My Geekiness Is Showing: Round Two

A while back, I posted some pics of fictional characters from the vast Geek Universe that I plan to use in an ABC book for my future kids. (You can see them here.) At the time I only had a few done. Now I have most of them done. Here are some more examples.

There are two pictures for each letter (that's why some just say ...and so-and-so).

 

To further illustrate my tendency towards the geek end of things, I recently started reading a lot of manga. If you don't know what manga is, it is essentially Japanese comics. Of course, what I read is translated into English. I like the sweet, sappy romances (usually categorized as shoujo). Some are short, some are long. My favorites include Strobe Edge, Wild Wing, Home, Kanata Kara, Nise no Chigiri, and Kingyo Sou. One on my list to-read is Kimi ni Todoke. I've already watched the anime and the live action movie, both of which are excellent. Now that I'm hooked, I think I want try including manga as a way to share my stories. If you read my Samurai Penguin webcomic, you'll know I'm not the best at comic style art. I think I'm getting better, but if I want to pursue manga, I'm going to need a lot of practice. I have some tutorials at my disposal, which should help get me started. So that's a new goal I have.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway. It ends soon. So far, I only hear crickets. I guess people don't want an amazon gift card. That's okay, I'll use it myself. :)

The (Mostly) Great Outdoors

Next weekend, hubby and I are going camping with my family. I'm not a huge fan of camping, but I am a huge fan of my family. They are the best. My reasons for not enjoying camping to its fullest is not because I'm a high maintainence, prissy type person who hates getting dirty, etc. It's all about the sleeping, or in my case, the not sleeping. (And the bugs. And the possibility of bears.) Now that I've changed my nighttime routine, (vitamins, herbal supplements, essential oils) I'm hoping this problem might actually be resolved. I am crossing my fingers.

We went camping last summer. I'm almost positive I wrote about, but I can't seem to find the post. Well, it rained the entire time. And I mean, rained. I was half expecting an Ark to float by. We only stayed one night instead of the planned two. I'm really hoping the rain stays away this year. (And the bugs. And the bears.)

Hey, enter my giveaway! Who doesn't want free Amazon? After I announce the winner next Tuesday, I'll be taking a little break from blogging, probably till the end of August. When I come back, I hope to be able to announce the completion of Foretold. Eeek! I'd better get busy!

Countdown to the Big 3-0-0!

To celebrate my upcoming 300th post, I am doing a giveaway! It starts today and ends on July 19 at midnight. The winner will be randomly selected from all eligible entrants and announced on July 21 to coincide with the 300th post. The prize will be a $25 Amazon e-giftcard, which will be emailed to the winner. Since I live in the US and will get the giftcard from the US amazon.com, the giveaway is for US residents only. Sorry. In the future I may figure out a way to make this international, but for now, I'm taking the easy route. You must be 18 or older to enter/win.

I know it's fun to enter giveaways, and easy to forget the person later on. I would really appreciate some support from existing and potential fans. All my books are available on all amazon.com sites in ebook form and paperback. If you haven't given them a try, please do so! And if you've read one or more and haven't yet given them a glorious review, I invite you do that as well. Each small bit of help will ultimately make my slow climb to success that much sweeter. I will also once again plug my Super Fan club. The membership is small right now, but we've done some fun things already. I enjoy interacting with fans and sharing exclusive stuff with them in return for their loyalty.


 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Workin' It

About 10 years ago, I started eating healthier and working out regularly, which was hard because I love food (mostly the junk kind) and I hate exercising. This lasted for about 5 years, where I was able to lose about 30 pounds and keep it off. After getting married, I kinda stopped doing both things, especially the exercising, though I was still able to manage my weight. I worked at an elementary at the time, so I remained physical during PE and recess. After a job change, I was much more sedentary and my eating habits, while still healthy from time to time, included more junk. Needless to say, I started to gain weight again. Never to the extent as before, but clothes weren't fitting as well and I was feeling more lethargic. I needed to change, again. About four months ago, I started exercising again-- treadmill and some simple yoga. I hate running. I think it is akin to torture. When I began, I was content to simply walk on the treadmill. After a week or so, I added some minimal jogging. That was hard. Now, even though I still don't like running, I can run on the treadmill for a few minutes in between some walking. I'm seeing improvements with energy, how my clothes fit, and  my overall appearance. My diet isn't as strict as it was when I first lost weight, but I do make an effort to include healthier foods and healthy substitutions. Like yesterday, I wanted some cookies. I followed a basic chocolate chip recipe, but instead of using butter or shortening, I used sour cream. This changes the consistency a bit, but the cookies are still delicious. I know it's important to take care of myself, so I will continue these habits for as long as I can. Or until Science discovers that magic pill. :)


Two weeks from today will be my 300th post. I'll be doing a giveaway, which will start on Saturday. You'll get all the details then.

Freedom

Today is Independence Day here in the US. It's usually a time to think back and be grateful for those who sacrificed so much for us to have the rights and freedoms we have now. While I will always remember and honor those people, including those who serve and sacrifice today, it is pretty obvious that our country is a lot different than it was when it began. Some of those differences are good, others not so much. I'm not going to get into a heated personal or political rant, but I just want to express that I can see that this nation is suffering in many ways. It's going to get worse, at least for those of us who wish for more faith in and reliance on God. He hasn't left us, and will not, no matter how hard some people try to push Him away. God bless America, now more than ever.

A Question or Three

Today is the third installment of Super Fan fun. I will be interacting live with my Fans tonight, answering their questions about writing, my books, and pretty much anything else they want to know, within reason. I'm pretty excited. I'll also be asking questions of my own and thought I'd include a few of them here for those of you who will be missing out on the fun.

1) What draws you to a book, making you decide to read it? (cover, title, genre, author, blurb, etc.)

2) Why did you decide to give my book(s) a try?

3) What do you like most about your favorite character(s) from my books?


Answering these is just for fun and will not, unfortunately, make you eligible for the $25 Amazon gift card prize. But if you join within the next few hours, I will send out your invitation before the party starts.

Magical

Hubby and I saw Inside Out this past week, utilizing our local theater's Five Dollar Tuesdays deal. We like this deal. Anyway, I had high expectations, as I do with all Disny/Pixar films, and it did not disappoint. The animation was amazing. I loved the detail of the slight fuzziness of the outline of the emotions' bodies. Joy was adorable. The voice actors were excellent. Bing Bong was, in my opinion, a scene stealer. He was fun and happy and spontaneous, just what an imaginary friend ought to be. I won't give any spoilers, but I cried during the one scene where he..... If you've seen it, you know exactly what I'm talking about. I'm was pleased with the overall story as well. Great film. I wouldn't mind seeing again while it's still in the theaters. On a Tuesday, of course.


Here's another reminder for Super Fan fun #3, coming up on June 30 at 7:00 Mountain time. You can still get an invitation if you join before then. I'm hoping for a minimal amount of success, which equates to at least one person showing up. Me and my one friend will have a blast! :)