This has been a good week. The dog issue is resolved, my chores are nearly done, I'm looking forward to two D&D style games this weekend. Also, from what I can tell, the baby is developing well. I can feel her kicking and moving a lot more, and I'm pretty healthy. I found out from a recent blood test that I'm not anemic and that my blood levels were fairly normal. (Though, wish me luck since I'll be having a blood sugar test in February that will give me more details about that...)
It turns out that I didn't have to use animal control to resolve the issue with the dogs. (Thank goodness, because they were useless anyway.) I walked around my neighborhood, keeping my eyes open and found out that the dogs in question weren't wild. They're owned by someone in the neighborhood. I knocked on the door and had a friendly conversation with them.
Apparently the cat they killed was one of the stray cats that the family was feeding. They didn't want the cat to be killed and were surprised that their dogs were the culprits, saying that generally speaking they get along with other animals. They suspect that the dogs might've gotten carried away chasing the cat out of the yard. They've never attacked a person and were rescue dogs from Pets Incorporated. One of them was abused, but they're adjusting to living in a normal home nicely. Even though I was concerned that they were approaching me, their intent was more than likely friendly. The blood on the muzzles, however, gave them a more sinister appearance that day...
Anyway, the family is thinking of having the male pit bull fixed to make him less aggressive and they're going to try harder to keep them in the fence. When other dogs in the neighborhood come and run along the fence, it riles their dogs up and they charge the fence, slipping under it. We've often been irritated that the other neighborhood dogs can't seem to stay in their own yards, so this is just another problem caused by that issue.
Long story short, the dogs aren't wild, they don't have to be put down, and hopefully this won't happen again. I do feel a little bad about initially calling animal control on the neighbor's dogs, but they weren't wearing collars and were attacking another animal, so it was only logical for me to think they were wild. If I do see the dogs in my yard or in the neighborhood I've been told to please let the owners know, and I will. All's well that ends well.
As for writing, I haven't had much time. I've been running errands and going to doctor's appointments lately. I only have a few more months and I'll be having a baby, so my mind hasn't really been on it. I've written some more notes for the changeling story, but I'm a little stuck on the idea for the third book of the "Blood Rain" trilogy. I'm also struggling through the plot summary for the changeling story because I've hit a small road block trying to figure out where to go next. Still, I'll be writing again soon. My hopes are to start up again next week.
I've picked out a theme for the baby's room. Joel and I will be shopping around this weekend to register for a baby shower. It's going to have the theme "jungle animals," and we're going to paint the room a cheerful color of light yellow. We also think that the baby's first name will be "Evangeline" and the middle name will be "Melissa." Even though there are a lot of syllables in our last name, we think that if we call her "Eva" for short it should balance out nicely.
Other than that, there's really nothing new to report. I'll let you know if I can get some of my writing work started. In the meantime, while I'm a little bit writer's blocked, I'm working on an idea for an RPG. I'm thinking of running a PDQ system game based off of the film and television series "How to Train Your Dragon." I think it could be different and a lot of fun. Still, we'll wait and see. After all, I have a lot of games coming up. I at least am going to flesh out the world and I can keep it ready for if and when I do decide to run it.
Well, that's all for now. Keep reading and writing. I'm serious, pick up "Cold Days" or start reading the "Dresden Files" series if you haven't already.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Wild Dogs
I guess it's been awhile since I've written anything on this blog, so I won't skip over one of the more interesting stories that has happened to be lately, even though it's a sad story and it makes me a little sad to write it. Once again, I found myself at the wrong place at the wrong time (or maybe, in this case, the right place at the right time...we'll have to see).
A few days ago when I was heading home from errands, I witnessed something horrific that I've been trying to get out of my mind. While I was about to drive by, three wild dogs were killing one of the neighbors cats in their yard. The neighbors weren't home, so I knew I had to try to do something. I stopped the car and tried to help, but I think the cat was already dead when I got there.
I got out of the car and screamed at the dogs, waved my arms, ran towards them, and did everything I could think of to get them to run--they didn't run away, in fact, they just sort of looked at me. One was a pit bull and one of the others was a pit bull mix. The two bulls started to approach me. They didn't get close enough to touch, but it was clear by their body language that they weren't going to let me separate them from their kill. When I realized I was in danger (and, thus, my baby was in danger as well), I got back in the car and drove up the road to my house.
There was a man and his little boy walking in the direction. Thankfully, I was able to get them to turn around so that the boy wouldn't see the bloody mess and so that the dogs wouldn't try to hurt them for interfering like they nearly did to me.
I immediately called animal control, but as usual, they've been totally worthless. They said they would send a patrol later in the day or the next day and asked me if I could do something to catch one of them. Apparently, they don't "catch dogs" anymore, so they'll just leave it to the horrified, scared, pregnant lady that saw the attack. (Incidentally, they didn't send the patrol, so I have to call them again on Monday.) I drove back down to see if they had finally left the cat alone, but all of them gone when I got back and there was no sign of the cat. I'm fairly certain that they dragged it away to eat it.
Let me set the record straight, I like dogs very much. I also really like cats. And, I really don't like the thought of any animal getting put down, but there is such a thing as being socially responsible. I've seen them around for months now. I was hoping that I could just leave them alone. Still, I've recently heard that this isn't the only cat they've nearly killed and they aren't friendly towards any other animals. One of my neighbors' dogs has also gone missing recently, and I suspect the incident might be related. Because of the large amount of pets that have been mauled or killed by these dogs, as far as I'm concerned they're officially wild, feral animals and they no longer have my sympathy. I can't ignore this problem any longer.
The point is, they were desperate enough to be hunting their own food and they aren't afraid of people. It makes me wonder how long it'll be before they attack a person or a child. Thankfully, all of my animals are indoor animals, but I don't feel safe walking around my neighborhood anymore. This isn't the first time that those dogs have scared me into walking back to my house. There are lots of children and pets in this neighborhood and I don't want anymore of them to get hurt.
So far they're in a pack of three, but something needs to be done before their pack gets bigger and they get even bolder. I've decided to call animal control again. If they won't help, I'll try the police, if they won't help, I'll try the news. I might ask animal control to give me three large cages in the hopes of trapping the dogs, but I'm making this my business to fix this problem before I have my baby. I don't want some kid to be traumatized by losing a much loved pet, or for anyone to get hurt. I don't want to go to the news, but I really need animal control to do their job, because this isn't a problem I can fix by myself. I'll keep you posted. Hopefully, I won't have to do this again and in the long run I'll be saving more animals by putting down these three.
A few days ago when I was heading home from errands, I witnessed something horrific that I've been trying to get out of my mind. While I was about to drive by, three wild dogs were killing one of the neighbors cats in their yard. The neighbors weren't home, so I knew I had to try to do something. I stopped the car and tried to help, but I think the cat was already dead when I got there.
I got out of the car and screamed at the dogs, waved my arms, ran towards them, and did everything I could think of to get them to run--they didn't run away, in fact, they just sort of looked at me. One was a pit bull and one of the others was a pit bull mix. The two bulls started to approach me. They didn't get close enough to touch, but it was clear by their body language that they weren't going to let me separate them from their kill. When I realized I was in danger (and, thus, my baby was in danger as well), I got back in the car and drove up the road to my house.
There was a man and his little boy walking in the direction. Thankfully, I was able to get them to turn around so that the boy wouldn't see the bloody mess and so that the dogs wouldn't try to hurt them for interfering like they nearly did to me.
I immediately called animal control, but as usual, they've been totally worthless. They said they would send a patrol later in the day or the next day and asked me if I could do something to catch one of them. Apparently, they don't "catch dogs" anymore, so they'll just leave it to the horrified, scared, pregnant lady that saw the attack. (Incidentally, they didn't send the patrol, so I have to call them again on Monday.) I drove back down to see if they had finally left the cat alone, but all of them gone when I got back and there was no sign of the cat. I'm fairly certain that they dragged it away to eat it.
Let me set the record straight, I like dogs very much. I also really like cats. And, I really don't like the thought of any animal getting put down, but there is such a thing as being socially responsible. I've seen them around for months now. I was hoping that I could just leave them alone. Still, I've recently heard that this isn't the only cat they've nearly killed and they aren't friendly towards any other animals. One of my neighbors' dogs has also gone missing recently, and I suspect the incident might be related. Because of the large amount of pets that have been mauled or killed by these dogs, as far as I'm concerned they're officially wild, feral animals and they no longer have my sympathy. I can't ignore this problem any longer.
The point is, they were desperate enough to be hunting their own food and they aren't afraid of people. It makes me wonder how long it'll be before they attack a person or a child. Thankfully, all of my animals are indoor animals, but I don't feel safe walking around my neighborhood anymore. This isn't the first time that those dogs have scared me into walking back to my house. There are lots of children and pets in this neighborhood and I don't want anymore of them to get hurt.
So far they're in a pack of three, but something needs to be done before their pack gets bigger and they get even bolder. I've decided to call animal control again. If they won't help, I'll try the police, if they won't help, I'll try the news. I might ask animal control to give me three large cages in the hopes of trapping the dogs, but I'm making this my business to fix this problem before I have my baby. I don't want some kid to be traumatized by losing a much loved pet, or for anyone to get hurt. I don't want to go to the news, but I really need animal control to do their job, because this isn't a problem I can fix by myself. I'll keep you posted. Hopefully, I won't have to do this again and in the long run I'll be saving more animals by putting down these three.
Happy New Year
I hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Things have been very busy for me. I spend a good amount of time with my family and some quality time with my husband. In terms of actual work, I've mostly just been writing notes for my changeling urban fantasy novel, but I haven't been working very hard on writing at all. I'm taking a little break until I feel up for more writing again. Even though the holidays are over, I've got a lot on my mind.
Usually around this time I write about New Year resolutions. Still, oddly this time I don't really have any. I've noticed that I usually end up breaking my resolutions, so I didn't really see the point. Still, there are a few things I'm in the process of doing and things that I plan to do this year. I'm calling them "goals" rather than resolutions, and most of them HAVE to be done. Therefore, they will get done and that's that.
Currently, we're cleaning out the office to make it into the baby's room. The baby is due on April 25th, so I will have to have the room ready by then. I will be having the baby this year (no resolution about that...). I'll try to lose the baby weight after I have the baby, but I don't know how much strenuous exercise I'll be able to do. I think that depends on how complicated the birth is and how long it takes me to recover from it. Still, thus far I haven't gained too much, so that's at least something, and as far as I know, the baby is healthy. We've pretty much decided on the name "Evangeline" ("Eva" for short), and "Melissa" is definitely going to be the middle name. We might change our mind on the first name closer to time, but we're pretty sure Evangeline is the name we'll finally choose.
The theme of the room will be "jungle animals" mostly, but if I have the time I might still make a Chronicles of Narnia mural on the wall. I'm thinking that's an ambitious goal, though, especially since the room isn't even cleaned out yet. I'd like to have the walls repainted in a light yellow color. That's something I think we'll definitely do. We know that the baby is a girl now, but pastel pink is a bit much. We just want a cheerful color that will make the room seem a little brighter, so yellow sounded good to both of us.
I'm basically taking everything at a day by day basis this year. I would like to finish my profile for odesk.com to see if I can make a little extra money sometime before the baby is born. I would also like to get started on that changeling story and possibly get the notes nearly finished for the third book of the "Blood Rain" trilogy. Still, I also need to register for a baby shower, find a way to catch some dangerous wild dogs in the neighborhood (they've been killing off other pets and aren't afraid of people...kind of a long story), get the house ready for the baby, and possibly read some baby books. If the writing has to wait, it can wait. Family always comes first and I'm getting ready to add a new member to this family. I need to be as ready as I can be and be sure that my neighborhood is as safe as possible.
Speaking of writing, I got "Cold Days" the latest novel of the Dresden Files for Christmas and am currently reading it. If you like the Dresden Files, you'll like this book. I'm only a hundred pages into it, but I already know it will be good.
I also went to see "Les Miserables." It was very good. Some people are disappointed because they don't like movie adaptations of musicals. I thought the acting was good, the singing was great, and it managed to move me emotionally. I would suggest that if you like Les Miserables or musicals in general you go and see the movie while it's in theaters. I intend to buy it when it comes out.
Other than that, that's about everything that's new. I'm hoping to play in a Pathfinder game, a D&D game, and a Dresden Files game soon. (I might have less time coming up, so I'm trying to game as much as I can right now, but I'm hoping to stay in a few of them. They're on weekends, so Joel will be here to help me with the baby.) I've been putting a lot of thought into my characters, and that's a good exercise in coming up with story ideas and keeping a keen edge on my imagination.
Monday, December 17, 2012
So Much in so Little Time...
This has been the busiest two weeks in quite a long time. I had my ultrasound and found out the gender of my baby, went to see the Hobbit, threw a Christmas Party, and celebrated my stepdad's birthday as well.
First of all, the ultrasound went very well. So far the baby is developing perfectly and seems very healthy. It's a girl! I didn't have a preference in gender, but for some reason I was surprised. I thought it would be a boy. Still, it's nice to know and now I can start narrowing down the names. I think that we're probably going to make the middle name "Melissa" but nothing is written in stone yet. I have a feeling it's going to be hard to pick the first name.
I went to the RPX showing of the Hobbit on opening night, and as difficult as this is for me to admit, it was worth the extra money. The seats of the theater were very comfortable and leather like those of an expensive sports car. Even though I'm not a huge fan of 3-D usually, the 3-D was so smooth that it felt natural. The action scenes were easier to see for the effect, instead of blurry like I was expecting. Also, the increased frame rate made everything seem smoother.
Normally, I would write a long review for any new movie that I went to see, but I really can't find anything wrong with this movie. It stuck close enough to the plot while adding scenes from notes within Lord of the Rings and the Silmarillion, etc., that I feel it did Tolkien's work justice. There is a little more comedy within this movie than in Lord of the Rings, but there's also some dark themes and even some fairly scary scenes that set off the comic relief nicely. (Also, keep in mind while watching this film that the Hobbit was written as a children's book.) The acting was great, the effects were beautiful, and if you haven't gone to see it yet, then you should go.
I'm also pleased to say that the annual pot luck Christmas Party went very well. The food was great, there was plenty of it, and we had a pretty good turnout of about twenty people in all. I got to see some of my old friends that I don't get to see often enough, and spend some time with a few of my new friends from the writing group. I think it was the best one yet. We played Rock Band, watched and heckled old Christmas films, and talked until 4:00am. (I also learned a valuable lesson; I can't stay up that late anymore if I don't want to be a zombie until about 9:00pm of the next day. At least, the rest of my family was exhausted for various reasons as well, so Joe's party was mostly relaxing and quiet and I didn't feel too bad for my sleepiness.)
I'm looking forward to another busy weekend coming up. I have a steak night this week, a romantic Christmas date with my husband on the weekend, a family Christmas Party on Sunday, Christmas Eve with my parents, and then Christmas Day with Joel's parents. I'm looking very forward to spending more time with my whole family.
I haven't been writing or reading as much as I usually do. I think sometimes it's important to slow down and enjoy the holidays. After all (though I know I've said this before, I will say it again), living life, making memories, and having new experiences is how you become a well rounded person, which will benefit your writing in the long run anyway. Plus, I haven't made it any secret that other than Jesus (and to me Christmas is a religious holiday), my family and friends are most important.
Still, I'm hoping this week to make a few notes on "Blood God," book three of the Blood Rain series, and the urban fantasy changeling story that I mentioned a while ago. I'm actually getting pretty excited about the changeling project because I have some new ideas that I think will make it a better book. I've fleshed out the main character, come up with some interesting ideas about Arcadia, and have an idea for a unique twist for the ending. Still, I have a long way to go before I can start actually writing it. Wish me luck, and the ability to somehow manage my time well enough to write at all. (After all, I'm having a baby in April. There's quite a bit on my mind...)
In the meantime, I'll try to do better about keeping up this blog. Keep reading and writing!
First of all, the ultrasound went very well. So far the baby is developing perfectly and seems very healthy. It's a girl! I didn't have a preference in gender, but for some reason I was surprised. I thought it would be a boy. Still, it's nice to know and now I can start narrowing down the names. I think that we're probably going to make the middle name "Melissa" but nothing is written in stone yet. I have a feeling it's going to be hard to pick the first name.
I went to the RPX showing of the Hobbit on opening night, and as difficult as this is for me to admit, it was worth the extra money. The seats of the theater were very comfortable and leather like those of an expensive sports car. Even though I'm not a huge fan of 3-D usually, the 3-D was so smooth that it felt natural. The action scenes were easier to see for the effect, instead of blurry like I was expecting. Also, the increased frame rate made everything seem smoother.
Normally, I would write a long review for any new movie that I went to see, but I really can't find anything wrong with this movie. It stuck close enough to the plot while adding scenes from notes within Lord of the Rings and the Silmarillion, etc., that I feel it did Tolkien's work justice. There is a little more comedy within this movie than in Lord of the Rings, but there's also some dark themes and even some fairly scary scenes that set off the comic relief nicely. (Also, keep in mind while watching this film that the Hobbit was written as a children's book.) The acting was great, the effects were beautiful, and if you haven't gone to see it yet, then you should go.
I'm also pleased to say that the annual pot luck Christmas Party went very well. The food was great, there was plenty of it, and we had a pretty good turnout of about twenty people in all. I got to see some of my old friends that I don't get to see often enough, and spend some time with a few of my new friends from the writing group. I think it was the best one yet. We played Rock Band, watched and heckled old Christmas films, and talked until 4:00am. (I also learned a valuable lesson; I can't stay up that late anymore if I don't want to be a zombie until about 9:00pm of the next day. At least, the rest of my family was exhausted for various reasons as well, so Joe's party was mostly relaxing and quiet and I didn't feel too bad for my sleepiness.)
I'm looking forward to another busy weekend coming up. I have a steak night this week, a romantic Christmas date with my husband on the weekend, a family Christmas Party on Sunday, Christmas Eve with my parents, and then Christmas Day with Joel's parents. I'm looking very forward to spending more time with my whole family.
I haven't been writing or reading as much as I usually do. I think sometimes it's important to slow down and enjoy the holidays. After all (though I know I've said this before, I will say it again), living life, making memories, and having new experiences is how you become a well rounded person, which will benefit your writing in the long run anyway. Plus, I haven't made it any secret that other than Jesus (and to me Christmas is a religious holiday), my family and friends are most important.
Still, I'm hoping this week to make a few notes on "Blood God," book three of the Blood Rain series, and the urban fantasy changeling story that I mentioned a while ago. I'm actually getting pretty excited about the changeling project because I have some new ideas that I think will make it a better book. I've fleshed out the main character, come up with some interesting ideas about Arcadia, and have an idea for a unique twist for the ending. Still, I have a long way to go before I can start actually writing it. Wish me luck, and the ability to somehow manage my time well enough to write at all. (After all, I'm having a baby in April. There's quite a bit on my mind...)
In the meantime, I'll try to do better about keeping up this blog. Keep reading and writing!
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Finished Blood Moon and my 100th Post on this blog...
Hello everyone,
Sorry I've been so quiet lately. This is a special blog since this is the 100th entry. YAY! It's kind of hard to believe I've written on this blog 100 times. It makes me feel good to know that I kept up with it for so long. I do enjoy blogging, and hopefully I'll write at least 100 more.
As you know, this month is National Write a Novel Month (NaNoWriMo), and I'm pleased to say that I've finished "Blood Moon." I still need to proof it and send it to my test readers, but it came out to a decent 90,000 words and I'm pleased with it. I also have enough notes to officially begin "Blood God," the final book of the trilogy. I wrote 30,000 more words in "Blood Moon" this month. Hopefully, I'll reach my 50,000 word count by the end of NaNoWriMo, but I don't plan to stress out over it.
It was never my goal to "beat" NaNoWriMo this time. It was my goal to finish the second book of my trilogy, and I did reach that goal. (If I can "beat" NaNoWriMo as well then even better, but I believe in quality over quantity in my writing, so I was taking my time instead of rushing through it.) I really like my "Blood Rain" trilogy and I really like the main character. I want to see her through to the end of her journey before I begin anything else; to do anything less would seem like abandoning her.
I feel that if I start on the third book, I'll probably come up with more ideas and at the very least be able to finish the notes by the end of December. My goal is to have the final book done by the end of January or February. I think that is a realistic goal, especially if I finish the notes.
This has been a good Thanksgiving holiday. I spent time with my family, some quality time with my husband, and USC beat Clemson. I took a little break from writing and that was enough to rejuvenate me, making the day that I decided to work hard on my ending for "Blood Moon" a very good one. I am a firm believer in occasionally taking a little break so that you don't burn yourself out, but not a break long enough to make you lazy Still, I do plan to take another during the Christmas holidays if at all possible.
There are many things I'm thankful for this holiday. I'm thankful for my baby's health and for my husband's constant love and support. I'm thankful that my Mom is still free of breast cancer. I'm thankful for everyone in my family. I'm thankful for my good friends. I'm thankful that I was able to finish my book.
And, above all, I'm thankful to Jesus for his sacrifice and for looking after me and those I love. I know that despite our financial strain this year, things will work out with prayer, patience, and hard work. We've been given many blessings, more than we deserve.
As for the next project after the "Blood Rain" series is over, I'm not sure. I have a lot of different ideas, though. We'll just have to see. I was planning on writing my changeling urban fantasy story, but I've come up some different concepts in the last few weeks that are promising. I'll keep you posted.
I also might start doing a little bit of data entry work in my spare time to make a little extra money. Since the baby will be here in April, any extra money I could get between now and then would be helpful. Still, no worries. I'll find time to write. I always do. (Also, after my appointment on December 10th, I should actually know the gender of the baby. That's exciting. I'll keep you posted...)
Even after the baby is born, I still plan to write when I can. I believe changes in our lives strengthen us and make us better writers because they give us more experiences to draw on for our stories. Having a baby will be a great adventure.
In the meantime, as per my usual advice, keep reading and writing! I hope that you had a happy Thanksgiving holiday.
Sorry I've been so quiet lately. This is a special blog since this is the 100th entry. YAY! It's kind of hard to believe I've written on this blog 100 times. It makes me feel good to know that I kept up with it for so long. I do enjoy blogging, and hopefully I'll write at least 100 more.
As you know, this month is National Write a Novel Month (NaNoWriMo), and I'm pleased to say that I've finished "Blood Moon." I still need to proof it and send it to my test readers, but it came out to a decent 90,000 words and I'm pleased with it. I also have enough notes to officially begin "Blood God," the final book of the trilogy. I wrote 30,000 more words in "Blood Moon" this month. Hopefully, I'll reach my 50,000 word count by the end of NaNoWriMo, but I don't plan to stress out over it.
It was never my goal to "beat" NaNoWriMo this time. It was my goal to finish the second book of my trilogy, and I did reach that goal. (If I can "beat" NaNoWriMo as well then even better, but I believe in quality over quantity in my writing, so I was taking my time instead of rushing through it.) I really like my "Blood Rain" trilogy and I really like the main character. I want to see her through to the end of her journey before I begin anything else; to do anything less would seem like abandoning her.
I feel that if I start on the third book, I'll probably come up with more ideas and at the very least be able to finish the notes by the end of December. My goal is to have the final book done by the end of January or February. I think that is a realistic goal, especially if I finish the notes.
This has been a good Thanksgiving holiday. I spent time with my family, some quality time with my husband, and USC beat Clemson. I took a little break from writing and that was enough to rejuvenate me, making the day that I decided to work hard on my ending for "Blood Moon" a very good one. I am a firm believer in occasionally taking a little break so that you don't burn yourself out, but not a break long enough to make you lazy Still, I do plan to take another during the Christmas holidays if at all possible.
There are many things I'm thankful for this holiday. I'm thankful for my baby's health and for my husband's constant love and support. I'm thankful that my Mom is still free of breast cancer. I'm thankful for everyone in my family. I'm thankful for my good friends. I'm thankful that I was able to finish my book.
And, above all, I'm thankful to Jesus for his sacrifice and for looking after me and those I love. I know that despite our financial strain this year, things will work out with prayer, patience, and hard work. We've been given many blessings, more than we deserve.
As for the next project after the "Blood Rain" series is over, I'm not sure. I have a lot of different ideas, though. We'll just have to see. I was planning on writing my changeling urban fantasy story, but I've come up some different concepts in the last few weeks that are promising. I'll keep you posted.
I also might start doing a little bit of data entry work in my spare time to make a little extra money. Since the baby will be here in April, any extra money I could get between now and then would be helpful. Still, no worries. I'll find time to write. I always do. (Also, after my appointment on December 10th, I should actually know the gender of the baby. That's exciting. I'll keep you posted...)
Even after the baby is born, I still plan to write when I can. I believe changes in our lives strengthen us and make us better writers because they give us more experiences to draw on for our stories. Having a baby will be a great adventure.
In the meantime, as per my usual advice, keep reading and writing! I hope that you had a happy Thanksgiving holiday.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Surprise! I'm pregnant.
Well, I promised to blog about the "surprise" so here it goes. I'm pregnant and am almost done with my first trimester.
After the unfortunate incident with my first pregnancy, I was trying to wait to tell anyone the news. That was incredibly difficult. Still, I can spread the news now, so I will. We're not out of the woods yet, but I still think the chances are better that this one will work out, especially now that the first trimester is nearly over. Even if it doesn't, I'm not going to give up, but I'm hoping and praying that everything will go smoothly this time. We don't know the gender of the baby yet, but from what we saw on the ultrasound he or she certainly is active.
Currently, we have a few names that we like for girls and boys, but we may end up changing our mind when the time comes. Disclaimer: none of these names are after something/someone in particular. They're just names that we've always liked. Many of them were on the list years and years ago. Any family names will probably be middle names and we have a few ideas for those, but that will be a surprise if we decide to do it. Our current favorite first names for boys are, "Christian", "Nicholas," "Roman," "Skylar," "Caleb," and "Abel." The current favorite girl names are, "Evangeline," "Lydia," "Ariel," "Gabrielle," and "Alyssa."
Truthfully, we've had more trouble thinking of names for girls than boys for some reason. Evangeline and Lydia are my two top choices for a girl for now. As for the boys, I like all of those names, but we have some time to think about it since we won't know the gender until another ten weeks.
Anyway, that's the big news. Please be praying for me. I'm allowing myself to be excited now. Seeing that baby move was amazing and he/she is beautiful. I'm very, very happy, and truthfully a little bit nervous. Still, I think I'm ready for this now.
After the unfortunate incident with my first pregnancy, I was trying to wait to tell anyone the news. That was incredibly difficult. Still, I can spread the news now, so I will. We're not out of the woods yet, but I still think the chances are better that this one will work out, especially now that the first trimester is nearly over. Even if it doesn't, I'm not going to give up, but I'm hoping and praying that everything will go smoothly this time. We don't know the gender of the baby yet, but from what we saw on the ultrasound he or she certainly is active.
Currently, we have a few names that we like for girls and boys, but we may end up changing our mind when the time comes. Disclaimer: none of these names are after something/someone in particular. They're just names that we've always liked. Many of them were on the list years and years ago. Any family names will probably be middle names and we have a few ideas for those, but that will be a surprise if we decide to do it. Our current favorite first names for boys are, "Christian", "Nicholas," "Roman," "Skylar," "Caleb," and "Abel." The current favorite girl names are, "Evangeline," "Lydia," "Ariel," "Gabrielle," and "Alyssa."
Truthfully, we've had more trouble thinking of names for girls than boys for some reason. Evangeline and Lydia are my two top choices for a girl for now. As for the boys, I like all of those names, but we have some time to think about it since we won't know the gender until another ten weeks.
Anyway, that's the big news. Please be praying for me. I'm allowing myself to be excited now. Seeing that baby move was amazing and he/she is beautiful. I'm very, very happy, and truthfully a little bit nervous. Still, I think I'm ready for this now.
50 Shades of...Oh My!
Well, I promised that I would write this review about the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy before I thought better of it, so here it goes. I'm going to try to explain what is good and bad about these books, and I'm going to try to, above all, be fair. Initially, I was going to make this more amusing and poke a bit of fun at it, but I've noticed from others who have read these books that the reviews tend to totally trash them. There are actually good things about these books and I think being that harsh with a new writer is rude. So, here is what I hope is a fair assessment. Let's get the bad over with first...
First of all, I'm not sure what all of the fuss is about. These kinds of stories have been around for a very long time. Just look up BDSM short stories on the internet and see what comes up. I assure you it'll be ten times worse than the 50 Shades of Grey series. I think the "big deal" is that this one was marketed towards a normal book store as opposed to where you would normally find a book like this. Also, many people never were exposed to this lifestyle before reading these books. However, despite the fact that the books are mildly pornographic, the scenes are no worse than those of any other trashy romance novel. There's a lot of sex in the trilogy, to the point it eventually gets to be repetitive, almost boring, but clearly there is a market for that sort of thing.
The biggest problem I saw with this series are problems that stem from the fact E. L. James is a new writer. She repeats words and phrases throughout the entire book series. Word variation is one of those things that's important because a reader literally gets bored when you use the same words over and over again, and it makes it seem that you don't have an extensive vocabulary. I think E. L. James can do better due to the use of words like "mercurial." (Though, I have to admit, "mercurial" got on my nerves. I had never heard that word before I got these books and by the end of them it was ingrained in my head.) Also, let's just say George Takei ruined the phrase "oh my" for me. Every time there was an "oh my" in a love scene, I heard it in the George Takei voice and saw him saying it. Kind of a mood killer...
There was another problem with the third book that the other two didn't have that I feel needs to be mentioned. At the beginning there are a series of flashbacks. The flashbacks occur every other chapter until about page eighty. Never put that many flashbacks in a book, especially in the beginning of one. It was hard to get into "Fifty Shades Freed" because I was interested in what was happening in the "now" and when we backtracked it derailed my interest. Too many disjointed flashbacks is a common problem for new writers as well. I've done that before, but not every other chapter like that. Truthfully, there is a long flashback in the opening of my new book, but it isn't disjointed. It's jarring to go from flashback to present, flashback to present, flashback to present.
Finally, I do take issue that this was a Twilight fanfic. I somehow managed to look at it from an unbiased perspective, but occasionally, I just couldn't. I felt more needed to be changed for me to appreciate it as a work that stood alone.
Still, there are several good things she did to make it stand apart. The back story for Christian Grey was good (it actually reminded me a good deal of the back story for "Dexter," making me wonder if she was inspired by that as well). The characters weren't as annoying as those in Twilight either. I could actually identify with the main character, even though she was VERY naive for her age, something I had trouble doing with Bella, Edward, or Jacob when I read that series. (I'm not even going to bother to review that one. The story falls apart when you realize that Edward is over a hundred years old and falls in love with a teenager. I'm thirty and I hate angsty teenagers now. Also, he's practically starving on the animal blood, and she smells like a steak--he would've eaten her.) Anyway, Christian Grey was a very interesting character that had emotional depth. Even though we're seeing things through Anastasia's eyes, Christian is the main character of the series, which I thought was a kind of interesting twist.
Also, for being a "dominant" Grey actually is a pretty likeable character. If you've ever read anything else like this, most of the time the men are complete and utter scoundrels with no redeeming qualities. If you are just learning about this sort of thing from these books DON'T read Anne Rice's "Sleeping Beauty." I've read stories like this before, and I couldn't get sixty pages into that book because the man was such a jerk I wanted to kill him. Grey is different. He actually does have redeeming qualities, but you do need to keep an open mind and give the series a chance for them to come into play. Also, this is a story about redemption and overcoming the things from his past that make him the way that he is. By the end of the series, he's changed a good deal and so has Ana.
The stories themselves were actually pretty addictive. There was enough action going on in the background that I found myself skimming some of the sex scenes because I wanted to see what happened next. Even though it was "convenient" for one of the villains from Christian's past to come up randomly by crossing Anastasia's path, I think that's a plot device that all of us are guilty of using every now and again. And, I know from experience, the world is a lot smaller than I'd like it to be, so that's one of the complaints about these books I don't agree with and found actually plausible.
Long story short, I actually liked these books. The action (I mean the story not the ahem...action) kept my attention and I read all three. The writing style needs work, but I think E.L. James could be a much better writer with more practice. By the third book many of my complaints except for the additional one were already getting better. She's extremely lucky to have her books catch on like wildfire, but I think she knows that, and I'm happy for her. I'm legitimately happy for her. It was a pleasant surprise at the end of the series that she had a large, all caps "Thank you so much for reading," blurb. She appreciates her fans, and that's a good quality in a writer.
J.K. Rowling said, when she found out how well this book sold, "maybe I should've had Harry be more creative with his wand." What a smarmy thing to say about someone else's work when Rowling was just as lucky to have her work catch on like it did. The witch and wizard school concept has been done before. The first time I was exposed to it was from the Disney movie "Worst Witch." I swear, the more I hear about that woman the less I like her...don't get me started on the "resource book" case. She's a good writer, but I'm becoming convinced that fame has gone to her head and being a good writer isn't everything.
My point is, I think we're all being a little harsh and I think it stems more out of jealousy than legitimate complaint. We try and try to do everything right so that our books will get published. We strive to make our books less cliche, make sure our grammar is impeccable, not repeat our words, and someone came along who broke those rules and is now a millionaire with the biggest audience base a book has gotten in a very long time. It actually gives me hope. I think that means that if there's a market for a certain type of story, your audience will forgive you for your stylistic shortcomings. Thank goodness for that, because I know I have a long way to go.
And that's my review. This has been pretty long...oh my!
First of all, I'm not sure what all of the fuss is about. These kinds of stories have been around for a very long time. Just look up BDSM short stories on the internet and see what comes up. I assure you it'll be ten times worse than the 50 Shades of Grey series. I think the "big deal" is that this one was marketed towards a normal book store as opposed to where you would normally find a book like this. Also, many people never were exposed to this lifestyle before reading these books. However, despite the fact that the books are mildly pornographic, the scenes are no worse than those of any other trashy romance novel. There's a lot of sex in the trilogy, to the point it eventually gets to be repetitive, almost boring, but clearly there is a market for that sort of thing.
The biggest problem I saw with this series are problems that stem from the fact E. L. James is a new writer. She repeats words and phrases throughout the entire book series. Word variation is one of those things that's important because a reader literally gets bored when you use the same words over and over again, and it makes it seem that you don't have an extensive vocabulary. I think E. L. James can do better due to the use of words like "mercurial." (Though, I have to admit, "mercurial" got on my nerves. I had never heard that word before I got these books and by the end of them it was ingrained in my head.) Also, let's just say George Takei ruined the phrase "oh my" for me. Every time there was an "oh my" in a love scene, I heard it in the George Takei voice and saw him saying it. Kind of a mood killer...
There was another problem with the third book that the other two didn't have that I feel needs to be mentioned. At the beginning there are a series of flashbacks. The flashbacks occur every other chapter until about page eighty. Never put that many flashbacks in a book, especially in the beginning of one. It was hard to get into "Fifty Shades Freed" because I was interested in what was happening in the "now" and when we backtracked it derailed my interest. Too many disjointed flashbacks is a common problem for new writers as well. I've done that before, but not every other chapter like that. Truthfully, there is a long flashback in the opening of my new book, but it isn't disjointed. It's jarring to go from flashback to present, flashback to present, flashback to present.
Finally, I do take issue that this was a Twilight fanfic. I somehow managed to look at it from an unbiased perspective, but occasionally, I just couldn't. I felt more needed to be changed for me to appreciate it as a work that stood alone.
Still, there are several good things she did to make it stand apart. The back story for Christian Grey was good (it actually reminded me a good deal of the back story for "Dexter," making me wonder if she was inspired by that as well). The characters weren't as annoying as those in Twilight either. I could actually identify with the main character, even though she was VERY naive for her age, something I had trouble doing with Bella, Edward, or Jacob when I read that series. (I'm not even going to bother to review that one. The story falls apart when you realize that Edward is over a hundred years old and falls in love with a teenager. I'm thirty and I hate angsty teenagers now. Also, he's practically starving on the animal blood, and she smells like a steak--he would've eaten her.) Anyway, Christian Grey was a very interesting character that had emotional depth. Even though we're seeing things through Anastasia's eyes, Christian is the main character of the series, which I thought was a kind of interesting twist.
Also, for being a "dominant" Grey actually is a pretty likeable character. If you've ever read anything else like this, most of the time the men are complete and utter scoundrels with no redeeming qualities. If you are just learning about this sort of thing from these books DON'T read Anne Rice's "Sleeping Beauty." I've read stories like this before, and I couldn't get sixty pages into that book because the man was such a jerk I wanted to kill him. Grey is different. He actually does have redeeming qualities, but you do need to keep an open mind and give the series a chance for them to come into play. Also, this is a story about redemption and overcoming the things from his past that make him the way that he is. By the end of the series, he's changed a good deal and so has Ana.
The stories themselves were actually pretty addictive. There was enough action going on in the background that I found myself skimming some of the sex scenes because I wanted to see what happened next. Even though it was "convenient" for one of the villains from Christian's past to come up randomly by crossing Anastasia's path, I think that's a plot device that all of us are guilty of using every now and again. And, I know from experience, the world is a lot smaller than I'd like it to be, so that's one of the complaints about these books I don't agree with and found actually plausible.
Long story short, I actually liked these books. The action (I mean the story not the ahem...action) kept my attention and I read all three. The writing style needs work, but I think E.L. James could be a much better writer with more practice. By the third book many of my complaints except for the additional one were already getting better. She's extremely lucky to have her books catch on like wildfire, but I think she knows that, and I'm happy for her. I'm legitimately happy for her. It was a pleasant surprise at the end of the series that she had a large, all caps "Thank you so much for reading," blurb. She appreciates her fans, and that's a good quality in a writer.
J.K. Rowling said, when she found out how well this book sold, "maybe I should've had Harry be more creative with his wand." What a smarmy thing to say about someone else's work when Rowling was just as lucky to have her work catch on like it did. The witch and wizard school concept has been done before. The first time I was exposed to it was from the Disney movie "Worst Witch." I swear, the more I hear about that woman the less I like her...don't get me started on the "resource book" case. She's a good writer, but I'm becoming convinced that fame has gone to her head and being a good writer isn't everything.
My point is, I think we're all being a little harsh and I think it stems more out of jealousy than legitimate complaint. We try and try to do everything right so that our books will get published. We strive to make our books less cliche, make sure our grammar is impeccable, not repeat our words, and someone came along who broke those rules and is now a millionaire with the biggest audience base a book has gotten in a very long time. It actually gives me hope. I think that means that if there's a market for a certain type of story, your audience will forgive you for your stylistic shortcomings. Thank goodness for that, because I know I have a long way to go.
And that's my review. This has been pretty long...oh my!
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