Friday, October 28, 2022

Random Ramblings - October 2022

October is when fellow author, Teri Polen, holds her “Bad Moon Rising” event.  It’s a fun way to get to know about some possibly new to you paranormal or horror books you may want to read, as well as learn a bit about the authors who wrote them.  IT runs all month long, and is always a lot of fun.

 

I’ve participated in it eagerly for a few years now, and this year was no exception.  My interview went live on October 8th 2022.  Yes, I know I’m slow posting about it on here.  Anyway, if you missed it, and would like to read my answers to the questions I picked from the list of fun questions Teri comes up with for us to answer as part of the event, you can go here to check out my interview.

 

Don’t forget to check out the other authors’ posts while you’re there too, especially if you’re a fan of spooky reads.  Or pets… Pets ended up featured a lot in many of the interviews this year as it turned out.

 

*~*

 

In other news: Lilie and Logan got groomed.

 

Technically they were groomed late, because they were officially meant to get groomed on September 29th.  But the groomer had an unavoidable family emergency that meant he had no choice but to reschedule, which meant they ended up getting groomed on October 1st instead.

 

Of course, we had to get photos of them freshly groomed, so here they are:



 

 

*~*

 

There was a Harry Potter crafting call I went to recently.  They were making a monster book of monsters and a bowtruckle.  I didn’t bother making a monster book of monsters, but here’s the little purplish pipe cleaner bowtruckle I made:


 

 

They would usually have little twiggy fingers, some tiny leaves sticking out of the top, and tiny little black eyes.  But I didn't have anything to do those things with, so I just left mine as it is.

 

~

 

  We were making toilet roll covers in one of the recent ACB Crafters crochet classes.  Well, we were meant to be making pumpkin ones, but since the only orange wool I have is what I don’t want to be touching until I’ve made the tea cosy for my witchy tea pot, I just grabbed a random ball, which turned out to be purple.  Then I decided to make it two different colours so grabbed another random ball, which turned out to be a different shade of purple.  Then I just didn’t add the extra bits that would make it look like a pumpkin (the stem and leaves).  The end result was this two tone purple toilet roll cover:


 

 

~

 

I made this crochet ghost in another of the classes:


 

 

~

 

 I also made this little crochet cat:




I know it's the wrong colour, but never mind.  I got bored of playing, "What colour is this?" so just went with the last ball I'd asked about when I got fed up of asking.  Anyway, it looks more like a turquoise pikachu (one of the Pokemon) than a cat, so I'm going to have to make a yellow one with a slightly zig-zag-shaped tail so I can actually accurately call it a crochet pikachu. LOL!

 

 ~

 

Speaking of crochet: I’ve still got a long way to go with it, but I’m making progress with my crochet blanket.  It’s a big enough square now that you can actually call it a blanket in progress.  I don’t know if I’m going to make it with finishing it before Winter arrives, but at least if I don't it will keep me warm while I’m working on it.  LOL!

 

~

 

I've also been working on a crochet bag, which was one of the kits I needed sighted help with.  The actual crocheting is fine; I can do the crocheting myself no problem.  But the pattern is in print and I need someone to read it to me.  So Dad's been reading me the pattern while I work on it.

 

It's made out of raffia wool, and it's not at all fun to work with. It's like crocheting with old straw.  I'll do this kit, but have no intention of ever voluntarily doing anything that requires me to use it in the future.  The pattern is fine (even if it sounds like gibberish to Dad, who isn't familiar with crochet at all so has no idea what the terms mean) but the papery wool stuff is horrid to work with.  They included a tube of hand cream with the kit, and I can easily see why they felt that was so important to include.


~


We've already identified some kits from the selection I got from the subscription services that Dad will be doing for me, or have to help me with a lot.  I wish I could do them all, but some of them just aren't practical for me to do with my lack of sight, and I'm likely to get frustrated with attempting it.  The main thing is to have the kits get put together really, so we've decided those he'll need to do himself he can do while I work on some other project alongside him, whether another of the kits or something else I might want to work on.

 

~

 

I'm also working on some loom knitted socks.  I haven't gotten very far with them yet, but I only learned to loom knit at the start of the year, so I think I can be forgiven for being slow at it.  Besides, I've also been working on several other projects, as you can see from those I've shared in this post.


*~*


A while back my Mam gave us her Kindle Fire 7 so we had a second one, since she wasn't really using it.  I've been using that one so that Kelly could have my Kindle Fire 8, since my one had a bigger screen.  But they had a deal on the newer version of the Kindle Fire 8 a few weeks ago (don't know if it's still on offer, but it was then) so I took the oppertunity to grab myself the newer version of the Kindle Fire 8, along with a sturdy purple case for it, so that Kelly can still have the old Kindle Fire 8 and Mam can have her Kindle Fire 7 back.  Plus, I got a brand new more current model of the Kindle Fire 8 out of the deal.  Both Kelly and Mam are happy with the arrangement, and I definitely am, so everybody wins.

 

~

 

My iPhone needed upgrading too.  I was still using an iPhone 6S, which was starting to be an issue for updates, and the battery life wasn't as good as it once was any more.  My mobile contract had reached the point where I was entitled to a free upgrade months ago though, so I contacted my provider to arrange that.


I now have a purple iPhone 12.  It's a light purple, which both Dad and Kelly describe as being, "A lilac-ish colour."


Kelly has one too.  Not a purple one, but an iPhone 12.  His first smart phone.  His is black.


So far we're both loving our new phones.

 

 *~*

 

Mam and I did a bit of a Halloween photoshoot with the dogs.  This year we had a bat theme going on.

 

So, in the below photos, Lilie, Logan, and Izabel (Izabel is Mam's dog, for anyone who doesn't know) have a little purple charm on their collars that’s a bat on a bow, and a dog toy that’s a black and pink bat with orange feet in the shot with them.  The bat toy is one of a pair of them I brought for the dogs recently.  Lilie had already removed the squeaker from hers before we thought to use them as props for the photos, but Logan’s was still in good enough shape to use.  Anyway, here are the photos:




 

 

Friday, October 21, 2022

#WordCrafters #Book #BlogTour For "Visions" - Includes A #Giveaway + My #Review

Today is my stop on the WordCrafters book blog tour for “Visions” anthology.  I have a review of the book to share with you, as well as details of a giveaway.  But, before I get to those things, I have a guest post for you from one of the contributing authors: Patty Fletcher.  So, take it away, Patty.

 


 

 

When Kaye wrote and asked me to write a guest post explaining my inspiration for ‘The Portal Brings Christmas Love’ at first, I had no clue what to say.

The reasons are a bit tangled as is a lot of my life from the time period during which this story idea first came to me.

In 2016 as the elections in the US were getting under way, there was a lot of unrest not only in the political arena but in my personal life as well.

I was just beginning the journey from the darkness which had covered my life for the previous four years into the light and finding no way to gain closure for some of the damage I’d caused found myself on early Christmas Eve morning alone and feeling quite sad.

While clearing up the dishes and cleaning the kitchen from the night before, I began to wonder what would happen if the people of our country rose up and stated, ‘No More.’ I also wondered what it would feel like if I could wish up the one I longed to be with for the holidays and the next thing I knew, I was at my desk, pounding out a story.

For years, it languished in a folder, then along came Kaye and the call for submissions for the Visions Anthology contest and I thought, why not?

I had to do a lot of touch up work and then send it off to my editor. After that I held my breath and sent it to Kaye.

Some weeks later, to my delighted surprise, I learned that my story had been accepted and so, at least my wish to be included in the company of great talent was granted.

I hope others will enjoy reading my story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Thanks to Kay and WordCrafter for giving me this incredible opportunity to share my work with the world.

Here below is a taste of what you can expect when you read ‘The Portal Brings Christmas Love’.

 


 

Excerpt

The Portal Brings Christmas Love

By Patty L. Fletcher

I awoke just after midnight on that early Christmas morn. Though I knew I should be happy, there was a horrible emptiness inside me. My longing for Derrick had become all consuming. All I wanted for Christmas was to hold him. He’d been mine and King’s trainer and we’d shared some happy times, but when I’d come back to Korponious, my life had somehow turned itself inside out. Due to my fiancé’s abuse, my mental illness had spun horribly out of control. For a time, I’d been terribly lost to the darkness. It was a prolonged period of spiraling behavior, during which I’d destroyed mine and Derrick’s friendship and had damn near killed myself.

Derrick and I had met a few years later at a Blended Lives Federation convention, and while working out our differences, had gotten dangerously entangled in an interplanetary government overthrow attempt when I’d been kidnapped, tortured, and almost killed.

Derrick had risked his life and freedom to save me, and had worked tirelessly once we were reunited to help King and me to rehabilitate only to be separated by war breaking out. I was in Korponious settling my affairs, while readying to move to Casimian.

Now, because of current travel bans, I could not immigrate. I was, in a word, miserable.

 

 


 

About Patty L. Fletcher

 

Patty L. Fletcher lives in Kingsport Tennessee where she works full time as a Writer with the goal of bridging the great chasm which separates the disAbled from the non-disAbled. She is Also a Social Media Marketing Assistant.

To learn more visit:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8431191.Patricia_L_Fletcher

 


 

 

Book blurb

An author’s visions are revealed through their stories. Many authors have strange and unusual stories, indeed. Within these pages, you will find the stories of eighteen different authors, each unique and thought provoking. These are the fantasy, science fiction, paranormal, and horror stories that will keep you awake long into the night.

What happens when:

An inexplicable monster plagues a town for generations, taking people… and souvenirs?

A post-apocalyptic band of travelers finds their salvation in an archaic machine?

The prey turns out to be the predator for a band of human traffickers?

Someone chooses to be happy in a world where emotions are regulated and controlled?

A village girl is chosen to be the spider queen?

Grab your copy today and find out. Let authors such as W.T. Paterson, Joseph Carabis, Kaye Lynne Booth, Michaele Jordan, Stephanie Kraner, and others, including the author of the winning story in the WordCrafter 2022 Short Fiction Contest, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, tantalize your thoughts and share their visions.

 

Purchase link:

https://books2read.com/u/49Lk28

 

My review:

VisionsVisions by Kaye Lynne Booth, and others.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's always difficult to review an anthology like this, where different authors - each with their own writing style - come together to share their perspective on a given theme, and you can guarantee there will be some stories that appeal to you more than others purely for the fact the writing style of some authors will be more to your liking than that of others. This collection is a perfect example of that. Every story was a fantastical and creative tale, but some of them captivated me and captured my attention more than others. All in all though, this was a well-crafted collection of stories, where different worlds and different forms of magic are explored in fascinating and fantastical ways.

View all my reviews

 

 


 

 

Giveaway 

Five digital copies of the book will be given away in a random drawing at the end of the tour. Each stop visited earns an entry. Simply let us know you were there by leaving a comment.

 

Tour schedule:

Monday – October 17 – Guest Post – Billie Holladay Skelley & Winning Story Interview with Roberta Eaton Cheadle – Writing to be Read: https://writingtoberead.com/2022/10/17/welcome-to-the-wordcrafter-visions-book-blog-tour/

Tuesday – October 18 – Guest Post – Michaele Jordan – Patty’s World:

https://pattysworlds.com/repost-of-day-2-of-the-wordcrafter-visions-anthology-book-blog-tour/

Wednesday – October 19 – Guest Post – D.L. Mullan – The Showers of Blessings: https://theshowersofblessings.com/2022/10/18/visions-a-wordcrafter-anthology-blog-tour/

Thursday – October 20 – Guest Post – C.R. Johanssen – Robbie’s Inspiration: https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/2022/10/20/robbies-inspiration-visions-wordcrafter-blog-tour-featuring-her-beholder-by-c-r-johansson/

Friday – October 21 – Guest Post – Patty L. Fletcher & Review – Zigler News: https://ziglernews.blogspot.com/2022/10/wordcrafters-book-blogtour-for-visions.html

Saturday – October 22 – Guest Post – Jeff Bowles – Writing to be Read: https://writingtoberead.com/?p=25382

And interview w/ Kaye Lynne Booth on SaraWesleyMcBride.com: https://www.sarawesleymcbride.com/

Sunday – October 23 – Guest Post – Stephanie Kraner – Roberta Writes: https://roberta-writes.com/2022/10/23/roberta-writes-visions-wordcrafter-book-tour-here-now-wherever-by-stephanie-kraner/

Monday – October 24 – Guest Post – Joseph Carrabis – Writing to be Read: https://writingtoberead.com/2022/10/24/day-8-of-the-wordcrafter-visions-book-blog-tour/

And Review – Undawnted: http://www.undawnted.com/2022/10/wordcrafter-blog-tour-joseph-carrabiss.html