Extreme Cuteness

Yesterday, I took the plunge. I adopted a puppy! He's an 8 week old pug about the size of a guinea pig and he's so freakin adorable I can't stand it. No matter what he does, it's soooooooo incredibly cute. I'm a huge animal lover and can't get enough of all things cute, so today I thought I'd share some of my go-to sources to spread the cute.

But first, meet Loki - the new love of my life! He likes to sleep on my shoes and feet and is afraid of stairs. 

Now for more cuteness...I highly recommend checking out Cute Overload. I don't know how I found out about it years and years ago, but I have it bookmarked and visit it at least once a day. The pics and videos on this site will make your head explode! This site is guaranteed to cheer you up if you're having a bad day.  

I actually found out about my next source via Cute Overload. It's a blog called Cute Travels. It's run by a girl named Eimear who travels the world in search of cute things. We're talking cute places, cute recipes, cute animals, cute clothes, and more. It doesn't get better than that. :)

What I'm Watching

Zero. That's the number of times I've ever had cable. Shocked faces and plenty of "no ways!" are common reactions when I tell people that I'm cable-free. Yes, I may be old school, but I still  binge watch TV shows. I like to think of Netflix and Amazon Prime as cheaper, customized cable without commercials. Yay! And so, I thought today's blog would be about TV shows I'm currently enjoying and share my recent binges. 

Watching Now

Penny Dreadful: A dark and gothic Downton Abbey, brimming with mystery and horror.  It's so incredibly weird and shocking, especially how they weave in classic horror and literary characters like Frankenstein and Dorian Gray.  The acting, sets, costumes, and cinematography are exemplary. My eyes are glued to the screen! It can get pretty graphic, so younger folks should probably stay away.

3rd Rock From The Sun: I'm aware that this is a strange follow up to Penny Dreadful, but sometimes you need to balance things out with a little comedy. I probably watched this show once or twice growing up and didn't really remember it. When I saw that it was added to Netflix, I watched the first episode on a whim. Now, I'm on season 6 and don't want it to end!! I love that each episode focuses on something about the human condition and that they put a funny and witty twist to it. Maybe it's my anthropology background, but I absolutely love observing the family's reaction to our cultural norms. 
 
Recent Binges

Vikings: I was literally on the edge of my seat watching this series. It got to a point where I couldn't watch it before bed anymore because it would fire me up too much. I absolutely love the power dynamics, political maneuvering, history, commentary on religion and power, and learning more about the Nordic/Pagan culture. It doesn't hurt either that Ragnar and Rollo are eye candy. Lagertha (right) is bad ass and I want to be her! I so want to get a rune tattoo now. Oh, and did I mention that my puppy's name is Loki? Warning: The theme song is super catchy and will stick in your head for months!

Black Mirror: A darker, much more twisted Twilight Zone with a technological-paranoia bent. It's scary because a lot of it could very well be true in the near future. Each episode is very different, and some are more graphic and freaky than others. I recommend watching Season 2 first.  Younger folks should probably stay away from this one.

Death Note: I've never been a fan of Anime before, but decided to give this one a go. Death Note is a very clever, original, and thought-provoking story with dark undertones. You really have to pay attention to detail, so you may need to rewind a few parts, especially since the subtitles can be fast. 

Most of these were recommendations people made to me, so please feel free to share yours below :)

A Song of Fire - In The Kitchen

When I was in elementary school I won a blue ribbon for my peanut butter blossoms. In high school, I won first prize for my chocolate revel bars. Yes, I know these are some major bragging rights (not!), but that isn't why I've continued to bake for all these years. I bake to share my concoctions with others, and it wasn't until recently that I realized baking is actually very similar to writing. In both cases you pour your heart and soul into your creation, and you get to experiment and try new things. But, it all boils down to sharing your creation - including the journey. So, today I thought it would be fun to share some baking and writing life lessons I've learned.

The Mangler: Okay...this is slightly embarrassing, but I probably hold the world record for mangling the most meat thermometers in a given month via garbage disposal mishap (see photo below).

• Lesson learned: Always pay close attention to detail. Sometimes you get in the habit of doing the same thing over and over again and something pretty significant can slip by and wreak havoc.

Up in Smoke: One day I was baking chocolate chip cookies for my hubby and set down my Mrs. Field's (Yum!) cookbook on top of the burner, which I didn't realize was on. The entire thing went up in flames. I was fine, and so was the rest of the kitchen, but it wasn't until years later that I was able to find a replacement copy of my favorite cookbook.

• Lesson learned:  It's nice to be thoughtful and take care of others, but don't forget to take care of yourself, too.

Shut Up Already: Long before I wrote Strange Luck, I wrote another novel and showed it to a zillion people for feedback - friends, fellow writers, forums, family, editors, you name it. Every time someone suggested a change, I made it. I eventually re-wrote the story so many times it completely buried my voice and the original story I had once been so passionate about. I began to hate the manuscript and made the difficult decision to walk away from it. Lesson learned: Be confident and true to yourself. If it doesn't feel right, it might not be the best decision. In some cases, this could mean walking away and starting anew, which isn't always a bad thing. For example, if I hadn't walked away from that old novel I hated, I wouldn't have gone on to write Strange Luck.

My First Book Signing

So, I did my first book signing today in Tampa. Yay! It was a lot of fun actually. There have only been a few instances in my life when I was so excited I threw up, or almost threw up, and luckily today wasn't one of those times.

Thanks so much to everyone for your love and support. I hope to do many more book signings in the future. Stay tuned...

Give Me Some (YA) Love

So excited to announce that my interview with YA Love Magazine is out today! I had a blast answering their challenging, out-of-the-box questions, like quirky rituals I do before/whilst writing. You can check it out here.  Enjoy!