Giggles

I know--twice in a day. But you MUST see this.
I saw this linked on Twitter and was certainly not disappointed:

Tales From the Used Book Store: Space Vamps, Cyber Samurai, and a Duchess

Another Note

It occurred to me that many of you might follow this blog in Google Reader, and when I changed the domain name without warning, GR probably freaked out like whoa.

So.

I changed it back.

Also, I tried to vlog today. I used our palmcorder and made a lovely [boring] 15-minute long recording that I swear I was going to edit down to be more interesting [lies], but I couldn't get the video to my computer.

Oh well. The world will hear me some other day...

O.M.G.

Nothing too serious, don't be alarmed.

1. Thanks for all the lovely feedback on the new look and name! The overwhelming majority approves. Thank you!!

2. Please note that I changed my domain name to reflect the nom de plume. Admit it--the old one was really hard to type. Believe me, I thought it was too.


3. OMG, The Tudors!
   **Spoiler alert***


  Talk about killing your darlings!!
  I've never actually done that. Killed off a main character. But I'd like to. What about you? Are you more the ICU type, or off with their head?

Make It New

Keeping on a role with my ex-pats, tell me what you think of two things:


1. My new blog look. I'm obsessed with birds, and I love the double-whammy. I'm also obsessed with contrast, and red is my favorite color. Also, I thought it might be nice to finally have the context of my blog title within reading sight.


2. My new pen name. Whaddya think?

We Survived

Four full days without spousal presence.

It wasn't bad at all.

In fact, I daresay we rather enjoyed it, but we were still happy when hubby surprised us by coming home Thursday night instead of Friday afternoon.

Monday & Tuesday it rained and poured and had tornadoes (south of me), which was perfect for the wrapping presents and watching The Tudors I mentioned in the previous post.

Wednesday, I had to go to the university where I'm beginning my college life again, almost seven years later. This is a sort-of funny story. I'm going back for a nursing degree, but due to some clerical reasons, I had to enroll for this (2010/2011) school year. I deferred enrollment in the fall, but absolutely had to register for spring semester.

So. I go to this orientation session Wednesday, where I finally meet my advisor, who proceeds to tell me that I have already satisfied all the non-nursing courses for the degree (which I already knew, since I already have a bachelor's degree), so I should just register for whatever I can get into.

After much searching and feeling frustrated, I finally just went for the funsies and now this is what I'm registered for:

A fiction writing workshop
&
a practicum for the staff of the university's creative writing/art journal-magazine thing.

How's that for a jump into the sciences, folks?

I won't deny that I'm excited, though.

Round Up Stats from Bachelorette Week:


cases of food poisoning: 1
alcoholic beverages: 5
mornings slept in late: 3
bowls of noodles: 2
days with lack of real clothing and/or makeup: 4
snuggle sessions with lonely kitties: 2324

Here's my question for the week:

When faced with a massive rewrite/rethink of a novel project, how do you go about deciding what direction to take? Especially when faced with 4 potentially wonderful, though very different, ideas?

Cross-Genre

As you've figured out by now, I'm not one for doling out writing advice. However, I like to occasionally share when I have a lightbulb moment, or even when the dust is blown off an old lightbulb.

I think I've been crossing genres my whole life. Just ask me to explain the premise of any of my novels, and you'll probably readily agree. 

It's certainly not a bad thing--in fact, I'd dare say it's a great thing (except, of course, if you're specifically targeting a category market). After all, what's an epic story without a little romance?? Maybe I'm a sap, but I just about don't want to read something unless it's going to have some mush in it. Life's all about our emotional connections with the people around us, so it's only fitting for that to show up across all genres. 

As a self-admitted cross-genrer, I can still sometimes surprise myself at bull-headedly ignoring teeming idea holes. 

Case in point:

The Tudors

I've had seasons one and two of this show for over a year, just sitting on my shelf. They're my brother's, actually, and from time to time he'd pester me about not watching them and insist that I return them. I'd hastily assure him that I would, in fact, one day watch them. 

Well, yesterday was that day. I had a bunch of Christmas presents to wrap, it was pouring and gloomy outside, and since hubby is still out of town...well...

Seven episodes in a row later, I was hooked. 

And even more surprising? It gave me a GREAT idea for the sci-fi/urban fantasy (see? I can't even describe it here with just one genre) novel I wrote last year for NaNoWriMo. 

Yep. THE TUDORS, which is obviously, y'know, set in Tudor era England, gave me a great idea for my FUTURISTIC novel. 

Great Idea. Needs to be said again. 

So. Let this be a reminder that inspiration can come from all places, sometimes the ones we least expect. 

Also: watch The Tudors. If not for the picture above, how about this one?

Haters, don't hate!

Today celebrates Talli Roland's ebook birthday of the rom-com delight The Hating Game.
If you're a blogger, chances are you know Talli, so let's show her some support! I know I'll be getting this on my Kindle post-haste!

Best of luck, Talli, and can't wait to read it!

Here's the official text:

Help Talli Roland's debut novel THE HATING GAME hit the Kindle bestseller list at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk by spreading the word today. Even a few sales in a short period of time on Amazon helps push the book up the rankings, making it more visible to other readers.

Amazon.co.uk: http://amzn.to/hNBkJk

Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/hX2ieD

No Kindle? Download a free app at Amazon for Mac, iPhone, PC, Android and more.

Coming soon in paperback.  Keep up with the latest atwww.talliroland.com.

About THE HATING GAME:

When man-eater Mattie Johns agrees to star on a dating game show to save her ailing recruitment business, she's confident she'll sail through to the end without letting down the perma-guard she's perfected from years of her love 'em and leave 'em dating strategy. After all, what can go wrong with dating a few losers and hanging out long enough to pick up a juicy £2000,000 prize? Plenty, Mattie discovers, when it's revealed that the contestants are four of her very unhappy exes. Can Mattie confront her past to get the prize money she so desperately needs, or will her exes finally wreak their long-awaited revenge? And what about the ambitious TV producer whose career depends on stopping her from making it to the end?