Super Moon Photos

Here's an easy blog to read on this fine Friday. Pictures of the moon. And not just any moon.

SUPER MOON!

This is what happens when I'm not familiar with the camera and the clouds aren't cooperating. It might have helped if I used a tripod, but hey, I'm lazy (I think I've said this before).

I pulled out the manual for the camera and figured out a way to manually expose the shot (like I did when I used to use a simple SLR with film). This was too dark, but now I was getting somewhere. Too bad the clouds were non-existent (dang!).

I thought this shot turned out pretty good.

I do not know why one shot caused a sepia-toned moon and this one more grey. Still, isn't the detail cool?

The next night the clouds appeared. Yay! Unfortunately, I had to figure out how to use the camera all over again! Argh!

Went for a wider view, but I got that stupid reflection too close to the subject.

I think this one might be a winner.

Or does this one look better?

Which one is your favorite? FYI - the photo will be cropped down to bookmark size.

Stacy

 

Wednesday Reads and a Movie

Lookee here, I actually finished TWO books this week.

Jun 20: “Blood Judgment” by Nickie Asher. This is the first book in the Judgment series, paranormal romantic thrillers. Blurb from Goodreads: How does a vampire fight a government determined to exterminate his race? Any bloody way he can. Fledgling Julian Wilkes is thrust into a nightmare world where Seattle's vampire population are brutally victimized by humans. After the devastating loss of his career as a symphony musician, Julian has little left to believe in until he meets Saranna, a female vampire who steals his breath and his heart. But after witnessing the horrifying murder of three young vampires, Julian understands that only the underground Resistance can save his persecuted race from total government annihilation and he wants to join the fray—if only he can prove himself a warrior. Wow. If you like dark and gritty (lots of foul language) with romance thrown in, this book is for you. Very entertaining read. Even though this is a series and a lot of threads are left open (ala JR Ward), the storyline between Julian and Saranna is complete, so that’s good for me! Now I need to go kick Nickie’s butt so she’ll get the next one out there. I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads.

Jun 25: “The Destroyed” by Brett Battles. This is the fifth book in the Jonathan Quinn thrillers. Blurb from back: Mila Voss is dead. That’s what the team hired to terminate her had reported, and that’s how her file had been marked. Dead. Six years now. So why did she suddenly show up on a hotel’s security camera in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania? Those who’d paid for her elimination are more than a little curious. One person should know what happened -- Jonathan Quinn, one of the best cleaners in the business, the man who’d been tasked with the disposal of her body. Only Quinn isn’t exactly easy to get ahold of these days, and he may not be willing to share the answer. When I got the first book in this series, I wasn’t sure if I’d like it or not. It wasn’t exactly the type of books I read, but I enjoyed his blogs on Murderati.com so I decided to give him a try. Since reading “The Cleaner,” I’ve been hooked. The books are definitely hard to put down, this one no different. If you like action, suspense, and thrills, then this series is for you! And if you like compelling characters, this series is for you, too! I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads.

Yesterday I met my kids at the theatre to see “Man of Steel.” I enjoyed the story line, but the destruction scenes kind of ran long (as well as being excessive). My son missed the witty banter of the previous Supermans and my daughter said it wasn’t her favorite. Wasn’t my favorite, either, but Henry Cavill did look good!

 

I think I MAY have gotten some better moon shots this month (with the super moon, even!). I'll find out as soon as I get the pictures off my husband's camera, which I'll do as soon as I figure out how! It's that or beg him to do it, but I'm not that desperate yet. Ha ha!

 

So...were you happy the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup? I was!!

Happy Reading!

 

Stacy

Computers, Movies, and Geocaching

We recently upgraded out cable to a whole-house system, which also upgraded our internet speed by trillions. Okay, maybe not trillions, but it more than doubled. Well, it doubled if…

my laptop’s wireless card could be upgraded. It cannot (since it is part of my motherboard).

Oh, but does the cable company tell you that? Heck, no!

So, while my husband is able to enjoy the speedy internet connection via wireless, I have to “plug in” if I wish to have the same service; otherwise, I’m stuck with the same ol’ slow internet. Guess it’s the price I pay for keeping my laptop, huh? And I really don’t want to give it up.

J J J

How far would you travel to see a movie?

On June 7, “Much Ado About Nothing” was reported to be released. I checked our local listings. Nothing. I checked Fandango, MovieTicket.com, and Rotten Tomatoes. Nothing. Found out via a comment on one of those sites that it was released in only FOUR theatres. The big release was scheduled for June 21. Okay, guess I have to wait.

On June 21, I checked our local listings. Nothing. My daughter came over and told me that the only Ohio cities showing the movie were Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland. How is THAT a big release? Guess I should be lucky it’s in Ohio at all, huh?

So yesterday, my daughter and I drove aaalll the way to Columbus (that would be 120 miles round trip) to see the movie. Was it worth it? Yes, it was. Now, I’m not a huge Shakespeare fan, and the fact his words are basically used in a modern-day setting kind of threw me (you really have to pay attention to what the characters are saying), but it was funny and I liked the people who starred in it. My daughter is a huge Joss Whedon fan AND she likes Shakespeare, so it was doubly good for her. If I were to rate this movie on something like Goodreads, I’d give it four stars!

J J J

Have you ever heard of geocaching? Saturday, my daughter discovered this newfangled adventure using your smart phone and now she’s hooked. It’s like a scavenger hunt, but it’s not like you win anything. It’s just something to do so you can say you did it. At least, that’s what I take it for. It does require a lot of driving around and searching, searching, searching. Then, when you find the object, you write your name down and then replace it.

Sometimes I see things and think: Gee, I wish they had something like that when I was young. Like I do with iPods or even CD players. I would have LOVED to carry my music everywhere back in the 70s.

But I don’t think I would have gone geocaching if it existed all those years ago. Not because I was lazy (I was and still am, thank you very much), but because I just wasn’t (and am still not) very adventurous.

I’ll leave the adventures to my characters (which gives me an idea… See, they come at the strangest times!).

So… Do you think you’ll check out “Much Ado About Nothing”? And if you saw it, what did you think?

Stacy

 

Pictures of the 2013 Midwest League All Star Game!

First off, let me say...

Happy Summer!

or...

Happy Longest Day!

I've been enjoying this wonderful weather. Hope you're getting some, too (and you can take that HOWEVER you wish).

Now, on to some pictures (and if you click on them, they should enlarge).

We made it late to see the home run derby, but Jessie Winker (of our Dayton Dragons) won and here is he getting a bat from George Foster.

Don't we have a nice scoreboard? And wasn't it a beautiful day?

We get more than just baseball in Dayton. Here, the Mini Dugout Dancers are getting ready to perform (yes, our seats are 5 rows behind the home team's dugout - I love them!).

Yep, even got some skydivers. This one was the last to arrive.

Here's Joe Morgan getting ready to throw the first pitch.

It's a race around the bases and these two little "Wright" flyers are meeting in the middle. The red one (third base side) won. It was hilarious watching these two youngsters trying to peddle when the wheels just couldn't grab onto the dirt very well. The silver one ended up being pushed by the ballplayers on the field.

The Celtic dancers performed between innings. I thought their outfits were gorgeous.

Even Brutus Buckeye made an appearance to sing Hang on Sloopy. That's Heater next to him (he's the Dragons' mascot).

And the night wouldn't be complete without Roofman! See him up there on the roof? He turns those hard baseballs into soft squishy ones and throws them back down to the crowd. Believe it or not, the FIRST year he appeared, he actually threw the hard baseballs. Won't do THAT again!

Yay! The Eastern Division won on a walk-off hit! (That's the division the Dragons play in.)

There's the final score. And look! Smoke is coming from the Dragons.

Afterward, we got a fireworks show. Not the greatest, but hey, it was still fun to watch.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures. Dayton knows how to give the crowd a good time. It's one of the reasons we love going to the games (it's not because the Dragons are winning, because they usually aren't).

Have a nice weekend!

Stacy



Wednesday Reads and WRiTE CLUB

I’m hanging my head in shame. I do not have a book to list today. Ah, but my editing project is coming along and maybe I’ll be able to squeeze in some more reading time. Oh, and cleaning time would be good, too, I suppose. I’ve got people coming over in less than a month! Yikes!

JJJ

Have you checked out DL Hammons’ WRiTE CLUB yet? Have you submitted anything? I wasn’t sure I would submit to this year’s event, but decided what the heck, why not? We’ll see if my submission even gets picked to compete. But hey, it is a fun event so even if you don’t submit, you should sign up so you can at least vote when the competition starts on July 8.

JJJ

Went to the Midwest League All Star Game last night, held in Dayton this year. Eastern Division won (that’s the division the Dragons are in - so Yay!). It was a fun evening. I’ll post some pictures of the night come Friday.

Well, I should have at least one book listed here next Wednesday. Until then, Happy Reading!

 

Stacy

Father's Day Fun

I asked my husband what he wanted for Father’s Day. I had only gotten him some munchie food (mostly flavored almonds) and a (cheap) OSU shirt, but nothing BIG. Then on Saturday he got his present. Tickets to a Pittsburgh Steeler game IN Pittsburgh!!

Yep, we’re finally going to see a game in Heinz Field. It’s only a preseason game, but heck, we don’t care. We just want to experience a game there and now we will.

August 24 - come rain or shine - we’ll be in Pittsburgh. Whoo hoo!

Oh, and he liked his goodies, too (like I doubted that).

Sunday, the kids came over and we played Catan, an interesting board game (my son brought over) where one person wins and no one comes in last (I like that), and Timeline, a card game for geeks (as my husband put it). My husband received three versions of this game, as a gift from our son, and we combined all versions into one (talk about a lot of shuffling--and those cards are small!). I lucked out more than KNEW the years of most of the events, but it was fun (especially since I won one of the games). I’m always surprised at what kinds of games are out there and we always have fun playing them with the kids.

 

If you haven't played these before and enjoy board games, check them out.

All in all it was a nice Sunday. It would have been nicer to spend it WITH my own father, but he lives allll the way over in California. Makes it hard to just stop on by. I hope to make a trip out there sometime next year, though.

Have you seen the new Superman movie yet? If you’ve seen it, should I go? If you haven’t, do you want to? I’m debating whether or not to go, mainly because of the mixed reviews. They don’t usually stop me, but for some reason they are this time. Decisions, decisions…

Have yourself a great Monday!

Stacy

 

Almost Pulled the Trigger

My husband has fifteen days of vacation to use. He wants to take a cruise, so he’s been checking out the prices. He thought he got lucky.

Back-to-back November cruises out of Miami, same boat, but each cruise is different (as it makes different stops). Fourteen days total, eight ports, and we wouldn’t have to get off the ship between cruises. The clincher? Each cruise started at $329/person.

Well, hell. Basically, a fourteen day cruise for $660? But before we could commit, he had to make sure he could take off two weeks in a row, especially after only being back from a week’s vacation three weeks earlier and an employee being gone on maternity leave. By the time he got the boss’s okay, price went up to $379 and $389.

Figures, huh?

So he called the cruise line. Apparently, those rates are for bunk beds (ugh!) and the salesman couldn’t book with old rates (which I believe is bunk, but hey, what can you do?). So we would have to upgrade to a king bed. By the time all the taxes and stuff were added, it came to over $1000/person for both cruises.

Suddenly it didn’t seem like such a bargain. We declined.

It was probably for the best. I do need to make a trip out to California next year. We’ll just save our money for that instead.

He still has those fifteen days to use. We’ll figure something out, I’m sure. He certainly won’t lose them.

Are you taking any trips this year? I’ll be accompanying my husband to Atlanta in August (business trip for him), attending Dragon*Con in Atlanta in September, and then taking a car trip to San Antonio in October (daughter’s Footy tournaments). I’m looking forward to the breaks.

Happy Friday!

 

Stacy

 

Wednesday Reads

I almost thought I might not have a book to list. The convention took up part of my reading time, and I’ve been busy cutting words on BITE ME, I’M YOURS, that I’ve not been reading as much. So far I’ve cut over 2500 words. Only have another 14,000 to go! I’m starting to doubt my success in this project. Well, if I can get even half of that accomplished, I’ll be happy.

Anyway, on to what I read in the past week (and just finished last night):

Jun 11: “Fool Moon” by Jim Butcher. This is the second book in the Harry Dresden series, an urban fantasy. I got this paperback book from the library. Blurb on back: Business has been slow. Okay, business has been dead. And not even of the undead variety. You would think Chicago would have a little more action for the only professional wizard in the phone book. But lately, Harry Dresden hasn’t been able to dredge up any kind of work--magical or mundane. But just when it looks like he can’t afford his next meal, a murder comes along that requires his particular brand of supernatural expertise. A brutally mutilated corpse. Strange-looking paw prints. A full moon. Take three guesses--and the first two don’t count… Okay, I’ll admit it. This series has piqued my interest. Lots of action and suspense. A little mystery (or would that be a lot??). Even a love interest of sorts. I’ll go order the next one in the series (and by order, I mean from the library). I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads.

Okay, this isn’t reading related, but has anybody else been inundated with little moths? There sure seem to be a LOT of them around this year and they are driving me nuts!

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Convention, Swag, and a Funny (and maybe a rant thrown in)

I had a really nice time at the Lori Foster Reader/Author Get Together. I mainly hung out with author Nickie Asher and had lots of fun with her. It was also nice seeing lots of writer friends and meeting new readers (somehow, hanging with someone made it a whole bunch easier to do). I might have even generated a couple of sales. Whoo hoo!

Sadly, I didn’t take many pictures. Oh…except this one from a boardroom ran by some writers (mainly Darynda Jones, Robyn Peterman, and Macy Beckett - there were others, but those are the authors I remember).

 

 

They had some condoms for the taking (don’t know why but I’m sure it had to do with someone’s book) and by the last day, they got used as balloons. Had lots of fun batting them back and forth across the table.

And you thought they only did strange stuff at RT? Ha ha!

What’s really great is that next year I’ll be attending as an AUTHOR and I’ll be able to sit during the book signing and not sign any books! J (In case you didn’t get the joke, that’s because my books will only be available digitally.) I’ll be able to sign something, though (provided people are interested), I just haven’t decided which way to go. Probably book cover cards or something like that. Book marks would seem strange to give away, because where are you going to put them on your e-reader?

Doesn’t mean I won’t have them, because I still plan on taking some to Dragon*Con and I’ll probably have leftovers. There, I’d rather promote myself instead of just my book. Still need that moon shot, though. Next chance: June 23 (which also happens to be my mother’s birthday). Here’s hoping the weather cooperates. Apparently, the moon will. I heard that’s when it’s closest to Earth. Ooh, BIG moon shots. I’m almost drooling.

Hey, want to see something funny?

My husband loves his Diet Coke. When we go to a restaurant, he usually asks for a Diet Coke, a refill for that Diet Coke, and a refill for the refill (he downs them pretty quickly). Our local Bob Evans knows to just give him 3-4 at a time. Well, when we were up in Michican, we visited the Bob Evans near our hotel and he pretty much ordered that every morning. On the third morning, the waitress wised up and gave him this.

Notice the straw? Yep, that was included. We all had a nice laugh.

Would you believe he finished it? Of course he did. He felt he had an image to uphold.

Have you noticed some blogs seem to have only Google+ comments? I really do NOT want to have to remember another sign-on just to comment, so I won’t comment. Is there some reason you can’t have multiple sign-ons? Have you heard if blogger is changing? I sure hope it’s not! Because if that’s the case, I might as well switch to Word Press. I already have an account with them.

So tell me, what’s your beverage of choice for breakfast? Mine’s coffee with LOTS of cream. Yum!

Stacy

 

 

I'm Out Having Fun!

Today and tomorrow I will be wandering around the Marriott in West Chester, OH, attending the Lori Foster Reader Author Get Together. If you happen to be going to this event and see me, please say hello!

I'm going to try and be more social this year. Of course, I say that EVERY year, then I get scared and plant my butt in a chair.

I'm also going to try and take more pictures. Again, I say that EVERY year, then for some reason my camera stays inside my purse. I figure if I stick it in my pocket, it has a better chance of being used.

Of course, if I actually follow through and become more social, it definitely has a better chance of being used!

This will be the last year I attend as a reader, too. When I registered, I had nothing to promote (well, I still don't), but next year my book will be out there (yikes!) and maybe I can help sell a few copies. You never know!!!

Heck, I'll probably still try to sell a few copies now - I plan on taking a picture of my cover to show people, and I have my business cards. I'm set.

See ya Monday!

 

Stacy

Wednesday Reads and a Rant

I don’t understand.

I was having trouble getting some books I wanted to read because so many publishers (mine included), have digital first or digital only. If I wanted to read the book, I needed an e-reader. So this past Christmas I broke down and told my husband if he wanted to get me an e-reader, the one I wanted was the Nook w/glow light (that one was the easiest on my eyes and I am a member of B&N). Being the smart man that he is (and knows easy when he sees it), got me the e-reader.

Okay, I’m ready now, right?

Wrong.

See…there’s this giant out there and a lot of self-pubbers apparently think that this giant is the ONLY way to make money (and of course their digital books won’t work on my e-reader). I’m sorry, maybe it’s my accounting degree, but I don’t believe using only one outlet is the way to reach more readers. Advertising is. If I don’t use the giant’s site, how am I learning about your book? And if I don’t have the giant’s reading device, how are you making it EASY for me to buy/download/read your book? (Reading my book on my laptop is far from EASY and I do NOT own a smart phone-not that I’d want to read a book on that small device).

I just don’t understand. Am I the only one who feels this way? I sure hope not.

Okay, rant over. This is what I finished reading in the past week:

Jun 4: “Deliver Me From Temptation” by Tes Hilaire. This is the second book in the Paladin Warriors series and is a paranormal romance (and I have the paperback, which I bought). Blurb on back: LOGAN SCREWED UP…BIG TIME. When things go bump in the night, Logan bumps back. Vampires, demons, succubi--you name it, he’s fought it. His job as a Paladin angel warrior is to protect humans. Not fall for one. SHE NEVER BELIEVED IN DIVINE INTERVENTION…UNTIL NOW. Detective Jessica Waters protects humans too--with her Glock and a good set of handcuffs. She doesn’t believe in fate. But if anyone looks like a gift from the gods, it’s Logan. And he clearly knows more about her case than he’s letting on… This is a series I’m coming to love. Just wish they were all written already, but no. #3 isn’t out yet (and hopefully it won’t be the last). Oh well, it’s not like I don’t have plenty to keep me busy until they are. I gave it 5 stars on Goodreads.  

Penguins aren’t doing so well in the series. I hope they get their sh*t together soon or they’ll be headed for home!

So, what’s your favorite way to read? I still pick paper over digital. So much easier to share.

Happy Reading!

 

Stacy

One Project Down, A Bazillion to Go

Finally!! I finished the revisions on ALIEN DESIRES (that would be Book #5) and it’s now ready for readers. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever finish it. Don’t know why it was so hard, either. I think a lot of it was just making sure I wouldn’t have to revise it again (editing, I’m okay with). We’ll see if I get my wish. I’d like to think all my readers love it to pieces, but I know better. Really. I do. Don’t you believe me?

Today I start back on BITE ME, I’M YOURS (that would be Book #1). I have some little things to fix, but I need to figure out how to cut some of it (it’s about 16,000 words too long for my editor--and I want to give it to her to read). I figure if I go through the pre-edit checklist (like I did for My Sunny Vampire) that should help. I also need to ask myself the same question my editor did with that story - Is this necessary? I hope I’m able to answer honestly. Yeah, cutting stuff isn’t my favorite thing. Heck, I’m sure every writer feels that way.

Sunday felt like a nice free day (especially with that long project finally finished) so my husband and I watched two movies  we own on DVD. We discovered they were quite similar, too. “This Means War” starred Chris Pine, Tom Hardy and Reese Witherspoon. “Killers” starred Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl. Have you seen either? Killers came out two years before War, yet I don’t remember it ever being in the theatre. I found the DVD in the $5.00 bin at Walmart and I liked the actors, so I bought it. After watching it (and it was cute - we'd seen worse, much worse), we then watched War (which we had seen in the theatre) and that’s when I realized how similar the movies were. There was lots of action (spy shoot-em-ups/blow-em-ups), romance (where the woman is kind of in the dark) and some crazy (bizarre) stuff thrown in there. Even though they were similar, it made for a nice evening and gave my brain a break!

On Saturday, the Penguins lost the first game in the Eastern finals (bummer!), but I have high hopes they’ll win tonight. They better!! I want to see them go all the way. I'm greedy like that.

 

So, what was the last movie you saw?

Have yourself a great Monday. 

Stacy