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Erastes
erastes
12 May 2008 @ 10:59 pm
You're Pellew's braces, you're ambergris!  
I have to pimp this: You're the Top by [info]mylodon (Horatio/Archie) a disgustingly clever mix of anachronistic Filk and short story. And horribly well-researched. I hate her.

Progress:

Jobs applied for: 5
Writing done: a little. got the final edits for Hard and Fast, though, so that went to the top of the list.

And this comes as no surprise. I was actually slightly horrified of myself as I ticked the boxes....I AM THE BLOODY NINE!!!***( How Evil Are You? )
***I've just finished the "The First Law" Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie which I thoroughly enjoyed because it was engrossing and had good characters and it was bloody and people died (in their thousands) - it's not quite as good as GRRM but it's a nice substitute if, like me, you are desperate for some big hairy men fighting with swords.

If I have a couple of quibbles it's that :

1. THERE'S NO BLOODY MAP. What's with that? I'm a great believer in fantasy worlds that I don't know (e.g. ALL of them) should have a bloody map. I adore maps, anyway - I buy atlases at jumble sales- and I can't tell you the number of times I referred to the maps of GRRM, tracing the characters' journeys. It's very hard to get really involved in epic journeys if you can't look at the mountains and deserts and wastelands and OMG they've got such a long way to go!

2. Apart from Luthar's story, I really didn't feel that any of the characters had a productive arc, a journey to make, lessons to learn. Granted the books grind to an unsatisfying ending (leaving me screaming "no................................... I have to have MORE!!!" making it obvious that there's more to come, but everyone kind of ended their story in almost the same state of mind that they began it, (other than the dead ones) and that was a tad unsettling.

But hell, apart from that, I'm hooked and I'll certainly be buying more if he writes them.
 
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horace_hamster
horace_hamster
13 May 2008 @ 09:32 am
i can haz editor luv?  
Yez i can!

::pets shiny email from editor saying nice things about my story::
::crosses fingers that my story makes the final cut::
 
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elisa_rolle
elisa_rolle
12 May 2008 @ 08:48 pm
Columbus' Eggs  
gacked from [info]storm_grant 

Since tonight I will be busy reading (a veryyy long book...) I thought to leave you with some "aforismi". All those phrases in Italy would be defined "Columbus' egg", means something so huge you can't possible have never seen it, but still you need that someone point it to you to realize that exist (or that it's truth).

From yahoo group gaywritersreaders:

If homosexuality is a disease, let's all call in sick to work: "Hello. Can't work today, still queer." ~ Robin Tyler

I'd rather be black than gay because when you're black you don't have to tell your mother. ~ Charles Pierce

"Dear Abby," In response to a reader who complained that a gay couple was moving in across the street and wanted to know what he could do to improve the quality of the neighborhood. "You could move." ~ Abigail Van Buren.

The one bonus of not lifting the ban on gays in the military is that the next time the government mandates a draft, we can all declare we are homosexual instead of running off to Canada . ~ Lorne Bloch

Why can't they have gay people in the army? Personally, I think they are just afraid of a thousand guys with M16s saying, "Who'd you call a faggot?" ~ Jon Stewart

My lesbianism is an act of Christian charity. All those women out there praying for a man, and I'm giving them my share. ~ Rita Mae Brown

Soldiers who are not afraid of guns, bombs, capture, torture or death say they are afraid of homosexuals. Clearly we should not be used as soldiers; we should be used as weapons. ~ Letter to the Editor, The Advocate

You don't have to be straight to be in the military; you just have to be able to shoot straight. ~ Barry Goldwater

Why is it that, as a culture, we are more comfortable seeing two men holding guns than holding hands? ~ Ernest Gaines

My own belief is that there is hardly anyone whose sexual life, if it were broadcast, would not fill the world at large with surprise and horror. ~ W. Somerset Maugham

Drag is when a man wears everything a lesbian won't. ~ Author Unknown

If male homosexuals are called "gay," then female homosexuals should be called "ecstatic." ~ Shelly Roberts

My mother took me to a psychiatrist when I was fifteen because she thought I was a latent homosexual. There was nothing latent about it. ~ Amanda Bearse

It always seemed to me a bit pointless to disapprove of homosexuality. It's like disapproving of rain.... ~ Francis Maude

The only queer people are those who don't love anybody.... ~ Rita Mae Brown

The Bible contains six admonishments to homosexuals and 362 admonishments to heterosexuals. That doesn't mean that God doesn't love heterosexuals; it's just that they need more supervision. ~ Lynn Lavner

If Michelangelo had been straight, the Sistine Chapel would have been wallpapered. ~ Robin Tyler

Pronouns make it hard to keep our sexual orientation a secret when our co-workers ask us about our weekend. "I had a great time with... them." Great! Now they don't think you're queer - just a big slut! ~Judy Carter

I get sick of listening to straight people complain about, "Well, hey, we don't have a heterosexual-pride day, why do you need a gay pride day?" I remember when I was a kid I'd always ask my mom, "Why don't we have a Kid's Day? We have a Mother's Day and a Father's Day, but why don't we have a Kid's Day?" My mom would always say, "Every day is Kid's Day." To all those heterosexuals that bitch about gay pride, I say the same thing. "Every day is heterosexual pride day! Can't you people enjoy your banquet and not pee on those of us enjoying our crumbs over here in the corner?" ~ Adam Row
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Lazy ol' Tiger
dustmeat
12 May 2008 @ 01:13 pm
Recent-er art  
SliverLynx colored this Moonstone pic up for me VERY well:

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/1290072/

And Muntiac Troll gift art, all done in ballpoint:

http://www.furaffinity.net/full/1291284/  

A small sample of the inking (and anatomy correction) I did for JW:

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/1286726/

Undead gift art:

http://www.furaffinity.net/full/1288051/
 
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Lazy ol' Tiger
dustmeat
12 May 2008 @ 10:23 am
Good news for Endangered Scarlet Macaws  

Now the captive birds are breeding in the wilds of Costa Rica

http://www.happynews.com/news/582008/captive-macaws-reproduce-wild-costa-rica.htm

It's heartwarming to know that parrots can be released into their ancestor's territory and pick up where they left off.  Back when I lived in California, feral parrots flew in huge flocks all around town so it's not hard for the birds to colonize good land--even non-native ones.

 
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cbpotts
cbpotts
12 May 2008 @ 11:09 am
A cool meme from Nomi  
The first five people who reply to this post, and who re-post this challenge: YOU WIN!!!

For your prize, I will send you a gift.

It might be something I've made, or something cool from my hidden stash of obscure grooviness. It might be a rubber duck, or a toy, or a pretty picture, or a book I think you might enjoy. A useful object, a tchotchke, a piece of jewelry, or something else that is taking up room in my house.

Whatever it is, I promise I will get it to you in 30 days of your posted comment or less, and you must e-mail me your mailing address. Even if you think I already have it.

E-mail your address to me via cbpotts [at] gmail [dot] com)
 
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Mychael Black
mychael_black2
12 May 2008 @ 10:38 am
Book Rec  


WHAT THE HEART WANTS
by Cassidy Ryan

When Jamie takes his new cat, the aptly named Hellion, to the vet, he unexpectedly encounters an old friend. He and veterinarian Nick were very close a few years ago, but it ended badly, and they haven’t seen each other since. Just as Jamie’s getting over the shock of seeing Nick again, the man shows up at his door. Can Nick get over the hurt Jamie caused him and agree to pick up where they left off?

Get it here!

***

Cassidy Ryan amazes me at how she can fit an entire, fully-developed story into such a short length. Aside from Sleeping with the Past, this is definitely one of my faves from her. :D
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cbpotts
cbpotts
12 May 2008 @ 07:44 am
Monday Morning  
I learned a LOT of stuff this weekend. I think this weekend may go down in history as one of those weekends that is roughly equivalent to a semester in college, give or take a couple of beer fueled parties.

I'm going to cut here, both for length and randomness. But there's a lot about writing and marketing and parenting and gardening and exercise and marriage ( if you're interested in that kind of thing. )
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Current Mood: awake
 
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Erastes
erastes
12 May 2008 @ 01:19 pm
Well done Ginn Hale! Scavenger Hunt on Rainbow Reviews  

"Wicked Gentlemen" by Ginn Hale gets a stunning review from the very hard to please Dear Author. Deservedly so.  An A- from Dear Author? Pretty damned rare.

I'm proud to have to nominated this book for their recent awards where it came 2nd in the GLBT category.  If you haven't bought it, haven't read it, then pop over to read the review, then read the excerpt. My review is here, if you're interested.  Definitely one of my best reads of last year.

Rainbow Reviews is having a Scavenger Hunt which starts on 1st June - here's what they say on their website:

For the month of June, Rainbow Reviews will host a scavenger hunt! Some fabulous authors have agreed to donate copies of their books as prizes, and all you have to do is find a graphic hidden somewhere on their site!

The rules of the hunt are simple:

1. Each participating author will place the following graphic somewhere on their website.

2. All sites will be listed on this page once the hunt begins. Just visit each site, find the graphic, and send ONE email listing all of the links where you found the graphic to scavenge@rainbow-reviews.com You must have one link from each author to complete the scavenger hunt. The links in your email must go directly to the pages where you found the graphic. Any incomplete emails will be disqualified.

3. On June 30th, the winners will be announced … one for each book we’re giving away!

I've signed up as a participating author - so what are you waiting for?

 
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Catherine Hellisen
cathellisen
12 May 2008 @ 12:56 pm
Oh wow - a useful post.  

Originally published at Inarticulations. You can comment here or there.

A few of you are probably aware that I’m quite keen on open source.

The Slave, who about five years ago  introduced me to the wonderful world of open source, just linked me to this nifty little list.

 50 awesome open source resources for online writers.

Simon Haynes‘ yWriter is there, along with Open Office, FreeMind,  GIMP, and a whole bunch of software which I’m quite keen to dig into. What I might do, if anyone is remotely interested, is give each one a squizz through, and put up my list of  the best of the lot.

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Jules Jones
julesjones
12 May 2008 @ 11:40 am
Preliminary acceptance on L&M 2  
Just had a note from my editor saying that she likes the Lord and Master sequel. It still has to go to senior management for approval before I have a firm acceptance, so not absolutely guaranteed yet. No idea when it will be slotted into the publication schedule, of course, though I'd expect not for some months unless they have a slot they need to fill at short notice.
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Catherine Hellisen
cathellisen
12 May 2008 @ 09:51 am
It’s monday so this must be uptown jaimaca  

Originally published at Inarticulations. You can comment here or there.

One page and a bit out of the nine pages of minor revisions is down. I think I deserve a beer, but all I have is coffee.

Coffee is good.

I’m making notes that relate to the major revisions as I go, so now my manuscript is littered with vibrant pink highlighted areas. Very sexy.

The Slave has just linked me to this wonderful post about the joys of going to church.

And Neil Gaiman is making me feel better about the craptastic mess of my own first drafts.

Here’s something I should have used while writing hob - a vampire generator. *sticks tongue firmly in cheek*

” This spiritual vampire has narrow yellow eyes that are like two shining suns. His silky, wavy, orange hair is worn in a style that reminds you of a rooster’s crest. He is short and has a lean build. His skin is cream-colored. He can read the minds of people. He can raise an army of zombies. He can be killed by destroying his internal organs. His diet requires blood of any kind. He feeds not through his mouth, but via mouths in his palms. His outfits are those of a doctor.”

Hmmm. Moving on, then.

This weekend The Slave and I finally watched Season 3 of Lost.  Ha, yes, we are a wee bit behind the rest of the world. Anyway, so now I know who dies. Season 4 has already started in the US,right? Gah. Now I’ll have to wait months before it comes out on dvd.

Monday’s posts are always rather random, aren’t they?

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Catherine Hellisen
cathellisen
12 May 2008 @ 08:52 am
Fallen behind  
Sort-of didn't use the internet this weekend, and when I tried to catch up with the flist this morning I kinda lost it. Gosh, you people blog a lot. ;)

Anyway, if anything cool happened and I missed it, feel free to link me. Or tell me about it here, it's all good.
 
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Erin
niobedancing
11 May 2008 @ 11:01 pm
Thank you, Julia Ward Howe...  
... for the work you did. I'm sorry that your vision of a "Mothers' Day for Peace" didn't really materialize, and the thing we celebrate now is sort of a Hallmark holiday.

Anyway, in honor of Howe's original vision, please read her "Mother's Day Proclamation" (1870) (as quoted on Wikipedia):

Arise, then, women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts,
Whether our baptism be of water or of tears!

Say firmly:
"We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

From the bosom of the devastated Earth a voice goes up with our own.
It says: "Disarm! Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe out dishonor, nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil at the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel.

Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace,
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God.

In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
And at the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.
 
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Lazy ol' Tiger
dustmeat
11 May 2008 @ 09:49 pm
Rare bird sighting  

I was out walking the neighborhood when I saw a white bird dart down and snatch something off the road.  Then it perched in a small tree and began to sing...a lot of songs.  It was a white mockingbird!  Not an albino but a leucisitic bird-- all white and puffy singing its heart out.  You hear about these things, but you never see them.  Huh :)

 
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eroticjames
eroticjames
11 May 2008 @ 05:18 pm
True Hollywood is out  
( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )
 
 
Current Mood: pleased
 
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Danny Adams
madwriter
11 May 2008 @ 07:10 pm
Log Cabins And Clouded Mountains (5 Pictures)  
These shots were taken late this morning about a fifteen-minute drive from where Laurie and I live, near the church where our friends Bobbi's / [info]daisyfair32's and Todd's youngest children, the twins Benjamin and Daniel, were both baptized and became our godsons.

And yes, that log cabin in the pictures behind the cut is an honest-to-goodness 19th century log cabin. :)





( +4 )
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Current Location: My Kind Of Land Land
Current Mood: melancholy
Current Music: Opening music from *The Patriot*
 
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Cim
cimness
12 May 2008 @ 02:04 am
i'd rather be a sparrow than a snail  
[info]shiroi_chi has loaned her guitar to Wax, who doesn't know how to play it, but wants to learn. Actually she wants to play the bass, and I think this is mainly because she wants to be Mikey/Lyn-Z/both/their two-Way-marriages-smashing love child, but the guitar is apparently close enough. So lately there's been a lot of strumming, attempted tuning, and making this face when discordant sounds come out:



I have expressed the view that wind instruments are better and also, I don't want my fingers to bleed, so I think we will drop into the music store across the hall from Panini this week (we will have to go into town to pick up my graphics card and EAT ITALIAN FOOD ♥) (I am craving Restaurant Food after a few weeks of penny-pinching which has meant a lot of eggs, potatoes, rice, and cornflakes) - I suppose that recorders are pretty inexpensive, anyway, and I just need something else to play with to keep me from gravitating to the guitar.
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Current Mood: amused
 
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Robert A. Sloan, author of Raven Dance
robertsloan2
11 May 2008 @ 02:42 pm
Writer's Block: Remembering mom  

What's your favorite memory of your mother?


View other answers



The times that I stood up to her and proved I was right, it usually took fact with evidence. I got a fibromyalgia attack just on seeing the question, it's stressful. That is the most tactful, truthful answer I can make to it.
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Robert A. Sloan, author of Raven Dance
robertsloan2
11 May 2008 @ 02:34 pm
Five Minute Art  


ACEO Leopard 5 Minute Art is my answer to eBay's draconian new policies for new members. Anyone with under 100 feedback gets severe restrictions on what they can sell, what payment options they can or must offer, and lousy auction placement that may not ever reach the front page thanks to Best Match. I'm sick of it, so I started a 5 Minute Art sale, doing ACEOs in fast mediums with a five minute timer, then posting them with a 99 cent minimum bid. My fees are lower on that anyway, so it'll help. I'll be posting as many as I need to in order to get to 100 unique feedback and then even fast mediums go back to my usual $9.95 minimum bid or higher, or contest-specific minimum bids like the Theme Week ACEOs that start at $4.99.

I thought of this a couple of days ago, and then decided to actually do it today after getting some encouragement on the eBay forums. I was debating between 49 cent digital art with no shipping because it gets delivered by email, or 99 cent physical art that just didn't take long to finish. This will probably include some Asian style watercolors too, those can be fast and the timer will force me to work without hesitation on them.

That's pretty much what happened to this leopard. I knew I had to get him fast like a gesture drawing, and he got done so quickly I had time to shade, add a few spots, work up the tree branch and its texture. Surprised me how well he came out. This is the first leopard that I've actually finished! I have a spotless leopard colored pencil painting in Derwent Artist Pencils still waiting to be done, and a number of unfinished leopard studies in sketchbooks, but nothing like this, nothing complete and recognizably a leopard.

I'm very happy about it and may be back to daily art again for a while from doing these! I had no idea I'd gotten this good at sketching.

Of course sketches I don't think are good enough to sell won't make it to this blog or the auctions, what will show up are the good five minute drawings.
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Current Location: Lawrence, KS
Current Mood: accomplished
 
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