Ishness: Random Things I’m Enjoying Edition

Long time no blog, eh?

I thought it would be fun to toss a random list onto the blog, of some things I’ve been loving lately, in an attempt at something upbeat. *nervous laugh* And because blogging! It used to be a thing! So here we are.

In no particular order, and with no attempt at being an exhaustive list, here are . . .

Some things I’ve been loving lately:

Book

The Windward King by K. T. Ivanrest — I recently finished this and it was SUCH a delight! Buddy story, shapeshifting, castles, pirates, fabulous characters, betrayal, royalty, snark . . . it had everything! ❤

Music

The Rose (Cara Dillon) — Replace “love” in this song with writing and it felt . . . something. I could also listen to Cara Dillon’s voice all day long!

My Land (Celtic Thunder) — This makes me think of returning to my storyworlds and hanging out in my WIPs again. ^_^

Movie

I’ve been catching up on some movies including several superhero things. It’s been fun. 🙂

The Batman (2022) — I finally saw this one and aside from some dark stuff I just . . . really enjoyed how Batman-y it was. Just. Yesss! Because Batman. XD

Blog Posts

I really enjoyed this amazing post about Noblebright Fantasy and a return to blogging. Let’s do this, people! Wonderful read from K.M. Carroll.

I related so hard to this wonderful post by the lovely Emily Grant about being stuck. I feel like she said everything so much better than I can and sort of summed up a lot of how I feel about being stuck on blogging, writing, etc. It made me feel less alone, so maybe it will help others who may be in those trenches. ❤

Upcoming Events

FicFrenzy (March 15-April 15) — I’m super excited for a writing challenge my dear writing buddy Christine Smith is hosting! Check out the page about it here. ^_^

March Magics — The creator of March Magics (a celebration of the books of Diana Wynne Jones and Terry Pratchett) is hosting this one last time and I’m sooo looking forward to it. I even tracked down another short story by DWJ that I hadn’t read yet and I’m saving it for that.

A Kickstarter

The image kind of says it all, but I had the chance to read The Orb and the Airship early and it was definitely one of my favorite reads last year! I am SO excited about this gaslamp fantasy series and I totally recommend checking out the Kickstarter page and following it to be notified on launch (which is February 20). Any interest or sharing is sooo appreciated! I love this world and these characters SO MUCH just from the first book and I can’t wait to see where they go in the rest of the series. It’s seriously so good. 😀

A snippet from one of my WIPs

“What are we doing, again?” I whispered, quieter this time, as we turned a corner and made our way up a steep, narrow white marble staircase up toward a gallery of white stone columns.

“Being very, very quiet,” he breathed in my ear, giving me the urge to smack his face even if it might result in both of us toppling off the steep stairs. “And,” he went on, “avoiding the honestly alarming librarian. But mostly,” he finished, as we came out on the gallery and hid in the shadow of column, “looking for a book.”

“A book,” I repeated, and looked at him. He raised one eyebrow very slightly, as if in a shrug.

As one, we craned around the pillar, poking our heads out to lean enough to see over the long gallery railing of white marble—and gazed down from our new vantage point at a literal maze, so large that it looked a little shadowy and hazy at the far end. A literal maze built of bookshelves overflowing with books.

“Well,” I said, a little scathingly, “I think you’ve found one.”

unedited snippet I wrote last month for my WIP The Other Half of Everything

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Thanks for Reading!

Well, I hope you enjoyed this little look at some things I’ve enjoyed lately.

Normally I’d try to make it perfect, extensive, with more pictures and other proper-marketing-things but . . . I just want to blog. A bit. And not worry about perfectionism or likes or any of that sort of thing. (We will not discuss the writing update post I haven’t posted due to its now-out-of-date nature… Ahem.)

Have a lovely Wednesday, readers. ❤

i love umbrellas (also AWOL)

I love umbrellas.

If I lived in London I would have an umbrella of my own who would be my best friend. We would go everywhere together.

The advantages of umbrellas are many and valuable, and often overlooked. Let me tell you the ways.

They are whimsical and useful, which can not be said of everything. Even the somber black ones have a whimsical elegance.

They obligingly fold very small when you want them to, or expand nicely.

They can have curved or straight handles.

They can house a sword if they wish (if you’re that kind of person and it’s that kind of umbrella) which can be very handy when you need to dash off on a sudden quest. Because you might not remember to bring your sword (depending on the suddenness of said quest) but your umbrella should always be along with you if they’re your best friend, you know.

They can be any color under the rainbow — and they frequently are (under a rainbow, I mean) due to their main occupation, so they would know all about that.

Most of all, they are kind enough to keep us dry, to lovingly shelter and protect us from rain.

Are not umbrellas the best and most loyal of friends? With an umbrella at our side, I believe we can face anything. (Or at least a rainstorm.)

Adventures With Inanimate Objects, #2. (See On Pillows and Their Sleeping Habits for the first. )

[This has indeed been a random post on the subject of umbrellas from yours truly, a writer who, living in Texas, does not often have cause to laud umbrellas but has recently found a use for them due to all that rain you may have heard about in relation to all that dead internet that’s been going around for a month or so…]

[Speaking of which, this is also to inform you loyal readers to count said writer as dead to the world of Internet for the time being because it is gone and will not return till we-know-not hence I will be absent. But that would be a sad subject of a post so you get umbrellas too. ^_^ ❤ you all and I will see you when I see you!]

“You’d think no one had ever had a cold before”

Possibly the only good thing about having a cold: remembering that Howl had one, and going back to reread all the snatches of Howl’s Moving Castle where he had a cold.

In the words of Diana Wynne Jones, the author, herself, Howl’s “a man who had head colds like a drama queen.”

It’s glorious. (I love Howl a ton, okay.)

I’m in a constant state of wanting to reread that book. ❤ (Howl’s Moving Castle does after all tie The Lord of the Rings for the honored “favorite book” spot for me…)

And yes, I am indeed using my cold as an excuse to unashamedly fangirl over Howl and make graphics of quotes from my favorite book, why do you ask…?

(pinterest)

Christmas-y Tag

Interesting story behind this… I was tagged LAST year for The Christmas Tag by Lisa @ Pickle’s Pen and Trinkets. (Check out her awesome blog because she is an awesome Pickle!) I didn’t get around to it before Christmas then, and afterward… well… it seemed a bit outdated. XD

So! I decided to save it and do it after all…

Just… a year late. 😉

Belatedly: Thank you, Lisa!! ❤

Rules

• Post the picture on your blog. (I… don’t know what picture this was? o.o)
• Answer the questions.
• Tag up to 12 bloggers.
• Make up 10 questions for the other bloggers.

Questions

1. What is your favourite Christmas treat?

Chocolate mint things! Or chocolate volcano cake. Or chocolate cigar thingamies. Or candy-canes. Basically, if it tastes minty or chocolatey: yes please.

2. Are there any special traditions that your family has to celebrate Christmas?

Not particularly… Tree. Gifts. Hanging out. Delicious munchy foods. Mostly hanging out.

3. How do you normally celebrate Christmas?

See above.

4. Do you enjoy getting presents for your friends and family? Do you buy your gifts or go the homemade route?

It really depends… I used to make stuff but I’ve become less crafty as the years go by. (Making crafts, that is; in the devious department… well… Moving on… >.>) Library sales are lovely though; that’s all I’ll say.

5. Is it cold where you live? Have you ever had a white Christmas?

No it is NOT cold here. Or… yes, it’s cold in the winter, but there be nary a sight of snow ’round here except once in a blue moon. Yes, I actually had a white Christmas ONCE. It was fairly shocking. (It was like a half-inch or something. But it was still snow. On Christmas Eve. What was this madness??)

6. What’s on your Christmas list this year?

Is that my wish-list? Because… well… mostly books. (Surprise…) Like Diana Wynne Jones. And certain things like the new Cinderella movie…

7. What’s your favourite Christmas song?

Ring, Christmas Bells, and Carol of the Bells! ❤ Specifically this one and also the instrumental one done by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. But really… any of them. Also The Little Drummer Boy! (And Silent Night. And Snoopy’s Christmas. And I’ve been listening to the Chieftains’ Christmas CD The Bells of Dublin, especially this one. And Blackmore’s Night holiday music on Pandora… I know I’m forgetting some… I kind of like a lot of Christmas songs…?)

8. What is your favourite Christmas memory?

Not sure. Christmases blur pleasantly together sometimes. All of them?

9. What does your Christmas Tree look like?

10. What are you reading in December? (Anything festive?)

Does a book of Christmas Carols count? See my December Nightstand Books post…

11. Are you an organised little elf or are you still shopping/preparing on Christmas Eve?

Meh. I like to be organized, but am not always… *shifty eyes* (Also, I dislike this time of year for a certain thing, namely: EVERYONE ACTS LIKE ELVES ARE LITTLE. IT’S DEMEANING. Humph. I prefer tall beautiful Elves like in Middle-earth…)

12. How early do you start to get into the Christmas spirit?

It really depends. The start of December, maybe?

13. Do you make any Christmas crafts? Decorations? Send physical Christmas cards?

Crafts and decorations: no. Physical Christmas cards… sometimes. I like to, if I can get around to it (which I don’t always).

14. What’s the menu for Christmas Day?!

Hanging out and munching abounds, and my favorites are munchy things. Cupcakes and oranges and cheese & crackers and summer sausage (in winter!) and cake and pigs-in-the-blanket and dried cranberries and veggies and chips and dip and chocolate and candy canes…

15. What makes it FEEL like Christmas for you? (Weather, specific tradition, food, smell, person, etc.?)

Probably the Christmas tree going up…? And Christmas music on the radio, I guess.

16. Do you have relatives coming? Excited? Nervous?

Nooope.

17. What famous Christmas character do you most identify with? (Scrooge, Elf, Tiny Tim, the Grinch, Santa, etc.)

I… have no idea.

18. If you were to start a new Christmas tradition, what would it be?

I can’t think of one. I’m notoriously unimaginative about such things.

Bonus questions I’m adding myself because I want to answer them:

19. What Christmas movies do you like to watch this time of year or what’s your favorite?

The Muppet Christmas Carol!

20. What’s your favorite Christmasy book or book with a favorite Christmasy part?

It’s not EXACTLY a Christmas story per se, but I really love the short story “Wintermoon Wish” by Sharon Shinn (in Firebirds Rising). *huggles it* Also Tolkien’s Letters From Father Christmas which was written over many years as letters to his children, and is hilarious and fabulous and just yes. And I’m quite fond of the Christmasy parts in The Good Master and The Singing Tree by Kate Seredy.

Tagging

You obviously don’t have to do this — no pressure, just if you want. 😉 And instead of making up new questions, I’m going to say: just take any of the questions I answered in this post and answer as many or few as you like.

Christine @ Musings of an Elf | Jenelle @ Jenelle Schmidt | Abi @ Rambling Writer | Madeline @ Short & Snappy | Sarah @ Dreams & Dragons | Victoria @ Stori Tori | Rebekah @ Wordsmithing & Worldbuilding | Kayla @ The Wordsmithy’s Shop | Skye @ Ink Castles | Tracey @ Adventure Awaits | Emma @ Peppermint & Prose | Shantelle @ A Writer’s Heart

(Alternately, I tag anyone who is reading this and feeling in a Christmasy mood and wants to do this tag on their blog!) Or answer in the comments! 🙂

Questions to choose from:

• What is your favourite Christmas treat?
• Are there any special traditions that your family has to celebrate Christmas?
• How do you normally celebrate Christmas?
• Do you enjoy getting presents for your friends and family? Do you buy your gifts or go the homemade route?
• Is it cold where you live? Have you ever had a white Christmas?
• What’s on your Christmas list this year?
• What’s your favourite Christmas song?
• What is your favourite Christmas memory?
• What does your Christmas Tree look like?
• What are you reading in December? (Anything festive?)
• Are you an organised little elf or are you still shopping/preparing on Christmas Eve?
• How early do you start to get into the Christmas spirit?
• Do you make any Christmas crafts? Decorations? Send physical Christmas cards?
• What’s the menu for Christmas Day?!
• What makes it FEEL like Christmas for you? (Weather, specific tradition, food, smell, person, etc.?)
• Do you have relatives coming? Excited? Nervous?
• What famous Christmas character do you most identify with? (Scrooge, Elf, Tiny Tim, the Grinch, Santa, etc.)
• If you were to start a new Christmas tradition, what would it be?
• What Christmas movies do you like to watch this time of year or what’s your favorite?
• What’s your favorite Christmasy book or book with a favorite Christmasy part?

Tags: Loyal Dragons to Infinity and Beyond!

(Warning: This post is being was written late at night. I am not responsible for the shenanigans my sleep-deprived brain gets up to. Thou art warned.)

I was tagged! By Raychel Rose for the Dragon’s Loyalty Award, and by Madeline J. Rose (wait… ALL OF THE ROSES. :O Are you two related…? *eyes suspiciously* I’m waaatching you…) for the Infinity Award. Thanks so much to both of you!! ❤

I’m doing a double tag post ketchup catch up in a single post, because a) I am lazy, b) I’ve been blogging too much, and c) let’s be honest, “Loyal Dragons to Infinity and Beyond!!!!!” is a fabulous title (even without all the exclamation points). Can we agree on that? Yay!

Okay! So tags. Right. Onward!

Dragon’s Loyalty Award

Gaaah, what a prettiful blog award!! ❤ I love it. *clings affectionately*

Ruuuules

1. Announce your win with a post, [check] and link to whomever presented your award. [*drrrumroll* Raychel Rose]
2. Post 7 interesting things about yourself. [Um. I’ll see what I can do. Ahem.]
3. Present 15 awards to deserving bloggers.
4. Drop them a comment to tip them off after you’ve linked them in the post.
5. Display the award certificate on your website. [See my newly-updated Badges page with other awards and aaaall the NaNo participant badges. Yesss.]

7 interesting (?) things about this dragonish blogger

1. I love Toothless and he is possibly my favorite dragon ever.
2. I do not love Smaug because he is evil but at least he is clever. (BOOK Smaug! We do not speak of movie-Smaug. Ahem.)
3. Some of my favorite dragonish books are proooobably the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede, specifically Searching for Dragons BECAUSE MENDANBAR! Ahem. Kazul is cool too.
4. I own a little golden dragon figurine which is glued to a turquoise rock. It once fell off so I re-glued it on. Yes you needed to know that. I would take a picture but I am lazy.
5.  Sorry, scratch number 3, I just remembered how much I love The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame. ❤
6. Also the dragon stories by E. Nesbit. I LOVE THEMMM. (I still love the Enchanted Forest books though! I just remembered… other… dragony books. Dragony. Dragony is a wonderful word.)
7. I have not read Eragon. Oops?

OH WAIT THOSE WERE ALL FACTS ABOUT ME ABOUT DRAGONS. See what I did there.

Tagging?

I verily awardeth you this veritable Dragon’s Loyalty Award if thou lovest dragons! (I’m looking at YOU, Lauri and Sarah and Cait. 😉 And YOU. Yes, you, in the dragon t-shirt.) You can dragon-theme it if you want. *shrug* But obviously nobody has to do it. XD

Infinity Award

Which is… apparently?… different than the Infinity Dreams Award…? Not sure.

Anyhoo!

This one has interrogations questions!

*dons monocle* Proceed.

*cymbals*

Who is your best blogging friend?

Can I not answer this. Pleeeeease? *makes adorable puppy eyes* I don’t like the saying “best friend” because it shows others that THEY are not. Which is not fair to ANYBODY. And makes them sad. Or is that just me. And this question sound suspiciously like that. HOWEVER. If a) you’re reading this and therefore (apparently?) read my blog, or b) if I comment on your blog aggressively obsessively, or c) both… then you may rightly assume you are one of my bestest blogging buddies. GROUP HUG, C’MERE. ❤

What is the best book cover you’ve ever seen?

SO MANY. Umm… Five Enchanted Roses or The Captive Maiden? POSSIBLY. I’m not sure. Let’s just say I’m partial to the color blue and girls in gorgeous dresses.

What’s your favorite slang word?

Y’all. Does that count? It’s super useful (and not only to alert people to the extinguishing excruciating distinguishing fact that I am… wait for it… a TEXAN). For instance, if you don’t say “y’all” to address a general group, you probably say “guys”, or “people”. Example: “Hey, guys!” “Hey, people!” This can be problem if a) there is a girl present (or, more likely, if there is not actually a guy in the group. Which happens a lot), or b) if not all those addressed happen to be people. What if they are aliens? Elves? Dragons (me, me! …Oh, right. That tag’s over… *sad face*). Cats. Noodles. Or other serendipitous sentient or not beings/creatures/items. THEY MIGHT TAKE OFFENSE. And we wouldn’t want that. Especially if they had sharp claws. Hence, y’all = solves every problem ever.

If you could have any animal as a pet, what would it be?

DRAGON. GRIFFIN. Oh right, I already have those… Okay, a puffin AND an otter. Naturally. Because they are the most adorable things EVER. (I also want a hummingbird to ride on. *makes even more adorable puppy eyes* PLEEEEEASE?)

Favorite flower?

Roses!

(Especially if they come with BOOKS…!)

(Wait a minute. Roses AGAIN. That’s it — it’s a PLOT.)

(And we all know that plots are needed to have books. SEE ABOVE!)

(Wait. I’m going in circles. This is getting confusing.)

Scariest roller coaster/ride you’ve ever been on?

Haven’t. (Unless you count the above question.) Nor do I intend to. Duuuh. I’m not CRAZY. O_O (Heh… heh heh… Oh, right, you caught that, did you? *sidles subtly sideways and slips self in serious siding hiding place*)

Favorite Disney movie?

Ow! How do I decide? (Was Prince of Persia Disney?? *is too lazy to check*) …Okay, Tangled.

Book you want made into a movie?

Illusionarium! (See my Illusionarium Fangirling Babbles post from earlier this week…) It would make the positively coolest movie EVAR.

Also one of the scariest.

Favorite piece of jewelry?

The One Ring. My Celtic-cross necklace. ❤ ‘Tis my fave.

Savory or Sweet snacks? Which ones?

ALL OF THE SWEET THINGS. I’m good with chocolate. And cookies. With chocolate chips in them. And mushrooms. (Why did I say mushrooms. I hate mushrooms. Unless they are from the Mushroom Planet books. Umm… CHOCOLATE MUSHROOMS.)

All time favorite movie?

The Avengers/The Return of the King/How to Train Your Dragon/Prince of Persia. IT’S TOTALLY ONE MOVIE I SWEAR. (Actually that would be the coolest thing ever. *brainstorms* *finds thing on pinterest*)

THE END.

P.S. AND NOW WE KNOW HOW CRAZY DEBORAH O’CARROLL IS WHEN SHE IS FOOLISH ENOUGH TO BLOG LATE AT NIGHT. ISN’T IT EXCITING, FOLKS.

Audience: *round of applause mixed with horrified stares*

Me: *giggles hysterically*

Me: *quickly erases your memories*

P.P.S. You are tagged if you want. ^_^