Nano November: Hallonanoween and other Costumed Parties

by in Local Events, NaNoWriMo and tagged , , , , , , , , ,

 

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I love costumes! My first “Halloween” costume of 2015 was my zombie Waldo for Thrill the World Redmond, WA. Though I didn’t win any prizes, I got to practice my zombie stare/zombie grunts/zombie walk/ and perform the Thriller with a bunch of other thrillingly dressed zombies. I also helped volunteer for the event. I plan on doing it all again next year!

Paul and Rachel made up as Derick Zoolander and Mugatu for a costume party.

For the Black Cat Bash in Seattle Studio 7 Paul and I dressed as Derek Zoolander and Mugatu. No, we didn’t win any costume contests here either, but we had such a fun time! It was a fun costume to craft and I love couple’s costumes!

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The third celebration was at Liquid Lime on 10/28, where I wore this funky number!

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The fourth and fourth and final celebrations took place on Halloween! As a National Novel Writing Participant, Halloween has become even more of an event for me as at the end of the night our kickoff begins. This year, as I’m in three different regions, I went to the kickoff party for Everett/Snohomish on Halloween during the day. The Hallonanoween celebration at St. James saw the second viewing of my donuts costume for the official Seattle event.

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I also wore the costume for the Time Warp re-kickoff for North Bend/Snoqualmie on the first of November at Fall City Roadhouse. I will wear this outfit to EVERY write in I attend! Yes to getting full money’s worth out of a sub ten dollar costume!

Photo by Sheri J. Kennedy

Photo by Sheri J. Kennedy

Book Review: Hunter’s Choice by A.J. Downey

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Hunter’s Choice by A.J. Downey

A Paranormal Romance Novel published by A.J. Downey (03/14/14)

Summary:

‘“Hi! You’ve reached Moonchild’s Owl Haven. The owner, Jessamine Connors is non-verbal so if you hear a high tone it means yes, a low tone it means no.’ (Kindle Locations 414-415).

Jessamine cares for her fly babies – her rescued owls – in and around her regular job working at an animal hospital. Her true love is for the owls at Moon child’s Owl Haven and for her friends and family that made the place possible. Charlie, her best friend, is 70 and Aaron is a teenager given a second chance and volunteering at the Haven. Jessamine has all she needs, except that she doesn’t think she is enough for someone to love because of her stutter. Along comes Hunter, a Barred Owl, and Jessamine is truly happy saving him and caring for him, but Hunter is not just an Owl and not content to sit by and watch Jess get hurt.

Keywords:

Owls, Hunter, Help, Vet, Stutter, Love, Myths, Shifter, Hospital, Friends, Family, Tough Chick, Second Chances, Disrespect, Sex Scenes, Violence

 

My Review:

Hunter’s Choice is one of AJ Downey’s first books and you can see that it is less sophisticated with grammar and writing style than her later works. But from the very beginning, you can also see how great Downey is at writing a compelling story and layering the plot and giving life to her characters. Everything that makes a good book a good book is here in Hunter’s Choice. You just have to get used to the grammar errors and they won’t bother you too much, because the story has great flow and the sentence structure is not difficult to read.

I love how Jessamine is a person before she’s a romantic character aka love interest. Jessamine has her own story and her own background and interests and passions even before the main man shows up. She doesn’t assume someone will save her when she’s in dire straits, she doesn’t just give up. She is a fighter and stubborn even though she has low self-esteem. That is where she has room to grow and she does. She is a broken character that can be healed by the power of love and it’s so gratifying to watch her bloom.

I didn’t need Hunter’s background in so much detail, but it was valuable to have an explanation for the paranormal aspect of this book.

This novel was published by A.J. Downey on March 14th, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.25

Links for more information:

A.J. Downey’s Blog

Goodreads

AJ Downey’s Facebook

Book Review: Airs & Graces (Angel’s Grace) (Volume 1) by Jeffrey Cook and AJ Downey

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Airs & Graces (Angel’s Grace) (Volume 1) by Jeffrey Cook and AJ Downey

An Urban Fantasy Novel published through CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (07/19/15)

Summary:

“You cannot choose a destiny if you’re dead,”(Kindle Location 250).

She’s a down to earth, call me Addy not Adalaide, potty-mouth who works in an antiques shop in Seattle instead of going to law school like her mother wants. What is she doing in life before getting stuck in the middle of a battle between Angels and Demons and all that lies in between? Not much. Not as much as she will be doing when Tabbris, the Archangel protects her as she tries to unlock the Grace that the antiques shop owner Piorre stuck inside of her.

 

Keywords:

Fighting, Angels, Demons, Lucifer, Violence, Killing, Fleeing, Meditation, Visions, Traitor, Taking Sides, Training, Swords, Knives, Defense, Wings, Seattle, Smart Mouth, Politics

 

My Review:

Addy, at least at first, has a boring and very average personality. We don’t even know who she is before she’s whisked into this otherworld battle. How can we sympathize with her and her plight when we don’t even know who she is? Her background is only revealed in the latter half of the book.

Tabbris also seems quite average and not very extraordinary, aside from being an Archangel and having wings and such.

These two main characters seem secondary to the political-action plotline war and I feel like not much was gained with the POV changes from Tabbris to Addy.

This book contains large chunks of exposition and dialogue explaining what is going on and defining the world and the political background of the war. Most of the tension and buildup is the world-building and background information on the war going on with Earth and Addy in the middle.

This novel was published through CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform on July 19th, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 3.25

Links for more information:

A.J. Downey’s Blog

Jeffrey Cook on FreeValley Publishing

Goodreads

AJ Downey’s Facebook

Jeffrey Cook’s Facebook

Book Review: Master of Myth (The Antigone’s Wrath Series Book 1) by Starla Huchton

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Master of Myth (The Antigone’s Wrath Series Book 1) by Starla Huchton

A Steampunk-Adventure Novel published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. (09/19/14)

Summary:

“Sometimes fate cannot be avoided.” (Kindle Location 2823).

Captain Sterling tries to get rid of a ring that possess a strong magic, but the person who gave it to her is beaten to death in front of her. A society known as the Brotherhood is after Rachel Sterling and the ring and Rachel needs answers. Her specialized ship takes Rachel and her loyal crew travel to the far reaches beyond Singapore tailed by men of the Brotherhood. Rachel will get caught up in the passions of a gearhead commissioned by the Brotherhood, a young girl and daughter of a powerful man who wants to study abroad, the lovely and loyal first mate Iris with a love of magic, and the Master at Arms Danton who swears to kill any member of the Brotherhood they come across.

Keywords:

Ship, Magic, Ship, Female Captain, Strength, Fighting, Ring, Death Machine, Gear Head, Apprentice, Lover, Danger, Killing, Technology, Secret Sect, Steampunk

 

My Review:

I loved every female. They all had their strengths and great personalities. And there weren’t just females in this story. Though Mr. Mustache was a bit over the top in his prejudices, and made to be quite unlikeable, there was Danton the Master at Arms and Silas and the apprentice boy. Huchton really knows how to pack a book with great characters without being overwhelming.

As I happen to share the Captain’s first name, I felt an extra pull and connection to Rachel Sterling. Everyone has their idealized self and role model in books and movies and Rachel Sterling is a great one to choose. She isn’t just strong or just feminine or just smart or just perfect. She has her flaws. She makes choices that lead to things happening that could have gone better had they been avoided. She can fight but doesn’t always win. She is like the female Han Solo, a bit stupid when it comes to love but everyone’s favorite character.

The tech wasn’t too scientific/techie. The steampunk elements weren’t overpowering. Huchton does a wonderful job at balancing many elements in this story.
My only real critique is that the cover was not as engaging as Starla Huchton’s covers usually are. It took me a while to pick this one up because I was under the incorrect assumption that it was a dull mystery novel.

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. on September 19th, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.50

Links for more information:

Starla Huchton’s Website

Goodreads

Book Review: Spark (The Chronicles of ISLE Book 1)

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Spark (The Chronicles of ISLE Book 1)

A Romance/Adventure Novel published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. (09/28/15)

Summary:

“Superheroes give up most of their right to be selfish when they become what they are” (Kindle Locations 162-163).

Candace Bristol and her water power are back… Decades later and the story isn’t about her and her romance with Jackson anymore, it’s about their daughter Phoebe. A Natural superhero with both mother and father superheroes, Phoebe is destined to be a super and grew up both sheltered from the outside world and raised within the superhero community. Feebs trained before she knew what her power was, but she always knew she would be a superhero, she never had a choice in the matter. All she wants is to be in control of something in her life, but even her gifts awakening is a scary surprise for her. But it wasn’t all that bad, she did meet the intriguing Foster at the bonfire party Sammi, her best friend, convinced her to break the rules to go to. Now that Phoebe is 18 and has been presented to the world, her life will throw her into the fast lane of being a super and she can barely keep herself together and in control. Add in a mysterious illness dropping veteran supers left and right and Feebs feels like her entire life is crashing to pieces around her. Where will she turn for support now?

Keywords:

Genetic manipulation, superheroes, tough, instability, romance, love, hormones, leader, kick-butt female, sex, training, choices, control, fire power, second generation

 

My Review:

Everything Starla Huchton writes turns to gold. I’m serious. If you like romance in your young adult adventure/sci fi/fantasy novels then you will love Huchton’s novels and Spark ((The Chronicles of ISLE Book 1) is no exception. This is the type of book you don’t want to put down and you won’t because it’s just that good.

The romance is mesmerizing and only a little cheesy, but every little romantic moment will make you go ‘awww.’ Huchton not only gives her characters reasons to love each other, she gives them a reason to fall for each other in the first place. They have heightened hormones that turn them toward each other and accelerate the process of getting intimate and falling for one another. They are put into situations where they have to trust and rely on one another and build an emotional connection. They are unique and super and that’s just attractive. Phoebe had almost no contact with boys outside of the superhero extended family she grew up with and the first boy she meets is the one she falls for and not just because he likes her back. This is a relationship built upon mutual attractive qualities.

The storyline is both familiar and exciting. ISLE is the decades later continuation of ANGEL and we get to see some of the same characters from the previous trilogy as adults. This is not their story, but there are similar elements as the last story. There are still supers and a threat that must be understood and contained. It is now up to the new generation and the Independent Superhero LEague to save the day.

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. on September 28th, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.75

Links for more information:

Starla Huchton’s Website

Goodreads

Nano November: How Do You Outline?

by in For the Love of Donuts, NaNoWriMo, Rachel Barnard and tagged , , | 3 Comments

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I’m planning on writing two novels during this year’s NaNoWriMo Challenge because a. why not? b. I like a good challenge, and c. I already promised on my website the publication dates for the three novels in my For the Love of Donuts Series and I’ve only written one book so far.

I didn’t outline Donuts in an Empty Field (For the Love of Donuts Book 1) because I had planned up until the first day of nano to write “The Geocache Killer” but felt I was not ready (I’ve never written a thriller or mystery and I didn’t properly outline or plan that novel). I’ve always wanted to write about my life and I had great ideas for a fictionalized version of my best high school moments with my then best friend and the Donuts Series was born.

This nano is different. I need to plan. I need to outline. I’ve written approximately 6,500 words of outline for both novels and my story summary has come along quite nicely as well.

Their friendship has been the one unbreakable thing, the one certainty in their lives, but Nichole Adams and Vanessa Smith are developing into their own persons and their individual life dramas distract them from each other.

Vanessa has never had many friends in her life and even though she wanted to stay friends with Nichole, she met new people in college and is moving on. She has school, she has social activities, and a new group of friends even though she can’t seem to find the right guy.

Nichole is jealous of Vanessa’s ease of everything in the real world. Nessa has no trouble with jobs, money, school, or getting and going places. Nichole, on the other hand was preemptively kicked out of her mom’s house after graduating high school and has been floundering ever since. The only thing she has easy in her life is flirting and getting dates, or at least a guy that will let her crash at his house. Nichole doesn’t always have the best of luck with men.

Forever hopeful that things will change, Nichole still clings to the hope that Vanessa will come back to their friendship and be the best friend from high school that Nichole misses. When guy after guy doesn’t work out for her, Vanessa changes more and more of her personality to attract the right guy, drifting farther and farther from who she really is. Something’s gotta give and this story of how friendships get off track, lies become reality, and bad luck tails bad choices will bring you in and around the little town of Sarasota, Florida that you grew to love in book one of the series – Donuts in an Empty Field.

Here is how I outline…

I start with my basic story premise or my longer than it should be elevator pitch with the basic meat of the story and then I work up the main elements of the story from there. I then fill this type of chart out like so for each chapter. To have two stories running parallel, when I started the second outline I did a lot of referencing to the other book’s outline:

Chapter: 1, the Optimist Sees the Donut – Nichole’s Story
Characters: Nichole, Nichole’s roomies
Location: Nichole’s shared home just outside the Sarasota ghetto (off of Central Ave, near their old high school – Booker)
Tension/Problem: Nichole is kicked out of her living space because she can’t pay rent.
Description: Nichole is short on rent this month (again) and her roomies have a community meeting where they have to kick her out if she can’t come up with the money that day. She claims she will get the money.
Don’t forget:
Ideas: flashback to Nichole getting kicked out of her mother’s home and why this happened, show her positivity and hope for striking out on her own and showing her mother and Vanessa that she can be independent and live her life the way she wants.

 

How do you outline?

Seattle Specific Saturdays: My Favorite Local Coffee Shop is Selling Great Books! St. James Espresso in Kirkland, WA

by in Free Valley Publishing, Local Authors, Local Eats, Rachel Barnard, Seattle Specific Saturdays and tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Support local!!! St. James Espresso has a duo of fantastic owners who give back to their community in many ways. Currently they are supporting multiple authors. You should check out the books and grab a cup of coffee or one of their to-die-for breakfast burritos (I’m serious, it was so good I’m giving up lunch and dinner forever). They are so much so my favorite coffee shop that I’m setting my next (after nanowrimo) novel in the Kirkland area and heavily featuring St. James in the story. Stay tuned for more info on that….

I really want you to check out the cafe and buy a book. Please, please! See our display?

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If you are a Nanower, please feel free to exchange your duck at the “take a duck – leave a duck” basket that I’ve set up on the main table. The four fiction novels featured in our display were all nano novels and if you are a fellow writer, I encourage you to support other authors. There is also the lovely FreeValley Publishing anthology and a fun short book of challenges. See below for more information.

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Foodie Fridays: Guava and Cream Cheese Cupcakes

by in Foodie Fridays and tagged , | 1 Comment

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I used this recipe but amended it like so:

Guava and Cream Cheese Cupcakes

Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

For Yellow Cupcakes

1 cup wheat flour

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature

1/2 cup milk

1 large egg , room temperature

2 large egg yolks , room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup guava

For Guava and Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

4 oz butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup guava

Directions

Make Cupcakes

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin/cupcake tin with paper or foil liners.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add butter, milk, egg and egg yolks, vanilla, and guava; beat at medium speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula and mix by hand until smooth and no flour pockets remain.

Divide batter evenly among cups of prepared tin using 2-ounce ice cream scoop or heaping tablespoon. Bake until cupcake tops are pale gold and toothpick or skewer inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 24 minutes. Cool cupcakes to room temperature, about 45 minutes.

Make Frosting and Assemble Cupcakes

With an electric mixer, mix the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, a little bit at a time, until combined. Add the guava. Spread frosting on top of cupcakes.

 

Book Review: Likeness by Sheri J. Kennedy

by in Book Review and tagged , | 1 Comment

Likeness by Sheri J. Kennedy

A Fiction Novel published by FreeValley Publishing (10/05/15)

Summary:

“Funny how repetition of form brought ease and felt pleasing, but complete symmetry fell short of the mark for perfection.” (Page 12).

An all week case of the Mondays for Emmaline turns into an adventure of philosophical proportions. An assignment for an ad campaign for the newest drug, Assimilaire, has Emmaline creating a proposal where she has unwittingly made an idealized version of herself and her friend the brand-builder Charlie. The big wigs warm to her idea and send Emmaline and Charlie off to the cameras to star in the ad themselves. It’s a big hit all around and they are then sent off to the WWPA con for a live show and to receive awards for their great work. Staying at the Milieu midtown, Emmaline and Charlie learn some startling things about Assimilaire and what it really can do in a crowd.

 

Keywords:

Assimilate, Extroverts, Drug, Bomb Scare, Likeness, Similarities, Convention, Philosophy, Conversations, Difference, Becoming Another, Identity, Losing Self

 

My Review:

Emmaline. What an incredibly classic yet fun name. I absolutely loved this name and loved that it was the first word of the book. Emmaline herself, however, isn’t as easy and fun as her name. Some of the things she does and thinks are easy to grasp and delightful, like the way she keeps her ‘girl shoes’ ready at work and tromps to and from work in her boots. The way her mind thinks and the words she uses is a bit hard to get into. She thinks in a slightly different dimension than I do and even though she’s in Seattle and there are references to Seattle I am not as familiar as I should be and some of the references are lost on me.

Likeness is an interesting book and a great fiction read for the more philosophical or psychological leaning reader. What does it mean to have an individual personality that is apart from the masses and what does it mean to fit in with the norm or to be like a prominent figure are two questions that are picked apart in this book.

Much of the book spent time on the question of ‘likeness’ or ‘sameness’ and the meat of the story was not divulged until halfway through the book. It is only halfway through that the true plot is revealed, the buildup to this point didn’t have as much tension as the latter half of the book. It could be argued that the plot of the story was the understanding of the concept of Likeness but for a fictional novel, the true plot didn’t pick up until after Emmaline and Charlie were at the conference. Therefore much of the beginning half of the story was spent on character building and environmental descriptions.

This novel was published by FreeValley Publishing on October 5th, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.00

Links for more information:

Sheri J. Kennedy’s Website and Blog

Goodreads

Sheri J. Kennedy on Facebook

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