Lara Schiffbauer's Blog, page 8

Funny Friday Photos: Break Dancing Wood

Happy Friday and Happy *late* Thanksgiving for everyone who celebrates it.
The first few photos are Thanksgiving related. I couldn't help it. They were pretty funny.


I normally stay away from Miley Cyrus references, but this one really made me laugh.





Finishing off with general funny...




Not exactly an equal exchange.


Can you really do that? That would be so much easier.
Puns! The first is borderline, but it was so cute, I decided to use it, anyway.







Well, I hope everyone had a great week. :)

I'm sorry I don't have much to talk about. I feel like I'm letting everyone down or something, but my life is very mundane right now. Work, family, playing Minecraft with my family and writing. And watching iballistic squid Minecraft videos with my kids. That's life. And I have to say, it's a great life. But not exactly exciting, so I hope the photos are enjoyable enough to bring you back!

My favorite this week is Groot's break dancing predecessor. OH! I have a joke! I have lunch duty with 8th Graders, and to make it more fun, I started bringing jokes with me. There's a couple of tables who ask me for the joke of the day, so I'm starting to amass some jokes.

This one is: Who is Captain America's ancestor?  (wait for it.....) Captain Thirteen Colonies! (insert groan here)

Okay! Have a wonderful week, and I'll see you back here next weekend. Bye!!

Funny Friday Photos: A Pug In Sheep's Clothing

Happy Friday!
I don't have a lot to say this week. I hope your week went well, and you're getting ready for a happy, relaxing weekend. I'm not sure what I'll be doing, but I do believe a game of #ShakesTag will be occurring on Twitter. If you'd like to join us, keep an eye on Twitter. I don't know yet when we'll play, but I will tweet about it when I find out.
Thank you, Joe, Lexa, Suzi, Veronica and L.G. for the comments. None of us liked the same one most, so I guess there was no winner last week. :)
Here's the new photos:

Caption by Ailidhe.
Caption by Sirnottaguy-Imadad
A very soulful squirrel...



A throw-back to my childhood - Looney Tunes were the best.
From ican.hascheeseburger.com
From ican.hascheeseburger.com
Last seen with Spongebob Squarepants' friend, Bubble Buddy.
From ican.hascheeseburger.com
Puns!

Submitted by Nimo

Submitted by LOLdogexpert
I think my favorite this week is the Looney Tunes pug. It tickles me.

Hey, does anyone remember this?  Bugs Bunny and the Rabbit of Seville. One of my all time favorite cartoons!


Do you have a favorite?  Thanks for stopping by! 

Funny Friday Photos: Scary Speed Bumps

Happy Friday!
I can't get over how tired I was this week. I managed to get a few more chapters edited, but not nearly as many as I wanted. Hopefully I'll adjust soon and not be so tired after work. To be fair, I'm walking around all day. Can I just say that I am really liking working in the library? I find it quite motivating to be around all the interesting books.

No one agreed on which was the funniest last week, but thank you Cindy, Joe, Veronica, Suzi, Lexa and Diane for taking the time to vote! Here's the new photos:

From icanhascheeseburger; caption by vicious_cookie

From icanhascheeseburger; caption by Chris10a

Truth.
From icanhascheeseburger.

From icanhascheeseburger; caption by sandyra

From icanhascheeseburger; photo by Bladesofwoe; caption by GCHLoki
Puns:






I hope you have a lovely weekend and a superb next week!

My favorite was the speed bumps. What's yours?

Funny Friday Photos: Derpy Cats

Happy Friday!
I hope your week has gone well. I have enjoyed being back to work. I've decided I get a little too introspective when I'm left alone in my house. And spend way too much time on social media. I bet everyone on Twitter is thankful I'm not on there constantly, now.

Seven chapters got edited this week, and I'll continue to edit over the weekend. After I clean the house. Everyday life is so glamorous.

Last week's funniest photo was:


Thank you to Suzi, Veronica, David and Lexa, who all voted and also said nice things about my vlog, making me feel much more secure that I did it. Maybe I'll do one again sometime. I ended up having to put it on YouTube so it would convert to a file people can see on mobile devices. I'm not sure if my kids are embarrassed or impressed that they can find me on YouTube. A little of both, perhaps.

Are you ready for this week's photos? Here you go!


Photo from icanhas.cheesburger.com by user deescazz
Photo from icanhas.cheeseburger.com and user chris10a
Photo from icanhas.cheeseburger.com by anselmbe
Scales are evil.
Photo from icanhas.cheeseburger.com and user heyman
Dang! I left it in my other pants.
Photo from icanhas.cheeseburger.com

Photo from icanhas.cheeseburger.com
There is a flaw in this logic.
Photo from icanhas.cheeseburger.com via YouHadOneJob 
Puns!







An extra, because it's so true.

If you've every watched Dora the Explorer, you know the feeling.
If you haven't seen the new cover for Through the Fairy Ring, click here. It's so pretty, I'm really motivated to get the book finished.

My favorite this week is the derpy cat. Which is yours?

Cover Reveal: Through the Fairy Ring

Hi! Here it is, the cover for Through the Fairy Ring!



Settling into domestic bliss within the magical lands of the Realm proves harder for Hazel Michelli than she thought. The everyday stresses of being a single mother, running Rosen Manor and learning to wield her new-found magical powers quickly erodes her wonder of the magical world. Some days she can’t believe she’s only twenty-seven years old. She feels like her mother, and she doesn’t like it.

It’s only when rogue Fairies poison her children that Hazel realizes what is truly important to her. Each passing moment moves them further into the Spirit World and out of Hazel’s life. Returning them to health takes precedence over everything, including her complicated relationship with Arden, the duty-bound Daragward.

Desperate to find a cure, Hazel begs Edlark the Fairy King and Amena the Pixie Queen for assistance, but becomes entangled in Fairy-Pixie politics instead. Each promises to help, but only if Hazel agrees to their impossible demands.

Unwilling to play their games, Hazel hunts for an alternative cure. If she doesn’t find one, she’ll be forced to enter a profane alliance with the Fairy King, selling her soul and her future to prevent losing her children to the Spirit World forever.

Once I have the second draft back from the editor, I will set the book up for pre-orders on Amazon and Smashwords.
I feel very lucky to have found Jessica Allain, the cover designer, on such short notice. I talk about luck a lot on this blog, and while luck doesn't always work the way I want, in this case it was definitely on my side.
What do you think? Do you like the cover?

Bad News About the Book Cover

It is with a disappointed heart that I have to share the news the book cover contest will not be happening. There were too few designs to have a good contest, and so I closed the contest.

I am sorry that you won't get to vote on the cover. I did find a good solution to the problem. The designer is working on the cover now, and I should be able share it with you shortly.

Have a great week!

Funny Friday Photos: My First Vlog and Tough Kittens

Happy Friday!
Instead of writing the update, I decided to make a video! If you want an update on the book cover voting, push play.






Here's the new photos!

Just because of Halloween. Plus, iit's freaky.
Submitted to icanhas.cheeseburger.com by user kenbaker

From icanhas.cheeseburger.com
Submitted to icanhas.cheeseburger.com by user amathistblue
How'd that happen?
From icanhas.cheeseburger.com
Me, last night.
Obtained from memebase.com via icanhas.cheeseburger.com

From icanhas.cheeseburger.com
Well, that makes you wonder...
From DumpADay via icanhas.cheeseburger.comPuns!

Submitted to icanhas.cheeseburger.com by user insert_username_here
Who knows, he might be a philanthrofish. Sorry. I'm tired.
From icanhas.cheeseburger.comIf you're looking for a movie to see over the Halloween weekend, I highly recommend Crimson Peak. It's more creepy than scary, and very psychological. Tom Hiddleston was amazing, as usual, but his emotional range in this movie was absolutely outstanding. Even my husband said so! He should get an Oscar for this movie, and everyone should not worry about I Saw the Light. Jessica Chastain was amazing, as well, and the grandeur of the movie sucks you in. Definitely worth the price of a ticket, in my estimation.

I really like the Karma one, but also the shellfish pun, so I think they've tied for me.

Which is your favorite? Do you have any Halloween plans?
Bye!

Get Ready to Vote On My Book Cover

I just launched the contest for a book cover design on 99Designs, so in a few days I should be able to open up the voting to you wonderful people who have stuck around for two and a half-years between books!

In order to help you make the best choice, I'm sharing below the same things I shared with the designers, including the back-cover blurb for Through the Fairy Ring. I'll provide the links to my Pinterest author page, where you can find the individual pages for Finding Meara, Through the Fairy Ring and the Realm in general below the blurb, in case you want to see the visual inspiration I've had.

I'll also post the links to some music videos on YouTube. I'm not going embed them, as a couple of them are 2CELLOS and after Luka Sulic deleted the Instagram I had embedded in my post last week, and my horror at the thought it might be related to my sharing the Instagram on my blog, I'm just not going there with anything 2CELLOS related. (I offer an apology to Luka Sulic, too.)

Okay! Here's the blurb for Through the Fairy Ring! (This is so exciting!)

Settling into domestic bliss within the magical lands of the Realm proves harder for Hazel Michelli than she thought. The everyday stresses of being a single mother, running Rosen Manor and learning to wield her new-found magical powers quickly erodes her wonder of the magical world. Some days she can’t believe she’s only twenty-seven years old. She feels like her mother, and she doesn’t like it.

It’s only when rogue Fairies poison her children that Hazel realizes what is truly important to her. Each passing moment moves them further into the Spirit World and out of Hazel’s life. Returning them to health takes precedence over everything, including her complicated relationship with Arden, the duty-bound Daragward.

Desperate to find a cure, Hazel begs Edlark the Fairy King and Amena the Pixie Queen for assistance, but becomes entangled in Fairy-Pixie politics instead. Each promises to help, but only if Hazel agrees to their impossible demands.

Unwilling to play their games, Hazel hunts for an alternative cure. If she doesn’t find one, she’ll be forced to enter a profane alliance with the Fairy King, selling her soul and her future to prevent losing her children to the Spirit World forever.
Click here for the link to the Pinterest page.
Here's the link to 2CELLOS Celloverse which holds the same magic I feel about the Realm.
The link to 2CELLOS Benedictus which is like a scene soundtrack to a scene between Hazel and her kids after they've fallen ill.
The link to Skin of the Night by M83, which has the feel of Arden and Hazel's relationship. (I'm so excited I can finally share this, as M83 hadn't put up the audio on YouTube until just three months ago. I've wanted to share it for over a year.)
The link to 2CELLOS They Don't Care About Us which is like an anthem for Through the Fairy Ring.
And finally, Albannach's Eye of the Storm album, which has been inspiration for the Realm from the beginning. There are Albannach videos/audio files on YouTube, but none loaded by them that I can find, so I've linked to their webpage, where you can listen to bits of the songs. Maybe you'll like them so much you'll buy the album! They're indie, so their website is the only place you can find it.
All right! I'll be back in a few days to share the voting link with you for the contest. It may overlap with Funny Friday Photos, too. Have a great rest of the week until then!

Funny Friday Photos: Pushy Reptiles

Happy Friday!
I'm almost done with the back cover blurb for Through the Fairy Ring, which means we'll get to choose a cover soon! I say we, because I hope you will help me pick out the cover. I'll be using 99 Designs again, so you can have a say into which cover design you like the best. I'll explain more in the near future, so be on the lookout for an extra post.

I have two job interviews on Monday, so please keep your fingers crossed for me!

Last week's favorite photo is:



And the new photos!


Looks like there's some travelling involved.




Because it's so much more sanitary.






I've been filling out job applications that are about as clear.
And then, two pages later, you finally realize that you have no idea what you just read.
Puns!





I took the picture and my husband came up with the caption. Did we do good? Or was this groan worthy? :)



I think my favorite this week is the iguana and frog (is it an iguana?)

Which is your favorite?
Have an awesome weekend!

For the Writers: Are We Good Enough?

How many of us ask ourselves that question on a daily basis?

Artists, Writers and Performers, oh my.
The thing about creative pursuits is that, sooner or later, they should be shared with others. Yes, a person can write for themselves, but the magic happens when you share the story and other people can relate to it. Musicians can become masters of an instrument, but the magic happens when they share the beauty of that instrument and what they can do with it to the world. Actors can get together and read plays, but the magic happens when an audience member is held spell-bound at the intensity of emotion dramatized on the stage.

So the creative arts allow us to connect with others in a very unique way, but they also make a person vulnerable. Creators will receive external feedback at some point-sometimes good, sometimes bad. Or they won't receive any feedback (ie. no one will even bother to engage with their creation) and they'll wonder why.

Success?

I don't want to give a definition to what being successful as an artist is. Each person has their own definition, and maybe it wouldn't even include sharing their work with outsiders. However, the world's definition of success often involves significant social approval.

As a writer, it seems that popularity equals book sales  (if you're indie) and/or agent/publishing deals (if you're taking the traditional route), and so if those things aren't happening, you're not successful.

There, I said it.

And by that definition, even though I'm doing better than some, I am sooo not successful as a writer.

And there are lots of my writer friends who are feeling this pain as well. I'm seeing lots of blog posts about writer fatigue, how to deal with those depressive writer feelings (this one here, by Jan O'Hara at Writer Unboxed has some great advice), and questioning if they should continue or just quit.

How common are you?

On Monday, I was followed by @GritFire on Twitter, and saw the following tweet:

Don't be common. pic.twitter.com/XtdFpqbKOV— GritFire (@GritFire) October 19, 2015

I retweeted it with the response, "I'm trying! But what do you do if "it" never happens?" Because that's what I've been contemplating lately, and what I think my writer friends have been contemplating.

As writers we're told that, if we just write a great story (being special and uncommon), your book will sell, or you'll get an agent, etc... Or we're told to market our books one way, or submit our books another way, and then you'll grab the golden writer ring.

But what no one talks about it is the element of luck involved. Well, no one but Porter Anderson (@porteranderson). Thank God for Porter and his reality-based publishing industry posts.

Yes, hard work is first and foremost. If you don't put in the work to develop and master the skills to write a good story, then you're sure to be a failure. But the message of the tweet, and of writer society in general is "Work hard and you'll become something (special). If you don't become something, it's your fault. You weren't good enough."

But I don't feel like that's true. There have been plenty of famous people who acknowledge the roll luck, or timing, or any of a number different variables besides hard work played in their success. And then there are the confusing monumental successes that cause you to question humanity's taste and ask WTF?

There have been several opportunities for my writing career to be different, but it's not happened - and those opportunities have been out of my hands. External feedback, be it positive, negative or indifferent, is not something I can control.

I'm coming to accept that my stories, my blog (me!) just aren't resonating with a large audience of people, for whatever reason. And what do I do now? Should I quit? Should I stop dreaming? Should I stop trying? Am I truly not good enough to succeed as a writer?

An Answer from an Unlikely Source

@GritFire was nice enough to favorite my tweet, but they didn't give me an answer. I did find one, though, in the e.e. cummings-like tweet from Luka Sulic of the 2Cellos. (When I got blown away by their music several weeks ago, I naturally followed them (both individually and the 2Cellos account) on Twitter.)

Of course it wasn't a specific tweet directed toward me, but serendipity is everyday magic.

Be(lieve in) yourself!