The Unforgotten Country

Currently Recruiting - Updated 5/27/12
One tank for our second raid team! 
One PvP Captain to lead our PvP activities!
RPers!
Social/casual players
PvPers (particularly healers of any kind)
Browncoats
Serial Huggers
Achievement hunters
Acheesement hunters (particularly Gouda spec!)
Altaholics
Bronies
Those who have NO EFFING CLUE what a bronie is....

So Who Are You People Anyway...
We are a motley crew of friendly, awesome and very often silly people on Horde side Wyrmrest Accord (US) who just like to hang out, play some WoW and have fun. The GM-of-many-alts has been playing since forever and together, she and her wacky cohorts, otherwise known as officers, and Pinky, will TAKE OVER THE WORLD (of Warcraft)! /shot

In all seriousness (well, mostly seriousness, we hardly ever get ALL SRS... ness...)... if you want a fun, casual and active environment, free of hate language and L33Tspeak, look us up.

Smashing boss faces!...
We kill bosses and take their stuff! We have not one, but TWO progression raid teams who regularly smash through pve content. Our long-standing team is leading the way, clearing through heroic DS and taking ALL the boss' lunch monies; led by the charming and handsome Remghar, they head out twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday nights to get their dance on slaughter mercilessly! That team is not currently recruiting, however, we ARE looking for one TANK for our second team, which is now 8/8 in Dragon Soul and starting on Heroic modes! Our second team raids Friday from 6:30-10:30 server (Pacific) time and Sunday from 4:30-6:30 pm.

Smashing other players faces...
Untested beginning, still quivering in your boots? Battle-scarred veteran who faces down swarms of Alliance without batting an eye, on your own, with no bubblegum?? We want you to come PvP with us! We do not currently have a rated team while we gear up our guildies, but Wednesday is PvP night where we might do anything from Arenas to regular BGs to practice duels with our guildies! We would LOVE some more PvP-oriented healers and we solemnly swear that we will protect you from those nasty Ally hugs!

We are seeking a PvP Captain to lead our guild's PvP activities! This is not an officer position. You will be responsible for leading our guild on Wednesday night UNrated BGs, organizing arena teams for those who are interested and helping with gear and questions about PvP. If we have enough interest, this person may get a rated team going with a permanent roster, gear requirements, that kinda formal type thing. Key things we're looking for: ability to communicate with tact and respect, in and out of pressured situations, reliability and commitment, knowledge of BGs, Arena and PvP in general. 

You Guys Sound Awesome, How Can I Get In On This Action?...
1. Bribe the GM. She accepts candy cane ice cream, fuzzy socks and pictures of adorable baby animals.
2. Deliver 24 [Broken I.W.I.N. Button]s to the mailbox behind the Orgrimmar Auction House. Perform a chicken dance while wearing a purple hat. You must depart walking backwards. You will be watched.
3. Fill out our short, fun application found here. Don't worry, it's more of a tool for us to JUDGE YOU MERCILESSLY get to know you and make sure we'll totally love each other in platonic ways. Or non-platonic, if you are Trelant. Dem... uh. Lessee. Can't do tentacles, not Draenei anymore... didn't go Tauren, so can't do horns... uh. Well. *scratches head* DEM TRELANTS.

Alternately, you can contact one of the below people in game:
Séngo/Haestus/Danikah/Masrìn/army of lesser alts - Guild Master, Altoholic, Mistress of Totally Terrible Puns
Trelant - Officer of Tentacles Horns SEXY
Arcayne - Fashion Consultant
Julannah - Devotee of Cats and Dialect Expert (Valley Girl spec'd)
Remghar - Raid Lead and all around decent Gentleorc GentleTauren (my officers should stop race-changing on me ffff-)
Alannu - Floor Tile Inspector Extraordinaire 

Yep. Still spinning this faux cashmere. But I MIGHT finish the singles this coming up week. If I do nothing but spin. Heh. This yarn is thiiiiin.

My mom’s birthday is coming up and I told her I want to knit her something for it. What did she want? She immediately said, “I want a hat like yours.” I got to see her during the Dark Days tour in Austin and she DID seem jealous of my hat. So I said I’d make her one. (The pattern is Spring Beret. Rav link.)

Here it is finished, but unblocked.

I used handspun merino wool in a colorway called “Stardust.” Neither of these pictures are accurate, but the second is a little closer.

Here is the hat blocking on a plate and posing with Bob the Spinning Wheel. The lace stretches out a lot!

Since I have a little time before I visit her, I might knit something else for her out of the rest of Stardust. Hmmm.

Originally published at Jodi Meadows. You can comment here or there.

Everybody seems to be at cons, or on vacation, so I thought I'd play the Time Machine game.

Last night, went to see Avengers. Since there's no use talking about it without spoilers, here's the cut and the spoiler warning.
( Read more... )

Novo on Steamwheedle Cartel US Hordeside is looking for a tank and dps for Wednesday/Thursday Dragon Soul! We are currently 1/8H and looking to get a core group back together to finish heroic before MoP hits (summer burnout and all that). Or just raid DS in general since we love killing bosses and taking loots!

I've been with Novo for almost a year now after being recruited on wow_ladies myself, so I can assure you that we're a pretty fantastic bunch! We recognize real life suddenly happening, are friendly to couples, and are 100% against hate speech (I have personal examples of all of these if you want examples too!). Plus we're super laid back and joke around about pretty much everything, but also can down bosses and loot purples with the best of them!

Raid Time
- Wed/Thurs 8PM - 10PM EST
We have 5 minute breaks every hour on the hour.

Gear is not an issue - if you have the right playstyle and attitude that meshes with ours, you'll have so much gear that you won't know what to do with it afterwards (pending RNG of course ;P ).

Raiders Wanted
- one tank
- dps

If you want to get more specific, we're looking for a non-warrior tank since that's our current tank. And dps? If you're consistent and show up on time, then we want YOU! No really, as mentioned, it doesn't matter if you're undergeared - if you have the right attitude and are willing to work hard, we can always gear you up!

Interested?
Check out our rules and then throw us an application! Questions can be left on this post, or whispered to Tristesse (that's me!) or our GM Dranoz, or just check out our website. :D We're always happy to bring potential guildies into a run or just into Mumble to chat first!

P.S. we were previously Novo Ordum Mundi in case the name sounds familiar and you don't know why! We're not sure if we're sticking with the Novo with or without the Ordum Mundi yet.

Hi everyone!!

I've just come back to WoW after a long hiatus and am looking for a casual guild on Wyrmrest Accord Hordeside (this is my first time playing Horde). My highest toon right now is a level 26 Belf hunter. I am starting to play my Ally toons again as well but they are in a guild on another realm and I want to casually experience the Horde side of things.

I'd love a guild with a friendly environment, one that accepts alts (I am making them like crazy), and one that maybe does RP. I'm interested in RPing but haven't done it before so I am a little intimidated although I am pretty lore savvy and don't think I'd be creating a big Mary Sue character or anything if I do decide to RP. Also, guild perks are a definite plus from what I've heard but not a requirement as long as there's friendly people and a good environment.

A little about me: I am 27 years old and am not currently working due to illness. I love hiking and doing things outdoors (when I'm not playing WoW - HA!), and I have two awesome dogs. Not sure what else to say - mainly I wanted to let you know my age so 18 plus guilds will consider me. :P As for WoW, I was a pretty hardcore raider in Wrath but I haven't done any Cata stuff.

Must admit that I am VERY shy and it will take me a while to talk a lot in guild but when I do start talking, I won't shut up. ;)

Thanks for the help and if you want to contact me, please PM Aresinya in game or post here.

This is one of those weekends where everyone is off at a con having fun without us. I did see Men in Black III and enjoyed it a bunch. It was a huge lot of fun. It made a nice antidote for The Woman in Black which we rented and watched Friday night, and which was a very well-made, gorgeously filmed movie which I disliked so intensely it upset my stomach.

Question answers:

Brennan Griffin asked
Gate of Gods trilogy
Do you have any plans to re-visit the Ile-Rien world? You may have addressed this somewhere else, but I thought that Gate of Gods did not get nearly the shelf-space it deserved, and I'd definitely like to see more.

Not to say that I'm not enjoying your Cloud Roads sequence! And I quite liked the Wheel of the Infinite as well.

Thank you! The third book in the trilogy, The Gate of Gods, definitely did not show up in most bookstores and I've talked to many people who read the first two books (The Wizard Hunters and The Ships of Air) and never saw the third. The first two books didn't sell as well as the publisher wanted, so they didn't put much effort into getting the third out there. Technically, they are all three still in print, but you have to order them online. They are available as ebooks, too.

I did originally start a prequel novel about Giliead and Ilias, but the publisher wasn't interested in it, so I just turned it into a series of short stories which were eventually published by Black Gate Magazine. (Three of them are on my web site now: Holy Places, Houses of the Dead, and Reflections. There's one more that hasn't been published yet.) At this point, it's been so long I kind of doubt whether I would ever go back to that world. I haven't completely ruled it out, though.


desertport asked I have been wondering this for a little while: What is the ultimate fate of the Ravenna? Does she end up a museum or sink fantastically? Something else?

I always imagined her becoming a floating museum, kind of like the Queen Mary, but more honored and better maintained.


If anyone has anymore questions (about my books or about writing or publishing in general or about what I'm doing today (hint: it's boring)) go ahead and ask.

I love hanging out with other writers. Aside from all the useful information I get to hear, I always come away from group events inspired to write better (and for longer) than what I usually does, so I was disappointed yesterday, when I was unable to attend this month's GLVWG (Greater Lehigh Writer's Group) meeting.

On the bright side, I still get to venture into Pennsylvania this weekend when I travel to the Writers Coffee House meeting later today. It takes place at the Barnes & Noble store in Willow Grove (102 Park Avenue, Willow Grove, PA 19090), hosted by the always impressive, Jonathan Maberry.

The meeting starts at noon. If you'd like to come along, I'd love to see you there.

How about you?

What are you up to today?

Shoot. I should have bought it when I saw it.

It would have been PERFECT on my new green dress:


What is this item of lost opportunity? A vintage enameled metal flower brooch from the hippie sixties:


If you have one like this or ever see one . . . I'll buy it! I should have given the $20 they wanted for it at the flea market in the first place. *sigh*

No, no, I'm inconsolable. Unless . . . no, no, I couldn't. Well, anyway. Win some, lose some.

Not just on Monday, the official day, but all weekend, we're taking moments to remember those who gave it all so that we could have continued freedom.

It's so hot in Dallas that most of us are just hunkering down. If only we had a pool! (Note to self: get pool larger than the plastic sunflower one so I can fit in there along with the dog.) I-35 was shut down because of the number of wrecks between here and Austin/San Antonio. Good grief--what do they want to come up here for? I want to go to the beach!

Instead, we're making burgers (no bun for me, but I can have tomatoes, onions, and a pickle and STILL stay on the Medifast 5+1 plan) and watching the Mary Tyler Moore marathon. I did take an hour out to see "Big Bang Theory" on TBS. Female fans are still in mourning after Sheldon (Jim) was "outed" as not only in a 10-year relationship, but gay. Many fans are trying to fudge that ("Surely he's bi?!" "He's not a true Kinsey-6!"), but gals, we have to face the sadness. He is not interested AND just plain unavailable. (Not that we were anywhere near him in the first place, but we're trying to win a trip to Comic-Con in SandyYago so we can at least hear the cast talk!)

I'll get over it. The truth is that he wasn't the actor who always gets "Slow Ride" playing in the background for me, anyway--ours was an intellectual relationship. Embarrassingly enough for both me and the actor, the guy I think is the sexiest actor out there . . . is David Spade. Shut up. No, REALLY. You've noticed the bedroom eyes? The smirk that says, "I am undressing you with my gaze"? Yeah, right, but anyway, I've always had bad taste. Just look at the decor in my house.

Happy grilling--and here's hoping we're not talking about your skin. Remember to reapply sunscreen every 45 minutes!


Wish we were floatin' on the Guadalupe or Comal. . . .

Want a guild that is fun and family friendly?
Play on Khadgar on the Horde side of life?
Want a spot on a raid team but don't have much experience?
Have experience with raiding but want a more casual/laid back approach?

Have we got the guild for you!

MyFifteenBucks is a level 2 Horde guild on Khadgar who is looking for members like you! We understand you have a life away from Azeroth (you do? Why! just kidding, we do too!). We are alt friendly as well. We are trying to raid on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Mondays are set aside for farming to help the guild bank. Fun runs (older content, transmog runs, etc) are done on Fridays and over the weekends when enough people get together and go. Anyone is free to put things onto the guild calendar.

We have a website, full bank, and facebook page!
See us in game or fill out our handy application here: http://myfifteenbucks.guildomatic.com/guild_application/apply
In game talk to any officer (tell them Mazlu sent ya!):
Bondsy/Shmngosplat/Hyramm/Tankandheals/Locknlisten: Mr Money (guild master), King of Dragon Soul
Bronwin/Aamie: Lady Cash
Mazlu/Kutka/Jazka/Josene/Terestraza/Kreleran/Tiky: Guild Web Lady aka mistress of 1000 alts
Crumb: Captain of the squishy sqad, mage tank of power!

First, you people who recommended The Exotic Marigold Hotel film, two thumbs up! I went last night with some of my Jane Austen discussion group. We all loved it.

Tonight: Avengers with the family.

A juicy discussion of fanfiction and literature by alecaustin here.

The search for the winner of this year's Meager Puddle of Limelight Award for Best Short Story Title continues with heat eight (the last of the preliminary heats).

There are nine heats in all. The winners (or joint winners) from heats one - eight go straight through. The second place finishers battle it out in heat nine to see which title joins the others in the final round.

What's at stake?
Bragging rights for the winner? An interview and/or guest post here on An Englishman in New Jersey, as well as signed copy of my book, Fur-Face, and a couple of I are a writer! pens, as shown in the pic below.You'll need an LJ account to vote, but they're free).

Poll #1842793 2012 MEAGER PUDDLE OF LIMELIGHT AWARD FOR BEST SHORT STORY TITLE: HEAT 8 OF 9
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: None, participants: 17

From the following list, please select any short story titles which you think should progress to the final round

Links to the other Heats and the final:
Heat one
Heat two
Heat three  (now returned from it's little walkabout)
Heat four
Heat five
Heat six
Heat seven
Heat eight
Heat nine
Final Round

Voting in Heats 1 through 8 will close on Sunday, June 3rd 2012 at 6:00pm (US/Eastern). Heat nine will take place soon after.

Good luck to all who take part! Vene, vidi, puddli!

( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

Uncharacteristically, I've already done my grocery shopping for the long weekend AND gone to the gym AND straightened my place somewhat...all before noon just for pukajen, whom I'll now be meeting in the shadow of the cathedral with her mother during their Europe River Cruise.

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth and has comments. Feel free to comment there using OpenID.

. . . but I have a cover icon!

It's just a placeholder for now. I'm designing my promotional postcards and flyers as well as the Web presence.

I'm working on my first blog post for the Oak Tree Press collaborative blog. Don't want it to be just like every other "The Call" post, but it will be a little bit like most of them. Trying to make it original but not too wacky, humorous but not too flippant or twee. No wonder it's taking me a little while to do it.

So where are you going to play for the long weekend? We'll be working on the house and yard (as ALWAYS--it's a money pit and a time sink, but it's all OURS, sort of) and on Hubby's home office. He has been told once again that he needs to travel within a few weeks, so we're bracing ourselves for that. My mother is simply too fearful of what might happen to her breathing at higher elevations (not to mention the dog's breathing, as he has a condition that's congenital but acts a little like COPD) and doesn't want to try going up a mile high. I would rather go to the beach myself! It's just as hot here as it would be at the beach! And we'd be on the sand among the starfish, seashells, and Portuguese Man O' Wars. Sounds like fun.

Hope you get to go somewhere fun!

A tip for those wanting to start up a guild: you can't open the guild charter if you have the guild invite block option turned on. Forgot I had it on, of course...

So final attempt to do this before I loose my mind - if anyone can sign my guild charter, my Troll Reull is sitting crying quietly in the Orc start area on Wyrmrest Accord.

NOTE: all done, thanks very much.

Green One, (3rd pair of socks, first green)  seemed like such an easy-going, cooperative pair of socks at first.  The cuff ribbing...the careful decrease to a narrower part of the ankle below...the successful eye-of-partridge heel flaps.  All was well, it seemed. 

Until the rejoin, at which point...the heel flaps weren't as stretchy (besides being 2 stitches narrower and the top of foot also being 2 stitches narrower.   I had to change gussets to help with that...and then try to adjust (with frequent try-ons.   First they'd be really tight, then (when I let off on the decreases) suddenly they'd be overly loose.  And the attempt to graft/Kitchener the toes shut...worst so far.   Each pair has been harder--this pair was impossible.    I was trying to do it flat, off the needles, using cooking twine to hold the stitches:

The idea was to stuff the end of the sock to make a rounded-nearly-flat work surface, and I'd be able to see what I was doing.   There's a separate piece of twine through each  needle's worth of stitches--6 front, 6 back.  (Tied up here to they couldn't come loose   I *still* could not see what I was doing.  The stitches "shrank" without the needles in them.   I had directions.  I had watched the video again.   I had directions in front of me; I understood the directions...but I could not see the stitches, or the results of what I was doing, except as a confusing mound.   The first rounds tried to crawl back down into the fabric...I undid them and started over.  Yes, I'd done things in the right order but they didn't look right.  I did them again.  And again.  By the second or third stitch, there was a mound of yarn...and time (more than an hour...considerably...) was passing.   Frustration built.  Laundry needed to be put out.  The other sock had barely started its toe decreases. 

I gave up and ran yarn through every stitch and pulled the toe together.  OK, it's a sock, it's not the best sock, but it's a sock. 

The second sock, I left on needles, except changing to a smaller size needle right before trying to graft the toe, thinking that might help.   No.  This time I gave up faster (family had come back from the city--the solitude in which to say things to the yarn, the needles, etc., and the lack of interruption was over) and purse-stringed that one, too.    It's annoying--I was able to do it with Red One and Blue One, both of whom have imperfect but definite grafted toes.    But here they are, Green One socks on feet, off the needles.  They're comfortable.  I can walk in them, in shoes or out.

               

The thicker heels do help with my wider-heeled walking shoes, but also (and understandably) push my foot forward in the shoe a little.   Although these fit better in some areas than previous pairs, they're still a bit big where I had to change the rate of decrease at the gussets.   Learned a lot, but it's still not the perfect pattern. 

On the very bright side, I now have three pairs of socks.

( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

So, Fire Mages. I'm in love with my little 83 mage at the moment, but I have some questions.

1) Pyroblast - do you ever hard-cast it, or only ever wait for a proc? Do you need to keep the dot up at all times? What about at the start of the fight, if you can't pre-cast a bit before combat, would you stand there in the fight and hard-cast? I usually try to cast it at the start of the fight even if it means hard-casting, because I like to pop combustion at the beginning. Is it better to not hard-cast, and hold combustion back until you get a pyro proc instead?

2) Ignite - how much do I need to worry about this with regards to combustion? I do have Combustion Helper, so I can see when it goes green, but is it really important to wait for ignite to proc? Sometimes it seems like I'm waiting forever for it to go green so I just cast it without waiting. Do I need to worry about ignite threshholds to get the most out of my combustion? How do I know when the ignite is big enough?

3) Mana - OMG mana is an insane drain right now. I know it comes with the gear and level, I went through the same thing with my shadowpriest, but she has a lot of tools for regaining mana, whereas the mage not so much that I can see. I use mana gem and evocation on cooldown, and I'm still falling way behind the groups because I have to drink to full after every trash pull (I keep getting locked out of boss fights because I'm still drinking when they pull!). Are there any tricks I've missed? It's kind of embarrassing but I've started using Mage Armour instead, do I just have suck it up until I get better gear at 85?

4) Impact - sometimes I will hit a fully dotted mob with impact and tab to another target immediately and there are no dots on it. Does is have a hidden limitation to the number of targets it spreads to, or am I just overestimating whuch things are in the 12 yard range?

I think that's all I wanted to know, thanks!

One of those things that I should have realized years ago: The word "disgust" is (of course) linked to "gusto," also to the Portuguese (read: Latin-based) verb "gostar": To like. "Disgust"=="make-not-like."

Huh.

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How do they rise...

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Traveling this afternoon, setting out for the wilds of Michigan. See y'all on the flip side!

Crossposted from silmaril.dreamwidth.org. You can comment here or there.

We just watched the latest (I think) episode of Legend of Korra, “The Aftermath.” I’m continuing to really enjoy this show for a number of reasons.

MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD

Pacing: One of the things that bugged me was the love triangle between Korra, Mako, and Asami. It felt, not necessarily cliche, but easy. It’s an oft-repeated trope, one that could push characters into more cardboard, stereotypical roles and — if other shows are any example — drag out for far too long.

Instead, Asami’s character quickly developed more depth and conflict. The plot moved along, changing her role in the story. The conflict between Korra and Asami progressed through conflict into understanding and sympathy. I loved the quiet moment at the end where Korra tells Mako, “She’s going to need you.”

I’ve seen that pacing elsewhere, and I appreciate that the show doesn’t seem to get bogged down. There’s always a sense of movement.

Lin Beifong continues to be awesome. In many ways, I think she’s my favorite character. Partly because she’s an older woman kicking all sorts of ass. Partly because she, more than anyone else I’ve seen, seems to take full advantage of her bending abilities. The firebenders throw fire. Earthbenders throw rocks. Beifong, on the other hand, manipulates metal cables like Spider-Man, grows blades from her armor to punch through mechs, and seems to push the “What else can I do with this?” angle.

Complexity: The scene with Tahno’s character really jumped out at me. This is a character who’s introduced as a full-on asshole. He’s arrogant, he cheats, and you really wanted Korra to kick his butt in the tournament. Instead, the White Falls Wolfbats won … and thus became the targets of an Equalist attack.

In the next episode, you see Tahno without his powers, and he’s utterly broken. Korra feels for him. She knows what he lost and how close she came to losing her own bending. It was a fairly short scene, but that’s all it took.

The relationship between Tenzin and Lin Beifong is another interesting example. Their history, the contrast of their apparent discomfort with how well they work together in a crisis … I have no idea where that’s going, but I like the dynamic, and at this point I’m trusting the show not to go somewhere overly cliche with it.

While there are certainly characters who seem flat-out Evil, at least at first, I appreciate that things generally aren’t presented in a simplistic black-and-white way. Neither people nor power are simple, and this show respects that fact.

The Animation: This is a very pretty show, particularly in the way it portrays movement and the grace of the different benders. I get done watching, and other cartoons suddenly seem clunkier.

Trusting the Viewers: I was trying to figure out how to phrase this last bit, and “trust” is the closest I can come. I’ve never seen a single episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender, but it hasn’t stopped me from enjoying Korra. It doesn’t surprise me that they wanted a show that could welcome new viewers as well as old, but it struck me that there just isn’t a lot of exposition or hand-holding, period. There’s no talking down, no assuming that things will be too complicated or difficult to understand. Elements are explained as they become relevant to the story.

I know there are things I’m missing from Avatar, but I can catch up on my own, and I like that they don’t slow down the story to spoon-feed information.

In Conclusion: Okay, I get it. I’m officially a fan, and I have added Avatar: TLA to my list of things to catch up on (when I find the time).

Mirrored from Jim C. Hines.

Here’s my selection of interesting (and sometimes amusing) posts about writing from the last week:

What Happens After Writing 3 or 4 Books a Year (Elizabeth Spann Craig)

Traditional vs. Self-publishing is a False Dichotomy (Nathan Bransford)

The Art of Pacing in a Novel (Elissa Cruz) [Jon’s Pick of the week]

Why I'm A Writer & Not a Fighter Pilot (Maggie Stiefvater aka m_stiefvater)

Sounds Great, No Substance (Mary Kole)

Do We Need An Authors Code for Online Conduct? (Jannette Johnson aka darke_conteur)

Who's helping who in the cover blurb game? (Anthony Horowitz)
by way of April Henry (aka aprilhenry)

How to Win a Writing Competition (Dr. John Yeoman)

All About Advances (Rachelle Gardner)

Damn Yankees, and Other Ways Self-Publishing Holds Itself Back (Sarah LaPolla)

The Highs and the Lows of Becoming an Author (Cassie Alexander)

The scariest question: "Why should I care about this story?" (Juliette Wade)


If you have a particular favorite among these, please let the author know (and me too, if you have time).  Also, if you've a link to a great post that isn't here, feel free to share.

If you found these useful, you may also like my personal selection of the most interesting blog posts from 2011, and last week’s list.

( You are about to view content that may only be appropriate for adults. )

Yesterday at around 6:30 in the morning there was a giant boom, followed by more giant booms. A 17-story building (an old Ramada Inn built in the 60s) had been demolished by implosion a couple of miles away from our house. It was a crappy building almost from the beginning (they had to close the top two floors not long after it was opened because they were structurally unsound) and no one liked it, so this was a big occasion in town. Here's a link to a blog with a video clip of the implosion.

In garden news, our tomatoes are out of control:



( garden pictures )

Question answer:

tex_maam asked Just one question: what do you think there desperately needs to be more of on the bookshelves?

To clarify: we all know that great characters and riveting stories are always in high demand, but like, for example... what kinds of protagonists do you feel are under-represented on the shelves? What kinds of settings or story ideas have you wanted to read about and not found much of?

In some ways this is always kind of a hard question to answer, because the SF/F genre is so large and our views of it tend to be so limited and so subjective. We see the books we read, the books our friends talk about online, and the rest tend to fade into the background. (This is how you get people confidently asserting that women don't write fantasy, or that all fantasy is a young beardy guy with a sword fighting orcs and dragons in faux England. People say that because those are the books they read and the books they pay attention to and the books they see mentioned and reviewed. They assume nothing else exists.)

That's why surveys like this I have numbers! Stats on LGBT Young Adult Books Published in the U.S. – Updated 9/15/11 with actual hard figures are important. I also think thematic lists are helpful. (Which is one of the reasons we did the List of Non-European Fantasy by Women Writers -- when you know you want to read more of certain types of fantasy, it's helpful to see lists of what's already out there.)

I know I want more settings that are not based on western Europe, more stories that use non-Western mythology and folklore and historical events, more characters who aren't white, more characters who are LGBT. I also want characters who are older women, in their 40s or 50s, and I want more books that are blends of science fiction and fantasy, like I grew up reading. I know there are already books out there that have those elements and characters, but I want more. I want more weird stuff, too.

Yesterday was a great day, but today it's back in the harness. I worked more on my upcoming novel than I thought I would, it's funny how once you get into it, it is just the best, most fun thing. It's an urban fantasy with fairies. I love twisted fairykins sorts of things, so mine is a twisty fairy about to learn the error of her ways, as Carrot would say. Anyway, lots of things and lists added to my dirty birdie draft, and I love my characters.

It worries me that it's the same thing, I feel as if I have a lot worked out and as if I'm on point, but then I go to write and it all falls apart. Well, on the plus side, since this is a dbd, I've got to know that the story is really in the rewrite of this, and that, well, all that, that I think I do know but then can't seem to face the rewrite, really. Well, 30 days in June, if I try and take it in 10 day lumps, oh, I don't know.

Breathe, kara, breathe.

All this, you know, really is a part of being what's called a defeated perfectionist. Just, sorry about dragging you through the big 'ol can 'o crazy! lol :D Well, at least we have fun with it.

My mil is doing a little better, but they still don't know how much damage is really done, yet. The hub's getting ready to go there, I'm really glad. They need him and he'll do better once he's there, too.

Happy Anniversary green_dreams and the_weaselking!

A++, would befriend and be Matron of Honour for again. :)

<3

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Hey ladies! So I have a super ignorant technical question for the community. I know there are a lot of computer-savvy women in our ranks, and since everyone is always so generous with their expertise I thought I'd turn here first.

( computer stuff )

Hello ladies and lurking gents!

My little spacegoat paladin and I on Hydraxis are in need of a bit of help. I've been sitting in trade chat for about an hour, asking if there was a blacksmith who could craft me http://us.battle.net/wow/en/item/69948 these lovelies. I have all the mats and will tip but so far there has been nary a nibble. So my request is this: do any of you lovely ladies know someone who would be able to make these boots for me? I'd really appreciate it, as right now my spacegoat has some not-very-good boots and I want these to last a while. Thanks ladies!

Okay, I will never get to write about ALL THE FANDOM! experiences I had, but let's try to cover a few things before the weekend hits us, shall we?

1.
( Tomboy, the movie )

2.
People have actually written things for me in the Black Widow Promptmeme! Rock on, girls:

a) I'll Come When You Call by lar_laughs
[Marvel Avengers movie 'verse. Maria Hill/Natasha Romanov. Prompt: my S.H.I.E.L.D. and my sword. Maria and Natasha have a good thing. So good that Maria's willing to jump whenever Natasha calls, even when Natasha doesn't expect her to.]

b) Untitled fic by my darling pukajen
[Marvel Avengers movie 'verse. Prompt: Natasha/Bruce, who's to learn more about control here? When she sees Bruce Banner again, it isn’t by accident. No matter what SHIELD tells the world, they never stop watching those that could be needed and those that could be trouble, and more often than not it seems to be that need and trouble go hand in hand.]

3.
Fringe --

( 5 Icons of Olivia Dunham )

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Prices same as always, $8 for a portrait, $16 for a half body
Send your info to Thejinxess@yahoo.com
Join us at Livestream.com/jinxii  to watch your art being drawn and hang out and stuff! Make sure your sound is on so you can hear me!
Pay through the button on my Tumblr page please!

Cover art for my novelette "Faster Gun,"  (Working title: "John Henry Holliday is Sick of the These Time-Traveling Assholes") forthcoming on Tor.com this summer.

The artist is Richard Anderson.

Yesterday, I gave my very first Skype talk (a presentation on blogging at Elizabeth Library, NJ). We had a few technical troubles at the library's end, so we went ahead without any microphone, just pictures.

I have to say, not being in the same room as the audience took a bit of getting used to, but I had a great time,and it was certainly nice to be able to give a talk from the comfort of my basement office.

Due to the lack of sound, when I finished my presentation, the organizer, Lonnie, had to use the keyboard to write out people's questions. While he typed, I had a bit of fun, inventing fictitious questions like 'Are you related to Brad Pitt?'; 'Is that your real voice?' etc.

Ooh, and I discovered a great visual trick you can do which makes your head looks like it's shrinking on screen!

I'll definitely do more Skype talks.

How about you?

Have you ever done, or attended, a Skype talk?

The Cloud Roads is on this list at Kirkus Reviews of Top 10 Fantasy Novels by Female Authors Yay!

From yesterday:

I'm in Chicks Unravel Time: Women Journey Through Every Season of Doctor Who The sister book to the 2011 Hugo Award-winning Chicks Dig Time Lords. My essay is "Donna Noble Saves the Universe" about Donna's differences from the other companions, and basically being an older woman who is also a hero.

And I did the All About Books meme questions on the Strange Chemistry Blog.

Question answer:

misslynx asked:

1. I've heard a number of people talking about getting stuck in the "murky middle" of a story where it feels like you're losing your way, or at least like things are getting a bit out of control, and it's hard to see how you're going to rein it in and push it toward an ending. So I already know it's not just me.... But I'm still not sure how to get out of it. Do you ever find yourself hitting this point with your books? Any advice on how best to push through it, when it's starting to feel like trying to nail jello to a wall?

If your enthusiasm for the book is flagging in the middle, then you may have structural problems. Generally I feel that if the book is not exciting for me, it's not going to be exciting for the reader, either. You may want to get some feedback from a few trusted beta readers and try to see if something's wrong, if you need to add some plot complication or make other changes or cut out some plot complication that just isn't working.

If it's just a fatigue or concentration problem, feedback (especially good feedback) can also help rekindle your interest in the book. And sometimes, you just have to force yourself to push through. (This is basically why agents and publishers don't want to look at unfinished novels from first authors -- some people have great ideas but aren't able to get through the middle and finish.)

2. I know fantasy as a genre is famous for spawning some really long novels, but how long is too long? Especially for a first novel? How worried should I be that I'm closing in 100,000 words and am nowhere near finished with the story?

Fantasy novels for adults can generally be longer, but 100,000 words and not near the end may be a problem. The Raksura books have all been between 120,000 and 135,000 words. It really depends on the book and the publisher, though. I'm sure The Name of the Wind is quite a bit longer than 135,000 words, for example.

Last night as I was trying to go to sleep—I'm a slow-sleep insomniac, which means that it can sometimes take me upwards of an hour to power all the way down—I found myself wondering, in that half-place that only exists when you're caught between consciousness and Neverland, whether I'm so reluctant to sleep right now because I'm half-convinced that I'm in the middle of the longest, most detailed linear dream I've ever experienced. And that one day, I'm going to open my eyes and it will be December of 2008 all over again, when I was lonely and scared and had no idea what I was going to do about my future.

Anxiety and mild "my series is over, what do I do now" depression aside, I sometimes look at my life and I'm just staggered by the unlikeliness of it all. I had a book come out on Tuesday. Tomorrow, I'm leaving for Disneyland with my mother, my sister, and my best friend. I have cats that can be charitably called large, and uncharitably called props from a horror movie. I have a movie option. I'm reprinting my fourth album, because it's almost sold out. I have some of the most amazing, interesting, articulate friends and fans and readers in the world. I have an agent who, frankly, could not be more perfect for me if I had been allowed to design my own agent in a lab.

Even the little details are too good to be true. There's an immensely popular line of fashion dolls modeled on famous monsters; Fringe got renewed; Doctor Who is back on the air; the X-Men are awesome again; James Gunn has a video game about a chainsaw-wielding blonde cheerleader who fights zombies with high kicks and snark. Basically, it's like the universe has been rearranging itself to suit my deepest desires, and if not everything is perfect, that's because too much perfection is unbelievable. The world is trying to add veracity to my dream.

This is why I don't like to sleep very much.

I'm too afraid of waking up.

From the files of "I guess this is a good thing": I finally tried Minecraft, which had for a long time sounded very, very attractive, and happily found out that I was not in the mood to get sucked into it.

I just didn't have the patience to explore, figure things out and build things up the way the game requires. I did play through the demo---one day and one night---and survived the night, but did not feel like going forth. Given that this is the mother of all sandbox games ever, it is probably great that I did not feel the full attraction while playing the demo.

But I have, strangely, been for a while in the mood to walk on a beach searching for pebbles and shells, so I found a little indie game that's got a similar theme: Miner: Dig Deep. It's a $1 game that is (Google tells me) sadly only available in the US, for direct download onto XBox. You're a miner. You dig. You find ore, you sell ore, you get more tools. You are kerosene (and therefore time) limited; with no light you can keep digging, but your chances of being crushed under a boulder approach 1 the longer you stay under without a functioning light. It's exceedingly simple, has got a non-grating music track (v. important, as the music will loop and loop and loop) and scratches that particular itch a little for me [1]. It's probably worth your $1, although it would be much more a game to be played on a mobile platform, I'd say.

Friend Google tells me that there's this Flash game, Motherload, that's somewhat similar, but I haven't tried it yet.

[1] Of course the game provides absolutely none of the tactile, visual or auditory sensations of the experience I'm craving, in fact nothing except "search for little things among a mess of other little things." But it keeps me in, anyway. Don't ask.

Crossposted from silmaril.dreamwidth.org. You can comment here or there.

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We get our dog food via Mr. Chewy and it happens that when I ordered kibble for Lilo, I got two different bags on account of I wanted to have a back-up if she didn't do well on the first.  But she is doing super.  So I emailed Mr. Chewy to ask if I could return the second (unopened, of course) bag.

Here is the email I got in response:

Hi Hannah,
I have refunded you $37.99 for Nature's Variety Instinct Grain-Free Beef Meal & Lamb Dry Dog Food, 13.2-lb bag. This should be visible on your [credit card] within 3-5 business days. Instead of sending that bag back to Mr. Chewy, could you please donate that bag to your local shelter or rescue? We appreciate your business and hope you enjoy your day :)
Thank you,
[Mr. Chewy email answering person]

It is on the one hand a little thing, but little things are not such little things.

I am very pleased and impressed.

( TMI )

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The hub's mom's still in the hospital and seems to go in and out of consciousness. She's pulling out leads and things that are supposed to be helping her and is not coherent, poor lady. Her daughters and extended family are there, thank goodness. They're a very close family, much closer than mine is.

We're here in upper Michigan, not the upper peninsula, I should say, but the north part of the mitten, and my in-laws live in Chicago. The hub plans to go there over the weekend, and I'll stay here--I'd rather be supportive from a distance. Worry seems to affect people in different ways, and the hub's brand of worry, well, I don't want to add murder to my list of skills.

I'll go there myself as soon as I can, which seems to be what he wants, too.

I've been working every day, I love my paychecks, but today I have a day off, so I plan yard work and sleep. Working almost every day in a single office, I've been doing more of the things that managers have to do, and it's been great. A pain getting it all figured out, but then it's great. I've also found a few forms on the website that are going to make such a difference--working like this you have a little time to explore, you know?

My garden, I don't know. I can't figure out what's weeds and what's not, so right now it's looking pretty raggly. I put in some perennials, different ones, to see what likes my yard and what doesn't, so those are interesting, and my peonies seem fine and my hydrangea is fine, but the garden is, well. I'm thinking that all these that came up and are really doing well are probably weeds, doesn't' that just seem the way?

1) Do I really think everyone should be barcoded?

 Of course not.  

 Seriously...you thought it was for real?   After hearing about responses to the photographer who thought everyone should be limited to just one photo a day, you still thought this was a dead-serious part of the discussion?   The term "Empress of the Universe" wasn't a clue that this was a science fiction writer making something up?   

 2) So why....?

 The format of "The Forum" has this sixty second idea thing in it.   I was told it was the entertaining, fun part of the show.   I interpreted that as "light-hearted interlude."  Participants are asked to come up with an idea--however impractical, impossible, unnecessary, and/or undesirable.   The BBC staff picks one and the person whose idea it was is then supposed to present and defend it.  

 I don't know about the others, but I tossed out several ideas over the phone, and they didn't seem to create any interest.   The idea is supposed to be related to the day's topic (there went my idea for putting solar panels on top of cars in all sunny climes...)   It's not supposed to be related to things the participant has already  given as points they might want to make in the main discussion (there went another idea or two, including an implant to manage aberrant brain chemistry in soldiers so they wouldn't commit stress-related  errors, have rage episodes, maybe even prevent PTSD) or points  put forward by the other participants when  their main statements are known (and there went something else I didn't even mention to them.)   When the first few got "Yes, but..." reactions, I thought "Oh, good, someone else's idea will be used."   I'd been told the right one would be picked on the weekend.  The weekend went by.  Whew.  Off the hook.

Then came Monday.   "We're really looking forward to your 60-second  idea."    What??!!  I guess it's understandable...if you've got a science fiction writer on tap, let her come up with ideas.  Maybe they'll be...off  the wall.   Exciting.  Innovative.  

( Read more... )

I'm working on "The Deeps of the Sky" tonight, and generating a regular festival of Words Word Don't Know:

luminesced, tropopause, sheeny, thicks, unnavigable, dartlike,

Meanwhile, I had a little argument with myself on twitter as to whether I should use some modestly bogus science to create a cool special effect. I went with it. ;-) Now I'm stopping because I have to figure out how the protagonist intervenes to stop the Bad Thing from happening, or how he mops up afterward...

Oh, I might have just done so. Woot!

The visa interview in Munich went well, and I should have my passport with that coveted entry back by next Monday. Should definitely be more joyful at the moment, but there you go; can't choose the brain you're given.

( Physical health )

Study-planning -- please don't ask. Sigh.

Munich: that one was wonderful because it was the last time of just me and my sister in our home country. ( Details, details. With photos. )

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It's still better than eyeless in Gaza, but it's not a happy situation.

Hubby called to say our car died while he was on the interstate on the way to work. Died? Committed suicide is more like it. At the very least it's going to need a new engine.

Looks like I'll be riding the bus for a while, which I don't mind too much except that it just doesn't go everywhere I need to go.

Is there an addon where you can type in coordinates and have them show on the mini-map or map?

Silence is Michelle Sagara's first book in the new Queen of the Dead urban fantasy series. As most of you know, I'm not a huge fan of urban fantasy, but I love Michelle's other fantasy books, so I decided to give this one a try.





The main story revolves around Emma, who lost her father a while ago, and has recently lost her boyfriend in an accident. Grief-stricken, she's taken to visiting the graveyard at night to relax. However, on this night, she's not alone. Erik, a new student at her school, is there, and he's hunting Necromancers--people who can use the power of the dead to essentially perform magic. the only problem is that Emma is beginning to show signs that she could be a Necromancer herself.

The book continues with Emma coming into her power, Erik constantly on edge waiting for her to become what he fears the most, all while they try to help a four-year-old boy escape an eternity trapped in the house fire that killed him. And, oh yeah, the real Necromancers show up to try to bring Emma to their side.

The book has the standard urban fantasy feel--a darker atmosphere, some harsh realities about life and death, etc. The only paranormal touch is the existence of the dead and how they are used and how they interact with the world. There is no hint of other creatures, such as vampires, werewolves, etc. Because of the ages of the characters, this also has a significant YA feel to it. I thought Emma, Erik, and there rest of their friends were especially well drawn out and their interactions with each other were realistic and believable. I especially liked Michael's character--an autistic friend who ends up being more significant than most of Emma's other friends.

I did have some issues: There was a strong case of "we aren't going to tell you" here, meaning that Emma is trying to figure out her new world as it changes, Erik (and others) have answers, but they refuse to tell her for no real or apparent reason whatsoever. I find this annoying--just TELL ME ALREADY!--especially when one of the characters literally says that what Emma doesn't know can kill her . . . so why not tell her and forewarn her! I so no reason they couldn't, except it meant that there would be no "mystery" about her power any more and that might cut the dramatic tension.

Another issue was that I'm still not quite certain exactly how Emma's power works in the end. I read the scenes where she's figuring things out a couple of times and I still don't understand what it is that she's doing. The Necromancers power is kind of obvious, and Emma is not doing what they're doing, but I don't see the "rules" that Emma is operating under and how it all ties together. Granted, she's new at this and those rules probably aren't clear to anyone, but I should still get a "feel" for those rules, moreso than I got here. I assume that what she has become will be made clearer in future books.

So, overall, I thought it was a good entry into the urban fantasy field, but I have to say the "just tell me already" aspects of the story were a significant drawback, more frustrating than mysterious for me. I'll be reading the sequels when they arrive, but I much prefer (not surprisingly) Michelle's epic fantasy.

Had meeting (off-campus) this morning, have meeting (on-campus) this afternoon, ILLITERAL abounds.

Crossposted from silmaril.dreamwidth.org. You can comment here or there.

I'm in this anthology, which is now up for preorder: Chicks Unravel Time: Women Journey Through Every Season of Doctor Who

The sister book to the 2011 Hugo Award-winning Chicks Dig Time Lords...

In Chicks Unravel Time, editors Deborah Stanish (Whedonistas) and L.M. Myles bring together a host of award-winning female writers, media professionals and scientists to examine each season of new and classicDoctor Who from their unique perspectives.

Diana Gabaldon discusses how Jamie McCrimmon inspired her best-selling Outlander series, and Barbara Hambly (Benjamin January Mysteries) examines the delicate balance of rebooting a TV show. Seanan McGuire (Toby Daye series) reveals the power and pain of waiting in Series 5, and Una McCormack (The King's Dragon) argues that Sylvester McCoy's final year of Doctor Who is the show's best season ever.

Other contributors include Juliet E. McKenna (Einarrin series), Tansy Rayner Roberts (Power and Majesty), Sarah Lotz (The Mall), Martha Wells (The Cloud Roads), Joan Frances Turner (Dust), Rachel Swirsky ("Fields of Gold") and Aliette de Bodard (Obsidian and Blood series).

Hooee, have I been swamped! Coming up for air to ask for suggestions: I have been ignoring all movie reviews for a while, though I know what's out. Going to a movie this weekend and so asking for suggestions. I love action adventure with funny, romance is fine. Hates: serial killers, refrigerator women, violently graphic bodily intrusion, depressing endings.

Latest movie seen, the Pixar Pirates as a Mother's Day arranged by daughter. Loved it!

It's probably going to be Avengers, unless there is something else recommended that I have missed knowing about.

I have seen some good Netflix stuff late at night when resting my hands. Anyone else ever seen Bing Crosby's Little Boy Lost? The performances by the French actors made the film. Crosby was a nice foil.

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