Gloria Oliver's Blog, page 122

One of the Many Hats of an Author!

(Having surgery this week so prepping a post for Friday ahead of time because I've a feeling no movies will be seen for a week or two (*cry*) while I recover. Dying to see Cowboys vs Aliens and Captain America, but they will have to wait!)

Many people believe that all an author does is write their book. Twenty to thirty years ago that would have been true, but nowadays authors must wear many other hats to try to get their books out there and into the hands of readers.

One of the least expected ones (aside from Marketing Guru) is having to become an artist! And I'm not talking being an artist to make covers, I'm talking about art skills for all the extra materials you have to get out there - like logos, bookmarks, business cards, banners and more!

So anyway, I figured I'd share some of the things I've been busting myself on for the last few weeks. You see, I decided my old book marks were too boring.  Case in point:


Yeppers, the old book cover, back cover info and urls with fancy name. They've done me good service for many years, but I really felt it was time to spruce things up more! (I'd also ordered a way bigger size than I meant to back then! Oops!)

I lost a little room on what the book's about, but they look so much more handsome, don't you think?









I've double sided them, so two books per bookmark. With the last one odd out, I added a backside that I think came out quite nifty with all five covers. :)

What do you all think? Improvement or not? Do you prefer more book info? Or is the bits tantalizing enough?
I also have business card sized promo with the book cover and tag line on the front, the book back cover on the other side. Had the newest one I really wanted to show off but looks like I forgot to upload it. Will sneak it in if I can, if not, I'm sure I can find another time to foist it on you. Heh heh.



Have a great weekend!

Picture Kaleidoscope 7/20/11

Time for pics! And this week there's a ton!


Feathered skies like 70's hair. :P Okay more like light brushstrokes.


It always amazes me - the extremes of sky we get down here. Sheep in grazing in a prairie.


Kids are helping trying to spiffy up the house a little. The trees and birds came out great! Though the kids said the trees were a major pain to put up. Heh heh. (And yeah, those books there? Part of my TBR pile. Heh heh)


Hello sun! Live how gold the sky is in this one.


All these funky skies in a week. Texas skies rock.

Now for other peeps pics to share!

And talking of skies that rock, look at this pick by Trey Ratcliff. OMG! This was for the launch of Atlantis. Is that not just amazing?  Go Trey!

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This adorable kitten pic is from Jerry Davis. So cute!!!!

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Go take a peek at this super cool photo of a fly's wing by Chuck Wendig!  Well worth it!


Photo of the Day called Football by Kuntal Blaise D Costa.  Dang! Love that orange color.



Nasa had an awesome image of the shuttle.  The coolest part is the reflection!


MH Bohnam found and shared this beauty - Underwater Suite. Totally real.


Your eyes should be well and fed by now. Enjoy!  Heh

Mind Sieve 7/18/11

I got a ton this week. Let's see how far I get. :)





FansOfMovies share a link today to a film I've been waiting for for a long time - John Carter of Mars!


Gene Lempp shares ancient tales of the Devourer, Myth and Nightmare - chum for our imaginations taken from history. Sweet!

FansOfMovies shared a link to the first look at

JonMolina shared a link to a preview of Batman: Year One. Eliza Dushku is doing the voice of Cat Woman. YES!


Patrick Thunstrom expounds on Hellenic Greek Fashion! If we could get a runway and some fashion models, this would be the bomb!

Torchwood is back on Starz!  But if you've never heard of Torchwood and want the quick lowdown, Amanda Rudd has done it for you.

FansOfMovies shared a new clip for the Smurf Movie called "Toy Store Part 1". Come on, you know you wanna see it!  


Big Casting news from Buddy TV for "Supernatural" and "Firefly" fans! Jewel Staite will play in the 3rd episode of Season Seven.  Coolio!

Simon Pegg let out the news from SFX that Bruce Campbell confirms that he will be in EVIL DEAD 4. Groovy! (The original link no longer worked, but did find another story at SFX)

Gene Lempp talks Sacrifice and Cannibalism - and who wouldn't want to? Huh? (Great segue from Evil Dead 4 too, I just realized. lol)

Hollywood Reporter has info and trailer for Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.  Looks good!!!






Karen Harrington tells us the Two Items Needed In Every Author's Book Promotion Toolbox as a guest blogger at Marketing Tips. (I loved her energy!)

Chuck Wendig gives us his take on Google + in a post entitled of Google-Plus and Circle Jerks. (NSFW) (Feel free to add me to your circles - I'm already in there even if still mostly clueless - as per usual.) :P

Kristen Lamb warns Beware TADD (Twitter Attention Deficit Disorder) on Twitter Tuesday. (I stick to Tweetdeck at home and TechHit at work as it incorporates with Outlook.)

Kristen also tells us An Indie Cinderella Story for WANA Wednesday.(Dang! DANG! I need a clone, I need a clone BAD!)  Waaahhhh!







Candance Havens has a nice little post on The Courage to Create.

Rachel Gardner explains the different types of editing and shows and example of The Editorial Letter.  (Excellent post, peeps! Good to know what each type of edit means.)

Kristen Lamb tackles Struggling with Burnout? Word Poop Happens. (Good stuff here too!)

Fae Rowen wrote a great post on World Building: Part 1 - Physical Setting. (Just remember not to drown in it! There can be too much world building. :P)

Chuck Wendig once more cusses out the truth in The Trials and Tribulations of the Modern Day Writer. (WORD! Lots of truth here, peeps!) (Oh, and in case you forgot about Chuck - NSFW) :)


That's all folks! Happy reading!

Movie Review - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt 2

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2


Starring: Daniel Radcliff, Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Evanna Lynch, Matthew Lewis and more...


Directed by: David Yates From the Novel by: JK Rowling Screenplay by: Steve Kloves Original Music by: Alexadre Desplat

 Review:  The last of the Harry Potter films went out with a bang! The script was a lot tighter than Part 1, which did a lot to improve the film from the previous disaster.

As always, though the film is 130 minutes long, not everything can be covered, so you only catch glimpses or fallout rather than the whole scene for certain side matters from the books. This unfortunately meant that some of the losses of individuals during the combat were flashed by or seen after the fact and there is little time to grieve.

The intro catch up was quick and quite creepy and set the perfect mood for the somber times at the film's beginning. Everyone you know will be glimpsed sooner or later (except the Duddley's, though you do see Duddley's Mom as a teenager at one point).

The usual quips and little funny moments still peek out here and there, lightening the somber time even if only for a moment and from some unexpected sources.

The CGI effects were great! In the IMAX 3D the ride at Grimgots and the dragon, but specifically the defense shield set up and the raging fires looked magnificent. The Deatheaters and all the flashing magical attacks were great.

I found it quite amusing that the very lesson Snape tried to teach Harry in book 6 but which was then ignored by Rowling in Book 7 was actually used and taken to heart in the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - magic use without the need for words. Though in the beginning they do use it, once things get moving, they don't anymore.

The ending is even more brief than in the book, so be prepared. But over all it was well worth the ride.

Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating - Worth Full Price of Admission)

Picture Kaleidoscope 7/13/11

Pics time!

Petapixel shared this article on "Monkey Hijacks Photographer's Camera and Takes Self Portrait."  It's too funy. And they got some decent pics in too. Check them out! Here's a peek.






Let's play spot the sun! Hee! Texas skies are always changing. This is puffy sheep Texas sky. :)



Tried a new restaurant this weekend called Mojitos. Cuban and Caribbean food. Very similar to Caribbean Cafe.


John had Bistec Encebollado. They call it something else but I grew up with this name and can't recall theirs. (Doh!) Steak and onions, premixed black beans and rice, tomatoes, and friend plantains.


Forgot to take a picture of mine before I mixed it with white rice. It's called Picadillo. Sadly the cook forgot to mix in the potatoes. :(

Chuck Wendig shared this cute baby picture he took - Happy Baby Is Happy.  Personally? I swear Baby knows something and is giggling as he wallows in the reaction Daddy will have once it's discovered. Bwahahahahahaha~! (See, he almost has his picky up on his little fist. We'd best keep an eye on this one!) Heh heh

Douglas H Wheelock shared this amazing picture of Atlantis on the Move. You can see the shockwaves. Totally awesome! More info at the site.
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Jerry J Davis took this adorable kitty pic entitled Mao?

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Steve Wedel shared this link for some amazing photos on the Phoenix dust storm. Some just look bloody scary!

Some really interesting pics out this past week!  Enjoy!

Mind Sieve 7/11/11

Here are this week's offerings!





Jimmibjr wants us to test our Firefly mettle by watching the trailer for "My Little Serenity" (Fripping AWESOME!)


From FansOfMovies the link to the 3rd Cowboys vs Aliens trailer. Oh yeah!



Gene Lempp shared a link to a review by Tiffany White on TNT's Memphis. It's quirky and weird and I personally like it! Hubby even more so. Heh.






Kristen Lamb's WANA (We Are Not Alone) Wednesday - Understanding Influence: Making the Most of our Time on Social Media.I am totally not good at this. lol.

Google + - Kristen Lamb shares her thoughts on the new Social Media outlet.(Right now, if you already have a Google Account you can sign up to get email updates (they were allowing immediate sign up but got flooded! Heh heh). I can only think of it as yet another place to have a profile and add to my humongous list. lol.)

CasseraComm wrote a post about How to Increase Sales by Watching TV.  She makes some very good points! Useful for teasers on social media and trailers.

Justine Musk did a nice blog post on having a Brand and the Seven components of having one. Some definitely nice bits in here! 






Gene Lempp takes us to his latest playground to get our mental creative muscles moving - Forest of Sand. (Don't forget the sunblock!)

Chuck Wendig's tell all book Confessions Of A Freelance Penmonkey is out! You can find all the info, some reviews and more here. If offensive language doesn't bother you there are many gems to be found within his colored words. :)

How Star Wars Galaxies Taught Me About Social Media

Got an email in June from Sony informing me that the Star Wars Galaxies  MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) would be cancelled as of Dec 2011. Oddly enough, I'd just been thinking about the game a day or two before and a blog post I wanted to write about it. Getting that email has pushed me to decide to write the blog post now!

Star Wars Galaxies was my first MMORPG. I've since been in Beta or actually subscribed to a ton of others, but SWG was my first. It spoiled me, as it had a ton of awesome things going for it, despite the fact the actual level structure kept changing at what felt like every other week. Things that endeared me to it were the range of clothes of all colors (I'm not big into dressing up, but doing it for Iwresi was a blast! Moving paper doll!), furniture, houses, and the offering of some skill sets never before (as far as I know) offered to players.  So I had my main class, rifleman, and I was also a musician. (Later I did dance too!)

Meet Iwresi - my lovely Bothan female. She rocks! :)


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Dancing and playing instrumens had roles in SWG like I've seen nowhere else. You could do it in your group while adventuring to give buffs, or hang around the cantina where you could make a living by getting tips from buffing strangers as they came through. Grouping with other dancers and musicians made it even more fun and strengthened the buffs.

After a while, a lot of people used Macros (Automatic formulas for speech and movements) for their dancers/musicians and weren't even at their keyboards. (I can say with some pride that I was there clicking buttons for all my musician xp until I reached Master!) Bots, as such macroed play is called, were horribly impersonal.  So I went out of my way to greet people coming in. (Butchered a lot of names too until I could a way to click on them and a macro pull it for me and add to my typing! Heh heh. Fast/Correct typing is not my forte! You should see me when I'm running and trying to type and steer at the same time. Hah)

You'd not believe the difference it made. I started all sorts of conversations and made me some new friends here and there. Many would choose me for return business, because they knew if I was in the cantina, I really WAS there. :)  And even when it didn't start a conversation, it was at least acknowledging another human/non-human being, letting them know they existed and that someone noticed. And they were acknowledgin me and my own existance in return when they greeted me back. I know it doesn't sound like much, but the impact it's made for me when I am acknowledged for something I've said or the fact I showed up in a room is immense. (Especially since I am very much a wallflower. :P)


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This same principle very much applies to Social Media. We're typing out into a vacuum, hoping someone will see it, and when we're acknowledged or someone actually cares enough to ask about something we've said, it just gives you a little jolt, confirmation you're not alone and someone out there knows you're there.

These same lessons I've applied while out doing signings or manned tables at conventions. Never underestimate the power of eye to eye contact, especially when accompanied with a smile. People remember people who seem friendly, even if they never spoke a word to one another. But you've shown you're approchable and that you've confirmed their existence.

But the best part? The relatioships that will form in the end. Because you will see some of these people again and again and eventually speaking will happen. And you'll forge relationships and friendships that will last for years or longer. 

So thank you Star Wars Galaxies!  For the friends you helped me make and the lessons I learned because of you! You will be missed. Huzzah!

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Movie Review - Zookeeper

Zookeeper






Starring: Kevin James, Rosario Dawson, Leslie Bibb, Ken Jeong, Donnie Wahlberg, Joe Rogan, Nat Faxon, Nick Nolte, Adam Sandler, Sylvester Stallone, Cher, Judd Apatow, Jon Faveau, Faizon Love, Maya Rudolph, Bass Rutten, and more...

Directed by: Frank Coraci  Story by: Jay Scherick and David Ronn Script by: Nick Bakay, Rock Reuben, Kevin James, Jay Scherick and David Ronn  Original Music by: Rupert Gregson-Williams

Premise: Five years after being dumped for being a zookeeper, Griffin Keyes gets a second chance to win his lady love when she shows up at a party held at the zoo. But not feeling confident, he'll be offered help from an unexpected source - the zoo animals.


Review: The film had several funny moments, but that was about it.  The presentation of the animals was nicely done. They did it so well that occasionally you forgot they couldn't really talk. So that was great for the suspension of disbelief. Kudos on that side of things.

There are a couple of sub story lines that added some nice unexpected depth to the film. Kevin James is very likable and sells it very well. The animals themselves were a hoot, most of them with quirky personalities.

The TGI Friday's sequence was the best part of the movie. With the wedding party the second best section.

The movie was entertaining, but nothing extraordinary.  The ending set up was typical, and somewhat unbelievable as people can't just quit their jobs and come back, plus the issue of fronted airfare, stolen vehicles, and more gave it a deep sour note. Especially since they're totally overlooked and we do the cliched six months after immediately after resolution. So while it does end up happily ever after, they didn't work that bit enough so it fell a little flat.

Rating: 3.25 out of 5  (Hubby say's Would Have Been Better as Matinee.)

Picture Kaleidoscope 7/6/11

Hope everyone had a great 4th of July!
Now for this week's pics.


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In my never ending attempts to set trends, I present to you my new necklace idea - bandaids! Bwahahaha (Wish the doc had had some cool Hello Kitty or Dragonball ones, that'd have been the bomb!) :P This can catch on, right?(It's actually the spot where they inserted needles for a Thyroid gland test - but I still think it has great chic potential. :P The Saran Wrap Necklace for the prep at the other docs could also catch on. Women have to get these alot for there's definitely a fashion gap here. Make some $$.  Hee!)


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Once hubby was back on his feet after dental surgery we had to go see Transformers 3. (So worth it! See my review here.) Only place showing it in IMAX 3D for like 40 miles was Cinemark. (E tu AMC? Though it did mean we got to see Cars 2 in IMAX 3D there. Oh, yeah, movie review for that one here. Heh heh) Hadn't been to this theater in years. Had this coolest of ceiling get ups for the IMAX section of the building. Nice!
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As is typical, I didn't think of taking a picture of the funky food we were having till we're halfway done. The above is Green Tea Cheesecake from Edoko's. It's a manly dessert as only the berry topping is actually sweet. It was funky and good!
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This is a beautiful fountain hidden in the back of a restaurant culdesac at Legacy and 121. Took this on our way out so didn't get the fountain when it was shooting way high. :( Really a nice little round road set up. Hoping to try some of the other restaurants in there at some point. Heh heh.

That's it for this time out. Hope everyone had a great and relaxing holiday!  Till next time!

Mind Sieve 7/4/11

More links than you can shake a stick at! Heh

Also, Happy 4th of July!  Yay for Independence!!!







FanOfMovies shared a link from TotalFilms for an article with the
FanOfMovies also shared the third preview trailer for Cowboys vs Aliens. (Dying to see this movie!!)



From AJ Walker is this cool post on old ways to keep the spirits out of your home on Medieval Mondays.

Shared by Torbooks - Game of Thrones Muppets. Too cute! And so EVIL!

Jami Gold shared this fun quiz by Angela Scott to determine if You're A "Real" Writer. Very cute.






Kristen Lamb talks about Blogging in Themes. Weirdly enough my author tagline can also be my theme! Unveiling the Fantastic!  YES!

Jody Hedlund tries to break down How Much Time Writers Should Devote to Social Media. Sadly my ratios are totally out of whack. :(

EduClaytion shared a post on 3 Keys to Managing Your Life.Hah! Like that's ever gonna happen. Hee!

Jami Gold shared a post by GalleyCat on 5 Twitter Profile Mistakes Writers Should Avoid. Hah! I only missed #4. :P

Tony Eldrige shared a resource - Open Clip Art Library! Now I just need to make time to go troll what they have. lol.

Jason Boog gives us some goss on Google + and Authors. Could be very interesting!






Nathan Bransford shares 5 Openings to Avoid for your novel. (Hah! He didn't have "It was a dark and stormy night. :P)

Kathy Sullivan discusses POV at the Obscure YA Author's blog.

Kristen Lamb talks about Failure - the Forge of Excellence. 

Jami Gold shared a link to a post by Sue Ellen about 10 Things I've Learned About Writing by Walking My Dog.  Nice list. Lots of wisdom in there. :) (And cute doggie pics!)

Another blog post shared by Jami Gold from Jill Kemerer - Minor Adjustments for Major Impacts. Great post as these are great points!

Chuck Wendig shares 25 Things You Should Know About Revising and Rewriting. (NSFW!) Much wisdom amidst colorful language as usual. :P

Janice Hardy talks to us about Crafting Subplots. Definitely things to keep in mind. I always have a second document to track peeps, chapters, items. Must maintain control! Bwahahahaha

Kristen Lamb talks about Developing Your Unique Writing Voice (and Boundaries!). Some good stuff in here.

Strangling Mermaids - where Chuck Wendig explodes some more writing myths. (NSFW)


Okay, that should do it for another filter week. Have a great one!  And Happy 4th!