Upcoming Blog Halloween Parties!

IT'S HALLOWEEN PARTY TIME!!

Got your costume? Let's go trick or treating!

Don't forget to stop back here tomorrow, Weds. 10/20, for my 12 Days of Halloween in Miniature.

Comment during the party and you could win two of my handmade mini medieval books. (Dollhouse size in case you didn't know!)

Then how about some party hopping? See some more great stops below!









My friend Courtney over at Haunt Jaunts, a travel blog for restless spirits, is having a boorific Halloween Party all October!

Knowing Courts, she'll have all kinds of weird stuff (she's already posted on gruesome masks, (Ick!) and match your dog costumes! ha!), plus she's having some great giveaways, and all kinds of Halloween fun!







** Mark your calendar for next Monday, 10/25 for the Open House at Karin's blog, Mini Ramblings and Musings. Karin's gonna have the punch out, so stop by and say hi! Make sure you follow her and comment for a chance to win your very own mini Jack O'Lantern (not sure if it's haunted or not!)



** After that, let's go across the pond where Kat the Hat Lady in England is also having a party from Oct. 30-Nov. 2! Visit her party blog and post a comment with your Halloween link and join the fun!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Miniatures Monday: New Wizard Boxes

After seeing the amazing magic and amulet boxes made by members of the Mini Doll List (I'll share the link later when I find it again), I was inspired to make some magic boxes for my wizard.



















The room is done in paper clay but needs to be painted and decorated yet. I thought it would look neat to have some shelves and cabinets filled with various boxes and potion bottles. I wanted it to be slightly different from the fortune teller's house, which will have an assortment of crystal balls and other items.

New Cool Webcode from Google

Thought I'd share this new (well new to me) code I found from Google to generate a changing feed you can put on your website. Pretty neat...

I'm going to try linking my blog on my site... The nice thing is it's not linked to ads like other feeds I've tried and it will find the links automatically.

See easy-to-follow directions here.

Coming: 12 Days of Halloween in Miniature 2010!

Don't forget to stop by Wednesday, Oct. 20 for the kick-off to this year's 12 Days of Halloween in Miniature party!

Great creepy food, spooky guests, and unique miniature stuff!!




Bonus Contest! Comment on the posts beginning Wednesday for a chance to win two of my handmade miniature medieval books, perfect for a haunted, witch or wizard scene!

** And Happy Pink Saturday! Stop by Beverly's blog and say hello!

New Video for Searching for a Starry Night mystery

Finally! I've wanted to do this for a loooong time, but every program I tried I just couldn't get it to look right. Well, this was like video-for-dummies. I don't think it came out too bad, but tell me what you think?

* Read more about the book and download chapter 1 of Searching for a Starry Night. #1 on Kindle for miniatures! (If video fails to load, refresh page or see at website.)

New Story Coming in DAW Steampunk Romance Anthology

Yay! Just got word that my latest story, now renamed, "Kinetic Dreams," has been accepted for a steampunk romance anthology coming from DAW Books...

The new story continues the saga of Alva Edison, "sister" of Thomas Edison, that appears in the first anthology, STEAMPUNK'D, coming out Nov. 2, also from DAW Books.

In the first story, "Edison Kinetic Light and Steam Power," an ailing Alva Edison helps rescue her inventor brother, Thomas, and helps him find the answers to Mr. H. G. Wells's kinetic time traveling flying machine.

In the new story, Alva still marvels about not only finding relief for her crippling arthritis, but being married to her handsome doctor. Her happiness, however, is soon threatened by her brother Thomas's strange claims about traveling through time, even as a future threat draws near. Will she face the unimaginable and help her brother find a solution, or is her family doomed?

I must admit I have really enjoyed writing about the Edisons and I'm thinking of a new storyline for a novella to continue their stories. Maybe that can be my NanoWriMo project once I get the zombie book finished. Hmm...

Writing Opportunity: New Kindle Singles

Amazon announced a new program, "Kindle Singles," for novella-length stories, 10,000 to 30,000 words described as "twice the length of a New Yorker feature or a few chapters of a typical book."

The stories will be sold in their own Kindle Store section, be priced for less than typical books and be readable on the Kindle, Kindle 3G, Kindle DX, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, Mac, PC, BlackBerry, and Android-based devices. Stories also Will be backed-up online in a reader's Kindle library on Amazon.

To be considered for Kindle Singles, contact digital-publications@amazon.com.

Read more about the program here.

New Poll: Mysteries Top Reading Choice over Romances - Finally!

Well, looks like pollsters are finally catching on to what many of us already know - that mysteries and thrillers are favorite reads.

A recent Harris Poll cited in Publishers Weekly noted that mysteries, thrillers, and crime novels beat out chick-lit and romance novels by a large margin; and that more women than men read mysteries, thrillers, and crime novels.

The August online poll of 2,775 U.S. adults found that of those who read at least one book in a year (only one?):
* Nearly half (48%) read mysteries, thrillers and crime novels
* Science fiction was read by 26%
* "Literature" (?) was read by 24%
* One in 10 read graphic novels (11%) in the past year.

Top nonfiction reading choices were history (31%), biographies (29%) and religious/spiritual books (26%).

By age, 61% of readers 65 and up -mostly women - were more likely to read mystery, thriller, and crime novels.

Guess I'm a statistic; mysteries -mostly cozy or a thriller - are my first reading choice, along with some horror and occasional sci-fi.

** That said, what are your reading choices?

Miniatures Monday: Celebrate National Dollhouse & Miniatures Month! Halloween Miniatures

This has to be my absolutely favorite celebration!! Despite doing miniatures for (mumble-mumble) years. (ha! - yes that long!), I haven't tired of working on small things!

For fun, I thought I'd include some new Halloween miniatures I got from a swap with the Yahoo Groups' Half Scale Group. Perfect since I'm working on a half scale Halloween scene (deciding which house to use - it keeps wanting to be bigger since I keep collecting stuff. The original clock case may not be large enough!)



I made a smaller version of a "hand" snack and a small Halloween cake.



A bunch of cakes! You'll never guess what they're made of - small wood furniture plugs that are painted and topped with slick paint, glitter and Halloween confetti, then glued to a small button. It's fun coming up with new color combinations. Now I have to make a bunch more again for my 1/2" bakery.




** And what have you been working on??

Miniature Eye Candy: Mexican Corner Room

Thought I'd share a few older rooms and photos that I haven't shown in awhile. These may be familiar to some readers and new to others.

I made this corner room of foam core board covered with tinted lightweight Spackle. I liked adding the small roof and thought it added something to the room. The floor is mat board, which I painted and cut lines for tiles. Many of the items were from a miniatures group swap. I love the colors! Sometimes a smaller project is fun as you can fit a lot in, but actually get it done. (My problem. ha!) Ole!

* See more of minis at the Verstraete Miniatures Gallery.

Wear Pink and Click for National Breast Cancer Month!

In the United States alone, more than 207,000 persons will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010, according to the American Cancer Society.

Practically every family in the country and across the world has been touched by breast cancer... mothers, sisters, aunts, cousins, grandmothers...

Don't forget to CLICK at the Breast Cancer Site each day to give free mammograms to women in need in hopes of early treatment and continue to pray for a cure for this scourge!

** Today is also PINK SATURDAY, so stop by Beverly's blog and say hello!

National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month - Adopt a dog like Petey from Searching for a Starry Night!

October is National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month.

Every dog deserves a loving home. Even Petey from Searching for a Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery was adopted from a shelter. For Petey, having "the energy of ten dogs," as Sam says, may have worn out his former owners. Or maybe it was because his coat was a little blotchy and less than show perfect.

No matter. Whatever the reason, Petey goes home with Helena Sanchez, the clerk at the pet shop where Sam and Lita like to go help with the animals.

For Sam and her best friend, Lita, "Petey-sitting" and spending time with their new canine companion while Helena shops for her upcoming wedding becomes a new and memorable experience, especially given Petey's often playful attitude and mischievousness. He especially plays an important role in their search for the missing miniature "Starry Night" replica that Sam and Lita hope to find.

BUY:

* KINDLE
* Print
* B&N eBook
* Kobo (Smartphone, Tablet, Ereader)
* Sony Reader

Let's Play Killer - Your Own Serial Killer Doll

I first spotted this over on the Lipstick Chronicles blog and thought... huh?

So, it appears that the character from the Dexter show, (drawn from the novel, Darkly Dreaming Dexter) whom Wikipedia describes as "a blood spatter analyst who moonlights as a serial killer" for a police department in case you didn't know, is now a doll - to be precise, a 7-inch action figure.

Gee, what a great gift huh? And he even comes with his own knife...


The show has won acclaim and the novel has drawn praise as well... I did watch a few episodes when it aired briefly on regular TV instead of cable as I wondered what it was all about. Frankly, it made me sick seeing him in his element.

I'm all for freedom of the press and freedom of expression but... I still can't get my mind past this. While some TV cop/murder shows tend to often glorify the crime, making it almost attractive to those who may be sociopathic, this is a guy who tries to do good yet his way of thinking still has him killing... and pleasuring in it.

Yes, brilliant characterization, interesting fictional idea, but... does it go too far? Should killing be "entertainment?" (Yes it often is I know in horror novels; but you expect monsters or "killers" to be creepy, not enjoying themselves like Dexter who still indulges in his 'weakness' as his "secret" while trying to live a normal life on the surface.) The worst was the radio commercial that aired having him talking to his infant daughter; it just seemed too freaky.

And now... an action figure? It's, well, creepy. Yes, creeps don't need anyone to give them ideas, but why glorify it any further? What do you think?

Halloween Partying at Haunt Jaunts!

My friend, Courtney, over at Haunt Jaunts, a travel blog for restless spirits who love haunted places, is having a Hallowen Party all month!

Get in on the prizes, spooky fun and all kinds of who-knows-what! (Leave it to Courts to talk about the pervy Halloween costumes! And she's probably right, some are kind of creepy!)

** Stop by and see what she has brewing. I'll be popping in over there later in the month.

** Also check out Haunt Jaunts at Facebook.

New Miniatures How-To: Halloween Pillows in AIM Magazine

The fun Halloween pillows pictured here are part of a new how-to I did for the spooky Halloween/October issue of Artisans in Miniature (AIM) Magazine.




All the pillows are made from cotton Halloween fabric - and beware: glitter! (I love glitter, but... you'll see my warning in the magazine. haa!) It's a fun, easy way to decorate your mini house for Halloween! (The furniture shown is half scale, but the pillows can be used in any size.) And guess what? No worry: they're no-sew! (I used glue!)


Also, here's another photo of the first pillow I did, a bat cut-out which I just love! I added a smaller bat cut-out on the end of the bed, too.

New Miniatures Story in CDHM Magazine: Sherri Colvin's Dolls

See my story on doll maker Sherri Colvin titled, "And Then There Was Magic," in the October CDHM's Miniature Way Magazine,.





** Check out Colvin's fantastic miniature dolls and detailed resin mini doll kits. (Love the kits for miniature witches or older ladies; great faces!)

Miniature Eye Candy!

For fun, an assortment of some miniature candy from past swaps that I've displayed in my wallhanging market box.

Read Something Scary! Killer Valentine Ball & Muse Masquerade Festival!

Getting in the Halloween mood! Come to MuseItUp Publishing's Masquerade Festival all month!

* Prizes, free ebooks and more! Visit the MuseItUp Publishing blog to sign up to the reader's list and check out the day's blogs!

** The perfect scary read! The Killer Valentine Ball

A party at a day camp; a blind date on Valentine's Day. Can you say loser? But this is no ordinary party...

The Killer Valentine Ball has more thrills than Jess ever expected--or will ever forget. (You've got to read it for the surprise ending!)

Excerpt:

As they walked into the shadows, Jess noticed that things weren't quite as they appeared. Sections of the room lightened for a moment before being cast again in deep shadow. What Jess thought she saw in that split second made her heart race...Buy: The Killer Valentine Ball

Writing when Hungry? Food in Searching for a Starry Night and the Killer Valentine Ball

I'm not sure if it's a matter of writing when hungry, (like shopping when hungry? Don't do it!) but food seems to appear quite a few times in many of my stories and books.

Even funnier, I just noticed the connection via a group of my favorite quotes from Searching for a Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery.

In the book, friends Sam and Lita eat favorites like ice cream (several times!), but they also enjoy other favorites like iced tea, lemonade, cookies and turkey sandwiches. (Read chapter 1 and see reviews at link.)


Memorable Quotes:

Lita: “Butter cookies. Any cookies, really. That always does it for me.”

Sam: “He (Petey) looked like a hot dog without the bun.”

Petey the Dachshund: “Woof!”

Buy:
* Print
* KINDLE
* B&N eBook
* KOBO: Smartphone, Tablet, Ereader
* Sony Reader

** Got any food favorites in your own stories or books you like to read? **


In the new ebook, The Killer Valentine Ball, Jess attends what sounds like a fun Valentine's Ball - at first... They have drinks... the tables are fully set, but not how you'd expect...

Just in time for Halloween!

A party at a day camp; a blind date on Valentine's Day. Can you say loser? But this is no ordinary party...

The Killer Valentine Ball has more thrills than Jess ever expected--or will ever forget. (You've got to read it for the surprise ending!)

Excerpt:

As they walked into the shadows, Jess noticed that things weren't quite as they appeared. Sections of the room lightened for a moment before being cast again in deep shadow. What Jess thought she saw in that split second made her heart race...

Read more & Buy: The Killer Valentine Ball

** Also available on Kindle. Buy:

New Searching for a Starry Night Themes 2

The brain's working overtime! Parents/Teachers: Check out a couple more themes I just added for Searching for a Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery. Read chapter 1 and see reviews at link.

Themes:

Dollhouses: Some of the described pieces and houses owned by housekeeper Mrs. Drake are based on the author's own collection. Miniatures collecting is a great hobby and creative outlet for kids of all ages.

Miniature Art: Miniatures are a specialized art category, usually 6-inches in size and smaller done by noted artists in oil and acrylic. Some artists recreate works by the masters in miniature for dollhouse collectors.

Family & Community: Students can make connections and discuss their family and community in comparison to Sam's relationships with her mother, friend and neighbors.

History: Students can discuss modern conveniences and their history by comparing what isn't used or available at the late aunt's Victorian house.

Dogs and Kids: Animal Adoption: The Dachshund, Petey, plays an important role in the book, and demonstrates the relationship between kids and a pet. The dog brings attention to animal shelters as Petey was adopted from a shelter.

Buy:
* Print
* KINDLE
* B&N eBook
* KOBO: Smartphone, Tablet, Ereader
* Sony Reader

Miniatures: New Half Scale Couch

New half-scale couch I made to go in the 1/2" witch's house. It's hard to tell here, but both fabrics have a sparkly finish. I made the pillow too. (A how-to is coming up!)

News Ad Nauseum - The latest epidemic...

Is the news trying to scare us? Just when you think it's safe to turn on the TV... more bed bugs! An epidemic. Don't go out with covering yourself in plastic!

Eek! The news grabs something and will-not-let-go. Remember the flu epidemic?

What's your favorite - or non-favorite news story that would not die?

Miniatures Monday: Medieval Books

Some of the new miniature medieval books I made with leather covers.

Perfect for Halloween, medieval castles, wizards, etc. Just a few of the different types and sizes I make. They're also for sale. Contact me if interested.

Searching for a Starry Night Fun Facts and New Links

A few fun facts about Searching for a Starry Night. Parents and Teachers: check out the themes.

About the book:
Sam, her BFF Lita, and a mischievous Dachshund named Petey, face a cranky housekeeper, a dog-hating gardener and an ancient family curse as they search for a missing miniature replica of Van Gogh's famous painting, "Starry Night."

Buy:
* B&N eBook
* KOBO - Smartphone, Tablet, Ereader
* Sony Reader
* Print
* KINDLE


Characters:
Samantha Carlton: A 13-year-old "tomboy" who loves to fish and solve mysteries

Lita Jackson: Sam's best friend who has an aversion to ghosts and scary movies. They've been friends since childhood.

Petey the Dachshund: Petey has the energy of 10 dogs. He's a digger and always seems to be in trouble!

Memorable Quotes:
Lita: “Butter cookies. Any cookies, really. That always does it for me.”

Sam: “He (Petey) looked like a hot dog without the bun.”

Petey the Dachshund: “Woof!”

Setting:

Sam and Lita think they're going for a vacation in Lake Geneva, but instead help Sam's mom, Grace, search for that missing miniature painting apparently left behind in her late Great Aunt Hilda's old Victorian home just outside Lake Geneva, Wisc.

First Sentence:

Samantha Ann Carlton tilted her head back and tried to see all the way to the top of the old three-story Victorian. Funny, it looked much bigger than she remembered—and creepier.

Themes:
Dollhouses: In their search for the missing dollhouse-sized "Starry Night" painting, Sam and Lita realize the cranky housekeeper, Mrs. Drake, is a dollhouse collector. And when they see her houses, they get a glimpse of real life - only smaller. Some of the described pieces and houses are based on the author's own collection, some of which can be seen in her miniatures gallery. The author hopes to interest kids in a hobby and collecting for fun and as a creative outlet.

Miniature Art: Miniature art is a specialized category usually 6-inches in size and smaller. These are real paintings done by noted artists. Some artists paint in oil and acrylic for the dollhouse collectors' market.

Dogs and Kids: Animal Adoption: The Dachshund, Petey, plays an important role in the book, and also demonstrates the relationship between kids and a pet. It also brings attention to animal shelters, as Petey was adopted from a shelter

Neat Miniatures Idea: Tired of that plain old desk?

Oh this is soooo cool! In real life, it's a neat idea, but of course, it has FANTASTIC miniature applications!



This information desk at a library is made of --- recycled books! Yes, it would be a LOT of work in mini, but how original this would be! You can see more pix here.

Now Available: New Short Horror Ebook, The Killer Valentine Ball

Just in time for Halloween!

NOW AVAILABLE!!

A party at a day camp; a blind date on Valentine's Day. Can you say loser? But this is no ordinary party...

The Killer Valentine Ball has more thrills than Jess ever expected--or will ever forget. (You've got to read it for the surprise ending!)

Excerpt:

As they walked into the shadows, Jess noticed that things weren't quite as they appeared. Sections of the room lightened for a moment before being cast again in deep shadow. What Jess thought she saw in that split second made her heart race...

Read more & Buy: The Killer Valentine Ball

** Also available on Kindle. Buy:



** Purchasers: there are some fantastic upcoming contests so be sure to check out the MuseItUp Publishing bookstore!

Miniatures Monday: Welcome to the New Minis by Kitty blog!

Say hello to a new minis blogger!

My Dutch friend, Kitty, has started an English version of her blog, MinisByKitty.

It may take a while for her to set up her photos and stuff, but make her feel welcome and be a follower, okay?

Photo: The spoon set (I love how she's aged it!) is part of some recent additions to her Brocante house, one of my favorite projects that she's done. I'm sure she'll be sharing more of the pix from this great project. Check her blog for the full photo.

New Dog Mystery Coming: Cat Author Defects!

Well, the headline is only slightly exaggerated.

Author Clea Simon, who's known for her cat-centered mysteries (PROBABLE CLAWS, Theda Krakow Mystery Series, Poisoned Pen Press; and GREY MATTERS, book two in the Dulcie Schwartz mystery series, Severn Press), does have a cat in her upcoming latest-- but the book's real focus is a dog!!

DOGS DON'T LIE, a Pru Marlowe Pet Noir Mystery, will be published in April 2011 from Poisoned Pen Press. (The pictured cover is not final yet.) The book centers on a traumatized, rescued pitbull and a pet psychic. Sounds good. Great idea, Clea!


About DOGS DON'T LIE: (from website)

Pru Marlowe isn't your ordinary animal psychic. A tough girl on the run from her own gift, Pru left the big city to return to her picturesque Berkshires hometown looking for a little peace. Too bad that her training as an animal behaviorist got her mixed up with Lily, a rescue dog, and Charles, her person.

Now Charles is dead, and Lily looks good for it. After all, Lily is a pitbull, a fighting-ring dropout, and way too traumatized to give Pru a clear picture of what she has witnessed. But Pru knows something about bad girls trying to clean up, and, with a sense of justice strong enough to overcome her dislike of human society, she takes the case.

Listening to the animals, Pru picks up clues—and learns there are secrets in the pretty little town that make murder look simple. Unable to tell anybody about her psychic abilities, uncertain at times about her own sanity, Pru comes to realize that if she clears Lily, she'll likely become the prime suspect—or the next victim.

While the only creature she can totally trust is her crotchety tabby Wallis, Pru's got to uncover the real killer—and find a way to live with her gift—before the real beasts in the town savage her and those she has come to love. I'll include more on the book nearer publication.

Buy a Book or Ebook: Help a Shelter Pet!!

Authors Patty G. Henderson, MG Williamz and VW Massie, are putting their art where their heart is with their latest anthology, DARK THINGS (Black Car Publishing, Lulu, $11.99, Kindle, $2.99).

The collection of dark fiction stories, which includes The Hunted by Williamz; Her Apparition and I Sing the Body Dead by Henderson; and Skin by Massie; is available in print, Kindle and ePub versions.

**ALL proceeds go to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. (ASPCA). With foreclosures on the rise and families on the edge, family pets are being abandoned in shelters across the country.

Henderson, known for her dark supernatural fiction, calls it a "win-win" situation, saying "the book came out of a deep love and respect I have for God's creation of our four-footed friends. They are here to give us comfort, joy and laughter in our tough times. We mistreat them horribly.

"I once wanted to put together a short show on my local community public access television on our Humane Society shelter, but the PA funding went broke and I couldn't get the program put together. But I spoke extensively with the man in charge and got a tour of the facility. My sister just adopted a cute dog named 'Tanner' from the Humane Society and I have donated some of my artwork yearly to their annual fundraiser.

"DARK THINGS was an 'invitation only' project. I knew both authors invited. There are four stories in the collection and all four are top notch. I contributed two and both MJ and VW contributed one apiece." (Note: some stories do feature lesbian characters.) Vampires in New Orleans, haunted houses and a terrifying twist on modern cable and demonic beings are some of the story themes.

** The next anthology, DARK THINGS II: Cat Crimes, is open to all authors and will focus on cat stories. See submission guidelines. (Submissions open to 1/16/11.)

A New Miniatures Magazine: Welcome Taller de Miniaturas & List of Other Online Magazines

Miniaturists have another reading choice as Spanish miniaturists shared the first issue of their new online magazine, Taller de Miniaturas.

The first issue includes some very nice how to projects such as a wood planter and a neat imprinted clay book by Eva from Mini Escenas y Manualidades. (Articles are in Spanish but with good photos to follow.)

Congratulations to the miniaturists! Muy bueno!


** Miniaturists now have several free online magazines to choose from, including:

* CDHM Miniature Way (August)
The August issue includes my story on doll maker Judy Raley of Once We Were Fairies










Artisans in Miniature (AIM) Magazine
Quarterly, with projects also provided by members. See September AIM.

(See Help page where you have to sign in to Scribd to download the PDF but you can read it online.)

Halloween Miniatures: Mrs. Julliard Awaits the Wizard

Mrs. Julliard insisted on staying around the tower, desperate to learn the wizard's secrets. Well.... she learned one, but alas, she's in no condition to talk now. Halloween is coming, you do have an idea what she'll look like, right? haaa!

She's dressed in a Victorian style gown in a flashy red with a black lace bodice and fashionable lace cloak, with matching cloth and leather slippers.



Included is the wizard's table with the wizard's magic orb, a leather-bound medieval map (does it lead to his secrets?), a magical crystal plant and a set of potions, all on a vintage table. Items are not glued. Everything handmade by me. Item for sale; contact me if interested.

Chris V.

Inspiration for Pink Saturday: A Miracle Makeover

Today is a special Pink Saturday!

Beverly at How Sweet the Sound has linked with Guideposts, talking about the "Miracle Makeover" and celebration of Collette Gauthier's recovery from cancer; the story was printed in GUIDEPOSTS Magazine. (Like Guideposts on Facebook!) and thank them for sharing the video online.


From the Katilac Shack website:

Design Changes Things: When a room is falling apart, and we are also feeling physically or mentally down, it's easy to believe that things are hopeless. For Colette Gauthier, a cancer patient, this was especially true. So, in two and a half days, and on a tiny budget, we set out to change things. Transforming her rental house bedroom from bleak to beautiful helped her through chemotherapy. The restored and renewed space filled her with hope. A visual reminder that healing is possible for our homes and lives....that miracles do happen. (See video below...)


** Some other inspiration: **

It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.
-- Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House in the Ozarks

Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong. -- Ella Fitzgerald

Life is a succession of moments. To live each one is to succeed. -- Corita Kent

Life is an exciting business, and most exciting when it is lived for others. -- Helen Keller

Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained. -- Marie Curie



** Click at the Breast Cancer site for free mammograms for women in need!





** Comment on Beverly's blog above or at the Katillac Shack- ** A $1 donation for every comment on Pink Saturday will be given to Design Gives Back for another miracle makeover.

Paying to Blog or Write - What do you say?

It's common practice for many businesses to have to get a license or some kind of registration, depending on the location, of course. But let's say you blog or are a freelance writer. Maybe you have a few ads on your blog, or sell a few things here and there...

Well if you live in Philadelphia, that city believes that in both cases, you need a "business privilege" license allowing you to operate. And in this case, it'll cost you $50 a year or $300 a lifetime to do it. See full story.

And by the way, it doesn't matter whether you make $10 a month or your blog or writing, or $1,000 a month.

Is this a case of a governmental entity reaching their hand into your pocket and finding another way to make money off people? Finding another way to tax the Internet or making people who are making good money pay up? But what's the sense in taxing someone $50 who doesn't make much on their venture? And if you're a freelance writer, why should you have to pay more?

What's your opinion?

Dollhouses and Collages Meet: New Mixed Media Dollhouses Book

Assembly and collage meets dollhouses. I just saw this new book at B&N, and thought it was a fascinating approach.

It takes the idea of dioramas we learned as kids, and hooks it up with the adult trend of collages, scrapbooking and artistic scenes, resulting in fanciful roomboxes combined with artistic paper craft. I thought it was an interesting new way to collect miniatures with often very pretty, eye-catching results. Might be fun to experiment with things that "traditional" miniaturists often don't try.

Description:

Mixed-media doll houses include beautiful castles, undersea fantasy-lands, gothic attics, inspiring tree houses and much more. Authors Tally Oliveau and Julie Molina share a host of interesting alteration techniques while showing readers how to construct beautiful, fantasy doll houses. Readers learn to how to construct or repurpose found boxes into rooms and houses, how to decorate interior surfaces, how to build miniature furnishings, how to make their own paper dolls, and how to embellish their houses using a variety of imaginative materials.


Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Quarry Books (March 1, 2010)

Miniatures: Feels like Fall!

Where'd summer go? Thinking of fall already so I decorated these small wheelbarrows...

Searching for a Starry Night, Barnes & Noble Anniversary

Fun event Sunday at the Mount Pleasant (Racine) WI Barnes & Noble celebrating their 10th anniversary.

Fantasy/Sci-fi author Jean Rabe and I shared the early morning session.

Interesting that at this B&N, they expanded and added a whole new section with games and puzzles; the mystery section was also moved near the religion and crafts. I didn't catch the move at first, but I had the impression the area was a little smaller, or maybe it was just laid out differently.

Note: A new print version of Searching for a Starry Night will be available soon.

The new cover is similar to the Searching for a Starry Night Kindle version except the bottom print (subtitle and my name) are both dark blue.

* Read/download Searching for a Starry Night chapter 1.

Searching for a Starry Night Author and Others Help Celebrate B&N's 10th Anniversary in Wisc. Sunday

I and other authors will be on hand Sunday, Aug. 22 helping Barnes and Noble Booksellers, 2710 S. Green Bay Road, Mount Pleasant, WI (Racine) celebrate their 10-year anniversary. The party goes until 9 p.m. Stop by and say hello!

Scheduled authors include:

• 10 a.m. - Jean Rabe, award-winning science fiction author and Christine Verstraete, author of children's mystery, "Searching For A Starry Night."

• 11 a.m. - Storyteller and historian Jerry Apps, author of "Barns of Wisconsin."

• 1 p.m. - Best-selling authors Chloe Neill, author of "Twice Bitten" in the Chicagoland Vampire series, and Linda Godfrey. author of "Haunted Wisconsin."

• 3 p.m. - Jerry Rannow, author of "This One'll Killya," George Fennell, author of "Racine: Drum Corps Capital of the World" and Nick Comande, author of "Climbing for Causes."

A book fair fundraiser will be held all day to benefit the Racine Public Library. A percentage of each purchase will go to the library Vouchers must be obtained in advance at the library, 72 Seventh St., Racine, or visit the website.

For more information, call the library, (262) 636-9241, or Barnes and Noble, (262) 598-9757.

Chocolates in Miniature!

Nothing's better than chocolate - unless it's in miniature, of course!

My friend, Kitty, made some new chocolates for the chocolate shop she's working on that look good enough to eat!

See more at her blog, Minis by Kitty