Category: The Blog

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WoT Reread

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.

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Puppy Update

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!

KoKoKoKo2

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!

KoKo3

 

 

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!

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Unusual Homemade Granola

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:

  • oats
  • quinoa
  • hemp hearts
  • buckwheat groats (I had to order these from Amazon – I couldn’t find locally – but totally worth it.  They add a really unique texture and are very chewy!)
  • unprocessed bran flakes
  • chia seeds
  • unsweetened coconut, shredded

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.  :mrgreen:

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.

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Winner – Make Me Write the Book

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!  :mrgreen:

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….!

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I’m Still Alive

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?

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Happy New 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?

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An Apocalyptic Giveaway

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:

  • An ecopy of The Bloodgate Guardian
  • An ecopy of The Bloodgate Warrior
  • Winner’s choice (print or electronic) of all four of Larissa Ione’s Lords of Deliverance Books.  Because nothing says apocalypse like The Four Horsemen!
  • A Maya-themed bookmark I cross-stitched.  (No picture available yet since I have to finish the backing, but it’ll be sent to the winner.)

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!

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Very Naughty

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.

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Mistletoe Madness Blog Hop

HolidayGiveaway2012 copyI love to hear about different people’s holiday traditions, especially at Christmas time.  Some traditions are pretty basic, like putting up the Christmas tree, but I love to learn about other cultures and even just other families’ celebrations.

I’d never heard of king cake until we lived in Texas.  I didn’t know people could buy their own portable snow blowers and engine block heaters until we lived in Minnesota (and snow is almost always a part of the holiday season there!).

I’m sure most of you would be surprised to hear that one year my family put the litter box under the tree.  It wasn’t a tradition we WANTED to keep… but the cat kept leaving “presents” beneath the tree and it was easier to clean up that way!

What I really find fascinating is how people might celebrate the holiday season in outer space.  If you were stranded on an ice planet… I suppose you’d probably be pretty sick of White Christmas.  Aliens might think it’s strange to put a live tree in your living room and hang lights on it.  Or maybe not.  Maybe they live IN the tree and always have lights hung…

The “what ifs” send my writer brain buzzing.  So tell me, what wonderfully bizarre holiday traditions can you think of — or just tell me about one of your traditions.  Commenters will be entered to win a $20 gift certificate to their choice of online book retailer (B&N, Amazon, Samhain, Carina, etc.)

Lots of prizes are available – find the other sites here!

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Fake It Until You Make It

I’ve read this saying before on the Weight Watcher forums but it didn’t really click with me.  Until I needed it.

Say you have a goal, whether it’s losing weight or finishing a book.  Sometimes you can tackle that goal with gusto.  It’s so easy!  You don’t really have a lot of patience for other people who might be struggling with a similar goal.  Birthday cake or some new shiny plotbunny won’t deter you from your goal because SELF DISCIPLINE is yours, baby.  You’ve got balls of steel and ice runs in your veins, whether you’re facing down a juicy hamburger or a mean set of edits.

That’s great and all… but sometimes life interferes.  Okay, maybe more than “sometimes.”  Maybe it’s been a loooooong time since you had that killer self control and single-minded determination.  You feel stuck and in a rut.  It’s dark and depressing down there, but you can’t seem to find the energy or will to pull yourself out.

So what do you do then?  Fake it until you make it out of that rut.

Do something, no matter how small, that inches you closer to that goal.  Maybe it’s just “going through the motions” but sometimes building that habit will lead you to another good habit.  Forward progress is crucial, even if it’s glacier speed.

Haven’t you watched The Dog Whisperer before where Cesar Milan’s trying to get a stubborn dog to walk on its leash?  In one episode, the dog just sat there like a lump.  No amount of treats or tugging on the leash would get him to move.  So Cesar picked up his hind legs like a wheelbarrow.  It got him to move.  One step.  Then another.  Forward progress, even if wacky or crazy, can help us get out of that rut when nothing else will work.

So since I’m struggling right now with both my diet and writing, I’m faking it.  I get up and begin each day tracking my food.  Even if I forget or willfully decide not to track later.  I eat the same healthy breakfast each morning.  Even if I screw up later… I’ve at least had my breakfast.  That’s something.  Even if I miss a day of working out, I can always work out tomorrow.  I don’t have to be perfect.  I just have to keep trying.

It’s the same with writing.  That’s why I’m back to 250 words.  That’s it.  I have to have progress.  I have to get STARTED.  Instead of sitting here whining that I haven’t finished yet… when I haven’t bothered to open the file.  *slapme*

My first step yesterday was to re-read what I’ve done on Sig since Oct (about 26K).  Now, forward.  Even if it’s a measely 250 words every day.

Someday, it won’t be slogging.  It won’t feel like ripping off my fingernails.  I won’t be so sore I can’t walk up the stairs (because I skipped working out for weeks).  I just have to keep trying because failure only comes when I give up.  When I quit trying every single day.

Eventually, I won’t have to fake it.