Saturday, August 31, 2013

Reading Challenges 2013

This post really should have been set up on January 1, 2013, but oh well.

Total books for the year:

2011 - 156/150 completed
2012 - 104/100 completed
2013 - 134/100 completed

*****

Non-fiction 2013 (DONE)
Read at least 1 non-fiction book per month

Jan -
Feb - Lost Paradise by Kathy Marks; Serpent in Paradise by Dea Birkett; Pitcairn Island by Trevor Lummis; Mrs. Christian by Glynn Christian
Mar -
Apr - Anatomy of a Haunting by Lee Strong
May -
Jun - Chicken Soup for the Soul: I Can't Believe My Cat Did That! by Jack Canfield; The Tao of Writing by Ralph L. Wahlstrom
Jul - Compass Points: The Pagan Writer's Guide by Suzanne Ruthven
Aug - Practical Protection Magick by Ellen Dugan; The Sacred Sisterhood of Wonderful Wacky Women by Suzy Toronto; Kinsey and Me by Sue Grafton
Sep - The Art of Bliss by Tess Whitehurst
Oct - The Tainos: Rise and Decline of The People Who Greeted Columbus by Irving Rouse; Port Townsend's Victorian Homes by James Aiebuaer
Nov - In My Own Words by The Dalai Lama
Dec - The Sacred Sisterhood of Wonderful Wacky Women Book Two by Suzy Toronto

*****

Alphabet Titles 2013 (DONE)

A - Anatomy of a Haunting by Lee Strong
B - Black Point by Jerome Burke
C - Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters
D - Drop Dead on Recall by Sheila Webster Boneham
E - Etched in Silver by Yasmine Galenorn
F - Shadow Fires by Dean Koontz
G - God on a Harley - Joan Brady
H - Haunted Moon by Yasmine Galenorn
I - A Touch of Ice by L.J. Charles
J - A Nose for Justice by Rita Mae Brown
K - Kinsey and Me by Sue Grafton
L - Lost Paradise by Kathy Marks
M - Mrs. Christian by Glynn Christian
N - Night Vision by Yasmine Galenorn
O - Opal Fire by Barbra Annino
P - Pitcairn Island by Trevor Lummis
Q - The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory
R - The Ragtime Kid by Larry Karp
S - Serpent in Paradise by Dea Birkett
T - True Believer by Nicholas Sparks
U - Once Upon a Ghost by Day Leclaire
V - Dumb White Husband vs. Santa by Benjamin Wallace
W - Where's Your Daddy? by Sue Ann Jaffarian
X - The Xibalba Murders by Lyn Hamilton
Y - A Year on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball
Z - Miss Zukas and the Library Murders by Jo Dereke

*****

Character Names 2013 (DONE)

A - Amelia Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters
B - Belinda Lost Paradise by Kathy Marks
C - Christine God on a Harley by Joan Brady
D - Delilah Etched in Silver by Yasmine Galenorn
E - Edith Anatomy of a Haunting by Lee Strong
F - Fletcher Pitcairn Island by Trevor Lummis
G - Mr. Gray The Widow of Larkspur by Lawana Blackwell
H - Hamasaki Primitive Secrets by Deborah Turrell Atkinson
I - Irma Serpent in Paradise by Dea Birkett
J - Jeremy Black Point by Jerome Burke
K - King A Nose for Justice by Rita Mae Brown
L - Lexie True Believer by Nicholas Sparks
M - Makayla Every Trick in the Book by Lucy Arlington
N - Nick One Hot Murder by Lorraine Bartlett
O - Olivia Written in Stone by Ellery Adams
P - Pete The Turtle Boy by Kealan Patrick Burke
Q - Quintal Mrs. Christian by Glynn Christian
R - Rex Christmas is Murder by C.S. Challinor
S - Stacy Opal Fire by Barbra Annino
T - Tom Drop Dead on Recall by Sheila Webster Boneham
U - Brian Underwood The Christie Curse by Victoria Abbott
V - Vanzir Haunted Moon by Yasmine Galenorn
W - Wayne Dead Angler by Victoria Houston
X - Xandra Harvest Moon by C.L. Bevill
Y - Ysandra Night Vision by Yasmine Galenorn
Z - Zoe Bookmarked for Death by Lorna Barrett

*****


Around the USA 2013 (DONE)

Alabama - A Potion to Die For by Heather Blake
Alaska - A Fatal Thaw by Dana Stabenow
Arizona - The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman
Arkansas - Shakespeare's Champion by Charlaine Harris
California - A Modern Witch by Debora Geary
Colorado - Harvest Moon by C.L. Bevill
Connecticut - Tulle Death Do Us Part by Annette Blair
Delaware - Hooked Up by Jim & Joyce Lavene
District of Columbia - Pop! Goes the Weasel by James Patterson
Florida - Ghost Shadow by Heather Graham
Georgia - Brownies and Broomsticks by Bailey Cates
Hawai'i - Primitive Secrets by Deborah Turrell Atkinson
Idaho - The Sacred Sisterhood of Wonderful Wacky Women by Suzy Toronto
Illinois - Opal Fire by Barbra Annino
Indiana - Drop Dead on Recall by Sheila Webster Boneham
Iowa - Anatomy of a Haunting by Lee Strong
Kansas - Gluten for Punishment by Nancy J. Parra
Kentucky - Kinsey and Me by Sue Grafton
Louisiana - Photo Finished by Laura Childs
Maine - Firefly Beach by Meira Pentermann
Maryland - In for A Penny by Maggie Toussaint
Massachusetts - One Bad Apple by Sheila Connolly
Michigan - Cut and Dry by Jo Dereske
Minnesota - Red Velvet Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke
Mississippi File M for Murder by Miranda James
Missouri - The Ragtime Kid by Larry Karp
Montana - The Edge of The Crazies by Jamie Harrison
Nebraska - Heartland by David Wiltse
Nevada - A Nose for Justice by Rita Mae Brown
New Hampshire - Bookmarked for Death by Lorna Barrett
New Jersey - God on a Harley by Joan Brady
New Mexico - Chicken Soup for the Soul: I Can't Believe My Cat Did That! by Jack Canfield
New York - One Hot Murder by Lorraine Bartlett
North Carolina - True Believer by Nicholas Sparks
North Dakota - Home Front by Joel Rosenberg
Ohio - The Turtle Boy by Kealan Patrick Burke
Oklahoma - Ghost at Work by Nancy J. Parra
Oregon - A Haunting in Oregon by Michael Richan
Pennsylvania - Dead Letters by Sheila Connolly
Rhode Island - Black Magic Woman by Justin Gustainis
South Carolina - A Touch of Ice by L.J. Charles
South Dakota - Nearly Departed in Deadwood by Ann Charles
Tennessee - Deadly Night by Aiden Jones
Texas - Bubba and the Dead Woman by C.L. Bevill
Utah - On Deadly Ground by Michael Norman
Vermont - Spun by Sorcery by Barbara Bretton
Virginia - A Year on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball
Washington - Etched in Silver by Yasmine Galenorn
West Virginia - Moon Signs by Helen Haught Fanick
Wisconsin - Black Point by Jerome Burke
Wyoming - The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson

*****

Around the World 2013 - 7 Countries (DONE)

1. USA - Black Point by Jerome Burke
2. Egypt - Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters
3. Pitcairn Island - Lost Paradise by Kathy Marks
4. England - Christmas is Murder by C.S. Challinor
5. Tahiti - Mrs. Christian by Glynn Christian
6. Ireland - Buried in a Bog by Sheila Connolly
7. Italy - Inferno by Dan Brown 


*****

Around the Continents 2013 (DONE)

Africa - Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters
Antarctica - Jealousy's Rage by Melissa A. Smith
Asia - The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Australia - Darkness Unbound by Keri Arthur
Europe - Italy - Inferno by Dan Brown
North America - USA - Black Point by Jerome Burke
South America - Mexico - The Xibalba Murders by Lyn Hamilton

*****

Ethnicity 2013

Africa - Black Magic Woman by Justin Gustainis
Basque Country - 
China - The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Cuba - 
France - 
Hawai'i - Primitive Secrets by Deborah Turrell Atkinson
Norway - 
Philippines - 
Puerto Rico - The Tainos: Rise and Decline of The People Who Greeted Columbus by Irving Rouse
Spain - 
USA - Black Point by Jerome Burke

*****

Read the Rainbow 2013 (DONE)

Red - Dead Letters by Sheila Connolly
Orange - The Sacred Sisterhood of Wonderful Wacky Women by Suzy Toronto
Yellow - Harvest Moon by C.L. Bevill
Green - Murder on the House by Juliet Blackwell
Blue - File M for Murder by Miranda James
Purple/Violet - Ghost Shadow by Heather Graham 

*****

Cozy Themes (DONE)

Read one book in each theme.

#1 British - English - The Corpse of St James's by Jeanne M. Dams

#2 Historical/Period - Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

#3 Animals - File M for Murder by Miranda James

#4 Culinary/Cooking - The Whole Enchilada by Diane Mott Davidson

#5 Paranormal - Nearly Departed in Deadwood by Ann Charles

#6 Vacation Mysteries/Exotic Locations - Buried in a Bog by Sheila Connolly

#7 Holidays - Christmas is Murder by C.S. Challinor

#8 Hobbies - Dead Angler by Victoria Houston

#9 Professions/Careers/Jobs/Occupations - Murder on the House by Juliet Blackwell

#10 Senior Sleuths - Murder at the Castle by Jeanne M. Dams 


*****

Seasons 2012 - 2013 (DONE)

Dec 22 - Mar 19
W - Worlds Unseen by Rachel Thomson
I - Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
N - A Nose for Justice by Rita Mae Brown
T - True Believer by Nicholas Sparks
E - Etched in Silver by Yasmine Galenorn
R - Drop Dead on Recall by Sheila Webster Boneham

Mar 20 - Jun 20
S - Spun by Sorcery by Barbara Bretton
P - Primitive Secrets by Deborah Turrell Atkinson
R - The Rabbit Died by Sue Ann Jaffarian
I - Written in Stone by Ellery Adams
N - Deadly Night by Aiden James
G - A Modern Witch by Debora Geary

Jun 21 - Sep 21
S - Spells & Stitches by Barbara Bretton
U - Once Upon a Ghost by Day Leclaire
M - Murder at the Castle by Jeanne M. Dams
M - Harvest Moon by C.L. Bevill
E - Old Haunts by E.J. Copperman
R - The Tao of Writing by Ralph L. Wahlstrom

Sep 22 - Dec 20
A - The Alpine Advocate by Mary Daheim
U - Evil Under The Sun by Agatha Christie
T - The Tainos: Rise and Decline of The People Who Greeted Columbus by Irving Rouse
U - The Thirteenth Unicorn by W.D. Newman
M - Moon Signs by Helen Haught Fanick
N - No Mercy by Lori G. Armstrong

Bonus:

F - Home Front by Joel Rosenberg
A - One Bad Apple by Sheila Connolly
L - Love Letters from Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball
L - Photo Finished by Laura Childs


Friday, August 16, 2013

Coat of Arms


People on the City-Data Genealogy forum have been talking about coats of arms lately, and a thread started asking people how they would design their own.  I think I’ve finally come up with mine.  Here’s my post:

“I've been thinking about this for quite awhile.  My family situation is complicated and fractured, so the coat of arms would reflect only myself.  The colors would be dark purple and forest green in opposing quadrants with a silver banner.  The motto on the banner at the top would read "CREDO IN POSSIBILITATES", "Believe in the possibilities."  Instead of a helmet, a white lotus flower would sit on top of the shield.  A male orange and black tiger supporter would be rampant on the left side, and a white female grizzly bear supporter would be rampant on the right.  In the top left quadrant would be symbols of the Triple Goddess and the Forest Lord, in the top right quadrant would be a plumed pen (I write) and a musical eighth note (I play several instruments), the bottom left quadrant would have a honu (sea turtle - to symbolize my birthmother's ethnicity), and in the right bottom quadrant would be a raven (to reflect the origin of my birthfather's surname).”

And at the bottom would be my full name.  

Monday, August 5, 2013

August "fake" camp

July's camp is over, but since we've both been writing short stories, we see no reason to stop now, so both my writing buddy and I will be continuing with our own "fake" camp.  We've set word count goals, I'm shooting for another 10k this month, though that's the minimum I want to write, and we'll keep encouraging and supporting each other as always.  

Although I came up with 50 short story suggestions before camp started last month, I ended up working on only 15 of them, so I have enough to carry me over this month.  Most of those 15 are related stories about the characters I created years ago for an rpg, but they were only bare bones descriptions of who they were.  Now I'm filling in their histories and lives and stories and how they all ended up together and am having a lot of fun with it.  It might all end up in a single book someday.

Genealogy-wise, unfortunately both of the dioceses in Cuba that I had written to for information on my grandfather's birth wrote back saying that they had no information on him at all, so I'm having to re-group and figure out where I go from here.  Bayamo and Cienfuegos were the only two possibilities for his birthplace that were listed on his paperwork.  I'm fairly certain his mother was born in Cuba, but I haven't seen any information about her either, and I'm not sure I have a correct name for her.  His father was born in Euskal Herria (the Basque Country) and moved to Cuba with his parents and siblings apparently.  Think I'll try to find my great-grandparents' marriage information in Cuba.


Saturday, August 3, 2013

Books Read July 2013


Abbott, Victoria
  • The Christie Curse
Fiction.  Jordan Bingham applies for a new job with Vera Van Alst, the town’s most hated person.  She’s given room and board in exchange for tracking down a mysterious play supposedly written by the grand dame of crime herself, Agatha Christie.  With the help of her lovable, though quirky, uncles, she dodges danger in her quest.

Adams, Ellery
  • Peach Pies and Alibis
Fiction.  Ella Mae learns more about her mysterious ancestry as she dodges an ex-husband and while dealing with the romantic pangs she feels for the handsome firefighter she’s had a crush on all her life.  Deception and dangerous abound as death visits the lovely town of Havenwood.

Ball, Donna
  • At Home on Ladybug Farm 
Fiction.  2nd in the series.  The three women who own Ladybug Farm have taken in Cici’s daughter, Lori, and Noah, the teenager who had been camping out on their property.  Along with Ida Mae, the crusty elderly woman who came with the farm, they seem to form a family, something they desperately need as they see themselves through one catastrophe (and hilarious event) after another.  From sheep with coats on to a barn on fire, they stand together and try to find a way to make it work.

Bevill, C.L.
  • Harvest Moon
Fiction.  Emma had been abducted and brutalized by a were while vacationing with her parents.  By the time she escaped from him, her DNA had altered, and so, too, was her future.  Years later, she is the second in command of the powerful Colorado Cat Clan, yet in trying to help another were, she is once more captured and held.  This time by humans.  Can Wheeler find and rescue her in time?  Or will she be hunted to death?

Blackwell, Juliet
  • Tarnished and Torn 
Fiction.  Lily and her friends plan to spend a fun day shopping at the Gem Faire, but as usual with Lily, things don’t go exactly as planned, and she suddenly finds herself staring at the corpse of a witch who was pressed to death.  When her estranged father arrives in town, one thing leads to another, and Lily is forced to join forces with Aiden, the most powerful witch in San Francisco, and with Sailor, who has gifts of his own to defeat a demon, if she can.

Bretton, Barbara
  • Charmed 
Fiction.  Short story in the Sugar Maple series.  At the last meeting of a knitting workshop, one of the knitters surprises Chloe by revealing to her friends that Chloe is pregnant, something the villagers in Sugar Maple did not previously know.

Childs, Laura
  • Sweet Tea Revenge 
Fiction.  14th in the Tea Shop mystery series.  Theodosia returns to solve another murder that happens during Delaine’s wedding.  

Connolly, Sheila
  • Dead Letters
Fiction.  Nell, head of the local history society is hired by an elderly wealthy man to look into his family history and see if she can uncover anything untoward that his family was party to.  With the help of a mysterious otherworldly being, Nell is able to fulfill his request and bring about the solution to a long dormant injustice.

Copperman, E.J.
  • Old Haunts 
Fiction.  3rd in the paranormal cozy series.  Alison juggles her burgeoning business as the owner and hostess of a guesthouse with a fledgling occupation as a private investigator.  The two special “guests” of her house, both long departed from their bodies, hire her to find people from their pasts.  As she begins having feelings for a new man in her life, her ex-husband, or as she calls him, The Swine, shows up for a reconciliation, disrupting her household and causing her heartache.

Draco, Melusine
  • Compass Points The Pagan Writers’ Guide
Non-fiction.  Tips for writing in the Pagan and MB&S markets.

Jaffarian, Sue Ann
  • Rockets’ Red Glare
Fiction.  Short story in a series of holiday tales about a woman and her odd relationships with her family members.  Funny, but this one is a bit sad.

Leclaire, Day
  • Once Upon A Ghost 
Fiction.  Zach makes his living debunking ghost stories and revealing charlatans, and this case seems to be just another routine job.  That is until he meets Avery, a young woman convinced beyond all doubt that her ancestor still walks the earth.  Will his scientific experiments prove her wrong, and will she lose her faith?  Or can she prove to him that things like faith and love do exist?