i AM alive

Guest Post: Hanna My Writerly Friend

2012-02-09T07:00:00.000+01:00

I have a guest post today! In my travels back home I stopped in Oklahoma to visit a blogger friend of mine, Hanna from I'll Name My Typewriter After the Moon. We had a spontaneous writer's retreat. She explains it way better than I ever could so I will turn it over to her.

Hanna and Amie at Hanna's morning writing spot and the crazy Ophelia.

The internet is a strange and wonderful thing. When Amie sent me a brief message on blogger a year and a half ago wondering if I would want to swap writing critiques sometime, I never dreamed that she would eventually be sitting in my living room asking me to write a guest post on her blog. Why? Because I live in Oklahoma, and she lives in Germany, and those two places don’t intersect much.

But such is the mysterious magic of the internet—and the kindred pull of books—that complete strangers can form lasting friendships across great distances. I was thrilled to have Amie come visit this weekend for myriad reasons, but especially because it meant we could at long last sit and talk about books and writing in person.

If you are a writer, you know how it is. Your family and most of your closest friends know about your writing—possibly they even venture to ask you about it every so often because they sense how important it is to you—but rarely does someone actually satisfy the secret itch you feel to talk about it… to be understood. Anyone who does not bear the burden of stories (or a similar art) themselves must always struggle to comprehend the strange ache of those who, because it is not an easy thing to understand. Even I am often baffled by the force that pushes me out of bed in the morning and steers me to my computer: why would any sane person give up precious hours of much-needed sleep just to put words on a page?

But other writers do understand.

Amie and I answered several “So what are you going to do this weekend?” queries with laughter, because the honest truth was, “We’re going to write and read.” To those who asked, this answer was inconceivable. Amie’s husband Albert said, “You’re going all the way to Oklahoma just to do what you always do?” And though she was—and indeed, we often did just that—there was something about doing those things in the company of another writer that made the ordinary tip-tapping of the keys feel something like a party. And I think I’ve figured out why.

You see, writers are usually quite solitary by nature, and even if they’re not, the act of writing tends to demand solitude. You can’t exactly bring other people along with you into your imagination, after all. And even if you like to be alone, the longsolo journey can take its toll after a time. But when you write alongside someone else who shares your passion for words and stories, it’s almost as though you can, for a short time, have a companion on the adventure; a friend to walk with you along the endless, winding path of your art, and share both your burden and your joy for the brief period you are walking in tandem. The result is both refreshing and reassuring, because it reminds you that you are not alone. That even if you must forge through the underbrush of your own imagination unaided, there are others out there hacking through similar jungles and experiencing the same kinds of successes and failures as you are… and one of them is only as far as the next couch.

And when the alarm goes off after fifteen minutes of word-count sprinting, you can look up at your friend, grin broadly and say, “Swap!”

The crazy and awesome Ophelia.

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler - Book Review

2012-02-07T07:00:00.000+01:00

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler is aboutknowing what will come and how Emma and Josh react to that knowledge. In 1996they sign onto AOL and are prompted to log in again, but what they log in to isFacebook, fifteen years in the future. There’s some sort of time warp andEmma’s Facebook login is still the same. Emma takes the information and triesto change her future – the butterfly effect. Josh just wants to flow with thecurrent and let his future happen as it is.

The first few chapters are a little overwhelming with theconstant mention of Dave Matthews, Toy Story, AOL, and all the other 1996-ishthings. I felt like a mole getting wacked over the head.

I found Emma to be a shallow character. But I also foundthat she had the most growth. She had a true catharsis by the end where Joshhad a slight realization. The premise is amazing, and I think the authors did agreat job of making it seem normal. There was nothing too drastic; that I love.They didn’t bring science into it because the idea was too unexplainable sothey left it as a phenomenon and let the characters make the story. Theirvoices were very distinct and recognizable. Granted, it’s two differentauthors, but still, the flow of the story and the flipping of characters eachchapter was smooth and unhindering.

The ending, oh the ending; it was simple, natural, easy, andwonderful. There was no big bang or open ending. It simply ended.

Classics Challenge - The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

2012-01-12T07:00:00.000+01:00

For the classics challenge this month, I read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

There is a lot of comparison to split personality disorders and this novella. The allegory hidden in the writing definitely points to that. But most visual portrayals of this book make Mr. Hyde a hideous creature, almost ape-like and deformed. Robert Louis Stevenson did not write him that way. None of the characters could describe why he made them uneasy, there was nothing wrong with his appearance. It was the evil shining through that made them cringe.

Stevenson wrote this book after having a nightmare, and he wrote it in a hurry. Not having known him, or much about him besides what Wikipedia says, I'm not sure why he would write this book. I think there is an innate sense in every human to explain the unexplainable and perhaps that what he was doing here. Maybe he felt that his mind was cracking in two and the only way to stop it was to put it outside of himself.

Drabble Dienstag - Falling Rain

2012-01-10T07:00:00.001+01:00

There’s nothing quite like a rainy day. I wake to pattering raindrops and smile, stretching in my bed. The light coming through the window is glossy, filtered, hazy. I make coffee and call in sick; it’s a mental health day, a stay-at-home day. I tie my hair back and pick a book off the shelf. Coffee in hand, I cuddle on the couch and don’t move. Every once in a while I pop in the kitchen and grab an apple. When the rain stops and the sun sets, I make dinner and crawl back in bed to finish the book.

Bumped by Megan McCafferty - Book Review

2012-01-05T07:00:00.000+01:00

Bumped is controversial. I was worried that it would be crass. The premise is that a virus causes humanity to lose fertility after age 18. Sixteen and Pregnant, in other words. Teenagers are selling babies, both as amateurs and as pros - paid up front. Melody is one of a set of twins, and she is set up for a very expensive pro contract, but she hasn't been paired yet. Harmony, her sister, was raised separately in a very religious community and doesn't believe in sex before marriage.

The first few chapters were a bit of a jolt. The slang was confusing, Melody and Harmony were very difficult to tell apart, but the world was fully formed and I just needed time to settle in. Once I understood the world I was sucked in. It wasn't girly and silly or too R-rated and sexified.

The ending. My normal pet peeve. It closed somewhat, but was so open-ended. When are YA writers going to stop writing books like they are just a way to sell a series and make more money? Writing is an art, books are complete stories. The art of finishing a story but making me fall in love with your writing so that I will read more of your books is your goal.

Have you read this one? What did you think? Controversial or normal YA?

DIY Challenge for the Year

2012-01-03T07:00:00.000+01:00

I have a few challenges for myself this year. I'm participating in the Classics Challenge by November's Autumn and I'm running my own challenge for fairy tales.

In 2011 I finished a 101 Goals in 1001 Days challenge with fairly successful results. So to better myself this year I want to do a crafty project once a month.

In January I will be in Colorado and I will probably load up on some supplies that aren't easy to find in Germany. I will mostly be working from my Pinterest DIY list. If you have any ideas I should add, shoot them my way!

My Dog

2011-12-29T07:00:00.000+01:00

When I was 11 I begged and begged and pleaded and begged my parents for my very own dog. I sent a letter from an anonymous source saying why I deserved a dog. I researched what kind of dogs there were. Then I begged some more. Finally I was allowed to get a dog, he was a corgi and his name was Buddy.

Last November we went home to Colorado and my dog was 13 years old. He wasn't doing so well so I took some portraits of him.

My sweet puppy had to be put down in February. I don't think it will really hit me until I'm back home again in just three weeks. I'm dreading the moment I walk in the door and he doesn't come to greet me.

He used to greet me off the school bus (yes, just like Lassie). We could leave a bag of carrots within his reach and he would go get one out of the bag, take it to a comfortable spot and munch it, then go back for one more. He barked at the vacuum, and he absolutely loved snow (like me!).

I miss him.

Drabble Dienstag - Hidden Among Us

2011-12-27T07:00:00.000+01:00

Ever wondered what really lives among us? Getting coffee in line in front of you is a wizard disguised as a homeless man. The woman behind you on the sidewalk is a fairy masquerading as a stay-at-home mom.

A grown woman, I flit among the leaves, relishing the feel of sunshine dappling my skin. My heels stick in the mud, and I swing my briefcase as I twirl.
A twig snaps.
I stop, crouching to stay hidden. Once I’m sure there is no one there I begin dancing again. I take off my suit coat to move easier and lay it across a bush. I spin, and it’s gone. A child is holding it, eyes wide. I make sure to tuck my hair around my pointed ears and yank the garment away, striding out of the woods, dignified.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver - Book Review

2011-12-22T07:00:00.000+01:00

Delirium by Lauren Oliver is a testament to what we are as humans. What makes us tick? According to this book, it's love. And in the future someone figured out how to cure us of love.

Lauren Oliver is extremely perceptive about humanity as whole. A few lines:

"You know you can't be happy unless you're unhappy sometimes, right?" (Page 21 Kindle)

"No wonder the regulators decided on the segregation of boys and girls: Otherwise, it would have been a nightmare, this feeling angry and self-conscious and confused and annoyed all the time." (Page 57 Kindle)

She brings all kinds of things from our world into the mix including blogs (or isn't that what she's describing as banned here?):

"...people can't just write whatever, or post things themselves, or write up false information or 'inflammatory opinions'..." (Page 93 Kindle)

The characters have traits that make them seem extremely human. Like how Lena, the main character, has gum wrappers and paper clips and random junk in her locker and her backpack. Or when Lena says something that she didn't consciously realize until it's coming out of her mouth. I do that all the time.

The change in Lena is gradual. She is gung-ho for being cured. It's all she's ever known and it's safe. But her best friend, and so many other circumstances, make her realize that safe doesn't mean best.

It ended without ending. I hate open endings. I know it's a sequel, but I want to be hooked by the writing not by the fact that the story isn't finished. That was my one and only pet peeve.

Have you read it? What did you think?

Drabble Dienstag - The Future of Medicine

2011-12-20T07:00:00.000+01:00

This time present tense came a lot easier. What do you think? Am I horribly morbid?

She puts her coin in the vending machine, and the door swishes open to allow entry. Inside the metal box she finds a robe lying on a metal table, undresses, and lies down. Her eyes follow the blinking lights and buzzing noises around the silver closet. When it dings, she dresses again and goes outside to await her printout. People walk by her on the street, not noticing her nervous eye twitch or the sweat gathering in her palms. Finally, the machine prints out a ticket for her and says cheerily, “Thanks for visiting the Quick Doc. You’ve got cancer!”

Déjà Vu Blogfest - Ahhh, Memories

2011-12-16T07:00:00.000+01:00

I'm participating the the Déjà Vu Blogfest hosted by DL Hammons, Creepy Query Girl, Lydia Kang and Nicole Ducleroir.

I went back through my posts so I could repost one, and it made me feel a lot better about my blog. I'm always worried that I don't have enough voice but I found myself shining through everything I read. It also made me reflect on the years past and how much I've grown, which is why I'm reposting about our first year in Germany.

Originally posted October 21, 2010

A year ago today my husband and I left the United States for Stuttgart, Germany. It has been quite the adventure. I really believe it has brought us closer, but I wouldn't say it's a good form of therapy for the light-hearted. Stress is our constant companion. We are just now starting to untangle its fingers from around our necks.

I'm surprised to see that I understood Germany pretty well when we first got here. I'm reading through the old blog posts. Here is a photo I took of the farms behind our first apartment. Lovely Bonlanden, the place that smells like farts when the cabbage rots.

The adventure of going through buying a car. And then having that car break in the IKEA parking lot and be broken for another few months. (It's now having the same problem, oh yay.)

Finding a beautiful apartment, renting and decorating it, and very soon after moving in locking ourselves out of said apartment.

We've gone to fests and made a ton of new friends. As well as had my family visit. A lot of friends and family are planning on coming out next year, it will be another crazy year!

We discovered the Nürburgring car-racing track and have traveled so many places. I think Albert has seriously been bitten by the traveling bug, he's constantly wanting to go somewhere new now! (And it's funny because he's only been to Europe once...even though it has lasted a year! He's never even dealt with the jet lag on the way back to the U.S. so he doesn't have an opinion when people argue over which way jet lag is worse.)

It has really been a good year. A stressful one, but a good one nonetheless. I'm looking forward to many more either here in Germany or elsewhere. Tomorrow night we are headed to the restaurant we ate in on our arrival. Only this time we can actually order in German!

Book Club - The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell

2011-12-15T07:00:00.000+01:00

We had book club on Tuesday to discuss the book The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell.

The discussion turned to language because in the book the Dutch are trading with the Japanese and language is the main problem between them. In the first part, the Japanese seem kind of shallow and silly, but in the second part the Japanese characters speak in their native language and gain a new level of personality.

Not many people finished the book, whether because it was too long or because they couldn't get into it. I think if might be a book that really hits you right or wrong from the very start. My one hang up was present tense in a historical fiction novel.

We had candy sushi (awesome!) and a great time.

Have you read it? What did you think?

Original Fairy Tales Challenge 2012

2011-12-08T07:00:00.000+01:00

I challenge you. (in 2012)

Let's all read some original fairy tales. (original being the keyword there)

And then (if you're a writer) write your own short story based on those fairy tales.

Or just a blog post if you wish.

I'm planning three fairy tales sprinkled throughout the year. One month to read each in February, June, and October. Then the month after on the 1st, post your story or blog post (March, July, and November).

I have chosen three of my favorites, but how can I say that when I haven't actually read the originals you say? (Exactly why I'm proposing this challenge.)

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle
Cinderella by Charles Perrault
Peter Pan by J.M. Barry

Blog which fairy tales you'll read and post your link in the widget below. I can't wait to see which ones you guys come up with!

True Colors and Other Short Stories by Michelle Davidson Argyle - Book Review

2011-12-06T07:00:00.000+01:00

True Colors by Michelle Davidson Argyle is a stunning collection of literary short stories and poems self-published by the author.

I found the imagery to be absolutely stark, the language fluid and convoluted in a beautiful way, and the stories natural and inviting in their life-like portrayal. Michelle brings the reader directly into the stories with colors and emotions and dialogue.

The symbolic meanings behind a lot of her metaphors are clear but strong. Water is a constant among her stories, among other things, but it didn't ever feel overused, it was always new. Also, fish slip in and out of the stories; a slimy, slick connection bringing color and life in the form of metaphors and similes. The book is connected as a whole, but each story stands on its own equally as well.

There were a few of the stories that I felt were too confusing. They felt like poems offered in prose form and just didn't hit me right. But then there were stories I wanted to curl up in, disappearing inside them for the next few days.

My favorite was Enclosures with a close second on Clover.

You can find the book here:
Amazon (paperback)
Amazon (Kindle ebook)
Amazon UK (Kindle ebook)
Barnes & Noble (Nook ebook)
Smashwords (all formats)

And you can find Michelle here:
http://www.michelledavidsonargyle.com/

P.S. Michelle's ebooks are all on sale for $0.99 in December!

When She Woke by Hillary Jordan - Book Review

2011-12-01T07:00:00.000+01:00

When She Woke by Hillary Jordan is a science fiction remake of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Can I just say that I hope high schools start moving on to newer syllabi and teach things like this. Hannah Payne, the main character, had an abortion and was accused of murder. The punishment is to infect her with a virus that turns her skin red, so everyone she sees knows what she is.

The first chapter was absolutely superb. Intense, gripping, it sucked me in to the moment and wouldn't let go. Throughout the book I had a lot of emotional response to the characters. A lot of them really pissed me off, but that's a good thing because it meant I was impassioned and wanted to keep reading.

Hannah had such a visible and strong character arc. She went from timid, perfect Godly daughter to strong, independent, knowing-what-she-wants adult. I think she even found the happy medium of still believing in God but not blindly following people who think they knew what she needed.

The ending was a little too romancy and anticlimactic for me. It ended too easily when there were so many possibilities for more conflict.

I would definitely recommend this book, but beware that it does get rather religious. It's not that the book is telling the reader to become religious, but it is a touchy subject and I'm sure some people would not enjoy it.

Drabble Dienstag - What She Wants

2011-11-29T07:00:00.000+01:00

I want to use my drabbles as a way to stretch myself when it comes to writing; try things I don't normally do. This time I'm attempting present tense. I found it rather hard because I just wanted to keep repeating the same verb. I was thinking too hard and should do more present tense just to force it to become habit, the way past is for me. Let me know what you think, or give me a prompt in the comments. Thanks!

There’s nothing to be done about it. She wants it now. What she wants, she usually doesn’t get. But this time it will happen. She stands in front of a shop window, gazing at pretty shoes. It’s not the shoes she wants, but something more substantial, something that really means something. It’s all her constant need for attention. This need to be the fulcrum of the see-saw, the pivot point of the wheel. She walks away from the shop. Out in the world are the things she needs, and she is going to get them, no matter what it takes.

New Challenges

2011-11-24T07:00:00.000+01:00

Classic books are one of my guilty pleasures. So in 2012 I'm going to join November's Autumn and read 7 classics. I may do more than that, considering I normally read one between every few modern books. But I like the idea of forcing myself to try new ones and blog about it.

My list:
These have all been on the list for a while now:
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

This one sounds very interesting, which usually classic books don't, lol:
Middlemarch by George Eliot

And one reread because I think I was too young and didn't understand it:
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson - Book Review

2011-11-22T07:00:00.000+01:00

Ginny in 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson has the adventure that I probably need. She receives a package of letters from her dead aunt encouraging her to follow instructions blindly. She travels across Europe on her own and grows into a different person.

I've been to most of the places she went, and it was like a trip down memory lane. I was surprised at her bravery but also the lack of being told that she was a brave person. Maureen showed me the bravery instead of knocking me on the head with it like some sort of Latin lecture I'd be too stupid to understand.

I was frustrated and confused by it being written in third person. Every time I read a letter and it went back to the narrative, I had to remind myself that Ginny was not the narrator. It was unsettling and threw me out of the story a few times.

This book is old enough that I think I can talk about it without spoiling suprises, but if you haven't read it, please stop here.

I absolutely could not believe that the final letter was lost. There had to be a way for her to find it. Or the thief was going to mail it to her somehow. She was a good tourist and had written her address in the backpack in case it got lost and she would return home to find the letter waiting for her. It couldn't be lost! But, alas, it was.

I'm usually ok when a character dies, but the fact that she didn't get to read the last letter was the most morbid, disgusting death of a character I have ever felt. It might just have to do with the fact that I personally hate losing things, but it could also be that I really felt the death of her aunt at that moment.

I wish someone would compel me to travel on my own and find myself. I need a good dose of being completely alone and helpless.

Torbrek...and the Dragon Variation by Lexi Revellian - Book Review

2011-11-17T07:00:00.000+01:00

Torbrek...and the Dragon Variation by Lexi Revellian is such a refreshing story. The characters are very natural, the idea of dragons living among people is normal, and the dialogue is superb.

It's a story about a girl, raised to fight like a man, and accepted into the rebel army as one. She is chosen by a dragon to be his master. Come to find out she's the enemy's granddaughter, and the plot just thickens.

The world was strong enough that I didn't falter when the main character, Tor, happened upon a dragon and had a conversation with him. It was all so natural. The villain, Skardroft, Tor's grandfather and tyrant, is eloquent. He has planted trees in his city to make it more beautiful. I found that a very redeeming quality. His relationship with Tor is strange but makes sense. They are mortal enemies, and relatives, but they seem able to keep it separated and neither hate nor love each other.

When everyone finds out she is a girl, it's not that big of a deal. I suppose it never was that insane considering some people already figured it out, but I wanted more tension.

Other than that the grip of the story was perfect. Things aren't always perfect. The only people who can save the rebels don't agree at first to help them. One of the love stories doesn't turn out as hoped. Overall, the story has such a realistic aspect among all the fantasy that it really was a pleasure to get lost in.

String Bridge by Jessica Bell - Book Review

2011-11-14T07:00:00.000+01:00

Jessica Bell's literary novel String Bridge is about everyday life and the things we need to give up to live it. The main character, Melody, is a wife and mother who isn't sure she wants to be doing that, she wants to be a musician.

Being as it’s literary fiction there doesn’t seem to be muchgoing on, but the pace is fast. And by not much going on I mean that it’s normaleveryday stuff like decisions on what to say to your husband when he doessomething annoying and whether or not to accept a job promotion. I certainlydon’t mean that the book is boring, because boring it isn’t. I want to knowMelody. I hope that she becomes my best friend. I’m intrigued by her story andcan’t put it down without thinking about it until I pick it up again.

The first hint of a turning point in Melody's character is when she looks at herguitar again, and it is rich and flavorful, like a cool glass of water with a lime init. I was just beginning to get sick of her whining (even though I could seeher point). The pace is absolutely perfect because I'm frustrated when I should be.

Jessica's writing embeds akernel of pure joy in me at moments. I feel radiant. And at other moments I feel completely depressed and frustrated. The way she writes pulls the emotion from the page and makes it real.

I'm not so sure about the ending. I'm a melodramatic person and wanted it to end sooner with a little less happiness. It was a nice, solid ending. But I'm just a dark person who likes to see people suffer.

Check out String Bridge and Jessica Bell for yourself:

String Bridge Website
Goodreads
String Bridge Book Trailer
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Blog
Amazon

Divergent by Veronica Roth - Book Review

2011-11-12T22:22:00.000+01:00

Divergent by Veronica Roth is the story of a choice, of identity. It's dystopian fiction about Tris, a sixteen-year-old who has to make a choice of who she will be the rest of her life. She only has five choices. But by the end of the book she realizes that maybe being more than one thing is possible, and probable.

I could not put this one down. The characters are very real. One of my favorite parts is when Tris says she 'might' love Tobias. It felt like the truth, not some sappy love story where she's instantly in love with the cute boy.

I also loved that the story ends. I understand it's a trilogy, but that doesn't mean it isn't also a stand alone book. I absolutely loath books that leave an open ending because they want you to read the next one. Veronica managed to close this part of the story and intrigue me with a little more so I'm ready for the next book.

I had a little trouble imagining things within the world. Placement of people, the way a building or location looked, watching a fight scene and understanding the movements. I had to stop and reread some of those parts and some I just skimmed over and couldn't really imagine well.

Other than that, this book is fantastic, and I can't wait for the next one. I kind of hate Veronica Roth for how awesome she is!

String Bridge Giveaway Winner

2011-11-10T21:00:00.000+01:00

The giveaway winner for the signed String Bridge novel by Jessica Bell is - Cathy Powell!

We chose our next book for book club and I would love to have anyone join in virtually. Read the book and blog your thoughts and I will share them the night we get together!

We're reading The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell. We're meeting December 13th.

Author Jessica Bell Interview for String Bridge - Signed Copy Giveaway!

2011-11-07T07:00:00.000+01:00

This is Jessica Bell's blog tour for her new novel String Bridge. Yay! I've interviewed her so you can all get to know her better. This is also a giveaway for a signed copy of String Bridge so make sure you read until the end and fill out the form! The giveaway is open until Thursday when I will announce the winner.

So...

Is there something specific you have to do before you begin writing each day? Like having a cup of tea or straightening the pencils on your desk?

I have to have everything tidy on my desk otherwise I feel like the mess will disorganize my thoughts. I also need to know I have as much time as I want. I can't write in a time slot.

Margaret Atwood is one of your favorite authors, which of her books is your favorite and why?

The Robber Bride comes to mind first because it is primarily character-driven. It's told in the POV of four different women, three who are connected by knowing the fourth. I read it a long time ago, but since the day I read it, nothing has really topped it. But I do still LOVE everything I've read of hers. Some of my other favorites are The Handmaid's Tale, Alias Grace, Life Before Man and The Edible Woman.

Is most of your writing character-driven or plot-driven?

Definitely character-driven, but I do think I maintain a decent amount of plot to keep the pages turning.

Do you have any general advice you can give writers for getting to this point in their careers?

Take criticism and feedback on your writing with a grain of salt. Ultimately YOU have to decide what works. And listen to your heart. Learn the rules and then break them intelligently. I learnt that the hard way. In the early days, I was told by an editor at a professional and very well-established critique service that I had a perfect voice for women’s fiction even though my heart kept saying to strive for literary fiction. I listened. I rewrote and rewrote and rewrote until my story didn’t sound like it was written by me anymore. Despite hating what it turned out to be, I tried to get it published. Then Janice, from Lucky Press, came along and read between the lines. She understood me because she read other material I had posted online, etc. She understood that my real voice wasn’t shining through in this story. But she gave me a chance to rewrite it and it all worked out brilliantly. I can’t thank Janice enough. String Bridge would have been shelved for good if it wasn’t for her generosity and encouragement.

What is your favorite sound?

Bells.

Now be sure to enter the giveaway and go to the other blogs on the tour. Next Monday I'll have a review of the book so be sure to come back and check that out as well.

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Fate

2011-11-03T07:00:00.000+01:00

Have you ever wondered if there's such a thing as fate?

Are we destined to follow a certain path?

I'm not necessarily talking about God. I'm talking about a predetermined path that we will travel on through our lives. It could even be that there are choices (so we still have free will) but those choices are mapped out to infinity so that the roads we take lead to an alternate future that is already known.

Sorry if I'm getting too crazy here. Let's apply it to stories.

Some characters have a fate. They are destined to fulfill a prophecy. (Harry Potter and Voldemort cannot survive while the other lives.)

The reason I'm thinking about all of this is because the other day I fell really hard on our stone stairs (I have the nastiest purple backside now). And just the night before I was noticing that I could probably lose a little of my butt with some exercise. I felt like it was fate that I was noticing how much padding I have and then using that padding the very next day.

I know it's a silly story, but it got me thinking.

Do you think we are fated?

Jane Austen's England - My Birthday Surprise

2011-11-01T14:30:00.000+01:00

It's Drabble Dienstag, but I've run a bit dry. So I'll just tell you about my most wonderful trip to England. My husband planned a surprise trip for my 25th birthday. We went to Jane Austen's house in Chawton.

This is her writing desk.

That was probably the best part of the best trip we've been on. It was thoroughly relaxing to stay in little bed and breakfasts. One was a farmyard and had the prettiest group of ducks.

He also booked a horseback riding trip just so I could be on a horse again. Of course they were English saddles so he had some balancing issues, and we are both still sore a few days after, but the scenery was stunning. We went to a Bath spa that night to try to relieve the overworked muscles. The warm pool at this spa was on the rooftop and had a lovely view of the city and abbey.

We spent the last day in a little village called Lacock where parts Harry Potter 1 and 2 were filmed as well as some of Pride and Prejudice. The town is owned by The National Trust and kept old-fashioned with no electrical wires or tv satellites. It was very quaint.

The door at the end leads to the mirror of Erised. It was uncanny how much it felt like we had been there before just from watching the movies.

The weekend was absolutely perfect and all the more special because my husband planned it all for me. Now I have to top it for his birthday...what will I do!?!

The Book Thief Book Club

2011-10-27T09:00:00.000+02:00

Our book club ended up small for The Book Thief, but we had a good discussion. The only theme we had was some pea soup since it seemed a little morbid to all dress as the grim reaper. Here's a few things we discussed.

A New Perspective
The book was depressing. There's no other way to put it. But it was also a wonderful and fresh perspective on the holocaust. Since we live in Germany we've had the chance to learn these other sides. We've met neighbors that were children during the war. They weren't particularly involved, but had to live through it. It's eye opening to think about the people who didn't have a choice but had to be involved because this was their home.

The Characters
We talked a bit about how the characters looked. Everyone agreed that the name 'Rudy' doesn't fit the perfect Aryan boy. Hans Hubermann is a skinny man with a skinny head and a beer belly. Rosa is plump and soft. We couldn't quite decide what Liesel looked like. Was she blond or dirty blond? I think we all had an idea of her in our head that somewhat matched ourselves.

Death
Death is not really a skeleton in a cloak. But he was creepy. I thought of him as a man in a suit and that in his world he's real but we're all ghosts. He thinks that we are talking to him, sometimes begging him to take us, but we don't know he is there we just hope. He (as the book says) is haunted by us but perhaps he doesn't know if we are real or not. The same way we aren't sure if he is.

What did you think of this book?

Drabble Dienstag - A Blush

2011-10-25T14:37:00.001+02:00

My husband threw a surprise birthday party for me on Sunday. I knew something was going on but not when it would happen. I was so surprised that I simply blushed. I'm horribly shy and having people get together just for me was almost too much.

He's so sweet and is taking me to the UK this weekend to see Jane Austen's house, Stonehenge, Bath, and go horseback riding! He planned it all and I am soooooo excited.

So here's my drabble this week to attempt to explain the feeling of a blush.

There was nothing that would sway her, nothing he could say. Her nerves were steel, and she wouldn’t let him do it to her again. But as the conversation went on, and the alcohol flowed, she started to relax and enjoy herself. Then he said that one perfect thing. She felt the blood go straight from her heart and into her face, the heat was overwhelming. Her fingers tingled, and her palms sweat. She looked down at the floor when his hand came up to brush her bright red cheek.

“You’re blushing,” he said.

And she was in love again.

Cloak by James Gough Book Trailer

2011-10-20T07:00:00.000+02:00

Now I have to say that this is the coolest book trailer I have EVER seen. Clever and original this visual story captures the book and your attention.

James' website is wickedly awesome as well. He has illustrations to go with the book to tease you. Check it out at cloakthenovel.com.

I edited this book this summer for WiDo Publishing. It's a totally fun young adult fantasy novel with human-like animals, boys who are allergic to everything, and villains who are just plain disgusting.

Drabble Dienstag - Red Tea

2011-10-18T07:00:00.000+02:00

Last installment of my tea drabbles. This is red tea, last week was black tea and the week before was green tea. Tell me what you think of them as singles, or what you think of them as a set. Do the characters come through in only 100 words?

They kept calling my name, and mother kept sending me out with plates of food, I sipped between running through the beaded curtain. When they were finally sated I settled next to the counter, enjoying my red tea with fervor and listening for another call. Hasty, beautiful moments savoring the rich sweet flavor between moments of mayhem providing food for the men. Mother tucked a stray piece of my hair behind my ear and moved my sari higher up my shoulder when she kissed my cheek. They called for another round of food and I rolled my eyes at her.

Book Club - The Book Thief

2011-10-17T18:57:00.003+02:00

Book club is tomorrow night! So if you've read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak link in the comments here to a blog post and I will share your thoughts with the group. The party this time is not themed, but I'll still do a blog post to let you know our thoughts.

We're going to discuss a book that we would steal if we had an entire library to choose from and could only pick one.

And also what we think the character of death looks like in this book.

The The Impotence of Proofreading by Taylor Mali

2011-10-13T07:00:00.000+02:00

Very awesome and funny video of Taylor Mali at a poetry club doing a reading about proofreading. Proofread your stuff people! Especially you self-publishers out there, get someone else to look at your stuff even if it's just your mom. Another set of eyes on your work is invaluable. Don't write like this...

Drabble Dienstag - Black Tea

2011-10-11T07:00:00.000+02:00

Another week of tea drabbles. This time it's black tea and England instead of green tea and Japan. Don't you just love a cup of tea in the autumn, chilly weather? Let me know what you think in the comments, I love a good critique.

The two lumps I took from the sugar bowl plopped into the milk like stones in a pond. Greedily, I took another lump and tossed it in too. I watched the water boil, impatient to get my mug and go to the garden. I poured the not-quite-boiling water into the pot and let it brew. Placing the strainer on the thin porcelain, I filled my cup to the brim. With book and cup in hand I went to the garden to sit on the bench among the roses and listen to the birds chirp while I enjoyed my black tea.

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter - Short Story Review

2011-10-06T07:00:00.000+02:00

The Bloody Chamber
Angela Carter
Short story/novelette

I got this book as a recommendation for fairy tale retellings in a darker tone. So far I am absolutely in love.

Three wives dead, one never found in a boating accident and the story is called "The Bloody Chamber"? It got darker the further I read.

Her new husband is thoroughly obsessed with a ruby choker he gave her, especially while he is taking her virginity and he forces her to wear it. It was his grandmother's and was used as a fancy version of the red ribbons for Madame Guillotine fashion during the French Revolution.

As soon as he showed her his ring of keys, and the one he doesn't want her to use, I knew the story was the tale of Bluebeard who has a room full of dead wives. I didn't even think that he was setting her up for failure by enticing her with the key. He wanted her to disobey.

It ends too deus ex machina with her mother riding in to save the day. Angela Carter even writes that it was too easy because she says the mother had 'maternal telepathy.'

The writing got a little flowery for me and I just wanted faster paced prose, but overall it was a beautiful story and I'm really looking forward to the others.

Some of my favorite lines:

"A choker of rubies, two inches wide, like an extraordinarily precious slit throat." - Page 6

"After the dreadful revelation of that bloody chamber, it was his tender look that made me faint." - Page 33

Drabble Dienstag - Green Tea

2011-10-04T07:00:00.000+02:00

In honor of autumn (and a writing prompt from my friend) I'm doing a series of drabbles on tea. This week is green tea. I'm trying it out in first person since that point of view is a little more difficult for me. Let me know what you think! And if you have a writing prompt idea, a sentence or even a word, tell me in the comments.

I sipped my green tea, slender hands lifting the cup, holding it on flattened fingers. The wood floor felt comforting and solid beneath my folded legs. The silk kimono wrapped itself about me and rubbed on my sensitive skin with every small movement. The aromatic tea filled the room, reminding me of my grandmother who drank this very tea in this very way. My face felt hot from the steam when I tipped the cup. The hot liquid dripped down my throat; I did not slurp or make a sound as I drank my tea with no sugar or cream.

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys - Book Review

2011-09-29T07:00:00.000+02:00

Between Shades of Gray if a book about Lithuanian refugees deported to Siberian work camps by the Soviets during World War II. The book is a side of a story that everyone thinks they have heard, but it's not. These work camps were different. They continued on long after the war and even after the refugees came home they were kept silent with promises of more torture.

Truthfully I had trouble connecting with the characters. At least until the last moments. (I don't want to give away exactly why, but let's say the main character does something very selfless after all she's been through.) Although the book is written in first person there is a detachment as though we are still watching the story from above instead of through Lina's heart and eyes. There are times when we really feel her pain - being overwhelmed by the tight space in the train, a soldier inappropriately touching her, her sketching a woman she saw beaten by the Soviets. I don't know if it's a mechanism for the author to protect herself, and the reader, or if it's a way for the ending to have that much more impact.

Drabble Dienstag - Don't Leave Me Alone

2011-09-27T07:00:00.000+02:00

I need some prompts for my drabbles. Leave me an idea in the comments. Either a whole sentence or just a word. And I always love a critique, tell me what you think! I can only get better with feedback.

He woke with a major headache, his head pillowed on a rock. The devastation of the bomb had left the landscape worse than a desert. The ground was crackled like someone had balled up tinfoil and then laid it back flat. He sat up. The devastation made him suck in a sharp breath. The love of his life had been thrown yards away but he could see her head was bent behind her body, flesh dripping off her bones in a grotesque, melted way. He lay back down to let the bleeding and headache take him to be with her.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath - Book Review

2011-09-22T07:00:00.000+02:00

I put off reading The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath first because everyone in college had read it and it just seemed cliche. Then I put it off because I was worried it would scare me with all the craziness inside. It's not scary, but perhaps in the mundane and normal way she is insane it is more scary than if she was a true nut. Because that means I could be just like her.

The writing is beautiful, simply beautiful. Such normality made into such vivid imagery. The change in Esther is so gradual and yet so prominent. It begins with moments of silence and then strange sounds. It becomes utter calm almost to the point of lethargy. Then she just gives in to the fact that the world is monotonous and she doesn't want to deal with that.

Some of my favorite lines from the book:

"Every so often a beam of light appeared out of thin air, traversed the wall like a ghostly, exploratory finger, and slid off into nothing again."

"It dazzled and danced with light like a heavenly ice cube."

"Wrapping my black coat round me like my own sweet shadow, I unscrewed the bottle of pills and started taking them swiftly, between gulps of water, one by one by one."

Book Club - The Book Thief

2011-09-21T11:18:00.002+02:00

This month we are reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

If you would like to virtually join in: read the book, post a blog post, and I will share your post on the night we meet. (Right now that is tentatively October 18th.)

I'm not sure what our themed party will be this time. Maybe since it's October and the book is narrated by death we can have a Halloween/Grim Reaper themed party!

Drabble Dienstag - The Jump

2011-09-20T07:00:00.000+02:00

I've been watching a TV show called Heartland. It's based off of a series of books I read as a teenager that are about a girl and her gift to heal battered horses. The show is pretty good, but it's really making me want to ride my horse and he's 5,000 miles away.

The clock was counting down, but I didn’t focus on it. Therewas too much else to hold my gaze. Pegasus was sailing over the jumps withease. But then we came to the jump. There were flower pots, and Pegasus startedto snort like he was going to bail on me. I softened my hold on the reins,tightened my grip with my knees, and pushed him through. We flew over the polesand landed with a certain grace that our other jumps didn’t have. The clockstopped, and I wrapped my arms around his neck with a smile.

Senior and Professional Portrait Photography

2011-09-15T07:00:00.000+02:00

I had the express pleasure of photographing two sisters last weekend. One was for her senior portraits and the other was for a professional set for a website. We had a lot of fun changing outfits and climbing through flowers. They are really beautiful young women.

Drabble Dienstag

2011-09-13T07:00:00.000+02:00

I had a horrible situation this last week. Well, I suppose it started a few weeks ago. My husband has been gone during the week every week for a few months now. On night a while back I found a ginormous spider in our bedroom just before I feel asleep. I tried to smash him but he ran fast. Then I called a friend to come catch him, but he disappeared. I didn't sleep.

This past week I found him again. I went to go to the bathroom before bed and he was in there. I tried to put a bowl over him but he crawled away and freaked me out. So I just shut the door. Again, I didn't sleep.

The next night Albert came home. I told him to immediately go in the bathroom and find it. This spider was so big he couldn't even fit under the door, he was still there. So now I can sleep.

The spider didn’t mean any harm, at least initially. He skittered across the floor and hid in the corner of the room. The shadow covered him, and he thought no one would see him. But the little girl came into the room and flicked on the light, illuminating every crevice. She put her teddy down and saw the spider. She screamed. He ran. Her parents calmed her and put her to bed. She sat shivering, thinking that big spider would eat her. When she finally dropped off, the spider crawled up and chomped a good chunk out of her cheek.

Book Club Themed Flapper Party

2011-09-10T12:37:00.000+02:00

We had sooooo much fun at the book club party. We all dressed up and had macaroons and martinis. It was truly swell. I'll let the pictures tell the story.

Martinis!

Macaroons and truffles!

The whole group.

(It's a wig, but I like it!)

We had a lot to talk about concerning the book. There were a few people who hate Ernest Hemingway. A few people thought his mistress planned it all while other thought she was innocent. We all agreed that it was overall a good book. We discussed some of the other history around Hemingway and his psyche. There was a lot to talk about besides just having fun dancing around and dressing up.

Have you read this book? What did you think?

Book Club

2011-09-04T21:35:00.000+02:00

Our book club meeting is on Tuesday. So if you have had a chance to read The Paris Wife by Paula McLain and have something to say, write a blog post and I'll share it at the party.

We're having a 20s themed party. Martinis, fringe, and flapper style. I'll take pictures and blog about the party and what we all think of the book. Have a good labor day to all you American people, and have a good Monday to everyone else!

101 in 1001 Goals

2011-09-01T20:06:00.003+02:00

I have a to-do list of challenges for myself that I've been working on since January 2009. That to-do list is 101 Things in 1001 Days. It ends in October of this year, just in time for my 25th birthday.

You can check out the 101 in 1001 Project here. Red is my finished color, orange is in progress, and yellow is a failure. I'm trying to finish these up so I can say I did it! But I think at this point I'm happy with how much I accomplished.

1. Finish this list 1/20/2009

Home
2. Buy a house (it's an apartment but a house in the German sense)
3. Decorate the house
4. Plant a garden
5. Start herbs 4/7/2009
6. Build a snowboard hanging swing
7. Keep the house picked up for 2 months
8. Have the dishes washed after dinner every day for 2 weeks
9. Organize the back room 1/19/2009
10. Organize the “stuff” closet 1/19/2009

Money
11. Have $5,000 in bank by December (had it, and spent it)
12. Put $10 in savings for every completed task
13. Have a “non-spending” month each year 2/2009 5/2010 4/2011
14. Pay off credit card debt and then only use a credit card when necessary

Artsy
15. Take 100 photos in 100 days, one a day (6/25/2009)
16. Finish the first scrapbook 7/21/2010
17. Buy a new video camera 1/21/2009
18. Buy a new camera 6/16/2009
19. Buy a new fancy lens
20. Learn to play 5 songs on the guitar well (this is changing to violin since that's what I'm learning now)
21. Draw with my charcoal

Health
22. Test 4 times a day for a month 7/14/2009
23. Take a dance class
24. Work out twice a week for a month
25. Play tennis every weekend for two months
26. Snowboard 10 times in one season
27. Drink 5 glasses of water each day for a week
28. Take 50 leisurely walks
29. Go snowboarding in Alaska (Or perhaps Germany?)
30. Go surfing in California

Friends/Others
31. Freerice.com – 15000
32. Have a girls’ weekend 5/3/2010
33. Visit Angie in Guyana
34. Write to Angie
35. Take photos at Bri’s baby’s birth 6/9/2009
36. Take photos of Samantha at 6 months 3/29/2009
37. Take photos of Samantha at 9 months 6/22/2009
38. Take photos of Samantha at 1 year 9/19/2009
39. Make freezer food with Mom and Kelli
40. Learn a language with Christie (although we are on different continents)
41. Write my dad a note listing the top 50 reasons why he means the world to me 2/18/2010
42. Write my mom a note listing the top 50 reasons why she means the world to me 2/18/2010
43. Write my sister a note listing the top 50 reasons why she means the world to me 2/18/2010
44. Buy gifts for others on etsy

Learning
45. Learn a language
46. Read 100 books (172/100)
47. Read 20 non-fiction books (32/20)
48. Read Beowulf 9/1/2011
49. Read 10 classic novels
50. Learn about Buddhism
51. Learn about Henry the VIII 2/20/2009
52. Finish all of Jane Austen’s novels (7/7)
53. Watch all of the BBC Jane Austen movies
54. Learn to become a better photographer
55. Learn the publishing world
56. Understand Photoshop better 2/6/2009

Family
57. Travel to 3 countries I haven’t been to (Germany, Switzerland, Austria)
58. Trade something on Freecycle.com (just gave things away instead)
59. Go backpacking
60. Climb 5 14ers
61. Adopt a pet
62. Take a completely impulsive, spur of the moment road trip 7/25/2009
63. Watch 5 sunrises together
64. Test drive fancy cars
65. Go to a Yankees game
66. Camp in the front yard
67. Go to Alaska
68. Work on the Mustang with Albert 5 times 6/16/2009
69. Have a meaningful date once a month for 6 months
70. Climb Devil’s Head
71. Climb the Rock 3/23/2009
72. Go stargazing with hot chocolate
73. Read 3 books with Albert (8/3) 3/25/2009
74. Write Albert a note listing the top 50 reasons why he means the world to me
75. Read Just Do It by Douglas Brown
76. And…Just Do It!
77. Go ice skating
78. Play hockey
79. Visit Paris
80. Write 5 letters to Albert (1/5)
81. Go to Niagara Falls
82. Play Scrabble 20 times (and some in German!)

Personal
83. Have a one sentence journal everyday for the duration of the challenge
84. Get published
85. Start a business 4/4/2009
86. Help Kelli with the non-profit
87. Step out of my comfort zone
88. Read the Bible
89. Find my niche
90. Write 5 short stories in 2 months 6/22/2010
91. Dye my hair again 2/24/2009
92. Take 10 bubble baths
93. Work on Papa’s book
94. Have a spa day
95. Write some letters of advice to my future kids
96. Stop swearing
97. Create my etsy shop 4/4/2009
98. Buy something on etsy for myself at least twice a year
99. Finish setting up my goodreads.com profile
100. Update the blog every week for 2 months 3/20/2009
101. Be content with life

This is the best way for me to accomplish goals. I'm always writing to-do lists. How do you accomplish goals?

Absense of Light - Drabble Dienstag

2011-08-30T21:29:00.000+02:00

Here is my drabble (100 word story) for this week. I'm kind of thinking this one is a cheat. It's not really a story, just a character sketch. No ending, just a description. What do you think?

My greatest fear seems to be the only essential thing in my existence. If I am to exist at all the light must play a part. Though I shy from it, and hide behind everything I can find, it is a necessity. Otherwise the contrast would not be there. My ability to attach to people and cling to inanimate objects has nothing to do with the one thing that allows me to thrive. In absence of light I disappear into darkness like the shadow that I am. I don’t want to touch the light, but I cannot survive without it.

Kindle Review and Books I Read in 2010

2011-08-28T13:50:00.000+02:00

I've really enjoyed my Kindle, especially because I live in Germany where the supply of English books is limited. I used to go to the library once or even twice a week back in Colorado. So not having access to that many books was hard for me.

The Kindle e-ink screen is superb. I can't stand staring at a computer screen forever. It hurts my eyes. But the e-ink is just like paper.

It's really easy to get books on the Kindle. They've even made it possible to search the web (it's slow because of the e-ink) and buy books right from the Kindle.

One problem I have is that it's not very intuitive to move around and do things. I haven't used the notes feature or highlighting because it's actually a bit intimidating to me.

My sister bought me a first generation in 2008 but I returned it. I didn't think I would use it. Back then I probably wouldn't have, but I really like having it now. (And now even Borders will be gone so it's even more important.)

Books I read in 2010. The last set. I rate on a scale of 1-5.

Persuasion by Jane Austen - 4

Of all her books this is my favorite. There's some depth to the characters that the other books just don't have.

Why Men Don't Have a Clue and Women Always Need More Shoes by Pease

Serpent by Clive Cussler - 3

He's always a great escape into an adventure novel.

Uglies by Scott Westerfield -2

I wrote a review here. Great ideas. Good writing. Horrible ending because it's so open waiting for the next in the series. END your books please, don't leave me hanging. There can be an open-ended hook, but end the story. I don't want to feel like I'm reading a chapter and now have to wait years to read the next chapter.

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer - 4

I wrote a review about this one here. I felt everything. I thought we didn't have any food in our pantry because the character's food supply was running out. The emotional impact of this book is incredible.

Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines - 3

Ran a little dry for me. Was a quick read but didn't get as deep as I was hoping for.

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher - 4
If you want to understand what it's like to be bullied as a teenager, read this book. If you did the bullying, read this book. But it's not for the faint of heart. It will make you hurt.

The Elephant Keeper by Christopher Nicholson - 3

Lovely novel.

You Wish by Mandy Hubbard - 3

Really great wit. Such dry humor. The characters were very real.

Clair de Lune by Christine Johnson - 3

Cool concepts.

Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard - 2

I was hoping for another like You Wish, but this one fell flat for me. It was a little too girly and silly.

Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning - 4

My secret indulgence...these books are so fun.

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater - 4

She writes love so well. It's so natural. And the revelations in this book, wow! I absolutely can not wait for the last one.

That's the end of my 2010 reading list. I'm a little worried about next year as I've been reading a ton more. I'll figure something out!

Drabble Dienstag - The Skeleton Key

2011-08-23T09:03:00.000+02:00

Here's the drabble (100 word story) for today. I love to hear feedback so I can improve.

That old skeleton key. It sat in a drawer, gathering dust and little strings of cobwebs. The metal had rusted a tiny bit so that it was more brown with red spots than black anymore. Its destiny had never been fulfilled, and now no one even knew what it opened. In fact, no one knew it existed. It sat in a drawer that was part of a desk that had been in the back of an antique store for years. Until a curious little girl came and dug around, she took the key in her fist and took it home.

Drabble Dienstag

2011-08-16T21:18:00.000+02:00

I found this new thing to brighten up my writing. It's called drabbles. Stories written in exactly 100 words. So I thought I would do them every Tuesday and have 'Drabble Dienstag.' (Dienstag is Tuesday in German.)

If you want to join in leave a comment with a link.

Here's my first attempt. Feedback would be wonderful so I can get better!

There was nothing more important than acceptance. She had dealt with it in highschool. College had been a nightmare. But now she lived in a city she didn’t know, speaking a language at which she was only passable. It was fine in the post office when she could smile and nod.

Twirling her bracelet on her wrist, she couldn’t look up. It wasn’t the strobe lights; it was the cute guy asking her questions. She couldn’t smile and nod at him. What if that meant something she didn’t mean and it turned out horrible? She walked away.

Book Club Fun!

2011-08-09T21:21:00.000+02:00

We are reading The Paris Wife by Paula McLain for the book club. We're meeting the first week of September and I want to prepare for the themed party we'll have where we dress up and act like the book. Think Breakfast at Tiffany's and Martinis. Oh ya and The Great Gatsby, jazz music, flappers dresses. That's right, the book is based in the 1920s.

Ballet Russe by BalletArt on Etsy

Bridal Cloche Hat by Tissage on Etsy

Keira Knightley's gorgeous green gown in Atonement. (P.S. Isn't James McAvoy devine?)

I'm so excited! Any ideas to add for costumes?

Photo Slideshow of Johnny Duke Perino

2011-08-03T20:04:00.001+02:00

Here is a slideshow of the photos I took of Johnny Duke Perino. The music is Anything Like Me by Brad Paisley.

Johnny Duke Perino Baby Portraits

2011-08-02T16:34:00.000+02:00

I had the lovely opportunity to take family and belly photos for Melonie Perino. Then when she had the baby I got to photograph her new son, Johnny Duke. He was so well behaved. When I took the pictures a few weeks ago he was just about a month old so he would hear the shutter and follow it with his eyes. It made for some truly engaging photos.

Book Club Invite

2011-07-24T14:49:00.000+02:00

Hello to the people who don't live near me! A friend and I are starting a book club. I wanted to include others who aren't in the immediate vicinity. So I will post what book we're reading and when we're getting together. If you would like to write a blog post, or even just email me at amie_photos at hotmail dot com, I will share your thoughts when we all get together here. If you want to get even more fancy - we can skype!

I will also post after our get-togethers possibly with pictures and what we talked about. We want to theme the parties after the books, so it should be fun.

The lovely Sydney made the flyer for our new book club. Check out her website here.

The first book is The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. It comes in Kindle edition for those with e-readers/iPads. I'm planning on the first week in September to meet about this book. I'll put a reminder on the blog as we get closer.

Harry Potter - Ten Years and an Epic in the Making

2011-07-14T19:37:00.000+02:00

It's been ten years since the first Harry Potter movie came out. Now they are finished. The second part of the seventh movie was certainly epic. The best part has been watching this phenomenon turn into something that we will certainly share with our children. It's on the par of fables and wives tales, only way cooler.

I saw the Deathly Hallows movie last night (it came out two days earlier here and I can't stop gloating about it, ha!). I won't give away any spoilers, even though if you've read the book you know. I will say they do include one of the best ideas (not quite direct lines) from the book:

"Tell me one last thing," said Harry. "Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?"
Dumbledore beamed at him, and his voice sounded loud and strong in Harry's ears even though the bright mist was descending again, obscuring his figure.
"Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"

Buddha and Happy Mediums

2011-07-11T18:56:00.000+02:00

I like to learn. So I recently read a biography on Buddha by Karen Armstrong. It had snippets about actual Buddhism (which I've had on my list of things to learn) but was mostly about the last Buddha.

Let me make it clear that I am not Buddhist, but I have always believed in a happy medium. The way to get through life is to be a good person and to have balance. I don't like to speak in absolutes.

I'll give you a few quotes from Karen Armstrong's book so you can read for yourself what I liked about the book.

"Gotama was developing what he called a "Middle Way," which shunned physical and emotional self-indulgence on the one hand, and extreme asceticism (which could be just as destructive) on the other." Page 71

The Buddha went from one extreme to the other before he found his own version of how to live life.
"The Buddha always insisted that his disciples test everything he taught them against their own experience and take nothing on hearsay." Page 101

Listening is different than following. You can listen to a person or idea, but flat out following without using your own brain to calculate whether the facts add up is harmful.

I marked many more passages, but I don't want this to turn into a religious debate. I did not read the book for the religion, I read it for the knowledge. Now I understand something else about the world that I didn't before.

I'm in love with a blog about punctuation.

2011-07-07T19:08:00.000+02:00

I'm in editor heaven. This blog here:

http://www.shadycharacters.co.uk/

is about the history of punctuation. From the pilcrow to the ampersand and on. This guy writes essays detailing the history of little marks we make with the computer and that used to be made with stone and chisel. Not only is it historical and educating, it's about punctuation. I think I'm in love.

Querying, Writing, Writing, Waiting

2011-07-05T18:03:00.000+02:00

I'm querying my first novel. I've sent only three queries so far, but I have one rejection. I'm so elated with the query process right now that I'm actually happy to have a rejection because it means someone looked at my stuff! So when I post a few months down the road and am continuing to get rejections that just depress me, please remind me of this high feeling I had today.

I'm also working on two projects. Continuing along with my singularity idea and starting another literary novel about a girl who is constantly reaching for dreams but every time she gets one they just fall apart. It's still in the baby stages and fairly fragile so I am handling with care.

The singularity novel is blossoming. It's become something I did not expect. In order to begin a story I need to know the ending, but I usually only know a few scenes in the middle to get me to that ending, then I just let the story run. Well this one has gone some strange places. It's becoming more action than I'm used to writing. It's refreshing and difficult.

Oxford Commas

2011-06-29T18:18:00.001+02:00

The Oxford Comma is my friend. I can't live without it. But now I find out even Oxford has gotten rid of it. Nooooo! I completely agree with what everyone was saying on twitter.

Here is the University of Oxford's style guide web page with the entry for commas.

I'm not an insanely staunch believer in the series comma. At least not to the point that I can't do without it when the situation calls for it. Say Sally wants coleslaw, eggs and ham for breakfast. The eggs and the ham go together but the coleslaw doesn't match at all, hence no second comma. But what if she wants toast, eggs, and ham for breakfast. That sentence NEEDS the second comma!

I'm worried I won't be able to break this habit. I've already broken the 'only one space before sentences instead of two,' that one was actually easy. But this one, I'm stuck on it. I'm not ok with skipping out on something that is necessary to break up three (or more) separate ideas!

If I Stay by Gayle Forman - Book Review

2011-06-26T13:09:00.001+02:00

If I Stay by Gayle Forman is a young adult novel about a seventeen-year-old girl, Mia, who is having an out-of-body experience. She is in a car crash with her family and ends up in a coma but is observing everything as if she is a ghost alongside her body. The book follows her through the trauma of listening to her bereaved friends and family, and jumping back into memories. There are spoilers, so stop here if you don't want to find out.

I finished this book in about 3 hours. It simply sucked me in and held me there. I couldn't stop. It's a roller coaster from complete nervous breakdown when she sees her family smeared across the road; to hearing her Grandpa say it's ok if she doesn't fight anymore, she can let go; to laughing with her when she remembers how hopped up on marshmallows her little brother was the night they had a big labor day picnic.

The characters are vivid. They are people that I can't stand not knowing. I want to immerse myself in their lives and just swim around for hours.

Mia's boyfriend, Adam, says at one point, "I'll let you go. If you stay." It seems like a seriously overused idea, but it really gave me the chills. I was so invested in the story that I didn't care if it was something I might have seen before.

SPOILERS!
What a way to end a book. It was like death in reverse. They always say life flashes before your eyes before you die, but hers flashes before she wakes from her coma. She's a very dedicated cellist and it's the sound of a cello (Adam brought her a song to listen to) that immediately changes her mind about dying and wakes her up. I don't think a book has ever truly made me cry before.

Giveaway Winner and Books Read in 2010

2011-06-09T21:39:00.000+02:00

Congratulations to Andrea for winning the Amazon gift certificate to celebrate 200 followers! Thanks to those who entered.

Another installment of books I read in 2010. We're getting down to the bottom of the pile. But still quite a few to go! I rate on a scale of 1-5.

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides - 4

Definitely a book that will go down as literature to be read by future high school kids.

Julie and Julia by Julie Powell - 3

She's very witty. The movie was wonderfully done as well.

Letters from Africa Isak Dinesen

Heard of the movie Out of Africa? These were the actual letters written between Baroness Karen von Blixen-Fineke and her family. Sometimes a little boring (as normal life is) but enlightening.

The Help by Karen Stockett - 3

The story was nice, the dialect was horribly difficult to get into. I don't enjoy stories written in dialect, I try to correct the grammar as I read.

So You Don't Want to go to Church Anymore by Jake Colsen

Gave me some fresh ideas.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith - 2

I found it a bit trite. It was fun and all, but basically taking most of someone else's work word for word and adding in your own element...I don't know. It just didn't hit me right.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater - 4

Very engaging writing and characters. Lovely stories. (Even if there is a lot of kissing :))

Northern Lights by Phillip Pullman - 3

I watched the movie first and was intrigued. The story was wonderful. I liked the movie as well, even though it ended differently.

The Vampire Diaries 1 by LJ Smith - 2

Fun and quick read. A little silly though. I like young adult, just needs to be believable and have some depth to it.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson - 3

I couldn't put it down...because I was scared half to death. The writing was good, but the story was gripping! The movie is awesome (the Swedish one). I'm worried the English remake will horribly ruin it.

Selected Stories by Alice Munro - 3

Every once in a while it's nice to read short stories. Hers are all a bit confusing, but good.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - 3

I didn't know where she would go with this second book, but I liked it!

Reckless by Cornelia Funke - 3

A little high fantasy. It's like a breath of mountain air when high fantasy doesn't seem silly.

Grimms Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm - 4

I had to read these, I do live in Germany!

Night Probe by Clive Cussler - 3

I'm not much for adventures, but ever since I was given a stack of books with one of his, I like to read them here and there. Funky, fast, and definitely alluring.

Over the 200 Follower Mark - Giveaway!

2011-05-28T19:35:00.000+02:00

I've finally pushed over the 200 followers mark. So in my normal fashion, I'm celebrating reaching a landmark. It's simple. Anyone who comments on this post will be entered to win a $15 Amazon gift card.

Now for some updates because I haven't blogged in a while.

Summer in is full swing here. As you can see by these peonies and daisies I got from the market.

We've been squeezing every weekend like a wet rag, getting every last drop of sun and activity. We've driven in the Black Forest with the removable top off of our Porsche, we've gone racing at the Nürburgring, sat on our balcony soaking up rays, and just enjoyed the long days.

I've been reading tons. Although I got stuck recently on a very long book about Cleopatra by Margaret George. It was wonderful but slow and long.

My writing stopped. Just quit coming. So I let it. I think it's starting to creep back in. It's like a thunderstorm, sometimes way off in the distance rumbling but not really effecting me, then suddenly it's booming so loud I can feel it deep in my chest.

We bought a grill today so we're having a meal of entirely grilled food. Corn, brats, and potatoes...yum. We've been cooking more at home, trying to eat better. I think it's that and the huge amounts of sunshine that are helping me feel not so depressed. (Yes, the winter had me very down this year.)

How about you? What has been going on?

Almost 25, Thanks Mom

2011-05-07T18:10:00.000+02:00

This year I turn 25. Not until October, but that's creeping closer. Since it's Mother's Day tomorrow I figured I would thank my mom for those 25 years. I also have a to-do list of challenges for myself that I've been working on since January 2009. That to-do list is 101 Things in 1001 Days. It ends in October of this year, just in time for my 25th birthday.

You can check out the 101 in 1001 Project here. Red is my finished color, orange is in progress, and yellow is a failure.

1. Finish this list 1/20/2009

Home
2. Buy a house (it's an apartment but a house in the German sense)
3. Decorate the house
4. Plant a garden
5. Start herbs 4/7/2009
6. Build a snowboard hanging swing
7. Keep the house picked up for 2 months
8. Have the dishes washed after dinner every day for 2 weeks
9. Organize the back room 1/19/2009
10. Organize the “stuff” closet 1/19/2009

Money
11. Have $5,000 in bank by December (had it, and spent it)
12. Put $10 in savings for every completed task
13. Have a “non-spending” month each year 2/2009 5/2010 4/2011
14. Pay off credit card debt and then only use a credit card when necessary

Artsy
15. Take 100 photos in 100 days, one a day (6/25/2009)
16. Finish the first scrapbook 7/21/2010
17. Buy a new video camera 1/21/2009
18. Buy a new camera 6/16/2009
19. Buy a new fancy lens
20. Learn to play 5 songs on the guitar well (this is changing to violin since that's what I'm learning now)
21. Draw with my charcoal

Health
22. Test 4 times a day for a month 7/14/2009
23. Take a dance class
24. Work out twice a week for a month
25. Play tennis every weekend for two months
26. Snowboard 10 times in one season
27. Drink 5 glasses of water each day for a week
28. Take 50 leisurely walks
29. Go snowboarding in Alaska (Or perhaps Germany?)
30. Go surfing in California

Friends/Others
31. Freerice.com – 13100
32. Have a girls’ weekend 5/3/2010
33. Visit Angie in Guyana
34. Write to Angie
35. Take photos at Bri’s baby’s birth 6/9/2009
36. Take photos of Samantha at 6 months 3/29/2009
37. Take photos of Samantha at 9 months 6/22/2009
38. Take photos of Samantha at 1 year 9/19/2009
39. Make freezer food with Mom and Kelli
40. Learn a language with Christie (although we are on different continents)
41. Write my dad a note listing the top 50 reasons why he means the world to me 2/18/2010
42. Write my mom a note listing the top 50 reasons why she means the world to me 2/18/2010
43. Write my sister a note listing the top 50 reasons why she means the world to me 2/18/2010
44. Buy gifts for others on etsy

Learning
45. Learn a language
46. Read 100 books (152/100)
47. Read 20 non-fiction books (28/20)
48. Read Beowulf
49. Read 10 classic novels
50. Learn about Buddhism
51. Learn about Henry the VIII 2/20/2009
52. Finish all of Jane Austen’s novels (6/7)
53. Watch all of the BBC Jane Austen movies
54. Learn to become a better photographer
55. Learn the publishing world
56. Understand Photoshop better 2/6/2009

Family
57. Travel to 3 countries I haven’t been to (Germany, Switzerland, Austria)
58. Trade something on Freecycle.com (just gave things away instead)
59. Go backpacking
60. Climb 5 14ers
61. Adopt a pet
62. Take a completely impulsive, spur of the moment road trip 7/25/2009
63. Watch 5 sunrises together
64. Test drive fancy cars
65. Go to a Yankees game
66. Camp in the front yard
67. Go to Alaska
68. Work on the Mustang with Albert 5 times 6/16/2009
69. Have a meaningful date once a month for 6 months
70. Climb Devil’s Head
71. Climb the Rock 3/23/2009
72. Go stargazing with hot chocolate
73. Read 3 books with Albert (8/3) 3/25/2009
74. Write Albert a note listing the top 50 reasons why he means the world to me
75. Read Just Do It by Douglas Brown
76. And…Just Do It!
77. Go ice skating
78. Play hockey
79. Visit Paris
80. Write 5 letters to Albert (1/5)
81. Go to Niagara Falls
82. Play Scrabble 20 times (and some in German!)

Personal
83. Have a one sentence journal everyday for the duration of the challenge
84. Get published
85. Start a business 4/4/2009
86. Help Kelli with the non-profit
87. Step out of my comfort zone
88. Read the Bible
89. Find my niche
90. Write 5 short stories in 2 months 6/22/2010
91. Dye my hair again 2/24/2009
92. Take 10 bubble baths
93. Work on Papa’s book
94. Have a spa day
95. Write some letters of advice to my future kids
96. Stop swearing
97. Create my etsy shop 4/4/2009
98. Buy something on etsy for myself at least twice a year
99. Finish setting up my goodreads.com profile
100. Update the blog every week for 2 months 3/20/2009
101. Be content with life

This is the best way for me to accomplish goals. I'm always writing to-do lists. How do you accomplish goals?

May Free Desktop Calendar

2011-05-01T13:31:00.001+02:00

April showers bring May flowers. Except that here in Stuttgart we're way ahead of that. The trees have already turned green and let their petals flutter to the ground. The weather has been stunning. Sunny almost every day and maybe a little rain shower in the afternoon. I love rain.

Just click on the picture. When it comes up in its own browser window, right click and save the picture somewhere on your computer. Then go to that location, right click on the picture, and set as desktop background. Voila, you have a photo calendar on your computer! And please let me know in the comments if you use it.

Piepsen, Quite the Traveler

2011-04-28T22:41:00.001+02:00

Piepsen has some catching up to do. He's been quite a few places and wanted to update everyone. If you want to see his other photos, just click the Mouse book above.

Let's go backward and start with Rome. He really thought Rome was great, especially all of the parmesan and other fancy cheeses available.

In Barcelona he enjoyed the beach and the Gaudi architecture.

We took a trip to Berlin, Prague, and Salzburg. He loved all three, but mostly Prague because of its beautiful rooftops.

And here's a photo from Vienna. We went ages ago. It just hasn't been posted.

Portraits of the Perino Family

2011-04-18T08:00:00.021+02:00

Last Sunday I got to photograph a beautiful family at the zoo. The Perino family is made up of parents and two kiddos and another one on the way. I was so excited just to get back into portraits, these are the first I've done in Germany.

Really a photogenic family. The camera just soaked them up like sunshine. I get to take photos when the baby arrives, I absolutely can't wait.

Caffeine - Or in other words "hyper juice"

2011-04-17T10:02:00.000+02:00

I have a dilemma that maybe you can help me with. When I drink just one cup of coffee in the morning I end up completely jittery and over-hyper about an hour after. So yesterday I tried to go without. That caused a three-hour nap by four o'clock in the afternoon. I can't do that every day. But I also can't quite handle the shakes. Any ideas?

Books Read in 2010

2011-04-03T16:33:00.000+02:00

Another installment of what I read in 2010. I rate on a scale of 1-5.

The Nature of Monsters by Clare Clark - 2

I was really hoping for more from this book. It takes an intriguing idea (an 18th-century apothecary obsessed with deformities) and just bored me. There was no meat; it was superficial.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown - 2

I reviewed this book, just click here.

Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning -3

If you can get your hands on this series do it. So much fun. Sexy, adventurous, fantastical, and just plain hilarious. It's about faeries, and Dublin, and the world falling apart.

Treasure of Khan by Clive Cussler - 3

What can I say about Clive Cussler besides the fact that he's awesome?

A Place Called Here by Cecilia Ahern - 4

I really love the movie P.S. I Love You, but this was the first book by Cecilia Ahern I have read. ( She wrote P.S. I Love You.) It was exactly what I like. Literature with a little bit of magic thrown in. I wrote a review, click here.

The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood - 3

Again, literature and magic. My favorite mix. I wrote a review, click here.

Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning - 3

Read above.

Faefever by Karen Marie Moning - 3

Read above.

On the Fifth Day by AJ Hartley - 2

Honestly, I don't really remember it. I think it was good.

German Short Stories

Can't rate this. Just something I picked up at the library because I was interested.

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver - 3

I didn't like the Poisonwood Bible, but was convinced to try Kingsolver's other books. I wrote a review on this one, click here.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer - 2

I wanted more. I did like how well connected it was to the other books. I wrote a review, click here.

That's it for today. I'll keep posting about the books I read in 2010. There are still 27 left. Next year is going to be hard to do like this. It's only April and I've already read 25 books. Sheesh.

Free April Desktop Calendar

2011-04-01T18:19:00.000+02:00

We went to Rome last weekend, so I only thought it appropriate to use a Roman arch as the April calendar.

Just click on the picture. When it comes up in its own browser window, right click and save the picture somewhere on your computer. Then go to that location, right click on the picture, and set as desktop background. Voila, you have a photo calendar on your computer! And please let me know in the comments if you use it.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - Book Review

2011-03-28T20:19:00.000+02:00

Spoilers below on Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins...just in case you haven't read it yet.

I've now read Mockingjay twice. I think the second time really allowed me to slow down and have a broader view. I always expected Prim to die, even the first time. Of course the person closest to Katniss had to die, and that person was Prim.

The thing I noticed the second time was that Katniss was always going to end up with Peeta. I like Gale better, but that's because he's my type. (I also love the 'friends with a guy as a kid and then fall in love' story.) But throughout the book Katniss gives little hints as to who she really loves. Gale is referred to as her best friend multiple times; she has more emotional reactions to Peeta; and Gale is exactly like her. All of which I think she realizes even before Prim dies because of Gale's bomb.

The first time I read it I wrote notes. Here they are:

- It's so much more psychological than the other two.
- When she killed Coin I was like, "Yes! She got the right one!" It kept flipping back and forth to confuse the reader and Katniss, but I never trusted the rebels. When Boggs told her not to trust them it solidified my trust.
- The dungeons where the prep team was held is an unanswered question. I felt jipped.
- It seems odd that in all three books Katniss is constantly knocked unconscious but is always safe. She never falls into enemy hands while out. Too perfect.
- I really wanted her to make it into the mansion and kill Snow. But maybe that cold-blooded killing would have been out of character for her.
- I wanted her to end up alone instead of with one of the guys. She can survive without either of them.
- Katniss is such a real character. She reacts correctly, not theatrically. Her reactions are what make the book. The fact that she never stands up for herself is real. Or that the strange relationship and problems never become solved is real.
- She voted yes because it was her way of saying, "This will never end. Humans are sick and will constantly want power, using pain to get it." Then she killed Coin to say she could be better than that. Coin, the only other person who knew they had voted yes for another games. Which hopefully never happened because no one knew, right?
- It would have been so wrong for Katniss to help forge the new world. She never wanted that. She wanted to run away and be left alone.

What did you think of it? Are you excited for the movies?

Fairy Tales and Offices

2011-03-14T21:14:00.000+01:00

What do you picture when you hear a fairy tale? The beautiful maidens that dance across the pages with grace and flair? Or the princes who ride on white steeds and save the day?

A few months ago I decided to picture-ify three fairy tales for a friend of mine, Hanna from I'll Name My Typewriter After the Moon.

Beauty and the Beast

Snow White

Little Red Riding Hood

We are both crazy for fairy tales and would probably live in them if we could, so we both hung these photos over our desks. Hopefully they will help the inspiration flow.

My desk with the three photos in the magnet board in the corner, next to my inspiration wall.

And Hanna's desk. You can tell she spends a lot of time there pouring herself onto pages. It's a well-lived desk.

So tell me, what do you imagine when you read fairy tales?

March Free Desktop Calendar

2011-03-01T21:33:00.000+01:00

Sorry for the neglect. There are multiple excuses including family and friends visiting, lots of work, and working on new ideas in the background. So for now here is the March calendar. I thought the flower was appropriate as it's nearly ten at night and my windows are open. (If that didn't make sense, I mean that spring is here.)

Just click on the picture. When it comes up in its own browser window, right click and save the picture somewhere on your computer. Then go to that location, right click on the picture, and set as desktop background. Voila, you have a photo calendar on your computer! And please let me know in the comments if you use it.

February Free Desktop Calendar

2011-01-31T22:39:00.000+01:00

Welcome to the short, short month of February. This photo is for wolves and red cloaks and little girls on their way to grandma's house.

Just click on the picture. When it comes up in its own browser window, right click and save the picture somewhere on your computer. Then go to that location, right click on the picture, and set as desktop background. Voila, you have a photo calendar on your computer! And please let me know in the comments if you use it.

Books Read in 2010

2011-01-30T17:18:00.000+01:00

Starting with the first books I read this year and plowing through to the end. I won't bore you with the whole list at once. I rate on a scale of 1-5.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore - 3

Good but I don't quite remember it, so either it was a really fast read and I breezed through, or it was not significant enough for me to remember. I would reread it though.

Fire by Kristin Cashore - 3

I liked this one better. Now I can't wait for the third.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman - 2

Strange. Good, but strange. Seemed to mix fantasy with literature...strange.

Zoe by Dirk Wittenborn - 2

About a model. Not my thing.

Dune by Frank Herbert - 4

My first experience of this. Wow.

Hopeful Monsters by Nicholas Mosley - 2

Long, long, interesting, but long.

Culture Smart Germany by Barry Tomalin - 4

Wonderful short snippet on how German culture works and why. Really helped me understand better.

The Other Hand by Chris Cleave - 3

Took a while to get interesting, but man is the end surprising.

Marie Antoinette The Journey by Antonia Fraser - 4

I love a history book that doesn't bore me.

Teach Yourself German

Can't really rate this. It probably shouldn't be included in my book count, but it is a book, and I read all the way through it!

Floating Bookshelves Tutorial

2011-01-23T18:06:00.000+01:00

Floating bookshelves are the new rage. You can make them at home for as cheap as you wish. This is about the same as my floating DVDs tutorial, only with books, and I actually made these when we first moved in because it was so simple and I needed to get started on decorating. I just haven't gotten around to posting here.

You'll need some hefty, hardback books that you don't mind cutting into and gluing, scissors, short self-tapping screws, and two L brackets per book.

Measure and place the L brackets at equal distances.

Trace the L brackets and cut away just enough pages to have them sit flush when the book is closed.

You might have to cut into the cover itself to let the book sit flat against the wall when hung.

Screw the L brackets to the pages and then glue around the edges and glue the covers shut.

Let it all dry.

Then hang! Now you have homemade floating bookshelves.

Reread Books in 2010

2011-01-16T20:06:00.000+01:00

I read two more books the last week of 2010. So my total for the year is now 59. I'd say that's pretty good considering I didn't have access to a lot of books. I'm trucking through this year already with 5. (Loving the Kindle.) With last year's list I read 60 in 2009 and read 5 books by January 28.

So I'll start with the books I reread in 2010. I rate on a scale of 1-5.

La Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery - 5

I read this in both German and English. My mother used to read it to me in the original French. Wonderful children's classic with a depth unfathomable by children. Definitely something to read as an adult.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein - 5

Read this one with Albert. He liked it and wants to read the Lord of the Rings. I can't say much about the Hobbit except that it's awesome.

Harry Potter 4 by J.K. Rowling - 4

This is my absolute favorite Harry Potter. I bought a fancy signed version in London.

Harry Potter 7 by J.K. Rowling - 2

I don't like this one as much. The movie was awesome. (I hate you Hollywood for splitting it into two, grrr.) It's too psychological and philosophical instead of constant action for me.

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon - 3

Love love love this series. Especially the first one, Outlander. Anyone who can keep me hooked for 1,000 pages and never let up on the humor, love, and action is amazing.

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer - 2

I don't like these books very much. The Host is so much better. But the movies are fun so I reread before the movies. They are quick easy reads when I just want to relax.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon - 4

Amazing.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen - 3

Good book. I struggle with her writing. It doesn't quite hook me. But the story is wonderful.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer - 4

This book grabs from the beginning and doesn't let go. The world is well developed and interesting. The characters are heart-wrenchers.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - 3

Had to reread before Mockingjay came out!

And those are my rereads for 2010. I will keep listing what else I read this year in small chunks. Also, I'll have a Kindle review at some point.

Photo Transfers to Canvas Tutorial

2011-01-10T07:00:00.039+01:00

I found this tutorial on A la Mode Stuff a while back and planned to use it on some products. But then it just became a home project for my dining room wall. Here's how I did it with photos of the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, and Big Ben.

Print out the photos you want. If they have words or something recognizable (like the Statue of Liberty's right hand) make sure and flip them. (I didn't, but we're a left-handed family so a left-handed Statue of Liberty is fine with me.)

You'll need canvas, the print-outs, mod podge, and a sponge brush. Glue the print-outs to the canvas ink down with the mod podge.

Smooth the wrinkles out and cover the pictures with something heavy. Let them dry.

Then slightly dampen the paper and pull it off.

You'll need to rub most of the paper off with your finger. I left some of the paper, and even scraped some of the ink off, to make them look old.

The three with the paper scraped off. It makes quite a mess.

I rubbed a wet black teabag around the edges and in the holes. It made them look like old oil paintings. It doesn't really match my other decor, and I wish I had left them white. Maybe I'll do them again at some point.

Three Things Thursday - Favorite Season

2011-01-05T21:40:00.000+01:00

What is your favorite season? There are aspects of each that I like: late nights in the summer, green and flowers in spring, crisp weather in fall, but I love winter.

Three things about...

your favorite season.

1.    I am in love with winter. I get to bundle up. In the summer you can only take so many clothes off, but in the winter you can always put more on! Plus the hot drinks and the fires. It’s all so cozy when it’s snowing outside. And the way my face looks with rosy cheeks and nose is just ten times better than covered in sweat and flushed.
2.    How many sports do I dare name here…ice skating, snowboarding, crunching the snow with boots (ok, not a sport), snow shoeing, skiing, sledding…I love it all.
3.    The snow, oh the snow. In Colorado it’s beautiful because we get snow and sunshine, not so much in Germany. We get the snow. And gray clouds. It’s still beautiful when I look out my window and see fat flakes drifting their way to the ground and covering the branches of the trees. Like my own personal wonderland sitting just outside while I sit inside with a blanket and good book.

Tell me your favorite season in the comments or link your own blog post in the linky.

I Love Living in Europe

2011-01-02T21:45:00.000+01:00

Things are not so mass-produced here. One still has the feel of a mom and pop store when walking into a bakery or gift shop. And I find feathers on my eggs, as it should be.

Happy New Year January Calendar

2011-01-01T19:01:00.000+01:00

Hello and welcome to the new year. Here's a calendar for your computer desktop. I did this every month last year and liked it a lot so I'll keep doing it this year. It didn't seem to be extremely popular, but I like using them for myself and since I'm doing it anyways I'll share with you.

Just click on the picture. When it comes up in its own browser window, right click and save the picture somewhere on your computer. Then go to that location, right click on the picture, and set as desktop background. Voila, you have a photo calendar on your computer! And please let me know in the comments if you use it.

Three Things Thursday - The Year 2010

2010-12-30T14:04:00.000+01:00

What did you do in 2010, or what do you plan on doing in 2011? We have been a decade in the 20s. I remember when 2000 flipped how everyone was worried about the computers. Now everyone is worried about 2012 and the Mayan calendar. I don't know, just live while you can and stop worrying about that stuff. If the world blows up in 2012, or even tomorrow, there's nothing you can do. So forget it.

Three things about...

2010 or 2011.

1.    I feel accomplished here at the end of 2010. I’ve gotten over some fears (flying in airplanes being one), gotten onto a career path, and work on the side for a publisher. This year has opened doors for the next year that I would never have thought possible.
2.    One of those doors is the possibility to write another book. I’m gearing up for it. It’s ready to spill out. Now to just write it. Another is that I will continue editing, which is what I truly love. I have found my passion, and I’m going to stick with it.
3.    I hope in 2011 I can visit more places and open my eyes a little wider to how things in this world work. I want to grow. Both as a person and alongside my husband. I have hopes for this year that at this moment it seems will be fulfilled. That is extremely exciting.

Guten Rutsch!

How about you? Tell me in the comments or in your own blog post and link below.

Books Read in 2010

2010-12-26T22:29:00.001+01:00

It's time to count up the books I read in 2010. It doesn't feel like that many since it was hard to find English books here, but I think it's actually a pretty good number. I'll give a list of the books I read with a little review of what I thought. Also 1-5 stars depending on how much I liked it. We'll start with a count, and in a later post I'll begin the reviews.

I still have one week left to add some to the list!

Reread books: 11
Non-Fiction: 8
YA: 30
Fiction: 50
Total: 57

Last year I read 60 books. So 57 is actually pretty good. I think I could have read a ton more if I had the Kindle way earlier, as I've breezed through a lot of those books in the last month. I will mix in a review of my Kindle somewhere in the blog posts of what books I've read this year.

Three Things Thursday - When You're Sick

2010-12-16T12:34:00.001+01:00

I'm sick today. Everyone in my office has been sick, and I was really hoping not to catch it. I think I was successful considering what I have is nothing like what they had! So there's my positive spin on being home sick. Now I want to know what are your favorite things to do when you're sick.

Three things about...

what you do when you're sick.

1.    Read. I can never pass up a chance to read more. I devour books when I’m sick because I’m in bed anyways. It turns into a wonderful thing, unless I feel so awful that I can’t concentrate on the words. Then it’s a really bad day.
2.    Watch favorite childhood movies. This is when I pull out Aladdin and Robin Hood. Notice I’m not really into the princess movies. They are just complete airheads, and I can’t stand it. I need intelligent women in my movies.
3.    Catching up on house stuff like the mail and little errands. For instance today I signed up for a new internet service online. I should clean the house…but that’s a little too labor intensive for how I feel right now. Maybe later.

Tell me your three things in the comments or leave a link to your own blog post.

Three Things Thursday - Your Face

2010-12-08T21:48:00.000+01:00

What do you think about your face? Do you have some pieces that you love and others that you could change? Overall, I like my face. I'm not the type to have lots of mirrors in the house or to do fancy make-up, so I don't look at it very often. So tell me three things about your face. You can be positive or negative, do with it what you want. For you writers out there here's a chance to really play with three things Thursday.

Three things about...

your face.

1.    My eyes. When I wear red they are stunningly blue. And when my hair was dyed red they were Caribbean blue all the time. I like to hope that when I’m truly happy they get a little glint just on the right corner of each pupil. Oh, that reminds me, one of my pupils is larger. It looks strange.
2.    My cheeks are way too chubby. I should have lost that by now, right? With my hair up they look skinnier. If I could just slim them down I would be happier to stare into mirrors…or not.
3.    My nose is adorably cute. But it’s so small that sometimes I just can’t breath. But it’s cute. I think my nieces’ button noses look like mine. People have even said the newborn, Ella, looks like me! That freckle is like a family member. If I woke up one day and didn't see it there I think I would have a heart attack.

Tell me your three things in the comments or leave a link to your own blog post.

Three Things Thursday - Family

2010-12-02T07:00:00.000+01:00

Do you love your family? I do. Sometimes I get sick of them, but that's just because I'm an introvert and two weeks of constant people tires me out. But I love them so much. Since I just spent those two weeks in Colorado with my family, I thought family would be an appropriate Three Things topic.

Three things about...

your family.

(From left: Brother-in-law's parents; Albert holding Sam; Dad and Mom; Kelli holding baby Ella and brother-in-law A.J.; and Sadie the dog.)

1.    My immediate family is very close. Sometimes we bicker, and grumble, and complain about each other, but we are rather tight. I stayed in Colorado for college and worked for my dad through and after. My sister moved away for college and stayed away a while until my dad hired her as a manager. Family business through and through. We all lived in our little home town and probably will for a long time if/when Albert and I move back.
2.    My mother is a big mother bear. She likes to take care of all of us. When something is wrong she either comforts us or tells us to get up and do something about it. She’s wonderful.
3.    My dad is quiet. He works so hard. It makes me tired just thinking about everything he does. He’s a veterinarian but he takes care of the house and the animals in all of his free time.

Tell me three things about your family either in the comments or link your own blog post into the linky below.

Free December Calendar

2010-11-30T06:48:00.000+01:00

I've been away, basking in the glow of family and friends in Colorado. We left Germany with warm fall weather, found snow in Colorado, and came back to snow in Germany. We are glad to be home. I have pictures to show, but they need edited. So for now I have December's calendar.

Just click on the picture. When it comes up in its own browser window, right click and save the picture somewhere on your computer. Then go to that location, right click on the picture, and set as desktop background. Voila, you have a photo calendar on your computer! And please let me know in the comments if you use it.

Three Things Thursday - Jobs

2010-11-11T06:37:00.002+01:00

I just started a new job two weeks ago, so let's get into what your job is like. Whether that's being a mother or a doctor...I want to hear about it.

Three things about...

your work.

1.    It’s actually my first job that applies to my college degree (English), and I graduated three years ago.
2.    I’m really loving it. I have an OCD personality to the point where I actually enjoy stuffing millions of envelopes for the satisfaction it gives me in finishing the job. So this job entails editing documents, designing documents, some photography, and even every once in a while, stuffing envelopes.
3.    I’m also loving having something to do every day. When I have a schedule and things pressing for my time, I usually get more done. When I have nothing and I get to do what I want…I don’t do any of it. So I’m really happy to have a job that fits me, but also fills my days so I can come home and write or cook or do the things I’m supposed to do.

P.S. Love that picture...it's so me. (The words, not the cat.)

Tell me three things about your work either by linking your own blog post or in the comments.

Random Got Beautiful - RGB

2010-11-08T08:26:00.000+01:00

Take a look at this very cool photography site run by Nikki Farquharson called Random Got Beautiful. She has pages with different colors assigned to them and photos of those various colors. Her idea is to take photos that are dominated by a single color and place them with others so as to make a whole new concept. It is open for public submission. I submitted my swings photo a while back for the blue page. If you click on blue and scroll down a bit you can see it.

Give-away Winner Three

2010-11-05T08:13:00.000+01:00

The winner of the final birthday give-away is Hanna from I'll Name My Typewriter After the Moon. I'll let you know what she chooses when I find out. Thank you to everyone for celebrating my birthday with me and entering the give-aways. I'm still only three followers from 200, so hello to the new followers and look forward to another give-away quite soon!

Three Things Thursday - Dreams - Give-away Winner Two

2010-11-04T07:14:00.015+01:00

My mother won the second give-away. Random.org picked one of her entries. Thank you to everyone who entered! And the last one is still open until Friday so enter away.

For this week's Three Things Thursday I thought I would try to tie in with the travel journal I am sending to my mother from Katie at Gadanke. So we're going to talk about where we travel in our dreams. Literal dreams, not figurative.

Three things about...

what you dream.

1.    Usually my dreams don’t get vivid and memorable unless I have woken up around dawn and fallen back asleep. You know those half-awake dreams? Those are my strongest ones. My mind is working, but my body is not acknowledging it so the dreams tend to be some story or invention I’m thinking up. For example: the other night I dreamt about making interactive history books with the e-readers. I’m looking at e-readers right now, and apparently I came up with my millionaire idea while I was sleeping.
2.    I do have nightmares. They are caused by scary movies. Hence, I don’t watch scary movies very often. I actually used to sleep-walk every time I had a nightmare. Strange thing is, that happened multiple times at my grandparent’s house. My grandpa always had cable (and my parents didn’t) so I think I was sucked into watching movies that I wouldn’t normally see. Or maybe the house was possessed and made me sleep-walk, no idea.
3.    One of my recurring dreams from my childhood is still stuck in my head. It makes absolutely no sense and has to do with a warehouse and Sesame Street characters. Oh, and seals and cars. Yeah, see what I mean? But another from my childhood (I vividly remember these two) was with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I was kind of a tomboy; my mom even bought me TMNT boys underwear.

So enter your own blog post in the linky below or tell me what you dream about in the comments. Also, enter the give-away that is closing tomorrow!

Welcome to November - Give-away One Winner

2010-11-01T07:25:00.011+01:00

The winner for the first give-away last week is Jamie from The Broke and The Bookish (story of my life, that blog title is) (umm, sorry to go all Yoda on that sentence). I'll get in contact with Jamie and send her the postcards. Thanks to everyone who entered. The other two give-aways are still open, so enter those too!

My sister had her baby on the 29th. Ella Lorraine has the perfect birthday; it is right between her daddy's and mine. So now our family has three birthdays in a row in October. Also, earlier in October my mother-in-law and sister-in-law have their birthdays. It's just a crazy month. But now we move on to November. Here is the free calendar.

Just click on the picture. When it comes up in its own browser window, right click and save the picture somewhere on your computer. Then go to that location, right click on the picture, and set as desktop background. Voila, you have a photo calendar on your computer! And please let me know in the comments if you use it.

Birthday Week Celebration - Give-away Three

2010-10-29T07:21:00.004+02:00

Happy Birthday to me! (Well, on Saturday.)

Hello to the new followers. Now I'm only six away from 200. But there's only one more day. So spread the word for me. All three of these give-aways are open for a week so you can still enter them. This one will be open until next Friday.

Today's give-away is not only celebrating my birthday, it is also celebrating one year in Germany. So there is a choice of prizes between my two favorite things. The winner will either get to pick from my library of photographs and have an 8X10 printed, or they can pick any two from my library of books.

The books I have to give away (they are all soft cover and in very good condition):
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Northern Lights by Phillip Pullman (aka Golden Compass)
Julie and Julia by Julie Powell
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Vampire Diaries 1 & 2 by L.J. Smith

My flickr library is here, but I have so much more than that. It will give you the flavor of my photography and we can talk further if you choose to get the 8X10. (I'd even be willing to capture a new photo specifically for you. I'm feeling rather artsy at the moment and would love some new inspiration.)

Now just fill out this form; it's easy, I promise. You can answer the first question by reading this blog post. And this is the end of the crazy birthday week. Thanks for joining in!

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Birthday Week Celebration - Give-away Two

2010-10-27T07:28:00.004+02:00

Just a little side note before we get to the give-away: I would really love to get to 200 followers for my birthday. I'm only 8 away, and I have until Saturday. That would be a great way to end the week!

This give-away is focused on travel. I have been a lot of places in my life, and especially in the past year, so I decided to give-away a travel journal made by the lovely Katie at Gadanke. Katie moves between the Rocky Mountains and Germany with her husband. I found her through another expat and couldn't resist getting in touch with someone who lives in the two places I have lived!

I will be purchasing this journal from Katie and having it sent to the winner. The contest is open until next Wednesday. You just need to fill out this form; it's easy, I promise. Answer the first question by reading my blog post on where I have traveled. Come back on Friday for another give-away, and make sure you enter Monday's give-away.

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Birthday Week Celebration - Give-away One

2010-10-25T07:30:00.040+02:00

Hi! At the end of this week is my birthday. So I'm going to have three give-aways for you. My birthday presents to my readers.

Today I'm going to give you an update on my writing this month and give away a set of my postcards so you can do some writing of your own. Twelve Frozen Flower postcards in their own box.

I'm only one quarter of the way through my manuscript. At least so far. I have one week left. I don't plan on finishing my manuscript this month, but I haven't given up on the whole thing. I still have ideas; it hasn't died yet; it does feel really raw. I'll keep you updated, but for now I'm just plowing through the first draft.

So now, for the contest. You have to fill out this form; it's easy I promise. The first question is something you can answer by having read this blog post. Then fill out the form and you're entered to win the postcards. I will announce the winner for this give-away next Monday. Come back on Wednesday and Friday for more give-aways!

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Three Things Thursday - The Past Year

2010-10-21T11:04:00.000+02:00

I'm going to incorporate Three Things Thursday with the year anniversary of my husband and I being in Germany because exactly a year ago we landed in Stuttgart. So take a look at yesterday's post for my three things. I want you to look back on the past year and tell me three things about it. Maybe three things that have changed you or even just random things.

Three things about...

the past year.

Blog your own post and link in the linky below or tell me in the comments! I have to clean the house today and then get all fancied up to celebrate a great year.

One Year in Germany

2010-10-20T15:09:00.001+02:00

The adventure of going through buying a car. And then having that car break in the IKEA parking lot and be broken for another few months. (It's now having the same problem, oh yay.)

Finding a beautiful apartment, renting and decorating it, and very soon after moving in locking ourselves out of said apartment.

We've gone to fests and made a ton of new friends. As well as had my family visit. A lot of friends and family are planning on coming out next year, it will be another crazy year!

Three Things Thursday - Travel Wishes

2010-10-14T11:54:00.000+02:00

Last week I asked you about where you have been. This week I want to know where you dream of going. I really wish someone would invent teleportation so travel would be so much easier. I'm not the best flier, but I love to travel places. If I could hop from one place to another with maybe a little dizziness and cotton-mouth as the only side effects, I would be set.

Three things about...

where you dream of traveling.

1.    I would like to someday see Japan. I have a strange fascination with the history of Asia and the beauty that can be found there.
2.    I need to go to Australia and South America, then I will have been to all the continents except for Antarctica. I’ve been a lot of places, but it would be fun to be able to say I’ve been to six of the seven continents.
3.    One of my dreams right now is to go as far north as is comfortable in Sweden in the summer to watch the sun never set. That or go to Iceland in the winter to visit the hot springs they have. I just like to travel; I want to experience as many places as I can in my life.

Piepsen Went to London

2010-10-13T14:25:00.000+02:00

Piepsen went to London with us in August. He really enjoyed the tea and the shepherd's pie at the pub. He refused to go in the London Eye (the fear of heights and all that). But he loves palaces and the architecture of London.

We're still working on his photos from Vienna. (He thinks he looks like a rat in them.) But we should have those up soon.

Oktoberfest 2010

2010-10-11T16:08:00.000+02:00

I have to say that I don't need to go to Oktoberfest again. It's nice to say I've been there, and on the 200th anniversary as well, but it's just like any other German fest. For those of you who haven't lived here, you can come to any big fest anywhere in Germany and it'll be like Oktoberfest. In fact, Frühlingsfest in Stuttgart (which is in the spring) is better. Less crowded, cheaper, and exactly the same otherwise. It was fun to hang out with friends, but it was crowded and we had traffic all the way home.

Three Things Thursday - Travel

2010-10-07T10:19:00.000+02:00

My mother grew up in Saudi Arabia because her father worked for an oil company. They traveled a lot when she was a child, all over Europe and back and forth to the United States. Because she grew up a traveler, so did I.

Three things about...

where you have traveled.

1.    First I’ll list off the places: a lot of the States, Mexico, England, France, Netherlands, Germany, Tanzania, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Switzerland, Austria.
2.    We used to spend every other summer in Mexico just lazing in a resort. It was wonderful, and I miss that kind of traveling. Lately it’s just been hundreds of museums and castles. I need a relaxing vacation, not a tourist one.
3.    My favorite trip was Tanzania. It was my high school graduation present for my whole family to go on a safari there. It was absolutely amazing. If you can do it, go for it. The landscapes are beautiful, the animals are breathtaking, and because we were stuck in a safari jeep all day we really became closer as a family.

So post your own blog post about where you have traveled and attach your link here or tell me in the comments. I love getting to know all of you!

Small Business and Etsy

2010-10-06T11:37:00.000+02:00

It looks like I need to close my etsy shop. At least while I'm living in Germany. The ideas and products I have are too expensive to produce and sell from here. I'm considering some other possibilities like Red Bubble which would allow me to have my photos up for sale but they take care of the printing and shipping. I'm still looking into that.

I do have to say I really miss taking photos of people. That is my one love of photography. I also might attempt to offer my services on the American bases and build some clientele.

For now my etsy shop has the inventory that is sitting in my office, and I will be putting it on sale soon to try and clear it out. Consider this diagram that has passed around the interwebs lately when you want to take something you love and turn it into what you do.

NaNoWriMo or OctoWriMo

2010-10-04T11:10:00.000+02:00

I've been considering the fact that NaNoWriMo will be pretty much impossible for me this year. I'm starting a new job in November that is full time, and then the last two weeks we are going back to Colorado for a visit. I don't think I will have much time to write around those two things. So I decided to write in October instead.

On October 2nd I started a novel that has been rolling around in my head for a while. I didn't want to touch it and just let it flutter in the back of my mind until it was solid and I knew it wouldn't run away. It's a singularity novel. What would the world be like in the future if something technological or biological radically changed our lifestyles? Think of iRobot or Minority Report the movies. I still have to read Isaac Asimov's robot stories, but I've seen the movie.

In my future world it is a biological change. There are other science fictiony things like self-cleaning streets and machines like instant coffee for groceries, but the world revolves around the change in people because of this new medical technology.

This is the first idea I've had that originated around the world and not around a character. All of my writing before has been character based. This novel isn't an exception, it's just that the idea formed differently for me. Which I think means the story will be different than anything I've done before. The story itself is still character based, but the world is more developed than said characters at this point.

You can watch my progress this month on the bar to the right. I'm at 5% right now, lol. I don't know if I'll finish in a month. But I will certainly be pushing myself to do so.