Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 98
March 14, 2018
#WriterWednesday - March 14th 2018
The eBook version of "Puppy Poems And Rodent Rhymes" is now available, as you no doubt figured out from last week's post. The proof for the paperback version is on its way to me, so it shouldn't be too long before the paperback edition is also available. It will take a bit longer for the audio version though.
You know... I'm very familiar with the sense of creative urgency non-writers just can't understand, but lucky that the people I have the most to do with just accept it as being part of who I am. If you're a writer too, I hope you have people in your life who are as willing to accept it, even if they just can't understand.
Either way, if you're working on a story of your own, and worried it's too similar to the plot of something that inspired it, you may like to take a look at this post on how to make an old plot new.
Have you heard the term Noblebright Fantasy before? Don't worry if you hadn't. I hadn't until I read the post I just linked to. I like it though.
Regardless of the way you want to catagorize your story, here are some word count guidelines to help you figure out the generally accepted word count for your story's type, age range, and genre - worth knowing, even if you don't plan to stick to those guidelines.
Regardless of what you write, or how long it is, here's a post that discusses some of the most common plot holes and pot holes, and gives some advice on how to fix/avoid them.
Alternatively, if you write poetry, here's a post you may find interesting that talks about making music with words.
By the way, if you're an author who uses social media - as so many people do these days - here's a post that asks the question, "How many accounts is too many?" Personally, I have my website and blog, and I'm on Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ - just in case you were wondering.
No matter where you can be found online, if you're going through some kind of life change right now, here are some tips for writing during a life change, which you may find helpful. You should also remember that you can't do everything, especially not all the time. Go easy on yourself.
Oh, and stop searching for an easy way through... There isn't one. So, how do you know if you’re writing your best work when there’s no one around to critique it? The post I just linked to gives some insight in to that question.
Last, but certainly not least, if you're an author with a book you want to promote, you should give your characters some time in the spotlight by taking advantage of this open invitation. Character interviews are fun to do, and Lisa's posts are generally pretty popular, so it really is an opportunity not to be missed.
You know... I'm very familiar with the sense of creative urgency non-writers just can't understand, but lucky that the people I have the most to do with just accept it as being part of who I am. If you're a writer too, I hope you have people in your life who are as willing to accept it, even if they just can't understand.
Either way, if you're working on a story of your own, and worried it's too similar to the plot of something that inspired it, you may like to take a look at this post on how to make an old plot new.
Have you heard the term Noblebright Fantasy before? Don't worry if you hadn't. I hadn't until I read the post I just linked to. I like it though.
Regardless of the way you want to catagorize your story, here are some word count guidelines to help you figure out the generally accepted word count for your story's type, age range, and genre - worth knowing, even if you don't plan to stick to those guidelines.
Regardless of what you write, or how long it is, here's a post that discusses some of the most common plot holes and pot holes, and gives some advice on how to fix/avoid them.
Alternatively, if you write poetry, here's a post you may find interesting that talks about making music with words.
By the way, if you're an author who uses social media - as so many people do these days - here's a post that asks the question, "How many accounts is too many?" Personally, I have my website and blog, and I'm on Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ - just in case you were wondering.
No matter where you can be found online, if you're going through some kind of life change right now, here are some tips for writing during a life change, which you may find helpful. You should also remember that you can't do everything, especially not all the time. Go easy on yourself.
Oh, and stop searching for an easy way through... There isn't one. So, how do you know if you’re writing your best work when there’s no one around to critique it? The post I just linked to gives some insight in to that question.
Last, but certainly not least, if you're an author with a book you want to promote, you should give your characters some time in the spotlight by taking advantage of this open invitation. Character interviews are fun to do, and Lisa's posts are generally pretty popular, so it really is an opportunity not to be missed.
March 13, 2018
#YA Cover Reveal: "The Gemini Connection" by Teri Polen - #SciFi #Thriller
The Gemini Connection
by Teri Polen
Paperback Release Date: May 31, 2018
E-book Release Date: June 7, 2018
Young Adult > Sci-Fi/Fantasy > Thriller
Teen twin brothers Evan and Simon Resnik are fiercely loyal to each other and share an unusual bond—they experience each other’s emotions as their own and can sense where the other is.
On their dying planet of Tage, scientists work tirelessly on its survival. Like the twins’ parents, Simon is a science prodigy, recruited at a young age to work with the brilliant creator of Scientific Innovations. To the bitter disappointment of their parents, Evan shows no aptitude or interest in science. As a Mindbender, he travels into the minds of scientists to locate buried memories, connect ideas and concepts, and battle recurring nightmares.
When Simon mysteriously disappears, Evan is plunged into a world of loss and unbearable guilt. For the first time, he can’t ‘feel’ Simon—it’s like he no longer exists. Evan blames himself. No one knows that he ignored his brother’s pleas for help on the night he went missing.
A year later, Simon is still gone. Evan lost his twin, but Tage might have lost its last hope of survival when it’s discovered that Simon’s unfinished project could be its salvation. Evan is determined to find him—somewhere—and bring Simon home. Their unusual connection might be more extraordinary than they know, and the key to locating Simon.
The Gemini Connection paperback is available for preorder at the following locations:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
And for a discount at Black Rose Writing
You can find Teri at the following locations:
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest / Goodreads / Amazon
March 12, 2018
Of #StormEmma, Grandad, And #Space Littering (FD + Kinda R/WP)
There were a lot of weather warnings in the week that ended February and started March. I told you in my post from yesterday about the snow we had from February 26th to March 1st. But I didn't mention the red alert weather warning that was issued because "Storm Emma" was scheduled to hit some time on March 1st 2018, with warnings about not travelling unless you had no choice all over the news.
It was my Grandad's funeral on March 2nd.
It didn't happen sooner than that because my Uncle Patrick (the eldest of my Mam's siblings, and the one who was closest to Grandad) was away in Africa when Grandad died, and things had to be delayed until he could get home.
Anyway, I didn't go.
Not because of the weather though. I mean, I probably would have decided it was safer not to go with how the weather was anyhow, because it would have meant spending several hours on the 1st making a train journey across the South of England, from where I live in the South-East, to where a lot of the family lives - and my Grandad lived - in the South-West, and then hoping I could get back home again on the 3rd, after the storm had hopefully passed and finished causing any damage it was going to. But I'd already decided even before the first snowflake fell that I wouldn't be going to the funeral.
Funerals, in my opinion, are a chance for you to remember the person and say, "Goodbye."
Except, I feel like I already did that even before Uncle Patrick came home with what I posted on my blog.
Like I said in my post at the end of January, I wasn't close to Grandad. I didn't see a lot of him as a child, and saw him even less as an adult. I'm sad that he's gone, because he was my Grandad, and because death is always a sad thing. But I didn't feel I needed to be at his funeral.
Of course, then I felt guilty for being able to lay my Grandad to rest so easily, when I struggle with many memories of other things. I hate how my head works sometimes. I don't regret not going though. Like I said, I didn't feel I needed to be there. Even if part of me felt a bit guilty for feeling that way when it was my Grandad.
I actually wondered at one point if it would be rescheduled because of the weather. Do people do that with funerals? I actually don't know much about how these things work. Still, as I said, I wondered if it would be. It wasn't though, so a couple of people who had planned to be there ended up not managing to be, which is a shame.
As already mentioned, I'd have been staying home anyhow, because of the weather. Travelling so far would have been an ordeal for me without the added complication of snow and severe weather warnings. I wasn't really concerned about the storm itself as such. I'm not saying I didn't take it seriously: I kept an eye on weather reports for our area, and made sure we were fine for supplies for us and the furkids before it hit, etc. My main concern was in the fact that the UK tends to panic easily about weather warnings, and things get shut down at the slightest sign of severe weather, including long-distance transport options, bearing in mind that trains are unreliable in this country as it is. I didn't want to get stuck somewhere that wasn't my own home if this happened. Especially since I'd have had to go without Kelly, because he'd have had to stay home with Joshua, Mollie, Maizie, and Lilie.
I understand the concern. I really do. And, to be honest, I wouldn't think twice about them worrying so much if people were sensible about what they did. Most people rush out to empty the shelves of their nearest shops, which seems to be common all over the world in the event of severe storm warnings. Getting supplies is sensable. Unfortunately, people don't use sense when gathering said supplies. The shelves of canned and non-perishable items remain largely untouched, while supplies with short shelf lives - in particular things like milk - are brought in bulk, despite the fact they not only have short shelf lives to start with, but will last even less time if the power goes out and the fridge stops working. Buying extra milk and those kinds of things are logical if you're having extra guests visiting. For potential storm supplies... Not so much. If it was nuts, dried and canned fruit, or things like crisps (potato chips) and chocolate bars, that would make sense. If people were stocking up on extra bottled water or pop too, that would also make sense. The kinds of things people buy in their panic don't make sense. I think the whole country needs some tips on surviving storms, especially considering how many bad ones we've had in the past couple of years, because I think it's the lack of knowledge on what they should actually do - combined with the media offering no more advice than, "Stay indoors unless absolutely necessary" - that causes most of the UK to panic, make stupid choices when trying to prepare for a coming storm, and cause accidents in their attempts to do so. I heard several emergency vehicle sirens even before the bad weather actually hit. Most likely hurrying to deal with accidents caused by people who were rushing to do whatever they felt they should be doing before a storm. Accidents that may have been avoidable if people didn't panic so.
I'm not saying the UK is the only country that does it. It happens elsewhere too. I'm also not saying making sure people actually know what to do in the event of a storm will completely stop this kind of thing from happening. It won't. But I know the UK panics big time, and feel I can say this with confidence, having lived in a few different parts of the UK myself throughout my life, and witnessed it first hand. Storm survival tips wouldn't prevent it all, as I already said, but it might help. It may also reduce the number of deaths that actually occur during the storms. It may not. But wouldn't it be a good idea to try it and see? Wouldn't it be sensible to arm people with the knowledge they need to be safe in these situations? I know not everyone would listen to the advice. But if it saved even one life per storm, wouldn't it be worth it?
I know there's no way to completely avoid death from storms and other natural disasters. But I still think there are ways we could reduce the death tolls by being more prepared, and educating people better on how to be more prepared themselves. Not to mention, ways we could reduce the death tolls from manmade disasters. As I already said, I think it would be worthwhile putting in the time and effort required to educate the masses better... Even if it only saved some of the lives that might otherwise have been lost.
On a sort of related note...
While reading "Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery" at the end of last month, something occurred to me: mankind has hardly started to set foot in space, and we've already started littering up there.
While it's true that much of the space litter will be burned up during its time orbiting the Earth... At least, after a certain amount of time... That's not true of all of it. There are already satalites and things floating about up there, reminding me of scenes of rusted old washing machines and prams, left in gardens because nobody could be bothered to arrange for their proper disposal.
So, even as we praise the efforts of people like Trash Girl here on Earth, we're littering in not only our own backyards and streets, but also the galactic highways of space.
It's taken polution levels increasing a lot to make people start becoming aware that something needs to be done about littering here on Earth, and even then many people still don't care. What will it take to make people find an alternative to littering in space too? Considering how life-threateningly dangerous floating debris is in space, I hope a solution to this space littering is created before we have to find out!
Anyway... Returning to the topic of the storm...
I know Storm Emma caused chaos and damage in some areas: it was mentioned on the bits of news I caught. But in my immediate area it only seemed to be freezing temperatures that felt even colder than they were because of the strong gusts of icy wind. At least, I didn't hear of anything worse than that in my immediate area, despite predictions of gale force winds, more snow, etc. By the morning of March 2nd, the weather warning had changed to an amber alert, and - as I already said - we didn't actually get anything worse than a very cold and blustery day. Also, a lot of my snow was gone by the morning of March 2nd, and more disappeared throughout that day, with no more falling to replace it.
March 3rd was another day with temperatures below freezing, but still no more snow. That day started out with really thick fog though. But that had mostly cleared by mid morning. Since then it's been cold, but nothing interesting has happened weather wise. In other words, no more snow or storms.
It was my Grandad's funeral on March 2nd.
It didn't happen sooner than that because my Uncle Patrick (the eldest of my Mam's siblings, and the one who was closest to Grandad) was away in Africa when Grandad died, and things had to be delayed until he could get home.
Anyway, I didn't go.
Not because of the weather though. I mean, I probably would have decided it was safer not to go with how the weather was anyhow, because it would have meant spending several hours on the 1st making a train journey across the South of England, from where I live in the South-East, to where a lot of the family lives - and my Grandad lived - in the South-West, and then hoping I could get back home again on the 3rd, after the storm had hopefully passed and finished causing any damage it was going to. But I'd already decided even before the first snowflake fell that I wouldn't be going to the funeral.
Funerals, in my opinion, are a chance for you to remember the person and say, "Goodbye."
Except, I feel like I already did that even before Uncle Patrick came home with what I posted on my blog.
Like I said in my post at the end of January, I wasn't close to Grandad. I didn't see a lot of him as a child, and saw him even less as an adult. I'm sad that he's gone, because he was my Grandad, and because death is always a sad thing. But I didn't feel I needed to be at his funeral.
Of course, then I felt guilty for being able to lay my Grandad to rest so easily, when I struggle with many memories of other things. I hate how my head works sometimes. I don't regret not going though. Like I said, I didn't feel I needed to be there. Even if part of me felt a bit guilty for feeling that way when it was my Grandad.
I actually wondered at one point if it would be rescheduled because of the weather. Do people do that with funerals? I actually don't know much about how these things work. Still, as I said, I wondered if it would be. It wasn't though, so a couple of people who had planned to be there ended up not managing to be, which is a shame.
As already mentioned, I'd have been staying home anyhow, because of the weather. Travelling so far would have been an ordeal for me without the added complication of snow and severe weather warnings. I wasn't really concerned about the storm itself as such. I'm not saying I didn't take it seriously: I kept an eye on weather reports for our area, and made sure we were fine for supplies for us and the furkids before it hit, etc. My main concern was in the fact that the UK tends to panic easily about weather warnings, and things get shut down at the slightest sign of severe weather, including long-distance transport options, bearing in mind that trains are unreliable in this country as it is. I didn't want to get stuck somewhere that wasn't my own home if this happened. Especially since I'd have had to go without Kelly, because he'd have had to stay home with Joshua, Mollie, Maizie, and Lilie.
I understand the concern. I really do. And, to be honest, I wouldn't think twice about them worrying so much if people were sensible about what they did. Most people rush out to empty the shelves of their nearest shops, which seems to be common all over the world in the event of severe storm warnings. Getting supplies is sensable. Unfortunately, people don't use sense when gathering said supplies. The shelves of canned and non-perishable items remain largely untouched, while supplies with short shelf lives - in particular things like milk - are brought in bulk, despite the fact they not only have short shelf lives to start with, but will last even less time if the power goes out and the fridge stops working. Buying extra milk and those kinds of things are logical if you're having extra guests visiting. For potential storm supplies... Not so much. If it was nuts, dried and canned fruit, or things like crisps (potato chips) and chocolate bars, that would make sense. If people were stocking up on extra bottled water or pop too, that would also make sense. The kinds of things people buy in their panic don't make sense. I think the whole country needs some tips on surviving storms, especially considering how many bad ones we've had in the past couple of years, because I think it's the lack of knowledge on what they should actually do - combined with the media offering no more advice than, "Stay indoors unless absolutely necessary" - that causes most of the UK to panic, make stupid choices when trying to prepare for a coming storm, and cause accidents in their attempts to do so. I heard several emergency vehicle sirens even before the bad weather actually hit. Most likely hurrying to deal with accidents caused by people who were rushing to do whatever they felt they should be doing before a storm. Accidents that may have been avoidable if people didn't panic so.
I'm not saying the UK is the only country that does it. It happens elsewhere too. I'm also not saying making sure people actually know what to do in the event of a storm will completely stop this kind of thing from happening. It won't. But I know the UK panics big time, and feel I can say this with confidence, having lived in a few different parts of the UK myself throughout my life, and witnessed it first hand. Storm survival tips wouldn't prevent it all, as I already said, but it might help. It may also reduce the number of deaths that actually occur during the storms. It may not. But wouldn't it be a good idea to try it and see? Wouldn't it be sensible to arm people with the knowledge they need to be safe in these situations? I know not everyone would listen to the advice. But if it saved even one life per storm, wouldn't it be worth it?
I know there's no way to completely avoid death from storms and other natural disasters. But I still think there are ways we could reduce the death tolls by being more prepared, and educating people better on how to be more prepared themselves. Not to mention, ways we could reduce the death tolls from manmade disasters. As I already said, I think it would be worthwhile putting in the time and effort required to educate the masses better... Even if it only saved some of the lives that might otherwise have been lost.
On a sort of related note...
While reading "Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery" at the end of last month, something occurred to me: mankind has hardly started to set foot in space, and we've already started littering up there.
While it's true that much of the space litter will be burned up during its time orbiting the Earth... At least, after a certain amount of time... That's not true of all of it. There are already satalites and things floating about up there, reminding me of scenes of rusted old washing machines and prams, left in gardens because nobody could be bothered to arrange for their proper disposal.
So, even as we praise the efforts of people like Trash Girl here on Earth, we're littering in not only our own backyards and streets, but also the galactic highways of space.
It's taken polution levels increasing a lot to make people start becoming aware that something needs to be done about littering here on Earth, and even then many people still don't care. What will it take to make people find an alternative to littering in space too? Considering how life-threateningly dangerous floating debris is in space, I hope a solution to this space littering is created before we have to find out!
Anyway... Returning to the topic of the storm...
I know Storm Emma caused chaos and damage in some areas: it was mentioned on the bits of news I caught. But in my immediate area it only seemed to be freezing temperatures that felt even colder than they were because of the strong gusts of icy wind. At least, I didn't hear of anything worse than that in my immediate area, despite predictions of gale force winds, more snow, etc. By the morning of March 2nd, the weather warning had changed to an amber alert, and - as I already said - we didn't actually get anything worse than a very cold and blustery day. Also, a lot of my snow was gone by the morning of March 2nd, and more disappeared throughout that day, with no more falling to replace it.
March 3rd was another day with temperatures below freezing, but still no more snow. That day started out with really thick fog though. But that had mostly cleared by mid morning. Since then it's been cold, but nothing interesting has happened weather wise. In other words, no more snow or storms.
March 11, 2018
February 26th 2018 - March 1st 2018's #Snow By The #Ocean
It's been really cold here. A few times it got up as warm as 10 degrees C (52 degrees F) but it's mostly been only just above freezing, with temperatures most days hovering between -6 degrees C (27 degrees F) and 3 degrees C (38 degrees F). I don't mind too much, since I'd rather it be too cold than too hot. I think I'm in the minority on that one though. Haha!
You know one of the reasons I like cold better though, right? SNOW!
With all the cold weather, we got more snow! YAY!
Kelly took this video late on February 26th 2018 from our back window:
He tried for photos that night too, but they didn't work out too well. I'd have kept them if the snow had been gone by morning, but it was still there, so I won't bother with the ones Kelly says are awful from the night the snow arrived (our guess is the camera was trying to focus on something other than the snow in night mode, and failing to focus properly on anything in the attempt; pictures were either really blurry or we had to have the light on in here and it was causing reflection issues). That's why Kelly did the above video: hoping it would work better (which it did).
Just in case the snow was gone by morning, I made a snowball from what I could reach from the window. I'd have gone down to see it, but Lilie isn't very good at going downstairs quietly, I wasn't sure how she'd react to me attempting to creep downstairs without her - she might have been fine, since Kelly would have been with her, but we aren't 100% certain - and it was nearly midnight. We figured it wasn't fair on our neighbours to have Lilie either boundingdown the stairs like a maniac or potentially barking... Not at that time of night. So I made a snowball from what I could gather from the windowsill with the window open, and gave it to Lilie... Who promptly ate it.
Anyway, when we got up in the morning (February 27th 2018) the view from the back window looked like this:
While the view from the front - where we can actually see the ocean - looked like this:
One of our neighbours started running daily a little over a year ago. We've been paying attention, because we wondered how long he'd keep it up. He's certainly commited to doing it daily. We've seen him out there in sun, rain, and now snow:
We don't know who he is, but we're proud of him for being so commited. Go, Running Guy, go!
Naturally, Lilie and I had to go out and see the snow too...
Kelly even got a short video of us doing so:
Lilie and I did see more of the snow than you see photos and video time. But there weren't any more photos or videos to share.
Anyway, we expected the snow to be gone next day. It wasn't!
This is how it looked next day (February 28th 2018) from our back windows:
And this is how it looked from the front windows, with the ocean view:
Some of the snow was gone the following morning (March 1st 2018). But, just as I was sulking about that, it started snowing a little again. It led to me having a conversation with Kelly - which I posted on Tsocial media - that went like this:
We actually ended up with a good four inches of snow... I think possibly even more than that. But the sunny spells in between snow showers, combined with the salt in the air from the ocean, kept melting the top layer of snow, so we never had all that much on the ground at any given time. The most we had on the ground in one go was about two inches, I think, though it may not have been quite that much, and most of the time we only had about an inch on the ground at any given time. Still, it was "real" snow, and lots of it. Plus, it stuck around for several days, which Lilie and I thought was great!
You know one of the reasons I like cold better though, right? SNOW!
With all the cold weather, we got more snow! YAY!
Kelly took this video late on February 26th 2018 from our back window:
He tried for photos that night too, but they didn't work out too well. I'd have kept them if the snow had been gone by morning, but it was still there, so I won't bother with the ones Kelly says are awful from the night the snow arrived (our guess is the camera was trying to focus on something other than the snow in night mode, and failing to focus properly on anything in the attempt; pictures were either really blurry or we had to have the light on in here and it was causing reflection issues). That's why Kelly did the above video: hoping it would work better (which it did).
Just in case the snow was gone by morning, I made a snowball from what I could reach from the window. I'd have gone down to see it, but Lilie isn't very good at going downstairs quietly, I wasn't sure how she'd react to me attempting to creep downstairs without her - she might have been fine, since Kelly would have been with her, but we aren't 100% certain - and it was nearly midnight. We figured it wasn't fair on our neighbours to have Lilie either boundingdown the stairs like a maniac or potentially barking... Not at that time of night. So I made a snowball from what I could gather from the windowsill with the window open, and gave it to Lilie... Who promptly ate it.
Anyway, when we got up in the morning (February 27th 2018) the view from the back window looked like this:
While the view from the front - where we can actually see the ocean - looked like this:
One of our neighbours started running daily a little over a year ago. We've been paying attention, because we wondered how long he'd keep it up. He's certainly commited to doing it daily. We've seen him out there in sun, rain, and now snow:
We don't know who he is, but we're proud of him for being so commited. Go, Running Guy, go!
Naturally, Lilie and I had to go out and see the snow too...
Kelly even got a short video of us doing so:
Lilie and I did see more of the snow than you see photos and video time. But there weren't any more photos or videos to share.
Anyway, we expected the snow to be gone next day. It wasn't!
This is how it looked next day (February 28th 2018) from our back windows:
And this is how it looked from the front windows, with the ocean view:
Some of the snow was gone the following morning (March 1st 2018). But, just as I was sulking about that, it started snowing a little again. It led to me having a conversation with Kelly - which I posted on Tsocial media - that went like this:
Me: "Missing: #snow. If found, please return to St Leonards seafront."
Hubby: "It's snowing again."
Me: "Hey, someone brought it back already!"
We actually ended up with a good four inches of snow... I think possibly even more than that. But the sunny spells in between snow showers, combined with the salt in the air from the ocean, kept melting the top layer of snow, so we never had all that much on the ground at any given time. The most we had on the ground in one go was about two inches, I think, though it may not have been quite that much, and most of the time we only had about an inch on the ground at any given time. Still, it was "real" snow, and lots of it. Plus, it stuck around for several days, which Lilie and I thought was great!
March 9, 2018
#Furkid Friday: Joshua The #Degu Turns 5 (FD)
Hi everyone. This is Joshua the degu.
(Above photo of me taken yesterday... March 8th 2018).
Today is my birthday. I'm five human years old. For a degu that's a good age.
I mean, degus can live as old as seven or eight. Some have even made it to about ten. But we're like rabbits and guinea pigs and often don't even make it to five, let alone past that. So the human caretakers are very happy that I'm around to celebrate turning five, especially since I'm currently nice and healthy, and pretty happy. As happy as I can be living by myself anyway.
So... Happy birthday to me!
I haven't had my extra birthday nibbles yet, but I know I'll get some... The human caretakers always hand out extra nibbles when birthdays happen, so I better go, just in case they're planning to do that right now. I'm hoping for extra Shreddies, or possibly some oatmeal, or maybe a chinchilla cookie or two. Keep your paws crossed for me, OK?
Squeak soon,
Joshua
(Above photo of me taken yesterday... March 8th 2018).Today is my birthday. I'm five human years old. For a degu that's a good age.
I mean, degus can live as old as seven or eight. Some have even made it to about ten. But we're like rabbits and guinea pigs and often don't even make it to five, let alone past that. So the human caretakers are very happy that I'm around to celebrate turning five, especially since I'm currently nice and healthy, and pretty happy. As happy as I can be living by myself anyway.
So... Happy birthday to me!
I haven't had my extra birthday nibbles yet, but I know I'll get some... The human caretakers always hand out extra nibbles when birthdays happen, so I better go, just in case they're planning to do that right now. I'm hoping for extra Shreddies, or possibly some oatmeal, or maybe a chinchilla cookie or two. Keep your paws crossed for me, OK?
Squeak soon,
Joshua
March 7, 2018
New #Pet Themed #Poetry #Book Release: Puppy Poems And Rodent Rhymes
A collection of poems of various lengths and styles, all written for some of the various pets my hubby and I have had.
The pets mentioned in this collection include 4 degus, 2 rats, 2 chinchillas, and 2 dogs. All poems are captioned with details of the pets they are about.
Today is the official release date for my latest book, which - as you have probably figured out from the title of this post, as well as the book blurb above - is called "Puppy Poems And Rodent Rhymes" and is a collection of pet themed poetry.
You can already buy the book from Smashwords, where it's available in multiple Ebook formats, including mobi, epub, pdf, and html. This means there's a format available from Smashwords that will work for you, regardless of the device you use to read eBooks. In fact, the html version makes it possible for you to read the book on a web browser, which means anyone who can read this post can read the book.
If you buy "Puppy Poems And Rodent Rhymes" from Smashwords between now and March 10th 2018, you can get it for just $0.99 with coupon code RAE50 as part of Smashwords 9th annual Read An eBook Week. To take advantage of this offer, just enter the coupon code in the box provided during checkout, or click on "buy with coupon" on the book's Smashwords page. This offer only applies if you buy the eBook via Smashwords, and is only valid from now through March 10th 2018.
Though the offer only applies on Smashwords, the eBook version of this book is also available at its regular price via other online retailers, which Smashwords distributes to. For example, if you have a Nook, iPad, or Kobo eReader, and would rather buy the book from the eStore associated with your particular device, you'll be pleased to learn that you can also buy the book on Barnes & Noble, iBooks, and Kobo.
Paperback and audio versions will become available as soon as they can be arranged.
If you're on Goodreads, you may also be interested to know that the book has a Goodreads page.
March 6, 2018
Seri, Google Home, And Amazon Alexa Echo
I'm sure you're familiar with Seri: the voice assistant that comes on many devices, such as iPhones and iPads. You probably also know about Google Home and Amazon Alexa Echo by now too: the systems you can set up in your home to have them control things like your lights, the speakers on your music system, etc. If you haven't heard of them, look it up; there's plenty of information out there on them if you just do a simple online search.
I have Seri on my iPhone, and Alexa on my Kindle, because my iPhone came with Seri on it, and Alexa came with an update several months back. I don't use them as much as I potentially could, but I've spent a reasonable amount of time "playing" with them both. I also had some fun trying out my Mam's Google Home system, and saw Dad's Alexa setup in action, while I was in Wales at the start of January.
I'm not going to go in to details on a comparison, becauseI don't see the point. Quite frankly, the main difference I can see is that Seri isn't as advanced as the other two, so can't perform as many functions. Other than that, they all seem the same to me. Maybe I'm missing something? I don't know. But from what I can tell, they all do basically the same things, but Google Home and Alexa take us a step closer to the houses controlled by technology that were invisioned for mankind's future, and often appear in science fiction stories. Plenty of others seem to have gone in to more detail on comparisons though, so you'll find those posts in your online search - assuming you're interested enough to do one.
My Dad swears by his Alexa though, and proudly tells everyone about it whenever he can. I'm not complaining, and don't blame him really: it is a cool system. But I mention it because of something that happened during my visit to Wales.
At dinner on the Saturday, having already told us adults about it, my Dad decided to go and tell Bird, Pip, and Dolly. Those are the children of my cousin, Shane, and his wife, Donna. No. Those aren't their real names. Those are the names they get called most though, and I'm not 100% certain how to spell Bird and Dolly's real names, so I'm sticking with those names.
Anyway, my Dad explained to them how having Alexa is, "Like having a little person to do things for you around the house."
Now, for Bird, who's about ten years old if I'm remembering correctly, this was an easy concept to grasp. I think Pip, who recently turned seven, got it too (though since he said very little, I'm not entirely certain of his thoughts). However, Dolly, who's about four, misunderstood.
The three children ran over to tell Donna - who was sat next to me - all about Alexa, and how wonderful she sounds. Adding that they get to play with her the following day, since my Dad had promised them they could do so.
A conversation followed where Bird repeated my Dad's words on the capabilities of Alexa, while Dolly just kept repeating that they'd get to play with her next day, and it became increasingly obvious that - while Dolly had grasped that Alexa wasn't a person in the same sense that we all were - the little girl was expecting a person of some sort to be waiting to play with her at my Dad's place next day. When questioned about what she thought Alexa looked like, she even kept insisting Alexa was, "Like a little person, but round."
In an attempt to make it clear that Alexa was actually a machine, Donna started explaining some of the things my Dad had said she could do. Finishing with, "She can turn the lights on too, Dolly."
To which Dolly replied, in a voice of utter amazement, "Can she reach?"
Once Donna and I could stop laughing long enough, Donna pulled out her phone and went online to find a picture of what the Amazon Alexa Echo really looks like, and showed it to Dolly.
Dolly was very disappointed to find it's just a square box, and not like a little person at all.
After that she lost interest in talking about Alexa. Some of her enthusiasm returned when she was putting Alexa through her paces with Bird and Pip at my Dad's place the following morning though.
I have Seri on my iPhone, and Alexa on my Kindle, because my iPhone came with Seri on it, and Alexa came with an update several months back. I don't use them as much as I potentially could, but I've spent a reasonable amount of time "playing" with them both. I also had some fun trying out my Mam's Google Home system, and saw Dad's Alexa setup in action, while I was in Wales at the start of January.
I'm not going to go in to details on a comparison, becauseI don't see the point. Quite frankly, the main difference I can see is that Seri isn't as advanced as the other two, so can't perform as many functions. Other than that, they all seem the same to me. Maybe I'm missing something? I don't know. But from what I can tell, they all do basically the same things, but Google Home and Alexa take us a step closer to the houses controlled by technology that were invisioned for mankind's future, and often appear in science fiction stories. Plenty of others seem to have gone in to more detail on comparisons though, so you'll find those posts in your online search - assuming you're interested enough to do one.
My Dad swears by his Alexa though, and proudly tells everyone about it whenever he can. I'm not complaining, and don't blame him really: it is a cool system. But I mention it because of something that happened during my visit to Wales.
At dinner on the Saturday, having already told us adults about it, my Dad decided to go and tell Bird, Pip, and Dolly. Those are the children of my cousin, Shane, and his wife, Donna. No. Those aren't their real names. Those are the names they get called most though, and I'm not 100% certain how to spell Bird and Dolly's real names, so I'm sticking with those names.
Anyway, my Dad explained to them how having Alexa is, "Like having a little person to do things for you around the house."
Now, for Bird, who's about ten years old if I'm remembering correctly, this was an easy concept to grasp. I think Pip, who recently turned seven, got it too (though since he said very little, I'm not entirely certain of his thoughts). However, Dolly, who's about four, misunderstood.
The three children ran over to tell Donna - who was sat next to me - all about Alexa, and how wonderful she sounds. Adding that they get to play with her the following day, since my Dad had promised them they could do so.
A conversation followed where Bird repeated my Dad's words on the capabilities of Alexa, while Dolly just kept repeating that they'd get to play with her next day, and it became increasingly obvious that - while Dolly had grasped that Alexa wasn't a person in the same sense that we all were - the little girl was expecting a person of some sort to be waiting to play with her at my Dad's place next day. When questioned about what she thought Alexa looked like, she even kept insisting Alexa was, "Like a little person, but round."
In an attempt to make it clear that Alexa was actually a machine, Donna started explaining some of the things my Dad had said she could do. Finishing with, "She can turn the lights on too, Dolly."
To which Dolly replied, in a voice of utter amazement, "Can she reach?"
Once Donna and I could stop laughing long enough, Donna pulled out her phone and went online to find a picture of what the Amazon Alexa Echo really looks like, and showed it to Dolly.
Dolly was very disappointed to find it's just a square box, and not like a little person at all.
After that she lost interest in talking about Alexa. Some of her enthusiasm returned when she was putting Alexa through her paces with Bird and Pip at my Dad's place the following morning though.
March 5, 2018
#Music Monday: Tom Jones and Cerys Matthews - Baby, Its Cold Outside
It's been really cold here, with temperatures only a few degrees above freezing at best... Often below freezing. With all the cold weather we've had lately, I just had to go with Tom Jones And Cerys Matthews singing "Baby, It's Cold Outside" - it's been playing in my head a lot, after all. So, here it is... Enjoy!
March 4, 2018
Tori's February 2018 #Book #Reviews (LBE)
It's time to take a look at what I read in February.
As with the previous posts like this one, 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.
Don't forget: the format I've reviewed may not be the format I read. Also, please remember that I read across multiple genres and age ranges, so you should always check if a book is suitable for the intended reader, especially when children are involved. Sometimes reading the book's description on its Goodreads page will be enough for this, but other times you may need to check elsewhere to figure out the genre and/or recommended reading level.
OK... On to the reviews!
The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I picked this one up after seeing some of my friends talking about it rather enthusiastically. I don't always follow the herd, but they made it sound like a good read, and the plot sounded interesting. So I read it. I'm so incredibly glad I did! It was an absolutely fantastic read, and I can't wait to read book two!
The Knowing by Sharon Cameron
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book was a fantastic read. Even so, I didn't think it was quite as good as the first one. Still a five star read though, with wonderful world building, an interesting and unique plot, and a great cast of characters.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
WWII is one of the periods of history I'm most interested in. Even so, I struggled to get in to this book at first. After a few chapters though, I was glad I stuck with it, because it became a fascinating and touching story. This is not just a story about some of the events that happened during the war, but also about the inner strength that exists in all of us, and shows itself when we need it to. It's also a story about family, friendship, love, and holding on to those things against the odds.
The Ghostly Writes Valentines Anthology 2017 by C.A. Keith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
In my opinion, most of the stories in this collection were just "OK" stories, or stories that might have been better had they not felt like they were just a scene taken from a longer piece. There was only one story in this collection I really loved. Thankfully, since the story I loved was the last one, I was able to at least end the book on a positive note. I'm not saying the other stories were bad. It's more they either felt like they weren't finished, or didn't really appeal to me.
Pathfinder Legends: Curse of the Crimson Throne, Chapter 3 - Escape from Old Korvosa by David Bryher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was an excellent addition to the adventures in this series.
Pathfinder Legends: Curse of the Crimson Throne, Chapter 4 - A History of Ashes by David Bryher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is another excellent addition to this series, which is both entertaining and enjoyable to read.
Pathfinder Legends: CURSE OF THE CRIMSON THRONE, Chapter 5 - SKELETONS OF SCARWALL by David Bryher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Once again, this book is an excellent addition to this series. I love the main characters that are the adventurers I've been following from the start, and certain other characters will stick with me for some time, that's for sure.
Pathfinder Legends: CURSE OF THE CRIMSON THRONE, Chapter 6 - CROWN OF FANGS by David Bryher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was another excellent and entertaining chapter in the adventures of this group of characters. I hope it won't be the last.
VAMPYRIE: Origin of the Vampire by Tina Frisco
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I found the author's take on the origin of the vampire myth to be an interesting one, and thought this book was a pretty good read for the most part. The only reason I don't give it the full five stars is that there were times when I felt the characters were behaving in ways designed to steer the plot in a certain direction, even if it went against what should have been right for the character based on what we'd been led to believe about him or her previously. The main character in particular was supposed to be an intelligent woman who had been studying both the physical and mental aspects of martial arts since childhood, and yet often behaved in a way that made her seem like a spoiled and naive child who's prone to being wreckless and getting herself in to trouble because she either doesn't think before acting or is unaware of her surroundings.
Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery by Scott Kelly
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book was an extremely fascinating read, which I highly recommend to anyone who has an interest in space exploration, as well as anyone planning to write science fiction (the latter because the author's descriptions will prove to be valuable tools for research purposes).
As with the previous posts like this one, 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.
Don't forget: the format I've reviewed may not be the format I read. Also, please remember that I read across multiple genres and age ranges, so you should always check if a book is suitable for the intended reader, especially when children are involved. Sometimes reading the book's description on its Goodreads page will be enough for this, but other times you may need to check elsewhere to figure out the genre and/or recommended reading level.
OK... On to the reviews!
The Forgetting by Sharon CameronMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I picked this one up after seeing some of my friends talking about it rather enthusiastically. I don't always follow the herd, but they made it sound like a good read, and the plot sounded interesting. So I read it. I'm so incredibly glad I did! It was an absolutely fantastic read, and I can't wait to read book two!
The Knowing by Sharon CameronMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book was a fantastic read. Even so, I didn't think it was quite as good as the first one. Still a five star read though, with wonderful world building, an interesting and unique plot, and a great cast of characters.
The Nightingale by Kristin HannahMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
WWII is one of the periods of history I'm most interested in. Even so, I struggled to get in to this book at first. After a few chapters though, I was glad I stuck with it, because it became a fascinating and touching story. This is not just a story about some of the events that happened during the war, but also about the inner strength that exists in all of us, and shows itself when we need it to. It's also a story about family, friendship, love, and holding on to those things against the odds.
The Ghostly Writes Valentines Anthology 2017 by C.A. KeithMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
In my opinion, most of the stories in this collection were just "OK" stories, or stories that might have been better had they not felt like they were just a scene taken from a longer piece. There was only one story in this collection I really loved. Thankfully, since the story I loved was the last one, I was able to at least end the book on a positive note. I'm not saying the other stories were bad. It's more they either felt like they weren't finished, or didn't really appeal to me.
Pathfinder Legends: Curse of the Crimson Throne, Chapter 3 - Escape from Old Korvosa by David BryherMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was an excellent addition to the adventures in this series.
Pathfinder Legends: Curse of the Crimson Throne, Chapter 4 - A History of Ashes by David BryherMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is another excellent addition to this series, which is both entertaining and enjoyable to read.
Pathfinder Legends: CURSE OF THE CRIMSON THRONE, Chapter 5 - SKELETONS OF SCARWALL by David BryherMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Once again, this book is an excellent addition to this series. I love the main characters that are the adventurers I've been following from the start, and certain other characters will stick with me for some time, that's for sure.
Pathfinder Legends: CURSE OF THE CRIMSON THRONE, Chapter 6 - CROWN OF FANGS by David BryherMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was another excellent and entertaining chapter in the adventures of this group of characters. I hope it won't be the last.
VAMPYRIE: Origin of the Vampire by Tina FriscoMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I found the author's take on the origin of the vampire myth to be an interesting one, and thought this book was a pretty good read for the most part. The only reason I don't give it the full five stars is that there were times when I felt the characters were behaving in ways designed to steer the plot in a certain direction, even if it went against what should have been right for the character based on what we'd been led to believe about him or her previously. The main character in particular was supposed to be an intelligent woman who had been studying both the physical and mental aspects of martial arts since childhood, and yet often behaved in a way that made her seem like a spoiled and naive child who's prone to being wreckless and getting herself in to trouble because she either doesn't think before acting or is unaware of her surroundings.
Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery by Scott KellyMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book was an extremely fascinating read, which I highly recommend to anyone who has an interest in space exploration, as well as anyone planning to write science fiction (the latter because the author's descriptions will prove to be valuable tools for research purposes).
March 2, 2018
#Furkid Friday: Lilie The #Westie's Ear
Hi everyone. This is Lilie the Westie.
Yeah, I know it's meant to be the turn of the squeaky Maizie creature. But the squeaky things in cages admit themselves they don't have as much to say as I do, and I need to tell you about my ear, so you get to hear from me instead. Lucky you!
So...
My ear started bugging me a couple of weeks ago. I was scratching at it a lot, shaking my head, and rubbing my ear on things. I even yelped in pain when Mummy touched it while we were playing. Bearing in mind, I'm not the kind of dog who whines and yelps in pain that often, even when the humans say they don't understand why I'm not doing so. I can run in to a wall and it only makes me change direction, fall off a bed and bounce right back up, etc. Like I said, I'm a tough little thing, and not one to whine or yelp for no reason. So, as you can imagine, me yelping when Mummy touched my ear got her worried enough that she called Daddy over to have a look at it.
It was all dirty, but that could just have been from me scratching at it and rubbing it on things. So Daddy had to clean it before he could look properly. I didn't mind too much though, because the little balls he used felt nice in my ear. Plus, I was getting attention, so... YAY! It did hurt a bit when he did it though, and I whined to tel him so.
Anyway, it looked sore, but he wasn't sure if I'd just cut myself while scratching, or if there was more to it. So the humans decided they better take me to the vet to have it looked at. That was fine by me, since I love vet trips!
Well, I didn't enjoy all of the one where that overly bouncy dog was there. But he wasn't, and everybody who was wanted to be my friend in ways I found acceptable, so that was good.
Anyhow, the vet said I either had an infection in my ear that Daddy's cleaning job had helped to clear up, but my ear was sore and inflamed from it - and from me scratching at it - or was allergic to something. I'm not too sure what all that means, but the vet gave Daddy some stuff in a bottle that I had to have in my ear two times a day, and said to come back a week later so the vet could see if my ear was better.
I didn't like how it felt when the stuff from the bottle went in my ear. I tried to be good about it for Daddy to put it in. I even managed to be good for the first couple of days. But after that I decided I'd had enough, so Mummy had to hold me down while Daddy put the stuff in my ear. I couldn't help it. I just didn't like that stuff getting squirted in my ear. I'm sure you'd hate it if someone was squirting wet stuff from a bottle in to your ear too!
Anyway, I went back after the week was up to have the vet take a look at my ear again, and he said it was all better, so there's a good chance it was to do with an infection. But he also said that Daddy should still put the stuff from the bottle in my ear once a day for a few more days. I don't see why I had to still have stuff in my ear if it was all better, and tried to tell the humans so. But nobody listened to me, and they kept right on doing it. They've stopped... They appear to have stopped now anyhow. I hope they don't start doing it again!
Lots of licks,
Lilie
Yeah, I know it's meant to be the turn of the squeaky Maizie creature. But the squeaky things in cages admit themselves they don't have as much to say as I do, and I need to tell you about my ear, so you get to hear from me instead. Lucky you!
So...
My ear started bugging me a couple of weeks ago. I was scratching at it a lot, shaking my head, and rubbing my ear on things. I even yelped in pain when Mummy touched it while we were playing. Bearing in mind, I'm not the kind of dog who whines and yelps in pain that often, even when the humans say they don't understand why I'm not doing so. I can run in to a wall and it only makes me change direction, fall off a bed and bounce right back up, etc. Like I said, I'm a tough little thing, and not one to whine or yelp for no reason. So, as you can imagine, me yelping when Mummy touched my ear got her worried enough that she called Daddy over to have a look at it.
It was all dirty, but that could just have been from me scratching at it and rubbing it on things. So Daddy had to clean it before he could look properly. I didn't mind too much though, because the little balls he used felt nice in my ear. Plus, I was getting attention, so... YAY! It did hurt a bit when he did it though, and I whined to tel him so.
Anyway, it looked sore, but he wasn't sure if I'd just cut myself while scratching, or if there was more to it. So the humans decided they better take me to the vet to have it looked at. That was fine by me, since I love vet trips!
Well, I didn't enjoy all of the one where that overly bouncy dog was there. But he wasn't, and everybody who was wanted to be my friend in ways I found acceptable, so that was good.
Anyhow, the vet said I either had an infection in my ear that Daddy's cleaning job had helped to clear up, but my ear was sore and inflamed from it - and from me scratching at it - or was allergic to something. I'm not too sure what all that means, but the vet gave Daddy some stuff in a bottle that I had to have in my ear two times a day, and said to come back a week later so the vet could see if my ear was better.
I didn't like how it felt when the stuff from the bottle went in my ear. I tried to be good about it for Daddy to put it in. I even managed to be good for the first couple of days. But after that I decided I'd had enough, so Mummy had to hold me down while Daddy put the stuff in my ear. I couldn't help it. I just didn't like that stuff getting squirted in my ear. I'm sure you'd hate it if someone was squirting wet stuff from a bottle in to your ear too!
Anyway, I went back after the week was up to have the vet take a look at my ear again, and he said it was all better, so there's a good chance it was to do with an infection. But he also said that Daddy should still put the stuff from the bottle in my ear once a day for a few more days. I don't see why I had to still have stuff in my ear if it was all better, and tried to tell the humans so. But nobody listened to me, and they kept right on doing it. They've stopped... They appear to have stopped now anyhow. I hope they don't start doing it again!
Lots of licks,
Lilie
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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