TGIF

Welp, I am done with my first week back to college! Not so bad…

Since I haven’t taken a college math course since 2008 I had to start off in basic algebra but the awesome thing is I can work as fast as I want. I’ve already taken (and passed) my first exam in it and I could see myself completing the course in a little over a month! (If I do a unit a week – which there is a total of 5 and then the final)

I’m also taking intro to computer programming, which is definitely an interesting course and I think that I’ll enjoy it. My only other class is discrete structures (aka discrete mathematics) and I think it will be enjoyable as well. Next time I meet with my adviser I’m going to see if I can get a minor in math without doing too many extra classes just because I’m taking so many math classes for my degree in the first place and it’d be cool to have another degree 😉

I decided to drop the earth science class just because since it’s my first semester at this university I want to get to know the place and get back into the groove of college. Don’t want to overload myself and end up doing poorly just because I have too much to do! Also, it sounded kind of boring and I didn’t want to be stuck in a class that the majority of other students are only taking for an easy science requirement. (it being the only lab science that doesn’t require any math.) I’d rather take physics and chemistry (which I will once I get the math prereqs out of the way.)

It’s been a crazy week. Trying to get into a new sleep schedule since I have 8am classes (my insomnia isn’t helping much.)

I have gotten a few chapters written for Inner Life! Whoo! Other than that, nothing.

Also, thanks to everyone that downloaded Inner Strength on it’s free promo days! (Please leave a review to let me know what you thought when you finish it! 🙂 I’d love you forever!) And also thanks to those who purchased Inner Peace! (same as above 😉 lol)

I finally got a new computer! Now no more depending on my boyfriend’s! I’m sooo excited! Except for the fact that it has Windows 8 😦 I hate it. It’s definitely not developer friendly. Probably going to wipe it and install Windows 7 instead.

Also, we did go to Matsuricon in Columbus last weekend. It was fun! I got some awesome stuff 🙂

like this adorable Tonberry plush!

 

and these super cute cat paw gloves! (plus things like white chocolate pocky, and hazelnut and orange chocolate kit kats from Japan.)

We also now have a squirrel that visits our deck pretty much every day. We’ve named her Pachirisu. She’s stolen pretty much all of the bird seed that I had put out and ignores the corn that we purchased for her. Go figure 😛

  

The cats love her, of course.

Well, I think that’s about it! Hope I didn’t bore y’all 😉

Cheers!

Evening :D

I know. It’s nearly midnight and I’m not in bed… Though by the time I post this it’ll be well past midnight. Well, can’t sleep. That shouldn’t come as a surprise…

Anyway, I thought what better way to spend my time than to sit on the computer 😀 (Course I need to clean the kitchen and etc, but who really wants to… especially this late.)

Ok, first things first.

 

Yup, Inner Strength will be completely FREE on Amazon tomorrow (well today) and Monday! First time ever that it’s been free so better snag a copy! I don’t think it’ll show up free till US pacific time – so like 3 more hours.  Also, remember you don’t need a kindle to read ebooks! (Just go HERE for a list of all of Amazon’s kindle reading apps. Plus, they’re all free!)

Ok, enough promoting 😉 So, today my boyfriend and I went to campus so that I could finally walk around and see where all of my classes will be! They’re all actually pretty easy to get to, and I won’t need to get a parking pass since his job is right across the street from the university! Just means I’ll need to walk a little bit more. (Which I’m actually looking forward to since I feel like it’ll help me a lot.)

Sigh, I never thought that finding a pair of lime green pants would be this difficult. I need it for the cosplay that I’ll be doing at Matsuricon in about 2 weeks! So excited and cannot wait to go! My boyfriend got off really easy with just needing everything to be black. I tried dying a pair of white pants, but that didn’t work…

So the food “experiment” is working pretty well… At least we’re finding out what we don’t like 😉 So, as I mentioned in a couple posts ago we decided to try Japanese food for the first week. We had onigiri, yakisoba, and korokke. All were decent enough. The onigiri and korokke we thought we could experiment more with in flavors and such to get to something we’d enjoy more. The yakisobe was too similar to the stir-fry I already make that it wasn’t really anything special.
We did just finish French week. The french toast was definitely the best I’ve ever had, but the tartiflette was – different – and the steak frites… well the fries were awesome. I also really enjoyed the lemon souffle, though my boyfriend didn’t like it since he doesn’t like lemon flavored desserts.
Now, we are going into Italian week and after that it’ll be German.

Well, I think I’ll close, maybe clean the kitchen :p and possibly be able to fall asleep.

Cheers!

Hello :)

Hi, happy Thursday! I can’t believe the week is nearly over. I’m sure it has something to do with how late I’ve been staying up every night. Insomnia at least makes me get work on my books completed. I have finished formatting the print version for Inner Peace! I am so excited and I cannot wait until it comes out next week!

I just can’t get over how fast the year is going by. It’s nearly August! I only have about a month before I start school again and then the year will pass by in an even quicker blur. Oh well, it’s exciting! Also only have a month till we go to MatsuriCon! 😀 (Need to finish making my boyfriend’s cosplay for it. 😛 )

I’m going to start trying something new. I’m tired of the same old food that I keep cooking so I decided that each week I’d pick a different culture to try out new recipes from. I’m starting next week and I’ve picked Japan. Since we always shop for two weeks of food I need to decide what other culture I want to do for the week after that. Any suggestions?

Well, the cats are freaking out because someone is mowing the grass so I better go make sure they’re ok

Cheers!

Morning has come too soon.

Goodmorning. I wish I was still asleep, but my boyfriend thought it was a good idea to have the cats wake me up before 8am (even though my insomnia kept me awake till sometime after 2am.)
At least being up so late was productive since I got more completed with Inner Peace. I did reach my word count goal (!) and, yup, there’s more to write. I’m just stuck right now trying to figure out exactly where I want to leave the story. I’m thinking a good cliffhanger might do, something that will leave you dying to read book 3 😉

Oh, sadly plans fell through for Pokecon 😦 but now we will be going to a different con (I forget its name) in August and that’ll be in Columbus. So at least the work I was doing on the outfits won’t be for waste 😛
We also have a voucher for a horseback ride/lesson in Kentucky that we need to go to sometime before I get too busy with classes. Can’t wait! I can’t believe that it’s nearly July. Time just continues to fly.

Well my brain keeps wandering so I better just close this post and get busy on writing/reading/crocheting/gaming or whatever catches my fancy.

Cheers!

 

Happy Friday!

So I just realized it’s actually Friday! All week I’ve been behind a day. Yay for the weekend! No plans, and probably won’t do anything different from a normal day of the week, but y’all have an awesome one 😀

I do need to go to the store and get some yarn. A friend of mine is going to have a baby so I want to crochet a baby blanket for her. Just add that to all the other crocheting projects that I currently have. I’m crocheting my boyfriend’s and my cosplays for pokecon, plus I need to make an owl and a rat as surprise for a couple other friends, and then there’s the 100 mini crabs to finish up (I’ve only done 3). And I always find something new to do.

crocheted tail for my cosplay – shiny Espeon

In the writing world, I’ve been finding that by staying up late I actually get a whole lot more work done than I normally do in the day. Maybe because everything is quiet, there’s nothing to distract me, and the cats aren’t going bonkers anymore – they’re the biggest distraction.
I am super excited though because I am seriously almost done with Inner Peace! I was checking it again this morning and I don’t see it won’t be completed by this weekend! Of course that means more work, but also I can actually see a release date coming for it very soon! Just want to jump up and down and scream because I’m so happy 😀
The series just keeps on getting better the more I work on it! The characters keep dragging me down unexpected routes and things have changed so dramatically from my initial plans that I’ve given up trying to plot it out to the end.

Well, the cats are acting all crazy (they do that when I don’t feed them exactly when they want to be fed :p ) So I better go and get all of us some breakfast. (Plus I want to take a break from the computer and play some Pokemon :p )
I’ll leave you with a picture of my kitten Ichigo to brighten your day 😉 Cheers!

 

I am alive!

Backyard and a family of geese (with seven babies)

So I have been back from my vacation for about a month now. It was a wonderful break and I greatly enjoyed myself! So sorry for not coming back sooner to give any updates, I’ve just been caught up in everything.

Ok then, let’s see, it is officially spring and, unfortunately, my allergies have really been kicking me in the butt this year.
The cats love the windows being open though and also the flowers that we got for the deck.

Ichigo & Ventus. (plus Ichi’s b’day present of the house)

I also can’t believe my little baby, Ichigo, turned 1yr a week ago! I remember bringing that tiny, starved, flea-infested kitten home like it was yesterday. My other boys turn 2 in a little under a week as well. All of the kitties are growing up too fast!

So my boyfriend’s parents gave us some old end tables that they had replaced and thought we could use. I’ve been sanding them down and am almost ready to get those stained and then they’ll be good as new! Just trying to think of how I want to give the drawer handles a face-lift too instead of replacing them. I’ve also been crocheting like crazy… mostly because I’m trying to get a care package together to send to my two best friends. I have a poke-ball that I plan on stuffing with mini crabs and octopus for them 😉
They are also huge Harry Potter fans so I am making them each a scarf for their houses – Gryffindor and Ravenclaw – they also were able to finally convince me to give the books a try (I was never allowed to read them as a kid since my parents deemed them evil). I finished book 3 and am impatiently awaiting the arrival of book 4 in the mail. I actually really enjoy them and am planning on making myself a scarf for my house – Slytherin –

Other than finally being able to get caught up on the multitude of books that I’ve been wanting to read, I’ve just been gaming – Bioshock Infinite anyone? – and playing around with other crafts.

Of course I’ve been working on Guardians of Ferrum. I actually have almost one whole wall covered in the spare bedroom of character info etc so I can have a visual reminder of who is who since there’s so many characters :p It’s taking a little longer than I thought it would to get Inner Peace ready, but I should hopefully have a release date for it this summer!!!

And… THE BIGGEST NEWS!!!!!! I get to go back to college this fall! I am super excited for this 😀
Most of you probably remember that I already got a degree in graphic design – of course I don’t really get to use any of it except for in the cover designs that I do – but I decided to go back for computer science/engineering. Gonna be a programmer like my boyfriend. It’s extremely interesting. Plus, I was awarded a scholarship and all of my credits transferred so I get to start as a junior! I’m very happy, but of course that will also cut into my time to write…. so we’ll see how that all goes. I may just have to focus on Guardians in my spare time until I finish the series.

Well, enough is enough… I think I will close for now and see ya’ll soon!

Cheers!

Stuff and leaving on vacation!

Hello all, sorry I’ve been neglecting adding any updates for some time. Last week wasn’t a good week for me because I guess I caught the flu and was sick the entire week. Thankfully, I’m all better and just in time too! I am so excited because my very best friends, whom I haven’t seen in over a year, are coming to pick me up on Monday to take me back to stay with them for a few weeks to a month – still undecided on how long I’ll be gone. (They live about 9 hrs away) So that means there will probably be no updates or very, very few.

That also means the boyfriend is left in charge of the five cats… I hope he can handle them :p

Otherwise I’ve just been busy with crafts; painting and giving an old lamp a steampunk face lift! Crocheting and getting gifts ready for my best friend’s birthday. Of course gaming and also some baking.

Speaking of baking, I made these today.

They are rice krispie cinnamon rolls and they are YUMMY!

I found the recipe here if any of you are interested in trying it out.In my opinion, they definitely need the frosting, but it can be overpoweringly sweet if you put too much on.

I keep finding new recipes to try out –  the next one will be a salted caramel cheesecake (it sounds so good). And my boyfriend loves pound cake so I want to try making an orange poppy seed one.

 

Well, anyway… I need to finish the lamp, but I’m waiting on pieces to come for it. I also want to try to make a steampunk wand (going to be in Guardians of Ferrum 😉 )

I also need to get back to writing Inner Peace. I just can’t get my brain to focus right now. I think it’s because I was sick for so long that I didn’t get anything done and now I want to do everything at once. As well as getting the house in order and packed to leave on vacation!

I believe that’s all, else I shall be a rambling machine :p

 

Cheers!

Interview with a cat #5: Aerith Martin-Roman

So, I thought I would finish interviewing the cats. Today, Miss Aerith has joined me!

Aerith just turned 2 years old a little over a month ago. Her full name is Aerith Ungoliant Martin-Roman. The meaning of Aerith is not quite known but is thought to mean air, earth, flower that finds the light, or peace. Ungoliant means gloomweaver. She is scared of everything and has some weight issues, but she does know how to kiss on command and will often do it to get herself out of trouble or situations she doesn’t like. Her nicknames include “Fatty,” “Goblin,” “Penguin,” “Fatty Lumpkin,” and “Aeris.”

*****

Hi Aerith! Thanks for coming and letting me interview you!

You’re welcome… Just so long as no one shows up unexpectedly.

Oh, don’t worry about that. It’s just the two of us. So, can you tell us something about you?

Well, I have abandonment issues. When I was a baby the person that I lived with when I was born didn’t want me so they sent me to someone else. Only after a couple months of being with her she sent me to you. I’m always scared that one day I’ll be tossed out again.

Aw. You don’t have to worry about that. You’re here for life. So it seems like all of the other cats sort of look up to you like their mother.

I suppose… It’s nothing that I’ve done I don’t think. They just seem to think that the way I act reflects a motherly personality. I just don’t like anyone being dirty so I bathe them and watch over them.

Well that’s nice of you. Everyone’s heard of the term scaredy cat and you definitely make that statement true. Why is that?

There is just so much in this world that is terrifying! It also goes back to those abandonment issues. I was always moving around so often in my early life that I was always on alert. Things change too much for my liking.

I suppose that’s understandable. Now most of the other cats seem to have some big secret or some “other life” do you have anything like that?

If I told you it wouldn’t be a secret.

I suppose so.

But I can tell you to keep an eye out for a book starring me! It’s going to be the 3rd book in the new upcoming series entitled Cats’ Biographies.

Cool! That’s awesome! Do you know what your book is going to be about?

Of course. It’s going to be about my secret life. There’s going to be one for each of us cats. The first one is called Survivor and is starring Ventus.

Alright, well thanks so much for all that info. Do you want to tell us anything else before we end this interview?

No.

Just no? Nothing else you want to add?

No.

Alright, well thank you for taking your time to come here today! And we will definitely be keeping our eyes out for that book series!

Yes. Goodnight.

Goodnight and goodbye.

*****

You can also check out her Facebook!

Oh. It’s Monday. CALLING ALL BETA READERS!

Hello all! Yes, I now realize that it is indeed Monday… Terribly sorry but I don’t have a recommendation to give to y’all today. I didn’t think ahead for anything else because I had thought (hoped) that I would have the book I’m currently reading completed by today so that it could be the weekly recommendation. Oh, well – I’ll probably hold off till next week or post it later this week.

BUT! I have been quite busy today with editing  and I am nearly done with the first round – so I wanted to throw this out: Do you want to be a beta reader for Inner Strength?

If so just get in contact with me (comment or email – it’s on my about page) Only do so if you can guarantee that you can get it done within a timely manner – I’ve had some beta readers that think over taking over a year is ok 😉

Well… nothing else – have to take Ventus (my cat) back to the vet tomorrow – there will be an author interview as well – and just more editing.

Cheers!

My Nothing Update. :P

I’ve not been doing much – other than writing. I am pretty sure I should be able to finish the first draft today! I’m so excited 😀 I’ve passed 55,000 words already!

I love the new cable/internet. So many new channels so there’s usually something decent to watch, and the internet doesn’t just randomly cut out or get really slow.

Protein shakes are rather nasty. I’ll stick to the protein bars. I hate the chalky after taste that the shakes leave. Otherwise it’s not too hard to stay on track with the diet. Though I’ve been getting really bad headaches and I don’t know if that’s from lack of food/caffeine/or just being on the computer all day. Supposedly I can drink whatever I want, but I’ve been trying to be better and limit myself to about one cup of soda a day.

I really can’t believe it’s October! I know this month will go by way too fast and then we’ll go right into all of the holidays and the rest of the year will disappear in a blur, especially if I have to end up moving….

Ok. I will go back to ignoring everything and just start writing again.

Cheers!