Kreativ Blogger Award

Well I have finally gotten around to do this. CAM and Mel Teshco both awarded me this award quite some time ago. 

My challenge should I accept it is to write 7 fun and interesting things about myself. Fun? Interesting? Hmmm.... well maybe let's just say some facts about me ;)

1. I was made in Greece, hatched in South Africa & raised in Australia (from 6 months old). I am officially an Aussie since birth (since I was born as an Australian overseas). Though getting a birth certificate was an interesting process!

2. I cried when Elvis Presley passed away even though I was only 4. Thanks to the influence of my cousin I knew his movies and music. 

3. I'm a klutz but for once it wasn't my fault when a hotel shower door came off in my hands. Lucky it didn't hit the wall & shatter. Though it did hit my foot.

4. I used to drive a CM Valiant. I'm short and the car is tank like but it was a smooth ride with power steering. I miss the ol' girl. One thing about driving her, people did get out of my way! (photo is the same model & colour but not the actual car)

5. I did ceramics with my mum for years. I mainly worked on fantasy designs - wizards, dragons, sorceress, and castles especially. I started a fantasy chess set but it's still not done - eeek! The paints I bought would have probably all dried up by now.

6. I hoard scrap paper. You know reduce, reuse, recycle. Well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!!

and last but definitely not least

7. I was in the birthing room when my godson was born. It was such an honour being there & and an amazing experience. I was very blessed especially since I held him within half an hour of his birth. He's almost 6 now. Where have the years gone?

OK so that's me done. Now I'm meant to nominate 7 others to do this. So I nominate:

Sandie Hudson

Monique Wood

Anita Joy

Elove - the Mad Ramble

Shayne's World

Jenn J McLeod

Gromit's story

and anyone else that wants to participate. 

Of course you don't have to :))

~yia~

Another owl picture

I'm heading out for the day, but found this owl picture - again from Feebleminds-gifs.com

~yia~

Reward book: Breaking Dawn

I talk about my latest reward read, Breaking Dawn over at Eleni's Library.


Check it out.


Click on the post title to get there :)


~yia~

The Quotable Bitch....

"When I'm good,

I'm very, very good,

but when I'm bad,

I'm better."

~Mae West, actress

Owly friend

Other than running around for appointments & fighting of headaches by taking naps, not much is happening in my life.


Here's some lovely artwork with a snow-owl (from feebleminds.com).


A friend of mine has told me that she thinks of me when she sees owls, and gave me a lovely snow-owl snow globe. I love it!


Hopefully their symbol of wisdom will rub off on me *grin*


~yia~

The Quotable Bitch....

January 14th's quote was:

"Don't get mad;

get everything." 

~ Ivana Trump, hotelier & entrepeneur.

Ouch!


~yia~

Procrastination????

As everyone across the blogging world writes down their goals or resolutions for 2010, I have yet to come up with mine. Is it procrastination on my part? A little but I think it is more that there is so much happening right now in my life that I'm just dealing with day-to-day things. 


Writing - at a standstill. It's like my creativity has been sucked out by dad's surgery and this over 40C heat!


Reading - very slow. Just reading abit of Nikki's book Lights, Camera...Kiss the Boss as I fall into bed just utterly tired from my hectic days. It's a great book to finish the day off with. So my challenges look weak over at my book blog, Eleni's Library.


Studying - onto assignment 8. Now at the hard part. Have to write two 1000-1500 word reports. Eeek formal reports. 


Grants reports - I still have yet to do my reports for Arts SA and my local council - as I went straight from Eleni-fest to renovation clean up/hospital running around. So I've started collating the information.


Office clean up - I have made a start to this. Though to anyone else's eyes it would look I haven't made progress. I can SEE the carpet. Who would have thunk? I had a nice area on the couch during Eleni-fest but once all the prizes left, stuff just sort of migrated there (that's a better way than saying I chucked things there - LOL). So trying the slow and steady approach.


But the fun part of all is that I've pulled a neck muscle so it hurts to do anything for too long ATM. 


So my goals & aspirations for 2010 - hmmm...they will have to be general & then I'll have set smaller tasks to achieve them. 


My goal overall is balance - creating a balance with all the areas of my life. This is an ongoing battle as long-time readers of this blog know. It is harder when I feel differently every day with my energy levels. So that has to be taken into consideration.


Writing 

• seek agent representation
• finish final final overview of HD 
• finish first draft of DT & start polishing
• Finish & submit Gateway to Hell (novellete).
• Attend Adelaide Roadshow
• Hopefully attend the RWAus National Conference in August. 

Reading 
For my 2010 goals check out Eleni's Library. But really it's trying to tackle the TBR pile & get it under control. Not like that's possible because there is so much wonderfully talented authors who continue to release wonderful books, so it's ever growing.


Health - balance as needed.


Study - finish course by mid-April.


RWAus roles - continue to do my bits & pieces for RWAus. Need to set up reminders for my monthly tasks.


Networking - maintain my blogs, the Bootcamper 101 blog & website, the SARA website & news page.


Contest - I've actually been working on doing a cover design for a contest. So I am letting my creativeness out in other avenues. So enter this by its due date. 




So not real 'set' timeframes but general directional goals. I now have to think HOW I'm going to accomplish these. You know breaking down the tasks into achievable chunks.


Hmmm...so it may seem like I'm procrastinating but really it's planning & being flexible enough when life throws things your way ;))


Hope 2010 is fantastic for everyone!!


And don't forget to check out the LoveCats DownUnder blog that has launched today - there will be some prizes happening during this week. 


~yia~

Bootcamper buddies

Just wanted you to know that the amazing Nikki Logan talks about her life since signing the publishing contract over at the Bootcampers 101 blog. She's been on such a ride. Her debut Lights, Camera...Kiss the Boss is due out in the US/UK in February (I'm lucky enough to have an author copy thanks to Nikki - mwah!). So go check out this great round up by clicking here.

This month is also the release of the fabulous Rachel Bailey's debut book Claiming His Bought Bride in the US. And next month, Rachel has a second book out - go girl!!

Wishing you both mega mega sales.....




Also both Nikki & Rachel will be part of a new blogging team called LoveCats Downunder. Their launch is tomorrow so don't miss checking this out. They are in good company with Sharon Archer, Zana Bell, Emily May, Tracie Sommers & Mel Teshco. Wishing you all the best with this new venture ladies!!


~yia~

The virtue of being a bitch....

Now I don't think I'm a bitch - though I do have some bitchy moments. But as I was walking through our local mall yesterday, I came across the boxed calendars and one caught my eye - The Quotable Bitch: women who tell it like it really is.

At 40% off, I thought why the hell not buy it. I need bitchy or "telling like it is" quotes on a daily basis. 


I loved the one for 1st January:

"When a man gives his opinion, he's a man;

when a woman gives her opinion,

she's a bitch."     ~ Bette Davis

So true - unfair but true.

Now to find my inner bitch ;))

~yia~

Ancient tales - well sort of....

Stephanie Draven had the following on her blog. So thanks to her for letting me know about an upcoming series - Spartacus - Blood & Sand. Of course since it's about gladiators, the clip has violence & blood, & bonking snippets.  


Still I can always recall the movie with Kirk Douglas & the 'I am Spartacus'...'No I  am Spartucus'...'You are mistaken, I am Spartacus' *wink*

And following is a clip for a new film coming out Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief. It's from a book of the same name by Rick Riordon (which I just finished today - had to get it back to the library). A very enjoyable children's book.

Still 'coming soon' is Clash of The Titans, which I am looking forward to. I blogged about the clip back in November.


So looks like the Ancient world & myths continued to be explored. Cool *grin*


~yia~

New blog for reading

Eeek I forgot to let you know about my new blog Eleni's Library. I seemed to be taking up so much talking about my reading challenges and reading in general, I decided to move that information. It will help me keep organised with my reading challenges and I've signed up for a few this year.


So come along and have a look.


Of course that doesn't mean I will not be talking about books and especially ones by writing buddies here at the Taverna. 


~yia~

Funny ad

Been running around today, checking out storage and filing cabinets. So feel beat especially as things are heating up in little ol' Adelaide.


I stumbled on this a few days ago and thought it was funny. 


William Lawson on YouTube







~yia~

Reading in 2009

I've been trying to create a widget from Library Thing to cover all my books read in 2009 but no widget has the amount I want for covers only.


So you can go to my Library Thing collection 'Read in 2009' to view full amount.


Below is an animated widget....

So what was my favourite? Ooooh that's a hard one indeed. I've really enjoyed my reading the last year. 


Keri Arthur continues to be my 'writer of the moment' and I re-read some of the early books in the earlier series so I can refamiliarise myself with those worlds.


With single title books, I was blown away with Tracey O'Hara's debut book Night's Cold Kiss, Anne Gracie's The Stolen Princess, Anna Campbell's Claiming the Courtesan and Denise Rossetti's The Flame and the Shadow. All of whom are RWAus members. I also enjoyed reading The Unfortunate Miss Fortunates - a collaboration by three great authors - Jennifer Crusie, Anne Stuart and Eileen Dryer.




For YA, Zombie Queen of Newbury High by Amanda Ashby was a fun read.


This year, I continued to read more graphic novels actually finishing the year with Watchmen by Alan Moore. Graphic novels can convey so much via the words and the illustrations, and colour choices. It really is a nice change of pace.


I listened to a couple of audio CDs - most notably The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman read by the author himself. What a great story.


I have so many category books on my TBR pile and managed to tackle just a few this year.  I especially enjoyed stories by Trish Morey, Marion Lennox, Barbara Hannay, Melissa James, Annie West, Anne Oliver and Elizabeth Rolls. All wonderful for different reasons. I love reading across lines.


I've also delved into reading shorter bite sized stories - novelettes and novellas - three authors I enjoyed were Anna Hackett, Mel Teshco, and Christina Phillips. 


I didn't read too much non-fiction this year - I am going to rectify that by reading more on the craft of writing. My research has been bits and pieces of books, not the whole lot.


I'm hoping to beat my 70 book in 2010. (well 83 really but I'm going by 'book' by Harlequin Book Challenge definition). 


~yia~