The Eye Of Loni's Storm

Writing A Book Blurb

2023-11-12T20:11:00.005-05:00

How do you write the blurb for the back of your book? (AKA - The Jacket Copy; what you find on the back of a paperback; the plot paragraph of a query letter; what your book is about.)

I have attended workshops. I’ve read articles. I’ve done research. How do you condense 100,000 words into one paragraph, a mere handful of sentences? I’ve done it once before. As I get ready to do it again, I find myself trying to remember how I did it the first time. That means diving into my notes.

A couple years ago I went to a workshop and it provided me with guidance that I’m going back to now. That workshop combined with others, combined with my own book blurb reading, combined with internet research, has given me a good idea of how to start writing my latest blurb.

1. The most important thing is a hook. The first sentence should grab a reader, just like the first line of the novel. The first sentence may or may not have the main characters name in it or who the main character is, but I think it should reflect current emotional state of the character. In my novel, the main character starts out appearing pretty calm, and I think I’m going to say that, but that’s not all. I’m going to mention if she’s lonely or isolated or something similar.

2. Bam! I’m going to hit her with the inciting incident.

3. After the inciting incident, where is she now? She certainly not in the same emotional place she was in the beginning.

4. But we need stakes! What are they? Is it life or death? What will she gain or lose? What are the obstacles in her way?

5. Don’t give away the ending! The blurb should be enticing. Throw a cliffhanger on the end. The blurb needs to make people want to read the book.

6. The blurb should be written in the tone of the novel. Is it a cheeky novel? Then it should be a cheeky blurb. Is it a scary novel? Then it should be a scary blurb. Getting the tone right will likely happen in the editing.

7. I was once told that the blurb should be 250-300 words. NO! Don’t do that. A query letter is often 300(ish) words. The blurb should hover around 150 words. I’ve heard that in workshops, seminars, podcasts, videos, etc.

8. Edit, edit and edit some more. The first seven points might get seven sentences to make the blurb, but are they good sentences? The links I’ve included below have steps to writing the one paragraph synopsis. I’ll follow the points I’ve talked about to get the first draft done, but that’s what it is — A first draft. I’m sure the first sentence will change ten times. Maybe more. It will all change. Then change again. Writers write, but they also edit. A lot.

I hope this helps people writing their synopsis. If it doesn’t, see the links below. Something should help, right? While I was writing this, I also wrote the first iteration of the blurb for my WIP. Is it going to stay the same? Nope. Reading it again, I know it needs to change. At least I have something to work with now.

Recent stuff:

I decided that it might be nice sharing what I read, watched, attended, etc. Normally, I think it would be for the week or two previous. Today, let’s go for the month previous.

Posts for Writers:

5 Paying Literary Magazines: https://authorspublish.com/5-paying-literary-magazines-to-submit-to-in-november-2023/

A Guide to Canadian Literary Magazines: https://magazine-awards.com/en/a-guide-to-canadian-literary-mags/

What did I read last month?

She-Hulk by Soule and Pulido: The Complete Collection

The Name of All Things, by Jenn Lyons

Compulsory, by Martha Wells

Split Tooth, by Tanya Tagaq

Lumberjanes Volume #11: Time After Crime

Assistant To The Villain, by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

What have I been listening to?

Podcast: The Shit No One Tells You About Writing. I can’t recommend it enough. They also have a Substack!

Taylor Swift! So much. 1989 at the end of the month, but before that, a lot of Folklore. I took my daughter to see the Eras Tour Movie

Skrillex… Ratata…

Helpful Book Blurb/Jacket Copy Links:

https://blog.reedsy.com/guide/blurb/

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-write-a-back-cover-blurb-that-sells

https://blog.kotobee.com/book-blurb/

On Workshops and Seminars

2023-11-05T17:16:00.000-05:00

I have attended many workshops, seminars and conferences over the years. It’s almost overwhelming to think about. That’s part of the reason I started writing on Substack, I want to share what I’ve learned.

Workshops and seminars have helped me learn and develop. I know I’m a better writer because of them. After going to a couple of events, I joined the Writers’ Community of York Region. Through the WCYR, I have attended workshops and seminars on dialogue, query letters, poetry, plot holes, and more. Eventually, I extended out, joining webinars and conferences put on by various libraries, The FOLD (Festival for Literary Diversity), New England Science Fiction Association, and other organizations. There are so many excellent writing organizations out there. There are local ones, and there are ones that reach out internationally. I don’t even remember all the events that I’ve been to. During COVID, I was able to attend events far out of my area since everything was online.

I wasn’t only listening to speakers and taking notes. I was also participating in interactive workshops. I was writing to prompts, based on topics, images, ideas, that the speaker would give attendees. I was listening and then practicing. I learned and I wrote, more and more.

Am I done learning? No. I think anyone who says yes is fooling themselves. There’s always more to learn. More to practice. You can’t get better at writing if you don’t write. Even if you don’t go and listen to someone speak on a particular subject, you can still benefit from groups where you are writing. Writing to prompts is still one of my favourite things — You never know what is going to come up

A writer friend of mine, hosted a workshop on workshops last spring. One point she made that has stuck with me is: Would I be better off writing? When I see a new seminar or workshop announced by one of the organizations I'm a member of or follow, I ask myself that question now - Would I be better off writing? Those workshops, seminars, and events are a lot of what is fueling my Substack/Newsletter. Sometimes though, the voices are too loud and a story just wants too get out.

I enjoy courses, seminars, workshops, etc., too much to ever stop attending. I’ll always be learning.

What is Speculative Fiction?

2023-10-01T17:30:00.003-04:00

When I think of Speculative Fiction, I think of science fiction and fantasy, and all the genres that fall under those umbrellas. Everything from paranormal romance to dystopias to cyberpunk. Things that don’t fall under the rules of our world. I’ve been asked about the fiction I write recently by a couple of different sources. The novel I’m working on right now is gothic fiction, but the novel I’m querying is epic fantasy. Both fall under speculative fiction, so I thought I’d try to define it; find out what it means to me and maybe what it means to others.

I like the definition I found from Southern New Hampshire University: “With subgenres like fantasy, science fiction, horror, alternate history and more, speculative fiction is an encompassing genre that freely explores possibility and impossibility alike.”

Pretty much what I thought, right?

My question then becomes: is all “fantasy, science fiction, horror, alternate history…” speculative fiction? After some searching on the internet (a very dangerous pastime), I saw that any alternate history, even one without fantastical elements, can be considered speculative. But not all historical fiction is not speculative. Not all science fiction or horror is speculative. All fantasy is, though. As I searched, I came across this simple, yet fantastic diagram by Annie Neugebauer.

Does it answer my question? Yes. I write speculative fiction. Generally speaking, I write fantasy, horror (gothic) and a little sci-fi. They all have some sort of element that is not bound to the rules of our world, whether or not those rules are explicitly stated. There has to be some sort of “world-building”, but not necessarily the epic fantasy, Lord of the Rings style. There should be an explanation (hopefully woven well into the story) about how the story’s world is different from the real world. The definition that Annie Neugebauer comes up with excludes science fiction and horror that doesn’t “speculate”. Basically, science fiction that is based on current technology isn’t speculative, and horror without any supernatural elements isn’t speculative.

This also means that speculative fiction can change over time, as technology and our understanding of the world changes. Genres have been changing for ages. New subgenres are added all the time, (some of which I plan on exploring in my Substack/newsletter – What is Gaslamp?)

Did you know there is a “MasterClass” article on speculative fiction? They call it a “super genre”, which I think is pretty accurate. They cite Margaret Atwood, J. R. R. Tolkien, William Shakespeare, and Euripides as speculative fiction writers.

A few speculative books I’ve enjoyed recently:

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, by Megan Bannen
Network Effect, by Marta Wells
Under the Whispering Door, by T.J. Klune
An Ember in the Ashes, by Sabaa Tahir
Silver in the Wood, by Emily Tesh
Wayward Son, by Rainbow Rowell
Dragons Don’t Eat Meat, by Kim McDougall
Legends & Lattes, by Travis Baldree

I could go on, but I won’t. Network Effect is very different from Under the Whispering Door, but they were both AMAZING. They were all great books, all with something speculative.

I hope this helps anyone who was hoping to better understand Speculative Fiction. Do you write/read speculative fiction? Do you have any questions about it?

Resources:

https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/liberal-arts/speculative-fiction

https://annieneugebauer.com/2014/03/24/what-is-speculative-fiction/

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-speculative-fiction-defining-and-understanding-the-different-genres-of-speculative-fiction

https://bookriot.com/what-is-speculative-fiction/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speculative_fiction

How To End A Short Story

2023-09-17T09:43:00.005-04:00

When Do I Write “The End”?

I love short stories. I love reading them. I love writing them. You can experiment more with your writing in a short story. You’re not investing 100,000 words to see if something works. You’re investing 2,500 (or less, maybe more). They can be a peak into the life of a character.

I’ve read short stories from across genres. From Alice Munro to Stephen King and everything in between. They’re a great way to discover new authors. I often read a short story, then look up the other works of an author (P. Djèlí Clark, N.K. Jemisin, Aliette de Bodard).

One of my problems with short stories: How do you end them? Sometimes I write a story and the end comes naturally. The arc is complete. The main character learned something. A villain was defeated. Someone says something semi-profound or insightful, then BAM! It’s done. Too often, I find myself staring at a paragraph, at something the main character has said or done and wondered: Is this it? Are they done? The story is over, right?

So, how can you (I/we) know when a short story is finished? Short stories often end like novels (but with less words). When I’m not sure if I should continue, or if the story is getting out of control, I need to ask myself some questions.

Has the main character reached a “happily ever after” or “happy for now” point in their lives? Has the conflict been addressed and at least partially resolved? If yes, then I think it’s done.

Is there a twist? Is that little girl not so innocent? Was the kindly neighbour the killer the whole time? The twist has to be carefully crafted, but if it’s done right, surprise! Then the story is over.

Is it a “slice of life” story? Are we opening the door to a moment in time? When the character is ready to move on from the scene, the story is likely over.

Have I written too much and gotten lost? I overwrite. I know I do. Many writers do. Write the extra bit. Maybe it’ll help give reason to a character’s earlier actions. Cut it back during edits.

Can the main character or the very important secondary character walk away? If they turn away from the situation, the story can be done.

Is there an emotional explosion? All that’s been happening takes its toll, then boom! That main character blows up. They yell at everyone, or has a breakdown, or declares their love. When the emotion has run out, the story can too.

Does the main character realize the answer to the question that has been plaguing them all along? If the question is answered, the conflict is over. I can write "the end."

Has the story come full circle? If the main character is back where they started, for good or ill, the story can be done.

I have eight questions I can ask myself when writing (and ending) a short story. Am I an expert in ending short stories? Nope. Part of the reason I started the research was because I was struggling with how to end a story. Why not share what I learned, right? Has this helped me with ending the story? Yes!

Does anyone else struggle with ending short stories? How do you like to end yours? When do you know you’re done?

Resources:

https://thewritelife.com/how-to-end-a-story/

https://thejohnfox.com/2021/02/100-ways-to-end-a-story/

https://www.writersdigest.com/be-inspired/6-tips-for-a-satisfying-short-story-ending

Anatomy of a Query Letter

2023-08-20T19:58:00.006-04:00

A Few Thoughts

I was recently asked to read someone’s query letter. In all honesty, I was gentler than I would have been with someone I knew well, gentler than I wanted to be. I wasn’t sure how to frame my comments. My husband helped and reminded me of the poop (sh*t) sandwich method. Start with something nice, then give the critical feedback, end with something nice. What did I tell this person? Only the truth.

I told them that from their synopsis, I would read the story (an LGBTQ+ historical romance). I thought the synopsis did a good job of showing off their style. - That’s the good part of the sandwich. - I gave a gentle critique of the synopsis, stating that it should be shorter, one to maybe two paragraphs. I also thought the comps (comparative works) that they provided were great. Assuming they were accurate, I think they help define a market/fanbase for the writer’s novel. Sandwich complete.

I did deviate after. I told this person that from what I’ve learned, the query letter should start with a logline/hook. I also gave a few comments regarding query letter structure, which I have seen repeated in most workshops, posts, videos and podcasts. The title of their novel should be the only one in all caps. The other titles (like for comps) should be italicized. Query letters should be double-spaced and one page. I personally add in personalizations for the agent, so sometimes my query letter slides onto page two.

I’d like to do a deeper dive into what I’ve learned about querying and query letters. I am currently querying an adult epic fantasy novel and I’ve been to more workshops than I can count. I’ve watched multiple panels, participated in one. I listened to The Shit No One Tells You About Writing and found Perfect Pitch from Eric Smith. I’ve changed my query letter between rounds of querying.

I’m still unagented in case anyone is wondering.

The point, I suppose, is that I feel like I have a lot of query letter info stored in my brain and when someone asks to share it, I want to. Even if I’m not getting an agent right now, maybe I can help someone else. Since I told a lot of the above to someone I didn’t know, I’m going to tell anyone and everyone who reads this. I’ll include links too! Resources are important. Any help crafting a query letter is worth it.

https://www.theshitaboutwriting.com/

https://www.ericsmithrocks.com/perfect-pitch

What I Read On Vacation

2023-08-14T18:46:00.001-04:00

I read 8 books on vacation. 8 books! In 2 weeks. I wouldn’t say that would be impossible during a regular 2 week, if the books were short and we threw a bunch of comics in there too. I read in the car. It was a road trip. We stopped in Quebec, had 2 stops in Nova Scotia and stayed for a while in Prince Edward Island. I love it out east. I love PEI. To get to all those places though, took a lot of car time. So I read.

The road trip booklist consisted of:

Burr, by Brooke Lockyer
Chrysalis, by Anuje Varghese
Pumpkinheads, by Rainbow Rowell & Faith Erin Hicks
The Heart Principle, by Helen Hoang
Rapture in Death, by J.D. Robb
Dragons Don’t Eat Meat, by Kim McDougall
Dragon Actually, by G.A. Aiken
Drunk on Love, Jasmine Guillory

I also started Stardust, by Neil Gaiman (which I have since finished). In the car, with eastern Canada zooming by, I wanted love and action. I wanted cute moments that would send my heart aflutter. I wanted to be absorbed by the worlds the authors created. Some were better than others at achieving this, some were too good, and my husband and family would have to shout to get my attention. Sometimes I’d get lost in a thought and find myself staring at the trees of New Brunswick or the winding coast of Nova Scotia. Sometimes I’d be reading on a beach in PEI.

It was a great trip with great friends, beautiful coasts, and relaxation. I’m excited for the next time we head out on the road.

Do you have a genre you love to read on vacation? Is it always the same?

Loving Banned Books

2023-06-06T18:17:00.004-04:00

Here’s the thing: I kinda love Banned Books lists. Why? Because I like to see which of these banned books I’ve read. It makes me weirdly satisfied to know that I read a book, liked it (maybe loved it) and I’ve somehow defied the people who want to get rid of them.

My children are getting older and their reading is starting to overlap with mine. Either they’re reading books I or my husband read when we were younger, or they’re reading more recent books that we’ve enjoyed. Knowing my children are defying people who want to ban books is also satisfying. This school year, my daughter read The Book Thief for class and LOVED it. It was a group read with a few others in the class. They all loved it. They were excited by it. They told the rest of the class they got the best book out of all the selections. I’m waiting for my children to read more "banned books" and then for us scoff at the people who tried to get rid of them.

A few books I've read that have been banned or were threatened to be banned in various parts of the world:

The Color Purple
Fahrenheit 451
To Kill A Mockingbird
The Handmaid's Tale
1984
The Giver
Brave New World
The Satanic Verses
The Harry Potter Series
Lives of Girls and Women
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Where the Wild Things Are

You can find these books and many other amazing books listed in the links below

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/banned-books/_/N-rtm

https://bannedbooksweek.org/

https://www.cbc.ca/books/29-books-that-were-challenged-in-canada-1.4551912

https://www.rd.com/list/banned-books/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_books_banned_by_governments

https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/1417106201/im-with-the-banned-books-cover-poster

How many banned books have you read?

Are You Ready To Take Over The Family Business?

2023-05-20T21:09:00.003-04:00

A Trope Question - Come On A Journey With Me

I have a plot question and I’ve wondered if it actually happens in real life. Do parents really expect their children to taking over “the family business”? It’s something I’ve been seeing on screen and in books forever. The earliest example I can think of encountering is While You Were Sleeping with Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman and the most reason is Book Lovers, by Emily Henry. I understand the idea of wanting to build something for your family, so support and sustain them. I understand the pride of creating something to pass down to your children. Yet surely a mature adult will understand that their children grow to be their own people, and might have hopes and dreams that differ from theirs.

Do I understand parents putting pressure on their children? Of course. That’s a different talking.

I think it’s time to search for the “Family Business” trope.

Okay, Googling “the family business trope” led me to some mafia movies. Not what I was looking for…

Searching “taking over the family business trope” led me to tvtropes.org and this link: tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FamilyBusiness which I think explains it pretty well. It’s a relatively common trope used in all genres, not just the romantic comedy.

I also found an interesting article in the Harvard Business review about family businesses and how from large to small, families stay in the business, even if some lines of logic think eventually the “family” should be taken out of the business and led by professional management: https://hbr.org/1976/07/transferring-power-in-the-family-business

From my brief dip into researching the “family business trope”, I’ve learned that it’s something that happens now and has been happening for a long time. How many families pressure children into taking over a business they don’t want? I guess there’s no way of knowing how often that happens in real life. It does happen though. Searching “people who don't want to take over the family business” led me to these top two results: https://www.thomasnet.com/insights/10-reasons-why-your-kids-don-t-want-to-take-over-the-family-business/ and https://www.rbcwealthmanagement.com/en-us/insights/business-succession-when-your-kids-dont-want-to-take-the-reins. So, it happens. Often enough that resources exist to help people whose children do not want to take over their business.

I learned something about the real life inspiration for a popular trope. I have resources if this ever becomes a part of one of my stories. Hopefully, this helps someone else out there too.

Some Thoughts on Procrastination

2023-05-07T19:18:00.001-04:00

Is Substack a new way for me to procrastinate? I have a blog I started way back in 2006, and I wrote a lot. I used to post all the time. What if I had spent that time writing a novel or short stories?

Maybe I wasn't ready for that.

The year I started my blog, I got married. Soon after, I had children. Work, responsibilities, busy, busy, busy. Blogging was a fun break.

I think I’ve decided… When I have something non-fiction-esque to say, I can say it here, on Substack.

Why not on the blog anymore? Well, I will cross-post there, but this platform offers something different. It's like a blog, MailChimp and Twitter (old Twitter) rolled into one. So far, I like it. Will that change? Well see.

It's also done a good job of enabling my procrastination. I need to create a limit for myself, since querying my fantasy novel and writing my gothic novel are my priorities. I don't want my new Substack to whither and die, therefore I think I should also set a minimum for myself. Three posts/articles/letters per month. I don't want to get districted: maximum six. I'd like to average four posts per month / once per week. That's reasonable, right? Will that change? Probably.

Does this count? It's just me thinking out loud (on fake paper).

It probably counts.

How do you procrastinate?

First appeared on my Substack

I started a Substack

2023-05-02T20:26:00.002-04:00

I thought I would cross-post here since I still have love for my blog.

On my writing journey, I’ve learned a lot. I’ve gone to conferences and festivals, taken courses and gone to workshops. The most recent of them from the WCYR (I’m a member of the WCYR - Writer’s Community of York Region) and the FOLD (Festival of Literary Diversity).

What is my first Substack going to be about? Query letters! That’s not only what’s on my mind, it’s also important to any writer who wants to be traditionally published. In simple terms, a query letter is a writer’s introduction to an agent who they want to represent them. (They can also be sent to some publishers directly, typically small presses, who do not require writers to be represented by an agent, but we’re going to focus on agents.)

On the first day of the FOLD, my query letter was presented on the panel “The Sh*t No One Tells You About Writing” based on the popular podcast. It was an exciting moment for me. Each agent (Kelvin Kong, CeCe Lyra, Carly Watters, Léonicka Valcius) presented a query letter. They then discussed the letter, what worked and didn't work, then talked about the author’s first five pages. Not only was the feedback for my query letter valuable, but so was the feedback the agents gave the other writers.

How did I get to that point? How did I create a query letter I was ready to give to agents? I went to workshops. So many. I did research. (I’ve included a few links below). The best information I got about how to write a query letter was attending presentations. Before “The Sh*t No One Tells You About Writing”, I attended presentations given by Farah Heron, Greg Ioannou, and MJ Moores, among others. I attended workshops where I could submit my letter and get personal feedback. There are free workshops out there. I've gone to ones put on by local libraries and writers groups. If time is an issue, listen to a podcast like The Sh*t No One Tells You About Writing. There are others out there.

Remember, the letter needs to entice an agent to want to read your work and give them a sense of who you are. I hope we can all get our query letters right.

Check me out here: https://lonicameron.substack.com/

Non-exhaustive references and resources:

https://www.theshitaboutwriting.com/

https://thefoldcanada.org

https://wcyork.ca

https://www.carlywatters.com/2013/11/04/how-to-write-a-book-synopsis/

https://www.writerswrite.co.za/how-to-write-a-query-letter-in-12-easy-steps/

https://www.writersdigest.com/getting-published/tips-on-writing-query-letters-to-publishers-and-literary-agents

https://www.writersdigest.com/publishing-insights/how-to-write-successful-queries-for-any-genre-of-writing

https://thefoldcanada.org/festival-events/the-festival-of-literary-diversity/schedule/3-the-sht-no-one-tells-you-about-writing/

https://www.ericsmithrocks.com/perfect-pitch

https://farahheron.com/

https://mjmoores.com/

It's January!

2023-01-06T21:58:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year! This is my second day back in the real world. I took time off with the family. I have to take the time while the children are still young, when they actually want to spend time with me. I dread the day when they’re too cool for me.

Since I’m back in the world, I wanted to share what I’ve been reading and watching. I’m halfway through The Hacienda by Isabel Canas. It came in from the eLibrary the other day and I’m loving it. The story is amazing; the characters are so real and Canas writes beautifully. I feel like I’ve picked out 100 amazing sentences already!

Before that, I read Crumbs, by Danie Stirling. It is the CUTEST. I loved it so much.

Before that, I was swimming in holiday tales, including The Girl Who Saved Christmas, by Matt Haig. Not only was it sweet, but real, it reminded me that I needed to read The Radleys.

I also just finished watching The Ways of the Househusband, an anime of Netflix. I needed something fun during the craziness of the holidays. I’ve watched a few cute animes on Netflix in recent months. Romantic Killer and Blue Period, to name a couple more.

What’s next in my reading/watching life? Probably Lumberjanes #10 or Love on the Brain. Maybe Wednesday.

What Happened In 2022

2022-12-19T20:34:00.001-05:00

I got a little upset with social media and the internet this past year. I started avoiding my social media and my blog. I was the victim of hacking/phishing with one of my accounts. It was a personal account too, full of pictures of my children. I wrote a whole big, long, angry rant, but I'm leaving it unpublished. Instead, I'd rather focus on happier things.

I have a novel. Completed. That I've started querying. It's scary, but I'm doing it anyway.

What I really want for my blog is to reflect the creator I am, regardless of whether anyone reads blogs anymore (from what I hear, the answer is, no).

I also got my Goodreads year in books. I read A LOT this year. I can probably get another book or two in this year. The audio book for Michelle Obama's The Light We Carry just came in for me at the library. I'll probably be listening to that this evening.

What's next for me? More reading. More writing. Some more cute animes on Netflix. Marvel shows. More time with my children. What does 2023 have in store for any of us?

Goodbye 2021, Hello 2022

2022-02-06T09:49:00.002-05:00

I started this post way back on January 2nd. Did it go anywhere? Not until today.

I usually do some sort of Old Year/New Year post. I guess this is it. Over there (to my left) are the books I read in 2021. As you might be able to tell, romance was on the upswing again this past year. What was surprising for me was that non-fiction was as well. One of the best books I read last year was You'll Never Believe What Happened To Lacey. Also, Barack Obama's A Promised Land.

Which leads us into February and Black History Month. Need something to read? I definitely recommend those two books. Also, out of last year's list, How To Be and Antiracist. Want something more romantic? Act Your Age, Eve Brown and The A.I. Who Loved Me. Want an adventure? How about the novella, A Dead Djinn In Cairo. I need to read all of Clark's story in this universe.

I've been working with a few "Diversity and Inclusion" groups at my company. I may have mentioned it before. I appreciate the work that they (we) have been doing. They've got a lot going on for Black History Month, and I'm eager to go to their virtual events. It was with one of the groups that I was inspired to write "Where Are You From?". I've also learned about interesting people like George Washington Carver and Lincoln Alexander. I hope that the other people at my company are learning too.

I really had my fingers crossed that the pandemic would be over by now. But nope. I won't get into all the reasons why that likely isn't the case. More time for reading and writing, I guess.

Last Week In Media Consumed

2021-10-06T07:29:00.000-04:00

What did I consume?

Books and Television, of course!

First - You'll Never Believe What Happened To Lacey: Crazy Stories about Racism, by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar. So good. If you're not familiar with Amber Ruffin, you should check out her show on Peacock (and YouTube). She also writes for Seth Meyers and appears on that show. She is hilarious. I love her sense of humour and thoroughly enjoy her. Lacey is Amber's sister, who still lives in Omaha, where Amber and their siblings grew up. The things people say would never happen in New York (where Amber lives) or in the Toronto area (where I live). I've had people say stupid things to me before, but Lacey's stories are RIDICULOUS. (When I say "ridiculous" I mean it in the most sad, depressing sort of way, where things are awful, but you have to have a sense of humour about it, otherwise you'd go insane.)

Only Murders In The Building - At first, I was not interested. Then I saw a couple interviews with the cast and I heard good things from other people. So I watched. I'm all in now. It's so good. Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez are such an odd combination, but I love it. Plus, Tina Fey. She's amazing whenever her character shows up. Nathan Lane is perfect. The story seems light, but dark. I supposed the same could be same for You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey. Only Murders In The Building is on Hulu in the States (apparently). It's on Disney+ in Canada. (We don't get Hulu.) Thank you to whoever made sure this show ended up where I could watch it. I can't wait to find out what happens next!

What's Been Happening - Summer 2021

2021-09-19T09:59:00.001-04:00

The summer was busy. Maybe busier than I was prepared for, since 2020 was a COVID summer.

This year, I did a couple really good things that I wanted to share.

I participated in Culture Days. The WCYR (the writing community I volunteer with) put together a recording of 10 writers reading from their work. I was excited to be included. I was also quite nervous. You can check out me and the other participants here. You can learn more about Culture Days here.

I think one of the most important things I did was post "Where Are You From?" in June. The title seems innocuous, but it is not an innocuous question when the person asking refuses to take your first answer at face value. I was nervous. I hope no one can tell. I haven't actually watched myself yet. BUT - Check out the post for some of my feelings on that.

I received an evaluation on a manuscript I've been working on. I'm going to rewrite about half of it. Good times.

The best books I read were probably Barack Obama's, A Promised Land, and Kelley Armstrong's Lost Souls. Two very different books. I thoroughly enjoyed them both. I couldn't recommend them enough. A Promised Land also cemented for me that non-fiction is my preference for audio books. Lost Souls reminded me that I am enamoured by Gabriel Walsh and I need to finish the Cainsville series.

Movies - I watched Black Widow. What else? It's escaping me. The Half of It on Netflix. I thought it was going to be cute - and it was - but I also cried a little.

Television - Hmm... I watched Godzilla: Singular Point, an anime. I thought the two main characters were adorable. Also anime, Dota: Dragon's Blood. Have you watched The Dragon Prince (I'm waiting on the next season)? Dota is The Dragon Pince for grownups. I've also been obsessively re-watching Avatar: The Last Airbender. I still love that show. My daughter loves as well. We're always looking for shows we can watch together.

Like, Loki. We're all in on Loki. Forever. Let's smash the sacred timeline.

The Dota: Dragon's Blood trailor:

Where Are You From?

2021-06-13T10:53:00.000-04:00

At my day job, I volunteered to write a blog post inspired by an article a D&I (Diversity and Inclusion) committee member came across. It was shared on the company's intranet. I got positive feedback from the committee members and a few others, but I don't really know how many people saw it. I really wanted to share it with more people. So, here it is....

What are you? Where are you from? Where are you really from?

Sometimes I think about context. Context is important. If we've recently met, there is the potential for friendship, this is something that could be asked.

Where are you from?

When I answer, Toronto or Canada/Ontario, that should be accepted. Maybe there is a response, like, what part of Toronto (Canada/Ontario)? Or, I love Toronto! Or, are you a fan of the Raptors/Leafs/Blue Jays? Or, have you been to the ROM/AGO/Canada's Wonderland? Or even, Toronto sucks! I love Montreal/Vancouver/Halifax.

A follow up question is fine, like where is your family from? Or what I find more acceptable, what is your background?

The question I hate. HATE - Where are you really from?

I hate when I get asked that question. Deeply.

Where are you really from? Like I can't possibly be from Canada.

The question is often responded to with a look, one that makes the questioner act as though I'm being difficult. You know what? I am being difficult. I know what they want to know, what answer they want me to give. I want to be difficult. I want the person asking the question to know that I don't like it. At this point, I want them to know I don’t like them.

The question is dismissive. Of me. Of my story. Of my history. It is the search for a label. So that they can tuck me away in a box. Categorize me.

When I was young, I answered the question. I hoped to avoid conflict. Honestly, safety was a consideration. As I got older, I grew more confident (and annoyed), so my answers became snarky, sassy, rude, though not so much when the questions happened at my place of employment. I was always aware of context, but at a certain point, my answer to, "where are you really from?" became, “No, really, I'm from Toronto. Born and raised.” When I got, the look, I'd give them a look back. A look that plainly expressed what I thought of their question.

If a person wants to know about someone's background, it can be okay to ask them. It’s part of getting to know someone. I know the backgrounds of many friends and colleagues, their families are from Jamaica, Scotland, Taiwan and many other places. The questions happen naturally. Often these parts of a person are revealed through conversations about food, hobbies, and childhood. If a person is just dying to know what a person’s cultural or ethnic background is, maybe they should ask themselves, why? Why is it that one of the first questions they want to ask is “what are you?” or “were are you from?” Why not ask about where they grew up or what school they went to? Ask about what they did on the weekend or what they like to do for fun. There are so many more wonderful, kind, inclusive ways to ask about a person’s history.

We're Halfway Through April, Aren't We?

2021-04-18T10:41:00.000-04:00

It's been about a month. I've been consuming a lot of media. What else is there to do? I'm trying not to let my disappointment and frustration with the vaccine rollout in Canada keep me down. It's hard though.

I also wrote a piece for the Diversity and Inclusion group at my day job. I know that based on what the word count limits are for communications, it's going to get cut down. I also tried to temper the emotional aspects of the piece. However, I have my very own blog. I'm going to give it a little edit and post it here later this week, I think.

What have I consumed and enjoyed in the last month-ish?

I read...

Mexican Gothic. Yes. So good. Read it. I'm really feeling the gothic genre right now. Gothic in 1950 Mexico!

Luck of the Draw and I cried. A lot. It was so sad, though maybe I was releasing some other emotions too. Because it's a romance, I was happy at the end.

Artificial Condition, the second installment in the The Murderbot Diaries. I still love Murderbot. I want to know where their adventure is going to take them next!

Immortal In Death, the third In Death book. I definitely have heart eyes for Eve Dallas and Roarke I wonder if when JD Robb wrote about Eve's engagement, she imagined there would be 50 more books after.

I watched...

WandaVision <3

Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I <3 Bucky.

Zack Snyder's Justice League. I think my heart fluttered a little when Barry saved Iris.

Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. I'd seen both already, but my daughter was in the mood, so we watched all of Korra again and a few favourite episodes of Avatar. I love those series.

History of Swear Words on Netflix. It's really good. Interesting in a way I didn't expect.

Dota: Dragon's Blood. My friend recommended it. It's like a cross between The Dragon Prince and Castlevania. At least that's what I thought as I watched. She called it "The Dragon Prince for grownups."

Star Trek: Lower Decks. I really needed that show.

I submitted a couple short stories. Got a rejection. Good times.

I ate some Popeye's and it was SO GOOD. I'm really appreciating Skip the Dishes lately.

How has your spring been so far?

I Made Some Lists!

2021-03-18T09:09:00.001-04:00

I have been working on various Diversity and Inclusion tasks at my day job. I'm really excited that they are letting me/us/the committee do this work. Some of the things I've written or been involved with are serious and others are just fun. I like and appreciate both. Last week I made a couple lists to post about Women's History Month and the month before I created a list of books for Black History Month. I thought I'd share them here, because who doesn't want recommendations of great books, movies and television shows featuring under-represented groups.

For Black History Month, myself and other team members shared a variety of recommended books. I've read all the books except for the new releases.

1. How to Be an Anti-Racist – By Ibram X. Kendi

Part memoir, part instruction manual, this book really makes you think about behaviour, while tugging at your heartstrings.

2. Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston

Classic, poignant, a definite favourite. A strong African-American woman living her life the way she wants during a time where it was almost impossible to do so.

3. Go Tell It on a Mountain, by James Baldwin

Inspired by his own life, Go Tell It on the Mountain, tells the story of a young black man struggling with his identity.

4. The Color People, by Alice Walker

Probably on a lot of Black History Month book lists, but if you haven’t read The Color Purple, you really should. A powerful novel.

5. The Complete Collection of Poetry, by Maya Angelou

When people mention Maya Angelou and recommend her work, they talk about Why the Caged Bird Sings, but today, we’re recommending her poetry. It is poetry that paints a picture of her life and experiences.

6. Children of Blood and Bone, by Tomi Adeyemi

For all the fantasy lovers all there, this story takes place in a fantasy version of Africa. It is filled with adventure and strong characters.

7. Kindred, by Octavia E. Butler

Classified as “science-fiction”, Kindred crosses literary boundaries. Tense and Heartrending, a modern classic.

Now for a few new releases…

8. Concrete Rose, by Angie Thomas

The latest book by Angie Thomas, the author is ready to make another statement about the life of a black teen in America.

9. You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey – By Lacey Lamar and Amber Ruffin

Watching Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar talk about the book makes it a must read. A book that will make you laugh and cry.

10. A Promised Land, by Barack Obama

Another new release and one that this list couldn’t be without.

List #2 - Women's History Month TV and Movie recommendations. It was a less detailed list.

1. Hidden Figures

2. Mulan

3. Girlfriends

4. WandaVision

5. Captain Marvel

6. Wonder Woman

7. Mean Girls

8. A League of Their Own

9. Clueless

10. Alien

Another less detailed list. Books to honour/celebrate Women's History Month. Also put together by myself and a couple coworkers. The books are varied. Fiction, non-fiction. General fiction, graphic novels, mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, even poetry.

1. Hidden Figures, by Margot Lee Shetterly (it was a book before it was a movie)

2. I am Malala, by Malala Yousafzai

3. Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley (Where would monster stories be without her?)

4. Milk and Honey, by Rupi Kaur

5. Lumberjanes (graphic novel series), by Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters, etc.

6. Kindred, by Octavia E. Butler (I think I recommend this one a lot)

7. Captain Marvel: Higher, Further, Faster, More, by Kelly Sue DeConnick (The whole series is good.)

8. Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi

9. Becoming, by Michelle Obama

10. Naked in Death, by J.D. Robb

11. The Scorpio Races, by Maggie Stiefvater

12. The Temperance Brennan Series (Bones), by Kathy Reichs

13. Little Women, by Lousia May Alcott

14. Cat’s Eye & The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood.

15. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë

I hope that the people we created these lists for (coworkers) took in some of the titles and watched or read the recommendations. The ones I haven't read/watched were contributed by others who had.

I Learned Something About Myself

2021-03-14T11:14:00.010-04:00

The Pouch of Douglas (be warned). I was watching Hannah Gadsby’s show, Douglas on Netflix. Now here we are. (The bit is at the end of the post.) Really, I think it's important. I learned about a part of my body that I didn't know existed. Also, it came during a part of Hannah Gadsby's show that had me feeling like, why had men named all the things? and, couldn't they come up with better names? If you have watched Douglas (and if you haven't, I recommend that you do), another part that made me laugh so hard and wonder so much, was that piece of fabric up a lady's bum in a renaissance painting. It was a choice. The artist chose to take the time to paint that!

What else did last week bring me? A re-watch of the last three episodes of Lucifer on Netflix. Because, why not?

My daughter is obsessed with Julie and the Phantoms. Have you seen it? It's cute. Great for teens and tweens, I think. The music is enjoyable and will have you singing along. It's a hidden gem. A song from episode 2 below.

I finished Maya Angelou's Complete Poetry. It's brilliant. If you haven't read her poems, I highly recommend them. Some are fun, others are heartbreaking. They're beautiful, lyrical, and take you on a journey.

With a vacancy in my reading list (not reall), I started Meg Cabot's Mediator series. The first book is Shadowland, featuring a teen protagonist who can see ghosts. She even punches one! It's also giving me some 90's feels. It was published in 2000, which means it was likely written a couple years before. The late 90's were some good years. Maybe that's one of things I like about Julie and the Phantoms. The Phantoms died in the 90's. I also just enjoy Meg Cabot's books.

I have been advised that should start a newsletter. What would I write in it? That I have a new blog post up? Bits from those posts? Link to books recs? Other bloggers? Could I include things from the WCYR? How long would it have to be? It's already giving me anxiety and I haven't even started anything yet. I'd need some kind of email signature/logo, which also has to be done.

The sky is darkening. Maybe it's time to stop thinking about things that make my tension level increase.

Let's Reflect

2021-03-01T21:46:00.000-05:00

In my last post, I was reflecting on interracial romances where neither of the main characters are white. I totally forgot about Alyssa Cole's Can't Escape Love, part of her Reluctant Royals series. I haven't read it yet, but since finishing Take a Hint, Dani Brown, I think it might be my next romance. Luckily it's available at my local eLibrary.

I also read The Prince and the Dressmaker. It is sweet, interesting, loving and just tugged at my heartstrings. Frances and Sebastian are so cute. I highly recommend it. I want my children to read it too.

Egyptian Steampunk also might be my new favourite genre. At least one I need to explore more. I read the short story/novella A Dead Djinn in Cairo, and it was so good. I love, LOVE, Fatma el-Sha'arawi. I checked, and P. Djèli Clark has two more stories set in this world. It seems like the second one doesn't have Agent Fatma as the main character, but I'm fine with that. She's back by the third (yet to be published) story.

I watched some good TV/movies too. After seeing Regé-Jean Page on Saturday Night Live, I decided it was time to watch Bridgerton. Since it's so popular, I didn't expect it to be bad, but I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I will admit that I watched is all in one day. Also, I could listen to Julie Andrews' voice all day long.... wait, I practically did that.

I also decided it was time to watch the things languishing in my Netflix queue. I scrolled with my eyes closed and watched what my finger landed on. The first was Warrior Nun. With a title like that, I knew I had to at least try it out. I thoroughly enjoyed Ada and Mary. I also really want to know what happens and if there will be another season.

Next, I landed on Howl's Moving Castle, an anime movie from 2004. I liked the idea of the girl turning into an old woman and getting to know Howl from that perspective. I don't know how I feel about her befriending the witch who cursed her though. I'm three episodes into Dragon's Dogma, an anime series. I think I'm liking the random choices on Netflix. I know there have been two animes in the last week, but the stories are very different. Howl's Moving Castle has a sweetness to it. Dragon's Dogma is messed up.

This post is definitely not as deep as the last one. Maybe it's less "thinking about books" and more "Netflix queue", but sometimes, that's what you need.

Twitter Made Me Think About Romance

2021-02-10T09:52:00.001-05:00

I was casually scrolling through Twitter, when I came upon a question that made me think. A person was asking for reading recommendations. She wanted an inter-racial romance novel where neither of the characters were white. I love inter-racial romances. Probably because I'm in one. I don't need them to parallel my life or anything. I'm just always curious about cultures coming together, what obstacles are in their way, etc. I've read some great ones. My favourites are probably The Kiss Quotient, by Helen Hoang, The Wedding Date, by Jasmine Guillory, and Get a Life, Chloe Brown, by Talia Hibbert. As much as I loved these books, they weren't what the person was looking for. After The Wedding Date, Jasmine Guillory wrote, The Proposal, which features a latinx man and black woman. Suddenly, I felt like this was a challenge. What other ones have I read or do I own?

The Proposal, by Jasmine Guillory

The A.I. Who Loved Me, by Alyssa Cole

Take A Hint, Dani Brown, by Talia Hibbert

That's it. I'm sure there are other books out there. I've read the first two books. They were fantastic. I really could gush about both of them, and their authors. The third is sitting in my Kobo app, waiting for me. Can anyone suggest a book to add to my to-read list for this particular sub-sub (or whatever) section of the romance genre?

The Last Week Or Two

2021-02-07T11:04:00.001-05:00

I didn't post last week (I've been aiming for once a week). Why? I spent the weekend attending DVCON and it was been great. Really good panels. Really good people. To be honest, some of what the panels talked about I already knew since I've been a member of the WCYR for a few years. What I found invaluable was how the same things I've already learned can be changed / altered / influenced by the fact that I'm a visible minority / marginalized / diverse voice. Perspective can really change so much. It was the first DVCON, born from #DVPit. It was free, but I would have paid to go. The information and inspiration was fantastic. I also "met" some great people. We've followed each other on Twitter and Instagram. I've also joined a couple Discord groups, which typically isn't my thing (I have a hard time with chat rooms), but everyone has been sharing information and supporting each other. I've watched people find Critique Partners and Beta Readers. Writing can be so isolating, and if you're not part of some kind of group, it can be difficult to get the feedback you need to grow. Friends and family worry about your feelings and don't necessarily have the insight another writer does.

I finished: How to be an Anti-Racist, by Ibram X. Kendi. It was so good, so interesting. I listened to the audiobook. I really liked his reading style (is that a thing?). How to be an Anti-Racist was part memoir, part history lesson, part instruction manual. It was so engaging, that when it got to the end (I won't tell you what happened), I was concerned and ready to cry. I really can't recommend this book enough.

I finished: We Hunt the Flame, by Hafsah Faizal. I've had it sitting in my Kindle app for a while. When I signed up for DVCON and she was going to be speaking, I knew I had to read it. It was so good. Just so good. I enjoyed the world, the characters, the story. Everything. I can't wait to read the sequel. I also enjoyed the panel and what she had to say. She/they offered us information I had not considered before. I'm definitely ready for the sequel, which was just released.

I finished: The A.I. Who Loved Me, by Alyssa Cole. Alyssa Cole has become one of my favourite romance authors. I'm pretty much ready to ready anything she writes. She blends romance into other genres that she writes in. The A.I. Who Loved Me is a near-future sci-fi romance. I thought there would only be a little sci-fi in the novel, but it surprised me. The Hive is very scary, like if Amazon ruled the US. I wonder if Cole will write more stories set in this world. I also saw her speak at DVCON. I think I could listen to her talk about writing and stories all day.

I finished: Lumberjanes: Stone Cold, by Shannon Watters, et al. I love Lumberjanes. I've been reading them for a few years. Stone Cold is the 8th volume in the series. I feel like "don't make assumptions" and "don't judge a book by it's cover" were really prevalent in the story. Also, "friendship to the max". I haven't met a Lumberjane I didn't like.

I also binged the Thor movies with my daughter. I think she wanted to watch Loki (who doesn't). We ended up watching the first Avengers movie too. It was fun. She knew a surprising amount of behind-the-scenes stuff and I asked her if she Googled MCU stuff. Not specifically. She Googled Iron Man stuff (her favourite superhero) and fell down the internet MCU rabbit hole.

What's coming up this week? More work on the edits for my manuscript. Maybe updating the Me! and Writing Life portions of the blog. Edits again. Contemplating the fate of the characters in the manuscript. Reading some more poems by Maya Angelou. Maybe writing some new words for my next novel.

Last Week I Decided to Expand My Writing Community

2021-01-24T10:35:00.003-05:00

I registered for DVCON. It was created from #DVPit. I am very excited for the first ever DVCON. I'm excited for the writers that will be speaking, the seminars, the people. It really seems like there's a community there. They have social hours and events on Discord too.

Also, quick question - Does everyone use Discord now?

I also registered for Boskone 58. It's the convention for the New England Science Fiction Association. The con is all about sci-fi and fantasy. More topics I can be excited about. It seems pretty big. February 12 to 14, there are multiple speakers at every time slot. How am I going to choose?

I did some Pajama Writing with Inkslingers. At various times of the week, Inkslingers is inviting writers to to spend an hour totally focused on writing. Close the door, turn off phones, no social media. Pick an intention/project, post it in the chat and then get to work. At the end, writers are invited to post a line that they wrote (or edited) that evening/morning/afternoon.

What's a talk about writing communities without my own writing community, the WCYR (Writers Community of York Region). I say mine, because these are my friends, colleagues, co-conspirators. I've met so many wonderful writers over the years, people who are quirky, and weird, just like me. I'm registered for the February and March events. I'm looking forward to them. I've gone to many and will be going to more workshops. I love a good workshop. The WCYR also currently hosts two virtual write-ins a week (sorry, members only). MJ Moores wrote about it on the WCYR blog. Even though it's on Zoom, I feel like I've connected with other writers I might not have seen at the in-person events.

I miss in-person events though. I never thought of myself as a big hugger, but I miss hugs.

Apps - For the Reading and the Writing

2021-01-18T21:03:00.001-05:00

New Year, new reading and writing goals. For a reason I can't remember now, something sparked my curiosity, and I began looking at book-related apps. There are quite a few. Some of them, I already use. Others, I used in the past, but stopped. I thought I'd share some of the apps I currently enjoy... Here are the book and writing apps that I use.

Book Tracking:

Leio

I discovered a few years ago that when it comes to reading, I like to see my progress, especially when working my way through big books. I think I'm halfway done, but am I really? Leio gives me all the information I want. I also really like that Leio predicts the date I will finish the book. It motivates me to finish the book even sooner (sometimes). The interface is simple and easy to navigate. Some people are familiar with Bookly, which does many of the same things. Why not use it instead? (It's got the cute factor.) I did use Bookly for over a year. With several of the updates, the features I liked were slowly becoming part of the premium version. I got frustrated, so I deleted it and found Leio instead.

Goodreads

Most readers are familiar with Goodreads, right? Has it gotten more commercial over the years? Amazon did buy it, after all. I think it's still a useful reading tool. I don't see myself ever giving it up. It's got my library. I save books I want to read so I don't forget about them. One of my favourite things is their end of the year wrap up. I love seeing all the books I read, which was the longest and shortest. All the stats from the whole year. It makes me happy.

eReading:

iBooks

I use iBooks the least (sorry). That's mostly because it can only be used on Apple devices. I have a PC and other non-Apple products, so, ya.

Kindle

I was using Kindle the most. I really like it's interface and the adjustments you can make so that it suits you. It was an easy reading experience. I like how it saves notes and highlights.

Kobo

I've started using Kobo more and more this past year. I really like how you can customize your home screen. It helps me pick the next book I want to read or reminds of the books I "aught" to be reading. I find it nicely tailored to me, and I can edit which types of books are displayed. Kindle's home has mostly become advertising with only a few of my own books showing up. I'm also trying to buy less from Amazon, though I know several indie-authors and they want me to buy Kindle, so that's what I will do for them.

I'm going to stop before this gets all philosophical. This is about apps. Kobo has become the one I use the most.

Time to turn to the other eReading apps, Library Apps.

Libby

I LOVE Libby. I really do. I like reading on it, though one of its last few updates changed the interface enough that I had a hard time finding some of the stats info. But I adapted and I love it again. I like searching for books on it. I think Libby has done a decent job of getting that "browsing" feeling to translate to the app. It's obviously not the same as going into a real library or bookstore. I appreciate the feature sections. They're always highlighting Ontario authors (we're in Ontario). There's a "Just Added" section. They rotate through different highlighted areas, "Diverse Voices", "Indigenous Voices", "Action Packed Adventures", "Love Through the Ages", and more. Like a display inside an actual library or bookstore. There is so much I enjoy about this app. I can't recommend it enough.

Hoopla

While Libby offers many graphic novels and audio books, Hoopla has it beat. Which is understandable since I think they're supposed to work together. They're both "powered" by the same library. If you're a comic nerd, but don't want to spend thousands of dollars on every series. Use Hoopla. Is it the same as reading an actual comic in your hand? No. But that goes for any book versus ebook. They added some She-Hulk comics and I'm excited. They also offer comics that are out-of-print or hard to find. You want to read some Avengers from the 1960's, Hoopla will help you do that. Did I mention they offer music and movies? It's a great library app. Paired with Libby, what more could you need?

CloudLibrary

You could need CloudLibrary. CloudLibrary drives me a bit nuts. I don't like their homepage. I do not enjoy the browsing. When I use CloudLibrary, it's because I'm looking for a specific book. I search and they either have it or they don't. Why do I use it? One of the libraries I belong to switched from Libby to CloudLibrary. Why? Book availability, I think. CloudLibrary just has more books. Things I can't find on Libby, I can find there. Waitlist times are greatly reduced. a 6 month wait at Libby might be 10 days at CloudLibrary. So, depending on what I want to read and how long I have to wait for it, I might choose CloudLibrary.

Time for some writing apps.

Scrivener

I buckled down and got even "even though I have Word". I have it on my iPad and PC, which is a bit of a pain to sync (I'm hoping they make it compatible with Google Drive or iCloud). Over the last year or so, I've begun to enjoy writing on Scrivener. There's a steep learning curve, but once you push through, Scrivener is great. I am also really enjoying/appreciating the iPad app. I often feel trapped behind my computer, in the same space all day, since I also work from home. The app lets me go to my reading nook and write there, surrounded by wonderful books. Or anywhere, really. (Not that there are a lot of places we can go these days.) The app is also easier to use than the desktop program. But ya, Scrivener.

Google Docs

To use MS Word on mobile apps require subscriptions now. No thanks. I'm not a fan of the whole subscription thing. If I pay for your program. I want to own it. That's it. If I have to pay a little extra for the mobile version, fine. But subscriptions are an automatic turn off. So, not only have I been using Scrivener more, I've also been using Google Docs more. I can open documents in Google Docs, edit, do whatever I need to and save it as a .docx file.

Pages

I can also save files as .docx in Pages on my iPad. Pages lets me use the Apple Pencil, which is *almost* as good as writing by hand in a notebook. This way it gets converted to text right away. Time saver! If Pages, Google Docs, and Scrivener can all give me .docx files in the end, I don't need to pay for a subscription.

Have I mentioned I don't like the subscription thing?

If I find another writerly or bookish app, I'll be sure to add it to my list, but unless something happens in an update, I don't see this list changing anytime soon.

Last Week A Lot Went Down

2021-01-11T20:22:00.002-05:00

A lot happened last week. COVID-19 infection rates are increasing more and more. Though, two people I know have already been vaccinated. There was an attempt to overthrow the government at the US Capital. As I may have mentioned before, I'm a fan of the late night talk shows. I think both Stephen Colbert's and Seth Meyers' takes on what happened are worth the watch. So, last week, I watched. I also watched more news than normal, in general. It was announced that children in Ontario will be home until the 25th of January. However, based on all the other information I've come across, I feel like my children will be home for a couple months.

Last week, I started reading The Stand again. I actually started it in the summer, but it stressed me out, so I stopped. I've been starting and stopping with this book for a while. When I picked it up, I really wanted to read it, and when I am reading it, I am enjoying it. Then I get to a part about how the survivors of the Super Flu are treating each other, and I have to take a break. For the last couple weeks, in between bouts of The Stand, I have been reading Some of the Best from Tor.com, 2016 and The Collected Poems of Maya Angelou. Two vastly different works, but they both speak to me.

Besides political commentary, I re-watched The Matrix and Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. Now that our daughter is a little older, my husband has started taking her on a tour of some of his favourite movies. After a few minutes, he started poking holes in Raiders and I called him "Amy Farrah Fowler" and he laughed.

I also watched Netflix's Best of Stand-up 2020 and realized I need to watch the specials from Jack Whitehall, Hannah Gadsby, Michelle Buteau, and Bert Kreischer. I'd already watched a few of the 2020 standups, but not these ones. (I like stand up specials.)

That's it for me. Did you watch or read anything good? I'm always adding to my TBR and Watchlists.