Category: Blogging

Blogging, Crafting, Random, Reading, Writing

Wrappin’ Up The Month With Fog: October Edition

Emily

Hey, I’m early! šŸ˜€ You guys can thank NaNoWriMo for that. Onward, to glory!

Once More Unto the (Writing) BreachNaNo-2015-Participant-Banner

  • That’s right, folks, it’s that time again! National Novel Writing Month! The month when writers around the world lose their frikkin’ minds and try to write 50,000 words in a mere thirty days! AKA- my favorite time of year šŸ™‚ I finally decided to work on Part Two of an original work of fiction this year, Wonderland Reborn (or Reclaimed. I haven’t quite decided on the title yet :P)- Into The Tulgey Wood. I think I have successfully navigated the Five Stages of Grief regarding this work (see references to The Great Disaster of 2015 here) and am ready to move on to new words, with the understand that next year I will have to buckle down and rewrite the parts of the work that were lost. But for now, all new, all the time! Unfortunately, due to writing conflicts (and the fact that I sort of lost my mind this month), I am going to be running with only half an outline and a vague idea of the characters in this part which, if previous NaNo’s are any indication, is usually a bad thing. But I’m going to write as much as I can with what I have and hope for the best!
  • In other writing news, I FINISHED THE FIRST DRAFT OF MY LOKI FANFICTION!!!

It happened early in the month, and I am so very excited about it! Unfortunately because of NaNoWriMo, and upcoming holidays, and my mad dash to finish Changing History, I won’t be able to work on edits until sometime next year, but IT’S HAPPENING! IT’S ACTUALLY HAPPENING!!! CLARITY IS COMING TO A FANFIC SITE NEAR YOU, 2016! šŸ˜€

  • Okay, now that’s out of the way, my new writing goals have really been working out pretty well for me. I had set myself the goal this month of posting at least one chapter a week on Changing History: Second Chances, and writing 2000 new words of whatever project was next on my list every week. After I finished the first draft of Clarity (YAY!!!), I started work on the fourth and final part of Changing History. It hasn’t been going as well as I would have hoped, but at least I’m making progress. I anticipate being finished with the first draft some time in January 2016, and posting new chapters in February or March.

Have You Hugged a Book Today?

ReadingChallengeOctober15

I’m still a few books ahead of my reading schedule! I’m not failing at something, hooray! šŸ˜€

Here’s the link to my star rating breakdown if anyone needs a refresher. It’s also up in the header šŸ™‚

  • Books I finished this month:
    1. Saga: Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan- Five Stars
    2. A Walk In The Woods: Rediscovering America On The Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson- Three Stars
    3. The Cogsmith’s Daughter by Kate M. Colby- Four Stars
      • Fun fact about this book: Kate is an independent author who writes an amazing blog about her experiences in self-publishing. She’s witty, informative, and just an all around nice person, and her book is stunning! You should support her, or at least check out her blog šŸ™‚
    4. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling- Five Stars
    5. Marvel Zombies by Robert Kirkman- Four Stars
  • What Iā€™m currently reading (In order of Date Started):
    1. Leviathan by Scott Westerfield– Iā€™m not even really reading this anymore. I’m going to get back to it, but I’m just too deep into this other book that I’m reading right now. Sorry šŸ˜›
    2. You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day– Felicia herself narrates the audio version of her book, and I swear to god, it is literally like she is sitting across from you at a coffee shop, sipping a mocha and telling you her life story. It’s possibly the best thing I’ve ever read. She’s so geeky and fun, and I relate to her far more than I would have ever thought possible. Felicia Day gives me hope that someday I might actually be able to make something of myself. Because if she can, then why can’t I???
  • Book to Screen: I’m gonna be honest, The Help has been sitting on top of my TV for over a month and I haven’t watched it yet. I have no excuse (unless you count catching up on Season 3 of the Arrow. In which case, I have an excellent excuse ;P). I also have not yet been able to work up to putting myself through watching Order of the Phoenix. Mostly because Umbridge. Ugh… Umbridge… I know I have to get through it to get the Half-Blood Prince, but… ugh… I’ll try to do better next month, but don’t hold your breath. NaNoWriMo, remember? šŸ˜‰

#Hashtags and other minutia

I feel like social media is my nemesis in my quest to be a recognizable and successful author. Seriously, sometimes social interaction is just freaking hard, yo…

  • Just For Fun: Every year, around the time NaNoWriMo rolls around, I inevitably get this song stuck in my head. I am sharing the ear worm love with all of you. You’re welcome.

Do I Actually Have a Life?

The answer to this is a resounding “No. No, I do not.” The gym has finally become what I knew it was always destined to be: a charity donation. You’re welcome, Planet Fitness. I don’t exactly hate the stationary bikes, but they are uncomfortable as all get out if I sit on one for more than twenty minutes at a stretch and my knees are still cracking and hurting like crazy. I have no idea what I’m doing in regards to buying new shoes, though I did put forth a least a little bit of effort and went to Academy, only to discover that if I found a shoe that fit my right foot perfectly, the left foot would inevitably feel weird and uncomfortable. Apparently I have odd feet. Because, of course I do.

Fortunately, I have been substituting the gym for park walks with my dog!

Look at this adorable idiot. He has no idea what's about to happen to him. Moron. :)
Look at this adorable idiot. He has no idea what’s about to happen to him. Moron. šŸ™‚

That’s Bear. And the only reason we are spending quality time at the park lately is because I’m preparing to drop mucho dinero on his goofball face to make him healthy. Poor baby has heartworms. Everybody sayĀ Awwwwwwww…Ā šŸ˜¦ I mean, he’s a cutie pie, andĀ totallyĀ worth it, but still.

Anyway, that’s the news on… all of that. Hopefully gym will happen, but I’m not betting on it in November. Another charity donation to the gym! I should be able to deduct this from my taxes…

ā€œAnd In Conclusionā€¦ā€

  • Writing- NaNoWriMo. That’s pretty much it. Also, I’ve spent the last few days looking back on what I’ve accomplished this year as a writer and… it’s not much. It’s something, and I’ve learned an awful lot this year about what it’s going to take to seriously pursue this dream and what I can reasonably accomplish without feeling like my world is falling apart and I’m failing at life. But as far as actual, quantifiable progress, I don’t have much to show: a complete rewrite of my Changing History trilogy, one new first draft and most of a first draft of Changing History Part Four, and almost no progress on anything original (not including what will be happening in November). And the truth is, I think I could have accomplished so much more if I’d had a more definite plan for the year, instead of floundering halfway through, trying to decide which project should get my attention. As a result of this introspection, I’ve started a very flexible list of goals for 2016, breaking down what I would like to accomplish by month for the next 12 months. I will be posting this list in it’s entirety sometime around the end of the year so you guys can keep me accountable. Sound good? Awesome. Let’s move on!
  • Reading- Again, keep up the good work, Me! *pat on the back* Not much reading will probably get done during NaNo, but I will be listening to audiobooks and possibly reading a few more comics just to keep up.
  • Social Media- The bane of my internet existence. Why do you hate me so? Why? At least I will probablyĀ  be doing several word sprints with the NaNoWordSprints team again this year, so look for that!
  • My Personal Life- Try not to feel like a failure at life. Write. Enjoy writing. Enjoy doing what you do and don’t send yourself on a guilt trip. Hold off until January.

And that’s pretty much it! If you guys are doing NaNo, feel free to buddy up with me on the NaNo site (fogisbeautiful, just like everywhere else ;P) and I’ll try to help you if you get stuck. Just shoot me a message! Good luck!

Also, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Blogging, Reading, Writing

Book Review: The Cogsmith’s Daughter

Emily

This book deserves a blog post, not only because it’s great, but because Kate Colby is a lovely person and deserves accolades for all her hard work šŸ™‚ You can preorder Kate’s book on Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, and Smashwords, and if you order it TODAY you can get it for $0.99. So get on it! šŸ™‚

The Cogsmith's Daughter (Desertera #1)The Cogsmith’s Daughter by Kate M. Colby
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I devoured this book in three days, and I have no regrets. It was great! The plot was entertaining and fast paced, the culture and mythology were intriguing, and every character had at least one layer that I wasn’t expecting. I’m so glad I signed up for the newsletter in time to get an advanced copy before it came out (Thanks, Kate! :D). I love Aya as a character, I love that she doesn’t allow other people, her job, or her circumstances to define her, I love that she sticks with her gut and her instincts (even when it doesn’t seem to make sense), and I love that in the end she still chooses to be her own person. I just love her šŸ™‚

The only minor complaint that I have (and it really is incredibly minor) is the dialogue is a little jarring sometimes. It jumps back and forth between incredibly formal and incredibly lax (with no discernible reasoning behind one or the other), with occasional modern slang thrown in that felt odd or out of character. Like I said, it’s an incredibly minor thing, but it’s the only thing that kept this review from being five stars, and I felt it was worth mentioning.

This book is definitely worth your time and I can’t wait for the next one.

WHAT’S GONNA HAPPEN TO CHARLIE??? šŸ˜€

View all my reviews

Blogging, Crafting, Random, Reading, Writing

Wrappin’ Up The Month With Fog: September Edition

Emily

Iā€™m not even gonna bother saying this is late. Yaā€™ll already know. Letā€™s get right to it!

Once More Unto the (Writing) Breach

  • Iā€™ve changed my writing goals again. Iā€™ve decided not to worry about how much time is spent on editing for now, and instead focus on chapters posted. Once I start editing my Loki fic, this might change, but for now itā€™s working for me. My word count goal has also shifted, to 2000 words a week, rather than focusing on writing every day. Thatā€™s just not feasible right now, with everything I have going on, and I get a lot done on my Monday writing nights. I mostly focus on my editing during the week and itā€™s been working so far.
  • Iā€™ve been trying to decide between working on my original fiction in November or doing another finishing WriMo, like I did last year. Iā€™m edging toward the finishing WriMo, especially if I manage to finish the editing process for Second Chances in October. But I will probably pull out the original fiction and prep it just in case. Weā€™ll see what October brings šŸ™‚

Have You Hugged a Book Today?

I actually forgot to screen cap my reading challenge this month, but I can safely say that I am on target! Mostly because I lowered my goal for the year šŸ˜› Honestly, I just got tired of being so constantly behind on everything, so I lowered my challenge from 60 to 50 books. 50 books is a very reasonable goal, in my opinion, even if it is less than I read last year. Iā€™m taking my writing a bit more seriously this year, and Iā€™ve been spending more of my time on my yarn work as well, so I think itā€™s okay for me to lower my expectations just a tad, for the sake of my own sanity.

However I did read quite a few books this month, most of them comic books. One of my book clubs decided to read one comic collection a week rather than a full length book, so I got a great deal of reading done in not a lot of time šŸ™‚ Letā€™s get started!

Here’s the link to my star rating breakdown if anyone needs a refresher. It’s also up in the header šŸ™‚

  • What Iā€™m currently reading (In order of Date Started):
    1. Leviathan by Scott Westerfield– Iā€™m still slogging through this one. I havenā€™t been going to the gym very regularly, so itā€™s kind of taken a back burner. I may try to read it more while Iā€™m knitting, if I can get caught up on the new fall TV line up šŸ˜›
    2. A Walk In The Woods: Rediscovering America On The Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson– This is one of those book club reads Iā€™ve been trying to catch up on. It started out strong, but Iā€™ve sort of stalled about halfway through. Hopefully it will pick back up again.
    • Book to Screen:
      1. Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire
        • I’m not gonna lie, I cried. A lot. Pretty much every time Cedric Diggory came on screen I teared up a little. He’s even nicer in the movie than book!Cedric and that just made it worse. RIP Cedric Diggory.
        • Anyway, on to the movie itself. I noticed that this one seemed a little more… disjointed than the others. I definitely think there had to be a better starting point than Harry waking up somewhere, with no mention of where he is or how he got there, and then suddenly they’re all traipsing through the woods to god knows where. Granted if you read the book you knew what was going on, but I think that those who were only watching the movie had to be thoroughly confused. There were several inconsistencies like that and it made it feel rushed and squashed together, like youā€™re missing chunks (which you are). Second disappointment was the lack of mention of Snape’s mission at the end. It was one of my favorite parts of the book so I was disappointed that it was missing.
        • The good: Both of the Crouches. Bartimaeous Sr. was delightfully ambiguous and I felt a great deal more sympathy for him than I did book!Crouch. The addition of his nervous quirks was endearing. And of course I’m never going to complain about the addition of evil!David Tennant. The man is a genius and I’m actually glad the movie gave him more screen time than the book. Snape himself was also a delight to watch in this movie, as he has been in every movie. Ten stars for Alan Rickman šŸ™‚
        • Overall, I enjoyed the movie as I have enjoyed all of them, but it felt a little less connected than the previous movies. Weā€™ll have to see if Order of the Phoenix continues the trend. Oh god, I have to endure Umbridgeā€¦ againā€¦ ugh.

#Hashtags and other minutia

  • My Favorite Tumblr Reblog: I am so excited about AKA Jessica Jones. I knew nothing about her before I found out about this show and now I want to read all of her comics! Her origin is in something called Alias, btw šŸ˜‰
    http://fogisbeautiful.tumblr.com/post/128808379928

  • My Favorite Tumblr Post: I shared the playlist I’ve been listening to while working on my Loki fanfiction! Feel free to speculate!
    http://fogisbeautiful.tumblr.com/post/129611433695/clarity

  • Instagram: I am making a Tom Baker Doctor Who scarf! Here’s one of the progress photos (though I have made quite a bit more progress than this šŸ™‚

    View this post on Instagram

    Scarf progress: Week Two! šŸ™‚ #hpkchc #knittersofinstagram

    A post shared by Emily (@fogisbeautiful) on

  • Twitter: I did manage to make a few posts this month! Yay me! šŸ™‚ Also, DOCTOR WHO IS BACK!!!

  • Just For Fun: You may recall a few months ago, I mentioned the epic Dubsmash War between Agents of SHIELD and Agent Carter. Well, it’s BACK, baby! Be sure to click the links and vote for your faves! All the Charity! šŸ˜€Ā 

Do I Actually Have a Life?

  • C25k- My knee has not improved. For those of you who may not know, my knees have been bothering me a little bit since the beginning of this month, causing me to temporarily give up running. Using my extensive knowledge of le Google and WebMD, I have determined that my symptoms most closely resemble the symptoms of what is called ā€œRunnerā€™s Kneeā€. This is baffling to me. I do not run enough to have Runnerā€™s Knee! Anyway, I am in the process of finding new shoes and I have bought a knee support sleeve that I have been wearing regularly the las couple of weeks. I have also, in the meantime, been trying out the exercise bikes at the gym. So far, theyā€™re uncomfortable and I feel like a goofball. I miss running. Never thought I would type those three words in the same sentence ;P But my knee is feeling better every day, so hopefully I will be able to take up my running again next month.

ā€œAnd In Conclusionā€¦ā€

  • Writing- As of last night, I FINALLY finished the first draft of my Loki fanfiction! Hurray!Ā  Now I can focus on what I want to do for NaNoWriMo. My goal is to actually open up the original fiction I planned to work on. *cringe* I know, but it has to be done. Iā€™ve decided that Iā€™ll at least open it and if itā€™s just too painful, Iā€™ll close it again, no harm no foul. My friend Elissa and I have decided that Iā€™m going through the five stages of mourning concerning this book and the Disaster that befell it about a month ago. I think Iā€™m in the bargaining stages right now. Wish me luck.
  • Reading- Pretty simple, keep up the good work! I would like to catch up on some of my book club reads, but if that doesn’t happen, I’m okay for now šŸ™‚
  • Social Media- I’m actually doing pretty well. I know, I’m surprised too. Keep it up, future!me šŸ™‚
  • My Personal Life- Go to the gym more. Even if you have to ride the stupid bike. Just do it. Stop being such a whiny baby šŸ˜›

One last thing (and if you’ve made it this far into this post, congratulations!), I’ve entered Worth Living For (my Bruce Banner/OC fanfiction) into a contest on Inkitt!

http://fogisbeautiful.tumblr.com/post/130347646839/worth-living-for-by-fogisbeautiful

If you guys have a moment, please drop by and give it a vote! I get nothing but bragging rights, but I’m really proud of this story and I would love for it to get some more recognition. Thanks!

Blogging, Crafting, Random, Reading, Writing

Wrappin’ Up The Month With Fog: August Edition

Emily

No getting around it, this one is late. Sorry guys, I was having trouble getting motivated and finding my words. Onward!

Once More Unto the (Writing) Breach

  • The Great Writing Plan!
    1. Words written- 7619
    2. Time edited- 8 hours
    3. Chapters posted- 4

Averaging out the three working weeks I had this past month (Iā€™m not counting the last week of August, because everyone deserves to take a break on their vacation ;P) and evaluating the data I have available, I have decided to cut my goals by half. That will make them more achievable and keep me from losing my mojo trying to reach unattainable expectations. Look at all those big words! Iā€™m on a roll ;P

  • Loki Fanfiction
    • Iā€™m losing momentum on my Loki fic! šŸ˜¦ This is weird because I have finally reached the point in the story that I thought was going to be easiest. Iā€™m a little disappointed in myself, but Iā€™m determined to power through! Iā€™m hoping to have this fic finished by October so I can focus on preparing for NaNoWriMo.
  • Changing History
    • I’m behind here too šŸ˜¦ I promise I’m gonna try harder!
  • Speaking of NaNoWriMo, I had a huge setback regarding the original novel I was planning to work on in November. I mean, huge. Like, I lost half my work and my boyfriend was afraid to talk to me because I was so upset and then took me to get ice cream and I was still upset after that, kind of huge. Itā€™s still upsetting to me. I mean, it was all going to have to be rewritten anywayā€¦ but now I donā€™t even have it for reference! So my plans for NaNo might change back to finishing up fanfiction again. I know I did that last year, but I still have a lot of work to do finishing up Changing History, and I would like to get my Hobbit fanfic posted sometime in the next century, and thereā€™s that Supernatural fic that Iā€™ve written a few chapters onā€¦ Fanfic is my security blanket. It makes me feel better. Weā€™ll see how it goes.

Have You Hugged a Book Today?

ReadingChallengeAugust

I didn’t make my goal again. Big surprise. But I did make some progress so there’s that šŸ™‚

Here’s the link to my star rating breakdown from last month, in case anyone would like a refresher. It’s also up in the header šŸ™‚

  • Books I finished this month:
    • Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett- Five Stars
    • Daredevil: The Man Without Fear by Frank Miller- Four Stars
    • Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling- Four Stars
    • Fables Vol. 2: Animal Farm- Four Stars
    • The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson- Four Stars
    • Fables Vol. 3: Storybook Love- Four Stars
    • The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum- Five Stars
  • What Iā€™m currently reading (In order of Date Started):
    • The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett–Ā  Iā€™m officially taking this one off the currently reading list. Itā€™s been on this list for four months now and I havenā€™t made any progress on it in at least two, so I probably need to just go back and start from the beginning anyway. But I will come back to it!
    • Leviathan by Scott Westerfield– Iā€™m reading this based on Nerd Girl recommendation, one of the groups Iā€™m a part of on Ravelry. I trust the judgement of these girls nearly implicitly, they have yet to lead me astray. Iā€™ve been listening to this as part of my C25k so hopefully I will make some more progress on it this month.
    • Fables Vol. 4: March of the Wooden Soldiers– Battles! Intrigue! Spies! BOY BLUE!!! *sobbing forever*
    • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix– Ugh. Let the teen angst and cringe-worthy overreactions begin. I just have to get through this book and then I can read Half-Blood Princeā€¦ Itā€™ll all be okayā€¦ Just get through this bookā€¦
  • Book to Screen– Nothing to report this month, but I plan to watch The Goblet of Fire in September, so that will be in my post next time.

#Hashtags and other minutia

Do I Actually Have a Life?

I’m skipping this section. I haven’t made any progress on anything in my real life. In fact, I’m feeling pretty discouraged at the moment. If anything changes, I’ll let ya’ll know šŸ™‚

ā€œAnd In Conclusionā€¦ā€

  • Writing Goals
    • Words- 500 a day (2,000 a week)
    • Editing- 30 minutes a day (2 hours a week)
    • New Chapters Posted- 2 per week
  • Reading Goals

    • 45 books by the end of September (read 9 books this month, including catching up on two different book clubs)
  • Social Media- Twitter needs some love. I didn’t even retweet things this past month. I’m going to make it a goal to at least try to retweet a few things every once in a while ;P
  • My Personal Life- Just try to survive, mainly, and not fall apart or feel like a failure. That’s a good goal, right? šŸ™‚

Sorry for the staccato nature of this post, and that it’s really late. I’ll try not to fail at life so horribly next month šŸ™‚

Blogging, Crafting, Random, Reading, Singing, Writing

Wrappin’ Up The Month With Fog: July Edition

Emily

Alright, Iā€™m back! Only a week late, so Iā€™m calling this a win ;P Letā€™s get started shall we?

Once More Unto the (Writing) Breach

  • Camp NaNoWriMo
    • The Goal- Write 50k words and finish the first draft of Clarity, my Loki/OC fanfiction.
    • The Results- 63,554 words written! Woohoo!

Camp-Winner-2015-Web-Banner

As for finishing the draftā€¦ wellā€¦ That didnā€™t actually happen. I donā€™t know if you guys recall from last month, but I expressed some doubts as to whether this fanfic would actually make 50k as a story. I should never doubt things like that. As per usual for me, the story has well exceeded the 50k word mark in its (very rough) first draft stage. Most of this will probably be cut and modified in editing of course, but the plot and the characters have grown and evolved into something I never would have guessed when I started (and in the process I have learned more than I thought I would ever want to know about Norse mythology). Again, I really shouldnā€™t be surprised, as this has frequently happened to me in the past. I am apparently incapable of writing a short story šŸ˜› But still, I am very pleased with what has been vomited onto my hard drive so far and Iā€™m planning to work very hard to finish the first draft before I go on vacation at the end of August! It can be done!

  • Changing History
    • Well, if any of you are following this on Archive Of Our Own, you will already know that I did not post as many new chapters as Iā€™d planned. I think I managed to post one. Sorry about that. Loki took over my mind and soul and I could not let him go, but never fear! Now that Camp has finished, I am planning on getting back into the swing of posting semi-regularly again! Stay tuned!
  • Speaking of plans, I have one! Or, at least I have the beginnings of a plan. Iā€™ve decided I really need to start taking this writing thing seriously, so Iā€™ve made up a couple of guidelines that Iā€™m hoping to follow:
    • Write 1000 new words a day (Monday thru Thursday).
    • Work on editing for one hour every day (Monday thru Thursday).
    • If I donā€™t manage this, work weekends (hey, just like a real job! ;P)

Itā€™s that simple really. Iā€™ll be keeping up with my social media/comments/other writing related internet shenanigans as time allows, but Iā€™m hoping that if I at least stick to these two things, I will be able to make more significant progress, not just in my fanfiction work, but in my dreams of publishing my original work as well.

  • To help with the planning and keeping myself accountable, I bought a new notebook!

Notebook1

Look at those gloriously blank pagesā€¦ Theyā€™re already filled with my month to month plans, as well as thoughts about months previous and how to improve my productivity, and thereā€™s a page devoted to ideas regarding my publishing model and costs.

  • One last very important note: This past month, I discovered Jenna Moreci. You should watch her videos. For reasons. Yes. Here, Iā€™ll even get you started!

**Warning: Adult Language and Hilarity included!**

Have You Hugged a Book Today?

ReadingChallengeJuly

My reading challenge goal didnā€™t get met, but thatā€™s okay, since I was writing. I did finish a few books in July so it wasnā€™t a complete waste, and Iā€™m getting back into it for August. Iā€™m also going to try a new format for this portion of the program. The links Iā€™ve included will take you to my review for that book on Goodreads, rather than just repeating it all here and wasting precious internet bandwidth (Save The Bandwidth!). I am going to include my star review for each book so that you know what youā€™re getting into. For reference here is how I determine stars for my books:

Five Stars: This book changed my life. It was so profound and wonderful that I can think of no way that it could possibly be improved upon. All the old favorites get this rating. You should read my Five Star books immediately if not sooner. Why are you not reading them yet?

Four Stars: This book was really good! No, really! I liked it! I might even read it again! But there was just that One Thing, you know? That One Thing that bugged me. Maybe it was the writing. Maybe it was a particular character. Maybe it was some unquantifiable vibe that the book just exudes for no discernible reason. You should pick it up and see if you can figure it out for yourself. If you do, let me know.

Three Stars: Eh, *shrug*. This book was okay. It wasnā€™t the best thing Iā€™ve ever read. But hey, I finished it! That should count for something, right? Probably not gonna read this one again. It might even end up in the free bin at Second and Charles. Probably not worth your time, but hey, what do I know?

Two Stars: Okay, this one was bad. No other word for it. It was bad. But there was at least one redeeming characteristic, just one glimmering thread of hope that brought it just a step above being a complete waste of my time. Maybe the writing was beautiful, but the plot sucked. Maybe there was just one stand-out character in a sea of insipid cardboard cutouts. Either way, this was not my cup of tea and I feel a little bit of regret about that. Because it could have been so much moreā€¦

One Star: Do I really have to spell this out for you? I feel like it should speak for itself. I donā€™t give out this review often, but when I do you can bet that the book deserves it.

Okay, now weā€™ve gotten all that out of the way, on to the books!

  • Books I finished this month:
    • The Help by Kathryn Stockett– Five Stars
    • The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie- Four Stars
    • Marvelā€™s Thor: The Dark World Prelude- Four Stars
    • Inuyasha #2: Family Matters- Three Stars
    • Marvelā€™s Iron Man 3 The Movie Prelude- Four Stars
    • The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum- Four Stars
    • Fables Vol 1: Legends in Exile- Five Stars
  • Book to Screen (New Section! Devoted to movies and/or shows I’ve watched based on books I’ve read)
    • Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban: I rewatched Prisoner of Azkaban this month, and once again, I somehow felt a little cheated. Itā€™s not as bad as I remember when I first watched it (I vividly remember being so disappointed the first time around that I didnā€™t watch the movie again for years), but still something felt a littleā€¦ off. I still canā€™t quite put my finger on it. Itā€™s probably the little details I miss, but whatever it is something about this movie just feels slightly off to me. I still love it, mostly because REMUS AND SIRIUS! They are, and always will be I think, my favorite Harry Potter characters, and they are nearly perfectly portrayed in this movie and in subsequent movies. I really want to know which member of the production team sold their soul for that perfecting casting. All in all, I was still a little disappointed, but not so much that I would not watch the movie again.
    • Daredevil: I FINALLY finished this show! šŸ˜€ It was amazing! Quite gory in spots, but all in all the story telling was amazing and I loved all the characters. I was actually upset when one of the villains was killed close to the end, that’s how invested I was in these characters. Amazing show, I’m looking forward to watching it all again in a marathon eventually, and I hope they come out with Season Two soon!
    • Also this just in, SHANNARA IS GOING TO BE A FREAKING TV SERIES OH MY GOD STILL NOT OVER IT NEVER GETTING OVER IT WATCH THIS TRAILER!!!

If you have not read the Shannara books by Terry Brooks, the link in the FREAK OUT above is a suggested reading list on Goodreads from the author himself. Read them! DO IT NOW! And then come back and freak out with me because THIS SHOW IS GONNA BE AMAZING!!!

#Hashtags and other minutia

I have really been putting forth some effort to stay out there and available on all my social media gizmos! Here are some highlights from the month.

Do I Actually Have a Life?

  • I joined a gym. I did this for several reasons, not the least of which is what might possibly be the worst case of social anxiety I have ever experienced. In June I started running at a park that is close to my place, and it was niceā€¦ but then people started talking to me. Now, I have no problem with a friendly ā€œHi, how you doing?ā€ in passing. But I am not outside, sweating my butt off and jiggling my fat rolls around, to socialize. I actually would prefer it if no one noticed that I was existing in these particular moments of my life. There is a reason I wear bright pink headphones and prominently display my phone on my arm. I donā€™t want to talk to you. Itā€™s nothing personal. I donā€™t want to talk to anyone. But if you speak, I have this weird Pavlovian instinct to respond, even if on the inside Iā€™m thinking ā€œWHY DID I DO THAT? ARGH!ā€

Plus, really, triple digit weather is just too dang hot. Even going in the evenings. Too dad-gum hot.

So, yeah, I joined a gym! I havenā€™t done much with it yet, Iā€™ve been really busy writing, but Iā€™m hoping to get back into my C25k again, hopefully regularly now.

  • Speaking of C25k, I made Week Two! Of course then I immediately backslid and the next time I went to the gym, I didnā€™t make it. Iā€™ll have to keep trying until I can keep it up, but I made it once, I can do it again!
  • Under the heading of ā€œWeirdly unrelated news that is apropos of absolutely nothingā€ Iā€™ve started playing My Singing Monsters:
Friend Me! Code 30574047FH
Friend Me! Code 30574047FH

God help me, but I love their cute little stupid facesā€¦ Peggy Erickson, I blame you!

ā€œAnd In Conclusionā€¦ā€

  • Writing Goals- Keep up with the new writing plan (which has already changed a few times since I decided on it). Post three chapters of Changing History a week. Finish the first draft of Clarity (Loki/OC fic).
  • Reading Goals- Since the end of August will officially mark the three-quarters mark of the year (HOLY CATS, WHAT?) Iā€™m going to make a sincere effort to hit that mark on my reading challenge. This means I will be reading A LOT of comic books. Starting with the rest of the volumes of Fables that I own, plus whatever else I can get my hands on because I NEED IT. Be prepared for a Reading section like youā€™ve never seen before in next monthā€™s Wrap-Up post ;P
  • Social Media- Twitter probably wonā€™t see much action in the coming months, but Iā€™m going to be trying to stay active on Tumblr and Instagram at least. Feel free to hit me up there with questions, comments, random pictures of furry animals (because YES PLEASE!), anything really, I love hearing from you guys!
  • My Personal Life- Keep up with the Couch25k. No, really. NO EXCUSES! Also, I will be going on VACATION the last week of August! WHOOPWHOOP! I will still be mostly available, but be prepared for an Epic Vacation Post of Epic upon my return!

And that’s it! This is still a huge post, but I’m working on that! I’ll get it whittled down, little by little until it’s manageable. Until then!

Blogging, Crafting, Random, Reading, Writing

Wrappin’ Up The Month with Fog: June Edition

Emily

So, since Iā€™m not doing much else with this blog thing, Iā€™ve decided to try something new. I have no idea if it will work. I have no idea if I want it to work. But I figure, what do I have to lose by trying, right? ;P So, welcome to the first edition of Wrappinā€™ Up The Month with Fog! In these posts, I will attempt to recap what Iā€™ve been doing for the past month and what I would like to do in the month(s) to come. Be warned, this post is long so letā€™s get to it, we donā€™t have a lot of time here.

Once More Unto the (Writing) Breach

  • So, the writing thing. Letā€™s start with fanfiction. Iā€™ve been working diligently on Changing History rewrites, but not much else. Iā€™ve also been trying to prepare for Camp NaNoWriMo July, but that hasnā€™t gone nearly as well as Iā€™d hoped. Iā€™ve been pretty distracted by rewrites and other not-so-important things. But yeah, Iā€™ve made it most of the way through the rewrites now, and Iā€™ve decided that once Iā€™ve finished rewriting Second Chances, Iā€™m just going to jump right into posting Part Four, Search For The Entwives, even though the first draft isnā€™t finished (which is irking me, by the way).
  • As far as original work goes, I have started formulating a plan for one of my stories, an Alice in Wonderland reimagining that I started as a NaNoWriMo project a few years back. I think this story is going to be my NaNo2015 project. I donā€™t want to get into too much detail, as itā€™s all pretty hazy at this point, but Iā€™ve been thinking a lot about it, how I want to present it and market it, which is more progress than Iā€™ve made in a very long time. I will keep everyone updated as this seed of a plan develops.

Have You Hugged a Book Today?
ReadingChallengeJune

  • Books I finished this month
    1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban– Iā€™ve been rereading the Harry Potter books on audio for the past couple months and I finally got to my favorite of the entire series. Book Three was my favorite book the first time through, and I am happy to report that it has held up to the high standards I had set for it. Iā€™d also like to say that, even though I know all the major plot twists, it has been so much fun to reread the books again with a new perspective. Iā€™m also watching the movies as I re-read the books and Iā€™m enjoying comparing them to each other. I havenā€™t watched PoA yet, but Iā€™m looking forward to it. This re-read has also inspired thoughts of a new fanfiction (big surprise, I know ;P) and Iā€™m having fun imagining my new character in each of the books.
    2. Nation by Terry Pratchett– I started this book as a book club read in April. I managed to get about halfway through, but April was a pretty busy month for me, so I didnā€™t manage to finish it before the library required it back. I finally got it back from the library early this monthā€¦ and finished it in one night. I couldnā€™t put it down. It was just so beautifully written. Itā€™s hard to describe really. And the end took my breath away. It was really, really good and I highly recommend it, especially if youā€™ve never read Pratchett before, and are intimidated by all of the Discworld books. This is a separate book all on its own, so you can get a feel for how he writes, without committing to a whole series. Basically, itā€™s wonderful.
  • What Iā€™m currently reading (in order of date started)
    1. The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett– I started this back in April, but as I said before, April was a busy month for me. Iā€™m planning to start it back up in July, if I can get a few of my book club reads out of the way first. What I read was good though, Iā€™m excited to really dig into the Discworld books from the beginning!
    2. Inuyasha #2: Family Matters– I received a stack of these mangas as the result of a book swap on Ravelry. Inuyasha is a guilty pleasure from my failed community college days, when I would stay up until all hours of the night to watch repeats of the anime on Cartoon Network. I recently discovered that the entire series is on Hulu, which has renewed my love of the series. As I usually do with this kind of thing, Iā€™m enjoying comparing the manga to the anime. So far, it is very similar, but there are some things in the translations that are much funnier in the book. Itā€™s been very entertaining so far, and Iā€™m looking forward to the rest of it.
    3. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie– This is also a Ravelry book club read, that I was actually supposed to finish this month, but didnā€™t have a chance. Iā€™m planning to finish it up in the first week of July, so I can join the discussion. As far as the book itself, Iā€™ve really been enjoying the mystery! I have no idea who the killer is, but I have several theories that change with every page I read. This is the first of the Hercule Poirot books and also my first Agatha Christie and I already canā€™t wait to read more! I also found it ironic that my first Christie novel, the murder victim is named Emilyā€¦ Coincidence? I think not! ;P
    4. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum– This is my ā€œrunningā€ book. I have it on audio from Librivox on the Nook Audiobook app (free audiobooks, hurray!) and Iā€™ve been listening to it as I try to run my Couch to 5k program. Itā€™s just as lovely and magical as I always imagined it would be. I have laughed so much at the different characters and Iā€™m enjoying watching the Scarecrow, the Tinman and the Lion work through all these obstacles with traits that they all claim not to have. I think there might even be a message about self-confidence in there somewhere, but Iā€™ll save that for a book review.
    5. The Help by Kathryn Stockett– This is an audiobook I got used for six dollars. And it is possibly the best six dollars I have ever spent. Iā€™ve heard so much about this book, but somehow no one ever told me itā€™s a book about writing a book! How is it that no one ever told me this??? And I love the characters so much, every single one of them (okay, maybe not Hilly so much, but everyone else has at least a few redeeming qualities ;P). Itā€™s written in different points of view, Abilene, Minnie, and Skeeter, and the actresses who read the different parts are perfect. I have laughed, I have cried, and I havenā€™t even finished the book yet! I canā€™t wait to watch the movie and compare!
    6. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson– This is a book I recently started on impulse while I was knitting. I wanted something to do that wasnā€™t watching television. Iā€™m not terribly far into it, but I am intrigued by the differences I can already see between the original material and the interpretations that Iā€™m familiar with. Itā€™s definitely creepy and I canā€™t wait to find out more.

#Hashtags and other minutia

I admit, I have not been very active on social media lately. Frankly, itā€™s been a little overwhelming. But here are a few of the highlights from June:

  • My Favorite Tumblr ReblogReblogJune
  • My Favorite Tumblr PostTumblrPostJune
  • Two faves from Instagram:IG1June IG2June
  • And one more from Tumblr, just for fun ;PJFFJune

Do I Actually Have a Life? (real life stuff that happened)

Alright, as I mentioned briefly in the reading section (under The Wizard of Oz) I am trying out one of those Couch to 5k apps. The app Iā€™m using is C25K Free for Android, just in case anyone is interested. It’s a pretty cool app, it runs simultaneously with my Nook Audiobook app, so I can listen to my book and the C25K app pauses my book to tell me when to run and when to walk, so I don’t miss anything.

I have managed to work my way up to Week One this month, which is an accomplishment for me. I found a little park not far from where I live that has a sidewalk for running/walking. Itā€™s pretty and I get to spend about an hour listening to an audiobook and trying not to feel self-conscious. I keep telling myself that itā€™s good for me, not just my body but my mental state as well, but Iā€™m not seeing any results yet. Basically all Iā€™ve accomplished is discovering that my ankles hurt all the time and spending a ton of money trying to find ankle supports I can wear with my shoes. But I’m gonna try to stick with it, despite my tough schedule and the intense heat down here in Texas. It hasn’t been too bad where I live yet and I make sure to go just as the sun is setting so it’s cooler, but man, it is something else. I’ll try to remember to post my updates on my Twitter (and consequently Facebook) so you guys can keep up with this insanity. I have no idea what I’m doing.

ā€œAnd In Conclusionā€¦ā€

  • Writing: July is Camp NaNoWriMo! I plan to write the first draft of a brand new fanfiction, a Loki/OC set during the year of his imprisonment in Asgard (Thor: The Dark World). In the event that the first draft does not make 50k words (which, if I’m being honest, is pretty likely), Iā€™m going to write up the first draft of a short continuation of my Bruce Banner/OC, Worth Living For. Basically, this is the month of Avengers writing! I am going to attempt to continue to post at least one rewritten chapter for Changing History, but that is not my priority this month.
  • Reading: Finish The Mysterious Affair at Styles and start up The Color of Magic again, for sure. Iā€™m also going to try to get my book challenge down to the halfway mark. I have a stack of comics that need to be read, which should help with that šŸ˜‰
  • Social Media: I am going to try to post more frequently. No really, I solemnly swear! Even just scrolling through Tumblr and reblogging things, or posting to Instagram with what Iā€™m knitting and/or crocheting. Iā€™m also going to try to add more of those posts to my Facebook and Twitter. Since Iā€™m working on something new for Camp, keep an eye on the Twitter feed, Iā€™ll probably be doing some word sprints with the NaNoWriMo Word Sprint peeps!
  • My personal life: Honestly, I just want to get through Week Four of my Couch to 5k. If I do that, I will feel like Iā€™ve accomplished something. And I have Tour de Fleece coming up in July as well, which is a challenge to spin yarn while the champion bike racers spin the Tour de France. Iā€™m looking forward to it, especially in light of the weird amount of attention this post got on my tumblr a few months ago šŸ˜› Keep an eye on my Instagram and Tumblr for updates!

And that’s it! I promise, not all of these posts will be this long, but I am going to try to make one at the end of every month, just to keep everyone abreast of my activities. We’ll try this out for a few months and then reassess the situation, so let me know what you think! And now, I’m off to prepare for Camp NaNo! šŸ˜€

Blogging

Regarding My Imminent and Glorious Return…

Emily

Hey, everyone Iā€™m back!

(…)

What do you mean, Iā€™ve been gone three years? Thatā€™s crazy talk! I havenā€™tā€¦

…umā€¦

…wellā€¦

Okay, so maybe it has been three years. But I havenā€™t disappeared off the face of the earth, I can assure you! So much has changed in the past three years, about me, about my work, about how I feel about my work. It would take days, weeks, possibly even months to explain everything and, if I had to guess, you probably donā€™t want a super-long post rehashing my life. Which is lucky, because it just so happens that I really don’t want toĀ write a super-long post rehashing my life, so it really works out best for everyone if I just start fresh and let you guys know whatā€™s going on RIGHT NOW.

Okay?Ā  Good!

For the past three years, Iā€™ve been spending a lot of time on tumblr (link goes to my blog there). While I mostly spend my time reblogging and commenting on OTHER peopleā€™s stuff, I have on occasion posted my own original thoughts and ideas there as well.Ā  So right now I am currently working on bringing my original posts over to this blog and backdating them, so you can read my thoughts in order without having to dig through thousands of posts that are not particularly relevant or necessary (though if you want a laugh, feel free to dig around in there to your heart’s content :P).Ā  I’m also planning a theme change of some kind (I don’t know what I was thinking when I picked out this theme, why didn’t one of you stop me?), and updating the links in my sidebar, as a few of them are terribly out of date, and I have a couple of new platforms where you can find my stuff, so those links need to be added as well.

Once all of that is accomplished… who knows! I have a couple of ideas that I’d like to blog about (which is why I’m bothering to resurrect this thing in the first place), but as usual, my blogging will most likely be sporadic, though hopefully not ā€œthree-years-between-postsā€ sporadic. I’m hoping to eventually start blogging on a regular basis, but I’m not yet quite sure how that’s going to work. I have a lot of writing things going on right now, but I do want this to become a regular part of my writing life. I have things to say, I swear!

So, anyway, I just thought I would make everyone aware of what’s going on and get myself pumped up for whatever’s next on my writing journey!Ā  I would also like to give a shout out to my friend, Peggy, who’s own blogging journey is what has inspired me to dust off the old blogging skills and give this thing another shot.Ā  Check out her blog, writergirl007.com.Ā  I’ll also add her to my sidebar under Blogs I Love.

Toodles!

Blogging, Writing

Internet as Motivational Tool?

Emily

Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā  For the past two months, I have been experiencing financial difficulties.Ā  Therefore, I was not able to pay my cable/internet/too-many-bills-to-mention.Ā  As a result of this, the company that provides my cable, internet and home phone was forced to disconnect me until I could pay.Ā  Now you would think that such a lack of distraction would produce a flurry of writing activity, creating masterpieces of the written word, the likes of which have never been seen before.

Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā  But no, instead, dear friends, I descended into a creative funk.Ā  Though my writings lay within my fully functioning hard drive, the lack of network connectivity seemed to turn my computer into no more than an empty shell, devoid of life and purpose.Ā  And so I ignored the offending piece of machinery as one would ignore an antique clock that never chimes, but you canā€™t make yourself throw out because your Great-Aunt Doris, twice removed on your motherā€™s side, gave you that clock and besides it still keeps good time and you swear that one of these days youā€™ll get if fixed and hang it in the hallway.Ā  But then it passes from your mind into oblivion until the next time you open the coat closet, or venture into the attic or the basement and you think, ā€œI really should do something with that clock.ā€

Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā  But I digress.Ā  The point is my computer sat collecting dust while I sat in the living room watching ā€œGone with the Windā€ and feeling sorry for myself.Ā  But the moment my bill was paid and my internet was back on, I went to work on my fictional endeavors with a fervor I hadnā€™t previously thought I possessed.Ā  What in the world made me think I had to have the internet to be productive?Ā  None of the projects I have been working on in the last week or so have required the use of the internet.Ā  I could easily have accomplished everything Iā€™ve done so far in the time that my internet was MIA.Ā  No research was required to continue my works-in-progress.Ā  And even if there had been, Iā€™m perfectly capable of writing without research and simply rewriting when the research can be accomplished.Ā  Itā€™s something Iā€™ve done many times in the past.

Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā  I donā€™t know if the answer to that question will ever be found, but Iā€™m more than willing to hear opinions and theories on the subject. Ā One possible explanation Iā€™ve come up with is that I was simply due a creative down-swing and it just happened to coincide with my lack of internet service.Ā  But that seems a bit too convenient.Ā  Is it possible that Iā€™m simply addicted to the Web?Ā  Iā€™d like to think that wasnā€™t the case.Ā  I donā€™t think I spend much time surfing the digital waves, but many of my projects are bound for a home on the super-information highway, particularly my FanFiction and my YouTube fan videos.

Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā  Feel free to comment and let me know what you think.Ā  I would love to hear your theories on this strange phenomenon.Ā  šŸ™‚ Until next time, may your days be filled with unending, interconnected bliss.

Blogging, Uncategorized, Writing

Please Forgive the Unexpected Interruption

Emily

Well, as you can clearly see, I have not written an entry in quite some time.Ā  There are several excuses I have for this:

#1.Ā  My internet was turned off and was just recently restored to me.

#2.Ā  I finally got a new job.

#3.Ā  I went to visit my parents for a week.

#4.Ā  If none of the above are sufficient to explain away my absence, then the only other excuse I have is to please see my previous entry entitled “The Fine Art of Procrastination”.

Wonderful!Ā  Now that we have that out of the way, I would like to tell you that I’m working on a new novel for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), though I don’t think I will make my 50,000 words like I’m supposed to (see above reasons #2-4).Ā  I’m really excited about the concept though.Ā  It’s the first novel idea I’ve developed in probably a year or so and I already have the end planned.Ā 

It’s a fantasy novel, set in a desert (but not SciFi like “Dune”).Ā  Basically, a young mage wants to use magic to turn this desert into farmland.Ā  The magic is too strong for him and if he goes through with it, it will destroy the world, but of course his pride convinces him that he can do it.Ā Ā So his brother, the leader of theĀ Royal Guard,Ā has to go into the desert and retrieve the ashes of the Phoenix to bind his brother’s magic so he can’t perform the spell.Ā  The guard almost dies and is rescued by a Desert Elf who helps him on his quest, but she has a very powerful secret that I shall not reveal here.Ā  The story is full of all kinds of cool magical desert creatures that I’ve thought up, plus, there’s a dragon.Ā  I mean, really, could it be any better?

Anyway, I’m gonna need a lot of luck if I’m going to finish this thing by the end of November.Ā  So far I only have 5,000 words.Ā  I just don’t think I’m gonna be able to pull it off, but I’ll try to do as much as I can.Ā  I’m just proud of myself for actually trying to take this thing on.Ā  I meant to do it last year, but I got so distracted that I didn’t even start.Ā  So actually, this is improvement.Ā  Anyway, wish me luck!Ā  I will write again and let everyone know how I’m doing.

Blogging, Writing

Results of My Full-Time Writing Venture

Emily

Well, if anyone follows me on Twitter, you will recall that I was not very enthusiastic about the outcome of my full-time writer experiment.Ā  I’ll get right down to it.Ā  I calculated it up and on average I only worked on my writing projects 3.3 hours per day.Ā  That is a far cry from the eight hour a day goal I had set for myself.Ā  But after taking a couple of weeks to reflect on it and allow the sinking disappointment and inevitable self-loathing to dissipate, I have decided that it is just the beginning.Ā  If I give up now, how will I ever improve?Ā  And so starting next week, I will begin fresh and I will set a goal of beating my time from the last week.Ā  I think it’s definitely achievable considering I didn’t work at all on that Friday because I was packing for vacation.Ā  I’m still hopelessly optimistic about the entire situation.Ā  If I can improve even a little bit, it would be a huge step for me.Ā  So I’m looking forward to continuing my experiment and keeping all of you updated on my progress in the coming weeks!Ā  I wish everyone out there a successful week, whatever your goals are.Ā  And if anyone has any suggestions that might improve my performance, feel free to leave a comment.Ā  I would love to hear from you!