Spamalot

I went to Spamalot opening night Tuesday. It was a ton of fun. Spamelot incorporates much of the plot-line and iconic jokes from the Monty Python group's hit movie The Holy Grail, which splatters the legends of King Arthur with quirky British humour. You'll see French soldiers taunting Arthur and his merry men, you'll see a confrontation with the Knights who say Ni, there's something about a watery tart who throws a sword, and so many of the signature lines that Monty Python fans love to tell and retell.

Happy Canada Day

Revision

My agent just sent me a list of revisions for my new YA novel, Parallel Thief. The list is not overly extensive, but very specific, which I love. Most of it has to do with the characters; they need some work. My protagonist’s relationship to people needs further fleshing out. There are also changes to be brought to the storyline to increase tension and suspense. All good notes.  So with these changes in mind, I start draft 3.  =)

Writing a Novel in 12 Stages

I am presently at stage five, writing the query and synopsis. I don’t need the query part, because I already have an agent. But I still need a synopsis. So this is what I’m working on this week. The blurb is done though. You never know when you’re going to need a 30 second elevator pitch. Best be prepared. =)

Happy Easter

Back from Vegas

Actually, I arrived a couple days ago. But I had such a bad cold and was so sick that I had to delay this post, which proves that a not everything this that happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. I caught this nasty bug over there, probably on the chips when we played roulette. Still, I had an amazing time. It was a four-day-long birthday bash. Not mine, but one of my friends. I won’t tell you what we did. But if you look at the photo, you’ll figure it out. ;-)

Vegas, Baby, Vegas

                                I'll be back in a week. :-)

Evolution of Music - Pentatonix

Enjoy! :)

Done...for now

I’ve just finished the second draft of my new YA novel. I cut so much out of it that all I am left with is a bare bone skeleton. Ouch! It needs lots of work. :-/

Midway

Update on draft two: I just reached the middle of the book. Well, it’s an approximate middle because I never really know how many pages a story will run until I finish it.  Still close enough. Usually I rejoice a little at this point. Not this time. That first haft still need so much work, it’s crazy. Right now I’m contemplating getting ride of chapter five completely. That’s the easiest change I have to do.  There a lot more. :-/ On the positive side, it’s a good story. So back to work I go.

Read an Ebook Week

Smashwords Read an Ebook Week promotion is taking place March 2-8 2014. For one week only, thousands of Smashwords authors and publishers will provide readers deep discounts on ebooks, with coupon code levels for 25%-off, 50%-off, 75%-off and FREE.

 

 

I enrolled two of my books in the promotion, so this week Death in the Traveling City is 50%-off and The Digging Crew is FREE! Go for it!

Guardians of the Galaxy Full Trailer Official

OMG! I want to see this movie SO BAD!

Mondays are tough

Don’t ask me why. They just are…for me anyway. I always am a little disconnected from my work on Mondays. It takes me a couple of hours to get back into groove, if not the entire day. This, no matter how passionate I am about the story I’m writing or its characters. It’s frustrating as heck! That’s why I never work on important scenes on Mondays. I keep those for the middle of the week.

 

Today is worst than usual though. I was up at 3:00 am (not of my own volition). My husband had an early shift, and the dogs decided I should be up too. So not only am I disconnected, I am also sleep deprived.  Tough, tough, tough.

Happy Valentine's Day

                                     Happy Birthday Dad! =)

Audio-Books

The audio-book versions of The Princes of the Golden Cage and The King's Daughters are going to be available soon. They are produced by Amazon Audible and narrated by David Marantz. Amazon bought the audio rights from Skyhorse Books which acquired them when it purchased the original publisher, Night Shade Books. I own the rights of the third books in the series, Death in the Traveling City, so it’s not part of the deal. I should look into getting it done too. Anyway, both titles are scheduled to be released on January 27, 2014.

Dumb Movie Ways to Die - Dumb Ways to Die Parody

Just because. =)

What’s new for 2014

For once, we’re not moving to New Brunswick. I’m quit happy about that; B.C. is my home. We might buy a new house in Prince George though.

 

 

My New Year resolution this year is the same as last year: lose weight and get in shape. The difference this time is that I’ve already lost five pounds since the beginning of January. Woo hoo!

Work is progressing well. I started the second draft of the first book in the Parallel War trilogy, a young adult sci-fi.

I’m going to Vegas with friend in April and to the fantasy world convention in November.

Also, I had two requests for full manuscripts, an urban fantasy and a sci-fi, from two different publishers. One asked for it before Christmas the other after New Year…fingers crossed.  =)

Yummy Cake

Tomorrow is one of our dear friends’ birthday. There is a party and I’m bringing the cake. Knowing that he is a fan of my cheesecake, I made this one for him.  This is a new recipe for me. Fortunately, the cake tuned out exactly like the picture. I hope it is as good as it looks.

Layered Mocha Cheesecake

Ingredients

·                         1-1/2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs

·                         1/4 cup butter, melted

·                         FILLING:

·                         2 tablespoons plus 1-1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules

·                         1 tablespoon hot water

·                         1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·                         4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

·                         1-1/2 cups sugar

·                         1/4 cup all-purpose flour

·                         2 teaspoons vanilla extract

·                         4 eggs, lightly beaten

·                         2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled

·                         GLAZE:

·                         1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

·                         3 tablespoons butter

·                         Chocolate-covered coffee beans, optional

Directions

1.            Place greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan.

2.            In a small bowl, mix cookie crumbs and butter; press onto the bottom of prepared pan. In another bowl, mix the coffee granules, hot water and cinnamon; set aside.

3.            In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined.

4.            Divide batter in half. Stir melted chocolate into one portion; pour over crust. Stir coffee mixture into the remaining batter; spoon over chocolate layer. Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan.

5.            Bake at 325° for 60-65 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath; remove foil. Cool cheesecake on a wire rack for 10 minutes; loosen sides from pan with a knife. Cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.

Back on the horse again

After over a month hiatus from writing (mostly spent entertaining during the holydays and enjoying my husband’s return home — he was gone for almost four months for work), I'm happy to say I'm back on the “proverbial” horse. It feels good to return to my usual work routine and reconnect with the characters of my unfinished YA novel.


I’m about to start the second draft, but first I must do some more research. Because it is set in a multiverse I need to brush up on my physics before I begin. I only have a few points left to clarify; then I’ll be good to go…can’t wait.