I Love Books September 24, 2009

My favorite husband/wife writing team, “Ilona Andrews” ,are coming out with a new book in less than a week. They write urban fantasy, an odd hybrid of a genre that includes elements of mystery, fantasy, and horror. Their stories are set in a modern setting that has a touch of paranormal to it. I love their Kate Daniels series, and now in less than a week, a new series is about to be released.

To say I am excited about this new book is understating things a bit, and this story promises to be an interesting world to dive into. The Edge is an odd place.  Picture two worlds, two dimensions, sitting side by side like two slices of bread in a sandwich, as the author describes it. One world is called the broken, it is a mundane place where people don’t believe in magic. An ordinary place with ordinary things. The other world is called the weird, it is a place where magic is used in everyday life and nobility is of great importance. The Weird and the Broken sit side by side, but there are places where they intersect.  That neutral territory that belongs to both worlds is called the Edge.  It’s the meat in the dimension sandwich.

Sounds like a lot of fun. I’ve already ordered my book. How about you?

Bitten by Books is having a contest, come join the fun.

On The Edge

happy birthday dad! September 11, 2009

My dad made it to 72!! I am so happy he is still with me, he is such a fighter. He spent 4 straight months in the hospital this year the same time my mother went into the hospital. Two of those months we weren’t sure if he was gonna make it. He wasn’t even breathing on his own. And now he is home with me and my little brother. He doesn’t work anymore and that bums him out, but he is glad to be alive. Tonight we are taking him to his favorite German cafe for some home cooking. I love my crazy German dad. This should be a fun evening for all of us. Yay!

brain storming stories September 9, 2009

I have lots of ideas, and good starts to interesting stories. I’m just not sure how these stories will end. And I tend to jump from story to story. I need the follow through on at least one of them. I am determined, and I think this writing class I am taking will help. The class isn’t until October, so until then I’ll keep creating. But I thought I would share a few ideas just for the heck of it. I like butt kicking heroines, so these all will have that type of woman.

idea 1- Think mistress of disguise. A woman with a talent of changing her looks so completely that no one can recognize her. But someone does see her in action….an assasin of sorts, and they try to recruit her and her skills but she doesn’t want that kind of life. (this isn’t my fondest of ideas, it is taking a back burner for a while)

idea 2- Woman vs. Serial killer. He uses a wolf/dog mix that he has forced to obey him to lure women into his home. One woman finds she can communicate with the wolf and uses that to escape the serial killer…for a time.

idea 3- Think Empath with a twist. A woman with strong empathic abilities that go a bit beyond people to buildings and sometimes objects. She is fairly good at hiding her ability, but gets caught by something paranormal. ( Haven’t quite figured out the villan yet, but I like an opening scene I’ve already started plotting…opening in SLC of all places.)

I gotta pick one and stick to it.

Project Mauri September 8, 2009

I am going to attempt several crazy things this year just for the hell of it. I have lost my smile, my laughter, my sense of adventure and life. My mother died, and I almost lost my father as well. I miss talking to my mother…..we talked everyday. I miss my energetic father, he struggles just to make it to doctors appointments. And now I work to keep a roof over our heads and to keep the power on. I work for everyone but me. I do for everyone but me. So I am going to get a life.

First crazy thing….write a book. I don’t care if I ever get published, but I love books. I am obsessed with sci fi / fantasy, urban fantasy, and paranormal fantasy. I have a bunch of stories jumbling around in my head just waiting to come out. I am a daydreamer in need of an outlet. So I will write. I will write to honor my mother, she always told me I should write a book. I was incredibly shy as a kid and wrote letters to people when I couldn’t say things out loud. I didn’t think much of it then, but it was good practice. A couple of years ago I wrote a letter to a judge on behalf of my brother. My mother read the letter and fell in love with it. She reminded me of my love of writing and urged me to do something about it, so I will.

Next crazy thing…..I will temp. I’ve talked and talked about it, but I think now is the time for me to try new places by becoming a travel tech. It will definitely be an adventure, and I won’t uproot my family by doing this. I am taking some writing courses first, but then I will take a leap into something new, someplace new.

There is more crazy to come, but for now I will start with these. Stay tuned for more crazy. Oh and I’ll throw out a few story ideas later today, just for kicks.

Sad puppy dog eyes September 6, 2009

I am weak, those sad puppy dog eyes  are just too much for me and I let my dogs rule the house. My family has always teased me about my way with animals, dogs mostly seem to just love me, but other animals react differently around me as well. I figured this out when I worked in  pet store just after high school, and it is how I can have a tank full of fish that have lived 5 plus years. My fish Elvis was almost 10 years old, or close to that. Anyways, I have let my dogs take control because I cannot handle those sad puppy dog eyes. They will not go anywhere in the house without me, and they will bug the crap out of me if they feel like exploring. And don’t even get me started on our sleeping arrangements. Boo thinks it is good fun to pull the covers down in the middle of the night and get under them, and then steal the whole blanket all together. He’s a crazy fun little guy, but being poked by his nose throughout the night can get a little tiresome. *sigh* and today I wanted to call in sick when they gave me their sad eyes. I am such a sucker. But I stayed strong and didn’t give in.

Sci Fi/Fantasy Geek September 4, 2009

And proud of it. I have gone sci fi mad. I mostly like urban fantasy, but any sci fi/fantasy book, TV show, or movie will catch my eye. So I was having a hard time sleeping the last couple of nights and started watching Terminator, the Sarah Connor Chronicles. After watching both seasons, I realized the show has been canceled…gah! Now I will never have an ending to it all. Why is it that sci fi gets such a hard rep? So many sci fi shows get canceled early on, and the movies get bad reviews. People need to learn how to think outside of the box. It is sad that such creativity is pushed down and pops up the most insane reality tv shows that I have a feeling are somewhat scripted. What crap!!*sigh* I miss Firefly and I am bummed that I don’t get to see the end of the terminator series. Hopefully the fall has some good surprises in store. I really hope.

fridays and headaches September 4, 2009

Seems to be a new routine for me. My work schedule for September is insane, but I kinda expected it. For some reason September is always a crazy work month for me. Lately I’ve been kinda down on work  though. When you work twelve hour shift in a hospital, in Las Vegas, in the summer when the air conditioner is broken, you kinda lose your fondness for the place. And now today new rules about flu shots have been handed down. It has always been optional, but strongly encouraged to get a flu shot. Now there is no politeness about it. It is either you get the flu shot, or you wear a mask your entire shift. Ha…Guess who is investing in her own box of masks? *raises hand* I have never gotten a flu shot, and don’t want to, even in the environment I work in. Hmm, this is an interesting turn of events. The only thing I like about Las Vegas is my job, but now health care is going through some changes and the hospitals are being hit pretty hard. This is food for thought for me. I didn’t think I would ever go back to an outpatient clinic, but I am considering it now…especially since I am looking into moving to Washington or Oregon. My hold on Vegas is slipping. I just hope I find a really good clinic to work in. I need a good work environment. Home life is hard enough.

The question that is hitting me the hardest though is…

Am I being selfish moving my family away from Las Vegas? I am the financial bread winner for my father and brother, and a bit for my niece too. They will all follow me where ever I move to. Is it wrong for me to move them too?

Answer: I just don’t know.