Back home

Well the weekend went by extremely fast. Got back home a little bit ago and now don’t want to do anything.

All in all it was a nice weekend, short but also a good break. My boyfriend was able to rescue five newborn kittens because their mother wouldn’t take care of them. It was actually the mother of the kitten that we adopted a couple months ago – she’s feral and I guess just got sick of having babies.

Also got a new bed and my cats are crazy about it now; probably won’t be able to sleep in it since they’re hogging it now 😛

I actually got quite a bit of writing done, which surprised me. I will hopefully wrap up the first draft this week!
Well we shall see. Decided to try a new diet this week and I shall see how grumpy it makes me LOL

Though on a good note – FINALLY going to get new cable/internet tomorrow! A month late, but it’ll be a million times better than what we have. Well, that is if there isn’t something that comes up between now and then to mess it up…

Might be moving at the end of the year and I don’t think that there is anything else to note as of now.

Time for a last minute trip.

Well a last minute trip out of town just came up. Leaving tomorrow morning so need to get packed today and make sure that everything that needs to be taken care of is completed.

My boyfriend had an interview for a possible job last week and now the company wants to do a follow up interview at their headquarters – which also is in his hometown. Now we get to go spend the weekend with his family, which will be nice for him since it’s his birthday tomorrow.

I just don’t feel like trying to pack… and I know I’m forgetting something that needs to be done.

Well, better go since I probably won’t have much time to work on stuff today.

Oh, and don’t forget the giveaway ends in a few days! Better get your entry in if you haven’t! (Really, who wants to turn down a free book 😉 )

Cheers everyone!

 

Good morning!

Well, at least where I am it is 2 in the morning… I have major insomnia tonight. Plus there are several factors that are only making it worse. I shall not get into them or I shall go into an endless rant that will turn into who knows what at this hour of the night.

So I have been writing like crazy! This new book I’m working on has given me wings and I just can’t seem to run out of steam – no pun intended since it is a steampunk novel :p

I thought I would share with everyone here – if you haven’t seen it on my facebook page – the close to completed book cover for it!

It has gone through many variations and I think I am finally happy with the background and layout. The title I’ve been playing around with and will only remain the same if the following books in the series can match. (and I like the words at the bottom – just not sure if it will say exactly that)

Alrighty, big question – when will it be available? I don’t know. I should hopefully be finished with the first draft in the next week – do some editing – find some beta readers – edit and edit and edit and edit…. Hopefully around the new year? (If you want to be a beta reader let me know! I don’t have anyone on the list yet 🙂 )

But I’m excited for the book cover at least. I always seem to write better if I know what the cover and title will be. It always seems that if I get stumped on the design side I will get stuck in the story. I don’t know why.

And I leave you all now with a bit of an idea of what the book will be like – a blurb type of thing… (I need sleep)

Jinger Andrews thinks she’s a mostly normal college student. After some unusual events she finds herself transported into another world; a world of automatons, strange inventions, and a mixture of the past with the future.
A new life is thrust upon her and she finds out that she is one of the chosen guardians – humans that are unknowingly bonded to one of the ruling members of the world.
Her duty is to protect the future senator she had bonded to, no matter the price – even at the cost of her own life.

Interview with a Cat #2: Aqua Martin-Roman

I decided to interview another one of the kitties.

Today Aqua has decided to join me! Her full name is Aqua Yavanna Martin-Roman. Aqua, of course, is water. Yavanna means giver of fruits. She is often called Awkers, Uqu, and Mongoose. She just turned two years old about a month ago. She is a little crazy, eats anything she can get her fangs into, and likes to be alone.

*****

Hello Aqua, thanks for agreeing to do an interview with me today!

You should be thankful. I took time out of my very busy day to answer your stupid questions.

Um… Ok. Don’t you usually sleep all day, though?

Of course, but I am up all night – working.

I see. Alright then I won’t take up too much time. So what exactly do you work on in the evenings?

I am an alchemist. I brew potions and work on experiments. I have a secret lab located with the hot water heater… One day I shall rule the world!

How very… interesting. I heard you’re the oldest cat in your family. Do the others look up to you like as a role model?

No! I try my best not to associate myself with them. I’ve lived my entire life with an annoying cat that thinks she is my sister. We were forced to be together almost since we were born. I went through two other homes before ending up in the one I’m at now, and she was never allowed to be apart from me. She is rather dimwitted and does not get the hints that I don’t like her. I just ignore her now.
Of course my humans had to adopt two brothers. I couldn’t stand them at the beginning. I tolerate them now. The biggest one thinks he can bully me and I hate him more than any of the others.

I thought I heard that you tried to make one of the brothers your apprentice though.

True. True. I did attempt that at one time. He had the intelligence I was looking for. Also he’s very submissive and I didn’t think he would challenge me. He failed as my apprentice and I don’t want him anywhere near my lab!
Back to the last kitten. He was adopted around a month ago or something like that. I despise him. End of story.

Ah, but there are supposedly some pictures of you two napping together.

Do not listen to the media! I would never have done so willingly. I fell asleep and when I woke up he had decided to curl up against me. I did not give him permission to sleep so close to me.

But he is just a baby. He’s like half your size and it’s been getting cold.

If he needs a napping buddy he has two older brothers that he can nap with. I don’t want him near me.

Alright, fair enough. So how do you go about your alchemy?

I experiment. I mix ingredients together and hope that they turn into something I want. I also will eat everything that I can find to see if it has potential as an ingredient for my potions.

Wouldn’t that make you sick or possible kill you?

I have a very good immune system…

Uh huh… Now you mentioned that you are going to rule the world. How and when will that come about?

I shall not give my details away. I shall suffice it to say that the world would be a better place if a cat ruled humanity.

I’m not so sure about that.

Do not disbelieve me! I am done with this interview.

But I didn’t ask all of my questions!

I don’t care. I am the one in charge and when I say this interview is over it is over! Goodbye.

Alrighty then. I suppose that wraps up this interview.

*****

You can also check out Aqua’s Facebook and Tumblr. blog.

Turning over a new leaf

For those who know me, or have been around long enough to learn some things about me, you know that I’ve suffered with depression and had some big life events that pretty much left me empty – hollow and nearly lifeless (where the heartless comes from). I went from being a person that laughed all the time to someone who cried all the time.

Now these weren’t little problems that someone could get over in a day/week/month/year. It’s taken several years, and though I’m close, it’s not over yet.

But a little bit ago I sat down and thought about everything that’s happened to me since those events. I’ve done so many things that I wouldn’t have been able to had those things not happened to me. I was able to graduate college. I made friends that would never have been in my life – and I couldn’t live without them now. I have five cats that I wouldn’t have been able to rescue – and I couldn’t be without them, they’re just like children to me. I have the most amazing boyfriend. I’m able to pursue my dream of writing and actually publish my work. And there’s just so much more.

I thought about all this and I realized if those events hadn’t taken place and I was still like I was those years ago I wouldn’t be happy. I would probably be working a really lame job, have no friends, no pets, and I wouldn’t have been introduced to so many wonderful things in the world.

All I could keep thinking about was how much it hurt. How much I had lost. It still hurts. What I lost is irreplaceable, but I can move on. I can be happy. I can do the things I love. I can finally be free.

 

And since Heartless doesn’t reflect me as well anymore I am contemplating using my second pen name (Ti’Ana Strife) for all future work – possibly re-release everything with it as well. We shall see… I need to think about that though. My newest steampunk series will be released with my other pen name though.

 

Love this song – just fitting for me now.

 

Tis the Monday book recommendation: Incarceron

The day is half over and all I’ve gotten done is a bit of laundry… I hate laundry day. But that has nothing to do with this post so I shall get back to topic.

So, this weeks book recommendation is Incarceron by Catherine Fisher.

 

(I don’t know why I never posted the book covers before :p)

Yes, we’ve all heard, don’t judge a book by its’ cover, but it’s just so easy to do. In this case, I’m glad I did. I saw this book sitting on the shelf in Barnes and Noble and I was immediately drawn to it.
I have an obsession with keys, and a shiny, embossed book cover definitely grabs my interest. I looked it over, thought it sounded interesting enough to read, so I bought it.

I completed it in a day – and that’s not because it is short.

Incarceron is a prison; Finn lives there and cannot remember anything prior to waking up in a little cell. He insists that he came from outside the prison, but no one ever comes in anymore or escapes – except for the legendary Sapphique. Finn has an eagle tattoo on his wrist, which he thinks has something to do with who he was before coming to the prison. He receives a crystal key, with the same eagle symbol, and with it he is able to talk to a girl that lives in the outside world.

Claudia is the daughter of the warden of Incarceron. She lives in the Realm, outside of Incarceron. She sneaks into her father’s office and finds a key, exactly like Finn’s, and with the keys they are able to communicate with each other. She hates her life and does not want to be forced to marry the prince; so she decides to try to help Finn escape.

The Realm outside of Incarceron is stuck perpetually in the 18th century. No one can make new inventions or try to further technology. The world is supposed to remain free of change – but there are changes going on, and they’re not for the best.

Finn travels through Incarceron – which is a giant world that was originally created to house all the world’s criminals/undesirables to reform their morals and create a Utopian society. The prison was supposed to be self-contained and be able to  recycle matter back into food and materials that the people would need. The experiment had failed and Incarceron was alive; watching everything that happens within it, learning and growing. Finn makes the journey through the prison, trying to find the way out, with his oath brother and a slave girl that he rescued.

And I will stop before I start spoiling things.

There’s so many surprises and one adventure after another. You never know who to trust, and it makes you keep reading to find everything out. It was such a fun read and I definitely will be reading it again.

The sequel is Sapphique. It was still good, but it didn’t imprint itself on me the way Incarceron did.

 

Cheers

Goodbye weekend.

It’s that time again. Sunday night. End of the weekend.

Now all week long I was super productive and got so much writing done. The weekend came and I hardly touched the novel. Oh well, I’ll do some extra the rest of the week to make up for the lack. I just need to take some breaks at times.

Now, more important matters – my boyfriend’s birthday is this Friday and I have nothing for him, have no idea what to get him, and the only things I know he wants for sure I don’t have the money for.

Also, there’s a Halloween masquerade in town (yea, a month away) we wanted to go last year but ended up not going because it was super cold. Contemplating going this year, but have no idea what to wear…

And now I’m rambling; or I think I am… or something…

Ok – goodnight and have a happy Monday!

Author Interview with Robert Coward!

Today I had the pleasure of being able to interview the wonderful author, Mr Robert Coward!

Robert works as a Consultant/Sr. Project Manager for a subsea engineering and management company out of Houston and lives in Katy, Texas with his wife and two cats. He was born in Pasadena, Tx in 1956, the second of two boys. He’s been married to Carel Paulena Johnson since September 22, 1978 and they have a daughter named Amanda. Their oldest daughter, Lou Ann, passed away in 1999 from complications of spina bifida just a month before her 17th birthday.
His books include, Deathjester: The Legend of Battleblade, Miracle from Mayhem, Why Pastor’s Die Young, Black Roses/Silk Heart, The Keeper’s Dare, The Last Medal, The Grove of Akkadia, and Evil Most Holy.

*****

Hi Robert, thanks so much for being here today! So why did you start writing?

My first child was a little girl, born in 1982. She came into the world with a severe case of Spina Bifida and the doctors said she wouldn’t live 24 hours. They were wrong, as she lived almost 17 years. In the first seven months, my wife and I were heartbroken over not only her predicament, but our own. We were very young and had only been married a little more than three years. We learned to cope and love and care for her, but it was a long road we travelled. The only way I could constructively release my grief and all the other emotions that come with such an event was to write my feelings out on my paper. It started out with poetry and stayed there for several years. One day, around 1994, I sat down to write a short story. A year and 183,000 words later I wrote THE END on my first novel, Deathjester, The Legend of Battleblade. My daughter passed away in May, 1999, and I wrote a short biography about her life called Miracle from Mayhem. Ever since, I have wanted to write books of all different types and genres. It keeps me thinking of her.

Wow, I can’t imagine going through something like that. What is one thing that none of your fans probably know about you?

I’m a huge Trekkie fan. I grew up with Kirk, Spock, McCoy and gang in the ‘60’s. I have every episode of the original, Next Generation, Deep Space 9 and Star Trek Voyager. I also have all the movies that were made. I could never get into the other Enterprise series, though. It was too hokey.

That’s cool! Do you like to write fiction or nonfiction/ both/ only one?

Fiction is my favorite. It presents the greatest challenge to me since my goal is to write a book in a different genre every time I sit down to generate a story line . I recently finished The Grove of Akkadia which is set in modern day and revolves around an anomaly in the Brazilian rainforest and has spies, intrigue, combat, and a surprise ending. Then, my next book was a very graphic horror novel set in 1590 England that concerns witch hunters, witches and demons. You can’t get much further apart in story lines than those two that I wrote back to back. That’s the real challenge for me, and fiction does it better than anything else.

That’s a really cool goal! I love fiction too. Do you view writing as a career or a hobby or something else?

I desperately want to write for a living, but I only recently began to try and market my work. So, right now I would have to describe writing as something I love to do that I am working on building into a career. It would be great to live out my life as solely a writer. For me, that would be a dream come true.

My feelings exactly. So what is your favorite movie/tv-show?

Favorite Movie: Vanishing Point (Greatest ending EVER)
Favorite TV Show: All of the real life murder shows, like Dateline. It never ceases to amaze me how hard it is to get rid of a body. My wife thinks I’m taking notes. However, after 34 years it would be cheaper to keep her. Not only that, she’s the only one who knows where my money is. My name isn’t even on the checks.

 Lol, that’s pretty funny. Do you have any pets?

Big cat lover. We have Sasha who was our first daughter’s cat. He was almost two when we got him and she died about a year and a half later. He’s getting up there, now…around fifteen years I think, but he’s still healthy and is very special to us. When he goes to kitty heaven, there will be much weeping. Then, we have Jasmine. She’s a little 10 year old calico rescue that is grateful to be among cat lovers. We’ve had her a little over a year now. They make quite a pair and we’re glad to have them.

That’s awesome! Big cat lover myself – have five cats to prove it, lol. Are there any special events coming up? (Such as new release, book signing, tour)

I’m so glad you asked. All of my books are self-published. Some are on Lulu.com and then four e-books can be found on Amazon.com. BUT…my Western, Hell’s Gunman, has been picked up by a publisher. I signed the contract about a month ago and we are already working on the cover design and editing. It’s a 97,000 word story set in 1884 Arizona and I am very proud of it. It’s the only book I’ve written that I knew throughout where I was going with the story. I didn’t have the first instance of writer’s block. Unfortunately, it won’t be released until July, 2013, but I’m just excited that my writing has been legitimized with a real publishing contract.

Wow that’s awesome! Congratulations!

I’ve been running a radio campaign in Austin, Texas for my True Crime novel, The Keeper’s Dare. It’s about my uncle being arrested in 1939 for ambushing and murdering a deputy sheriff in southeast Texas. It’s a fictional account based on actual events that I put about seven years of research into. The radio campaign has been running since July and will be over at the end of October. You can hear the audio on KJCE 1370 Austin, or go to my website and listen to it all there.

That sounds really interesting! I’ll go check it out. Alright, you can only eat one thing for the rest of your life. What is it?

Man, that’s a tuffy. Hmmmm. Being from Texas I would have to go with bar-b-que; as long as I had the choice of beef, sausage, ribs and pork. Otherwise it would be Tex-Mex, best Mexican food in the world.

Great pick, love bar-b-que too! What is one, non-writing related, thing that you like to do in your spare time.

This one is kind of embarrassing. I am a Total War computer game addict. My wife has already told me that if I had a woman as a mistress I would at least get out of the house every once in a while. I play Rome Total War, Medieval Total War, Napoleon Total War…etc etc. If we ever get a divorce, it will be over that game.

Haha, I completely understand! I’ve never tried those specific games, but I do know how easy it is to get lost in the game worlds. Alright, so one more question, imagine you just won a trip to anywhere in the world. Where would you go and why?

This is the easiest question yet. Australia. So far, my work has taken me all over the world. Australia is the only continent of civilization that I haven’t put my footprint on. I’ve been to Asia, South America, Africa, Europe, and of course North America. I don’t include Antarctica because there are only scientists and penguins there. We have a world map on our wall with pins showing everywhere I’ve been. In that respect, I have been blessed to have had the ability to travel all over the world and experience so many different cultures. I think it has helped make me a better writer.

 That’s awesome! I’ve always dreamed about being able to travel the world. Do you have any closing comments?

I want to thank you for this opportunity. It’s forums like this that help old timers like me get the word out about our work. It is my sincere desire that if anyone out there reads this they will hear me when I say that everyone has a story. All it takes is the discipline to sit down and write it.
Thanks again, Steffany. It is very much appreciated. When Hell’s Gunman comes out, I’ll send you a signed copy! 

Aw, thank you so much, I would love that! And thank you for being here today, I really enjoyed being able to have this opportunity to interview you!

*****

Want to know more about Robert and stay up on news and info? Check out these sites: Website, Twitter, Blog (Robert: I’m pretty outspoken and conservative, so enter at your own risk), Facebook (The Book Dungeon)

And be sure to check out his book, Evil Most Holy. Available now!

The setting is England, 1590, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth the First. Enidor Fox is a depraved witch hunter traveling the southern countryside in search of wealth, not witches. Even though he is a priest, it is in name only. He partners with Lords and Nobles in the counties, falsely accusing persons of witchcraft and having them summarily tried, mercilessly tortured and then summarily executed. Once they are dead, the Lords confiscate the deceased’s property and grants Fox a kickback for his trouble. He soon finds himself in Wokingham of Berkshire County to work his evil again, but this time he stumbles upon a real coven of witches who are not happy to see him and his entourage of cutthroats invade their territory. The two forces are soon joined in mortal combat and only the evil most holy will win the day.

The author, Robert Coward, lived in Wokingham for over a year and in Southern England for almost four years. He travelled extensively around Berkshire County and uses his knowledge of this area of Great Britain to paint an excellent picture of the history there. Even though Evil Most Holy is purely fictional, the places are real and the torture devices and methods historically accurate. Mr. Coward takes you to a land of the richest past and of brutal times now gone.

The purchaser must understand that this work possesses extremely graphic content of torture, sexual situations and violence. NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH OR THE EASILY OFFENDED!!!! Enter at your own risk.

Interview with a Cat: Ventus Roman

So I was on the computer last night trying to think what I should blog about today when the kitties begged me to interview them 😉 I agreed to do a test run.

Today I have Ventus with me! His full name is Ventus Vanitas Roman. Ventus is Latin for wind and Vanitas is Latin for emptiness. His nicknames are White Rabbit, Giant, Clumsy,or Ven/Venny. He was adopted from a shelter, along with his brother, a little over a year ago. He used to be a feral cat with his sister, brother, and mother – but they were rescued when a human threatened to poison them.

*****

Hi. Ventus! I’m so glad you are here today. Can you tell us a bit about your life as a feral cat?

Mrowww meow meww purrr.

I’m sorry, but we all speak English here. It would be very helpful if you would as well.

You could have said that you didn’t have a cat interpreter here…
So my life as a feral cat? I am part of a triplet that was born in the wild to our mother. I never knew my father. My mother would leave my brother, who was the oldest, to watch over our sister, who was the runt, while she took me hunting. That’s why I have wonderful hunting skills and know how to charm birds and bugs. I had really big paws that made me clumsy, so my mother eventually stopped taking me with her because I would frighten all the prey. Three kittens were a lot of mouths to feed so she sent me to a warren of rabbits so that they would raise me instead.

Wait. What? Don’t cats eat rabbit?

Sure we can, but we don’t usually want to since they’re about the same size as us. Being raised by the rabbits is why I like to dig, eat lettuce, and hop around the house. I would still visit my family every few days. It was on one of my visits that the humans came to take us away.

Very interesting… I don’t think a cat could survive with rabbits though. So, what’s your favorite thing to do?

Hmmm… I like to play with my brother, but picking on my adopted sisters is really fun too!

Sounds like you have fun. I’ve heard that you’re considered a bully. Any thoughts?

I wouldn’t say I’m a bully. I just like to pick on anyone that’s smaller than me – except my brother since I love him.

Lol. Can you tell us why you have the nicknames that you do?

Sure. My nickname “Clumsy” comes from when I was younger. Since my paws were too big for my body it made me really clumsy – I still am a bit. “White Rabbit” is because I hop around like a bunny and I like to eat lettuce. “Giant” is because I’m the biggest cat in the house. “Ven” or “Venny” is really self-explanatory.

Nice. Do you have a favorite place to nap?

I love naps! I usually sleep anywhere that I want too. If there are no humans, I like to sleep on the bed or the couch. Otherwise I just find a box or somewhere on the floor. I love boxes the most.

Of course you do. Do you ever miss the rest of your family?

I don’t really remember my mother too well. Since I was sent to live with the rabbits so early I didn’t really get to spend as much time with her. Once we were taken to the cat shelter she was sent back into the wild really quickly.
I would say I miss my sister the most. She looked just like me and was a sweet kitten, but she wasn’t strong enough to get over the sickness and make it through the surgeries…

That’s sad. I heard that you’re going to be sick for the rest of your life.

That’s true. I have an incurable disease. It is uncomfortable at times, but it doesn’t really effect me too badly. At least I can live out my life as a mostly normal cat.

Well, that’s better then. Did you have any other names before your current one?

Yep. When I was at the shelter I was called Yahoo. I can’t tell you what my mother named me. It can’t translate into English and you don’t understand cat.

Cool! So, before we end the interview, is there anything else you want to say?

Yes. I am hungry. Let’s go eat! And then can we watch How To Train Your Dragon? I saw it on TV and I really liked watching it, the dragon sounds like a cat.

Haha, ok! Thanks again for being here today!

*****

You can also check out Ventus’ Facebook.

 

I sometime’s have no idea what to make the title.

I can’t even remember what day it is.

I’m also really cold and ended up sleeping in way too late. I just feel bad getting out of bed when I have several kitties smooshed up against me. I don’t want to disturb them after all. Besides who wants to get out of bed when it’s only 40 degrees out and the kitties opened the bedroom window in the middle of the night to talk to a stray cat 😛

Well, didn’t get new cable and internet like it was supposed to happen yesterday. The guy finally showed up and apparently they didn’t think to check things like phone lines outside of the house before they came. Oh well, just have to wait another week or so before they can come back. They were supposed to come over a week ago but they cancelled because of a football game. Seriously, if they weren’t for sure going to be better than the current company we have I’d just say forget it.
But, the electrical finally got fixed – yay!

 

Oh, and for all of you who have Nooks instead of the Kindle, I am pleased to announce that Soul Thieves is finally available for you as well! So if you’ve been one of the people awaiting it’s release, you can get it here!

 

Oh and in regards to the giveaway, I do believe I mentioned I would post some pictures of some of the prizes.

Ok, here you go.

 

Of course the autographed paperback first printing of Cella, A Tale of Cinderella.

And

The custom painted “Cosmic Wolf” (His colors don’t show up as well in the photo.)

There are going to be some other prizes, but I’m wanting to keep those as a surprise for now 🙂

So better get your entry in if you want a chance of winning!

 

Alright, that is all. Time to go work on my newest novel.

Cheers!