“Big Bird loses his friend…”
For those who have never had a chance to see the amazing way that Sesame Street handled the loss of a character & friend – I add this video because it’s the first time I am seeing it as well. It’s extremely moving. ❤
Eight Deadly Kisses…for you
Dark Chapter Press presents an anthology by the diabolical master minds of women with murderous intent. Eight stories to give you a little deadly taste of what women horror writers enjoy doing best. Making you uneasy and scaring the hell out of you. Pull up a seat and give in as the lovely ladies weave you stories by the firelight to fan the flames intended for your delight.
A perfect way to spend a Valentine’s Day night – after your date has been tucked in for bed and you’re all alone with nothing to do…
Sweet, sweet January…has come and gone #ICYMI @TheShelfLife
ICYMI – Mike and I had a little bit of a long break around the holidays due to many different things happening but one thing that we don’t intend to do is lose the urge to want to sit down and talk about the books we’ve read. If you haven’t yet subscribed to our podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast catcher – and didn’t see our two new January episodes, here are links to stream them from our Shelf Life website. We are looking to do a classic novel for our next episode – something that harkens back to our old High School years and have more lined up in the following months. It’s our intention to get back to releasing a new one at least once per month going forward but if you subscribe to our podcast you’ll be sure not to miss it.
We are not experts — we just discuss books that we like, love, or didn’t. We hope that you’ll find value in that and hang out with us as we discuss them.
The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins: http://www.theshelflifepodcast.com/2015/01/episode-8-hunger-games-trilogy-by.html
Revival – Stephen King: http://www.theshelflifepodcast.com/2015/01/the-shelf-life-podcast-episode-9.html
If you like movies, I was also a guest on SlasherCast – SideEffect in January. Dave and I sat down and discussed The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies:
http://www.slashercast.net/2015/01/side-effect-episode-31-hobbit-battle-of.html
Enjoy! 🙂
-DAC
Video
Seth MacFarlane has a Holiday album out? Wait, he does? YES! He does! Check it out #music
And it is absolutely BRILLIANT.
I caught the tail end of Seth MacFarlane singing on the Kelly & Michael morning show this week and I was caught completely off guard. Seth MacFarlane…was singing, no. That’s not the ‘word’ for it. He was crooning into the microphone. Like in a -beautiful Dean Martin ‘singing holiday carols’ kind of way. And he was GOOD! Better than good. He was excellent!
And I get it – really. I don’t watch ‘The Family Guy’ but I know the man’s name and from what I understand, he’s done musical numbers on the show. I honestly had no idea. Not that anyone can’t have a handful of quality talents, I don’t mean that, I just didn’t EXPECT to be blown away by this man, in this way. But friends, let me tell you. I bought the album just based on the last maybe 30 seconds of the song he was singing. He’s SO good that I really wanted to go out and buy every person that I knew a copy of the cd and thrust it into their hands and say “HERE! Christmas has been revived for me again! Listen to this and FEEL it again”. A tall order, I understand. Not everyone even likes these older holiday classics, but I think there’s just a certain appreciation that must take place when hearing something so…uplifting. I can imagine myself watching the snow fall on Christmas (the holiday that I celebrate) and hearing this music in the background. A glass of wine in my hand. The music has reinvigorated me in a way I hadn’t expected and that’s why it was SO surprising to me.
I can’t say that I’ve lost the “spirit” it’s just that I don’t usually find my holiday happiness until the week of my Christmas holiday anymore. With stores pushing out decorations and Mall Santa’s and all of that even before Thanksgiving takes place (this year it felt like as soon as Halloween was over, Christmas decorations were already going up in the stores. Am I wrong?) it just doesn’t feel the same as it used to. I almost feel like by the time the 25th gets here, I’m already tired and worn out from everything that I love about the holiday.
But this week I got a little bit of that…magic back.
Now, I know – the “sound” might be a little too old school for you, but I ask that you just give it a try and see what you think. If you like what you hear, go support the guy and maybe he’ll make more of these! I heard songs I’ve never heard before (FINALLY. I hear the SAME holiday songs over and over again usually) and not only that. I felt like a good half of the songs were not just aimed at Christmas. They were Winter Seasonal holiday songs that anyone can enjoy and not just people who celebrate Christmas-y music. Check it out and let me know what you think. It’s called “Holiday for Swing!”
Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!
Some other stuff that he’s recorded – covers for some older hits:
I am not one to completely wave a Classic’s flag. I don’t know all of the ‘Greats’ or all of the songs that they sing, but there’s a movie that I love and a cover song artist that I loved FROM the movie that I always think of when I start thinking of this style of music. It’s called “Return to Me” and it has David Duchovny and Minnie Driver in it. If you’re curious what I’m talking about, give it a listen below.
“What if I Loved You” Joey Gian – from “Return to Me“
Now…just picture that fireplace lighting, the wine, the mood, and the music playing softly in the background. Isn’t it a beautiful thing? I think so.
-DAC
p.s. I realized too late that I misspelled the Seth MacFarlane’s last name, but I think I corrected them all. Whoopsie.
Project 731 A #Kaiju Thriller novel is OUT!
A…what?
A Kaiju. Like ‘Godzilla’. Like the villains in Pacific Rim (which I LOVE).
So I wanted to post up and say that I’m totally banana-bonkers excited that Jeremy Robinson has published a new book in his “Project” series that blends his heroes from ‘Project Nemesis’, ‘Island 731’, and ‘Project Maigo’ (you need to read them in THAT order so that they all fall into place, if you’re new to the series and want to catch up on them). From Jeremy’s blog it looks like he has plans to do a major book cross-over in 2016 that will further this “Project” series, so it’s not over with this book either. Look at that amazing cover art! That’s not even the end of it. There are actual fan drawings INSIDE too!
I was never an original ‘Godzilla’ fan way back in the day. The Matthew Broderick one didn’t strike me as a great addition to the genre either, though I don’t rank on it as much as some others might. I don’t think it was trying to be serious. I loved ‘Jurassic Park‘ and Peter Jackson’s ‘King Kong‘- which may have sparked my love for giant monsters – but when ‘Pacific Rim‘ came out- I lost my mind with how much I loved it. It was just…so. Much. Fun. I saw it in theaters 3 times easily in the first 3 weeks.
We know that some of the sequels to these movies will be coming to theaters in the next year or two but until then, where can we get the fresh experience of those giant monsters again?
I think you know what I’ll say to that.
You need to check these books out. Give the first one a try and see if it grabs your attention. If it doesn’t, maybe film is your Huckleberry and not text versions. No worries in that case. But if you’re looking for that thrill of an action adventure story with 300ft Kaiju, you’ve gotta read the guy that has basically started his own sub-genre category title with this series. If you’re on the move and can’t read them – the audiobooks are awesome (if you’ve been listening to The Shelf Life, then you know I love audiobooks). I’ve been a fan of R.C Bray (who narrates ‘Island 731’) for many books (check him out!) and he’s an excellent ‘Hawkins’ and Jeffrey Kafer (narrates the ‘Project’ series) is an awesome voice for the hero, Hudson.
If you’re reading this and feel excited to try the book/s out – I recommend reading them in chronological/publication order starting with (there is a specific reason that I recommend them this way, but you can read them in almost any order you want to, as long as ‘Project Nemesis’ comes first and ‘Project 731‘ comes last):
And I’d like to add a further recommendation. When you’re done with those ones – give Jeremy’s other series (under his other name) a try. Jane Harper is a first class horror heroine and I’m waiting for book 3. Maybe I’ll get lucky and some day there will be a huge cross over with Jane involved. Oh, I hope so! She may be tough, rough, and brash, but she has my attention and I want to see what she’ll do next. See what you think and pass it on if you like these books 🙂
Now, please excuse me while I go back and get some reading done. Come here, Project 731!
Enjoy your new books too!
-DAC
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A reason to cheer. #NaNoCheer #NanoWriMo #NanoWrimo2014 #TGIO
I wrote 50k words in November!
I know there are some people who follow me who may not share in the same delights that I do, so I’ll keep this post short for the sake of you all, but I hope those of you who don’t share my interests in novel writing and the NaNoWriMo event this year, will allow me to CHEER !
I set out to do NaNoWriMo (National November/Novel Writing Month) this year as a jump start to finishing more of my projects in progress. I managed to complete the first draft of something new that I’ve been interested in compiling for a bigger purpose for while and while it’s “completed” in the sense that I wrote 50,000 words on it – it’s only a first draft. Most of you know that the first draft of anything needs revision until it’s the way it’s best presentable, so it needs a lot of work before it even sees the light of day. But. It’s done! I’m pleased to feel the rush of satisfaction in knowing that it’s 2 out of the 3 things that I wanted to achieve for 2014. (I managed to write a short story based on some characters from my novella Cryptic back in January this year, but the publication I’d intended it for fell through.) The third thing was one that I’m sure plagues many of us – the diet and exercise “thing” that never quite managed to stick. I yo-yo’d quite a bit this year and with classes…I pretty much said TTFN to it with my work load. I’ll refocus on that for next year <again>.
So what now? Well, next year I’ll work on revisions for what I’ve done in November, but this month I will return my focus on a sequel plan that I have for Cryptic and hope that I’ll have success in finishing the first draft of it also. Maybe some time next year will be when I dust myself off and become published again. One can hope. Or…I can. 🙂 I don’t stop the desire to write more, but as we all know, life gets in the way and if you’re not writing as a full time job and able to support yourself from it (contrary to how everyone views being a writer, not every author can earn a living wage writing), one must find other means to make ends meet.
So. On to the *Snoopy happy dance* 🙂
There. Post complete. Happiness attained. DAC Approved. 😉
*note: NaNoWriMo is a month where writers get together to collectively write generally a new manuscript of their choosing – as a solo endeavor in the novel itself, but with participants collaboratively focused and encouraging daily word counts of each other in social media, forums, or local group write-in sessions. The goal is to reach 50k of new content in 30 days. The idea is to engage each other in creative and shared love of writing novels. Some participate to jump start their passion for writing again, some like the local participation, and some do it because they’ve been doing it a long time and have proven results (published works). 50k in itself is a pretty short book to read and often an author will add much more to that in later revisions of the draft, but it takes some effort to write 1667 words every day for 30 straight days (unless you’re a full time or prolific author, in which case, that’s just a drop in the bucket). As with anything it depends on your vantage point.
TTFN! 🙂
-DAC
Link
If you haven’t heard or seen Lindsey Stirling, you’re really missing out.
She is a performance artist using her body through dance and violin as her instrument to create visual and musical spectacles. In 2010 she was on America’s Got Talent (but didn’t win) and became really popular on YouTube posting videos of her own original music with stellar musical videos but also offering violin performances to cover artist songs like “Radioactive”, “Starships”, “Game of Thrones”, “Legend of Zelda”, and more.
Below I’ve linked some really great videos to check out to see what I mean about her talent and the skill of those around her (if you’re not aware). I can already tell you that I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole of YouTube and Stirling videos so….there will be a lot of video links. But they’re all soooo good! That “Shatter Me” song with Lzzy Hale (of the band “Halestorm”) is REALLY rocking! I’d love to hear that on the radio.
Lindsey is amazing and honestly she’s the only violinist that I can actually say that I know the name of and I’m an actual fan of (no offense other violinists, I’m sure you’re awesome, I just don’t know who you are). I like her stuff and I like her style.
Her albums are pretty much anywhere you can buy music from – check her out and then go buy a couple tracks. This kind of talent needs the backing 🙂 Believe me, I’ve done it.
Then, feel free to let me know what you ended picking up (song or album) and if you have a favorite tune that maybe I didn’t hear yet!
Enjoy!
-DAC
Pictures and Swag from #NaNoWriMo2014 #NaNoWriMo #SWNano
NanoWriMo2014 Swag. Victorian theme
Notice all the coffee, soda pop, and candy (aptly provided through the means of discounted Halloween candy sales and Trick r Treaters who didn’t nab it all) on the table between my Nano-mates. Yesterday was just the beginning. 1-6-6-7 words or more everyday this month. The energy is high right now…but the snacks and goodies will be especially required about mid-way through the month.
GO Nano!
*I came across a really neat TIP today that I think will help me out quite a bit this month. Remember, I’ve never participated before so all of this is new to me. 🙂 I’m going to really adhere to this idea! What a great tip. Lani and Alastair from StoryWonk are going to be a great help to me this month, no doubt. http://storywonk.com/
Lani Diane Rich from the “Storywonk” website and podcast Tweeted this message:
(Writing) Sprints are a fantastic way of grinding out words. You can do anything for 20 minutes! And they add up! #SWNano #NaNoWriMo.
NanoWriMo Nov1st Write-In Session
Pictured: Leslie, Kate, Laurie, and Sarah Jane
-DAC
Easy Peasy Egg “muffins” in the Oven #Recipe
Picture by Joseph Michael- author of the article.
I can’t take credit for this idea – it came from a Facebook post from a fellow that I follow. But I tried making these this morning and they came out pretty great. I think this will be something that I try a lot more, especially with my busy weekly schedule!
Here’s how mine came out.
I added deli sliced ham and spinach with pepper.
Check out the link for details:
Just incase the link doesn’t work or ends up disabled at a later date: here’s the basics on how to cook these up:
Directions
1. Spray your muffin pan with some non-stick cooking spray.
2. Throw in Spinach if desired (The spinach sticks right to the cooking spray. No floating!)
3. Crack one egg into each well.
4. Sprinkle the eggs with a little salt & pepper or whatever seasonings that you’d like.
5. Bake in the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes.
1. Spray your muffin pan with some non-stick cooking spray.
2. Throw in Spinach if desired (The spinach sticks right to the cooking spray. No floating!)
3. Crack one egg into each well.
4. Sprinkle the eggs with a little salt & pepper or whatever seasonings that you’d like.
5. Bake in the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes.
**You could really add anything you want to. Mushrooms, other deli meat, onions, etc. I’m betting you can add more than 1 egg also, if your cupcake tin is high enough. Look at how small a space mine ended up taking up in the pan.
Try it out and see what you think! Enjoy!
-DAC
Today marks the official beginning of #NanoWriMo
So if you’ve ever considered writing a novel – this is the month to give it a try. There is a lot of help, participation, and cheerleading to help you get started and keep you going.
I’ve known about NanoWriMo for a number of years but this is the first time I’ve personally signed up to try to get some word count in. Usually when November would hit, I was already knee deep in some existing work so I never wanted to leave that and start something anew for Nano (if I wanted to “win” for writing a complete book in a month).
A lot of you may already know that I have written in the past and have been published on the small publisher market (a great community of people) but I took a break after my published novella, “Cryptic” and then shortly after- I moved to another state. Then my grandmother passed away. I know. It sounds all like cliche, but as the saying goes “life happens/life gets in the way.”
I’m hoping that I can jump start my writing again – as I have several “in progress” books that I want to see eventually finished. I just have to “begin again” and get back on the horse. I’m hoping this is the month that revives my ambition and if you’re reading this- I hope that if you’re interested in NanoWriMo, that you’re taking advantage of the community there as well.
NanoWriMo “writer’s block and cue card keychain”
-DAC
DA Chaney 
