Recommendation Needed

Quick post today. We just finished watching The Full Metal Alchemist. Brett discovered it on a sick day and fell in love with it, and it didn't take me long to fall in love, either. Right now I've gone back to the beginning, as I came into the storyline about 1/2 way through.

The characters are really well developed, and it has a great storyline. If you haven't seen it, I'd recommend checking it out. There are only 51 episodes and they run about 24 minutes each. (This is not to be confused with The Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood-- we thought this was a second season, but it is actually a retelling of the other series.)

Now we are looking for a show to watch as a family. Any suggestions?

Hockey and a Sunshine Award

Hope you all had a great weekend. While it wasn't as warm and sunny here this weekend like it was last weekend, it was still nice. We wrapped up the hockey season with a fun time at the rink with coaches vs. players, followed by a pizza party and awards ceremony. Brett's Coach announced him as the most improved player of the season as he gave him his trophy.  We are really proud of the progress he made and are looking forward to next season.

Michelle gave me the Sunshine Award (doesn't it make you feel all nice and warm, like a summer day?) Thanks, Michelle! I appreciate it.

Rules: 

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them.
2. Write a post about it.
3. Answer the questions below.
4. Pass it on to 10 bloggers who you think really deserve it and let them know.

Questions:
Favorite color: Pink, Blue, and Purple (yeah, I know, I didn't pick just one!)
Favorite animal: Cats and dogs (hmm- I'm sensing a trend here. How many others will I bend the rules on?)
Favorite number:  Fourteen (double perfect, and I have a thing for even numbers, and yes I know if you add them they are odd, but that's still OK)
Favorite non-alcoholic drink: Water
Facebook or Twitter: I attempt to make a showing in both.
My passion:  Writing and reading.
Getting or giving presents:Giving, there's just something about the response of the person that makes it special.
Favorite pattern: Hmm. This one is a tough one. I'm going to say spiral. (kinda makes me think of describe your favorite date from Miss Congeniality :-) )
Favorite day of the week: Any I get to sleep in on.
Favorite flower: Violets and pansies. The pansies just make me smile.


That was fun! Now it's your turn. I want to know a bit more about you, so pick some (or all) of the above to answer and share below.

Waiting for Movies and Books!

Wow! You guys had lots of interesting things to share about e-readers vs. books. Greg- thanks for the tip on linking accounts, I wasn't aware of that! For me, the ease of access to multiple books and limited storage space are making me lean more toward the e-reader than paper.

I am not a big movie goer, but there are some movies that are coming out this year I am looking forward to seeing (probably not on the big screen- I much prefer viewing in the quiet of my home!) So, in no particular order:

Snow White and the Huntsman
The Hunger Games
John Carter of Mars (I want to read the book before I see this one!)

I am also looking forward to some book releases (yes, I know there are more, but these are the ones that jumped to mind. I am also trying to work through my TBR pile!):

All Spell Breaks Loose by Lisa Shearin
My Heart be Damned by Chanelle Grey

What movies and/or books are you looking forward to?

Have a great weekend! Hopefully it is as nice this weekend as it was last weekend!!

Paper or E?

Since the beginning of the year, I've been reading more than I did last year. Part of it is because I have finally adapted back into working full time and have figured out how to spread everything around, the other reason is my tablet PC. I can have multiple books on there I can read whenever I want.  And with the exception of a book coming out in May that I plan on buying in paperback (I already have the rest of the set that way), I see more e-books in my future.

I don't miss the paper feel or smell. I do find flipping back to that earlier section to compare something a little more challenging than with a paperback, but I don't flip back that often, so it really isn't a problem.

What about you? Are you reading more e-books than paper? Why do you prefer one over the other?

Award and Updates

Thanks to Linda for the Liebster award! This award is given to a blogger with less than 200 followers who then passes it on to five of their followers with less than 200 followers.  According to Babelfish, Liebster means Dearest.

I feel like being a rule breaker today, so I am sending you to a few blogs I follow I think you will enjoy (if you haven't found them already!)
 Aubrey at Flutey Words, Nicole at Where Fantasy and Love Take Flight,  Elizabeth at Silver's Reviews, Carol at Artzicarol Ramblings, and Ann at Inkpots n' Quills.

Monday brought the end of the hockey season for us.  Dear son had a great time and progressed so much this season. He's already looking forward to next season. In the mean time, he is going to play lacrosse this spring (if any of you can explain how the game works or send me a link to a good explanation, I'd really appreciate it!)

Now for a writing update (thanks Susan for the reminder!) I have two complete chapters written and am working on a third for DKK. My characters decided they didn't like the road map I created and refused to cooperate until I listened to them. (I hate to say it, but they were right. My first four chapters, really needed to be 2). I am a little lost at the moment, but am looking forward to some brainstorming with Trisha to toss some ideas around and see what sticks. After adjusting my chapters I ran into a plot hole-- when I was writing my outline, my thoughts made sense. Now that I've made some changes, and thought about the outline, I find I need to flesh out some motivations to be sure what I am intending is believable.

How's everything going for you?I'd love to hear about it!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

What I've Been Reading

Thanks to all of you who participated in last week's fun.  Today I decided to do a roundup of what I've been reading so far this year. The truth is, I want to see what you're reading and see if I've missed something good!

Read since January1:
Monarch by Michelle Davidson Argyle
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
Simon's Lady by JulieTetel Andresen
First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones
(I've re-read a few old harlequins that were themed for the holidays, too) 
I also started a sample of The Seven Folds of Winter, byCarolyn McCray, and will probably get the book as so far it is quite interesting and enjoyable.

How about you? What've you been reading this year? As you can see, I read a fairly wide variety, so what would you recommend I read?

Tag! We're it!!

I've been tagged with 11 questions by Michelle, whose book, Concillium, releases this July.

So, here are her 11 questions and my answers!

What is your current WIP titled? How did you come up with the title?
My current WIP is A Different Kind of Knight (or DKK for short). I actually stole borrowed the title from the song of the same name by Christian Kane.  I love this song and needed to find the right characters to do the title justice.

What is your favorite genre to read? Is that the genre you write?
I love to read Romance, Urban Fantasy, and Fantasy. I do read sci-fi, but not as much.  I write YA fantasy (with a lot of Happy-Ever-After in it.)

What do you snack on while writing?
Umm. Nothing. I don't usually write and eat at the same time.  However, I do drink coffee (and sometimes adult beverages) while I am writing.

What music do you listen to while writing?
I tend to listen to soundtracks, or instrumental versions of my favorite band, Nightwish.

Coffee or tea?
Both. I start with coffee and move to tea.

Coke or Pepsi?
Neither.

How much time/effort do you put into developing secondary characters and who is your favorite?
My secondary characters have taken on new roles for me, as I have been so intrigued by them, they have become the main characters in subsequent stories.

Who is your favorite character (in your writing)?
Hmm. This is a hard one. Right now, I would have to say Brody (Prince Broderick if you are feeling formal), the male main character from my current WIP (He was a minor character in a previous WIP I am editing.) He has had a lot of really bad things happen to him, making him choose to become a sword for hire. Just the person my princess needs to help her.

Do you find it difficult to write from the antagonist’s viewpoint?
I recently just wrote a story that alternated between my protagonist and antagonist points of view. I really had a lot of fun exploring my more villainous side!

What do you do if you’re out and you get a great idea for a scene? Carry a notepad, recorder or the like?
Hope I can remember it until I get home?  LOL! I carry a notebook and pen in my purse.  But, if I am out without that, I have to rely on my memory.

How many times have you been tagged in this game? (I love the game by the way. )
This is my first time, and it was lots of fun!

Now for the fun.  Here are 11 questions for all of you. You can pick a few to answer in the comments, or if you would like to make a post on your blog for it, leave a link for us to follow.

1) Who would you cast as your main characters?
2) Plotter, Panster, or somewhere in between?
3 & 4) What genre do you think you would have the hardest time writing, and would you give it a try?
5) Twizzlers or Swedish Fish?
6) Who's your favorite villain?
7, 8, & 9) You can take one author (alive or dead) to dinner. Who would you pick, why, and where would you go?
10) What one thing must you have to write (besides paper, pen/pencil/marker, or computer)
11) What's your favorite- first drafts or revisions?

I look forward to seeing what you have to say!

New WIP

Last week I started working on A DIFFERENT KIND OF KNIGHT (DKK for short). The writing was slow and I am only two chapters in. (And as usual, I need to go back and add, as my first chapter is only 3 pages long. Sigh. Oh well!)

At first I worried about why it was taking so long to get my ideas down. I had an outline of sorts, I knew where my story was going to go, and then it hit me. This was the first time in about one year that I was starting something from scratch.

The last three things I have worked on were revisions of a previous draft. No wonder this was taking longer to get down, as I have not learned my characters inside out yet. (Well, one of them I have, and his chapter was writing much easier than my other characters!)

What are you working on? Is it something new or revisions? Are you finding it hard to get into it, or has it swept you away like a rain swollen river?  I'd love to hear about it, so share below!

Social Media Quandry

I have a twitter account and a facebook account, but with working full time, having a family, and squeezing in time for writing, I find I miss out on what is going on on the social media outlets.

I have never been the type to just say- 'Hey I'm going to XZY to have ABC.' I am more the use it to  repost things others have said, or to let people know I have a new blog post- usually in the morning before I head off to work.

So, for those of you out there who tweet and facebook during the day, how do you do it? Do you have a full time job and sneak in during breaks? Is there some way of writing a tweet and having it auto post at a later time(that would be kinda cool!)? Or, do you think twitter and facebook are over rated?  Looking forward to what you all have to say in the comments.