Monday, September 3, 2018

Hiatus Due To Grad School

The bad news: I have to go on hiatus, or at least a semi-hiatus (will still post book reviews).

The good news: It's because I'm in grad school, studying to be a librarian!

Thanks so much for following my blog/channel/instagram, and I hope you will continue to follow my book reviews.



Camp NaNoWriMo--July 2018

So I'm blogging about my Camp NaNoWriMo July experience... in September. Whoops.

So, for this Camp NaNoWriMo I set a goal for 50,000 words and wrote on a manual typewriter. :3 I estimated that each double-spaced typewritten page had between 200 and 250 words on it (I rounded down to 200), and with that I estimated how much I had written. I estimated that I wrote about 27,000 words over the course of that month, but I recently transcribed what I wrote onto the computer, and I actually wrote nearly 35,000 words! Yay!

I didn't reach my goal, sure, but I still wrote a lot. I also recorded a lot of it on my instagram, so... Here's my photo log!










Yes, this is the 1/! Key. Why they didn’t paint it on there I have no idea. XD

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(I know the above doesn't seem to have much to do with Camp NaNoWriMo, but it popped up while I was writing on the deck, and I considered it a good omen!)











Geez I’m far behind... #campnanowrimo

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My #campnanowrimo manuscript is getting too big for its Manila folder! #amwriting

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The good news: I finished my Camp NaNoWriMo project. The bad news: it’s supposed to be a novel, but it’s only 27000-30000 words long (I wrote it on a typewriter so I have to estimate the word count). This isn’t a huge deal, as I’ve learned that my first drafts are very rushed and thin and get fattened up during the revision process. I’m concerned because this story is short even for me, but I’m hoping that after revisions it will be at least 50,000 words. Here’s hoping. Anyway, after I finished this I wrote a few hundred words into my next novel project, but then decided to put that aside. Even though hmmm Camp NaNoWriMo goal was 50,000, I’m going to stop here and devote my time to other goals I’ve wanted to accomplish by the end of July. I did what I really wanted to accomplish this month: finish a manuscript, even if it’s only about half the length I wanted. To those of you still writing, best of luck!!! #campnanowrimo #amwriting

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Instagram Update--June 16-July 18

More from my instagram!























Friday, July 27, 2018

Book Review: Hunger by Christie Goldenwulfe



Reviewing an indie werewolf novel by one of my favorite artists!


Rating: 3/5

This book alternates between the points of view of Kain Ulmer and Autumn Sullivan. Kain is a werewolf who, while traversing the redwood forests of California, encounters the beautiful and free-spirited Autumn. But their blossoming relationship is interrupted by the arrival of a monster more terrifying and more deadly than Kain will ever be. Can Kain protect Autumn from this evil? Can Autumn reconcile herself to Kain’s own monstrous background?

The aspect of this book that I most enjoyed was probably the horror element. Many stories about werewolves either lean towards fantasy or are decidedly fantasy with no trace of the horror or gothic genres. As a horror fan, this disappoints me. Therefore, my favorite part of this book was the “Eater” werewolves—creatures in Kain’s world that are twisted both physically and mentally. Even the regular werewolves in this book must kill humans on a regular basis to satisfy the demands of the “Hunger” (hence the title of the book). Therefore, they are not simply magical shapeshifters, but creatures to be feared. As for the Eater werewolves, the imagery used to describe them is chilling. It was like the author was trying to answer the question, “What do monsters fear?” Werewolves, it turns out, fear Eater werewolves, and so will the reader.

There is also a good balance of fantasy, though I might classify it as dark fantasy, in this book. The magic Kain used several times was intriguing and very appropriate for a werewolf.

There was a lot of creativity in this book, and while I read it on my Kindle, I’m also considering purchasing the illustrated hardcover (https://www.christiegoldenwulfe.com/hunger). I also look forward to the second installment in the series. If you love werewolves, or, more particularly, if you want to see the horror returned to werewolves, give this book a read. I have my criticisms of this book, but it was still highly enjoyable.

Friday, June 15, 2018

Instagram Update--May 10-June 15

Time for another month of instagram posts!














Cat in Blue Watercolors

Practicing painting fur with watercolors.






Charlotte Riley in Blue Watercolors

Yet another rendition of actress Charlotte Riley, now in watercolors! Sorry; I'll eventually do different portraits.





Ladye Stagsleap's youtube channels:

https://www.youtube.com/user/LadyeStagsleapStudio
https://www.youtube.com/user/LordMoufMouf