Jess Gets Creative

30 Before 30

2012-02-11T09:02:00.001-05:00

One thing that seems to be sweeping the blogosphere is the 30 before 30 list. I just turned 27 three days ago, so it's a good time to look at what I'd really care to accomplish before I turn 30. I started by looking at my Bucket List (for life), dug through the lists on my computer, and then took some inspiration from other bloggers. And here we have my list (in no particular order):

Make my own bread
Stay somewhere French-speaking for at least a month, to force myself to speak it
Go to a Regency-era Ball
Get an article published in a paper magazine
Go to a campout music festival (I have tickets for Bonnaroo 2012!)
Get my Starry Night (Van Gogh) tattoo
Make and can my own jam
Get to a happy weight
Go back to playing piano
Get my home the way I want it. . . or get a new place
Visit at least one country I've never been to
Make clothes for myself
Visit New Orleans again (maybe for Mardi Gras this time)
Host a Steeped Tea party
Eat local for a month (successfully)
Celebrate the last night of my 20's with something special
Go on a zombie walk
Learn to scuba dive
Make my own cheese
Volunteer in Africa
Get a novel published (big dream!)
Make bags for myself
Start work in a job I've been aiming for
Dress the way I want to, daily
Make my own wine and/or beer
Learn to play the ukulele properly
Go to a convention in costume (fandom? steampunk?)
Learn to wear high heels
Ask somebody out on a date
Visit Scotland

Travel Tuesday: the Northwest Territories

2012-01-24T21:24:00.002-05:00

Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The Arctic in December!

Just past sunset (mid-afternoon)

Dusk (a bit later afternoon)

Heading dog sledding (that's me)

Reading Challenges 2012

2012-01-09T21:46:00.000-05:00

More books! Because I love books.

Last year's reading challenges went well:
- I read over 24 Urban Fantasy/Horror novels
- I read over 51 library books (75, to be exact)
- I got all 6 titling categories from What's In a Name 4
- I came close to all getting all of the alphabet by title
Check out my achievements here: http://jessdoesstuff.blogspot.com/2011/01/2011-reading-challenges.html

My 2012 Reading Challenges:

1) Horror & Urban Fantasy Challenge 2012
The Goal: Read 24 Horror or Urban Fantasy books in 2012 (again)

2) New Author Challenge 2012
My Goal: Read 15 New-to-me Authors in 2012

3) What's in a Name 5 Challenge
The Goal: Read a book with a title from each category in 2012-
1. A book with a topographical feature (land formation) in the title: e.g., Black Hills, Purgatory Ridge, Emily of Deep Valley
2. A book with something you'd see in the sky in the title: e.g., Moon Called, Seeing Stars, Cloud Atlas
3. A book with a creepy crawly in the title: e.g., Little Bee, Spider Bones, The Witches of Worm
4. A book with a type of house in the title: e.g., The Glass Castle, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Ape House
5. A book with something you'd carry in your pocket, purse, or backpack in the title: e.g., Sarah's Key, The Scarlet Letter, Devlin Diary
6. A book with a something you'd find on a calendar in the title: e.g., Day of the Jackal, Elegy for April, Freaky Friday, Year of Magical Thinking

4) Speculative Romance Challenge 2012
My Goal: "Two Sexy Werewolves" Category - 12 speculative romance novels in 2012

5) 2012 Read Your Own Books Challenge
General Goal: To read books you already own
My Goal: Holy moly. I just checked - I have 62 books on my shelves that I haven't read, and 40 on my e-reader (though many are classics that came with it when I bought it). So . . . I think I will try for Level 4: Read 21+ of my own books.

6) The Alphabet Challenge again, this time on my own
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

Books Read in 2011

2012-01-07T12:16:00.002-05:00

This has to be one of my favourite posts to do. All about the books I read last year! I read even more this year than ever before (or at least it feels that way). Here's my genre breakdown:

75 Historical romance (Regency, Georgian, Victorian, other, Gothic)
34 Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance (Urban Fantasy, Paranormal romance, YA urban fantasy)
9 Mysteries
6 Gardening/Farming
5 Travel/Guidebooks
4 Apocalyptic/Post-Apocalyptic (2 YA)
4 Other Fantastical (Contemporary Fantasy, Steampunk)
4 Other Non-Fic (Employment, Writing, Political, Epidemics)
3 Historical Fiction (1 YA)
3 Foodie Non-Fic
1 Graphic Novel

148 Total

Top Ten Books/Series I Read in 2011
(in no particular order)

Immortals After Dark series by Kresley Cole (most recent came out in 2011) - Paranormal romance with an amazingly detailed world, and brutal matchups (of the "how will this romance EVER work?" variety). Very, very addictive.

McGee & Stuckey's Bountiful Countainer by Rose Marie Nichols McGee and Maggie Stuckey - "The Bible" for container vegetable gardeners such as myself. I credit this book for the success of my balcony garden.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - The twists, the turns, the tension, . . . the ending! If you haven't read this masterpiece (like I hadn't), even if you don't usually read mysteries, DO SO.

The Pirate Lord by Sabrina Jeffries - One of my favourite Regency romance authors has a boatload of convict women captured by pirates. Sound ridiculous? That's the part that's a true story. The rest ends up as a romance with a pirate hero who is one of my favourite across the romance genre. (Book #1 of the Lord trilogy)

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong (2011) - YA urban fantasy started off a brand new trilogy with a supernatural heroine who doesn't know she's supernatural yet. Likeable characters, suspicious research facility, and so many delightful Canadianisms that pleased me. (Book #1 of the Darkness Rising trilogy - the next is out in April 2012).

Briar Rose by Jane Yolen - A re-telling of Sleeping Beauty. . . during the Holocaust. Beautiful and haunting.

Essex Sisters Series by Eloisa James - Georgian-era romances. Through the 4 books, you get really invested in the lives of the 4 Essex sisters. Eloisa James is a master at putting really heartbreaking scenarios into her books, and also at intertwining her female leads through series. But they always have a happy ending!

Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews - A second foray into "The Edge" (that place between our world and the "other", magical world), with a gritty alternate Lousiania swampland and an equally gritty heroine who fights for her family and meets a semi-feral fella. This series keeps getting better. (Book #2 of The Edge series)

One Second After by William Fortschen - One second (and then days, weeks, months, and years) after an EMP above North America kills all modern technology. Chillingly realistic apocalypse, and also really engaging.

River Marked by Patricia Briggs (2011) - Another dip into Mercy Thompson's world, VW Mechanic and part-time coyote. This is a bit different in tone from the others, but the development of Mercy and Adam's relationship, the focus on Native American mythology (like seeing Coyote), and the intricacies of the world-building made it another delight to read. (Book #6 of the Mercy Thompson series)

Writing Goals - from 2011 to 2012

2011-12-31T12:11:00.001-05:00

I can't believe another year is ending already. It seems like it went by extra quickly this year, but maybe that was just me. But, it is of course a great time to look back at what I did (or didn't) do in 2011, plus what I hope to accomplish in 2012.

Writing in Progress

Hunt, YA Urban Fantasy novel
Sixteen-year-old Abby Connolly sees the new guy at school leading a group of gruesome corpses across the sky on horseback - the Wild Hunt. Probably the shock of her life! She's not supposed to be able to remember it, but she does. It's not until several of her classmates see a photo of the group that she discovers that if you see the Wild Hunt and remember it, you're going to die. HUNT is YA Urban Fantasy, like Welsh folklore meets Final Destination.
- 2011 goals? get 2 more beta readers, do a full edit, and query 70 more agents (bringing the total to 100)
- 2011 in actuality? got the beta readers, have a really solid idea of what needs to happen, but then focused on Desolation State instead
- 2012 goals? after Desolation State is all tidied up, do a major edit/overhaul, and see where things go from there

Desolation State, (Adult) Post-Apocalyptic Romance novel
In a future North America ravaged by the Tech Crash and environmental issues, Sy agrees to live with a stranger, "Deron" in a mansion on the wastelands in exchange for provisions for her wanderer band. Oddly, he will only visit her rooms by darkness. Despite that, they begin a hesitant friendship - which may be the beginning of something more. Sy expects that "Deron" has ties to the oppressive rulers of Empire City, but doesn't expect that he is tied to something even worse. DESOLATION STATE is post-apocalyptic romance with a steampunky feeling based on the myth of Cupid and Psyche.
- 2011 goals? finish the first draft, let it sit, potentially start editing
- 2011 in actuality? finished the first draft, had a good start on editing, AND it won a contest (Colorado Romance Writers' Heart of the Rockies for Paranormal/Time Travel/Futuristic/Fantasy) with a full manuscript request from the judging agent
- 2012 goals? edit, edit, edit. . . then get out that requested manuscript ASAP, along with queries to other top agent choices

Travel Articles
- 2011 goals? write 12
- 2011 in actuality? wrote 4; had 4 published (which were not the same 4)
- 2012 goals? write 12 , for real this time. I blame my novel-writing for the gap, but I do want to write more travel articles.

Short Stories
- 2011 goals? write 6
- 2011 in actuality? wrote 1 (in collaboration with other authors), and had it published
- 2012 goals? Well, I realized in 2011 that short stories aren't my favourite thing to write. So I'm not going to make a new goal for numbers, though I would like to: revise the 2 sitting on my computer and submit them, and if I'm in the right mood I may write one or two from my idea file

What are your goals in 2012?

Campaigner Challenge #1

2011-09-06T21:15:00.002-04:00

I don't usually write flash fiction, but the Writers' Platform Building Campaign's Challenge #1 insists on it. I've had a few scenarios zipping around my head lately, so I decided to pull one out. I followed all the rules of the contest, both mandatory and optional.

Read the stories, and vote for a winner HERE (I'm #206, if you're curious!)

The rules:

Must start with "The door swung open"
Must end with "the door swung shut."
Must be exactly 200 words

The story:

The door swung open. Light scorched my eyes, as bright as it had been that night. For months later I had seen the afterimages when I blinked. Today, though, my eyes adjusted. And I gasped. The city was levelled. Nothing but brown and grey. Rubble and lifelessness. My eyes dampened. So much gone. So many dead.

I turned back toward the bomb shelter, and saw something incongruous. Something green. A scraggly weed struggled through the irradiated soil.

“Josh!” I called.

He came out, squinting as I must have, his face stubbled with days of itchy-looking growth. I waited until his eyes looked clear, then pointed to the weed.

“Look.”

He squinted at it as well, then grunted dismissively.

“It’s something,” I said. “At least it’s something.”

Then I saw what he had in his hand. Our only defense against the others. The gun.

“What are you doing?”

He shook his head, and had the balls to look sad. “You knew it had to happen.”

“No. . . Josh.”

“There’s only enough food for one.”

He raised the gun at my chest. The boom sounded as loud as the blast itself had. As I struggled to breathe, the door swung shut.

e-Pocalypse Interview!

2011-09-06T09:59:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note to say that there's an interview up on writer Colin F Barnes blog with me and four other contributing writers to Pill Hill Press' The e-Pocalypse: Emails from the End. Check it out, HERE.

Travel Tuesday: Provencal Views

2011-09-06T08:45:00.000-04:00

It's been a while for the last Travel Tuesday, so here are a few photos from my trip to the South of France in July.

Bull running in the streets to celebrate La Fete Nationale (AKA Bastille Day)

Olives at the Market

Very "South of France" view - out my hotel door, too!

Lavendar field at the psychiatric hospital Van Gogh stayed in

The Summer Roundup

2011-09-02T22:43:00.000-04:00

Since my July update never appeared, here's my update on my Writing Goals and Reading Challenges for both July and August. . .

WRITING GOAL PROGRESS:

- Heart of the Wastelands (a post-apocalyptic steampunky romance): Word count? Not so great these last 2 months. I'm now at 55,447 words in my first draft. Goal in September: 70,000 words or bust!

- Hunt (a YA urban fantasy with the Wild Hunt): Still waiting on its rewrite until the first draft of HotW is finished. La la la . . .

- Travel Articles - Wrote 1 new one and pitched 2 old ones. I have 1 more to rewrite and pitch, and 2 others in the works. That puts me at 2/12 for my goal, but I still have hope to achieve it.

- Short Stories - Pill Hill Press' The ePocalypse: Emails from the End is out (apocalyptic stories in email format) with Animal Kingdoom in it, that I collaborated on with Anne Michaud and Anna Ivanovic. I'm also rewriting another short story I have, and preparing to pitch it. My original goal for the year was 6 short stories. What I've realized is that short stories may not really be my thing. But I am at 1/6.

READING CHALLENGE PROGRESS:

Check out the challenges here for the full details.

1) Book Chick City's Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge - 6 more UF/horror books read in July & August, bringing me to a total of 19/24

2) The Support Your Local Library Challenge - I've definitely supported mine! I chose the "mega" sized challenge at the beginning of the year with a goal of 51+ books library books, and I've already hit 55 after the addition of 16 books in July & August.

3) The What's in a Name (title) Challenge - Still have to read a book with a life stage in the title. Hm. I keep thinking "Is a Duke a life stage? How about a rake?" Ha.

4) The A-Z Reading Challenge - I added K, U, and Y in July and August. Still to come? J, O, Q, V, X, and Z. Ick.

The Writers' Platform Building Campaign

2011-09-01T15:07:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note to say that I've joined the current Writers' Platform Building Campaign put on by Rachel Harrie. It seems like a neat idea to meet more blogging writers, get my aspiring author name even further out into the world, and - yep - have a little fun too.

The "campaigner groups" are organized by genre, location, type of book, etc. I joined two:

Group 22: Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic 2
Group 59: Canadian Writers

Though signups officially ended yesterday, I see a few of the groups (including my Canadian Writers group!) haven't closed yet. So perhaps there is some sneakability left.

My next step is to take a personal blog stroll through my group member's blogs. Fun!

My Favourite Mnemonics

2011-08-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

I'm going to tell you a secret: I love mnemonics. They rock. Sneaky little word games for remembering things? You've got my interest. There'd be no way I would still remember the first 20 elements of the Periodic Table except for the handy mnemonic from my Grade 8 Science Teacher (Hee Hee Little Betsy Bee Caught Nancy On Father's Knee. Nancy Loves All Silly People, Sipping Chlorine And Killing Cats). Ridiculous, perhaps, but very, very effective.

These days, I've discovered a couple new-to-me sayings to help my historical fiction/romance reading:

1) Did Mary Ever Visit Brighton Beach?
Ever wonder what order those English hereditary titles follow? You're welcome. That's DMEVBB - Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscount, Baron, (Baronet). FYI: Baronet is in brackets because it's a hereditary title, but not in the peerage. Got it?

2) a) Kate & Anne & Jane, and Anne & Kate again again

b) Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived
King Henry VIII's wives, done two different ways. That would be: Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, Catherine Parr, and how their marriages to Henry VIII inevitably ended.

And then there's a couple of oldie-but-goodies that I tend to use for random daily knowledge:

1) Roy G. Biv
The colours of the rainbow, in order: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet.

2) MVEMJSUN(P)
The order of the planets from the sun and out: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, (Pluto). Poor Pluto; I still include it. I pronounce the whole thing like "Mm-vem-juh-sun-up", but quicker.

All Local August: Three Square Meals #1

2011-08-22T23:02:00.000-04:00

I'll admit it. I fell off the local wagon one weekend. And it was a long weekend too (well, long for me. Heh). BUT that doesn't mean I'm not still working to make some beautiful meals from local food this month. Here is three square meals of food porn.

BREAKFAST: Locally-made bread with strawberry-rhubarb jam, with chopped strawberries and peaches.

LUNCH: Garden Nachos - looks a bit messy, tastes delish. Local corn chips, local cheese, local onion. . . with lettuce, sweet yellow pepper, and hot pepper from my container garden. Yum. Plus sour cream and black bean dip on the side (not shown).

DINNER: Margarita Pizza - Pizza shell made in the GTA, with tomato sauce made locally, local mozzarella cheese, and basil from my container garden.

All Local August

2011-08-01T08:30:00.048-04:00

My regular July update will come later this week. For now, it's all about ALL LOCAL AUGUST. And what's that, you may ask?

I'm challenging myself to eat only local food, all month long. My version of the 100-Mile Diet, if you like. We've have such a wealth of food here in Ontario that it's a shame I resort so often to packaged garbage. And since it's August, high time for food producers, I shouldn't have too much trouble finding fresh and delicious!

The Main Rule:
Eat only foods that are from within 100 miles, or at least marked "Ontario" (as most of the food-producing regions of Ontario are within 100 miles from me)

The Exceptions
- I may end up using the olive oil and Camargue salt that I bought in Provence, France 2 weeks ago. Since, you know, it was local where I bought it!
- One thing I purchased was bread from a farmer's market vendor. I know the wheat to make the flour likely didn't come from here, but I bought the bread from the person who made it, and it's a small family business, so I count that.
- If I'm invited for dinner at somebody's house. I can't very well insist on all-local (but depending on who it is, I may suggest it. . . )
- Special events - so far, I think this will only include the Dinner Boat Cruise that a double birthday for my two aunts (50th and 70th).

The Tricky Parts
- I have not yet found a replacement for my morning cereal. Local cereal, anyone?
- I have not yet found any local butter for my toast, if I'm eating that in place of cereal. Sure, I have jam, but I prefer something a bit less sweet in the mornings. Hm.

Stay tuned for regular updates as I go through my month. And wish me luck!

Books!

2011-07-31T11:57:00.000-04:00

This is an exciting moment for me: there's books available! Okay, okay. I know, there's always books available. But there aren't usually books with contributions from me, or books written by my real-world (rather than online) Writing Group.

.

Case #1: Pill Hill press anthology The e-Pocalypse: Emails at the End is now available. Short stories in email form, with mandatory author collaboration. I think our group (myself, Anne Michaud, and Anna K), were the only one with three. Because we are so brave, you know. Our contribution is "Animal Kingdoom", set across Canada (we may also have been the only entirely-Canadian group) . . . when good animals go bad.

As of now, you can order it at the Pill Hill Press site, or on Amazon.com in Kindle format.

Case #2: The first externally-published book by a member of my real-world Writing Group. The Good Doctor is about the Italian experience at home - here in Hamilton, Ontario - during WWII. One thing I didn't realize about this book: the main character's name is Vincenzo Arcone (why is that interesting? The author's name is Vince Agro. Hm.) It comes out in October, but is up on the publisher's site and is available for pre-order on Amazon.ca now.

Case #3: Totally not ready yet, but we've heard that it's being sent to the printers this week! How to Land a Jumbo Jet by Lonely Planet - is a book of travel "infographics". Think travel facts, figures, and other goodies in graphic form. My graphic designer sister and I collaborated on two infographics, and they both got accepted. Looking forward to seeing our "How Someone with a Sweet Tooth Sees Europe" and "Tea Consumption versus Life Satisfaction" in print in this coffee table book. They were blogging about the process here, if you want a sneak peek: http://lpinfographics.virb.com/

Procrastination Friday: Hardcore

2011-07-29T08:14:00.000-04:00

Procrastination Friday: Dire News Stories

2011-07-15T08:43:00.001-04:00

Travel Tuesday: On Preparations

2011-07-05T22:58:00.000-04:00

Holy moly, I'm leaving for France and Ireland in less than a week! It's my second time in both places, and I am seriously pumped. And when I'm pumped, I go on library binges. It got me thinking about mental preparations for travel.

The online traveller community loves to argue about certain facts. Yep, if you use a roller bag, take an organized tour, or do too much research pre-trip, you might not be a traveller. You might be *gasp*: a tourist (note: that is often regarded as a negative word).

So, I've decided to "come out": I research too much. Yes, dear readers, I am addicted to guidebooks. Not to mention fiction firmly set in a place, history, language books. . . and everything else I can get my hands on.

Many of the anti-research arguments are logical. For example, they say: if everything is overplanned and micromanaged, you will never really be able to see and experience. Fair enough. Research and make your lists (okay, that's me) as much as you want. . . but don't forget to keep your eyes - and your schedule - open.

Another vague argument? That researching the culture removes you from the culture. Somehow. Okay, I admit: I can read as much about, say, the French as I want - and I won't really know the culture. However, this argument forgets something important. I'm not only travelling for the present, but also the past. Ruins without explanation aren't that interesting - if you know the story behind the stones? Magic.

Perhaps it's the fact that I'm a writer myself that makes me crave stories, or maybe it's something else entirely. One of my favourite ways to really "feel" a place is to read historical fiction set there. . . necessarily followed by a non-fiction about the same time period. You know, just in case.

What are your favourite ways to prepare for a trip?

June Update

2011-07-01T13:43:00.003-04:00

I've got to say, the end of June snuck up on me. The months keep doing that more and more lately. Don't know what that's all about. But, I don't mind.

Today is Canada Day (Happy birthday, Canada!), it's summer time, and I've got some great plans in the works for July. Namely, a trip to Europe - 1 week in France, 1 week in Ireland - mid-month.

Anyway, remember my Writing Goals and Reading Challenges? Yes, it's that time again.

WRITING GOAL PROGRESS:

- Heart of the Wastelands (post-apocalyptic steampunky romance) - wrote 7,034 words in June. Not bad, though I was hoping for a bit more. A midterm paper for my Victimology night course really affected my count. Current word count: 52,125.
I should be able to finish the first draft by the end of July, even with my trip, if "finished first draft" means the 60,000 words I foresee now. However, since I want my final draft to be 80,000 words, I might try to get more plot into the end piece NOW, rather than later. I'll give myself to the end of August to get a longer first draft out. Wish me luck!

- Travel Articles: Nothing newly written, nothing newly published. And because of that, I'm still only at 1/12 of my goal. Eesh. Crazy July goal: 1 article pre-Europe, 1 article in France, 1 article in Ireland, 1 article post-Europe. (All rough drafts). Wish me luck again!

- Short Stories: I'm reading the proofs E-pocalypse: Emails from the End from Pill Hill Press, where my only short story written so far this year will be published (as mentioned last week, it's a collaboration piece with two other talented writers from the Online Writer's Group called Animal Kingdoom ;)). Yeah, but that still puts me at 1/6 of my yearly goal. I struggle with shorts, even though I do honestly want to write them. No crazy goal for this category in July though - I can only handle so many crazy goals in a month! ;)

READING CHALLENGE PROGRESS

Forget my challenges? Here they are.

- 0 new urban fantasy/horror books (hm, I wonder why) , meaning my total for Book Chick City's Horror/Urban Fantasy Challenge remains at 13/24

- 6 new library books, so my total for The Book Junkie's Bookshelf Support Your Local Library Challenge is now 39/51

- 0 new specifically titled books for the What's in a Name Challenge, meaning I'm still at 5/6. I still haven't captured that elusive "Book with a Life Stage in its Title" (I did read 4 books this month with titles in their titles - Viscountess, Countess, Duchess, and Lady. . . but I guess they don't count. After all, not every girl grows up to be a Countess)

- 2 new letters for my new A-Z Reading Challenge that I started in May and forgot to mention. From January to May I had 15 of the letters, and I added 'C' and 'I' this month for a total of 17/26. Remaining letters: J, K, O, Q, U, V, X, Y, and Z. Yikes. If you want to see my list, you can again go to my Reading Challenges post.

Procrastination Friday: Rappers Rock

2011-07-01T09:13:00.000-04:00

Carina Press Free E-Book Week!

2011-06-20T11:00:00.000-04:00

If it's one thing I love, it's free stuff. Carina Press is giving away a free e-book every day this week! Here are the five books, with not-so-secret coupon codes - just type in the coupon code at checkout, and pay nothing.

Today
The Debutante's Dilemma by Elyse Mady
Code: DEBUTANTEFREE
Note: I've read this one already. Well-written Regency, and even though menage isn't always my thing, I quite enjoyed this one.

Tuesday
Demon's Fall by Karalynn Lee
Code: DEMONFREE

Wednesday
The Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale by Christine Bell
Code: TWISTEDFREE

Thursday
Blue Galaxy by Diane Dooley
Code: GALAXYFREE

Friday
Friendly Fire by Megan Hart
Code: FRIENDLYFREE

Procrastination Friday: Double Takes

2011-06-17T08:00:00.005-04:00

Breaking Down my Favourite Writing Blogs

2011-06-14T22:47:00.000-04:00

Marketing fella Chris Brogan has a list of "100 Blog Topics I Hope You Write". I've decided to make his dreams come true, and work through some of them. First up, Breaking Down My Favourite Blog. . . with a twist. Here are three of my favourite writing-related blogs.

Shrinking Violents Promotions
What's It all About? Promotion for introverted writers
Why It Rocks: What a theme! I have honestly learned so much from this blog. Turns out, I'm an introvert. Even though I have no problem with public speaking or the like, I get energized by being alone - not with others. It makes so much sense to do promo from your personal area of comfort, and as it seems, this is mine. There's so much useful information from the source: published introverts.
What Could Change: The colour scheme changed a while ago, and I don't think it changed for the better. The posts look fine, but I wish it had a nicer looking header (shallow of me, I know).

Writer Abroad
What's It All About? Writing, abroad.
Why It Rocks: Another blog with a specific focus, but this can be applied further than you might think. For freelancers, writers in general, or especially those writers with dreams of going international, this blog is delightful. So why it rocks? It's specific, the posts are detailed, and it's definitely inspiring. Plus, love that header.
What Could Change: I can't think of anything specific. She knows her target audience, and she works it well.

Holly Black's Livejournal
What's It All About? Author Holly Black's journal
Why It Rocks: I chose this as a contrast to the other two. There's no specific audience except for Holly Black's readers. I like her blog mostly because it isn't just a WRITING blog. It's a blog, by someone who happens to be a writer. Yes, there are the essentials - author appearances, new releases, and a really amazing connection with fans (including fan art, which never gets old). But there are also glimpses into her own life: house renovations, stuff she likes, photos. . . etc. I like to see the person behind the author.
What Could Change: I definitely could use more. As is understandable with a busy writer, sometimes we don't see the personal side for a while, and just see a lot of the author-ly essentials. Still, I can't seem to fault it.

The Great May Update

2011-06-03T21:13:00.000-04:00

So there was certainly some solid progress on my Writing Goals and Reading Challenges in May.

WRITING GOAL PROGRESS:

- Untitled Post-Apocalyptic Steampunky Romance - now called "Heart of the Wastelands": I really buckled down and focused on this in May, and got 12,086 words written! I even edited the first 30 pages and wrote a synopsis in order to submit to two different RWA contests, the my chapter (Toronto)'s The Catherine and the Colorado chapter's Heart of the Rockies (open for entires until June 15!). My new goal is to have a first draft by the end of July. Wish me luck!
Total word count so far: 45,087/80,000 (I expect the first draft won't actually hit 80,000 - that will come in the edits)

- Travel Articles: I was focusing on the novel so I didn't write any fresh ones. I'm still at 1/12, but I'm hoping to at least 1 done in June, and get a few done after I finish the first draft as well. I did, however, have another published online this month! Check out Van Gogh and the Dead in Arles, France on The Literary Traveler

- Short Stories: Well, good news again! I've heard that the 1 I've written (a collaboration piece for Pill Hill's E-pocalypse: Emails From the End anthology called Animal Kingdoom) has been accepted for publication. Exciting!

READING CHALLENGE PROGRESS

Forget my challenges? Here they are.

- 5 new urban fantasy books, bringing my total for Book Chick City's Horror/Urban Fantasy Challenge to 13/24

- 12 new library books, so my total for The Book Junkie's Bookshelf Support Your Local Library Challenge is now 33/51 (Crazy, I managed to read 19 books in May. That's a lot for me!)

- 1 new specifically title book (in this case, a book with a number in the title) for a grand total of 5/6 books in the What's in a Name Challenge - the only one left is: A Book With a Life Stage in the Title. . . hm . . .

My "Kinks"

2011-05-26T08:15:00.049-04:00

Okay, the title may be a bit misleading. ;) Literaticat (AKA Agent Jennifer Laughran) did a blog post a couple of months back that I've been meaning to ~~steal~~ emulate ever since.

My Kinks: those little things in a story that make me want to read it, watch it, or otherwise absorb it.

TIME PERIODS/SETTINGS

- Late Georgian/Regency/Victorian England (think about 1770's to late 1800's) - madly reading historical romances in this era lately, but would love some (more) YA

- The French Revolution

- Renaissance Italy

- La Belle Epoque in France

- Quirky small towns

- Post-apocalyptic wastelands

- The Deep South (partially because it's SO different from here)

- Canada (as long as it feels like it's really here)

- New Orleans; the bayou

ELEMENTS/PEOPLE

- Epidemics

- Lesser known folklore and mythology, or things I'm familiar with that aren't yet done to death in fiction (although I will admit I still like vampires)

- Retold fairy tales

- Retold Shakespearean plays

- Characters who love to read or write

- Jane Austen (as a character)

- Travellers

- Outsiders

Travel Tuesday: Canada's East Coast

2011-05-24T22:32:00.000-04:00

I've already dug into St John's, Newfoundland during my 1-day-winter-trip in February, but I think the rest of the East Coast of Canada deserves attention too. Here are some of my favourite shots from Nova Scotia during my last trip.

What you find when you drive up little streets near the ocean in Nova Scotia.

Lovely meadow in the centre of New Glasgow, NS. The town is also home to an old-fashioned toy shop (you can bet I had tons of fun there), and one of the most famous Lobster Dinners on the island.

Lobster traps in Peggy's Cove, NS. The not-packed-with-tourists part - take the "wrong way" from the parking lot, and you'll find these tidal pools.

Another small street surprise in backroads, NS.

"Like a Job"

2011-05-06T09:30:00.000-04:00

Like many writers, I sometimes struggle with staying motivated. *Gasp!*

One tip I seem to hear quite a bit about staying motivated is to treat writing "like a job". It definitely seems like a valid and sound idea. But I'm here to say it doesn't work for me.

A job is light-years away from my current experience with writing. In a job, I get tasks from someone, I complete those tasks, I perhaps get distracted, but I definitely put food on the table. In my writing, nobody cares about what tasks I complete. I need to keep myself focused. And if I had to put food on the table with it, I'd be pretty hungry right now. Maybe some day it will be a job, but that time isn't now.

Therefore, I will never make it in publishing. No, wait. . . back it up!

For a career, I'd go through any amount of training. Hell, I'm considering grad school for my "other" career. And if I can deal with years of university, I can certainly deal with years of squeezing in my writing wherever and whenever it will fit.

So I am not going to think of writing as a job. I'm going to think of it as something with an equal level of hard work, low pay, and little recognition: grad school.

Hopefully it pays off!

April Update. . .

2011-05-04T22:29:00.000-04:00

Another month, another month-end review! I know I came close to dropping off the face of the Earth in April, but I struggled with gravity and made it back. Remember my Writing Goals and Reading Challenges?

WRITING GOAL PROGRESS:

- Untitled Post-Apocalyptic Steampunky Romance: *chokes* I'm not even going to mention my word count this month. Yes, it was that pitiful. And I had a gloriously large word count goal too. But never fear - I'll be back to record my word count come the end of May, and since I'm forcing myself into at least 500 words a day in May (that's right, every day! No day left behind!), I'm sure it will look a lot prettier.

- Travel Articles: Well, pretty similar to my novel for new pieces. But I had another published this month! The World's Best Cities for Viewing Art Nouveau Art & Architecture.

- Short Stories: Holy moley, I managed to write one. It was a collaboration project of apocalyptic emails for submission to Pill Hill Press' E-pocalypse email. Wish us luck!

READING CHALLENGE PROGRESS

If you want to know what the heck I'm talking about with these, check out my original post, HERE.

- 1 new urban fantasy books, bringing my total for Book Chick City's Horror/Urban Fantasy Challenge to 8/24

- 6 new library books, so my total for The Book Junkie's Bookshelf Support Your Local Library Challenge is now 21/51

- 1 new specifically title book (I read a book with jewellery in the title) for a grand total of 4/6 books in the What's in a Name Challenge

AND WHAT WAS I DOING?

Well for one thing, moving. My chubby tabby, Puddin' Pie, and I now have a lovely apartment with a great view of the Hamilton escarpment. I appreciate the view more than she does.

And. . . starting a vintage clothing and accessories business, Sister Haystack with my own sister!

Check out these and other items on our Etsy shop, http://www.etsy.com/shop/sisterhaystack, follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/sisterhaystack if you're on, and we always love new Facebook likers! http://www.facebook.com/sisterhaystack

And now? Back to the grindstone! May is an un-themed month for the blog, but expect another theme in June!

Travel Tuesday: Art Nouveau Around the World

2011-04-12T09:12:00.021-04:00

As you may or may not know, I'm an art fan. But that realistic Renaissance art that might hang in the Louvre isn't my cup of tea. And that über-modern, stripes and dots style isn't really my thing either. I adore surrealism, impressionism, and the more modern "lowbrow" art. Plus, I have a deep-seated adoration of those decorative, artistic, and architectural styles near the turn of the 20th Century: Art Deco and Art Nouveau.

Because I felt like I was on the trail of Art Nouveau when I did my own European backpacking trip two years agp, I made a list of some of the best cities to see Art Nouveau. It was published in Boots 'N All yesterday. Here it is.

*This is Alphons Mucha's Gismonda, a poster for a play starring Sarah Bernhardt, which was plastered across Paris and is often credited for beginning the Art Nouveau movement.

Hoarding and a Crisis of Conscience

2011-04-06T23:44:00.000-04:00

I have too much stuff. There. I said it.

I tend to be unable to fit myself into one of the personalities that I know and love, and this causes me anxiety.

I am simultaneously:

- a crafter, who admires a large "craft stash" (I sometimes lovingly refer to mine as my "craft hoard" - in reference to a dragon's hoard, and not the Hoarders of the TV show and beyond), who never throws anything away because "I might use it someday", and who can never have enough fabric . .

AND

- a traveller, who despises commercialism and wants to live a lighter life, with as few possessions tying me down as possible. . . and who feels a lot of guilt when the same doesn't always happen

So why am I going through this now? Well, I'm moving. Again. But this time, I'll have all of my stuff in one place (nothing in storage anymore), and I'm terrified to see what that will look like. There's enough that I can already see, let alone the stuff hiding in basements and storage units. Yikes.

What are you: do you gather things in a vaguely hoarder-like fashion, wanting to save them "just in case"? Or do you purge your things regularly, and keep a light life?

I feel like I want the second more, but I'm actually the first. Hm. Perhaps it's time to do a clean sweep.

Month End Update: March 2011

2011-03-31T23:48:00.002-04:00

The Apocalypse has ended, at least for this year. Phew! Now back to the regular posts for April, but expect another special theme in May. My Writing Goals and Reading Challenges are still in full swing. See, I was right in calling them "goals" instead of "New Year's Resolutions". Those would have been broken by January 12th. So how am I doing?

WRITING GOAL PROGRESS
Untitled Post-Apocalyptic Steampunky Romance: 9,692 words written in March, bringing me to a grand total of: 31,028 I'm 38.8% done!

Travel Articles: A big 0 fresh ones written in March, leaving me at 1/12 of my yearly goal. Better get cracking! I do still have two upcoming for publication in April/May/June-ish, one at Boots 'n All and one at The Literary Traveler

Short Stories: None written, leaving me at 0/6 of my yearly goal . . . but I did get "in the works" with a secret collaboration project (Okay, not exactly secret).

My YA Urban Fantasy, HUNT: The mega-edit/overhaul on this is being put on the backburner until my Post-Apocalyptic is finished. So we won't be hearing about this for a couple months, at least.

READING CHALLENGE PROGRESS
If you want to know what the heck I'm talking about with these, check out my original post, HERE.
- 4 new urban fantasy books, bringing my total for Book Chick City's Horror/Urban Fantasy Challenge to 7/24
- 5 new library books, so my total for The Book Junkie's Bookshelf Support Your Local Library Challenge to 15/51
- 1 new specifically title book (I read a book with a size in the title) for a grand total of 3/6 books in the What's in a Name Challenge

OTHER BITS OF EXCITEMENT
In addition to being crazy-busy with two classes and a full-time job. . . I'm starting a business! My sister Heather and I are stocking up for a fabulous, online vintage clothing and accessories shop, Sister Haystack. The grand opening of our Etsy shop is April 20th (there may be prizes!). For now, come visit us on Twitter, HERE, if you'd like.

APRIL GOALS
Yep, trying a new thing with making monthly goals as well!
- 15,000 words on the Post-Apocalyptic. Pretty big for me, but I need to get this finished.
- 1 or 2 new travel articles
- Work on the Secret-Collaboration Short Story

Post-Apocalyptic Travel Tuesday Goes to . . . Chernobyl!?

2011-03-29T16:20:00.000-04:00

With the problems in the nuclear plant in Japan, the threat of nuclear disaster seems to be in constant discussion in the meida. The Chernobyl disaster, in particular, keeps getting referenced - in that we don't want it to happen again.

And what does this have to do with Travel Tuesday?

Well, the "Chernobyl Exclusion Zone", 60 miles across at some parts, has been closed-off to habitation since 1986. At least to humans. In this fascinating article, one brave writer - Geiger counter in hand - travelled to the Exclusion Zone, now something like Europe's largest wildlife reserve. The article is here: http://outsideonline.com/adventure/travel-ga-201103-chernobyl-wildlife-refuge-sidwcmdev_154483.html, and highly recommended by me!

It's interesting to see the facts talked about in The World Without Us proved in real life. In this case, it's "what would happen if everybody were to just leave?" (rather than disappear). And it's somewhat reassuring to know that things can survive and even thrive in what might have been imagined as nothing but a desolate, irradiated wasteland.

Procrastination Friday: ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE!

2011-03-25T09:15:00.000-04:00

From my collection of amusing things. . . zombie apocalypse!

Another Handmade Roundup: Post-Apocalyptic Fashion

2011-03-23T21:21:00.000-04:00

As you may have noticed, I am entirely into the handmade apocalypse. I've done the zombie goodies the generally apocalyptic stuff, but what if you're stuck with nothing to wear after the world ends?

Here are some ideas.

Raggedy dress from Black Orchid Designs. I love statement that describes "hand tortured layers".

Rusty old gear earrings by Phenocryst Originals not hand tortured, but hand rusted!

"Desert Trash" O-Ring and Fabric Cowl. Love the name! This comes from Sarah Viscera.

Canister gasmask by GPS Hardware. I have to admit, I find this one a bit terrifying.

Chest Harness from Velvet Mechanism. Definitely steampunky, but has enough of a post-apoc feel to suit this roundup (since I may do steampunk in another month this year!)

Mad Max style thigh holster. Useful in a post-apocalyptic wasteland! This is by Magnolia Leather Works.

Settler's Sack from May Tree Ark. This one's sold, but they have other similar things - and who knows when they'll have another. I'd like it for wandering a deserted wasteland, or hey, for taking to the library.

Okay, I couldn't resist another steampunky one. But these two-tone goggles from Jaded Minx are perfect for those end-of-the-world days too.

Post Apocalyptic Character Interview

2011-03-18T17:31:00.001-04:00

JESS: A/S/L? (age/sex/location?)

SY: 28/female/center of the wastelands

JESS: What do you do for a living?

SY: . . . For a living? You mean, what do I do to survive.

JESS: Uh, sure, I guess.

SY: Okay then. I'm with a wanderer band, which is the big thing. I always make sure nobody goes out into the wastes alone when they're hunting or trading with other bands or outsiders.

JESS: Why not?

SY: You're joking, right? *after a pause* To avoid the outsiders. And the floaters.

JESS: Floaters?

SY: Zeppelins from the city to do get rid of anyone they can find. Anyone they can find and catch, that is. *She snorts with laughter*.

JESS: And you're wouldn't be caught?

SY: I hope not. I'm wicked with a bow and arrow. Plus, I take precautions: never go out into the wastes alone, stay by the camp after dark, never go into a permanent structure.

JESS: Wait, what was that last bit about permanent structures?

SY: *looks at her as if she's crazy* The city outlawed anything permanent outside its walls a hundred years ago. They find some sagging shack, it's gone.

JESS: Oh. *swallows*

SY: Anyway, I really better get going. All we've got to eat tonight is a few carrot chips. I've got to see if I can find anything with protein.

JESS: Okay, it was nice talking to you.

SY: You too.
Two hundred years after the Tech Crash and seventeen after the Green Plague, the central United States are a barren wasteland. Sy is surviving day-to-day as a member of a wanderer band, but when she gets an offer to live with a man in exchange for provisions for her band, she can't refuse. But the offer turns strange, when her mysterious benefactor lets her know that he will only visit by darkness.

Sy's story, is my work in progress, an as-yet-untitled post-apocalyptic romance with steampunk elements.

Handcrafted Apocalyptic Roundup #2: The Zombie Invasion

2011-03-16T10:33:00.001-04:00

Though I often think of my love for zombies as a separate entity for my love of the apocalypse, really, who doesn't love a good zombie apocalypse? Here's a selection of 8 handcrafted items. . .that you could possibly even create yourself if you have the right skills.

Emergency Zombie Defense Station by Bunny in a Bear on Craftster. Looks good, and amusing too. . .I'd be tempted to put real weapons in it though. Like a stick or something. You know, just in case.

Spanish Inquisition, Zombie Apocalypse, whichever. Love the Monty Python Humour in this (dare I say?) cute brain embroidery by amber656 on Craftster.

So this looks like it might be a stencil, and therefore something I could make. Nope. It's a QUILT. I'm way too impressed with this Zombie Girl Quilt from graverobbergirl on Craftster.

Mm, BRAIIINS. . . on Cupcakes. Red velvet cupcakes with a brain mold on top and a bit of "blood" by OhThat on Craftster. I bet I could make these, but I would never have come up with the idea myself.

Return of the Living Dead tin with zombie marble magnets by MissingWillow on Craftster. Marble magnets are pretty popular in the Craftster world, and there's a good tutorial for them here. They end up looking very nice, and aren't very tough! I've made some that on tacks as well as magnets.

Springtime zombie hand embroidery by supervelma on Craftster. Perfect for the season.

Half-mannequin to torso zombie! Okay, I can't actually picture myself being able to reproduce this, but I'm sure someone who is crafty with an airbrush (?) could. This is by KRIS-13 on Deviant Art.

Stencilled shirt by teriyakimoto on Craftster. Stencilling (with freezer paper) is one of my favourite crafts. It took me a little while to find a tutorial, since I've just been doing this for years! But here's a pretty good one.

Oh, and just for fun. There is an amazing zombie wedding cake under this link!

Playlist for the End of the World

2011-03-14T11:20:00.000-04:00

I was thrilled when I started listening to Muse's album The Resistance and found a post-apocalyptic, dystopian, romantic dream. Fits perfectly with the novel I'm working on.

Plus, it got me thinking. How many of the songs I love are about the end days? With some thought (okay, and some googling) I ended up discovering the answer: a whole lot. Here's my ideal Playlist for the End of the World, a selection of my favourite songs with apocalyptic, post-apoclayptic and dystopian themes*. Totally biased toward my own tastes, of course!

1) Bad Moon Rising – CCR
2) 99 Red Balloons – Goldfinger

3) Panic in Detroit – David Bowie

4) Dead Flag Blues– Godspeed You Black Emperor

5) London Calling – The Clash

6) We Will Become Silhouettes – Postal Service

7) Aenema – Tool

8) Gimme Shelter – The Rolling Stones

9) Brother – The Organ

10) 5 Years – David Bowie

11) Lovecraft in Brooklyn – The Mountain Goats

12) When the Man Comes Around – Johnny Cash

13) Los Angeles is Burning – Bad Religion

14) Eve of Destruction – Barry McGuire

15) The Sky is Fallin’ – Queens of the Stone Age

16) The End – The Doors

Goodbye Blue Sky by Pink Floyd was going to be number 17, since it really has that war-torn, end-of-the-world feeling. But since the whole album has a dystopian slant, I'm instead saying: The Wall.

*I realize that a few of these are actually based around battles in history (#14 in particular), but I think they could still apply today - and plus, that makes them even more disturbingly delightful.

Do you have any favourite songs about the end of the world? Let me know in the comments!

Procrastination Friday: BIO-APOCALYPSE!

2011-03-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

In case you hadn't heard, I save things that amuse me. Obsessively. Here's a couple with a bio-apocalypse feel.

Apocalypse Giveaway - Prize Winner!

2011-03-10T21:10:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Kulsuma, you're the winner of Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer, the Apocalypse Month Giveaway! I'll be contacting you shortly.

Travel Tuesday: Urban Decay - A Special Apocalypse Month Feature

2011-03-08T08:00:00.106-05:00

I've always been fascinated with the detiorated landscapes of post-apocalyptic fiction. What I learned from The World Without Us, Alan Weissman's tale of what would happen to the world if all humans were to just suddenly disappear, was how fast it would all go.

I shouldn't have been surprised. "Demolition by neglect" is the new phrase to describe an occurrence I've seen happen here in Hamilton: historic buildings forgotten until they simply collapse. And the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, battered by Hurricane Katrina, is already being swallowed up by vegetation.

Depressed yet? Well the one good point is how these modern-day ruins can give us a sense of the past - or maybe even a glimpse of the future. Right in New York City in the East River, North Brother Island's Riverside Hospital is the sort of place to send chills up your spine. Abandoned morgue? Forbidding brick chimneys? Link to Typhoid Mary? Check. Check. Check. Amazing images though. (I can't help but wonder if the boarded-up sanatorium I walk past on my lunch hour some days, part of the hospital I work at, might look a bit like this. Creepy.)

The readers of The Guardian in London have their own take on the subject in this photo set representing "derelict", which has some gorgeous photos again.

Possibly the best collection of photos of urban decay comes from two French photographers who catalogued Detroit's mothballed buildings for a book called The Ruins of Detroit (you can find a lot of their pictures here). The images are so evocative, and in a way, even creepier than the abandoned hospital on North Brother Island. At least the hospital looked purposely abandoned. These photos - with books still on shelves and flags still standing - look like the people left in a hurry. Or just disappeared, The World Without Us style. I've been using these photos as a starting point to help build my own post-apocalyptic world for my novel. But they also really make me want to visit Detroit.

Handcrafted Roundup: 8 Apocalyptic Things to Buy

2011-03-06T00:42:00.004-05:00

Everyone in the crafty world seems to love the apocalypse. Got to say, I think it's kind of awesome. Here's a roundup of eight interesting apocalyptic things you can buy from Etsy and beyond.

From the Beanforest shop on Etsy, which also has a lot of other amusing buttons. I've bought a couple.

"Protection" by 57thirtythree, interesting designs all made in the US.

One of the many haunting landscapes from gothicrow.

A Biohazard printed tie, also on Etsy.

Art from a comic by Mark Rudolph, "We did it. . . we blew it up"

Gasmask belt by CraftieRobot.

My one non-Etsy selection, the "End" t-shirt from Threadless. (I adore Threadless' collection of art-on-shirts!)

Apocalypse GIVEAWAY - Now Closed. Congrats to the Winner!

2011-03-02T16:20:00.002-05:00

During March, I'll be talking about all things apocalyptic, post-apocalyptic and dystopian in general.

To kick things off with a bang, I'll start by giving away one of my favourite end of the world books, Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. It's a sometimes scarily realistic look at what might happen if, well, the world started ending.

From Amazon: "It's almost the end of Miranda's sophomore year in high school, and her journal reflects the busy life of a typical teenager: conversations with friends, fights with mom, and fervent hopes for a driver's license. When Miranda first begins hearing the reports of a meteor on a collision course with the moon, it hardly seems worth a mention in her diary. But after the meteor hits, pushing the moon off its axis and causing worldwide earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes, all the things Miranda used to take for granted begin to disappear. Food and gas shortages, along with extreme weather changes, come to her small Pennsylvania town; and Miranda's voice is by turns petulant, angry, and finally resigned, as her family is forced to make tough choices while they consider their increasingly limited options. Yet even as suspicious neighbors stockpile food in anticipation of a looming winter without heat or electricity, Miranda knows that that her future is still hers to decide even if life as she knew it is over."

Life As We Knew It is the beginning of a trilogy, so don't miss The Dead and the Gone which shows another side of the crisis - a Puerto Rican teen and his sisters in New York City - and This World We Live In, which brings everyone together.

I will randomly draw a name from all comments on this blog on Wednesday March 16 at 9pm EST. Just leave a comment to be entered! Entrants from anywhere in the world are welcome.

Month End Update: February 2011

2011-03-01T00:45:00.001-05:00

As you may remember, I'm tracking progress on my Writing Goals and my Reading Challenges. Here's what I managed to get done in February:

Writing Accomplishments

4,153 words in my Untitled Post-Apocalyptic Romance in February (better than last month at least)
0 new travel articles written, 1/12 total in 2011 . . . however, this month I also :

had 2 travel articles published (The Feast of St Rupert in Salzburg and Rediscovering Irish Roots in Bunclody)
edited Van Gogh and the Dead, set in Arles, France and submitted it to my preferred market
edited Once Upon a Time in the Wiesn: Oktoberfest Solo and re-submitted it yet again to another market
edited 8 Places to Find Art Nouveau Around the World and submitted to the Boots 'N All editor for April publication

0 short stories, 0/6 total (Better get on that)
Re-imagined my YA urban fantasy, HUNT, but haven't yet started the sure-to-be tedious editing process

Reading Challenge Progress

2 horror/urban fantasy books this month; 3/24 total in 2011
3 library books this month (super low for me, since I'm working on reading things I own - and I burned through several Regency romances on my Kobo!); 10/51 total in 2011
1 new specifically titled book - "a book with evil in the title" (The Demon in Me by Michelle Rowen); 2/6 total in 2011

And now. . . welcome to my second theme month of 2011. Holy Crap, it's the Apocalypse Month!

Character Interview: Elle & Cass from Julie Particka's Pretty Souls

2011-02-24T20:39:00.001-05:00

JESS: A/S/L? (age/sex/location?)
ELLE: 16 1/2 / Female / Portage, MI
CASS: 16 next month / Female / Portage, MI

JESS: So what do you two do for fun?
ELLE: I like to run a lot and I read for fun.
CASS: And you write emo poetry. (*laughs*) I'm a cheerleader, but (*glances clandestinely around the room*) if you want the real skinny, I'm a computer hacker extraordinaire.
ELLE: Cass! Did the bleach finally eat your brain?
CASS: This is all natural, Sis. (*fluffs hair*) And don't be dull. We can tell her whatever we want. No one's going to believe her anyway.
ELLE: Fine. In that case, Jessica, we like to sneak out at night and poke around town looking for supernatural trouble-makers.

JESS: Wait seriously. . . supernatural?
CASS: Of course. Any other kind of trouble-maker would be a waste of our talents.
ELLE: Exactly. If they aren't a threat to the human race or any other race for that matter, they really just aren't worth our time. And let's face it, with school, homework, practices and sleep--oh and eating, did I forget eating?--we don't have a lot of time to waste on stupid stuff.
CASS: *laughs* I can't believe you almost forgot to mention food. You must have had a good hunt tonight. *rubs Elle's belly*
ELLE: *swats Cass's hand away* Oh go suck on a pint.

JESS: Okay hold up, so you're telling me that you two are really a vampire and a werewolf?
CASS: Oh, no. Definitely not. Elle doesn't have the brooding thing down well enough to be a vampire.
ELLE: Too true. And Cass would make the smallest wolf ever. She'd be more like a were-pomeranian. (pause) Oh, wait. You meant the other way. In that case, more or less.
CASS: Some more, some less. I'm not all vamp--only half. Otherwise it'd make cheering in the parades a bit more of a spectacle, don't you think?
ELLE: (*laughs*) Can you imagine? The cheerleaders roll out of school doing backflips and when people applaud, you burst into flames.
CASS: There are worse things than going out in a blaze of glory. Plus, at least I'd be remembered for something once I was gone. (*sniffles and wipes away faked tears*)

JESS: Right. . . well in that case, I think I have to go have a shower. Or something. Anyway, nice talking to you two. . . uh. . . girls.
ELLE: You okay? You look a little green. Maybe you should lie down.
CASS: Or eat something. I hear deer meat is really tasty, especially when it's rare...or raw.
ELLE: Shut up, Cass. Thanks for talking to us, Jessica!
CASS: Yeah, this was fun. We should do it again...(*pauses*) She just slapped a hand over her mouth and took off. How rude.

Pretty Souls is currently available in print at Amazon, and will release in digital format through Decadent Publishing on March 11.

Julie Particka grew up writing, as so many people do, but gave it up to study chemistry and become a teacher. One of her students told her she should be a writer, and that bit of encouragement stays with her to this day.

No longer teaching, Julie now splits her time between raising her own kids and living in the world of her imagination (where her children occasionally visit). They reside in southwest Michigan with her wonderful (and very patient) husband and two faithful dogs who like to sleep on her feet and occasionally drop tennis balls on her keyboard when she writes. All in the name of love.

*Special thanks to Julie for joining me for some character fun!*

Travel Tuesday: Salzburg's Feast of St Rupert

2011-02-22T08:00:00.002-05:00

During my trip to Salzburg, Austria, I accidentally caught the festival of their patron saint, St Rupert. It was like a mini (and more authentic) Oktoberfest experience. Check it out in my article at Travel Thru History, here.

Procrastination Friday Goes Super (Mario)

2011-02-18T10:15:00.019-05:00

When Super Mario World came out, it was the best thing in the world. I was always heading to my neighbour's house to play on their Super Nintendo (yeah, I was that kind of kid). So I'm loving the retro Mario resurgence across the crafty interwebs. Case in point #1: Etsy does Mario; Case in point #2: Craftster does Mario. And... two funny/fabulous Mario images to stoke the imagination:

Kobo Addiction

2011-02-17T21:50:00.000-05:00

Full disclosure: I'm addicted to my e-reader. I asked for one for Christmas, telling myself it would be useful for those e-only books popping up all over. And to travel without carrying four paperbacks in my suitcase*. I ended up with a Kobo.

At first, I fiddled around with it. I browsed those 100 free classic books. I downloaded some discounted books. I even got into downloading e-books. I tried to learn to like it, even though it was just so different from the paper books I love.

But then: I discovered the ease of getting a book. Complimenting my already raging Regency romance obsession, I went through Sabrina Jeffries backlist: those books that I hadn't yet read from the library, and weren't neatly on shelves at the local bookstore when I wanted them. With the e-reader, when I wanted one: I got it, I read it, and I moved on to the next. Until . . .

DISASTER. At first there was just a little bit of black frozen at the bottom of the screen. Then the black shifted up the side, and then there were clear squiggly lines all across the screen, making it impossible to see the words.

Luckily, there's decent customer service. A UPS box should arrive on my porch at any minute, ready to whisk my damaged e-reader away and replace it. So now? I wait.

*Note: When I traveled to Newfoundland 2 weeks ago, I travelled with my Kobo and two paperbacks. Hey, it's a start.*

Goals, Dreams, and Plotting Your Writing Career

2011-02-13T23:03:00.000-05:00

On Saturday I went to a Toronto Romance Writers' workshop put on by Eve Silver and Michelle Rowen called To Pants or Not to Pants - about "plotting" versus "pantsing" your writing career. In certain writing circles, a "plotter" refers to someone who writes a novel by plotting, planning, and preparing, while a "pantster", well. . . does not!

One of the things Eve and Michelle suggested to plot a writing career was to make a list of solid, attainable goals - things like "finish that novel this year" or "query 395 agents". . . and not things that you can't control, like "hit the New York Times bestseller list in five years".

It got me thinking. I do my official lists of attainable goals, and did them for 2011 as well. What I haven't recorded, is the other half: the things I don't have control over. I think most writers have these daydreams too. Rather than goals, I've always considered these writing "dreams".

My Publishing Dream - Have a book - written by me - for sale at drug stores or airports. A bit superficial, perhaps, but to me it seems like the pinnacle of commercial fiction success, and it's commercial fiction that I particularly enjoy.

My Writing Dream - Write enough to build my name. Possibly even enough to write while working only part-time at a day job. Definitely not as lofty as my other goal, but still a big leap.

For today, forget about goals. What are your writing dreams?

Rediscovering Irish Roots

2011-02-08T22:36:00.000-05:00

A travel article by me just popped up today at On a Junket.

Check out Rediscovering Irish Roots: A Canadian Finds the Old Country right here.

Travel Tuesday: St John's, Newfoundland

2011-02-08T08:15:00.001-05:00

A few of my favourite shots from my short trip to St John's, Newfoundland last week.

One of the many stretches of rainbow-coloured houses.

Loving the squid-y graffiti on this newspaper box!

A lighthouse on the Atlantic.

Cabot Tower, on top of Signal Hill.

A few more of the delightful colours, with an interesting working-man mural.

And the Winner Is. . . .

2011-02-06T12:47:00.001-05:00

For Janaury's Art is the New Steel shirt/apron giveaway, . . . .

Tim Call

Congrats Tim, I'll be in touch!

I apologize for the draw delay - I ended up being (surprise!) in Newfoundland the day I planed to draw. Well, I knew I was going to be in the province, but I didn't plan to be there on Friday. A few of my favourite pictures of St John's will be up for Travel Tuesday this week.

Month End Update: January 2011

2011-02-01T23:53:00.000-05:00

Now that January is over, my Hometown Focus is over too. For February, we're back to our regularly scheduled programming. ;) But expect other themed months to pop up over the course of the year.

Since I've got writing goals and reading challenges for 2011, I figure I might as well keep track of them monthly. How did I do in January?

Writing Goals

Untitled Post Apocalyptic Romance: 2295 words written in January. . . uh, that's pitiful. My main goal was "more than December" (when I wrote 7749 words). I'm now competing for at least 200 words a day in February, so that should bring this number up.
Travel articles: 1 draft written (Van Gogh in Arles), another accepted for publication (8 Places to Find Art Nouveau Around the World), a third on standby for publication (Festival of St Rupert, Salzburg); written in 2011: 1 /12 total
Short Stories: no progress in January; written in 2011: 0/6 total
Hunt (YA Urban Fantasy): I got one rejection from an agent who had a partial (just one full still out there); had the first of my second-round of beta readers go through it

Reading Challenges

1 horror/urban fantasy book; 1/24 total
7 library books; 7/51 total
1 specific title: Death's Excellent Vacation (travel/movement theme); 1/6 total - remaining: a nunber, jewellery/a gem, a size, evil, a life stage

January GIVEAWAY: Art is the New Steel - Hometown Focus #8

2011-01-30T17:07:00.000-05:00

In honour of the closing of Hometown Focus month on Hamilton Ontario, for my first monthly giveaway. . . .

Winner's choice of an Art is the New Steel shirt or apron from The Print Studio .

Contest closes and draw: Friday February 4, 6pm EST.

Sizes for shirts: women's small, medium, or large. Men's small, medium, or large. The winner can be from anywhere in the world.

Ballots:
- 1 "ballot" in the contest for commenting on this post,
- +1 ballot for following this blog by the closing date
- +1 ballot for following my Twitter (@JessicaPeter1) by the closing date - please let me know your Twitter name
Calculate any extra ballots in your comment!

Travel Tuesday: The Colours of the Royal Botanical Gardens - Hometown Focus #7

2011-01-25T08:45:00.000-05:00

Getting back to the largely visual Travel Tuesdays, we're still in Hamilton this week, but we've gone outside to see the colours of the Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG). Magical!

Photo credits: 1- Tom Flemming; 2- Dean Gugler; 3- Jason Miles; 4- Kenneth Moyle

Character Interview: Shelley McLean- Hometown Focus #6

2011-01-20T09:54:00.000-05:00

Since it's still hometown focus month, I decided to have a chat with a character from my hometown. (From a novel written by an author in my local writing group!)

JESS: Hey, I'm Jess.

SHELLEY: Hi, I'm Shelley McLean.

JESS: A/S/L (age/sex/location?)

SHELLEY: 34/female/Locke Street, Hamilton

JESS: So what do you do for a living?

SHELLEY: I do a lot of different things. They usually involve home staging, set design, window display. . . visual things.

JESS: Done any places I would have heard of?

SHELLEY: I did a boutique on James Street North, a city councillor's office, and most recently the set for a play in the Hamilton Fringe Festival.

JESS: That's pretty awesome that you've done so much around here.

SHELLEY: Well, Hamilton's the kind of place where you don't have to pigeon hole yourself and you can try a lot of things. Very creative city - an arts sleeper.

JESS: I don't think I've heard that phrase before. "Arts sleeper." Hm. . . so what do you dream of doing?

SHELLEY: Actually, I'm finally doing what I really want to do. I have my own shop off Locke Street where I offer creative services.

JESS: I should definitely come visit some time! It was nice talking to you.

SHELLEY: Come on in and check out the shop. Maybe I can do something for you some day.

You can't visit Shelley's shop off Locke Street in real life, since she is a character in Carol Davies' as-yet-unpublished novel. In Passport to Paris, crazy cousin Sara’s arrival shakes up Shelley McLean’s perfect life and sends her on a hometown journey that teachers her about family, friends, and the real meaning of love. Passport to Paris is mainstream women’s fiction, formerly called “Chick Lit”.

Check out the real Locke Street merchants: here.

Travel Tuesday: Hamilton, Ontario Landmarks - Hometown Focus #5

2011-01-18T08:45:00.000-05:00

Hopefully everyone isn't sick of hearing about Hamilton yet - I'll be singing its praises for another week and a half, and then we're back to normal. Here are a few of my favourite buildings that you can get up close and personal with:

Liuna Station - an old train station, used mainly now for events. Fun fact: remember the scene from X-Men where they shoot up a train station? That was Liuna. It was also featured in The Long Kiss Goodnight with Samuel L Jackson & Geena Davis, among other flicks. (Photo by Derek Purdy)

Whitehern Historic House and Garden - the McQuesten family home, with rooms decorating in periods from the Georgian era to the 1930's. I also enjoy fresh squeezed lemonade and jazz in the back gardens some summer afternoons. (Photo by "PinkTulip")

Dundurn Castle - not really a castle, but the massive home of Sir Allen MacNab, one of Canada's first premiers. Gloriously Victorian, and has an especially lovely set-up during Christmas time. (Photo by "Mz Kit Kat")

2011 Creative Goals

2011-01-15T08:30:00.005-05:00

Okay, I know everyone did their New Year's Resolutions posts a few weeks ago, but I'm a late bloomer. Besides, these aren't New Year's Resolutions - they're specific goals for this year. Totally different.

WRITING GOALS:

Hunt, YA Urban Fantasy - a sixteen-year-old girl gets tangled up with the Wild Hunt and discovers that seeing them at their hunt foretells death
If the two agents who have a full and a partial reject it:
- find two more beta readers, get their input
- do a full edit - an intensive read-through with notes, computer searches for a) distancing words like "felt" and "seemed" and b) adverbs (I search for "ly") to remove as many as possible, and at least one full rewrite
- query 70 more agents to bring my total up to 100 - or less, if someone offers representation

Untitled Post-Apocalyptic Romance - in a post-tech world, a girl agrees to live with a man she isn't allowed to see in a mansion in the wastelands, but doesn't expect to fall for him (based on the myth of Cupid and Psyche)
- finish the first draft; let it sit
- if it's sat for enough time before 2011 is up, start the editing process

Other Writing Stuff
- write at least 12 new travel articles; seek publication
- write at least 6 new short fiction pieces; seek publication

CRAFTING GOALS
- figure out where the as-yet-imaginary business is going
- work on said as-yet-imaginary business
- craft more for me, and less for swaps (possibly limit self to 1 craft swap at a time.... possibly....)

Local Artist Spotlight on Heather Peter - Hometown Focus #4

2011-01-14T22:06:00.004-05:00

Heather Peter (okay, she's my sister) is a freelance graphic designer.

WEBSITES

Heather designed the website for Christy's Gourmet Gifts (home of the oh-so-mouthwatering Christy's Crunch - and yes, you can order online) and other website pages such as the Cozy House Cafe below:

LOGOS

She also works with businesses to create logos, and creates promotional material of both the paper and electronic varieties.

OTHER WORK

In her non-graphic designing time, Heather reconstructs furniture and clothing and uses the following logo for some of her projects. She's also starting a new side project that will involve. . . lingerie!

Check out Heather's blog and contact information at http://heatherpeterportfolio.blogspot.com/. If you're looking for a graphic designer, some tips on furniture reconstructions, or the soon-to-come lingerie, check her out.

Travel Tuesday - City of Waterfalls - Hometown Focus #3

2011-01-11T08:30:00.008-05:00

Hamilton is also known the City of Waterfalls. Some call it the waterfall capital of the world, with over 100 waterfalls or cascades. Don't believe me? All of these shots were taken in Hamilton.

Albion Falls (photo by Jason Miles)

Sherman Falls (photo by "Mister V")

Tews Falls (photo by Gary Simmons)

Since, 'tis the season - an ice climber on Tiffany's Falls (photo by Derek Purdy)

Webster's Falls (photo by Jason Miles)

For more awesome Hamilton waterfall pictures, check out the Hamilton: The City of Waterfalls Flickr group and while you're at it, check out the general Hamilton Flickr group, where I'm finding most of my pictures.

2011 Reading Challenges

2011-01-08T21:57:00.015-05:00

1) Book Chick City's Horror and Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge 2011 - The goal: to read 24 horror or urban fantasy books.
Horror & Urban Fantasy read in 2011: 26
- Death's Excellent Vacation by Various Authors
- White Cat by Holly Black (YA)
- Dark and Stormy Knights by Various Authors
- Reign or Shine: Demon Princess Chronicles #1 - Michelle Rowen (YA)
- Reign Check: Demon Princess Chronicles #2 - Michelle Rowen (YA)
- Skinwalker: Jane Yellowrock #1 - Faith Hunter
- Hell's Belles - Hell On Earth #1 - Jackie Kessler
- Last Sacrifice - Vampire Academy #6 - Richelle Mead (YA)
- Magic to the Bone - Allie Beckstrom #1 - Devon Monk
- Magic in the Blood - Allie Beckstrom #2 - Devon Monk
- Dead Reckoning - Sookie Stackhouse # 11 - Charlaine Harris
- The Gathering - Darkness Rising #1 - Kelley Armstrong (YA)
- River Marked - Mercy Thompson #6 - Patricia Briggs
- Ysabel - Guy Gavriel Kay
- Iron Crowned - Dark Swan #3 - Richelle Mead
- Allison Hewitt is Trapped: A Zombie Novel - Madeleine Rioux
- The Hunter's Moon - O.R. Melling (YA)
- The Summer King - O.R. Melling (YA)
- The Abandoned (novella) - Amanda Stevens
- Spellbound - Women of the Otherworld #12 - Kelley Armstrong
- Bayou Moon - The Edge #2 - Ilona Andrews
- The Sookie Stackhouse Companion - Charlaine Harris
- The Accidental Demon Slayer - Angie Fox
- Fate's Edge - The Edge #3 - Ilona Andrews
- The Iron King - Julie Kagawa (YA)
- Winter's Passage (novella) - Julie Kagawa (YA)
ACHIEVED

2) The Book Junkie's Bookshelf: 2011 Support Your Local Library Challenge - The goal: the "Mega Size" (read 51+ library boks in 2011).
Books from the library read in 2011: 75
ACHIEVED

3) What's in a Name 4 - The goal is to read a book in each of 6 categories during 2011. The categories are:

A book with a number in the title: READ: Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart by Sarah Maclean
A book with jewelry or a gem in the title: READ: With This Ring by Amanda Quick
A book with a size in the title: READ: Grow Great Grub: Organic Food From Small Spaces by Gayla Trail
A book with travel or movement in the title: READ: Death's Excellent Vacation by Various Authors
A book with evil in the title: READ: The Demon in Me by Michelle Rowen
A book with a life stage in the title: READ: Barely a Lady by Eileen Dreyer

ACHIEVED

4) A-Z Reading Challenge - The goal: Read a book starting with every letter in the alphabet.
Books read by letter in 2011:
A - And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
B - Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
C - Captive Bride by Bonnie Dee
D - Death's Excellent Vacation by Various Authors
E - Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart by Sarah Maclean
F - Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve
G - Grow Great Grub: Organic Food From Small Spaces by Gayla Trail
H - Hidden by Eve Kenin
I - I Garden: Urban Style by Reggie Solomon and Michael Nolan
J -
K - Kiss Me Annabel by Eloisa James
L - Locavore: From Farmer's Fields to Rooftop Gardens, How Canadians Are Changing the Way We Eat by Sarah Elton
M - Magic to the Bone by Devon Monk
N - A Notorious Love by Sabrina Jeffries
O -
P - The Pirate Lord by Sabrina Jeffries
Q -
R - Reign or Shine: Demon Princess Chronicles by Michelle Rowen
S - Skinwalker by Faith Hunter
T - To Beguile a Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt
U - The Urban Pantry: Tips and Recipes for a Thrify, Sustainable, and Seasonal Kitchen by Amy Pennington
V -
W - The World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer
X -
Y - Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay
Z -
(Okay, I missed a few! Maybe in 2012)

Steel City Pretty - Hometown Focus #2

2011-01-07T23:45:00.000-05:00

The Steel City is undeniably gritty. In movies, we stand in for New York, Detroit, and the back alleys of big cities. But - yep - the gritty Steel City can also be pretty. Here are three of my favourite pretty places in Hamilton, Ontario:

1) Vintage Garden Tea Room (click Ontario, then Vintage Garden Tea Room - Hamilton). The classic tea room, complete with mismatched china and vintage linens in a refurbished house. There's an added bonus of tea leaf readings twice a week. Vintage Garden is in the Locke Street neighbourhood, which is full of boutiques and perfect for strolling.

2) White Elephant Vintage - Selling vintage goods for the hip or hipster sets, White Elephant has a fun storefront in the James Street North art district and also sells vintage housewares and clothing online.

3) Beaux Mondes blog - Run by two classy women with a talent at finding the beauty in things. Their photos are gorgeous, and I'm especially enamoured of the strictly Hamilton shots.

Travel Tuesday - Hometown Focus #1 - James Street North

2011-01-04T21:57:00.000-05:00

January is CREATIVE HOMETOWN FOCUS MONTH on Jess Gets Creative.. Hamilton, Ontario, Canada used to be just the Steel City. As the steel business dries up, Hamilton's getting rebranded with hospitals, research and. . . oh yeah, ART.

James Street North might just be the catalyst for the movement. As art galleries and crafty-cool places pop up amongst the Portugese fish markets and decaying heritage buildings, the people are coming too.

On the second Friday of every month, the galleries of James Street North open their doors in an Art Crawl. Find out more here: http://www.jamesstreetnorth.ca/blog/

* First and second photo by Dan Zen , middle photo by Robert Shaw (canvascanoe on Flickr)

Books Read in 2010, Genre Break Down

2011-01-01T10:30:00.068-05:00

For most of the year*, I was keeping track of my reading by genre. Here's the list:

21 Adult Urban Fantasy
21 Regency Romance
11 YA Urban Fantasy
5 Victorian Romance
5 Travel Books
5 YA Apocalyptic/Post-Apocalyptic
4 Food-Related
3 Alternate History
3 MG Fantasy (okay, they were all Harry Potter books)
2 Crafty Books
2 Anthologies (urban fantasy, Regency romance)
1 Mystery
1 YA Historical
1 Graphic Novel
1 Adult Post-Apocalyptic
GRAND TOTAL: 86 books*

Big themes: If I make a couple combinations, I get 32 urban fantasy and 26 historical romance. Unsurprising on the urban fantasy front, since it's been "my" genre for a while. The historical romance? I only got into them in the summer. They. Are. Addictive.

What's Missing? I browsed through more than 2 crafty books, but I wasn't counting them unless I read them cover-to-cover. This is also true with some travel books (like guidebooks). Though I do sometimes read guidebooks cover-to-cover. . .

Predictions for 2011:

Similar numbers for urban fantasy, historical romance, foodie, crafty, and travel.
More apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic - I'm on the hunt for some more on the end of the world.
More mysteries, since I have a list of cozies I want to try (even though murders give me nightmares)
More non-fiction in general, particularly books on language, writing and international issues.
A possible dive back into historical fiction and traditional fantasy, particularly fairy tales. I had been burned out on these genres in the past, but it might be time to get back to them.

Did your 2010 genre reading come out the way you expected? What do you predict for 2011?

* Not incuding February and March, when I was apparently too busy to write down what I read. Who knows what I might have been reading then!

Procrastination Friday: Happy New Year's Eve!

2010-12-31T07:30:00.000-05:00

6 Last-Minute Crafted Gift Ideas

2010-12-21T23:42:00.001-05:00

If you have a few hours to spare, a few more gifts to get, and a strong desire to avoid the mall, here are a few simple crafted gift ideas.

#1) Shrinky Dink Pins

You need: shrink plastic (AKA Shrinky Dink) sheets, pins, Sharpie markers and/or pencil crayon

#2) Reusable Grocery Bag *

You need: something to use as fabric; basic sewing skills

#3) Cinnamon Candles

You need: candles, cinnmon sticks, pretty twine/ribbon, brown "ouchless" hair elastics

#4) Ribbon Wrapped Bangles

You need: a cardboard ring (possibly a piece of a Pringles can), ribbon, cotton batting/felt/other cushy stuff for a lining, a really good glue

#5) Makeup Roll from a Placemat

You need: pretty placemat, ribbon, perhaps other trim; really basic sewing skills

#6) Magazine Storage Boxes

You need: cardboard, packing tape, decoration material (for faux woodgrain like above: construction paper, markers, & Mod Podge)

*Photo courtesy of JentheMeister on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenthemeister/

Travel Tuesday: The World's Largest Christmas Store

2010-12-20T09:30:00.008-05:00

In a touristy Bavarian village in Michigan (no, really), there is a store with a mighty-big claim to fame: The World's Largest Christmas Store.

I visited a few years ago, and definitely believe it . .yes, there is an entire section of just dog ornaments

Bronner's Christmas Wonderland, the world's largest Christmas store is in Frankenmuth, Michigan. If you're a year-round Christmas lover - even in the dead of summer - I'd recommend it.

An Internat-Chat with Livy Parker, teen from the dystopian future

2010-12-17T15:48:00.001-05:00

JESS: A/S/L? (age/sex/location?)

LIVY: 15, f, Macro-City of Seattle. From which Macro are you?

JESS: What do you mean “Macro”?

LIVY: I'm a History buff, let me explain. Centuries ago, America faced two great challenges: terrorism and epidemics. No other choice but to close its borders for the Nation's safety, the world has fall apart ever since. War V has taken many lives - so we must fight.
     To protect our borders from our enemies, the Army concentrated forces in city centers - Macro-Cities - all around the United States. No more small towns or suburbs like in the Old Days, the heart of America is military restricted for the sole purpose to train and feed us.

JESS: Wow, that sounds kind of scary. Do you still do, like, regular girl things, or is your life all about the war?

LIVY: Well... regular girls from my school only go to parties, drink and hook up. I don't know, I feel like there's more to growing up than make mistakes. Don't get me wrong, I make plenty - and I do like boys and books...
     I decided last month to join the Army. NO ONE at my school has EVER done it - since we're privileged, we can all get out of the Army's recruiting law - but I want to go.I'm not a violent girl, I hate movies that show us how to kill an enemy and plot a kamikaze, but maybe, just maybe, I could help out. Maybe I can do something instead of having other kids do it for me. Maybe I can change things, a little

JESS: Kids are going to war?

LIVY: It's not like we have a choice!Training camp at 16, for three years, two months a year, we learn how to be the best we can be at war.At 19, we leave to fight overseas - most return since we're so well trained and know how to survive in the enemy's territory. At 25, we come back and serve as protector of the Macros, in case a surprise attack or inland invasion occurs.
     It's a career choice, like my Dad chose to become a journalist and Uncle Roger the CEO of News World: I want to become a soldier and fight for my country.

JESS: This might sound like a stupid question, but who are you fighting against?

LIVY: Everyone! In 2158, Canada won Alaska after a fifty year combat. In 2208, China won Hawaii after less than ten days in combat.Africa and Europe threaten to invade us, South America is always on the lookout to infiltrate by the southern borders...America is the only safe country at War V. We have to fight to keep it that way. We have to sacrifice a few to save the lot.

JESS: That’s really awful how bad it’s gotten. Would you say you’re happy?

LIVY: Well... at least I can say I'm safe and free - kinda. My dad is super famous, you know, so it's kinda hard to be followed by paparazzi and for everyone to know what's going on in your life. I can't even have a pimple on my forehead without everyone knowing, with all the media screens everywhere...I'm happier than most since I'll be doing what I want. I should be satisfied with that.

JESS: That's good... I think. It was nice getting to know you, Livy.

LIVY: Thanks for listening :)

**Livy Parker is the protagonist of Anne Michaud's as-yet-unpublished young adult novel REBEL, which tells Livy's story in the dystopian future world. Livy blogs her journal at: http://livyparker.wordpress.com**

Travel Tuesday: Banff, Alberta

2010-12-14T11:41:00.005-05:00

The Rocky Mountains by Banff, Alberta live up to the hype.

And just down the street from all the tourist-trap action, on the banks of the Bow River? The Banff Park Museum: a slightly creepy, very Victorian hunting lodge-style museum complete with taxidermied animals and cabinets of curiousity. Quite a treat!

My Crafts Go Into the Future!

2010-12-10T21:34:00.000-05:00

Livy Parker, a teen from a dystopian future world, gave a friend an embroidered coin purse that I made, after finding it washed up on the beach. Check it out in her journal, here: http://livyparker.wordpress.com/2010/12/10/thats-what-friends-are-for/

* Writer Anne Michaud blogs from the point of view of her protagonist Livy from as-yet-unpublished YA dystopian novel, Rebel *

Procrastination Friday: Damn You Autocorrect

2010-12-10T08:30:00.001-05:00

Confession: I have a nasty addiction to funny. I have a whole list of websites with amusing pictures that I visit. . . um. . . nearly daily. I also have a good stockpile of those saved on my computer. My latest obsession?http://www.damnyouautocorrect.com/ - when good Iphones go bad.

A few of my favourites:

Before and After Bags

2010-12-07T09:42:00.000-05:00

Since I profess to be reaming of a business where I make bags out of other (preferably ugly) materials, I figure I should prove it.

Bag Reconstruction #1:

Pleated blue dress plus floral muumuushirt . . . .

. . . equals Party-on Pleated Clutch

The floral is hiding inside.

Bag Reconstruction #2:

An ankle-length African-looking dress, which may look good on some people (but not this gal). . .

... with the addition of some brown fabric, becomes an African-Inspired Circle Bag

It's a big bag, and has a few pockets, and a magnet closure.

How Many Days of Christmas?

2010-12-02T22:01:00.002-05:00

Maybe it's because I just finished the Mini 12 Days of Christmas craft swap*, the biggest swap ever to have "mini" in its title, but it seems like Christmas countdowns are popping up everywhere.

My grandma used to buy us those cardboard ones where you open a little window and find a chocolate. Okay, I admit, I still usually get them for myself.

These days, advent calendars have gone glam. Porsche's million dollar version includes a yacht and a kitchen reno.Then a jewellery maker stepped in to take the Guinness World Record with an over 30 million dollar version filled with diamonds. At least they'd fit in the boxes.

Diamonds may be a girl's best friend, but cookies are . . . pretty tasty. The Toronto Star's Advent cookie calendar has a new cookie recipe (and a "window" to find it) each day in December.

The 12 Days of Christmas start on Christmas Day, but no one really seems to care. Starbucks has their version from December 1 to December 12. Oh wait, that's the 12 Days of Sharing. I'm sure that's totally different. ;) But hey, you still get a freebie each day.

Some bored financial company figures out the cost of all the items from the 12 days of Christmas each year. This year? It's more expensive (just under $100,000 US), mainly due to rises in the price of golden rings, bird feed, and hiring all the "entertainers". Huh.

Finally, Spoonflower is hosting a 12 Days of Christmas fabric design contest. You can go vote now (or just go design your own fabric).

*In the Mini 12 Days of Christmas Swap, my partner will open one package that I've made for her every one of the 12 days leading up to Christmas. Yep, that's 12 (mostly handcrafted) gifts! But I'll be getting the same thing in return. Why is it mini? Well, the real 12 Days of Christmas swap has 12 things on Day 12, 11 on Day 11, 10 on Day 10.... and so on.

Travel Tuesday: Salzburg, Austria

2010-11-30T10:30:00.000-05:00

Since it was cold and I was sick in Salzburg, and it's cold and I'm sick now, it seems ideal for today.

The city may be the the über-Classical home of Mozart, but I think it has a delightfully Gothic appeal. It might just be the fortress looming over the city.

The Altstadt (Old City) is jam-packed with blue roofs over grey stone. The glacier-blue Salzach River runs throughout. I'm working on a dark fantasy short story set in Salzburg with all sorts of creatures from Germanic folklore in the woods and the river.

6 Ways You Know You Should be Writing YA *with TV examples

2010-11-27T10:36:00.000-05:00

When people - even other writers - have asked me why I write for teens, I have a stock answer of "Um" and "Uh", so I started thinking about what my reasons really were. Then I realized I could twist this into something better: why you should write for teens.

You should be writing YA if. . .

. . . you want emotional intensity without looking like a phony.
     From a conversation I had with my sister:
Her: "I like Dead Like Me, even though not much happens."
Me: "That's why I like Glee - so much emotional intensity and drama!"
Her: "Well yeah, they're teenagers."
     Hormones and emotions are running high. If you want an argument of epic angriness, intense unrequired crushes, or gut-wrenching nervousness, one of the only ways to go (without looking like a tool) is by writing teens.

. . . you want every issue to be the end of the world. Whether or not it's actually the end of the world.
     In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the pattern is that the world nearly ends at the end of every season. It's so entrenched in the Buffy-verse that the characters make jokes about it. But the reason people keep watching isn't just to see the world almost end. Tying in with the previous point, the characters feel like the world has ended - for them - several times throughout the show. Epic emotions stir up epic problems.

. . . you don't want to be restricted to one genre.
     So you want to write a literary sci-fi horror romance. . . for teens? That's all good! At the bookstore, all of the teen books are lumped together in one delightful category, so you don't have to worry about where your YA absurdist historical comedic disaster novel will go, 'kay?

. . . you want your characters to change and grow as you change and grow as a writer do.
     Dawson's Creek is one of the best examples I can think of. Those smart-talking kids from Capeside were barely recognizable as the same word-wielding teens by the time the series ended. But that's okay. The teen years are all about experiencing new things and building an identity, and if those experiences change your identify. . . well that's expected. Writing YA is one of the few places where you simply can't get bogged down with stagnant characters. Change it always happening.

. . .you still sometimes feel awkward, out-of-place, or that you are supposed to be something more.
     From my POV, this is one of the reasons adults are devouring teen lit lately. Who doesn't sometimes feel that there's supposed to be something better, something different? By writing YA, you can address your inner teen, and remember the tensions of the high school hallways. Ugh. But this might also be part of the reason for the popularity of urban fantasy and paranormal YA - an excuse for those feelings of awkwardness! You're not really just a teenage girl, you're _____________! (a fairy, a werewolf, a swamp monster)

. . . you want every time to be true love.
     Oddly, one quote from Sabrina the Teenage Witch stuck with me for years. In that episode, Sabrina had to go through a witch's trial reminiscent of Dante's stages of Hell to prove her love for her high school crush - or suffer if she doesn't succeed. (Harsh!) Her aunts' response? (Paraphrased from my memory of 10 or so years ago)
Aunt Hilda: How did you know it was actually true love?
Aunt Zelda: At 16, it's always true love.
     I could never decide whether it stuck with me because it rang true, or because it felt wrong. But either way, being able to experience your character's first love along with them is a great way to get you melting into a puddle of emotions by the end of the book.

Why do you write YA?

13 Spooky, Scary, or Sexy Places to Celebrate Halloween

2010-10-27T07:23:00.002-04:00

I've been a bit MIA lately due to life getting in the way, but stay tuned for me getting back on track in November.
In the meantime, my article 13 Spooky, Scary, or Sexy Places to Celebrate Halloween went live today at Boots 'n All. Check it out here for a creepy treat:
http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/10-10/13-places-to-celebrate-halloween.html

Travel Tuesday - Blue Mountain in the Fall

2010-09-21T11:00:00.001-04:00

This is the first installment of Travel Tuesday, where I'll regularly feature a favourite photo, blurb about a place, or a link to something travel related.

Blue Mountain in Collingwood, Ontario, Canada is very popular as a winter sports destination and gets a great deal of traffic during summer vacation, but may be most beautiful in the autumn.

Views from the gondola.

Le Scandinave Spa, with is hot tubs, cold plunges, and saunas for a

Scandinavian experience without leaving Ontario.

Jess Celebrates Podcasts

2010-08-07T11:01:00.001-04:00

Because I've riled myself up into a task-oriented state, sometimes listening to music while driving isn't enough anymore. Most of my driving time is filled with podcasts. Glorious, informative, enjoyable podcasts. That's right. Here is my must-hear podcast list of the minute:

Crafting

- Crafty Pod, hosted by Sister Diane - The perfect podcast for those of us who can't choose just one craft (you should see all the podcasts out there solely for knitters!). She does shows on specific crafts and protjects, interviews interesting crafty folk, and also spends time on the business side of crafting. AND it's well edited, with snappy theme music and everything. Highly recommended

Writing

- The Writing Show, hosted by Paula B - like the writing relative to CraftyPod. Almost every show has an interview, and from that there's a focus on specific genres or types of writing. There's also the Getting Published serial with various authors, an annual Halloween Ghast Fest of creepy stories, and - my personal favourite - the odd show about technique.

Travel

- Travel with Rick Steves - Though Rick's guidebooks focus on Europe, his podcast - actually a recording of a Public Radio show - goes through all sorts of destinations and ways to travel. I love the interesting diversity of the guests in the shows, fascinating stories Rick manages to tap into, and Rick's softly liberal views. I've heard almost every episode.

- The Amateur Traveler, hosted by Chris Christensen - Chris is a likeable guy, and in most episodes he starts with travel news and then interviews someone equally likeable. Because it's "amateur", the destinations vary widely from the "in my own backyard" to the "exotic". I look forward to the common questions for each destination - like that trick one, "Three words that describe this place". This is another well-edited podcast, and it's segmented too: if I don't like a section (*ahem* the theme song - sorry about that), I can just hit next to skip it.

As you may notice, my travel list is a bit longer than the others (I also enjoy the Frommers.com podcast, but the two I listed shine brighter). If you have any recommendations for other podcasts on: crafting or even specifically sewing, writing, or. . . yep. . . more travel, I'd love to hear them.

Summer Goals

2010-07-31T10:07:00.000-04:00

Summer goals. . . halfway through summer? Yep. I needed that time to develop the goals, which I hope to stretch beyond just the summer.

Writing Goals

500 words before breakfast - My new consistency plan for writing. I manage to get it done most days, which is amazing, and I do my editing and planning later in the day.
3 travel articles and 1 short story a month (while a novel is not in progress) - I've done my 3 travel articles in July, and I'm working on editing. I also wrote, edited, and sent out a story about necromancers to the Pill Hill Press anthology, but it's already been rejected. That said, I think it's a good piece and I'm going to try other markets.
Get representation for HUNT- Since May, I've been doing a monthly query send for HUNT. I've just hit 30 agents queried, still waiting to hear back from quite a few. I also have 2 travel articles I've been querying, starting with the biggest markets. Now it's time to move down to the $10 markets, but I'm okay with that.

Crafting Goals

Enter two Craftster challenges - Since I already have more reconstructed purses from old clothing in planning stages, these two contests that sprang up are ideal for motivation:

the Purses, Bags, & Wallets Board "Recycling" Challenge - make a purse, bag, or wallet out of something old, including clothing.
the Reusing/Recycling/Recrafting Board "Upcycled Clothing" Challenge - create new clothing or new items from old clothing.

Continue with my All Boards in a Year Craftalong - basically a self-imposed challenge to post one thing on all 39 boards of Craftster. This includes everything from crochet to spinning to exterior decorating. I'm at only 9, but in my defense, I started in April.

Other Personal Goals

Figure out the schooling problem. I am not going to grad school in September... now what?
Save money to go abroad and immerse myself in somewhere French-speaking to become fluent.
Continue working at the ol' Weight Watchers (12.5 pounds lost since April!)

How Fascinating

2010-07-05T00:08:00.000-04:00

According to Wikipedia, the definition of a "fascinator" has changed through the years. These days, it refers to "a delicate, slightly-to-very frivolous head decoration worn almost exclusively by women. A fascinator may be worn instead of a hat to occasions where hats were traditionally worn—such as weddings—or as an evening accessory, when it may be called a cocktail hat. It is generally worn with fairly formal attire.Modern fascinators are commonly made with feathers, flowers and/or beads. They attach to the hair by a comb, headband or clip."

I've seen so many fascinating fascinators (sorry, couldn't resist) coming out of millinery-esque shops on Etsy. It seems to be a major feature of the obsession with pin-up girls and burlesque that's been sweeping the crafty Internet, and I couldn't resist getting in on the action. Since I have shoulder pads hanging around from old clothing reconstruction projects, I decided to put them to good use as bases for my fascinators. Here are the two I came up with:

#1: The Creamy Cameo Fascinator. This shoulder pad was so pretty with it's white-on-cream embroidery that I left it as is and added decoration of ribbons, lace, feathers, pearls, and a cameo.

And modelled by my Craftster friend who received it - there is a comb attached underneath.

#2: The Parisienne Fascinator. This shoulder pad was less nice, so I covered it up with Eiffel Tower fabric before adding ribbons, tulle, feathers, and an old shoe clip.

Modelled and photographed, of course, by me.

I'm still not sure exactly when I'll wear this, but perhaps there will be a formal occasion that it might be appropriate. Or if I ever decide to go the burlesque route, I'll have the perfect first accessory.

Three Non-Fiction Obsessions of the Moment

2010-06-22T17:31:00.001-04:00

French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano - Though FWDGF plays up its diet-book identity, it isn't just a diet book. The cover states "The Secret of Eating for Pleasure" and the author isn't a doctor, a nutritionist, or even a diet guru. What she is, is a Frenchwoman - and the CEO of Veuve Clicquot, and therefore an expert on eating. The book runs through a life-changing, create-your-own diet plan that starts with Magical Leek Soup, and moves on to your personal plan of moderation through classic French ingredients (from tomatoes to oysters to chocolate and bread) with recipes to back it up. At the core of the book, Guiliano preaches balance and enjoyment of food; seasonality and fresh, "real" food are a huge part of that. While reading, I re-evaluated what was going into my mouth while I was transported in my mind to the markets of France. I haven't tried a weekend of Magical Leek Soup yet, but I will.

Delaying the Real World: A Twentysomething's Guide to Seeking Adventure by Colleen Kinder - I've just re-read this book yet again: I'm struggling with the knowledge that grad school may not be happening for me this year. Kinder acnowledges that "the real world" is what you make of it, but this book is mainly for delaying the dull, cubicle job, grad school (oh good!), or settling down. She runs through ideas about living abroad, jobs in adventure or arts & entertainment, volunteering anywhere, travel, and - thankfully - a chapter on how to enjoy life if you're staying "in your own backyard". It's packed full of links to ideas and programs, though many are for Americans - I did find enough for Canadians. It may have helped in my motivation to: head off on my 9-week European Backpacking Odyssey after graduation, and actually write my first novel. After reading it again, I've revisited my priorities. I'd like to live abroad and learn a new language, volunteer abroad, find the career that's really right for me, and between it all: have a good time in my own backyard. There's a lot to offer.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver with Steven L Hopp & Camille Kingsolver - A family of "locavores" living a "100-mile diet" for a year may not sound groundshaking, but when the Kingsolver/Hopp family did it, they weren't following the trend. For a year, they farmed their own food and bought what anything else from local farmers. A,V,M follows the family from the first asparagus of April to the last pumpkins of October, and the canned and frozen food "put by" through winter. Barbara's narrative sparkles in her description of their quest and her tidbits about commercial food production. The beautiful writing isn't surprising: she's also the author of The Poisonwood Bible, among other works. Her husband, Steven L Hopp, a professor at a local university, has informative sidebars throughout the chapters. Her daughter Camille provides an essay at the end of each chapter along with a few recipes that tie everything together. By the end of the book, I was inspired - in no particular order - to grow some of my own food, shop at farmer's markets more often for things in season, and move in with the Kingsolver/Hopp family.

Do you have any favourite non-fiction books of the moment or of all time?

Jessica Peter and the Deadly Synopsis

2010-06-09T09:50:00.001-04:00

Ugh, synopses!

So I went searching for a nice, tidy industry standard to write a synopsis for my novel. Silly me, there isn't one. Everyone wants something slightly different. The basics: it's a summary-that's-not-just-a-summary that details your novel's conflict, setting, characters, and ending, all in the tone of your novel. *Goosebumps creep all over Jessica's skin with the horror.*

But as I love to follow rules (right?) I went to find the pretty much unbreakable ones:
1) Put the ending. No teasers allowed
2) It must be in the novel's voice/tone. Make it engaging and readable, not dry and summarize-y
3) Present-tense, third-person.

Still up for debate in the publishing world seems to be length. My "sources" mentioned everything from two to twenty-fice pages, some single, some double spaced. I went for five pages double-spaced, simply because it seemed to be right for my novel. Note: none of the publishing professionals I was querying had specific requests other than "a synopsis". Otherwise I would have switched it up.

What not to add? Sub-plots and secondary characters are (probably) only necessary if vital to your main plot. A dull, tedious list of plot points - or an outline - won't get anywhere if it's a synopsis that's been requested.

This is how my process worked:
1) Write out a mini-paragraph summary of each chapter. Feel accomplished.
2) Cut out the less important sub-plots and secondary characters, arrange events logically rather than just chronologically. It's still ten pages double-spaced. Get a bit frustrated, but move quickly on to next step.
3) Cut out the non-dire sub-plots, detail, and secondary characters. Be brutal.
4) Go through it over and over again to add crispness and attempt to bring the voice of my novel to the stark listing of events. Take plenty of cussing breaks.
5) Get someone else to read through it, and rewrite it again.
6) Send it out to your publishing professionals of choice!
My favourites of the sources I used to craft my synopsis:

Twitter

2010-06-07T17:40:00.002-04:00

Just a super quick post to say... I've finally gotten a Twitter account! Check me out at http://www.twitter.com/jessicapeter1 . I'm always looking for more Twitter friends.

Crafts That Will Blow Your Mind. . . Verging on a Nerdy Theme

2010-06-02T00:39:00.000-04:00

I have a special section of my craft links tagged "amazing". These are things that I just can't imagine making due to their size, general tediousness, or the level of skill necessary. For some reason I can't quite understand, it also tends toward the nerdy. Here's a pick of the bunch:

This cross-stitched Mario Brothers 3 map is the culmination of my childhood "work" in a wall hanging format. In fact, just thinking about how long I stared at that screen is mind blowing. What takes it to another level is knowing that every pixel is a cross-stitch. (And oh man, while "researching" for this post, I found a website where you can play it online !)

This polymer clay version of a Wendy's chicken meal with its intense attention to detail looks good enough to eat, but believe it or not, it's smaller than the palm of your hand.

Amigurumi are by definition "cute", and this amigurumi-style Gimli from Lord of the Rings is no exception. This crafter went so far as to make the entire cast of The Fellowship of the Ring in amigurumi, complete with felt clothing and accessories. And that's where the amazing comes in. If you want to attempt your own Gimli or a hobbit, she offers a free pattern.

18th Century Ballgown made out of plastic . Enough said. But if that isn't quite enough for you, the creator has a blog post about "The Birth of a Plastic Ball Gown" .

Finally . . .

RELEASE THE KRAKEN! There is nothing that can be wrong about a giant (Super Mario style) kraken.

Writing and Buffy the Vampire Slayer

2010-05-13T23:09:00.000-04:00

Buffy the Vampire Slayer was one of those shows that pretty much defined my generation. It was the pre-cursor to the current vampire madness when a show about a vampire slayer wasn’t necessarily going to go over well with the public. I was paranormal-obsessed but wasn’t getting enough of it (other than my beloved LJ Smith books), so I latched onto it right away. But of course, I wasn’t the only one.

So it’s not surprising that to get my feet wet at the RT Convention, the first panel I went to was one I had a high comfort level with: Buffy and Female Empowerment. I thought it would be a “just for fun” panel, but it ended up being the one that most made me evaluate my own story. It went far beyond the female empowerment of the show, and dug deep into the writing. The panelists were: Vivi Anna, LA Banks, Cathy Clamp, Angela Knight, and Jeri Smith-Ready with captain Caridad Pineiro. I’m not sure who said what, but here are some of the notes I made.

What made Buffy so good – which are also elements that can be incorporated into our own writing:

#1) The strong, distinct characters who changed and grew throughout the series.

#2) The main theme of a young woman with her feet in two worlds – now common to YA lit. Buffy was a tough, kick-ass girl but still had girly qualities (not just a guy with breasts!) and a powerful being with awkward, so-human tendencies.

#3) Some of the characters died, some were sacrificed. The fact that they could die brought with it the tension of knowing it, and knowing that every day could be their last. The need to sacrifice (eg. Buffy has to send Angel to hell to save the world) affected and changed the characters.

#4) The element of humour, even in darkness. The “funny” villains (Angelus, Spike/Drusilla) especially shone as their humour lent itself to a sadistic, twisted personality. For more on Buffy and humour, check out this amazing article, Writing Humour for Young Readers, which uses Buffy dialogue as examples.

And a couple other interesting points:

--> The character of Cordelia: especially interesting as she was originally (self?) defined as the Popular Girl, but found herself dragged down to nothing – with even Buffy above her in their social hierarchy. She was forced to find herself, and it forced her own development.
--> Learn from the show's mistakes - what NOT to do: Don’t put things on characters without their natural progression toward them (Eg. Willow’s sudden lesbianism, without any vague hints previously that she may be interested in women)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer has been a major inspiration for my own writing, especially my young adult novel. It showed me the perfect way to balance between the supernatural, the relationships between characters, and the parts where the characters are actually in school. I only hope my dialogue is half as snappy, amusing, and clearly defined!

Published Writing

2010-05-13T19:34:00.000-04:00

Since I now have two pieces of published writing (not counting my university paper and magazine), here is a list of pieces I have published.

Travel Articles

Surrealism in Catalonia - April 2010 edition - Travel Thru History - http://www.travelthruhistory.com/html/art30.html

Following Van Gogh Through Europe - January 12, 2010 - Matador Network - http://matadortrips.com/following-van-gogh-through-europe

Street Art in Columbus, Ohio

2010-05-03T18:57:00.001-04:00

Though I expected to love the RT Convention last week (and I did - more to come next post), I had no idea that I would become completely enamoured of Columbus, Ohio. Why? Well-maintained old buildings, the North Market for lunch, the Short North Gallery Hop since I was there the right Saturday of the month , possibly my favourite pizza ever at pizza-truck Mikey's Late Night Slice, the relaxing riverfront with bonus replica of Christopher Columbus' Santa Maria.... and the street art/murals in Short North. My favourite bits of street art:

The American Gothic redux. Love how it compliments the building

(or perhaps how the building compliments it).

And a great mural behind the stone couch. I think it's fabulous that there's a woman sitting and drinking a beer on the stone couch as if she's at home in front of the TV.

Here's the art that's behind her.

A Banksy-esque Uncle Sam.

Another classic art redux. . .

Pretty sure this mural is at a shelter for street kids.

Not technically street art, but this really amused me.

Long art #1

Long art #2

One of three "let it go" images, now fading, on the ticketbooth of an old theatre.

And finally, last but not least and certainly not street art:

The owl display at Flower Child Vintage. Simply fabulous.

Business Card Bonanza

2010-04-26T13:39:00.002-04:00

I’m lucky enough to have a recently-graduated, totally-inspired, graphic designing sister. What did I get out of it? Writing business cards to take to the RT Convention tomorrow! (Thanks, Heather). I gave her a run-down of themes and things in my novel, as well as potential colour schemes. This is what she came up with:

The front, based on a vintage Ouija Board such as this one (though that one is entirely a mousepad). Notice the horses at the bottom which are tied into my novel. The sun is based on an earring she was looking at during her creative process, and the colour scheme idea went out the window when we decided to stick to the colours of the vintage Ouija.

And the creepy back, with the one-line description of my novel.

Check out Heather’s portfolio blog for more of her graphic design: http://heatherpeterportfolio.blogspot.com or the blog for the cooking zine she’s creating: http://hpcookingzine.blogspot.com

Earth Day/Spring Cleaning Mashup

2010-04-23T22:36:00.006-04:00

Since Earth Day was this week, and spring is a traditional time for cleaning, I'm going to make a proposition: clean out your closets, and reduce waste by recycling and reusing the contents into new things. Here are some great tutorials. Though I do plan to take my own advice. . . eventually. . . all of the following pictures are from the posters of the tutorials, and not my own work.

T-Shirt to Teddy
Though she uses one t-shirt and a piece of polyester fabric, it could easily be done with two t-shirts, or one t-shirt and another clothing piece. http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=305495.0

Vintage Pillowcase to Apron
Definitely a better use for old pillowcases than sitting in a linen closet. http://craftydame.blogspot.com/2009/05/vintage-pillowcase-apron-tutorial.html

T-Shirt to Yoga Pants
Especially nice that it provides a way to keep the main image of your shirt. http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=299282.0

(Dinosaur) Sheets to Dress
Have any awesome old sheets? I found some Little Mermaid ones at the thrift store and I'm thinking of giving them this treatment. Also see her Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sheet dress that she links to.
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=118888.0

Men's Button-Down Shirt to Cap-Sleeved Top
I like how adorable this turns out.
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=134335.0

Flared Jeans to Skinny Leg Jeans

I was planning to stick to five items but I couldn't resist throwing this one in. Keep your jeans as jeans, just change the style.
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=129855.0

Editing, Completion, and Conventions

2010-04-02T23:05:00.006-04:00

March passed way too quickly. Too quickly for me to snag a spare moment and write a blog post, apparently. Now this was possibly because between working wild shifts and trying to make time for real people, I did NaNoEdMo. Or at least I attempted it.

NaNoEdMo stands for National Novel Editing Month, every March, which pretty much sprang from NaNoWriMo. As opposed to the more-famous Writing Month (every November), which challenges participants to write 50,000 words in a month (!?!), the EdMo challenges participants to edit for 50 hours.

I did pretty well on the completed manuscript of my novel. And oh, yes, I had a completed manuscript. The first draft of my YA Urban Fantasy, Hunt, was approximately 51,000 words. After the 41 hours I managed during EdMo, my second draft was about 60,000 words.

Next steps:
- go through the entire thing on the computer; editing all the way
- print 3 copies: 1 for me to line edit by hand, 2 for my "beta readers" (AKA my sister and my boyfriend. Lame, I know)
- rewrite again
- try to have a polished draft by the end of April in case anyone asks for one after the agent/editor pitch sessions I'm signed up for at the Romantic Times Convention in Columbus, Ohio - yikes!

But ah, RT Convention. I am ridiculously excited about it. At first when I heard about it I thought, "Romance? That couldn't be the convention for me." Until I saw the Attending Published Authors list including: Kelley Armstrong, Holly Black, Charlaine Harris, Melissa Marr, Richelle Mead, and oh so many more. Basically the best - or at least my favourites - in my genre right now. But hm, Ilona Andrews was there and has definitely disappeared from the list. Too bad.

Plus there's the agents (on my want list) and editors, and the simply amazing line-up of workshops. I especially love the ones on YA, urban fantasy, steampunk, and social media/networking. And there's themed parties every evening, free books, and one of the very first workshops is "Buffy and Female Empowerment". I think I'm in love.

Now I just need a polished draft so I can properly pitch without looking like a fool . . wish me luck.

Sweat Shoppe-ing

2010-02-28T22:58:00.003-05:00

I just finished up the 22nd round of the Sweat Shoppe Swap on Craftster. The rules: make 5 or 10 of any one item, make of list of the offerings from other people you would want, send each item to a different person, and receive the same number back. I went for making two sets of 5 items, so I will soon end up getting 10 items from 10 different crafters. Oh boy.

I made a list of possible items that I thought would be appropriate to craft, and didn't end up doing anything on my initial list. My actual item #1: stencilled owl wall art. These are all in the custom colours request by my recipients, and on 9" x 12" canvas.

Item #2 was culled from my pictures of previous crafts. I re-did my kawaii ( Japanese for "cute", rhymes with Hawaii) shrinky dink charms, and added a few extra ones this time as well. The recipients of these got six each, so there are 30 total.

The twelve different designs. Semi-clockwise from top left: toadstool, frog, ice cream, panda, deer, strawberry, cupcake, onigiri (rice ball), cloud, bird, ice cream, rainbow. All probably inspired by some other kawaii things I saw on Craftster or elsewhere online!

The Writing Life

2010-02-17T00:19:00.005-05:00

A second batch of verses by that naughty provincial
poet,
Naso, the chronicler of his own
Wanton frivolities; another of Love's commissions
(warning
To puritans: This volume is not for you).
I want my works to be read by the far-from-frigid
virgin
On fire for her sweetheart , by the boy
In love for the very first time. May some
fellow-sufferer,
Perusing my anatomy of desire,
See his own passion reflected there, cry in amazement:
"Who told this scribbler of my private affairs?"

- From Elegies by Ovid (43 BC -18 AD), Trans. Peter Green

Have we as writers, readers, and passionate creatures changed much at all in two thousand years? Maybe not.

Lovey Dovey Lists

2010-02-10T16:48:00.009-05:00

Ah, Valentine's Day. The time of pink and red, hearts and flowers, chocolates, sweets, and love. No really so much what I'm into at all, but there are some very real exceptions. Here are some of my favourite items.

FIVE THINGS TO MAKE
- Coffee Filter Roses - http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=293661.0

- Cupcake Truffles - http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=250071.0

- Tattooed Mugs - http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=311317.0

- Heart-Shaped Pom Pom - http://zakkalife.blogspot.com/2009/01/craft-project-heart-shaped-pom-poms.html

- Vegan Watermelon Cupcakes - http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=315099.0

FIVE THINGS TO BUY

- Love & Swallows Belt Buckle from Pin-Up Girl Clothing - http://www.pinupgirlclothing.com/love-buckle-beijo-brazil.html

- Anatomically Correct Human Heart Pendant from Monster Kookies - http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=40369807&ref=em

- Alexander Henry's "Wrangler" Fabric - http://www.ahfabrics.com/products.php?cat_id=355

- Sugary Sweet Pie Charm Bracelet from Dolly Mixx - http://www.dollymixx.com/pieslicebracelet.htm

- Love Ring from Swank - http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=5075654

Books Read in January

2010-02-03T21:13:00.003-05:00

Infernal Devices by Philip Reeve - Mortal Engines/Hungry City Chronicles #3- Set in a post-apocalyptic steampunk world with traction cities gobbling up other mobile cities in "municipal Darwinism" and airships in floating cities above it all. The third book is from the POV of Wren, the daughter of the protagonists from the first two books, though they're still not so grown-up that they don't also feature in this YA. Though the action is initially brought on by Wren's silly actions, she makes up for it in the end and the action is indeed intense throughout. The ending is heart breaking! Can't wait to read the fourth & final novel.

Frostbite by Richelle Mead - Vampire Academy #2 - The series has a surprisingly similar premise to the House of Night series but is so much better. The writing is youthful without coming off like a diary, and protagonist/narrator Rose Hathaway is hot-blooded, hot-tempered, impulsive without being silly, and so relatable. The other characters are multi-dimensional. In this one there's some serious Strigoi (bad vampire) attacks, the intro of a naughty new potential love interest, and some heavy duty relationship (both romantic and familial) scenes. I wish there was more BFF time with Rose and Lissa, and more on the power of "spirit", but I'm sure it will come.

Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong - Women of the Otherworld #10 - The first return to Elena - sole female werewolf - and her Pack in a while. As the werewolves visit Alaska and encounter mysterious other supes, there's continuous suspense, constant twists, and additions of characters that we might continue to see. I was afraid that the birth of their kids would ruin the dynamic between Elena and Clay, but I still love them together - and the kids didn't really feature in the story.

Love is Hell by Various Authors - YA speculative fiction romance short stories. I thought it was paranormal romance when I picked it up, but not quite! The shorts:
Sleeping with the Spirit by Laurie Faria Stolarz - Kind of creepy with the actual haunting part, but I liked the girl in love with a ghost.
Stupid Perfect World by Scott Westerfield - Far from paranormal, this is a totally futuristic "utopia" where a couple of crazy kids try out the hardships of the present. A good read.
Thinner Than Water by Justine Larbaleister - A girl in a "traditional" town handfasts with the little village's outcast boy to a surprise. Dramatic and really enjoyable until the somewhat disappointing ending.
Fan Fictions by Gabrielle Zevin - An exceedingly average girl has the perfect, storybook romance. But is it just a storybook? Decent, but such a vague ending.
Love Struck by Melissa Marr - A girl with some problems (not as many as the protagonists of Marr's novels though!) meets a Selkie. Romance blossoms - and yes, there are some problems too. The best of the anthology, in my opinion.

Shadowkiss by Richelle Mead - Vampire Academy #3 - The story gets darker as problems with Rose erupt, and she starts seeing ghosts. The mystery increases and the characters become stronger and more developed. The last third of the book is action-packed and filled with several moments where I actually said "Oh, my God" out loud. And that's rare. Can't wait to read the next one.

Real Murders by Charlaine Harris - Aurora Teagarden Mysteries #1 - I started adoring the small town Southern life, and felt like the mousy librarian protagonist Aurora - call her Roe - was my good friend. But as the murders piled up, imitating famous crimes, and Roe and the other members of the 'Real Murders' enthusiasts group started to be implicated, I started to feel nervous myself. I actually had trouble sleeping! (This is why I don't usually read murder mysteries). That aside, I thought the book was great, and I'll read the next one. Just not at night.

Getting Into Writing Professionally

2010-01-19T16:56:00.004-05:00

In the group "Writers, Writing, and Self-Publishing" on CouchSurfing.com, somebody posted a question asking how people are getting into writing professionally.

Though I'm far from "making it", I wrote a response, and summarized it here:

Take a Course
I've heard a lot of negativity about taking writing courses, but I've been working on the Writing for Publication certificate at Mohawk College, and have found it to be a great experience. "Novel Writing 1" got me motivated to move on my novel, "Travel Writing" gave me insight on an industry I didn't know too much about, and the courses in general introduced me to a great group of other writers.

Connect with Other People
Having other writers read and critique my work has allowed me to improve greatly. The people in my courses (both the students and instructors) were the first group to give me in-depth critiques. Several of the students from my first course formed a writing group to continue critiquing and sharing, and we've picked up other members along the way. I also post chapters online, at the Writing portion of author Kelley Armstrong's forum; ideal for other urban fantasy writers!

Keep up with the Basics, Online
The About.com sites are good (Freelance; Fiction) if you're into that sort of thing, but I personally adore podcasts. The Writing Show is my favourite, but I also enjoyed the AmericanWriters.com podcast before it trickled away. (Both available free on iTunes).

Get in Touch with "the Industry"
The publishing industry, that is. I read (and comment on) agent/editor/author blogs - see the Writing sidebar for some of my favourites. I also keep an eye on what's new and what's upcoming in published pieces - I mostly keep up with YA urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and travel articles since I enjoy them and I'm interested in writing them as well.

Put Yourself Out There
It seems a lot of publishing houses and agents want authors to develop an online platform. I'm still working on this one, but I obviously have a blog, and I update my status on Facebook when anything interesting happens. I haven't joined Twitter or LinkedIn, but I still may. If my novel gets accepted for publication, I also plan to develop an author website. And don't forget that social media use isn't just for building an audience - as one other response in the original CouchSurfing thread says "use your blog as a gym".

What did you do/are you doing to start writing professionally? Anything I've missed?

Where's My Writing At?
-> I just had my first paid recognition: an article about Van Gogh published with an online travel magazine
-> I plan to finish the first draft of my YA urban fantasy novel, Hunt, by the end of January. Progress:

40,325/50,000 words. 81% done!

Dream Rooms

2010-01-09T18:31:00.002-05:00

Oddly, both found on sites I normally go to for a laugh. I'd love to HAVE the slide staircase, and SCUBA in the water room.

New Year's Resolution #1: Back to the Blog

2010-01-07T19:40:00.006-05:00

It's been far too long, and as I kept dreading making excuses for my return, I've decided I just won't make them. Jess Gets Creative is back, no strings attached - and no excuses!

My Creative New Year's Resolutions - AKA To-Do List

CRAFTS
To clear my craft area for showing our house to potential buyers, I've organized ruthlessly, thrown out and freecycled plenty, and stuck more in storage. That means I'm left with just the essentials until our move in May, but I'm now dealing with a much tidier area filled with just the things I've been meaning to do. And those are:
- finish the minor repairs on that huge whack of clothes hanging at the back of my closet ASAP (why is it I never get to ripped seams and minor resizing?)
- make what I've been meaning to making for my imaginary business Emu24: purses/bags made from clothing & vintage or retro purses/bags with stencils and prints
- finish my university scrapbook
- get going on my travel scrapbook

WRITING
- finish that pesky first draft of my novel - goal: end of January
- edit, edit, edit after that draft is done
- work towards publication: query agents, research publishing houses, check out awards, and. . .hopefully as a reward to myself for getting it done - attend the Romantic Times Convention in Columbus, Ohio in April (check out that author & agent guest list - wow!)
- see my first travel article published - should be soon, as I've had an article accepted to Matador Trips
- write more travel articles; seek publication
- bring the two short stories that only have beginnings out of hibernation (1: dark fantasy; 2: romantic futuristic steampunk)

What's to Come in the Blog This Year
- a rewind post or two about what I've done in the last few months (definitely expect a Halloween costume post)
- ruminations on writing in general
- the best pieces culled from my paper and pen travel journal
- updates (and hopefully excitement) on my quest for novel completion, editing, and publication
- crafts I'm working on, and some of my favourites on the Web
- monthly book reviews
- seasonal/holiday posts
. . . . and more!

Bookmark This

2009-09-24T12:36:00.005-04:00

Due to my slow posting lately, here's a "multimedia" piece.

Part One. Get Your Bookmarks Ready: Brief Reviews of Books I Read in August

The Smart Cookies' Guide to Making More Dough: How Five Young Women Got Smart, Formed a Money Club, and Took Control of their Finances by Andrea Baxter, Angela Self, Katie Dunsworth, Robyn Gunn, & Sandra Hanna - Entirely not the usual sort of book I'm attracted to, but I saw it on the library shelf and grabbed it. Despite the presumptuous intro (my ultimate dream in life is not for a stable job and a mortgage; sorry - it's something more like 'happiness'), the book has an engaging tone and truly did teach me some things about money management. I was inspired to start keeping track of my finances and think about starting a budget - at least for a little while.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith - I was originally charmed by the premise (I love Jane Austen, I love zombies - what could be better!?), and the book didn't disappoint. It was as if Jane Austen had written P&P right after the Georgian era's unfortunate zombie plague. But then I realized something. Other than the inital gag, the parts I were loving were the P&P parts. And there was something missing - instead of being a lovable but prickly bookworm, our heroine Elizabeth is instead a cold-hearted and practical premier class zombie fighter/samurai-type.. It detracted from her character. Once I figured this out, I couldn't keep reading. I stopped halfway through, but I'm marking it 'done' for now - I may pick it up again in a few months time.

Magic Bites; Magic Burns; Magic Strikes - all 3 by Ilona Andrews - Kate Daniels is a magical mercenary in post-apocalyptic Atlanta where magic and "tech" waves cycle, causing endless problems. One of the best-built worlds I've read in a while - we're still finding out mysteries and intricacies by Magic Strikes. Magic Bites did seem like it needed another edit, but the story shone through and it became clearer through the next two books. The plot twists are sublime, introductions of new 'species' are delightful, and Kate is an intense, strong protagonist who gets the job done at any cost - but still manages to be relateable.There's just a hint of romance, which seems to grow as Kate does. I would recommend this to any fan of urban fantasy.

Part Two. Physical Bookmarks: Hand-Crafted for the Bookmark Swap

My Bookmark Swap (on Craftster) partner had similar interests to me. We decided to do four bookmarks for each other. I chose her themes of rockabilly (with a zebra printed fabric bookmark), and pin-ups (with paper piece featuring a vintage playing card from the 1940's), . . .
I also chose Harry Potter. I picked one of her favourite houses (Gryffindor), and printed an iron-on transfer. I ironed it to a small rectangle of white felt, and sewed on a few matching sequins. The last theme I chose was zombies. I found some zombie shapes on the internet, printed them cut them, and used them as tracers for some brightly coloured paper. My bf liked it so much, I got a request for another one (but in more "natural" colours). Excuse the glare - it's also 'laminated' with packing tape.
Part Three. Digital Bookmarks: A Few New-to-Me Sites to See

Find a great, non-chain, restaurant with regional favourites anywhere on the road in the USA - http://www.roadfood.com (I am entirely going to use this for my some-time-in-the-future Route 66 trip).

Toronto.com has some pretty decent articles about restaurants too, but I was especially pleased to find them jumping on the Green train with this piece about where to shop for Eco-friendly goods - http://www.toronto.com/guide/green/article/634489 (Though don't forget Kensington Market area for thrift and vintage shops!)

I've been a big fan of lowbrow art for a while, but I just recently discovered Aunia Kahn's creepy pieces. Check her out here: http://www.afterchain.com/auniakahn/

And shameless self-promotion once again. Check out my Restaurant Review blog for Southern Ontario and beyond! http://snackingsouthernontario.blogspot.com

Crafting True Blood

2009-09-01T15:49:00.001-04:00

Wow, August sure was a dry month for blogging. My partial excuse is that it was vacation month - I went to the lovely East Coast of Canada with my Mom & Sister (Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, to be exact).

But I do still have some crafts stockpiled up to show here!

First up, I did a True Blood (that nifty vampire show on HBO that happens to be based on my favourite series of books my Charlaine Harris) swap on Craftster - and I got to trade in person with "GrindHouseHussy19", who happens to live in the same city.

I got crafty with:

Two True Blood-inspired t-shirts. #1: Fangbanger (Vampire... er... lover). (Modelled by GH).

#2: The "Fangtasia" (vampire bar) logo.

A 'Fangs in the Kitchen' Set (I seem to have been into making kitchenware lately). Featuring: Fangtasia apron,

Red & Black (with blood spot!) oven mitts, & Tru:Blood mugs (which is the name of the faux-blood for vampires who prefer not to drink from humans. No 'E' in this version of the word).

Here's a close-up of the Fangtasia stencil on the apron. I made my own stencil with an overhead transparency rather than freezer paper, so I could use it twice. It meant it wasn't sticky on one side (like freezer paper is when you iron it), so I had to be more careful with my work! I used the same stencil on the shirt, which actually ended up a bit tidier.

And oven mitts in depth. I used my favourite oven mitt pattern again, though somehow the one mitt kept getting a smaller thumb as I hemmed it. Oops. ;)

As for my favourite item from the package that I received? This amazing and perfectly constructed pillow case. . . The best part? There were two! (Modelled by yours truly).

The Curse of Summer

2009-07-29T14:44:00.003-04:00

Ah, summer. Plenty of activities, beautiful weather (admittedly, it has been relatively cool and rainy lately), invitations here and there, and lots of people wanting to get out and do something.

And a huge temptation for an unpublished writer.

I've read time and time again that to really get somewhere with your writing, you have to consider it a job. Despite the fact that I am unsold and unpublished, I started getting into the mindset: writing is my second part-time job, and the fact that there hasn't been a paycheque - yet - is just about timing. Unfortunately, the warmer months seem intent on fizzling my resolve to turn my writing into my work.

Pro: if it doesn't feel like a job, maybe it will just be pure fun!
Con: if it doesn't feel like a job, my motivation slows to a crawl - and I hit a couple weeks like these last two, where nothing gets written.

I do still enjoy the writing process, even if it's 'work', so I'm putting it out to the world.
Writing is my second part-time job (even if it's still at the thankless internship point); I'm building my position. And unless you're one of those lucky few with that flying motivation, maybe 'writing as work' is a good starting point.

A month or so ago, Agent Nathan Bransford asked readers of his blog what projects they were working on and asked them to comment on his post in 100 words or less. I figured it would be a good start to future query/outline writing, even if my novel is still unfinished. Here is mine:

In Hunt, Abby experiences ghostly things that nobody else remembers. Thomas starts school the next day. When the female population start falling over themselves to be with him, Abby isn't impressed, and even rejects him. He is just so arrogant. Soon she discovers that Thomas is the leader of the Wild Hunt, and has been seventeen for a couple hundred years. The problems? Seeing the Hunt foretells death. And Abby can't seem to shake her growing attraction for Thomas, no matter how inhuman he may be.
Hunt is YA urban fantasy, currently halfway done at 30,000 words.

Kitchen Gift Basket

2009-07-27T15:18:00.004-04:00

My dorm roommate (and later apartment roomie), Leanna, got married a few weeks ago. She's one of those people who actually seem to appreciate handmade gifts so for her wedding gift, I decided to forego the wedding registry items for a gift basket of handmade kitchen items. She mentioned "blue and brown" in her kitchen, and I went wild.

I started with a "pretty" apron for her. I saw one similarly shaped in a magazine, and chalked up the fabric I had found until it seemed to turn into a proper shape.

The top - 2 double-sided triangles trimmed with brown bias tape, a brown fabric "belt" and a brown fabric dickie of sorts.

I also embroidered a fancy "L" on the pocket.

I also made her now-husband, Ryan, a manly grilling apron. It's basically a big rectangle, but I angled the top half in a bit. The neck and waist strap are bias tape. (Sorry about the poor picture quality. The brown is actually the same fabric as is on the other apron).

I also embroidered a more manly "R" outline on the pocket.

Then I made a pair of oven mitts to match - using this tutorial.

And a brown potholder, and spotted potholder - two layers of cotton batting (make sure you don't use poly fibers! Real cotton only), a front fabric and a back fabric, all quilted and trimmed with bias tape.

A two-tone potholder and a heart potholder, same methods (I still have not entirely figured out how to make bias tape sit smoothly on a curve. Bah!)

The completed basket. I used a nice big wooden bowl, and added a quick-and-easy cookbook, a few (somewhat pricey) plastic utensils from her registry, and a set of purchased tea towels. I hope they liked it!

Yep, another blog!

2009-07-22T00:54:00.002-04:00

I hope to do a couple more posts in July - I have a couple crafts to post, and one thing to say about my novel, but as for now:

I have a new blog! If you happen to be in Southern Ontario (or will be visiting Southern Ontario), come check out my blog Snacking Southern Ontario for my restaurant reviews. I have four up right now, and more in the works.