Good Words

Good news for Soul Stone. Bitten By Books has reviewed the novel and awarded it four tombstones. Thanks Nicole.

“This is an enjoyably erotic tale of growth, trust, love, and sacrifice. Though short in length, it more than makes up for it with vivid descriptions and characters that are easy to love. One would think with a short story, there wouldn’t be time to care enough about the characters to laugh or cry with them, and “Soul Stone” would be the tale to prove you wrong! Although “Soul Stone” can be read as a standalone, it is much better appreciated if it is read in the appropriate order in the series! Looking for a quick read that you can sink your teeth into? Then look into Elyssa Edwards Soul Stone!”

Facebook and Twitter

I never quite found the attraction in Myspace. It always seemed a bit seedy to me. I have however, become quite enamored with facebook and twitter. I’m not a big tweeter, but I do try to post something each day. Facebook is a bit more fun.

I’m rather addicted to the hatchling’s application. You search in your profile and in the profiles of friends who also have the application for eggs. Different eggs can hatch into different creatures. Some are a bit odd and some are down-right pretty. I currently have a rainbow snail, a plaid lavender bunny and a very cute little puppy. If you choose not to hatch an egg, you can feed it to your hatchlings to keep them happy and alive. Unlike some applications of virtual pets these can, and do, die.

I supposed there are worse things to do with my time. Come on by and say hi.

Interesting Television

I don’t watch network television. We have no cable, no satellite, etc. We do have a dvd player and I’ve found a few good series on dvd. The upside of this is that I don’t have to wait a week or more to see the next episode. The downside is that once I finish a season, I have to wait a really long time before I can see any more.

I recently watched the Dresden Files. Very good show. Not as heavy as an X-files sort of thing, more humor. The series is based on the Jim Butcher series of novels. My only complaint is that Dresden comes across as more than a bit of a man-whore. Every episode he’s bedding some young thing while dealing with interesting sexual tension with the local police detective. I do hope there is more in store.

I’m currently hooked on two HBO series. Big Love about the polygamists and Rome, about…well, Rome. In Big Love I was impressed by how quickly the series sucks you in and you find yourself rooting for the people who are not supposed to be the good guys by society’s standards. It’s an interesting look into the dynamics of such a complex relationship/family without taking itself too seriously.

Rome currently fascinates me. I’m always fairly impressed by movies that can sustain at least the semblance of historical accuracy and yet give us a fresh inventive storyline. But then again, The Tudors with it’s “Oh hell, let’s use the names and premise and throw historical accuracy to the wind” approach is fun too. And I have to admit I've had a soft gooey spot for Ciaran Hinds since he starred in Persuasion, my favorite Austen book.

Have an excellent rest of your Wednesday and an awesome Thursday. Head on over to one of the blogs or websites on the left and see what the truly brilliant and amusing have to say.

New Camera...finally

Finally got the new camera. Of course Z is the first thing we snap pics of.

Z: 'Just chillin with my homebunny

Where there's Max, there's Ruby too.

And finally, Bunny Lunch.

eMuse March 09 is out.

I've been MIA for a while with no excuse besides being busy. The last couple of weekends we've been shopping for Easter clothes. Finding Momma a dress has proven much easier than finding Z a suit. It seems most baby suits start at 6 months and go up. We also had the task of finding his christening outfit. I wanted a traditional christening gown, the SO nearly had a conniption fit and insisted that he needed a suit. In the end I couldn't find a reasonably priced gown that wasn't frilly and girlie so we ended up going with the suit. It's a satineen pair of cuffed short pants, a shirt and a quilted vest.

We've also been hunting for a new camera as the old one died on us recently. That figures. Just when I need a camera to take massive amounts of baby pictures, the thing dies.

The March 09 issue of eMuse online literary magazine is out. eMuse is a quarterly ezine that features original art, short stories, poetry, reviews of books and articles. This month eMuse has reviewed books by authors you’ve heard me mention here including Anny Cook, Sandra Cox and Cindy Spencer Pape.

Two of my books are reviewed by staff this month as well. I’m an editor there, but I want to be clear that I don’t edit reviews for content-if someone said my work sucked, I’d not argue. In fact, this month you’ll find my latest book, Circle of Wolves, reviewed by a (gasp) man. A straight man. Interesting, that’s all I’ll say.

In addition, while we try to sustain the highest standard of literature at eMuse this month has one of the best short stories I’ve ever read. It’s dark, haunting and more than a tad sinister. Black Velveteen by Jennifer Hudock is a must read.

I’ve been a fan of NPR (National Public Radio) since I was young. I finally found a station here in Atlanta that broadcasts NPR during drive times and that has made me a happy camper. You never know what you’ll learn on NPR. It’s not all serious discussion of economics and politics or organic alfalfa farming. For example:

I heard this story first on NPR, then found the link on AOhelL.

Cat found in couch?

In Washington State a woman who bought a used sofa from a Value Village thrift store got more than she expected: a strange mewing noise and odd movements. Sure enough, when the couch was inspected a very hungry 9 year old calico cat, “Callie”, was found inside. Turned out the owner had been searching for his cat but had not put together the disappearance of the cat with the donation of the couch. Is a tirade on the dangers of sofa kitties coming up? Naw, just thought it was a curious and interesting story.


Sears’ Tower

Now if I were going on a tirade, it would be about this bone-headed move in Chicago. Most people in the US know the Sears’ Tower. It’s the tallest building in the US and was for a long time the tallest building in the world. The name Sears’ Tower was linked to Chicago like Wrigley Field, Soldier Stadium and Lake Michigan. But not for long. In a stupid move, obviously motivated by the tough economic times but stupid nonetheless, the name of this landmark will be changing.

The London-based insurance brokerage The Willis Group, as part of their occupancy agreement, was given “naming rights” to the famous tower that will now be known as the Willis Tower. First of all, what kind of idiot puts the rights to name the Sears’ Tower on the table in the first place? The purpose of the real estate investment group formed in 2001 to buy the tower was to protect it. Not to mention that Willis has stated they didn’t even pay extra for the naming rights.

And what kind of unmitigated gall does it take for someone to ask for the right to rename a landmark?

Sunday Thoughts

Friday’s blog was fluff, but today’s is going to be a bit more serious. I’ve always been the kind of person who was spiritual, but tended to keep that part of myself. I’ve always believed spirituality was a private matter. But today that’s what I want to talk about.

I have always been a searcher, someone who looked for answers to my questions about God and the universe. And I’ve never really been satisfied with those answers no matter what “religion” they came from. I’ve attended almost every Christian denomination and had difficulty with each. Now I am a Catholic by choice. That may seem odd, usually people seem to be leaving Catholicism, I think because someone forgot to tell them about the right of dissent. As a Catholic I have the right to disagree with my church’s teachings and trust me the current Pope has given me quite a bit dissent about. But the community, the people and the strength of faith drew me and keeps me here.

But as I struggled, I even began to find it more and more difficult to believe that God existed at all. Logically it seemed just harder and harder to understand how God could exist in this world we live in. The evil, the pain, the suffering, etc. How could an all powerful being exist and allow all of this to go on?

Then something happened.

A nurse placed a small, wiggling human being in my arms. I looked down at that face and I knew, with no remaining doubt, that there is a God. And as I watch my son from day to day, holding him while he’s sleeping, listening to him laugh and babble and watching his face as he sees things around him for the first time; I know that not only does God exist but he wants us to know joy, peace and love.