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Other Cool Blogs: Magical Words 11/9/2011

Erin Penn

Image courtesy of patrisyu at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

“I just had the best idea, hon. Just let me make a note of it on my phone.” I look up after a few minutes of quick typing and uploading to the cloud, ignoring both the cooling food in front of me and the character in my head going ‘and another thing’. “Now, what were you saying?”

Writing is a Solitary Business, as Faith Hunter explains in her November 9, 2011 post on Magical Words. The problem is even as introverted as most writers are, we aren’t solitary creatures. We have jobs and family. In November NaNoWritMo when writing dominates, Thanksgiving steals time away from the laptops and Christmas hides in the shadows waiting to pound us with lists and demands as soon as the 50K is clocked.

Ms. Hunter and the commentators on the post share some of the trials and tribulations of the story-in-the-head swiping moments meant for family and friends at . With the all-consuming NaNoWritMo, remember to breathe and listen to others in your life. There will be other stories; there is only one family.

Book Review: Trail of Dead (Scarlett Bernard Book 2)

Erin Penn

Book Cover from Amazon

Trail of Dead (Scarlett Bernard Book 2) by Melissa F. Olson

BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON

As a null, Scarlett Bernard possesses a rare ability to counteract the supernatural by instantly neutralizing spells and magical forces. For years she has used her gift to scrub crime scenes of any magical traces, helping the powerful paranormal communities of Los Angeles stay hidden. But after LAPD detective Jesse Cruz discovered Scarlett’s secret, he made a bargain with her: solve a particularly grisly murder case, and he would stay silent about the city’s unearthly underworld.

Now two dead witches are found a few days before Christmas, and Scarlett is once again strong-armed into assisting the investigation. She soon finds a connection between the murders and her own former mentor, Olivia, a null who mysteriously turned into a vampire and who harbors her own sinister agenda. Now Scarlett must revisit her painful past to find Olivia—unless the blood-drenched present claims her life first.

 

MY REVIEW

Such an improvement over the first book.

The world-building in Dead Spots felt generic except for the addition of a null crime scene cleaner. In the second book, Trail of Dead (Scarlett Bernard), the uniqueness of the world – a labyrinth of a new mythology building on the boring cinderblock foundation of the first – has come to life. Suddenly the series is looking interesting.

I should note that in the first book, the establishing scene defining her abilities and specialty magic involves the cleanup of a bird. The effect and non-effects of her null abilities as established there are important in the second case. Not that you need to read the first book to enjoy the second. Just the two situations together made some very good world-building.

For the second book, the main character becomes more engaging, as she moves beyond her damage and takes control of her life. The murder mystery felt more urgent. In the first book, the urgency felt artificially enforced. In the second book, the ticking clock device felt real. Like the rush of an oncoming car.

The downside is the Romantic Heroes both remain neutered – and I had hoped the policeman would wander off with his new love interest so we can stick with the more interesting combo of Scarlett and the regions’ second-in-command werewolf (who needs to work on being an “Alpha” male hero). Hopefully in the next book the author will figure out how to make toes curl from the romance as well as the mystery.

Anyway, many of the issues that made the first book only so-so have been fixed. I can only hope to see a similar jump in the next book. Where the first book only felt worn-out, the second book now feels like a comfortable pair of worn-out jeans. I am hoping the third book will be like a comfortable pair of jeans that hugs every curve – in other words, the perfect Urban Fantasy book.

Flash: I Am Prophecy – Part 4

Erin Penn

“Hey mom … pops.” Vixen hurried past her parental holograms on the way to the breakfast her mother had programmed. She frowned at the biscuit, soft boiled egg and clumps of tricolor berries. The breakfast hadn’t varied in four days. Past, present, future blinked. The countertop grounded her in the now until her timeline realigned.

Oh, momma, is it really that bad?

“Is that anyway to greet your mother?”

Taking the plate and eating utensils to the table from the nutrition dispenser, Vixen baited the woman on the other side of the world before sitting at the one real chair at the table. “You didn’t complain when Gina did it.”

Foxhole’s premiere female fatale of Length stories, one-shot entertainment video narratives between two and three hours often shown in group situations like the old movies of Earth, pulled out a chair and sat, the hologram program overlay transposing whatever milieu she was in to the kitchen in the personal module where Vixen lived. “Really, Environmental Fail? When did you manage to get past the age protections on that? … And Gina was killed in the next scene for not respecting her parents’ instructions.”

“Mom, it is only restricted from the concrete thinkers. I’ve been rated abstract for over five years.” Vixen shoveled food in, trying to make up for lost time.

Father’s hologram lacked interaction since he was still on circuit. He left a placeholder with a half-eaten plate of food in front of him, distracted from eating by the fan twisted open with whatever news or laws he was reviewing. Not far from how he would be if he was really there, though he would be demanding the half-helm be removed. “People need to see you more than you need to be connected,” he would say. Still, he was one to talk since he was never without a fan, snapping it open and close constantly to study esoteric laws from hundreds of worlds and outposts as his brain danced from one problem to another.

“It’s restricted to parental review for the non-citizen. And I know I have made certain all of the fictional parental review programs are locked, even if you father unlocked all the non-fiction.”

“Yeah mom, you need to talk to him about that. I stumbled over the Coord Outpost Full Recreate yesterday studying for today’s test.” Vixen shuttered dramatically while returning the plate for disposal. “Cannibalism, and other ick. Really didn’t need that in my head in vivid smell and space-time color. What the heck rating did that have? You were in it, so I know you got to know.”

“Citizen only, with verified mental stability of three or above.”  Tamatha sighed. “I am not going to win that argument, and neither are you. Not with your father. Now, let me see.”

Caught with her hand on the door, nearly fully recovered from time lost at the closet, Vixen shoulders slumped and she turned.

(words 488; first published 11/3/2019)

Blog: National Novel Writing Month

Erin Penn

Shark Angry GIF from Shark GIFs

 

***Guess what I am going to try again this year.***

To the tune of Baby Shark
November, Na – No – Write – Na – No – Na – No
November, Na – No – Write – Na – No – Write
November, Na – No – Write – Na – No – Write
November!

Choose a Theme, Na – No – Write – Na – No – Write
Choose a Theme, Na – No – Write – Na – No – Write
Choose a Theme, Na – No – Write – Na – No – Write
Choose a Theme!

P-O-V, Na – No – Write – Na – No – Write
P-O-V, Na – No – Write – Na – No – Write
P-O-V, Na – No – Write – Na – No – Write
P-O-V!

Write some words, Na – No – Write – Na – No – Write
Write some words, Na – No – Write – Na – No – Write
Write some words, Na – No – Write – Na – No – Write
Write some words!

Plot some more, Na – No – Write – Na – No – Write
Plot some more, Na – No – Write – Na – No – Write
Plot some more, Na – No – Write – Na – No – Write
Plot some more!

Find Buddies, Na – No – Write – Na – No – Write
Find Buddies, Na – No – Write – Na – No – Write
Find Buddies, Na – No – Write – Na – No – Write
Find Buddies!

Word Sprint Time, Na – No – Write – Na – No – Write
Word Sprint Time, Na – No – Write – Na – No – Write
Word Sprint Time, Na – No – Write – Na – No – Write
Word Sprint Time!

Lots of words, Na – No – Write – Na – No – Write
Lots of words, Na – No – Write – Na – No – Write
Lots of words, Na – No – Write – Na – No – Write
Fifty thousand words!

Type the End, Na – No – Write – Na – No – Write
Type the End, Na – No – Write – Na – No – Write
Type the End, Na – No – Write – Na – No – Write
Type the End!

Art Project: Needles Out

Erin Penn 1 Comment

Finally broke out my needles in the first time in forever during October. 

Want to see my pretties in process? I took some pictures on where I am on October 8, 2019. Hopefully I will finish a few of these.

First, I took a Beadwork Coif class at the beginning of the month. I had to make the coif before the class, now I am slowly beading the project.

 

Next, you might remember my ongoing apron projects. I’ve been working on this green one on and off for most of a year. Mostly off. But I pulled the pleating strings out of the smocked area this month and finished pulling out the threads to do the drawn work along the bottom. Now I just need to finish gathering the ladders for the drawn thread decorations. Of the things I am working on, this is the most likely to be completed this year.

    

I started the dragon towels last year during tax season (2019). Did another big push in July, and haven’t added a stitch since. It should be a set of four towels when complete. Biggest challenge with this one is following a pattern carefully, one of the reasons I dislike cross-stitch so much. If it wasn’t so pretty when it was done, I would give it up.

Then the BIG project. A complete set of mix-and-match Flemish garb with “heavy metal” embroidery. It will be six garments all told – two undergowns, two overgowns, and two aprons. I have completed one undergown (summer 2018) and one overgown (October 2019), the sewing portion. Working on the second undergown and overgown (the red apron gown is below). Then sew the two aprons. Then embroidering ALL THE THINGS!!! Well, four things: the two overgowns and the aprons. It will be AMAZING when done. … If it gets done.

That is always the challenge. Getting it done. So many pretties, sew little time.