I loved. There was food too. Like I said, that place where Oscar lives has food. They gave Mummy and Daddy some, and Mummy and Daddy let me and Lilie have a little. I love food!

With some food in my tummy, people making me happy by calling me cute, and Lilie showing me how much fun she was having being outside, I eventually got brave enough to stay on my paws long enough to try this walking on the leash business. At least, for a little while, when Mummy held both mine and Lilie's leads, so I could walk near Lilie...


Like I said, I didn't walk for long though, even with Lilie to walk with. I got scared again, and was really tired too. I mean, it was a lot for a little puppy like me to deal with. So Mummy carried me some more, and Daddy took Lilie's lead back (he was holding Lilie most of the time, so Mummy could focus on me) and they just walked with us.

When we got home, me and Lilie had a nap. I don't know about her, but I really needed one.

I've had several more walkies since that day. I even walked some with Mummy just holding my lead, and Daddy holding Lilie's lead while the two of them walk beside us. I'm still not sure what to think of it though. Sometimes I get really scared, and sometimes I get confused about what I'm meant to do, and other times I get so tired I just want to go home and not have to deal with it any more.

I especially get confused when the lead and harness tug on me when I try to run forward. I keep thinking it means I can't go any further that way, so I turn around to head the other way. But then Mummy says I have to go the way I was going in the first place, and all of a sudden I can again. At least, for a bit, and then I can't again. It's so strange. Sometimes it confuses me so much I get upset. Mummy says I'll get used to it. I hope so.

Lilie says I'll enjoy walkies when I learn how it all works. As for me... I really don't know what to think.

I want to go walkies with Lilie. Especially if Mummy is going to be going with her and Daddy. But the world is so big and scary, and it makes me want to just have Mummy cuddle me and take me home. There are so many noises and smells that I never heard or smelled before, and so many things I never saw before. I half want to check them out, and half want to stay far away from them. I'm just a little puppy, and it really is such a big world.

Lots of licks,
Logan

#AmReading + #AmWatching - July 18th 2019 #Reviews

A novel is like a bow, and the violin that produces the sound is the reader's soul.
~Stendhal

It's time to take a look at what I've been reading and watching during this past week.

If you want to know more about the book, or the author, click on whichever it is you want to learn more about, and it will take you to the appropriate page on Goodreads. Clicking on my rating should take you to my actual Goodreads review for the book in question. Please bear in mind that the format I've reviewed on Goodreads may not be the format I actually read.

Alternatively, if it's a movie or TV show you want to know more about, just click on the title to go to a page where you can find out more details about the movie or TV show in question; the title links will usually take you to a page on IMDB.

Don't forget: I read and watch things across multiple genres, as well as for different age ranges, so you should always check before reading or viewing, to make certain something is suitable for the intended audience, especially when children are involved.

OK...

Here's what I read this week:

Hell Divers by Nicholas Sansbury Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a pretty great read. There were some things left unanswered by the end, which I'm hoping will be answered in later books. Also, I didn't like the way things went for the main character at the very end (can't explain without spoilers, and I never put spoilers in reviews). But other than that I really enjoyed it, so I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the rest of the series.


Ghosts by Nicholas Sansbury Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This one was even better than the first book, and was an awesome action-packed read. Many of the questions left unanswered in book one were answered in this one, and the way things were left at the end of book one for the main character of the previous book now makes more sense (even if I still wish they hadn't been left that way). I can't wait to see what will happen next.

As for what I've been watching:

I didn't watch any DVDs, but I watched "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs" while playing with Lilie and Logan the other day. I've seen it several times before, but it's a good movie, so I didn't mind watching it again. I also watched a couple of episodes of "Murder She Wrote" while playing with them. Again, it's something I've seen before, but didn't mind watching again.

#WriterWednesday - July 17th 2019

In case you need some tips for doing so, here's how to write more, and another that goes well with it on managing distractions as a writer.

Can't get that writing in every single day? "Ok, fine. Don't write every day. But you still need a goal." That's the philosophy I'm having to follow right now myself.

I used to write every day, but then I got sick. I thought I'd return to the writing every day thing now I'm better, but with doing more now, plus having two energetic puppies who want my attention, that's just not happening. I mean, I can only set up treat balls and doggy puzzles so many times in one day, and those only buy me a few moments to finish something anyhow. Plus, while using those to occupy them sometimes is fine, I don't want to just keep throwing treat balls at them. They need play time with me too, walks, etc. But both Lilie and Logan take naps, which is a good time for me to do things that need me to focus on them for a reasonable chunk of time, like writing. However, since I also need to sometimes use that time for other things, I can't write every day any more, unfortunately. I'm working on managing the time spent doing the things I need to do while they nap better, so I can figure out how to get a good chunk of writing time in each week, while still doing the other things I want and need to do during puppy nap time. It's a work in progress though; I'm still working on it. I'm not sure if I'll be going back to writing every day, or if I'll be going with an idea I've been considering where I asign a day or two a week to writing, and then allow myself to focus on the other stuff on the other days. I'm trying different options out right now, and will see what ends up working best for me.

If you're struggling to get your writing time in, perhaps you need to do that too? Or you could consider writing in a library, if a quieter place to write is what you really need.

On the other hand, if you need to take a bit of a writing break, here's a post that discusses why you can't take a break from writing for too long, and how long your breaks should be, in case you want someone's opinion on that.

Regardless of how often you write, here's a post about bullet journaling for writers, which might be something you'd like to do.

By the way, do you find yourself struggling to decide what to write about? Why not let your imagination decide for you. You never know... You may just end up "accidentally" writing a book.

Oh, are you trying to make your story unique? Beware of these common pitfalls, and don't try too hard; don't make differences just for the sake of it, because forcing it will only spoil things for your potential readers.

Speaking of your potential readers, here are some ways to ensure readers don't abandon your book.

Also, if your story seems really complicated, or is incredibly long, you might want to declutter that novel. Yes. To help you, here are more ways to stop overwriting your story. Yes. Sometimes you need to cut things from your story. You can keep the good parts that end up on the cutting room floor - so to speak - to use in future stories, promotional material (especially if you plan to do a blog tour; deleted scenes are good for those) or whatever. That is, if they're actually good enough to recycle, of course.

On the other hand, if you could do with adding something to your story, take a look at this egg scene expansion pack, and see if that's what your story needs.

Always remember that you aren't just a storyteller - you are a story collector. So, go forth and collect stories!

Next, whether you're a writer or not, here are some ways to support an indie author.

On a similar note: if you're a writer or blogger looking for a bit of publicity, and you have a pet, feel free to get in touch to become a friend of Furkid Friday on this blog. Details of how can be found here.

#Book Themed Tag: The Ultimate Blog Tag - #AmReading

I saw this over on this post on The Strawberry Post blog, and since I have trouble avoiding doing these things, I naturally had to play, especially since she issued an open invitation to anyone who wanted to do it. How could I resist? The answer is, I couldn't. After all, I haven't done this one before. If you haven't either, and want to, ffeel free to join in. Let me know if you do though, and where I can find your post, since I'd love to read your answers. For now though, here are my answers:

1. Do you get sick while reading in the car?

Nope. I didn't when I was able to see to read print books either.

2. What author’s writing style is completely unique to you and why?

I can't pick just one. Any new to me author's writing style is unique to me, because each author has their own writing style.

3. Harry Potter Series or the Twilight Saga? Give three points to defend your answers.

Harry Potter. I mean, I like Twilight, but I love Harry Potter. Why Harry Potter? Because...

Twilight only has vampires and werewolves. Harry Potter also has house elves, dragons, and a whole bunch of other magical creatures.I love hearing about the wizarding places in the Harry Potter books, like Hogwarts, Hogsmead, etc. The most exciting place in the Twilight books is the reservation the wolves live on, which sounds nice and all, but it's no Hogwarts.There are far more characters I love in the Harry Potter books. I like most of the Twilight characters, but they're no Albus Dumbledore, Dobby, Luna Lovegood, Hagrid, or Hermione Granger.
4. Do you carry a book bag? If so, what’s in it (besides books…)?

Um... I suppose I sort of do. I mean, I take a backpack with me whenever I go anywhere. Nine times out of ten it has my Kindle in it. That sort of counts, right? I mean, my book bag for school was a backpack, so... *shrugs*

5. Do you smell your books?

No. But only because there's nothing nice about sniffing braille books, audio books, or eBooks. They just don't have that smell print books have. In fact, sniffing some of those - especially the eBooks - would just mean sniffing my Kindle all the time. Now, when I used to be able to read print books... Well, that was another matter. I did then.

6. Books with or without little illustrations?

I really don't care, as long as they don't stop the text to speach software reading the book to me. I kind of liked the little illustrations when I could see them, though I'd happily read books without them. Now I don't even know if they exist as a rule, since my text to speach software doesn't tell me about them. So I don't care if they're included or not.

7. What book did you love while reading but discovered later it wasn’t quality writing?

There aren't any. If it's not quality writing, I'll figure it out while reading it, so there's no discovering afterwards involved. Not to mention, if the book is good enough to have me loving it while I'm reading it, what people say about it afterwards isn't going to change my mind about it anyhow.

8. Do you have any funny stories involving books from your childhood? Please share!

It's only a bit funny, but the story of how we all got hooked on Harry Potter is kind of amusing.

My introduction to the Harry Potter books came around the time the fourth book was being released. I went in to hospital around that time, and my Mam asked what I wanted as a present, since she usually got me something. I usually had a spacific request, but this time I told her, "Something different," which probably wasn't all that helpful. Anyway, she'd seen the Harry Potter books mentioned everywhere, so decided to get me the first one, and hope it was good enough to satisfy my request. It was, and I loved it. But the funny thing was, she started reading it to me before I was fully recovered, so I kept falling asleep (nothing against the book... I was on strong pain meds) and it turned out she was loving the story too. She kept getting frustrated when I'd fall asleep, and ended up getting a second bookmark so she could mark where she was when I fell asleep, but continue reading the book herself afterwards. She brought me the next book when I came home from the hospital, just so she could borrow it after I was done with it. My Dad read it afterwrds (likely wondering what had us both so captivated) and so the family obsession with Harry Potter began.

9. What is the thinnest book on your shelf?

I have no idea.

10. What is the thickest book on your shelf?

I have no idea about this one either.

11. Do you write as well as read? Do you see yourself in the future as being an author?

Yes, I write too, and I already am an author. I've got several poetry books published, as well as quite a few stories (officially children's stories, though they've been enjoyed by plenty of adults too). You can buy my books in multiple formats from Amazon, Smashwords, and a bunch of other online retailers. In fact, I'd be extremely happy if you did.

12. When did you get into reading?

As soon as I was old enough to learn how to. My Mam would read to me, we'd read together, and later on I started reading by myself. I haven't stopped since, even if the format I read had to change when my sight declined enough so I couldn't read print any more.

13. What is your favourite classic book?

I haven't read as many as I'd have liked to, but "A Little Princess" counts as a classic, right? And it's my absolute favourite book. Also, "A Christmas Carol" and "Black Beauty" - I know those definitely count as classics. Oh, wait... Was I only meant to pick one? Never mind.

14. In school what was your best subject?

Maths for sure. I was good at English too, apart from my issues with spelling, of course. But I was good enough at maths that one of my older brothers used to pay me to do his maths homework for him. I never told him this, but I actually enjoyed doing it enough that I'd have done it for nothing. Shhh... Don't tell him.

15. If you were given a book as a present that you had read before and hated… what would you do?

Thank the person, and then either give it away to someone else, or drop it off at a charity shop.

16. What is a lesser known series that you know of that is similar to Harry Potter or The Hunger Games?

Harry Potter and The Hunger Games aren't similar to each other. I'm not sure what to do with this one... Do you want one similar to one or the other series? If so, David Estes' "Slip" trilogy is similar to The Hunger Games in some ways, but not as well known. I'm not sure where to start on series that are similar to Harry Potter. I can recommend some, but most of them are well-known, like the Percy Jaxon books, or the Worst Witch books. If you want one similar to both at once, you're out of luck, since - as I said - they aren't similar to each other. If you know of one that's like both at once though, I wouldn't mind hearing about it so I can check it out.

17. What is a bad habit you always do (besides rambling) while filming?

I don't vlog. I do some videos of things - mostly the furkids - that I put on Youtube, but try to keep the camera off myself if possible. I don't ramble when the camera is rolling, because I hate my voice in recordings, so try not to speak too much when it's on. I don't know of any bad habits I do. Although, I'm still working on the skill of aiming the camera right, and it's cost me some potentially good photos and videos while I work on that.

18. What is your favourite word?

Why? I'm not being a pain here... That's the word. I like it because I like to know why things are the way they are, and why they work the way they do. Learning new things can be fun and interesting.

19. Are you a nerd, dork, or dweeb? Or all of the above?

I don't know. I've been called all of those at one time or another, so I guess I'm all of the above. It probably depends on who you ask, I suppose.

20. Vampires or Fairies? Why?

Oh, fairies, of course! I like vampires, but fairies win hands down if I have to choose. I love the thought that there are fairies living in gardens all around the world, and love to read stories about them. Vampire stories are great to read, but I sure hope there aren't any of those in gardens around the world, that's for sure!

21. Shapeshifters or Angels? Why?

This one's harder. On the one hand, shapeshifters are cool... It would be really neat to be able to change shape, even if only in to a certain thing. On the other hand, the thought that angels are watching over us is a comforting one. For real life, angels. For books, either, though I read more books with shapeshifters than with angels as a rule.

22. Spirits or Werewolves? Why?

For real life, spirits, because I'd rather know there are dead people walking around than potentially dangerous werewolves. For books, werewolves, because they can make for some great characters, especially if the author explores the mental and emotional aspects of having the two forms.

23. Zombies or vampires? Why?

For real life, neither, because I'd hate to think either was walking around. Although, if I had to have one or the other, I'd rather zombies in real life, because they're generally easier to kill. For books, it depends on my mood, since they both have their good and bad points.

24. Love Triangle or Forbidden Love?

Both can be good or get annoying, depending on how they're handled. Though I see too many books using the love triangle one - especially in young adult books - so I'm picking forbidden love.

25. Full on romance books or action-packed with a few love scenes mixed in?

It really depends on my mood. I'll read, and enjoy, both kinds. Though I do tend to lean more towards the books where the romance isn't the main focus of the story, and only read full on romances from time to time.