Dinosaurs Are People Too!

I'm going to a choir concert tonight!
Here's my awesome outfit-
'Dinosaurs are people too' Shirt- Target
Vintage painter jeans by City Streets
Coach Flower Sandals
Penguin Painting by Emmy Lou Roberts

Canyon Lake Gorge, TX.

Canyon Lake Gorge was created by a flood that broke over the levee of Canyon Lake in 2002 and cut a scar into the Earth that exposed rocks that are up to 10 million years old as well as dinosaur footprints like the one below.
Look closely in front of my foot to see the dinosaur footprint(3 toes are pointing to the left and the print is closer to the camera than my foot). Thanks goodness I wasn't there at the same time as...



.....................................................THIS GUY!

Great Friends

This is one of my Best Friends in the world pictured with me- Cora!!
She lives far away and was in town for a wedding. She's awesome and it shows!

After some bad life events, I came to the conclusion that good friends are like soul-mates...If you find one, you MUST fight to keep it because it may never come around again. I think people should consider themselves lucky to have even one or two "real" friends.

...and YES-I have noticed that my head looks huge and hers looks tiny in this pic--It was the only one we took. It's not such a stark contrast in real life---tho I DO think my head is big ALL the time....

Painting by Emmy Lou: Animals

I was able to take some pics of my sister, Emmy Lou's artwork today. These are just a few of them. I decided to go with an animal theme for this post.
All of her work is free hand:)

Here's Emmy-

Animal Paintings by Emmy Lou :)
Here is Jasmine checking out a painting of our other cat, Socks.
Peter Rabbit is given medicine by his mom.

Peter Rabbit in his blue coat.An orange Tabby cat.

Snoopy!

Follow me on 'Blog Lovin'

Follow my blog with bloglovin´

Rainy Thursday

I went out and took some pics of the rain today...

Front yard trees

view to the street


Red Amaryllis
Back yard wood cover
Adrianne - Our fountain
Purple Chinese Wisteria
Wisteria Petals
Rain in the bird bath
Jasmine looking at me from inside.
Blurry shot of the backyard from the porch.

The TEN Commandments of Writing Fiction

These are just funny commandments I put together while brooding over my own writing heart-attack. Enjoy!

Ten Commandments of Writing Fiction
1) Thou shalt not take the name of Shakespeare, Dante, or Chuck Palahniuk in vain.
2) Thou shalt find out what inspires their inner writer and seek it everyday.
3) Thou shalt read more than one book a week in the genre thou are currently writing.
4) Thou shalt FINISH thy first draft before editing.
5) Thou shalt not bore thy reader.
6) Thou shalt make their characters plausible in their individual situations.
7) Thou shalt show how action unfolds instead of telling.
8) Thou shalt not let the adolescent angst character in us whine as much as Holden Caulfield.
9) Thou shalt backup thy work on a separate drive.
10) Thou shalt not physically injure thy significant other or children when they interrupt thy writing.

I'd love to hear any commandments that YOU subscribe to!!!! Share with the group-this is a safe space!! :)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
...these r just random pics of me and my sis, Emmy! I'm not sure if this is normal to say in this setting, but I've had people ask me in the past so-I'll say that she has a learning disability--but that doesn't stop her from making art-not realism, but an interpretation of 'Andy Warhol-esque' pop americana. She's a great painter and I'll be posting some pics of her work on the blog soon.

She's such a funny person -- just all heart :)

This Made Me Laugh Today: Beyonce Ft. Justin Timberlake-'Single Ladies'

Choosing A Title For Your Book

In college, I wrote short stories and always LOVED what I chose. Now that I'm trying to title a book-I'm hating all of my ideas. I know that many publishers don't even listen to a writer's chosen title and maybe they shouldn't since---they're the ones who SHOULD know what's best, but I still want to make one. Maybe it's cuz it was easier to relate the WHOLE idea of the piece into a title while working with a short story cuz they're more focused. I don't have writer's block, I have TITLE BLOCK!


I also have a problem with adding the word "ghost" or entity" to my mini-synopsis and hook for query letters. I just feel cliche, but I also think it's important to identify as a "ghost story" at least while querying-I don't want an agent to automatically chunk my query cuz they think I sent them a genre they don't work with...
Are there any other words for ghost besides entity or apparition?!

I've been looking on YouTube for title and query advice and Dale Beaumont is a GREAT source of info and ideas(even tho his australian accent annoys me--Sorry- I know most people like that. I HATE the way the word "book" sounds couming out of an australian).
Here's some of advice for Book Titles.

“You should be afraid tonight. More than you know.”

Grief:

In the first moments, you can’t breathe. It’s not like being punched-I’ve realized that saying in inaccurate. It’s like being under water and breathing in, only no water floods your mouth- only…an emptiness. Your arms begin to tingle on the biceps and you feel suddenly as if you have no bones- just disintegrated calcium floating freely in your limbs.
Like you might faint. Then you open your mouth and hold it there while the back part of the throat closes to a small, round shape that allows for even less oxygen.
A rush of thoughts containing nothing seethes within your head. You feel the electricity of thought going everywhere and nowhere within your skull.
These are the sudden effects of grief.
The screaming starts much later, or at least it feels that way in the bubble of endless time surrounding you. You are nothing. WE are nothing. There is no more a thin, invisible line of connection between us.
All senses have been cut.

Randon Sharks, Guitars and Jasmine Macaroon

This pic really scared me today--I just...WHAT'S WRONG with that person?)

Jasmine close to passing out.


OOH!!! I've just had my first guitar lesson!! I got and Acoustic guitar from my Aunt Joan(Thanks again Aunt J!!). I'm going to try to make a video of my progress--mostly to show that you CAN learn SLOWLY and really suck for quite a long time before being able to really play....I only know 3 chords as of now, but I can't move my fingers to them without looking taking like 30 seconds to remember where the fingers go.

Hurt

REAL Horror writing vs. Cheap Tricks

PEOPLE!! I just read a short story by someone who thinks they are a horror writer but employs only cheap tricks like things jumping out of the dark. Those tricks can be good, but only when blanketed between the thick pillows of circumstantial evidence which terrorizes by continually revealing a complex structure that will endanger your characters!
YES!!! You scared me with ur killers reaching suddenly through the window, but you DID NOT TERRORIZE me!!
If there is no dark underbelly that is BEYOND surface fright, you have no substance!
Think about that!!

Book Examples:

'The Hospital Horror' = Cheap Thrills

'Ghost Story' = Real Chills

Let's look at some MOVIE examples to help make the distinction:

'Scream' movies = Cheap Thrills
'The Exorcist' = REAL Chills


'Leprechaun' = Cheap Thrills

'The Orphanage' = REAL Chills

Tricks are for Kids, people! Don't cheapen your talent by giving in and staying second rate!
-Like Shrek says, "Layers!" Stories should have layers!

Literary Hot Spots of New Orleans

The manuscript I have is situated mostly in New Orleans, and through my research of the city-I just become more and more interested.
There's something delicious about sitting in a room that more than 5 of your literary Gods have sat in as well.
Here are just 3 literary HOT SPOTS:

The Hotel Monteleone
The Hotel Monteleone on Rue Royal, is situated in the heart of the French Quarter, just a few easy blocks from Jackson Square and the Mighty Mississippi. The hotel is a literary landmark (bestowed by the Friends of Libraries, USA) because it was often frequented by Truman Capote, Ernest Hemingway, Eudora Welty, Anne Rice, William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams and Rebecca Wells (Ya-Yas!).

The balcony where Tennessee Williams wrote A Streetcar Named Desire. (This play had that line where the guy screams, SSTTEELLLAA!!!)
The Old Absinthe House

This bar was frequented by including Oscar Wilde and Mark Twain.
- Crazy fact: Real Absinthe is not legal in the U.S. You may see it in a liquor store, but the bottles do not list the amout of Wormwood(hallucinogenic element that can make u trip)--They are not nearly as strong as the older version that's still allowed in France. Since they can't use real Absinthe, the bar makes a "fake" version of the liquor.

Here's a glass of Absinthe. It is usually poured into a glass, and then a slotted spoon is placed on top with a sugar cube that is slowly allowed to have water dripped on it until the sugar discentrigates into the bright green liquid turning it a cloudy color.
At 'The Old Absinthe House', they light the glass on fire for a sec, but it is just for show and was not done in the past.

Absinthe is also known as 'The Green Fairy' because people used to believe that when you drank it, you would see a green fairy. Maybe you do- I dunno :)

A poster banning Absinthe from Switzerland



In addition to the Absinthe liquor now sold in stores, you can get these Absinthe lollipops from Lollyphile.
Lollyphile says that the Absinthe Lollipops "contain an amount of thujone that is within the legal limits set by the US regulatory authorities and of the European Union"

From what I've read- Drinking the legal US versions of Absinthe are comparable to drinking any other liquor. If ur into the real stuff--You have to go to France or other European nations.

Philip DeFranco Is Worth Watching!

....Oh my!
So I LOOVE the Phil DeFranco from YOuTube-His videos are awesome!
He gives his opinion on random gossip and happenings all in tandem with sarcasm.
Here's one of his videos that is different from his usual stuff, but I really enjoyed seeing!
He's the one on the left.


If you haven't subscribed to Philip DeFranco on YouTube, go do it now...I'll wait....GO!!
...............
...............
...............
Ur back?! You won't regret this! :)


He also has a blog with videos--If you don't see new videos on YouTube, they may already be up on his blog but are waiting to be posted to YOuTube.
YouTube has had a hard time getting videos up fast lately- I've noticed a lag that amounts to DAYS in some cases between the time you actually submit a video to when it shows up-- Including my own!!!
LAME YouTube! Lame!!!!

Make Cupcakes, Not War!

There is an issue that I think doesn't get enough exposure in the media and it's very close to my heart. In these racially divided times, we cannot be separatists. We must learn to, as the Beatles said," Come Together!".
I have a dream that one day, all of the foods with and without icing will come together, and sing that old spiritual, "Free At Last, Praise God Almighty, We Are Free At Last!"

Via Cupcakes Take the Cake, a short film: 'Sweet Dreams' by Kirsten Lapore



Music by Kirsten, Chelsea, and Megan Lepore

IF You're In AUSTIN, TX.-
Well, now's your chance to watch it on the big screen!

It's showing at SXSW as part of the film festival at the wonderful Alamo Drafthouse, 1120 South Lamar Blvd., Austin, Texas at the following dates and times:

2:00 PM, Sunday March 15th - Alamo Lamar 1

11:30 AM, Tuesday March 17th - Alamo Lamar 1

1:30 PM, Wednesday March 18th - Alamo Lamar 1

Here's the official description:

This stop-motion animation, made almost entirely with real food, tells the tale of a stalwart cupcake yearning to find something beyond his world of sugar cube skyscrapers and frosting-covered friends. When his makeshift boat crashes on foreign shores, he makes a shocking discovery that changes him forever.

Macaron Day: March 20th!

WHO wants to quit life for a couple days and go to Paris with me for MACARON Day at Pierre Herme?!

-Pierre Hermé, the famous patissier, will organize the 2nd edition of Macaron Day. If you go to one of his pastry shops in Paris or to any pastry shop affiliated to this event, not only will you be able to eat FREE macarons, but also you will contribute to a good action : all the benefits from that day will go to an association that helps people suffering from an orphan (or rare) disease.


...okay---I won't be able to go this year, but one day I WIL BE THERE!


Until then, I'll wear my Hello Kitty Macaroon Necklace and use my key chain!