Got an ubber-exciting package from Tokyopop in the mail the other day. 5 books to review: Scrapped Princess #1-3, Kino No Tabi #1, and Alex Unlimited, The Vosarak Code. Squee! I love being a reviewer. Getting a package like this just makes all those bad ones bearable. Now don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of good books out there and just because I don’t like a couple of them doesn’t mean they are bad. But after reading a book that I gave a 2.5 (out of 5), these just make me feel so much better. The last Tokyopop books I received (The Twelve Kingdoms #1, Life #1, and 12 Days) all received great scores (er... save for THE ONE THAT SHALL NOT BE NAMED!).
I’m having a little trouble with the web design, too. I don’t know what I want it to look like! I came up with 3 designs so far. I’ve become sick at looking at the first, the second one looks too much like a blog (but I love it) and the third one seams a little... clustered. Of course, some nifty finger work and the last could work. I’ll probably use it, as it’ll fit everything better than the other ones. Now I just need to figure out a way to incorporate advertising.
Er... how’s my writing going?
...
No comment. Nope, none. Please don’t force it out of me... OK! OK! I’ve done nothing! -cries- Nope, not a thing (ok, 1 thing. I put the layout I came up with on my PDA. Does that even count?) I’m hoping once TGP gets all settled down I can do some more work. Boy, do I hope.
Lastly, I cut my hair! Yep, a good 13 inches. The last time I cut it was... hum.. right before the 9th grade. My grandmother brought me to the salon to get it cut for high school. That was the last time I professionally got it done. I’ve had it trimmed about once a year, but only 2 inches or so. Boy, to think I’ve waited 10 years and only cut 13 inches! It’s still below my shoulder blades, so I might just cut it again at the end of summer. I also died it, a nice temporary burgundy. I like the color, though everybody says it’s too purple. Ha, what do they know? I like it. I might do it purple next time ^_^ we’ll see.
Happy writing, happy reading, happy life!
Amber
As I do most mornings, I stumbled to my computer blurry eyed and flipped on my computer. Well, more like pushed as the computer has a button not a switch, but you get the idea. After starting the internet and my email client, I stumbled into the kitchen to start the kettle and noticed the biggest bon-fire I have ever seen practically in my front yard. Ok, it wasn’t really in my front yard, it was across the street, but fire, when it is that close to my house, is close enough. It was burning in the small area, about a quarter of an acre large, that most people in my neighborhood have been using as a yard waste pile. Lovely, right? A pile of sticks, twigs, leaves, and old Christmas trees (can you imagine how those things went up when they where tossed on the fire?!) accumulating for who knows how long. I guess the owners of this darn place have decided to get rid of it and the quickest way to do that is burn it. Would have been nice if they had told us first. Their suppose to do that, right? -sigh- It’s still smoldering (at almost 10pm). Oh, the genius of some people.
So, a little dumbfounded, I sat in my some what un-comfortable desk chair and checked my email. I bounced back the 50+ pieces of spam, replied to what letters needed a reply and finally started to read my newsletters. Ralan’s news was at the top and at the bottom of that? The announcement that Sword and Sorceress, the anthology originallyedited by the late great Marion Zimmer Bradley. After her passing, the anthology continued to issue 20, filled with Marion’s picks. Issue 21 fallowed by an associate and 22 is now to fallow. Yay! So, now I have roughly a month to produce a 9,000 word short story. No problem, right... er, yah.
Family Trees
I can’t believe it. I really can’t believe it (well, I do believe it, but If I keep repeating this phrase to my self I may be able to absolve of all liability). What is it I have done, you ask? Why, the most horrid thing imaginable! I have written the family trees for characters from 4 of my stories, and came up with 7 more stories all of which are connected quite complicatedly) that are just dieing to be told.
Oh, this doesn’t sound so bad does it? Well, think again. With only 3 more months in my self deadline, more ideas is not what I need. I have been attempting to work them out like I usually do, by writing out their ‘blurbs’ and putting them in my idea book, but the more I think on them the more ideas I get. While ideas are great, they won’t get my current piece written and I need to get it written so I can write the other stories.
So now, to get back in the mood of writing my original story, I’m going through about 17 classical CDs pulling off the stuff I like (the darker, more mellow and slow pieces) to put together a writing album. Normally I listen to hard rock or stuff I pull off Anime movies, but since I’m writing a Victorian, I might as well listen to music from the period.
If the Family Trees weren't my only problem, we’ve been experiencing wonderful 60+F weather. When it gets above 60, I pull out the iced tea and crack open the window. When the window is open, the cat’s want to smell the fresh air. Why isn’t I never remember these things? I’d blame the weather for the hibernation of my brain if it wasn’t hibernating all year long. My mistake this time was leaving a full tumbler-type glass full of iced tea on my desk right next to my keyboard while I left the room. Sure enough, P-Bear, my cat, decided “hey, I want some fresh air” and knocked the tea all over the place. Nothing save my keyboard and sanity where harmed. The keyboard I can still use even though it’s causing my sanity to stretch just a little more as I type ! and get bumped down to the next line or use the up arrow and get the help menu. And if that weren’t enough, I have another cup of tea in the exact same spot today... Man, I never learn.
In movie news I came across some thing I find... really cool. Tales from Earthsea - The anime version!! For those of you who don’t know yet, I love anime. I’m in no way a fanatic, just a very big fan. It turns out that Ghibli Studios (which is currently associated with the Disney corporation -who isn‘t?) has or will be coming out with an animated version of Ursula K. Le Guin’s classic Earthsea (if you haven’t read it, you must! It is one of her best). I can not wait to watch this one even though it looks like I‘ll have to wait until 2009! I loved Howl’s Moving Castle and Spirited Away. I’m sure this will be no exception. Man, this only makes me want to get back to my Japanese language studies.
Read the synopsis here: http://www.ursulakleguin.com/GedoSenkiSynopsis.html
View the trailer here (in Japanese): http://www.ghibli.jp/25trailer/
Lastly, but never least, my mother send me a link to a web site with wonderful art: . He has such wonderful and unique backgrounds. If I had more time I’d download everything, but have settled with only downloading a couple. I’m afraid that if I did more than 2, or 3, or 5... I’d keep going until I had everything save sleep and more works on my MS. This little pick below is of his newest background. See? Nice, hu? -link-
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As always, happy reading, happy writing, happy life!
Amber
PS. The Gilded Pen’s Grand Opening has been pushed to April
1st due to technical problems. The darn DNS refused to be pushed to it’s new location which means the site will not work until it does.
With the rain, the frogs have returned. No, not a couple of little frogs croaking away down in the slough. I mean an army of frogs. Perhaps well over a hundred. Trust me, I’m not over exaggerating here. Every year during the winter the slough that runs about 100 feet in front of our house starts filling with water (it’s a slough, not a stream, so it’s all over flow that, personally, I could do without. Who in their right mind would want road-side runoffs running next to their house?). Right now there are only a couple. 5 or 6 perhaps. You can tell by their croaks. Like people, they all have slightly different voices. Some low and long, others high and fast. It’s rather comforting in the evening. It’s when you get more and their all going at once that’s creepy. Well, it’s not really creepy while their going, but rather when they stop all of a sudden.
Imagine, if you will, walking out side. It’s cool, damp, and dark out. Your taking out the trash that somebody forgot (you can’t leave it in because the dog will have it all over the living room in the morning and you don’t want to clan up old chicken bones off the couch). The frogs are croaking, the leaves are dripping, then all of a sudden... nothing. Dead silence. Now you wish you had turned on the back porch light even though it wouldn’t have made any difference since the garbage can is on the other side of the house. Off in the distance you hear a crunch and a snap as something wonders through the orchards. You know it’s nothing. The neighbors dog, perhaps. Or one of the neighborhood strays. It doesn’t matter, panic has already settled in the pit of your stomach. Get it? Yah, I thought so. Once the rest of the ‘gang’ arrives, I’ll have to get a recording.
In other news, I was able to take some awesome pictures with my camera. Being without a car and having to take the buss opens one up to many unique opportunities. For one, I get a nice workout. Having to walk 15 minutes to the buss stop and 15 back is a great work out. I’m not a slow walker, so I know I’m burning something. Second opportunity: mochas. Mmmm. There is one of those drive through coffee shops on the corner of Main street that makes wonderful mochas. If I take the buss to the downtown hub, I treat myself (and whomever else is with me) to a Black and While Blended Mocha. Yah, does wonders on the diet, hu? Good thing it’s a 35+ minute walk home from there. If I get a mocha and I‘m not buying groceries, I walk. That brings us to opportunity #3. Wonderful camera shots. In an old, Victorian-style ranch town, there are so many neat things to take snap shots of, even if it makes me look like a tourist.
Lastly for the day (even though it is already past midnight) I have re-put together my ornament package for the LUNA ornament exchange. Yikes! I know, its February. I felt so bad for my partner that I made up an extra little baggie for her. I hand-knitted the little bag, stuffed it with some Burt’s Bees samples and a lipstick that’s more like a lip-gloss, homemade by my mother. All natural, wonderful stuff with no animal testing (well... we didn’t test, but that doest mean they didn’t get into our stashes). I had some dog treat set aside, too, but the cats found them and, well, there gone now. Hopefully she doesn’t have any dogs right now, so I don’t have to feel too bad (she’s one of those won derful people, much like myself, who is helping the animal community by fostering rescues. That makes me feel even more terible that I hadn’t gotten the ornament to her sooner).
Now, since it’s well past my bed time, I’m outa here. I’ve written more on this blog today than I have on my whole story and I really must get back to work. Yah, I did just say it’s past bed time. I’m going to lay in bed with my note book and see if I can pop something out for the synopsis.
Happy writing, happy reading, happy life!
Amber
Oh! Before I forget. For those of you who don’t know, The Gilded Pen will open March 1st! I have some wonderful authors already on board who just might be sending in some gifts for the grand opening! Feel free to spread the word to EVERYBODY! And if your and author and have something you’d like to send along, check out our home page: http://thegildedpen.com. ~A
Mood: Hopped up on caffeine
Listening to: Wolfmother
Well, it's that time again. 2006 has slithered into history leaving behind it a broken trail of resolutions while 2007 has taken root and refuses to budge. Ok, well, fine then! New resolutions on the way! I was failing last years as it was.
This year, I've added some reasonable resolutions. A little hard work, some juggling, and I'm all set. I've also thrown in those un-reasonable resolutions, but hey, I have to have something in there to make me smile, right.
My New Years Resolutions for 2007
- Complete 1 manuscript (75,000 words or larger)
- Complete and Submit 3 professional short stories
- Update web site more often
- Update blog more often
- Take more photographs
- Find my own place
- Get 'The Gilded Pen' off the ground
- Read (completely, the whole way through, and enjoy) 50 novels
- Knit a bedspread (or afghan the size of a full size bed)
- Knit a pair of socks or slippers
- Knit something with beads
- Send out more birthday gifts/cards
- Plant a garden
- Grow my own Tea
- Exercise 30 mins/day, 5days/week
- Lose 96 lbs
- Set more personal deadlines
- Go to bed by 11pm, and wake up by 8am
- Get out more
- Make more money
- Be more tidy
- Pay off some bills
- Don't acumulate any more bills that will need to be payed off
- Work with my horse so I can ride her
- Go through boxes (yah, all those hiding in my closet and under the bed)
So what about you? What are your resolutions for the new year? Did you make any of last year's?
Happy Writing!
Amber Jennell
Oh, and before I forget. TheGildedPen.com is almost up! February 1st is the grand opening with prizes, give-a-ways, and more!! AS a special promotion, the first month's advertising will be free. As there are only 25 spots, I'd get in on this now before all are taken. This is for ads 100x160. There will be only 10 spots open for regular banners (468x60). E-mail thegildedpen@gmail.com.