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“Things Every Southern Woman Should Know How to Make”

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Alice clicked on the headline, mildly curious about what yet another stranger thought should be in her kitchen repertoire. Pictures of China plates mounded with crispy fried chicken, greens, cobbler, and a pile of biscuits a mile high flooded the screen, all set off with a pitcher of sweet tea beaded with condensation. The table was set; an apron draped off to the side next to a box labeled “Gramma’s Recipes” in fine calligraphy. She closed the browser and put away her tablet. She was born a Georgia peach, but she couldn’t make a cobbler to save her life. Did that mean she wasn’t southern? Or maybe just not “Southern.” For Alice, there was no recipe box full of family traditions. Her younger years were filled with rental homes in different states and her father’s voice coaxing her toward a text book rather than a cookbook. Metalworking and fabrication held more interest than learning to flambé or sauté. Did it make her less of a woman that her cooking skills consisted of fresh salads...
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Into the Future We Go!

The end of the year is coming up, and things are kinda crazy. In some ways, crazy-good, in others, not so much. Blogging hasn't been my top priority, and I've been slacking on my bloggable topics: no video games to rant about, and the things I can rant about, I don't want to blog. So I'll just say to each and every one of you, I wish you Love, Peace, and Happiness. Have a good time and show some love.  I'll see you around the bend!
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The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

Sooo…I’m it. I was tagged by Alexander Pierce , aka @redantisocial , and since we share a love of the wonderful Nanaki, I’ll play along. The last time I was, um, carefully chosen to talk about my WIP, I gushed about INSATIABLE, but today, I have a shiny new WIP to talk about. What is the working title of your book? LEAD ME BACK HOME. Normally, the last thing I think of is a title, and they’re usually about as tormenting to come up with as writing *ahem* a query letter. This one though, I was listening to a lot of Halestorm while I wrote it, and there was a particular song that just really made me feel the whole thing. Where did the idea come from for your book? I had a ragey redhead running around in my head, and I decided to let him out. Also, I was playing Dragon Age II at the time, and I was fascinated with how magic, blood magic in particular, was viewed in the world of the game. Overlaying that was this dark, broody feeling, and it all sort of meshed together. ...
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Time and Place: Debating with (Self) Respect

The election is over. President Obama is still president. Some people are overjoyed while others are far from it. But that’s no reason to be uncivil. I’ve seen a lot of hate in comments on articles and social media, a lot of partisan nonsense that disintegrates into ill-informed gossip, racist/religious digs, and basically shameful, childish remarks. These comments are often posted on nonpolitical issues. Like a natural disaster. Or a child’s death. No, people. Just no. We live in a country where we have the right to voice our opinions. To make choices. To disagree with each other. This is a great thing. Until we abuse it. Yes, it can be abused, and we can make ourselves look like total asses. When you make the choice to enter an argument, please, PLEASE, for the love of all that’s holy, be reasonable, be respectful, and if you feel the need to say something ill-mannered, rude, and probably stupid, then step away from the keyboard. Sometimes we can’t stop our mouths fro...
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Vacation Thoughts

I took a few days of vacation this week, and I discovered I needed the break more than I thought I did. I had ALL THE PLANS to do ALL THE THINGS. I managed to do about half of all the things, hehe. But that's okay because I did things I didn't know I needed to do. Such as listen to hours of music with the volume turned up. Or sit down and read with no distractions. And that is where a lot of my five free days went. I finished Lia Habel's Dearly, Beloved, which was absolutely amazing, and I also finished A Storm of Swords in the Song of Ice and Fire series by George RR Martin. Good stuff. Then I listened to all of my My Chemical Romance albums, A Perfect Circle, Evanescence, We Are the Fallen, Within Temptation, and so much more music. I missed doing these things. I hadn't left myself time to just read or listen to music in such a long time, that I really, truly had come to miss them. I also hung some Halloween decorations up, and I worked on my costume. Of co...
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Unsounded in Print is a GO!

About a month ago, I posted with all sorts of fangirl glee that amazing artist and world-building extraordinaire, Ashley Cope, had succumbed to the desperate pleas of her readers and had at last set up a Kickstarter page to print the first volume of Unsounded. Shortly after that, I posted about the amazing turnout of the fans, and how, in their eagerness to get grabby hands on physical copies, they’d nearly doubled the drive goal. Well, time is up, Kickstarter is closed, and with an astounding $43,383 pitched in by 1275 ravenous fans, Unsounded volume 1 is funded! Funded times four, and then some! Wow! Ashley will have her hands full in the coming weeks fulfilling drive rewards and readying those lovely copies of Unsounded, but no doubt, they’ll be worth the wait.   Meanwhile, I’ll be watching for the progress updates, and waiting to get my grabby hands on my very own copy!
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TV Rambles: CW’s Beauty and the Beast

I’m a little late to the party on this, but I’ve been busy…and I can’t make the fiancé watch everything.   So, while he was out, I picked up my DVR’d episode of the CW’s Beauty and the Beast . Now, Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite fairytales. The prince is far from charming or handsome, and psychological arguments aside, it’s a lovely tale of falling in love with someone for who they are, faults and all. Okay, huge fan of the fairytale. Check. Absolutely loved the 80’s series with Ron Perlman and Linda Hamilton. Yep. Thoroughly enjoyed the Disney version? You bet. This new reincarnation, not so much. I didn’t hate it. Honestly, if the next couple episodes pick up a little better, I’ll probably watch it. I’m not crazy about Katherine being a detective, mainly because I’m so very burnt out on cop shows, but I get it. A detective would be more likely to get in plot-inducing trouble than say, an assistant DA. I can live with it. The premise was okay. Mom gets...
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Meet Pete, My Office Roomie

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From time to time on campus, a storm will come through and knock down trees or limbs. And sometimes, the high wind will blow down a squirrel nest. When that happens, sometimes there are baby squirrels.  That's how we ended up with Pete. I took a call early one morning after a storm. The person who called was looking for someone to pick up the baby squirrel she had found near her building, and she wondered if we had an animal control person or someone who would come take it off of her hands. I knew just the person to call. I called up my friend Jo, who was more than happy to get the little guy. She's raised several squirrels, one of which I was particularly attached to because she slept in our hoodie pockets and used our sleeves for a hammock. Pete when he was first found. His eyes weren't even open yet. Because she works outside and can't carry him around, I get to babysit, which thrills me to death. Baby squirrels are just so freaking cute!  Pete. ...
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