Author Archives: rachelauthorbarnard

NaNo November 16: Week Three Update – Still Behind, Still Writing

by in For the Love of Donuts, NaNoWriMo, Rachel Barnard | 2 Comments

This time last year I was already a winner of NaNoWriMo. I had it together. I had time. I had plot. I had motivation. I had friends. I have a lot of those this year, but I lack some essentials: like time and good plot to work with. At this point in my novel (at 30,500) my characters are saying anything that comes to mind and they are meandering all over the place! I’m consistently 5k or more behind but I have hopes of finishing strong over the Holidays and my first weekend that isn’t jam-packed with events.

Carry on my writers! Whether win or lose, at least you will be focusing on writing!

I’m also attempting to revise a short story for an anthology, getting one to two short stories together for a December 1 deadline, and keeping the rest of my life together!

Happy Turkey day in advance!

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The Fun, the Weird, the Odd and Holiday Shopping – Oddmall

by in Free Valley Publishing, Local Authors, Local Events, Rachel Barnard and tagged , , | 2 Comments

Once again we were at Oddmall! Combination of NIWA and FVP table, this time around was shopping for holidays! Remember last June? This time the venue was larger, the parking was grander, and the surroundings were just a tad bit more red and green…

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My booth neighbor with her ‘sipping vinegar’ selling to the faeries.

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The view from the second floor!

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Requisite, this-is-my-booth photo!

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Different angle of our booth!

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Looking out from my space with my new book that I’m reading.

 

Book Review: Across the Ages 1 by RaShelle Workman

by in Book Review and tagged , , ,

Across the Ages 1 by RaShelle Workman

A Fantasy/Time Travel Romance Novel published by Polished Pen Press (12/21/14)

Summary:

Lucy Channing lives in 1815 in England. She is supposed to marry her childhood best friend… Whom she does not love romantically. Holding out that something will change her fate, Lucy’s grandmother comes through with a locket to transport Lucy to her true love. Traveling to 2015 is quite a shock to Lucy, especially when the first person she meets is the arrogant, egotistical William Godwin.

Keywords:

Romance, Time Travel, Love, Fantasy, Mystical, 19th Century, 21st Century, Shock, Dressing, Helpless, Forced Marriage, True Love

My Review:

The first chapter was completely unnecessary and was only mildly related to the story told in the rest of the novel. I skimmed it so I could get to the actual story being told.

Lucy lives a typical life in the 1800’s in her class, but she has atypical feelings for a woman in her time. She thinks she can marry for love and passion and is not satisfied with her soon to be betrothed because she is not in love with him. Because she still loved him as a friend, it wasn’t that big a deal for her to find her ‘true love’ because the match was a good one! She could have learned to love Dashel and had a good life.

I absolutely enjoyed every minute and thought Lucy had when she was spirited 200 years into the future. I understood so well what she was going through because it was described in great detail and her thoughts were spot on. She was a traveler in a new land and new time and new world.

I didn’t believe in the romance between Lucy and her ‘true love’ William. It felt forced and rushed.

The pacing was very uneven and the ending was incredibly rushed and then abruptly left off. I will not be reading further.

This novel was published by Polished Pen Press on December 21st, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 2.50

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Twitter

RaShelle Workman’s Website

Upcoming Event Alert! WA – Everett – Oddmall Emporium of the Weird

by in Free Valley Publishing, Local Authors, Local Events, Rachel Barnard and tagged , | 1 Comment

FreeValley Publishing and NIWA will host a booth at the 2016 Holiday Odmall show in Everett from November 19-20, 2016. Come visit the FVP/NIWA booth (#151) and check out other really neat and perhaps wacky offerings.

More info

NEW LOCATION

The Everett Community College
Walt Price Student Fitness Center
2206 Tower Street
Everett, WA

Show Hours

Saturday, November 19 – Doors open at 10am – Close at 6pm

Sunday, November 20 – Doors open at 11am – Close at 5pm

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Oddmall Extra Event and Bard & Starlet Aftermath!

by in author platform, Free Valley Publishing, Local Authors, Local Events, Rachel Barnard and tagged , , , | 1 Comment

I had a booth on election day last Tuesday as an additional Oddmall opportunity. Check out my lovely little booth of FVP/NIWA authors!

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And then Bard & Starlet with FVP at the Black Dog in Snoqualmie. I missed this event last year, but I thought it was such a wonderful event for all. It was highly entertaining and fun and involved the local authors for their screenplays and the local actors and the local community to come watch and the local cafe! You can check out my screenplay being performed on Youtube here!

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Book Review: Bitsy by Rayna L. Stiner

by in Book Review and tagged , ,

Bitsy by Rayna L. Stiner

A Dark Fantasy Novel published by Tagorbi Publishing, LLC (08/15/16)

Summary:

“It takes guts to get up every day and face the world after you’ve seen so much of its ugliness.” (Kindle Locations 2415-2416).

Bitsy and Liz are the same person, or rather different personalities of the same person. After surviving her own childhood horror, Bitsy and Liz emerged. Now an admin assistant for the local hospital in the ER for abuse victims, Bitsy wants nothing more than to play violin in the local orchestra, but her alternate ego has other plans.

Keywords:

Music, Musician, Violin, Orchestra, Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Violence, Fantasy, Survivor, Split Personality, Psychic, Hospital, Boss, Portland, Alternate Personality, Vigilante, Crime, Death, Dying, Angels, Rape

My Review:

This book wasn’t a story so much about Bitsy as it was about trying to relate a concept about the terribleness of child abuse and sexual abuse, which is quite noble but didn’t work in this particular novel. The fantasy and dream sequences seemed forced into the narrative and the plot was overwhelmingly odd and ill-fitting with the subject matter. The graphic sexual violence and suggestions of sexual violence felt forced into the storyline and these gritty details didn’t so much further the plot as gross me out.

The fantasy was necessary for the plot, but very distracting and unnatural seeming in the way it was integrated into the story. I skipped over much of the description, especially wherever the fantasy was involved.

The concept of a person who has been in such a traumatic experience that their personality splits into two separate entities to deal with the emotional turbulence and healing is very, very interesting and kept me reading this story, but the plot and the interjection of the ‘dark fantasy’ element was a big turn off and didn’t fit into the story well.

This novel was published by Tagorbi Publishing, LLC on August 15th, 2016 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 2.75

Links for more information:

Rayna L. Stiner’s Website

Goodreads

Twitter

NaNo November: Week One Update – I don’t have time for this…

by in For the Love of Donuts, NaNoWriMo, Rachel Barnard

What a week this has been. I have, in no particular order:

  • Spilled milk all over my dress pants and cried
  • Worn a shirt inside out for half the day
  • Worked 60 hours
  • Backstaged a local show (Wednesday/Friday rehearsal and Saturday performance)
  • Stayed up past midnight for Hallonanoween in my new onesie pajamas
  • Written over 12k words in my Nano novel
  • Worked every day and woke up early every day
  • Spent approximately 1o hours in traffic
  • Went to 3 write ins (opening, Issy writers, St. James, and SnoValley Coffee)
  • Lost 2 lbs
  • Lost it at a Costco
  • Gotten a flat tire
  • Had too much caffeine
  • Cursed like a sailor
  • Got behind and caught up
  • Felt like a failure
  • Felt like a success
  • Was happy
  • Was sad
  • Was frustrated
  • Hopeful that next week will be less insane

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Photo taken by the man on the right at the SnoValley Coffee write in

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Left – Hallonanoween and my new onesie! Right – beautiful cupcake from the show on Saturday

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Never been this empty before…

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The terrible flat.

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Doughnut and writing at SnoValley Coffee

Book Review: The Unwitting Journeys of the Witty Miss Livingstone: Book I: Journey Key (Miss Liv Adventures 1) by Kennedy J. Quinn

by in Book Review and tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Unwitting Journeys of the Witty Miss Livingstone: Book I: Journey Key (Miss Liv Adventures 1)by Kennedy J. Quinn

A Steampunk Novel published by Amazon Digital Services Inc. (10/25/16)

Summary:

Miss Livingstone doesn’t quite fit into her era because she is a woman with her own mind. It is the early 1900’s until Miss Livingstone peeks into the new bookshop and finds time-traveling stones that take her forward in time to meet the owner of the bookshop. Then she is taken back through time as she attempts to solve the mystery of the stones and find some good books on the side!

Keywords:

Time Travel, Female Heroine, Adventure, History, Literature, Literary References, Snoqualmie, Books, Steampunk, Evil, Lurking, Romance

My Review:

A new blend of history, great literature, and adventure, Miss Liv Adventures was a fun read. I especially liked how every adventure ended with the steam train taking Miss Livingstone back (or forward) to her own time. I really liked the integration of books and history into the plot of the book and thought the details surrounding the key were marvelous and fantastical.

Miss Livingstone was curious to a fault and brave beyond doubt as she traveled across time and space, never forgetting her home and her love of books. The places she traveled to were rich and lively and there were just enough different settings to keep my interest but not too many to be confusing.

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services Inc. on October 25th, 2016 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.50

Links for more information:

Sheri J. Kennedy’s Website and Blog

Goodreads

Sheri J. Kennedy on Facebook

FreeValley Publishing Featured Author

Foodie Fridays: Blue Apron Review

by in Foodie Fridays and tagged

I tried out a 3 meal for two people Blue Apron this month.

Pros:

  1. I got to know new ingredients (like how to deal with turnips and chickpeas)
  2. I got to eat semi-gourmet homemade meals
  3. They were over portioned and I had leftovers!

Cons:

  1. The box arrived on the most inconvenient day of the week and I had to let the ingredients sit in my fridge for 3 days before I could even cook the first one.
  2. The recipes were more complicated than I’m used to cooking
  3. There were a LOT of dishes to clean up
  4. Some of the directions were confusing and I started to doubt my own ability to cook and make assumptions

I really enjoyed the experience but felt harried trying to make the meals and not let them sit in the fridge for too long. I liked having new ingredients to work with that I’m not sure I’d ever find or purchase in the grocery store and I will be using chickpeas in the near future! I wish Blue Apron had levels of difficulty/gourmet so that the harried overworked overbusy people can start off with the starter pack that uses less dishes and takes less prep finagling to figure out, but introduces you to new ingredients and provides a ready meal when you’re too busy to go to the grocery store.

The spicy chicken with Mediterranean flair (my favorite):

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The seared salmon with fall vegetables:

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And the roasted pork steam buns without final picture because we were too busy eating:

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