Gasp... Podcasts!

I've recently discovered Podcasts. That's not to say I haven't known about them. I have. Many of my friends listen to them and have done so for years. However, until now I have not jumped on the Podcast bandwagon as my imagination has a penchant for wandering off right in the middle of listening to people speak necessitating for me to start again. That's changed in the last few weeks,

Perhaps my most exciting discovery concerning podcasts are the ones that are considered drama podcasts, which usually tell a story. I've taken to listening to Welcome to Nightvale, King Falls, and The Deep Vault. They help pass the time when I'm cleaning or doing a task that doesn't require a lot of concentration. I still loose track occasionally, but its relatively easy to go back and find what I missed.

What fascinates me about these drama podcasts is the unique way they tell a story. I'm a very visual person which is one of the reasons why I love reading and watching TV and movies. All three of the above podcasts tell a story in a different way. With Nightvale, its told in a format very much like a community updates broadcast but its so totally absurd that I can't help but love it. King Falls is told by two late-night radio hosts and explores the kooky, paranormal happenings of their little town.

At heart I'm a storyteller which is why happening on new and unique ways to tell a story has always fascinated me. It's why I got so in to manga and anime when I was in college. It was a new to me way to explore a world and its characters and it just sucked me in. For a period of a few years, I consumed every type of genre of manga and anime out there. To the point where I stopped reading the massive amounts of books I'd been devouring.

The nice thing about discovering some of these Podcasts so late in the game is that there is tons of material out there for me to explore. I'm almost excited for my next road trip, which is pretty impressive given how much a loathe being trapped in a car for hours on end.

What podcasts are you listening to? I'm always up to find new ones to follow!

Welcome To The New Year

I can't believe it, but 2016 is here and has been for ten days.Where did the last year go? Somehow it sped past and was gone before I realized it. To be fair, last year was incredibly busy on both the personal and writing front.  I had a lot to be grateful for last year. The biggest accomplishment on the writing side is that I finished not one, but two books (I finished the second book's first draft on Christmas Day).

Right now I'm in the process of putting final touches to the first before sending to a copy editor. I forgot how much extra work is involved when readying a book for publishing. After sending to the editor, I'll need to make any changes they suggest, then either design a cover or reach out to a graphic designer to do that part for me.

The part I hate the most, though, is drafting the blurb for the book. It's one of those jobs I would love to farm out to someone because I'm never quite satisfied with what I create. What it is about coming up with two to three paragraphs that creates such frustration, I don't know. Especially when I just got finished writing a full length novel. It's the part I dread the most. At this point I've rewritten this blurb at least four times. I'm still not happy with it :-|.

Sigh, time to stop whining and take another crack at it. Hopefully, I'll finish that part today.

Thanksgiving

It's that time of year again, where amazing food and the people you love come together for a memorable day. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it's about spending time with the people you love and giving thanks for the blessings you have in your life, both big and small. I have a lot of things to be thankful in my life right now.

This is the first year where I am responsible for the Thanksgiving meal. My kitchen is small as is my dinner table but it will work out somehow. I'm particularly excited about the turkey that's currently roasting in the oven. I decided to go bold and tried for a whiskey, maple brine that I got out of a magazine. It'll either be amazingly delicious or frighteningly horrible. That's what's so fun about cooking for me. The adventure. You never know if the end product is going to turn into something that will make your taste buds scream in delight or if it's going to be an epic fail your family will be ribbing you about ten years from now.

Along with the turkey, I am doing mashed potatoes, another thing I don't have a lot of experience cooking, corn bread spoon bread, roasted mushrooms and pumpkin pie. All of my favorites.

Now I think I will stop typing and get back to cooking! Hope everyone has a memorable Thanksgiving.

Ghost, Goblins and Witchs

It's that time of year again. Halloween. Where you get to dress up and pretend to be any sort of creature or thing you want. The more creative the better. I think that's why I like this holiday so much. It's such a rich holiday for the imagination whether that be creating a costume or decorating your home. That's why, for the second year in a row, I'm throwing a Halloween party.

My slight obsession with Pinterest has come in handy lately as I've managed to source a lot of great ideas for do it yourself decorations. It's also where I'm getting all the ideas for spooktacular recipes. Since I'm not made of money, I thought I'd think outside of the box and try to create several things from relatively inexpensive materials.

The below were created with construction paper and a stencil I created by printing the outline of a bat off my computer.

Poster paper and tracing my hands.

And the last image - streamers, poster board and tape.

I don't know why but it gives me an awesome feeling seeing the things I created out of such simple materials. Maybe it's because I've never considered myself particularly crafty. I'm excited for the party and hope everyone has a happy and safe Halloween!

Back In the Writing Seat!

I know I've been out of touch for the past year or so on this blog. Oh wow, just checked and it's been over two years. Way longer than I thought. How time flies when you're busy working, writing, and living. My only defense is I've been hard at work at what matters. Writing.

In that time I've managed to finish the project I was working on, edit it, and start querying potential literary agents. I've recently started a new book and have made decent headway in the narrative. My goal is to finish the rough draft by the end of this year. Don't know if I will make it but need to challenge myself. I'll never get all of the ideas cluttering my head space down on paper if I don't start writing faster.

Right now my progress feels strong and I'm getting word count most days but the real test comes when I get to the middle section of the book. That seems to be where I usually get bogged down. This time I have a new plan of attack and have created an extensive outline that should help me find my way again.

Wish me luck and stay tuned. Below is a video I found that made me laugh. Enjoy!