Luna turns 2 (FD)

Today is Luna's 2nd birthday.

We weren't sure what to give a degu as a birthday present, so we gave the degus a couple of little peanuts each but gave Luna an extra one. She seemed happy with that.

We've had her a couple of weeks now, and she's really settling in well.

She absolutely adores Kelly and will let him pet her for quite some time. She isn't as fond of me. She doesn't hate me, but will pick Kelly over me any time, even if I'm holding food and he isn't (I know because we tested it). So I guess she's decided she's his degu. That's fine by me since I have the four boys anyway, LOL!

Anyway, happy 2nd birthday Luna!

The Leaf Monster And Other Children's Poems

"The Leaf Monster And Other Children's Poems" is a random collection of poems of different lengths and styles, all of which are written with children in mind. Themes include family, animals, and special occasions (among others).

It's also my most recent book, which is officially released today.

The book's ISBN is 9781301265008.

It's now available to buy via Smashwords in all formats they offer, and if it isn't already available from other retailers (such as Apple, Barnes And Noble, Blio, Diesel, Kobo, Sony, and WH Smith) it soon will be!

Adopted Luna

We adopted a female degu today.

Her name is Luna and she will be 2 on October 1st 2013.

I found out about her through a page I found about degus on Facebook and offered her a home.

At first they declined my offer due to how far she had to travel to get here, but they can't find a better home so Luna made the long journey. She didn't cope too well with it, but she's calming down slowly.

I've now got her previous owners on Facebook so they can keep up with Luna related updates.

Third quarterly reading challenge 2013

The "third quarterly" challenge on on of the groups I'm on over at Goodreads was to read books for the letters of certain words. The challenge was from July 1st 2013 to September 30th 2013, but I've finished already, so here's my list:

Birthday month (completed on September 1st 2013):
N – Nimbus by David James Morton ~ read on September 1st 2013.
O – Outcast Of Redwall (Redwall, #8) by Brian Jacques ~ read on July 28th 2013.
V - Velveteen by Saul Tanpepper ~ read on August 31st 2013.
E - Enter The Wolf (Tales Of The Wolf, #2) by A.E. McCullough ~ read on July 4th 2013.
M – Mossflower (Redwall, #2) by Brian Jacques ~ read on July 17th 2013.
B – The Bellmaker (Redwall, #7) by Brian Jacques ~ read on July 26th 2013.
E – Eulalia! (Redwall, #19) by Brian Jacques ~ read on August 27th 2013.
R – Redwall (Redwall, #1) by Brian Jacques ~ read on July 13th 2013.

Birthstone (completed on September 2nd 2013):
T – Theresa’s Tale: Forbidden Love (Time Tells Tales, #3) by Stephanie Fletcher ~ read on July 8th 2013.
O – Outcast Of Redwall (Redwall, #8) by Brian Jacques ~ read on July 28th 2013.
P – The Pearls Of Lutra (Redwall, #9) by Brian Jacques ~ read on July 29th 2013.
A - The Adventures Of Ulvik The Troll by Bark Mason ~ read on July 5th 2013.
Z - Zachary Zombie And The Wicked Worm by John H. Carroll ~ read on September 2nd 2013.

Sign (completed on September 12th 2013):
S - Salamandastron (Redwall, #5) by Brian Jacques ~ read on July 23rd 2013.
C - Children Of The Apocalypse (Mace Of The Apocalypse, #3) by Daniel J. Williams ~ read on August 30th 2013.
O – Outcast Of Redwall (Redwall, #8) by Brian Jacques ~ read on July 28th 2013.
R – Redwall (Redwall, #1) by Brian Jacques ~ read on July 13th 2013.
P – The Pearls Of Lutra (Redwall, #9) by Brian Jacques ~ read on July 29th 2013.
I - Inside Evil (Inside Evil, #1) by Geoffrey Wakeling ~ read on September 12th 2013.
O - One Night In Nocturnia by Mary E. Lowd ~ read on September 2nd 2013.

Chinese zodiac sign (Completed on July 13th 2013):
R – Redwall (Redwall, #1) by Brian Jacques ~ read on July 13th 2013.
A - The Adventures Of Ulvik The Troll by Bark Mason ~ read on July 5th 2013.
T – Theresa’s Tale: Forbidden Love (Time Tells Tales, #3) by Stephanie Fletcher ~ read on July 8th 2013.

Favourite flower (completed on July 28th 2013):
R – Redwall (Redwall, #1) by Brian Jacques ~ read on July 13th 2013.
O – Outcast Of Redwall (Redwall, #8) by Brian Jacques ~ read on July 28th 2013.
S - Salamandastron (Redwall, #5) by Brian Jacques ~ read on July 23rd 2013.
E - Enter The Wolf (Tales Of The Wolf, #2) by A.E. McCullough ~ read on July 4th 2013.

Country I'd like to visit (completed on September 6th 2013):
F - The Four Wotsits Of The Doodad by Shaun Allan ~ read on September 6th 2013.
R – Redwall (Redwall, #1) by Brian Jacques ~ read on July 13th 2013.
A - The Adventures Of Ulvik The Troll by Bark Mason ~ read on July 5th 2013.
N – Nimbus by David James Morton ~ read on September 1st 2013.
C - Children Of The Apocalypse (Mace Of The Apocalypse, #3) by Daniel J. Williams ~ read on August 30th 2013.
E - Enter The Wolf (Tales Of The Wolf, #2) by A.E. McCullough ~ read on July 4th 2013.

Favourite food (completed on September 5th 2013):
C - Children Of The Apocalypse (Mace Of The Apocalypse, #3) by Daniel J. Williams ~ read on August 30th 2013.
H – High Rhulain (Redwall, #18) by Brian Jacques ~ read on August 23rd 2013.
O – Outcast Of Redwall (Redwall, #8) by Brian Jacques ~ read on July 28th 2013.
C - The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling ~ read on September 5th 2013.
O - One Night In Nocturnia by Mary E. Lowd ~ read on September 2nd 2013.
L – The Long Patrol (Redwall, #10) by Brian Jacques ~ read on July 30th 2013.
A - The Adventures Of Ulvik The Troll by Bark Mason ~ read on July 5th 2013.
T – Theresa’s Tale: Forbidden Love (Time Tells Tales, #3) by Stephanie Fletcher ~ read on July 8th 2013.
E - Enter The Wolf (Tales Of The Wolf, #2) by A.E. McCullough ~ read on July 4th 2013.

Word that describes me (completed on September 12th 2013):
T – Theresa’s Tale: Forbidden Love (Time Tells Tales, #3) by Stephanie Fletcher ~ read on July 8th 2013.
A - The Adventures Of Ulvik The Troll by Bark Mason ~ read on July 5th 2013.
L – The Long Patrol (Redwall, #10) by Brian Jacques ~ read on July 30th 2013.
K – Keldane The Cursed by Jeffrey Hollar ~ read on September 8th 2013.
A – A Girl’s Guide To Demon Hunting by Emily Miles ~ Read on July 7th 2013.
T – Taggerung (Redwall, #14) by Brian Jacques ~ read on August 8th 2013.
I - Inside Evil (Inside Evil, #1) by Geoffrey Wakeling ~ read on September 12th 2013.
V - Velveteen by Saul Tanpepper ~ read on August 31st 2013.
E - Enter The Wolf (Tales Of The Wolf, #2) by A.E. McCullough ~ read on July 4th 2013.

Degu buddies' half birthday

Jacob, Jasper, Jenks and Joshua are six months old today!

Seems like only yesterday we got them, but we've had them about three months already!

How time flies!

Happy half birthday little degu buddies!

Jayde and Lucy turn eight

Jayde Bramblerose and Lucy Blackthorn are eight years old today!

How did that happen?

Where has the time gone?

Seems like only yesterday they were little puppies... Still hurts that I had to give them up, even though I know my Grandma and Helen and Tom love them dearly and do their very best to look after them in the way they deserve.

Well, anyway, happy birthday Jayde Bramblerose and Lucy Blackthorn!

Snowball The Oddball Kobold

"Snowball is a white kobold; something so rare that the other kobolds in his tribe won’t accept him as a proper kobold. In fact, they delight in making poor Snowball’s life miserable. But Snowball is determined that some day he’ll show them that there’s nothing wrong with being a white kobold.

One day, in Snowball’s tenth Winter, something strange comes to the mountains where Snowball and his tribe live. The kobolds want to know what it is, but with their red-brown colour they’ll be spotted much too easily in the snow. Only Snowball, with his white colouring, has a chance of investigating without being spotted. Could this be Snowball’s chance to prove he’s a useful member of his tribe and finally be accepted as a proper kobold?"

This is my latest book, and today is the official release date for it. The ISBN is 9781301855421.

It's now available to buy via Smashwords in all formats they offer, and if it isn't already available from other retailers (such as Apple, Barnes And Noble, Blio, Diesel, Kobo, Sony, and WH Smith) it soon will be!

To stay private or not... That is the question!

I've been considering making my blog public again, but I'm not sure.

I kind of miss the comments from people.

Would anyone even notice if I was posting again?

Or maybe I should just make it available for certain people to read? You know? Those people who have actually kept in touch... Which rules out most of my followers, unfortunately.

I don't know.

For now I'll do nothing... I'll just keep it private - so only I can read it - and see how I feel another time; when I know what I want to do.

Asha's Big Adventure

"This is the story of a little girl who loves exploring, a hungry wolf, three brave little pigs, three nervous goats, a troll with a toothache, and three misunderstood bears.

Based on the author’s own takes on three well-known fairy tales, “Asha’s Big Adventure” tells the story of a little girl named Asha who ignores her parents’ warnings about going exploring in the woods near where they live. Asha soon finds herself getting lost, being chased by a hungry wolf, unable to cross a bridge because of a grumpy troll, and proven guilty of breaking and entering by an angry family of bears."

This is my latest book, which is officially released today. The ISBN is 9781301755868.

It's now available to buy via Smashwords in all formats they offer, and if it isn't already available from other retailers (such as Apple, Barnes And Noble, Blio, Diesel, Kobo, Sony, and WH Smith) it soon will be!

Pre-released books

Smashwords has a new feature where you can pre-release books. So I've pre-released my next 6 books, and will pre-release others as I have them ready (assuming they're ready ahead of when I want to publish them, obviously).

The books I've pre-released already are:

Asha's Big Adventure (official release date: 12th August 2013).
Snowball The Oddball Kobold (official release date: 2nd September 2013).
The Leaf Monster And Other Children's Poems (official release date: 23rd September 2013).
Kero's World, Book 4: Kero Celebrates Halloween (official release date: 31st October 2013)
Kero's World, Book 5: Kero Goes To Town (official release date: 17th November 2013).
Kero's World, Book 6: Kero Celebrates Christmas (official release date: 3rd December 2013).

Intervview with Steve K. Smy

I was interviewed by Steve K. Smy of "Imagineer Books" today (July 27th 2013).

You can find the interview at http://imagineerebooks.wordpress.com/2013/07/27/meeting-victoria-zigler-a-most-remarkable-lady if you want to read it.

Waves Of Broken Dreams And Other Poems

I just published my latest poetry collection. It's called "Waves Of Broken Dreams And Other Poems" and can be found on Smashwords in all formats they offer.

Here's the synopsis:

"A collection of poems of various styles and lengths, which are about heartache, loss, pain, and broken dreams."

It's only on Smashwords at the moment, but will be distributed to other retailers as soon as it's approved for premium status.

Hastings Pirate Day 2013

Today was 2013's Hastings Pirate Day.

Kelly, Kero and I were going to go, but it's still so hot! I think it's supposed to have been the hottest day of the year so far today... Sure felt like it!

Kelly went and got some photos for me again and says it was fantastic.

Wish I could see the photos.

Better yet, I wish I could have gone with him!

At least this time he brought a present home for me: a pirate goblet. It's really cool! It's plastic but carved to almost feel like it has the grainy effect of wood,, and it has a skull and crossbones on it, which is tactile so I can actually feel it!

St Leonards Festival 2013

Today was the St Leonards festival.

I was meant to go - Kelly, Kero and I were going to go together - but it was so hot that it wouldn't have been fair on Kero. It's been VERY hot this Summer, and between the heat and the crowds... Well, like I said, it wouldn't have been fair on Kero.

I wish I had gone though.

I miss going out places, and it sounds like it was fun.

Kelly got photos for me, but now that I can't see that doesn't mean much.

Plus, that doesn't change the fact that I was stuck indoors...

This is not a menu (kinda FD)

You're not seeing things. This is not a menu. There's no mention of chips and cheese or any of the other meals I've been enjoying. Nope... This is not a menu!

There's no menu today, because I didn't write one.

The idea of the menu was to help me figure out what we were having for the week, but after the first couple of days of each week I was finding I didn't fancy what I was meant to have so I was having something else. Either that, or we'd end up doing something that meant we either couldn't be bothered to cook or had less thime than planned (partially due to my very annoying irregular sleeping pattern).

So I'm not writing a menu now. We'll just have to figure it out as we go... That's what we were doing most of the time anyway, LOL!

Menu: July 9th 2013 - July 15th 2013 (FD)

Tuesday: Cheese sandwiches.

Wednesday: Egg and chips.

Thursday: Bubble and squeak (potatoes and cabbage).

Friday: Leftover bubble and squeak.

Saturday: Food from the festival.

Sunday: Pasta with sauce.

Monday: potato wedges with sauce.

The challenges of a blind author and reader

I participated in an interview with Alexandra Butcher today (July 8th 2013) as part of a post on accessability for blind authors and readers.

The post is at http://libraryoferana.wordpress.com/2013/07/08/e-readers-and-the-challenges-of-a-blind-author-and-reader/ if you want to read it.

St Michael's coffee morning (FD)

Kelly, Kero and I went to the coffee morning at St Michael's Hospice yesterday as it's just up the road from us and they allow Kero to come in. Plus, all money raised goes to help the hospice.

We had a little look around, had a cup of drink (tea for me, coffee for Kelly and water for Kero) and a snack of cheese scones and fairy cakes.

It was nice; I liked being out!

No longer publishing direct to Amazon

Due to navigation issues, I'm no longer publishing directly to Amazon.

I'm sorry for any inconvenience this causes people buying my books, but I feel it's the best choice for me.

My books are available in all formats Smashwords offers, so they are still available for you to read on your Kindle if that's your prefered way to read ebooks. Smashwords even gives instructions on how to get your books on to your eReader (if you need them).

Also, Smashwords does distribute to Amazon... Assuming Amazon feels I've sold enough books to be worthy of acceptance by them.

A-Z character challenge

There's another "A-Z" type reading challenge on one of the groups I'm a member of on Goodreads. This one is a character challenge though. You have to read books with a character in them for each of the letters of the alphabet. I don't mean read a single book with all the alphabet full of characters in, obviously, but read books until you've read about a character with a name starting with each of the letters of the alphabet.

Anyway, I finished my list earlier, so here it is:

A - Alex (Noah's Ark)
B - Bonnie (Queen Rider)
C - Catherine (Catherine's Tale: Love, Loss, Lust And Lies)
D - Dazz (Ice Country)
E - Ella (The Encounter)
F - Felix (Phoenix Watching)
G - Gandalf (The Lord Of The rings)
H - Hemingway (Blue Hearts Of Mars)
I - Ivy (Every Which Way But Dead)
J - James (A Class Apart)
K - Kara (Lichgates)
L - Lyra (The Golden Compass or Northern Lights)
M - Miles (Looking For Alaska)
N - Nikki (Nikki Powergloves - A Hero Is Born)
O - Oliver (Oliver Twist)
P - Polly (The Troll Trap)
Q - Quinn (Freeblood)
R - Rikke (Rikke: The Littlest Troll In Norway)
S - Sam (Shelter From Thunder)
T - Theodore (The Goldenwealth Light)
U – Ulvik (The Adventures Of Ulvik The Troll)
V - Victor (What Zombie's Fear: A Father's Quest)
W - Wooffer (The Old Oak Tree)
X - Professor Charles Xavier (X-Men)
Y – Yugi (Yu-Gi-Oh Super Book)
Z - Zachary (Zachary Zombie And The Lost Boy)

Menu: July 2nd 2013 - July 8th 2013 (FD)

Tuesday: Quiche with potato stars.

Wednesday: Potato wedges and chutney.

Thursday: Chips, cheese and gravy.

Friday: Bean burrito.

Saturday: Curry sauce and chips.

Sunday: Breakfast wrap (eggs, mushrooms and tomatoes in tortillas).

Monday: Veggie pizza.