#ilona adds to a big post

[iampikachuhearmeroar]

it's like earlier this year here in australia, some fucking idiots guys thought it'd be funny to drop off several kilo's worth of tins of soup..... all of which were several years out of date.... to food banks around sydney that are currently being used by everyone in the cost of living crisis. they were fined like 70k for dropping off that purposely expired food.

[wearethekat]

January Book Reviews: Magic Tides by Ilona Andrews

Surprise novella from the Andrews, which hoopla acquired very uncharacteristically shortly after publication. This is the start of (presumably) a new Kate Daniels, moving to a new location and dialing down the stakes from the world-shattering scale of the end of the last series. Kate, Curran, and their kid are trying very hard to stay quiet and incognito in their new town of Wilmington, SC. Unfortunately, this is very difficult when you have a serious case of main character syndrome and live in a post-magic-apocalypse USA. When a family comes to Kate for help to rescue their child from an underwater cult, can Kate manage while remaining low-profile?

I think it was an excellent decision to move the location for the new series-- it allows the authors a clean slate to add new characters while moving more towards an episodic format where every adventure doesn't have to be the end of the world. I'm absolutely fascinated to see where some of the interactions with the locals are going to go-- just in this short novella, Kate's interactions with The Guy Who's Terrible At Werewolfing was absolutely hilarious, and I'm fascinated to see how Kate is going to handle the local branch of the People. The one issue is that I don't see how the authors can plausibly maintain tension without bringing in the Big Stakes again, as it seems slightly unfair to pit metaphorically level 20 Kate against these random townsfolk.

Very interested to see where they're going with this. If you are, however, looking to get into the series, this is probably a bad place to start.

[bookofmirth]

it's me, the depressing anon! I just watched some clips of the live that someone posted on twitter and now I feel like shit. Sarah was laughing at us for believing elucien had a chance. It's so obvious shes Gonna write the elriel book next. Well, she won't be getting my money, not that she cares. Anyways, any bookrecs similar to acotar so I can obsess over them and get over this? Anything steamy and with magic should do. Bonus points if there's soulmates.

I mean this kindly, but I really don’t know why you took her laughter in that way? It seems like a huge reach. Sarah laughing was basically her attempt to keep from saying anything. I’m a horrible liar, so I would do something similar to keep from saying anything that could be misconstrued or - hey, to keep people from seeing straight through my BS 😂 

I have a big list of book recommendations based on what you’re looking for - hopefully something there will help! I would add, based on your request, but with the caveat that there are varying levels of smut. There is romance in all of them, and magic, at least:

The Kate Daniels series, by Ilona Andrews. There’s a ton of books, it’s complete, it’s great. 

The Nevernight series by Jay Kristoff definitely has the steam part down, but also the magic. 

The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir is based on necromancy and while there isn’t explicit steam, it’s quite crude and there is magic and wlw. There isn’t romance in the traditional sense, more like the MC being horny over every woman she sees.

The Beautiful by Renee Ahdieh I know has mixed reviews, but if you liked the movie version of Interview With A Vampire, you’ll really enjoy it.

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Mariller is fairy tale-esque.

The Fever series by Karen Marie Moning is good, I never finished it because some bits of it bothered me, but it was a huge hit with bookclub.

If you read Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor and don’t become obsessed, idk what to say to you.

The Bird and the Sword chronicles by Amy Harmon are great, I really love them. 

Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente is so amazingly written, gorgeous, beautiful, there are tons of great edits on tumblr, infinitely quotable.

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen is.... the prequel book just came out and I can’t believe I haven’t read it yet.

If anyone would like to add recommendations that include more of the smut/soulmates, please feel free to add!

[nessismore]

Book Rec Time

It’s ur girl V, back with another list because this is how I handle quarantines, I guess? Yelling (or politely typing) about my favorite things makes me happy sooo....

If you’re not into binge watching stuff and are looking for things to binge read, may I present (apparently in series length order)...

The Psy/Changeling Series by Nalini Singh - Paranormal Romance

The Psy/Changeling series is about a world where there are three dominant races: Humans, who are your everyday average joes and don’t have any fancy powers beyond...well, persistence and levelheadedness; Psy who have cool as shit mental powers that uh...may lead to some mental instability and like...murder, so they decided “fuck feelings” and instituted a thing called Silence where they feel nothing, and that leads to problems; and Changelings, who can shapeshift into animals and are very cool and ~primal and will possibly claw your face off if you break their rules and I love them a lot. So these three races kind of live in their silos, Psy feeling superior, Humans with a chip on their shoulders, and Changelings just wanting to left tf alone goddammit, and then things happen and it’s cool.

Nalini Singh is pretty much the queen when it comes to paranormal series, and if you’re into a big immersive world with A+ world building and political development intertwined with romance, this is the series for you. 18 (soon to be 19) novels and countless novellas/short stories strong, there’s plenty to dive into. Each novel is technically a standalone, but the deeper you get into the series, the more history you need to really know what’s happening. 

Each novel, minus one, focuses on a different couple, but you have plenty of interaction with past characters as the characters are all tightly intertwined. Seriously, this series is my fave and I re-read/listen to a selection of my faves at least once a year (usually when there’s a new one coming out). In a series this long, you’re bound to have some duds (and there are def some doozies, the couple in Kiss of Snow is super uncomfortable for me, but a lot of shit GOES DOWN) but they’re all worth reading because the political shit happening is super interesting and cool and I didn’t expect to write an essay on this, but here we are. I am down to talk Psy Changeling basically All. Day. Also, because it’s paranormal romance, there’s lotsa sex.

Series highlights (imho): Slave to Sensation (1), Caressed by Ice (3), Bonds of Justice (8), and also books 12, 13, and 14 basically I love all this shit and recommend it highly.

The Pride Series and associated spinoffs by Shelly Laurenston - Paranormal Romance

The Pride Series is another shapeshifter series, but instead of going the serious political route, she goes absolutely fucking BATSHIT INSANE. My introduction to this series was the 9th and last in the series proper, and in that one alone there are: jousting bears, shifters on roller skates, a cat/bear hybrid shifter who falls in love with a honey badger shifter who keeps burrowing into his house.

The series is irreverent and laugh out loud funny, and it also features a hella diverse cast of characters. Each novel is a standalone, but like in Nalini Singh’s series, the characters from different novels interact a lot and it’s nice to see a lot of your faves. Also, a small thing but I really enjoy the fact that while the characters from previous novels interact, they don’t always like each other? It adds a touch of realism (lol) to the relationships. There’s also a lot of fun female friendships, ridiculous shenanigans, and a surprising emotional core to each one. Prepare to think “WTF” the entire time in the best possible way.

Also, lotsa sex in these, too. Also also, gratuitous violence. 

Series Highlights: The Mane Squeeze, Wolf with Benefits, Bite Me

You may also like the books Laurenston writes under pseudonym G.A. Aiken, which is like the Pride series, but set in ~medieval-y times and with dragons. Also hilarious and batshit insane.

The Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn - Historical Romance

Basically, everything Julia Quinn writes is frick fracking delightful, but the Bridgerton series in particular is near and dear to my heart. Each novel focuses on one the eight (8!) Bridgerton siblings, the oldest of whom is a Viscount and the move in high society in Regency Era England and blah blah blah. What I love about this series is that each sibling is very distinct with a very distinct love story. The family is lovely and heartwarming and the characters all have a lot of depth. There’s an element of ridiculousness to them (as there is in all Julia Quinn novels) and if you’re looking for some feel-good romance, this is the place to be.

Series Highlights: The Viscount Who Loved Me, Romancing Mr. Bridgerton

(also these descriptions are getting shorter as I am getting lazier)

The Innkeeper Chronicles by Ilona Andrews - Urban Fantasay/Paranormal Romance idk where they fall

It’s hard to choose an Ilona Andrews series, because this husband and wife writing duo is A++. The Kate Daniels series is amazing of course, but if you’re looking for a short and contained series that’s funny and packs an emotional punch all at the same time, look no further than the Innkeeper Chronicles. Dina Demille runs an Inn in a small town in Texas. But not your run-of-the-mill Inn. Nah, this one caters to aliens and interstellar travelers and no one else should even think about staying there. Also, the Inn is sentient. I don’t want to give too much away since it’s such a short series (the original trilogy and a spinoff book that was actually posted on the Ilona Andrews website in serial format) but this series is super great and you should check it out!

No series highlights since it’s like...4 books long. 

I’ve shown you mine, Tumblr. What are your binge reading recs?

[iampikachuhearmeroar]

you apply for several jobs on seek (my preferred job site), indeed or jora. a couple get back to you and say "please do our preemptive psych (aptitude) tests/chat bot/fun games assessment/s with an online video interview (within the next 48hrs).... so that we can assess your viability for this role."

you do the bs chatbot/psych test/automated video interview etc etc. some of these give you an instant response after doing them, which you kinda like.... but also really absolutely hate. every test result you get back basically tells you that you're a walking contradiction: you LOVE to dominate conversations, which means your co-workers are somehow terrified of you. so please learn to PIPE FUCK DOWN, LISTEN AND TAKE IN OTHER PEOPLE'S THOUGHTS/FEEDBACK etc (which you do anyway). however, you are also EXTREMELY SHY and goal-oriented.... which means your productivity is moderately ok, but doing just a bit more will make you a go-getter.... but uh. have we told you that your coworkers and clients will NEVER get to know you deeply?? so, learn to speak up and make friends in the workplace and also have good client relationships 😊!

wait! wait! we're not done tearing you limb from limb yet!!! have you considered that your productivity is actually awful because you're so easily distracted and don't like routine??? have you considered that this lack of attention can ruin your KPI achievement targets.... and single-handedly utterly destroy the performance efforts of the ENTIRE team and company???? we suggest focusing on streamlining your workflow and productivity habits.... and totally NEVER getting distracted EVER, so YOU make US money and not the other way round 😤����. also, maybe apply for something that involves a whole load of rules and stable methods (bc we conversely think you're also a very stable and consistent person emotionally), not an ever changing admin position!!! (BTW: we'll never tell you that these "rule loving" jobs include anywhere between $10,000 of study (at the very least for tafe) to $30,000+ for a degree (at the most) or SEVERAL years of work experience.... which you very obviously don't have for even a junior position, let alone a middle management or senior position).

hey, we're nearly done! we swear 😰! don't leave yet... if you're still breathing that is 😅😂!!! isn't this so much fun 🙃?!! congrats on being able to analyse the complex relationships in teamwork environments... if only you could collaborate- which you do well, actually, because you're super laid-back (everyone wants someone like you on their team 💞..... just not us though lol 😋) - and LEAD, maybe???? but also DON'T be a leader, and try to really achieve "above and beyond" (despite what we said in the job description).... because we don't want you thinking that you're actually able to do anything of meaning to you... and that you can really achieve your said big goals, with us in tow 🙃. finally, NEVER be laid-back in the work environment. we construe this as being lackadaisical (which is a BIG, intelligent word for L A Z Y, if you didn't already know that 🤓! also.... are you a young millennial or gen z??? hehehe! we've got you all figured out 😎) which means you'll NEVER do YOUR work to OUR fake desired standard/s anyway 🙃.

PHEW! that was a lot! thanks! have a wonderful day. now GO FUCK YOURSELF 😊' [one more teenie tiny thing: please give us feedback on this reading! how did we do??? 😊]

you then read these bullshit results to a family member. they are HORRIFIED at the utter lack of respect, transparency, care, trust, integrity and human interaction in the hiring processes of the modern job market, mostly for the office admin and retail jobs that you've been applying for. when ironically, all of those attributes you just listed above (and sometimes more) are the so-called values/mission/goals of EVERY firm/business etc that you've applied for.

the downright rudeness and callousness of being absolutely torn to shreds by a shitty little bot; for a big retail chain's christmas casual position, that they use to save time to cut in-person interview times.... all to be told that that's why you'll never be a check-out chick for 3 months over christmas.... is fucking awful and deflating. (although, not that it matters. you didn't really want it anyway. you tell yourself). being told that you won't/can't sit on a computer and phone, using word, excel and the business's CRM all day.... doing admin for what feels the 10 billionth fuckin local office or government dept/council job, or other fucking small local places that you've applied for.... all bc "you have big dreams" or "you love to talk. but not at your job" or whatever other condescending, demotivating and backhanded bullshit that they've said in these test results... is humiliating, depressing and undermining as all fuck.

all bc you selected the wrong answers in a "fun mini-game" about how to reply to work colleagues in the company chat program, whatever that may be. or all the other shitty psych/aptitude test mini games that i played for big firms for uni grad programs back in uni in 2017. or, you've selected the wrong answers in a more ~traditional~ psych/aptitude test for a local educational institution like a uni or a technical/trade college.

it makes you question what the actual goddamned fuck the HR people actually want. what the actual fuck the bot is trained to snuff out and highlight and gush all over in someone's resume, interview and test answers, like a big corporate cum stain. are they really as "fair", "consistent" and "equitable" or whatever the fuck else benevolent words companies use to describe them??? are they ethical??? am i going insane??? would it be healthier for me just to jump off a cliff into the ocean filled with blood hungry cartoon sharks circling below??? would it be better to [enter, pursued by a bear] when i FINALLY get another interview.... if i EVER get another one; just to serve justice???? if it's a dog eat dog world, why don't i just become a golden retriever that just wants to eat treats and make dog and human friends on the daily??? if the world has gone to the dogs or the bears or sharks; wouldn't it just be fucking nice to bring one along with you, to make a point????

it's utter shit out here, lads [gender neutral]. we're all fucking tired and dead inside. it's why "no one wants to work anymore", as the piss-baby weak employers LOVE to bitch and moan. but: why work when you're disrespected from the fucking outset??? why work when you realise that you'll NEVER have the upper hand in any-fucking-thing??? why work when you're ignored constantly or even ghosted by employers??? the questions go on and on and on. "stop being deafeatist!" or whatever other word/phrase i can hear the "no one wants to work anymore!"crowd shout. no. im tired. we're tired. we're motherfucking done.

You apply for 20 jobs on Indeed. The silence is deafening.

You apply for 20 jobs on Indeed. Half of them require you to create an account on the company website. You leave a trail of ghost accounts that will be used once and never again. You never receive a response.

You apply for 20 jobs on Indeed. One employer offers an interview, but it's so rare for you to receive any response that you forget to check the website and you miss the time.

You apply for 20 jobs on Indeed. One employer offers an interview, but you don't know the magic words that signal to the esoteric mind of an interviewer that you're fit for the job.

You apply for 20 jobs on Indeed. One employer e-mails you saying that 'unfortunately, you do not have the qualifications we are looking for'. You check the job again and see you applied to be a menial labourer.

You apply for 20 jobs on Indeed. Half of them require a car. No one stops to ask how you're supposed to afford one with no job.

You apply for 20 jobs on Indeed. One employer offers a job. The commute makes you want to die in your sleep.

You call the HR manager for the workplace in hopes of arranging an interview more directly. They don't even have an answering machine.

Employers complain that no one wants to work anymore.

[sugaurora]

NaNoWriMo - Can We Be Honest For a Second?

You are only doing NaNo for one of three reasons:

You need to get into a daily writing habit and writing 1666 words a day for a month is a good way of developing that habit.

You need to get a big chunk of writing done in a hurry and 50,000 words in a month ain't a full novel for most genres, but it ain't too shabby either.

Your friends are threatening to steal your fuzzy socks and your chocolate stash if you don't join.

See, the 50,000 words you get when you win NaNoWriMo aren't the prize, they're the byproduct. Winning NaNoWriMo means spending the month of November turning yourself into a better writer. And I want to help you be a winner.

There are pages and pages of writing advice on the internet. You could read books on writing, and nuance, and metaphor. If you're lucky you'll spend your entire life reading great books and learning from other authors, but no amount of learning is going to help you get off the starting block and to writing a book unless you know where to start. So that's what this post is about: how to prep for NaNoWriMo.

Mid-October you need to set aside a day for NaNoWriMo planning. You're going to be doing your research, basic plotting, and some very simple outlining. If you're a Plotter who needs to have all the details written down, fine, add more. If you're a Pantster (like me!) you'll find this method isn't overwhelming and leaves lots of room for improvisation. Once you've got your date set grab something to make notes on and give yourself five hours to work... and yes it's perfectly fine to do this in fifteen-minute increments over the month of October. You're busy, and that's normal. :)

Step 1: Write the elevator pitch for your novel.

Don't get hung up on finding an original plot or the perfect pitch right now. Just pick an idea that tickles your imagination and run with it. The fact that you are writing it will make it unique. Every person is different, and so is every story!

In two sentences or less write what you're going to write your book about. It doesn't need to be perfect, you just need to verbalize it somehow.

If you don't know what to write about look for inspiration in art work, online story prompts, the NaNoWriMo Adopt A Plot forum, or on Tumblr where the Out Of Context D&D people give anyone with a pulse an urge to write fantasy.

Can't decide on just one plot? No problem! Plan them all out. Start writing whichever catches your fancy in November and write the others next year.

Step 2: Use the Dime Novel Formula

This is 100% stolen from the author of the Doc Savage novels Kenneth Robeson (Lester Dent) and he deserves full credit. Partial credit goes to British author Tim Dedopulos who wrote a NaNoWriMo post in 2010 entitled How To Write A Novel In Three Days. We're using a modified version of his method....

Lester Dent said every good novel needed four things:

A new way to kill someone

A new thing for the villain to want

A new place

A menace that threatens your hero at every turn.

Write down your four things.

Step 3: You Need Four Plot Twists

No one likes a book where they can guess the ending on page one. It's boring. Plot twists set in the right place along the course of the book will give your reader a wild ride that keeps them reading long past bedtime. Plan on at least four plot twists.

Plot twist #1 comes in the first quarter of the book. "You're a wizard, Harry." "I found a wardrobe that leads to a kingdom of snow and my brother ate the evil queen's Turkish Delight!" etc. You get the idea.

Plot Twist #2 comes about 40% of the way through the book, this one's the gut punch. The hero loses something, they're betrayed, something horrible happens and at all cost, you must leave the readers thinking there is no way your hero can ever find a happy ending after this. If you're George R. R. R. Martin this is where you kill [spoiler redacted], you soulless fiend.

Plot Twist #3 comes at the climax of the story, when the fate of the universe hangs by a thread, and then suddenly PLOT TWIST! something amazing happens. Harry comes back from the dead. Loki really didn't kill Thor. Mulan shoots Shan Yu with a firework and the Emperor bows to her.

Plot Twist #4... and I know you're scratching your head here... this one comes in the last pages of the book. The villain confesses they did it all for the love of the hero, the hero pulls the sword from the stone and finds out it's plastic, the long-lost princess realizes she rescued the wrong kingdom! This is the very final twist that keeps the book alive after the last page is turned. It may seem diabolic, especially if you're not writing a series, but it lets the reader believe the characters will live on and have more adventures even after the book ends, and that's important.

Step 4: You Need Three Villains

Early in my writing career, I wrote several novels that were great except the pacing and tension seemed almost nonexistent. It wasn't until I wrote a book with a well fleshed out villain that I realized my early novels suffered from a lack of antagonist. Save yourself some tears and define your villains up front.

Who is your Primary Antagonist? This is the villain that shows up one page one and gives our hero grief but who may not be a villain all along. If you're writing an Enemies-To-Lovers romance this antagonist will wind up being a hero in the end.

Who is your Second Antagonist? The Middle Villain is the one who comes in the center of the book (hence the name) and who the hero didn't see as a problem beforehand. Either this antagonist was a friend before and betrayed the hero, or they become a villain because of the hero's actions in achieving the first quest of the book. This antagonist carries a lot of weight and deals the hero the most setbacks. They're the one that drives the hero to the moment of despair and strips them of everything (which is why a betrayer makes such a good second villain). While dealing with the second antagonist the hero stumbles into a realization of who the bigger villain is. If you're writing a series with One Big Villain driving the series (think Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews or Star Wars where the Emperor is the Big Bad) you'll have the hero defeat a series of Middle Villains in each book and only face The One Big Bad in the final book. If you're writing a series driven by Hero's Choice this second villain will bounce between being a villain and being a temporary ally (think the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs or Star Trek where Romulans and Klingons are sometimes enemies and sometimes friends). The other series option is the No Hero series like Game of Thrones where everyone is an antagonist and a protagonist in their own mind.

Who is the Third Antagonist? The Big Bad, the villain whose presence is felt but unknown throughout the book. In a series, you may not see this person until the end of the series. The best part about this kind of antagonist is it invites readers to reread so they can catch the earlier clues. You really can save this villain for the very end, or at least the last 1/3 of the book. They usually appear around the hero's Moment Of Despair, when the hero has lost all hope, friends, support, and belief in themself. This is the villain that defines the hero. Because the hero looks up from the mud and blood and despair and says, "I cannot let you do this. I cannot let you win even if I lose everything." The decision to fight this villain when all hope is lost, at great personal sacrifice, is what makes an ordinary person a hero. And because the hero is coming from such a low point, beaten and fragile, their victory is all the more sweet in the end.

Whew! Got all that? Okay. Good. Take a breather because the next section is there we're going to tackle the nitty gritty. You ready?

Step 5: Building The World

Do you know what derails the most NaNoWriMo novelists? The research. They pause to look up a name, or find a place to set a scene, and then they're lost down the rabbit hole of research and you find them wandering bookstores in mid-January wondering why people are hanging Valentine's Day decorations. It's sad, really. And you, smarty that you are, are going to dodge that bullet by naming everything right now!

Make a list of 25 female names and 25 male names for your book. You can do it by culture or race if you need to, but get it done before November 1st. And, remember, if you hate the name November 15th you can change it in edits. That's why we have the Search-Replace function.

Make a list of all the modes of transport in your book. If you have spaceships or sailing vessels make a list of names for them too. Ten minimum. More is better. Pick a theme if you're having trouble, like naming all the ships in your fleet after minerals: Jasper, Feldspar, Malachite...

Make a list of all the places you might set a scene. Name the cafes, name the fields, name the forests, name the nebulas, name the schools, name the rooms. You may not use them all but they'll be there if you need them.

Make a list of all your props: weapons, clothes, whatever will be on stage goes right here. If it helps, pretend you're planning a play. Picture what you might need. And feel free to add more when you start writing. These lists are guidelines only, you can use them or lose them to your heart's content.

Step 6: The Setting Thesaurus

This is going to take a bit of time, so plan ahead. What you need to do here is follow the excellent example set by Becca and Angela and make a thesaurus for all the scenes.

Honestly, this is more for the Plotters who need to know everything. Pantsters, write five or six key words to describe each place, one for each major sense. If you have more or have something you really want to see in that place, scribble it down.

Bookmark the Emotion Thesaurus and Setting Thesaurus in case of emergencies in November.

Step 7: Time For The Math

NaNoWriMo is meant to be thirty days of steady writing, but let's be realistic, unless you're life is perfect you won't be writing all thirty days. Look at your calendar right now and decide how many days you can write. For me is about 24 days in November. I take weekends off to spend time with my kids and I'll be too busy cooking on Thanksgiving to write.

Grab a calculator. Divide 50,000 by the number of days you have to write. This number is your target word count if you want to have 50,000 words at the end of the month.

50,000 isn't a full novel for adult genres and most YA. If you really want a novel in a month you need to do that math with 75,000 words. I'm sorry.

Curse yourself. Cry. Google WRITE OR DIE. Thank the creators of WRITE OR DIE for all they have done for you. Bookmark WRITE OR DIE. Tell your family and friends you love them, and then go buy some note cards.

Step 8: The Dread Outline

This trick I actually picked up from a fellow Critique Circle writer my first year participating in NANOWRIMO. She said she spent Halloween night handing out candy and writing scenes on a note card. One card per writing day with all the scenes she needed to write.

Let's pretend you have 25 writing days in November and you want 50,000 words. That's 2000 words on each of your writing days, or one scene per day.  

Pick out 25 cards and write one or two sentences describing a scene you want to write on each card.

Put a small sticker or check mark on Plot Twist days and mark the days on your calendar. You'll probably be writing a plot twist on the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th of November.

Rearrange, discard, or rewrite anything that doesn't seem to make sense.

REMEMBER! This is only the rough draft. It's meant to be rough. You are aiming to write something ugly. Everything will be smoothed and polished in edits. These cards can be changed at any time, they're really here to be your countdown clock to victory. No panicking allowed.

Step 9: Write Like A Pro

Can I share a teeny tiny little secret with you? There's not an author alive who knows what they're doing. That blank page is just as blank for you as it is for your favorite author. Every person is unique. Every person will write differently and in different ways. There is no wrong way to be an author.

Sit down.

Write.

All the planning you did, that's there for reference. All those lists and names and plot twists were written down so your subconscious could have time to play with the ideas and present you with the scenes when it's time to write. On November 1st all you have to do is show up and write.

If you get stuck, check your notes.

If you go running down a new avenue just make sure to connect with your plot twist.

Never abandon your villains, they're what makes your hero a hero.

Write.

Keep writing.

Don't give up.

Have fun.

Source

[sophiarose1816]

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading? #21

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week.  It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog   and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are!

What Did I Read This Last Week?

Jane and Dorothy: A True Tale of Sense and Sensibility The Lives of Jane Austen and Dorothy Wordsworth by Marian Veevers

Non Fiction, Biography

I loved this author’s well-balanced take on the background and lives and works of both these ladies.  I knew nothing about Dorothy going in, but her story is as captivating as Jane’s.

Sit, Stay, Love by Debbie Burns

#2 Rescue Me

Contemporary Romance

Sweet, gently-paced pet loving pair who wrapped themselves around my heart.

Hold Back the Dark by Kay Hooper

#18 Bishop/SCU

Paranormal Thriller, Romantic Suspense

Had a big set up, intriguing new players with psychic abilities, too, great plot though the end was rushed.

By the Book by Julia Sonneborn, Narrated by Amy McFadden

Contemporary Romance, Women’s Fiction

A Persuasion retelling, college campus from a lady prof’s point of view and the world of scholarly research was alright.

Rock Addiction by Nalini Singh

#1 Rock Kiss

Contemporary Romance

It was alright, but I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would. The instalust and slow pacing got to me.  Loved the sweet, rocking Fox!

The Bride Next Door by Hope Ramsay

#4 Chapel of Love

Contemporary Romance

Well, this one was an enemies to lovers and a pair that I couldn’t stand in the last book.  Heroine was still terribly annoying in this one though the hero won me over.  People are more than they seem.

Jubilee’s Journey by Bette Lee Crosby, Narrated by Amy Melissa Bentley and Sean Crisden

#2 Wyattsville

Historical Fiction

Overall love for the writing and descriptions, the characters.  Sloggy moments and a the narration work was distracting.  Still, must get back to book one and others.

Lizzy Bennet Meets the Countess by Don Jacobson

#2.5 Bennet Wardrobe

Time Travel, Austenseque

Two stories about Lizzy B- one as a precocious girl and another as a grieving adult.  Both had appeal and made me love the series even more.

A Gentleman Revealed by Cooper Davis

#1 Lords of Avenleigh

M/M Historical Romance

Body issues, alcoholism, illegitimacy, alternate history, and a tempestuous romance.  I’m on the fence about the series though I was rooting hard for the romance.

WHAT AM I READING NOW?

Southern Discomfort by Caroline Fardig

#1 Southern B&B Mystery

Cozy Mystery

WHAT WILL I READ NEXT?

White Hot by Ilona Andrews

#2 Hidden Legacy

Urban Fantasy

[jeremystrele]

A Local Post Office Transformed Into A Meaningful Family Home

A Local Post Office Transformed Into A Meaningful Family Home

Homes

by Lucy Feagins, Editor

Dress by Wolfe Child. Silver metal Speedster ride-on-car from Temple & Webster. Rug from Tribe Home. Ladder from Red Hill House. Couch from Oz Design. Table from Michael Riseley. Glassware by Country Road. Photo – Alexandrena Parker. Styling (done virtually!) – Rebecca Vitartas

Menu Dancing Pendant light from Leo & Bella. Coffee table made by Mike. Cushions from Adairs. Rug from Tribe Home. Ladder from Red Hill House. Couch from Oz Design. Photo – Alexandrena Parker. Styling – Rebecca Vitartas

Rug by Tribe Home. Two line drawings from Mondo Cherry. On the second shelf: ‘Josephine’ print by Alexandrena Parker. ‘Menu Dancing’ pendant light from Leo & Bella. Coffee table made by Mike. Throw by Adairs. Silver metal Speedster ride-on-car from Temple & Webster. Couch from OzDesign. Walls painted with Dulux Lexicon Quarter. Photo – Alexandrena Parker. Styling – Rebecca Vitartas

This is Mike and Alexandrena’s favourite room in the house. ‘When we purchased the building the fireplace had big wooden boards tacked over it, holes in the walls from old post boxes, 80’s style carpet covering the floors and lime green paint finishing the windows!’ Togo couch by Ligne Roset from DOMO Australia. Stool from Nick Pearce Furniture. Pendant by Coco Flip. Wall rosette by Skinny Wolf. Rug from HK Living. Walls painted with Dulux Lexicon Quarter. Photo – Alexandrena Parker. Styling – Rebecca Vitartas

‘Menu Dancing’ pendant light from Leo & Bella. Coffee table made by Mike. Vase on coffee table by Oh Hey Grace. Lamp from Provincial Living. Rug from Tribe Home. Cushions from Adairs. Ladder from Red Hill House.  Photo – Alexandrena Parker. Styling – Rebecca Vitartas

‘Menu Dancing’ pendant light from Leo & Bella. Coffee table made by Mike. Vase on coffee table by Oh Hey Grace. Wall hanging above fireplace by Mondo Cherry. Couch from OzDesign. Walls painted with Dulux Lexicon Quarter. Throw from Adairs. Silver metal Speedster ride-on-car from Temple & Webster. Photo – Alexandrena Parker. Styling – Rebecca Vitartas

‘Dogs that live in Yuendumu’ painting by Senita Napangardi Granites from Warlukurlangu. Togo couch by Ligne Roset from DOMO Australia. Pendant by Coco Flip. Ceramics from Oh Hey Grace. Wall rosette by Skinny Wolf. Rug from HK Living. Walls painted with Dulux Lexicon Quarter. Photo – Alexandrena Parker. Styling – Rebecca Vitartas

Alexandrena with three-year-old Ruby, who she describes as an ‘all-round legend!’ Togo couch by Ligne Roset from DOMO Australia. Vases in the background by Oh Hey Grace. Ruby is dressed in Goldie + Ace. Alexandrena’s collection of film cameras can be seen behind her on the shelves! Photo – Alexandrena Parker. Styling – Rebecca Vitartas

Mike custom made the dining table from Oregon wood. Secondhand dining chairs from the op-shop. Ceramics by Robert Gordon. Glassware from Country Road. Cushion in background from Pony Rider. Photo – Alexandrena Parker. Styling – Rebecca Vitartas

Mike custom made the dining table from Oregon wood. Secondhand dining chairs from the op-shop. Ceramics by Robert Gordon. Glassware from Country Road. Cushion in background from Pony Rider. The splash-back tiles were handmade in Morocco by Tiles of Ezra. Ceramic vase on shelf by Oh Hey Grace. Pendant light by Normann Copenhagen. Chopping board from Nick Pearce Furniture. Photo – Alexandrena Parker. Styling – Rebecca Vitartas

Mike custom made the dining table from Oregon wood. Secondhand dining chairs from the op-shop. Ceramics by Robert Gordon. Glassware from Country Road. Photo – Alexandrena Parker. Styling – Rebecca Vitartas

Mike and Ruby nestled in the window seat below some family portraits. Photo – Alexandrena Parker. Styling – Rebecca Vitartas

The hallway is still in original condition. Pendants from Beacon Lighting. Stool by Nick Pearce Furniture. Bench from Imprint House. Vintage hats on the wall. Photo – Alexandrena Parker. Styling – Rebecca Vitartas

‘Avalon Kids on Dirt Track’ by Alexandrena Parker. Hooks and bench from Imprint House. Soft toy camera from Numero 74. Basket from Oli Ella. Photo – Alexandrena Parker. Styling – Rebecca Vitartas

Bathroom towels by købn. Stool by Robert Gordon. Vanity by Nick Pearce Furniture. Bath by ACS. Bed linen by Bed Tonic. Navy pillow cases and oatmeal sheet from Bed Threads. ‘Jackson Hole Herd’ photo by Alexandrena Parker. Painting by Kate Eliza. Stool by Nick Pearce Furniture. Pendants from Beacon Lighting. Room painted with Dulux Lexicon Quarter. Photo – Alexandrena Parker. Styling – Rebecca Vitartas

‘Land of the Roses’ wallpaper from Jimmy Cricket. Camomile London bedding from Mondo Cherry. Horse cushion from Mini Rodini. Mustard cushion and bunting from Numero 74. Vintage knitted doll purchased at Broken Hill op-shop. Swan artwork by Tamar Mogendorff from Hello Little Birdie. Vintage desk purchased on Gumtree. Rainbow toy from Grimms. Rug from Oh Happy Home. Heico mushroom light by Egmont Toys from Kid Store. Bed and bedside table were vintage finds on Ebay. ‘I purchased the vintage chalk boardfrom op shop when I was about 20 years old for my future child because I loved it so much!’ says Alexandrena. Photo – Alexandrena Parker. Interior design – Hide and Sleep. Styling – Rebecca Vitartas

Vintage doll dress photography series by Ilona Nelson from Signed + Numbered. ‘Land of the roses’ wallpaper from Jimmy Cricket. Mini vintage kitchen. Stool by Nick Pearce Furniture. Basket from Kmart. Broom from Honey Bee Toys in Armadale. Assorted kitchen toys from Honey Bee toys Armadale and Kmart. Photo – Alexandrena Parker. Interior design – Hide and Sleep. Styling – Rebecca Vitartas

Dress is handmade by Wolfe Child. Toy soft camera and bunting from Numero 74. Basket from Kmart. Round cushion by Muskhane from Mondo Cherry. ‘Land of the roses’ wallpaper by Jimmy Cricket. Photo – Alexandrena Parker. Interior design – Hide and Sleep. Styling – Rebecca Vitartas

Mike made this backyard cubby where an old garden shed used to stand in the early days of the pandemic. Ruby dressed in Goldie + Ace. Photo – Alexandrena Parker. Styling – Rebecca Vitartas

Inside the cubby – look at that light! Kitchen toys from Leo and Bella. Raduga Grez wooden tea set. Toys from Aldi. Wooden block stacking toy from Wooden Story. Ball bunting by Muskhane. Photo – Alexandrena Parker. Styling – Rebecca Vitartas

The front of the house. Vintage benchseat from Nook Vintage in Collingwood. Wine barrels from Bunnings. Handmade dress by Wolfe Child. Photo – Alexandrena Parker. Styling – Rebecca Vitartas

Before this property became photographer Alexandrena Parker and carpenter Michael Riseley’s family home, it was a post office. Originally built in 1914, this post office served Beaconsfield Upper (located 45 kilometres south east of Melbourne’s CBD) for almost 100 years, doubling as a residence for much of that time. The floorplan was tailored to suit this dual purpose, with one large room functioning as the post office on one side, and a living quarters on the other.

The post office eventually moved locations, and when Alexandrena came across the property for sale near Mike’s family home, it had been unoccupied for years. Undeterred by its deteriorated state, Alexandrena became ‘obsessed’ after peeking through the windows, and purchased the property at auction the following week when Mike was at work! ‘Mike was in shock when he realised how much work he had in front of him to get us actually living there!’ she says.

Indeed, bringing the property to a liveable standard was no easy feat! At the time of purchasing, the building had no kitchen or bathroom, just a small tea room with a toilet, and the entire right hand side of the property was one 12-metre long room with no dividing walls. Fortunately, Mike was able to undertake the renovations himself, adding a new 30 square metre extension, and building all the necessary walls to delineate the main bedroom, en suite, main bathroom and Ruby’s bedroom.

One major challenge the couple faced was retaining original features of the home, whilst making the necessary updates for heating, cooling and energy efficiency. This was particularly important, as the property has no gas connection, and the family is unable to use a fireplace due to Alexandrena’s cystic fibrosis. ‘Whilst we love the old charm about the house, it wasn’t always practical to keep all the original wall panelling, because it didn’t have any insulation,’ Alexandrena says. ‘It was a constant balancing act to pay homage to the house, whilst making it as practical as possible.’ Some elements of the original property, such as the hallway, flooring and windows were retained, but the majority of the home today is new construction.

Dulux Lexicon Quarter was selected as the primary white paint colour throughout the home, for its cool undertones. ‘Our Baltic floors throw a lot of yellow, so I used Dulux Lexicon Quarter to add a cooler tone to the walls so they balance each other out,’ explains Alexandrena. ‘I try and complement these neutral tones with furnishings, textures and artwork that is really meaningful and sentimental to us as a family.’ 

An exception to this otherwise pared back aesthetic is Ruby’s room, which was designed with the help of Hide and Sleep interiors. ‘I wanted to have a bit of fun with Ruby’s room and make it a very memorable room for her. She’s only young once so I wanted it to feel like it was magical and playful,’ says Alexandrena.

It’s been almost 200 days since this family entered lockdown, and despite its challenges, the trio has managed to experience many special moments together, and are especially appreciative of their home’s natural surroundings. ‘We love the huge trees in our area, and the fact that there are often four to five kookaburras along with king parrots and rosellas on our back deck,’ Alexandrena says. 

Having been unable to work for the majority of this year, Alexandrena has started an online print shop where you can purchase some of her beautiful photographs – and Michael is taking furniture commissions, too!

[iampikachuhearmeroar]

it's not even satire just for the US, here's a news story from Australia about a woman diagnosed with endo.... but it cost her $14,000 in the US to get it cut out since aussie doctors wouldn't believe her about her endometriosis for so many years.

https://7news.com.au/news/sa/adelaide-researchers-to-release-website-allowing-women-to-self-check-for-endometriosis-c-10058337

onion not even doing satire at this point

[bogugojdz]

Main role: Writer/Dop/Director (/producer) + reflection

My work as a writer: I have written the script because I wanted to work with an idea of a visual argument. What I had in mind were two people arguing about one thing. The shot is exactly the same, but the detail they argue about changes. From there, I started thinking about how to incorporate this idea into the story. Because of the brief, my options were quite limited. I knew I don’t want a big dramatic conflict - in my opinion the most interesting conflicts are the  “calmer” ones, the ones that are never fully expressed or “shouted out”. The conflicts when you can’t/don’t want to make a huge deal out of things but you feel like you absolutely need to do something about it. I thought characters that are related to each other will work the best for this, because (in my experience) family conflicts are always like that - people who lived together for such a long time rely on their own “interpretation” of another person’s behaviour, which can often be wrong. Also, I really wasn’t interested in writing a script about a romantic conflict, or any conflict that could be interpreted as romantic conflict (i.ex. two friends arguing). First I wrote the dialogue according to how I want the story to go. One of my flatmates has a tendency to bring up stories from the time we’ve lived together, so the way the sisters are talking about memories is mostly influenced by her. Then, I thought more about what kind of characters do I want to have in my script, wrote the character bios and re-wrote the dialogue based on that. Later on, I also wrote a synopsis and send the whole package to Huw, the rest of the crew and a few of my friends, asking for feedback. We’ve changed some things that would just be more practical or make more sense, for example: the plants argument was initially about two different kinds of cakes; Sarah was initially being picked up by her mom. I also asked actors for feedback about the dialogue, asking if it flows naturally. I got really good feedback, the actors seemed quite happy with it, so we made some minor changes when we were rehearsing and we thought some of the lines are off. 

My work as a DOP: Since this project started with a visual idea, I naturally had the script broken down into images when I was writing it. I started from gathering some visuals that show a similar framing/lighting/overall vibe to what I had in mind. I put them together in collages with bits of the script that they refer to. Then, I showed it to Huw, explaining how they will differ from what we’re actually going to do: all the examples I’ve shown them were quite exaggerated and dramatic. I wanted a similar vibe but shot in a more naturalistic way: no weird angles, simple framing, toned down colours, except for the party scene. Then, I drew the story boards and wrote down shot lists. Based on the moodboards+storyboards+shotlist package I was able to tell which equipment I would like. Initially, I wanted the memories to be moving shots and the dialogue to be all still. However, the slider was already booked out by Jack and as much as I like dolly shots they are simply impractical to bring to a film shoot: they take ages to set up, they are heavy and take a lot of space so they are difficult to transport and they require a lot of people to operate them. Therefore, I thought that static shots are my second best option. After consulting it with Huw, we decided that keeping the dialogue scene as simple as possible will be enough to distinguish the memories from real time. Additionally, I knew from the script that the things they talk about appear on screen as they say the word. Therefore, I decided that it is not necessary to add any crazy transitions to make it clear to the audience that we’re going back in time.  After we got the equipment out, me and Huw wanted to do a test shoot but unfortunately his radiator fell of the wall and we couldn’t do more than try to set up the camera and establish its position for each shot.  The shoot was quite difficult, mostly because one of our kinos decided to give up and stop working, so I had to work my way around it. We only had one AC (David) and no gaffer so I ended up improvising the lighting set up on my own while the actors were rehearsing. Generally, we had a pretty small crew so Huw and Helen were getting out of their roles to help me out with the equipment quite often. Despite that, we managed to wrap on time. In post production I also took care of the grading. It was very difficult to work around Blackmagic’s flat profile on Avid because you can only change the colours in the shadows, midtones and highlights, rather than change each colour in the picture separately. Even though I am overall happy with the grade, I want to learn how to use DaVinci, so I am planning to take the project back to grading and learn it over the break. Overall I am happy with the work I did as DOP. I think if I could re-shoot it, i would change the party scene, drop the close ups and go for medium shots that match Sarah’s studying memory.

My work as a co-director: Because I was also a writer and a DOP, one of the biggest challenges of this project was learning how to communicate my vision in a way that will allow another person to not only work on this project but also to be able to direct it. Somebody once told me that a good director is just a person who’s good at explaining to others what they want and that is something that this project definitely tested. I was open to the idea of co-directing because I was happy to hear suggestions about this film and develop the idea further with another person. I also really wanted to try to do both DOP and directing - I wanted to see if this is even possible. Working with Huw was just a pleasure, he was confident in making his own suggestions and expressing his feelings about the project but he was also very open to hearing about what I would like it to be. I adapted a similar approach and somehow we would easily make decisions together. Huw and I have also worked together quite closely, in a way that even though we decided he will take on the responsibility of directing actors and I will direct camera and sound, we were still attending meetings together. Therefore, I was present on every rehearsal and Huw was present when we were editing, grading and designing sound. This wasn’t something that we discussed, it just naturally came from both of us. Generally, working with Huw was a pleasure and I really think it was an important learning experience.  One of the most challenging parts about directing this film was the fact that we had a very small/inexperienced crew. David was has not used Avid before and Helen was not experienced in Protools. Therefore, I was quite worried to go into post production. Fortunately both David and Helen took their jobs very seriously. David learnt the programme from tutorials and he just needed some help with figuring out the order of doing things. Helen gained some more experience during her sound project and was asking others for advice. As a director, I tried to make sure that these guys feel supported. I wanted to create a friendly working environment so I was trying to act in a way that will encourage them to have fun with their role rather than feel pressure to do well. I also was trying to visit them and check up on their progress as much as I could. This way, I could keep on explaining what I wanted, even though we’ve also discussed it in meetings in preproduction. I think being there also allowed me to offer help in working around problems creatively and therefore, reduce stress.  Another important aspect of directing was working with actors. Huw and I did casting together and despite having a lot of good actors apply, Christina and Ilona were perfect because of their physical similarity, the fact that they are both foreigners living in the UK and their personal close friendship which was in some ways similar to the relationship of my characters. Additionally, Christina is Greek and Ilona is half Polish and I have lived both in Poland and in Greece so I quickly managed to bond with them and communicate easily. Huw lead the castings and made sure the actors understood the characters. Luckily for us, Christina and Ilona were almost immediately on it. I really enjoyed the rehearsals with them, they kept saying they really enjoy working for this project and seemed to have fun. I was mostly observing Huw directing them and then making notes at the end of each rehearsal. I was happy with Huw’s job, so it was always just minor things and I was confident to let him direct the actors on set and switch my focus to camera. One thing that I did NOT enjoy about being a DOP and a director was the fact that working as a DOP only, I can try to take someone’s original idea and transform it into something that I think could work really well. In this project, I kind of missed that because the idea was originally mine. 

Reflection: I think it is very hard for me to reflect on this project because I am still thinking about it a lot, things are getting confusing in my head and I begin to realise that I am maybe still to close to it to reflect on the feedback I got.  I felt like some of the things pointed out in the feedback, like the ones about the writing and the fact that the sisters speak english to each other and also the fact that the conflict escalates in an “odd” way might come from the fact that I have made this film with my family and friends in mind, and what is normal to me might seem odd to someone else. A lot of my friends are people who grew up attending international schools in different countries than their motherland, going to school and being in the same friend groups as their siblings. Therefore, I know a lot of siblings who speak to their brothers or sisters in English - sometimes that even was a secret way of communicating in front of their parents. In this environment an interesting thing happens to the way one uses language - sometimes I catch myself directly translating something from Polish, and then catching my friends doing the same with their language, and then I catch myself adapting their direct translations into my speech. For example, I say “can you close the lights?” instead of “can you turn of the lights?” like the Greeks, even though I don’t speak Greek. I can see how all these things together might make the project seem odd and I can’t tell if it’s a good thing or a bad thing and how to fix it and if I even should try to fix it at all! I also don’t know how to respond about the criticism that the dialogue seemed very “narrative”.  I realised after the crit that this might be something that comes from my flatmate as she said “Remember this one time....” soon after I got that feedback. However, I did not read the script out loud to the actors or Huw, and he was the one who was primarily directing the actors. So I’m not entirely sure how this happened and why nobody noticed that. I think it seemed quite natural for us at the time. I think I’ve listened to this dialogue so many times that it’s impossible for me to even pick up on that anymore and I definitely need some time away from the film to understand what Zoe and Catarina fully meant. I agree with the feedback that some of the cutaways are a bit awkward, I personally think the party scene doesn’t work that well but I think the fault might also lay in sound design.  Overall, I think the feedback we received was very helpful and definitely a food for thought. It made me question the things I take for granted, which is extremely important in directing and writing. I am happy with the project overall, I was worried that people will not understand the conflict or it will seem like nothing ever happens in this film, so I am very happy that everybody had their theory about the future of the sisters and even about who was right about the spiderplant vs. fern argument. I wanted this film to be about a conflict where the characters want to both express their thoughts very badly and also not say everything directly and I think that was successful. I think it was an amazing learning experience.

[danafraedrich]

Original post link above.

Star Rating: 5/5 Number of pages: 235 Release date: December 2, 2013 Series: Innkeeper Chronicles Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction Buy the book: Amazon

Synopsis: (from Amazon) On the outside, Dina Demille is the epitome of normal. She runs a quaint Victorian Bed and Breakfast in a small Texas town, owns a Shih Tzu named Beast, and is a perfect neighbor, whose biggest problem should be what to serve her guests for breakfast. But Dina is...different: Her broom is a deadly weapon; her Inn is magic and thinks for itself. Meant to be a lodging for otherworldly visitors, the only permanent guest is a retired Galactic aristocrat who can’t leave the grounds because she’s responsible for the deaths of millions and someone might shoot her on sight. Under the circumstances, "normal" is a bit of a stretch for Dina.

And now, something with wicked claws and deepwater teeth has begun to hunt at night...Feeling responsible for her neighbors, Dina decides to get involved. Before long, she has to juggle dealing with the annoyingly attractive, ex-military, new neighbor, Sean Evans—an alpha-strain werewolf—and the equally arresting cosmic vampire soldier, Arland, while trying to keep her inn and its guests safe. But the enemy she’s facing is unlike anything she’s ever encountered before. It’s smart, vicious, and lethal, and putting herself between this creature and her neighbors might just cost her everything..

Review: I've never read anything by Ilona Andrews before, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. Firstly, I smiled when I realized that the book wasn't pure fantasy. It's sci-fi too…because I apparently didn’t read the description very closely.  Andrews takes a lot of the typical fantasy tropes in this and revamps them in a really interesting way. Aliens mostly, and I kind of love that!  It just adds such a big new dimension of possibilities.

I also love the relationship that Dina, the main character, has with her inn. It's sort of a sentient being...kind of, and it's a relationship that speaks to the inner desire in a lot of us to have someone in whom we can find home.  In this case, it's just a wee bit more literal. I rolled my eyes a bit when the werewolf/vampire love triangle/rivalry began, but the story got delightfully meta at the end, which made the indulgence totally worth it. And there's a big mystery happening in the background of the book! *Gasp!* I need the next one, stat!  Honestly, I love everything about this book.  Little Beast, the characterizations, the world building blended with mythology.  I super-duper enjoyed it!

Recommend?:  YES!  Get it now!!!

...

#bookreview #ilonaandrews #cleansweep #magic #vampire #werewolf #greatbooks #fantasy #sciencefiction #scifi #reading #books #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booklr #read #booksarelife #booklover

[sophiarose1816]

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #58

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week.  It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog   and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are!

What Did I Read This Last Week?

Wolf Rain by Nalini Singh

#3 Psy-Changeling Trinity, #18 Psy-Changeling

Paranormal Romance

Back among the wolves for this latest with psy woman who is a dark E and a wolf who thinks he can never have love.  Fabulous romance, action, and intrigue.

While You Were Spying by Shana Galen, Narrated by Heather Wilds

#.5 Regency Spies

Historical Romance

He’s there to catch an arms smuggler and she bumbles in with her own causes.  Had a light fun feel though the heroine was a tad too impetuous.

White Trash Zombie Gone Wild by Diana Rowland

#5 White Trash Zombie

Urban Fantasy

Angel’s on her own and recovering from an addiction, but she is far from helpless.  Fab series.

We Were Killers Once by Becky Masterman

#4 Brigid Quinn

Thriller

Cold Case for former FBI Brigid Quinn gets hot when the mysterious third man gets out of prison and decides to tie up loose end.  Took a bit to get going, but was good.

The Rising by Morgan Brice, Narrated by Kale Williams

#2 Badlands

M/M Romantic Suspense, Paranormal

Pirate ghosts, winter storms, haunted mansions and Simon and Vic adjusting to living as a couple was a sensational second in series.

Queen of Swords by Katee Robert

#1 Sanctify

Sci-Fi Romance

Tarot and psychics, aliens and a plot to control the galaxy.  Hot times, but the sexy got a bit tedious.

Silent Blade by Ilona Andrews

#1 Kinsmen

Sci-Fi

Futuristic mafia clan system with the big families loaded with powerful psychics.  Reminded me of Hidden Legacy series, but in space.

The Departed by Shiloh Walker

#2 FBI Psychics

Romantic Suspense

He heads a team of special psychic FBI agents who use their gifts to crack the cases.  She’s medium to the spirit world and finds herself wishing she could get a read on him.  Gritty suspense and sensual second chance romance.

Death in Kew Gardens by Jennifer Ashley

#3 Kat Holloway

Historical Mystery

Murder.  China tea treasure. And Kat with Daniel on the case to clear a Chinese man accused of murder.  A little slow, but still good.

WHAT AM I READING NOW?

Ayesha At Last by Uzma Jalaluddin

Contemporary Romance

WHAT WILL I READ NEXT?

Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim

Women’s Fiction

[iampikachuhearmeroar]

already reblogged this in my queue..... but also as a trainee, the host company actively telling you NOT to apply for their job openings when they're actively hiring. like last year, during my cadetship, the receptionist that I became close with applied for the maintenance officer role, and got it, so the role of receptionist opened up. I ran it by the people who were running the cadetship course, and they said "yes! apply! we want you to stay in this field!"

but once I asked my first original manager "hey can I apply for the receptionist position?" she asked me "im sorry, but what makes you think you can apply for that? under my management, you're not quite there yet anyway. so I'd advise you not to apply." like.... she was right, in a sense, in hindsight that I didn't have enough experience really to apply for the receptionist position, since I'd only had like 3 weeks training at that point on phones on front reception.

but still. that was SO fucking deflating, telling your cadet/trainee NOT to apply, as if your goal is to NOT give them an ongoing job. so when it came to the end of my contract back in march this year, and another lady was leaving with me..... I considered applying for her job (community housing worker/social housing tenancy worker), all bc that's what I was SUPPOSED to be by the end of this program. but I knew if I asked about applying or just applied for the sake of it, they'd instantly tell me to either NOT apply or to immediately rescind my application to the position.... or ask why I'd even applied in the first place, despite their constant suggestions that I go into support work. just. it was fucking awful and draining, and im glad I left.

like to be fair, I did have performance meetings there after the month (nov 2022) of NEVER being off the phones... and them eventually near the end ALWAYS scheduling me out of meetings and training, sometimes at the very last minute (despite their lectures that YOU NEED TO LEARN TO MANAGE YOUR WORKLOAD AND TIME BETTER!!!! cassy, you can't manage for SHIT. love that hypocrisy you're wearing on the daily).... but then just coating it in "DO BETTER SELF CARE!!! LEARN TO JOURNAL!!!! GET HOBBIES!!!"

finally, from the other side, the people running the course demanding WHY ARENT YOU FIGHTING FOR YOUR CAREER???? WHY DONT YOU CARE!!!!???? FIGHT FOR IT AND STAY IN THIS FIELD!!!!" no. if I'm treated like shit and guilted from ALL sides.... it's utterly pointless fighting for ANYTHING at this stupid ass place; or in this field. im fucking leaving this toxic ass field... even though I know the modern workplace is toxic no matter where you work... and that you can get shit management and guilting managers everywhere as well. and plus guys, you know in a way, that im transient anyway. I'm here solely to get office work experience. stop harassing and guilting me to stay in it, by saying I have "the incorrect personality for admin". go fuck yourselves.

and you know, companies are lazy with interviewing, too!!! I read an article the other day from harvard business review, that said some companies average at least 3 to 5 interviews per a hiring process..... they obvs say that "oh it's make sure we get the candidates from EVERY angle possible to get the right fit". but one of the women that they interviewed or quoted for the article (since she'd made a tiktok about the NIGHTMARE hiring processes for one company she'd applied for) had like 4-6 months of interviewing and hiring tests.... until she'd ultimately got another better paying job with fewer bullshit hiring hoops to jump through. or when companies give shit title promotions without pay rises (a jump to team leader/manager or something) or purposely demote you when you have kids etc. like it's fucked.

[sophiarose1816]

COYER Big Summer Birthday Bash Challenge Update #2

Last week, I shared that I was starting in on some mini challenges.  This week, I wanted to encapsulate where I’m at with all my various challenge goals that I put up back before things got started on June 9th.  To share, but also to encourage myself onward.  It could get long, apologies!  :)

1.  Overall, I put down that I wanted to read/listen to 20+ books for the entire challenge.  I’m at 28 as of today.  Woohoo!  I’m hoping to pile on several more.  Feels great to be getting to some really dusty old freebies and cheapies and ARCs on my shelf.  My updated and ongoing list of finished reads is on a dedicated GoodReads shelf for those who want to see.

2.  I wanted to visit other COYER participant reviews.  I think I put down some ludicrously low goal of commenting on three reviews a week.  I’ve been doing that many a day (mostly), but when I go on vacay in a few weeks I’ll not be visiting at all so I guess it balances out.  I didn’t realize when I began reading and commenting how much more socially connected it brought me.  I’ve discovered a few books to add for future reading and also enjoyed encountering and interacting with other COYER challenges this way.

3.  I wasn’t planning to participate in a blogger hosted mini-challenge, but Kristen at Book Monster blog’s Fairytale themed Instagram scavenger hunt was not to be passed up so I found the half dozen items and posted my finds up on my FB page. 4.  I’ve done pretty good with participating in the Facebook group games.  I love finding the COYER history trivia, figuring out Who killed Cora, adding to the story, granting wishes, and updating on my progress each week.  But it is most fun b/c of doing it all with other challengers and the hostesses.  5.  I’ve been participating in the List all along and hit the goal of ten out of fifteen.  Here’s the Terrific Ten:

Miss Darcy’s Beax by Eliza Shearer

Nudging Cupid by Kerri Williams

All-American Cowboy by Dylann Crush

Son of a Preacher Man by Karen M. Cox

To Catch a Texas Star by Linda Broday

What Kitty Did Next by Carrie Kablean

Scandal Above Stairs by Jennifer Ashley

Small Town Rumors by Carolyn Brown

Holiday in Death by JD Robb

Midnight in Death by JD Robb

6.  Also, ongoing, I’ve been participating in the BINGO challenge.  My BINGO card #1 go BINGO this last week.  Here’s the pretty sight:

7.  Last week, was the first of COYER Twist and I chose LIST as my first Twist challenge.  I completed four from my list of fifteen which was a slightly modified list from the other overall List challenge I mentioned above.

Here are the pics for what books I finished for LIST:

Butterfly Swords by Jeannie Lin

Death and the Brewmaster’s Widow by Loretta Ross

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

And now, for this week, I’m moving into Phase 2 of COYER Twist and have chosen Strict Here’s my proposed list of ebooks that either were free or cost less than $1 or audios that were free or less than $5:

Inseverable by Cecy Robson

Wildfire by Ilona Andrews

Mission Improper by Bec McMaster

Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley Well, there you have it!  Wish me continued luck and stop back by next weekend to see how I fared with The STRICT.

[iampikachuhearmeroar]

it was basically school policy when I was in primary school in the early to mid 2000s and high school from 2008 til 2011, here in australia, to NOT take any nut products to school. teachers would go through lunch boxes in primary school, and tell you to throw out anything with nuts in it, to ensure no one had allergic reactions at school.

however, it was much more lax in high school. to the point where one of the twins in the popular girls group that I sat with up until, like early 2010 (I think), would literally have to BEG the girls in that group NOT to bring nutella or peanut butter sandwiches and other nut products to school.... all bc the girls in that group constantly treated it as a joke: "hahaha dani, JUST TOUCH MY SANDWICH!!!! JUST TOUCH IT AND GET HIVES!!!! hahahahaha we're such funny bitches!!!! how about you take a BITE of my sandwich dani???? like I know your airway will probs close up..... but do it for funsies, like jackass style 😎 lmao fuck again we're so funny and your nut allergy is fake asf!!! have some nutella for a triple dog dare!!!!"

literally one of the many reasons I stopped sitting with that group was bc of the way they treated that girl's allergy as some type of "lol it's so funny and death defying of you to JUST like taste a smidgen of my peanut butter bar isn't it dani??? just do it, girl it'll be hilarious!!!" like yeah, teens are stupid asf sometimes.... but this was every fucking goddamn day.

it was NOT funny, to me, that they kept trying to "haha funny jackass prank" their friend to have a possibly life-threatening allergic reaction, actively, during a school day.... esp when I'll never know if that girl brought an epipen to school each day to help with this issue, if anything serious happened. I'll also never know if these stupid ass girls actually grew out of it or not.... bc I haven't seen them in more than 10 years, and don't really aim to EVER see them again tbh. but let me tell you, sitting with that group gave me some serious trust issues (from their treatment of me as well), but most esp in the area of allergies and how they treated like one of the leader girls of their stupid little clique.

I wasn’t going to derail the disability pride month post for people with peanut allergies but in relation to that topic

I have never seen another allergy that has been so viscerally hated and mocked by people working in education like nut allergies. I’ve seen fellow teachers cringe that their classroom was the “nut free” classroom that year. Support staff that are trained and willfully don’t follow cross contamination protocol in the lunchroom because it’s too “tedious” or “time-consuming”. Full preschools + childcare centers that refuse to accommodate nut allergies. Schools where the only free lunch is a PB&J. Before/after school programs and summer programs whose food curriculum has nuts and doesn’t provide an alternative activity.

Allergy discrimination is so so insidious and prevalent. It’s happening behind their back and it is everything from the exposure joke to possibly causing someone to go into anaphylaxis from willful ignorance.

Also other parents in the classroom are guilty too. The “not my child not my problem” brain rot means that those lunchboxes are like bombs for airborne exposure allergies

[iampikachuhearmeroar]

NEVER dismiss health concerns that are really fucking with your life. and NEVER put off things like important medical things such as CT scans and scopes (endoscopies for me) until it's too late- take it from me ....who had to get a 5x5 tumour removed from her stomach in 2020... where i spent 8 hours in surgery (due to my surgeon finding mid surgery that the tumour had progressed to growing near my kidneys... when the surgery was originally estimated to be TWO (2) HOURS) amonth in the icu and two more months in hospital (almost dying twice... also, this was originally calculated to be TWO (2) WEEKS) after that. then, I spent an entire year healing in 2021.

i learnt it the hard way, so you don't have to... and not right after your birthday, like me in 2020 at 25. finally, the type of surgery I had came with a lifelong medication to properly digest food, as well. DO NOT put ANY preliminary scans or scopes off EVER.

some things i’ve learned about adulthood that no one warns you about

you will in fact continue to have acne past the age of twenty

you will eventually hit a point where you start to feel icky inside if you go too long without eating some sort of vegetables

depending on your current level of athleticism/physical activity as well as the kind of activities you did as a kid/teenager, your joints may start acting whack in your twenties, despite what everyone says about that not happening until middle age

eventually you will reach a point where you wonder how you were able to stay up until 3am nearly every night and be perfectly fine the next day (and this moment will come much younger than you expect)

it is much harder to meet new people after you’re done with school than sitcoms would have you believe

don’t let society tell you shit: it is perfectly acceptable to live with your parents after you graduate, there’s no need to be broke and miserable just so you can have some misguided attempt at independence straight out of school