jackiekessler

Originally published at Insert Witty Title Here. You can comment here or there.

It’s Sunday, which means I’m blogging over at the League of Reluctant Adults. This week’s post is interrupted numerous times by Jezzie and Daun. Visit at your own risk.

sidhevicious

 I went to the Kelley Armstrong signing today here in my city. She read from her upcoming YA novel, The Summoning, had a great Q & A session, and then signed everybody's books, no matter how many we brought with us. I actually emailed her when I found out she was coming here and was encouraged to bring as many of her books with me to be signed as I would like. I'm impressed by that because I know she was at Indigo Books beforehand to sign all their in-store stock, and was going over to another Chapters store after-wards to sign all their stock! The turn-out for the reading, talk and signing was pretty good I'd say, so the poor woman must have cramps in her hand from all that signing! I, for one, am very appreciative. =) Here's a couple pics from the signing.

 
My friends: Tevaul's Lady, Spike, Amber-Lee, Kelley Armstrong and ME!

 
Kelley while reading from The Summoning. 


And because all that was missing in your lives is a lovely close up of Kelley & myself as Zombudi. =D
(I'm on some meds that make me zombie+Judi = Zombudi)

I also picked up some great postcards & bookmarks of upcoming books and got me an Exit Strategy knapsack! Let's hear it for swag at book signings.(Does a little Snoopy dance)

Of course, I could not be in a Chapters book store without buying some erm.. product, lol. I behaved myself though, really! I only bought Haunted - Kelley Armstrong (the only one I didn't have already), Succubus In The City - Nina Harper, Shield Of The Sky - Susan Krinard, City Slab #12 - magazine, and Writer's Digest Yearbook Presents - Writing Basics (magazine). See? I totally controlled myself. LOL. 

Sunday, it's my mom's Birthday, so I'll be spending the day with her, my family and probably under the sprinkler outside with my sister's kids. It was a cooker today, and tomorrow's supposed to be hot too. WOO HOO for hot days! Here it's Victoria Day long-weekend, otherwise known in Canada as May 2/4. So what did everyone do for the weekend?

marywinter

Weekly Specials at Jupiter Gardens

This week enjoy our Happy Buddha incense burner at 25% off. Normally $5.95, he's priced at $4.76. Comes with 12 assorted cones. Due to the Memorial Day holiday, this special will run through 05/31/2008.

For more information or to purchase visit: http://jupitergardens.com/index.php?cPath=41

And we have a large selection of incense on sale at the moment including our Kama Sutra and Feng Shui square packs, and all our Hex packs. To see all our current specials visit: http://jupitergardens.com/specials.php 

And don't forget, we also have a 10% off coupon running right now (code: dc2008) and you can get that discount on top of our already discounted special prices!

Jupiter Gardens...nurture your inner worlds
http://www.jupitergardens.com/

shartyrant

"(FromJames Clemens, who wrote the famous Wit'ch novels, comes the first novel in a new series-about a world where mysterious gods hold powerful secrets, knights walk in the shadows, and demons claw up from the darkness, as one man struggles to prove he didn't kill a god. "


 Heck, I need to try his books under his other pen name James Rollins that are all action-adventure. 


I'm currently reading THE OUTLAW DEMON WAILS by Kim Harrison. It is book 6 in her Hollow series which features the "earth" witch, Rachel Morgan, who is one of the co-owners/employees of Vampiric Charms (a  freelance detective agency). It is one of the better urban fantasy series that is set in an alterante history where creatures like were-wolves, vampires, witches, and more (called "inderlanders") have came forward and revealed their existence to the world after a worldwide pandemic caused by genetically modified tomatoes killed the majority of human population. The story is written from Rachel's viewpoint (first-person narrative) and usually features her getting into trouble where she is threated by mostly supernatural elements resulting from her previous jobs or connections.

I like this series. I like the twist of the human vs. inderlanders balance. The tomato epidemic cracks me up with the pizza and ketchup. And I adore Jinx and his family. One of the most original takes on pixies I have ever seen that doesn't have them all sweet and cloyling cute.  But I am not a fan of Rachel. It is the supporting characters and the situations that Rachel gets in that interest me. Personally, I find Rachel grates on my nerves in some of the books with her actions and  judgements of other characters while doing the same things she judges them for. Then again, this does prevent her from being a "Mary Sue" so I guess I can't complain too much as she honestly admits that she makes mistakes a lot and is trying to fix her tendency to seek trouble (you'll have to read the series to find out why she does this and why she is making the choices she is). 

Book 6 is looking to resolve some of the questions I had from the earlier books and possibly the Ivy relationship status. At least I hope so. I am up to page 46 and enjoying it so far with all the demon action and her mother. I have to admit, the demon elements interest me the most and the ever-after. It has interested me from the time Al came into the picture and later certain other demons. I am also hoping for more Trent as he is one of my favorite characters. 

Ironically, while at the used bookstore, I came across the DATES FROM HELL anthology that has the prequel to the "Hollow" series with a short story "Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil", featuring Ivy Tamwood (Rachel's partner). It was half priced and  since  I enjoyed the other short story , "Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel" in the HOLIDAYS ARE HELL anthology that I had bought new when it was released....Yep. I got it. I was also interested in that since it has a Kelley Armstrong story in it. Some of hers are hit and miss with me, but we have a chaos demon so I couldn't resist.

*sigh* So many books. So little time. Obviously, I must get more soon...

cmpriest

Today I went down to Olympia to play with Caitlin. We didn’t get to perform as much recon as we’d hoped, but we tootled around the old brewery property nonetheless and took a few pictures. Later, there was shopping and I found a vintage button-up wool skirt for thirteen dollars. Following this, there was ice cream, and we hung out lazily around her place.

Good times!
Good pictures! Lot’s of ‘em.

Click the link.

Abandoned buildings (exterior shots only, alas); cats; babies who stalk brunettes ...

tenorvox
cat_macros

Eh.
Not bad, but not too terribly fantastic, either.
Maybe I need more gin.....



And for this one, I hear Basil Rathbone's voice....
dunno why.