This weekend I’m thrilled to be a part of Tales of Love and Magic – where you can grab several romantic fantasies for only $.99! For more details and the list of participating authors, go to EbookPromos.Wordpress.com. This is your last chance to get The Rose of Shanhasson for .99! Sale starts Feb. 10th.
No, I’m still not done with Lord Regret’s Price, though I’ve crossed the 45K mark. Considering how much story I have left, I’m guessing I’ll be closer to 60K than 50K when it’s all said and done.
I’m off from the Evil Day Job today, but I also have a hair appointment that’ll take about 2 hours, and the monsters get out of school early on Fridays. I’m hoping to write and write and write until I can’t write no more. No goofing off watching movies on Netflix or playing Big Fish Games! I’m in my office, just like it’s a normal work day. (Plus the puppy is easier to keep track of when she’s contained in a single room than having free rein to roam all over the house.) I’ll have to run up and down the stairs for coffee, but a little exercise in between stints will do me good.
I don’t think I’ll be able to finish today, but I’m hoping for a really huge word count. We’ll see how it goes!
Today I’m over at Here Be Magic talking about my all-time favorite series: Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time.
And yes, I have started to reread the massive series. I will need to repurchase the first three books — the paperbacks fell apart a long time ago. I thought about buying them in Kindle, but I like to have the entire series in the same format. Book 4 and beyond are all in hardcover, so I guess I’ll stick to dead-tree books for this series.
This isn’t the first reread I’ve done. It used to be my tradition to help the years pass until the next release by rereading all the books in the series so far. I did that through book 7. After that, I just couldn’t do it any longer. I was working full time, then we had kids, then I started writing myself. I started to fall behind. I’m pretty sure the last book I actually read was 10. Yikes! And these are massive tomes too – I’ll get a workout just holding the darned book!
I always said as soon as the last book was released that I’d read the series start to finish one last time. So let the reread begin!
I’ve finished the first two chapters of The Eye of the World. This time I’m trying to savor the book instead of rushing to finish so I can see what happens next. (I read book 6 straight through in about 24 hours–in between classes–because it was sooo good and I was terrified it’d end on a cliffhanger and I’d have to wait 3 years for the next book!)
Reading book 1 is like coming home to an old friend. Rand has just met Moiraine and Lan. We’ve met Mat and heard about Egwene, Nynaeve and Thom (although he hasn’t been named). It’s funny to know these characters so well, to be eager for them to show up. It’s awe-inspiring to know that Jordan laid down so many crucial threads in this first book. Amazing, really. Thousands and thousands of pages, and here the delicate first threads are woven and the Pattern begins.
The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend.
KoKoKoNa is growing like a weed. Want proof?
The one on the left is from the very first day we had her, comparing to KC (24 lb Boston Terrier mix). She weighed 9 lbs. The one on the right is today!
When she got her second puppy shot last week, the vet said she was 16.9 lbs. What I notice the most is how much taller she is. Her paws are much bigger and her front legs are more stocky. And look at all those freckles coming through her white fur!
This one I included for fun, captioned “Demon Dogs.” I was trying to get a picture of them last night and wow, look at those wicked eyes!
I used to buy Kashi’s almond/flax granola by the case at Sam’s Club, but no more. I’m making my own using this delicious recipe. It’s so versatile! Even better, the KIDS love it. They won’t touch Kashi or “normal” healthy granola, but they eat this faster than I can make it. The base recipe is inspired by Hungry Hungry Hippie’s Quinoa Granola recipe, tweaked to my family’s taste.
I’ve been doubling the recipe without the nuts, spreading out one pan, then adding nuts for the other pan (the kids don’t like most nuts). I also skip all dried fruit (again, for the kids), but it’s delicious with dried dates and cranberries.
For a single pan of granola:
Mix about 4-5 cups of “seeds and grains” including your favorite mix of:
We personally like about 2 cups of oats and the rest a mix of seeds and grains, with about 1/2 c coconut and 2-3T chia. They kids LOVE quinoa in this. It really surprised me (I thought it’d break our teeth, but it’s delicious and chewy/texture without being too hard). Mix up the above in a big bowl and adjust the texture and balance of grains to your taste.
Melt 1/2 c. of coconut oil and pour over the grains. Add 1/2 c. pure maple syrup. Stir up, spread in a pan lined with parchment paper, and toast in the oven at 250 degrees for about an hour. Stir half way through to get the toastiness even (especially if your pan is threatening to overflow!) I like mine pretty brown and toasty so I’ll cook it a bit longer.
If you don’t have picky kids, you can add another 1-2 c. of nuts (I love almonds, pecans, and sunflower seeds) and/or dried fruit without having to change the oil and syrup much at all. If it’s a little sticky/clumpy, then it’s good. You can play with the measurements and cut a little of the oil and sugar out if needed, but I usually just add more nuts. 
After it cools, I store in a quart mason jar. We usually nibble on the pan so much that I’m lucky if I end up with one jar for the next day!
Sprinkle some of this still warm on plain Fage yogurt and I’m in heaven.
Sorry for the delay in picking the winning title for the next zombie romance (original post here). You gave me lots of great ideas! It was a close race, but it looks like The Mummy’s Captive Witch has the most votes.
The prize I intended to give away was a Hope for Joplin T-Shirt. Unfortunately, I found out that I’d have to order 12 of them since it’s been so long since the original fundraiser. Sigh. That’s a little out of my budget! So how about I offer a $15 gift certificate instead to the winner? I ran all comments through the pick giveaway winner and it kicked out….
Molly aka gutterball!
We had four people vote for The Mummy’s Captive Witch and I’ll list all of you in the acknowledgements. Once I write the book!
Thank you to everyone who gave me ideas — this one’s gonna be lots of fun to write! However, the delightful red-haired witch is going to have to wait in line behind at least Sig, and maybe Mal and/or Mama Connagher too. My list is getting way too long….!
As if the holidays aren’t enough craziness, my two oldest monsters both have birthdays in January: 5th and 10th. Middle is having a few friends over tonight and then we’re officially DONE with all the celebrations, special foods, and cake. I’m almost over the cold — just have some lingering congestion.
So you know what that means. I really need to get serious about Weight Watchers and Power 90 again. Ugh. I haven’t looked at the scale since Christmas. It won’t be pretty.
I’m still battling Sig a little at a time. I’m pushing to finish the first draft by Jan. 31st but we’ll see how it goes.
On the bright side, I’ve read 3 books already this year and they were all really good (two Cherise Sinclair and John Everson’s NightWhere). Have you read any good books this year?
I’m happy to see the end of 2012, even though 2013 is already bringing me lots of change at the Evil Day Job. I have a new boss and team starting Jan. 2nd after ten years or so on the same team. Since I also telecommute — and haven’t actively been in the home office since 2000 — it’s going to be harder to connect with the new team. We’ll see how it goes.
On the diet front, I’m rededicating myself for 2013. I didn’t hit the scale number I was hoping to see and I’ve not been doing well lately. The holidays are rough, and I’ve been sick since Christmas, so I haven’t been able to work out. I plan to restart Power 90 again once I break this cold. I’m still quite a ways from my ideal goal, but even if takes me a dozen years, I’ll keep trying. I’m up right now, but I know what to do. It’s just a matter of getting back in the habit of tracking and exercising.
In 2013, all I really want are MOAR WORDS. I’m disappointed in how few books I finished this past year. I’m working on building my daily habits again. I’ve got so many books to write… I can’t keep spinning my wheels. So many ideas and projects….! So I plan to work more with a timer and trying to manage my time better.
I also want to read more. I go through months where I just don’t take the time to read, and I miss it. My problem is that once I start a good book, I want to finish it. I have a hard time reading only a little each day — and I’m too busy to dedicate an entire weekend to reading. I’m going to try the timer idea here, too, and make sure I always have my kindle app loaded. I’m also going to be reading technical books for the Evil Day Job — just a little at a time.
What do you hope to accomplish in 2013?
I’m sure you’re all sick of hearing about December 21st, 2012! But since I used that idea in the Bloodgate books, it’s like a law or something that I celebrate the big day with a giveaway.
Assuming we’re all still here. Bwahahaha!
In all seriousness, we turn our calendar “over” every year by buying a new one. The Maya wheeled calendars are merely going back to the beginning — but probably not tomorrow since we really don’t have any idea (for sure) of which date to use to synchronize our calendar to theirs especially with leap years. Honestly, they probably would have been more worried about the venus transit in June.
So to celebrate the big day, I’m offering:
To enter, simply comment on this post as many times as you want through midnight December 24th CST. This contest is open to anyone on the planet. Assuming it doesn’t blow up!
Well the good news is I’m writing like a maniac. The bad news is that it’s not on Sig’s story. For whatever reason, he’s still a 250-300 word speed. It’s slow and painful but I keep slowly chipping away. I was hoping to finish the first draft by the end of the year, but we’ll see how it goes.
Meanwhile, a story I started on Friday (and barely touched all weekend because we were driving for an early Christmas with my mom) is already 10K. It’s first person, contemporary, and not very politically correct. I’m not sure how long it’ll be yet but I’m shooting for novella length.
I know I’m naughty working on something else, but I’ve got to get some more completed stories in my pipeline. And hey, It’s a pleasure when a story flows like this. Though I’ve gotta admit my wrists are KILLING me.
And no, I’m not done with Christmas shopping either. Sigh.
